on 10-12-05 11:54 AM, Jeff Walther at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Many, perhaps most, newer keyboards are made of a folded sheet of > mylar with circuit traces etched onto it. The mylar is folded so > that there are three layers with some holes cut to allow keycaps to > make coated mylar touch coated mylar through the holes.
So are the mylar keyboards the "third generation" of keyboards? First came the mechanical keyswitches, then the "rubber dome" models, now these mylar ones? > In my experience, if you get one of this style of keyboard wet, it is > extremely difficult to get it working again. As I understand it, that was supposed to be one of the advantages of the cost-conscious rubber dome keyboards: they were somewhat spill-resistant. With a single sheet of rubber between the keys themselves and the conductive material, spilling things on them wasn't a good idea, but it wasn't necessarily the kiss of death either. These new mylar ones seem to give the worst of all worlds. Was the switch in materials made simply for cost cutting reasons? >The water either takes forever or simply won't dry out from between the layers >and when it does dry, it often leaves residue behind that affects the function. So there are enough minerals in ordinary tap water to short out the keyboard even if it dries? Wow. > If your keyboard is a keyswitch on circuit board type of keyboard, > then the above is irrelevant. Sadly, those seem all too rare these days. I never thought that something once so commonplace would ever become so relatively scarce. When Lexmark redesigned the Model M keyboard, they actually designed a drainage channel into the keyboard in case of spills: http://www.3m3718.com/bluelogo.php That's not to say that the keyboards were bomb-proof, just that someone at least *thought* of the possibility of something being spilled on the keyboard. Best, James Fraser -- G-List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- We have Apple Refurbished Monitors in stock! | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> G-List list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[email protected]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> iPod Accessories for Less at 1-800-iPOD.COM Fast Delivery, Low Price, Good Deal www.1800ipod.com
