Best keyboards you've used ever!

From: Dwight K. Elvey <dwight.elvey_at_amd.com>
Date: Tue Aug 31 16:54:15 2004

>From: ard_at_p850ug1.demon.co.uk
>
>> > Brent> Speaking of various keyboards: some time ago I received a bare
>> > Brent> (no machine, no case, no ID) keyboard utilising
>> > Brent> magnetically-activated reed relays for the key contacts. Reed
>> > Brent> relays were commonly used for calculator keyboards in the
>> > Brent> late-60s/early 70s and it probably dates from this era, but
>> > Brent> this is the only occasion I have seen reed relays used in an
>> > Brent> alphabetic keyboard.
>> >
>>
>> Tektronix also used this. The Tek 4014 has such a keyboard.
>
>Maybe we should make a list of the various keyboard technologies :
>
>Mecahnical switches
> Metal contacts pressed together by key
> 'Snap action' domes or strips (e.g. HP35)
> Membranes pressed together when key is pressed
> Metal contacts held apart and allowed to touch when key is pressed
> (e.g. VT100)
> Microswitches
> Reed switches
>
>Hall Effect sensors
>
>Capacitance change devices
> Plastic flap over PCB (e.g. IBM PC)
> 'Keytronics' type
>
>Transformer coupling between PCB tracks -- moving core on the key
>(e.g. ICL Termiprinter)
>
>Pair of balanced transformers, one of which is damped by the key (e.g HP9810)
>
>Mecahnical encoding, parallel output mechanical contacts (e.g. ASR33)
>
>Mechanical encoding, serial output mechanical contact (e.g. Creed 7E)
>
>What have I missed (I think I have examples of all of those in use here!)
>
>-tony
>
Hi
 You missed acoustic delay line.
Dwight
Received on Tue Aug 31 2004 - 16:54:15 BST