need replacement keys

[BigBrother]

I was cleaning my keyboard recently and I've broken my Z key on my keyboard.



anyone know where i can get a replacement for this little guy ? (or maybe a REALLY inexpensive clacky replacement? maybe something with media keys? preferably PS/2) the keyboard specifically is a SK-9920

[Otterclock]

Before you spend $16 shipped for a single key, lemme check my surplus closet at work and see if we have one of those boards that I can jack the Z off of. (I work nights, I'm there now. Let ya know within an hour).

[BigBrother]

Be cheaper to just by a replacement. $5 on ebay.  Listing says serial connection.  LOL.  People are already forgetting what a PS/2 connector looks like.

5$ + 11$ shipping... i really hate it when people charge an obscene amount for shipping. but this keyboard is on the heavy side and as with PS/2 keyboards, it has a metal plate for grounding. xD

[Otterclock]

All I have are boatloads of SK-9921's. From what I can tell they're the same but sort of tan/off-white/dirt colored. Oddly there is a single SK-9920 but it's being used by an admin, and she needs the z to type "lolz" when we ask for a budget increase.

You can message that guy on Ebay and offer him $3 for a Z. Shipping should be less.

[bitflipper]

$11 is hardly obscene for shipping. I just shipped both of my MX-11800s to different places and the shipping was $13.37 and $11.31 for UPS ground. If you figure the cost of a box, packing materials, and the time / gas to haul it down to the UPS store, heck, $11 is dirt cheap. It should be more like $30.

[Otterclock]

Now I feel guilty. I hope mine was the cheaper one. You should have sent it book rate or by train or something.

[BigBrother]

well, there's a FRY's near by so i'm going to check that tomorrow. apparently their site DOES NOT INDEX ITEMS FOR THE KEYWORD 'KEYBOARD'! this came as a shock as you may notice.

[Otterclock]

I wish I had a Fry's nearby. 'Keyboard' search worked ok for me on their site. You should totally get this.

[BigBrother]

I hope that was sarcasm or you didn't notice 'BigBrother' being my name. >_<

[bitflipper]

Now I feel guilty. I hope mine was the cheaper one. You should have sent it book rate or by train or something.

Hehe. I'm just glad those 2 boards have good homes now and I didn't have to throw them in my donation pile.

Unfortunately, lower end keyboards are usually bulky and weighty enough that some ebay sellers can justify slapping $25 or more on top of the auction price for shipping. That's one reason I didn't put 'em on ebay.

Here's a Z I pulled off a rubber dome, but who knows if it'll fit:

[BigBrother]

looks like it will fit. what keyboard did that come off of ?

[kishy]

Rawr, needs moar noisy springs.

Honestly, I have doubts you'll find a suitable key unless it came off exactly the same model of keyboard. Certainly the same keys are used between different manufacturers for some boards but the chances of you figuring out what one of those other boards is are pretty slim. Just because it's got the right shape of slider portion doesn't mean it'll accommodate the same travel distance or even be the right size.

[itlnstln]

You forgot this one:

Wheel of Fortune:       � r s t l n e

[bitflipper]

looks like it will fit. what keyboard did that come off of ?

It's one of those CompUSA 14.99 specials. The label says "Windows 98 Keyboard".

Rawr, needs moar noisy springs.

Honestly, I have doubts you'll find a suitable key unless it came off exactly the same model of keyboard. Certainly the same keys are used between different manufacturers for some boards but the chances of you figuring out what one of those other boards is are pretty slim. Just because it's got the right shape of slider portion doesn't mean it'll accommodate the same travel distance or even be the right size.

Yeah, it's a long shot, but I though I'd try to help out BigBrother. Maybe he'll forgive some of my transgressions in exchange for a Z key.

[BigBrother]

I just came back from FRY's and it doesn't look like they have a suitable keyboard. I would like one with the small space on the CAPS LOCK key so I'm not hitting it all the time like I am with this Cherry POS-g84-61401. I like this cherry keyboard but it has little or no tactile feedback and it's better suited for chatting or typing up a document. My HHKBL2 may work for gaming, but it tends to slide around because it's just too light. Media keys are a plus but I have a Logitech G35 now.

