No-Nonsense, Compact, USB/PS2 Keyboards?

JonMartin would like to poll the collective wisdom and experience of those Slashdot readers who would like to assist him in his quest for his idea of the perfect keyboard. Check out his description and see how well his ideal matches to yours.

"I am hunting for my perfect keyboard. I have not been able to find any vendor that matches my dream spec exactly, so I thought I would ask here before I start to compromise.

Here are the desired specs:

• the main part of the keyboard must be a 101-key layout, so no Win95 keys or internet keys (I would tolerate Win95 keys if they were out of the way - ie. above the numeric keypad)
• USB connector (but must still work with PS/2 adaptor in an emergency)
• 2 USB ports (obviously these will not be expected to work with the PS/2 adaptor)
• straight Enter key (not the big-L type)
• no 'ergonomic'split layout
• compact footprint (regular sized keyboard, but no extraneous molding that takes up desk space) maybe 18"x6.5"
• good quality and construction

If you know of any keyboard that meets or comes close to meeting all of these, jump in and share the info."

JonMartin mentions that a few of his requests are quite subjective, so he's willing to try a few to see how they work out, so try to leave out those recommendations that are sold "as-is", please.

Comments

Re:happy hacking

[Stormie]

The happy hacker meets all of your requirements except for the bit about the extra USB ports.

What about the requirement that the main part of the keyboard be a 101-key layout? The happy hacker is a super cut-down 60-key thingie with no function keys, no numeric keypad, no arrow keys, no separate delete & backspace.. might be cool for people who grew up with a Sun Type 3 or whatever it's based on, but I think for most people it'd be as hard to use as switching from qwerty to dvorak.. I certainly would never want one..

Re:The IBM M boards

[bluGill]

amen

I've paid $35 - $70 for used, 10+ year old IBM M type keyboards. At my local best buy they will sell me a $10 keyboard. They also have other keyboards for more, including up to $70. I takes at most 5 seconds on any of those to conclue I don't want one in my house.

So whatever you think is best, try it out before you buy. With the cheap keyboards typeing is a pain. With the good ones I can't wait to get back to typing.

Re:happy hacking

[Matthew Weigel]

Actually, Happy Hacking Keyboard Lite 2 (now that's a product name!) has 2 downstream USB ports, too.

Re:Blank keyboards/keycaps

[sharkey]

You could do what they did in "Hackers," and just spraypaint it. Or get an IBM "M" series board, and remove the keycaps.

--

Re:Well.. --Same one

[Xenu]

USB and PS/2 use different data formats and protocols. I believe that the dual mode USB-PS/2 mice and keyboards use a controller chip that can operate in both modes, selecting whichever mode is compatible with the device at the other end of the wire. That does not mean that a PS/2 device will work on a USB bus simply by changing the connector.

Nothing fancy but...

[topham]

Whats with the requirement about the Windows keys? I just recently bought a new PS/2 style keyboard. I needed another keyboard and this one had a bunch of extra Internet related keys. Figured if it was good I'd use it onn my main system, if I hated it I would put it on one of my other systems I use less. This keyboard is relativly small, it is smaller than the IBM keyboard I have. The enter key is a straight key. The Windows keys do not take up very much space from anything. And the 'extra' buttons are located above the number pad so they don;t take any more space either.

It is from NEC. I looked at some USB keyboards, but I dislike the idea of using USB for keyboards when PS/2 works with everything.

Re:Forget the membrane keyboards, here's the best

[Snowfox]

I looked on the website and the thing is self-progamming. Press the Select key twice, press the function key you want to program, enter the keystrokes, press Select again to finish.

OTH, with 142 keys the damn thing is a battleship! It's bigger than the old IBM 3270 keyboards I had to work on. Definitely not for the original poster.

I had one on my desk, and the thing is definitely not self-programming. Without software support, you're sunk, which means (unless someone writes something for Linux), it's only of use for DOS and pre-Windows 3.11 users.

These things were made in the late 80s and have been sitting around looking for a home forever. If you pick one up, you'll even find that it's got an XT/AT switch, and the cable has been chopped off so a mini-DIN (PS/2) connector could be attached in place of the standard DIN (IBM PC/XT) connector that sat there before.

Re:happy hacking

[Snowfox]

Actually, Happy Hacking Keyboard Lite 2 (now that's a product name!) has 2 downstream USB ports, too.

Happy Hacker at Pfu for those who don't know it. (Karma already at 50, not whoring with links, etc.)

Re:Forget the membrane keyboards, here's the best

[Snowfox]

For programmers, I HIGHLY recommend the Adesso/Ortek MCK-142 Pro. http://www.monu-cad.com/keyboard.htm These have 24 programmable keys, you don't need software to program it. I know the price is steep but it's going to save you lots and lots of time in years.

Last I knew, the MCK-142 Pro required a DOS mode TSR to enable all of its special functions, including the extra 24 buttons. There's no way of using it in anything beyond Windows 3.1 (i.e., no Windows 3.11/Windows for Workgroups, Windows 95, 2000, NT, etc.).

Is the situation different for Linux? A quick browse around, and I'm not finding any MCK-142 Pro utilities for other operating systems.

happy hacking

[grammar nazi]

The happy hacker meets all of your requirements except for the bit about the extra USB ports.

I've noticed happy hacker clones at the computer store in my home town.

Re:happy hacking

[grammar nazi]

I guess you're right. I didn't even realize it, since you can switch to the function keys and pad so easily.

As far as the whole sun type 3 thing, it isn't too challenging to remap keys, although after needing to remap the keys with every fresh Linux install, I've just learned to deal with the control key where it's at. I actually like it next to the 'a' better than down low.

Re:Forget the membrane keyboards, here's the best

[tb3]

I looked on the website and the thing is self-progamming. Press the Select key twice, press the function key you want to program, enter the keystrokes, press Select again to finish.

OTH, with 142 keys the damn thing is a battleship! It's bigger than the old IBM 3270 keyboards I had to work on. Definitely not for the original poster.

"What are we going to do tonight, Bill?"

Forget the membrane keyboards, here's the best

[cfish]

As a keyboard enthusiast, I can recommend a few keyboards. The best keyboards are the ones that uses machanical switches. This includes the "Buckling Spring" and "quiet buckling spring" and "ALPS" switches. Buckling Spring: these are the old IBM clicker keyboards, now made by www.pckeyboard.com. They have a lot of different styles to choose from. They recently came up with a programmable keyboard. They also have quiet buckling spring keyboards if noise is a concern. ALPS switches: The most famous company that makes ALPS swtiches was Nothgate. Unfortunately Northgate went out of bussiness. Right now, there are a few manufacturers that makes keyboards with ALPS switches - Focus keyboard(Focus 2001 keyboard), Ortek/Adesso (MCK-142 pro), Avant (Avant Prime corresponds to Northgate Omnikey101, Avant Stellar corresponds to Northgate Omnikey Ultra). For programmers, I HIGHLY recommend the Adesso/Ortek MCK-142 Pro. http://www.monu-cad.com/keyboard.htm These have 24 programmable keys, you don't need software to program it. I know the price is steep but it's going to save you lots and lots of time in years.