What I'd like to see is an original IBM keyboard with the metal bottom cover
and the 2 or 3 layers of steel plate inside VS a shotgun.
Of course the test subject would have to be one beyond all hope of being
repaired. Wouldn't want to blast a good or fixable one. ;)
What would be the ultimate is a USB electronics board made to replace the board
in original AT and PS/2 Model M keyboards.
The PS/2 port is on the way out as the "legacy free" move continues in
computers.
The mechanical keyboard I use is a Focus KeyPro FK9000, with mechanical
switches. It has 12 programmable function keys in the old PC/XT F-key location,
an 8-way cursor keypad with a Trubo button in the middle and a built in 6
function with memory calculator with LCD display that uses the number pad.
Unfortunately Keytronic didn't equip it with a way to feed the calculator I/O
to the computer. The calculator has a NiCd battery that charges from the
keyboard port and when charged the calc can be used without the computer
running.
It has a flip up holder along the top, above the standard F-keys, to hold
charts of what the function keys do in various DOS programs, by themselves and
in combination with Shift, Alt and Ctrl, which are color coded.
Even cooler is it has an unmarked key between the left Ctrl and Alt that does
absolutely nothing. It doesn't even work as an "Any" key.
I've found the programming info for the PF-keys but haven't yet programmed them
to do anything. The programming is done in-keyboard so it's completely OS
independent.
Now why doesn't anyone make keyboards this cool anymore? All it need to bring
it into Century 21 are USB and the ability to send data from the calculator "up
the pipe".
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