[itlnstln]

Get some shelf liner.  It'll keep your 'board from sliding.  It will also keep you from taking the 'board off your desk altogether.

[kishy]

Edit:  Whoops.  Looks like you only paid $83 for it.  Maybe you can't.  But still, it's better to save up for a good one instead of collecting these Logitech/G84/HHKB rubber domes.

Or do what I do.

Ask really nicely

[BigBrother]

Get some shelf liner.  It'll keep your 'board from sliding.  It will also keep you from taking the 'board off your desk altogether.

it's not completely impractical but it does work. if i could give rep, i would.
now only if i could lower this table about 5 inches...

[BigBrother]

whoa, i am late on this. ;_;

thanks  bitflipper   for sending me the key! it fits but it's a tad low... BUT IT FITS.
guess i can undo mistakes with the Z key being lower now. ( ¯◡◡¯·)

on another note, i bent and broke a pin in the PS/2 connector and the keyboard is fully broken. (╬ ಠ益ಠ)

I've gathered about 150$ and i'm willing to look for a Cherry Brown.

[ch_123]

it has a metal plate for grounding. xD

With a keyboard like that, it's probably a layer of tin foil...

[BigBrother]

With a keyboard like that, it's probably a layer of tin foil...

nope, there's a plate of thin molded steel in there... otherwise it'd be a really light keyboard. i think it may actually be about 1mm to be honest.

[BigBrother]

it seems i made a mistake in asking about a Cherry Brown keyboard. it seems they're not as clacky as i had hoped. if anything, i want something that will echo in this hollow room of mine when i type something (and maybe even a keyboard with that tiny space between the caps lock and the 'A' key)

[BigBrother]

anything along the lines of a full keyboard ? I have more than enough space now (i also tend to use the keypad's ENTER key on the way to my mouse sometimes)

[BigBrother]

http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/en104bl.html this looks good... i don't see how it's "space saving" though... doesn't concern me however.

[BigBrother]

oh, so that's what that little indented bar was... haha.

Ripster... I'm jealous of your desk. my desk is... well... a multiple-layer network of cables, papers and various of things:

[BigBrother]

someone please shoot me soon. ;_;

i got the Unicomp spaceSaver yesterday and got to trying it out tdoay... odd thing is: i can type my password in in the login window but once i'm into windows 7 x64, i can't type anything else- the keyboard is moreorless dead. the numlock light is on but i can't do anything with the keyboard (can't turn numlock off, the windows key doesn't work, etc).

[BigBrother]

the PS/2 version. I've had issues USB keyboards and BIOS in the past (the board wouldn't start soon enough for me to get into bios and sometimes it would).

i guess i'll patch together my linux machine and get it running.

[BigBrother]

my roommate needs to get to class (the fool chose weekend classes) and class starts in 10min~

i also need to get some things so hopefully y'all will be here later in the day.

[BigBrother]

someone shoot me dead, please. ;_;

i took him to class, went to ikea, got lost for about 100mi on the freeway, went to home depot for some wood, car died, pushed it about 100ft, someone jumped the battery till the car worked, went to walmart, car "died" again, called a tow truck and the guy wiggled the rings on the battery nipples around a little and my car works... somewhat. fml

[elbowglue]

It's a little spacesaving. Look at my sig.

[BigBrother]

it's dawned on me that i take too long to do things. i need to get my stuff straight. :\

anyways, it's confirmed, the unicomp spacesaver works on Linux so far (now only if i could make this WiMAX connection go faster. >_>).

also, this is what i was taking my sweet time to make:

[BigBrother]

i love cats and dogs, but i'm allergic to both. ;_;

[microsoft windows]

I take it you don't recognize that photograph. Ever heard of "His Master's Voice"?

[BigBrother]

It sounds familiar but i'm not entirely into old books or is it a movie?

[Mental Hobbit]

It sounds familiar but i'm not entirely into old books.

Tsss, kids these days....

[BigBrother]

I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking at there from Mental Hobbit... is that a record or a film roll?


on the subject of the unicomp keyboard: does anyone have an idea why it works in Linux (note that the Linux i am using is 32-bit) but not past the login screen on Windows 7 x64?

[itlnstln]

Tsss, kids these days....

Show Image

McPhail.  Awesome.

That's a record, BTW. A 78, to be exact.

[keyb_gr]

on the subject of the unicomp keyboard: does anyone have an idea why it works in Linux (note that the Linux i am using is 32-bit) but not past the login screen on Windows 7 x64?

I think you're not the first one with that problem, but can't for my life remember where I read about this.

Here would be an article dealing with slow response - hmm, I /do/ have two copies of ati2evxx.exe running.

[BigBrother]

hmm, I /do/ have two copies of ati2evxx.exe running.

what does ati2evxx.exe have to do with the unicomp not running past the login window in win7 ?

[muchadoaboutnothing]

So let me get this straight.

• The keyboard functions in the BIOS
• The keyboard is functional during the login to Windows.

 Do you have to type in a password (do we know the keyboard is working at this point?)

• The keyboard does not work in Windows.

What model motherboard is this?

[BigBrother]

ASUS M4A79 Deluxe

and yeah, i can browse around in BIOS and type in my password at the login screen but once windows actually loads, the keyboard is moreorless useless (oddly, the caps/num lock/scroll lock lights work)

@keyb_gr:

i asked that before i saw the link and had to go do a few errands for the day and then donate blood. i read the article but i don't have ANY ATI2evxx.exe running... anywhere and i can't find that Ati Hotkey Poller thing anywhere either.

[muchadoaboutnothing]

and yeah, i can browse around in BIOS and type in my password at the login screen but once windows actually loads, the keyboard is moreorless useless (oddly, the caps/num lock/scroll lock lights work)

Unusual. Does the keyboard show up in the device manager? Did you install the latest chipset drivers? (since Asus' servers aren't rock solid, and they don't let you link directly to the driver files, I downloaded and threw them on Mediafire. Faster download anyway, 1 megabyte per second + for non-pro users)

[kishy]

Idea:

When, exactly, does the restriction on unsigned drivers kick in? Is this during boot or after logon?

Presumably the driver being used is signed since it's the MS original, but if something has gone wonky re: unsigned driver restrictions it seems like a possible cause (to test, find the utility that disables this functionality, reboot, see if it works).

[muchadoaboutnothing]

Idea:

When, exactly, does the restriction on unsigned drivers kick in? Is this during boot or after logon?

Presumably the driver being used is signed since it's the MS original, but if something has gone wonky re: unsigned driver restrictions it seems like a possible cause (to test, find the utility that disables this functionality, reboot, see if it works).

AFAIK it DOES occur at boot. To temporarily disable it, you can hold down F8 right before the "Starting Windows" screen and select "Disable driver signature enforcement" to disable it until the machine is rebooted (one time; I do it when I want to use Virtual Audio Cable or MotionInJoy for my DualShock 3)

[BigBrother]

i'm not sure why i'm now just thinking of this... the SK-9920 keyboard that i originally needed a Z  key for was PS/2 and worked fine. ;_;

[BigBrother]

anything?

[BigBrother]

in light of no suggestions, i grave dug a (kb & mouse) PS/2 to USB adapter from RadioShack my dad had bought me some years ago. The keyboard works now (very loudly now that i think of it. ).

I've heard some things about PS/2 to USB adapters though. Somewhere I read that some adapters will not allow for x amount of keys pushed at the same time. any comments on this?

with this massive keyboard on my desk now, i don't think i have enough room for my HHKL2... anyone have a suggestion for a KVM switch or other alternative (except for Synergy) ?

[BigBrother]

ok, this nearly screwed me over in a game i was just playing... the keyboard decided to reset itself or something. i couldn't use any keys and once i had stopped pressing any keys, the CAPS/NUM/SCROLL lights blinked and i could use it again.

any ideas?

[itlnstln]

Are you using a PS/2 to USB adapter or a KVM switch?  I had a KVM switch that would do that on occasion.

[kishy]

USB...to...PS/2.

Yeah, the issue is certainly a "reset", of some kind. If using a USB to PS/2 converter then you'll want to try a different one.