Silent Keyboards for Silent PCs?

Kethinov asks: "Following up on the question asked in this story, I have a similar problem as he did except my late night coding (typing) sessions, not my clicking, seem to generating excess noise for the people I'm living with. I, as he did, checked out this possible solution, but to be honest, I can't type on anything but a standard-layout keyboard. Now, I too can search Google, but just looking at a possible solution doesn't help much. Does anyone on Slashdot have experience in this matter, from which I could better narrow my choices?"

Comments

Easy answer.

[DAldredge]

IBM Model M!

Re:Easy answer.

[xneilj]

LOL :) A few weeks of using a model M around people and they'll think your old keyboard IS quiet after all ;)

Re:Easy answer.

[lafiel]

This is the keyboard that's so heavy and thick you can use it defensively like a bat, isn't it? =)

Re:Easy answer.

[unitron]

"Actually, I wonder if you could engineer the springs and such in the Model M keys to only make ultrasonic noise?"

If you think the folks around you are complaining about noise now, wait 'til every dog for miles around goes nuts whenever you touch the keys. :-)

Hmmm...

[rastachops]

Apple keyboards on the laptops seem to really quiet... I don't know about their desktop ones but maybe someone else could comment?

Re:Hmmm...

[2nd Post!]

So in that vein, the IceKey from Macally features the same scissor key action as the laptop keyboards.

Paradigm shift

[skinfitz]

The PDA market is the place to look for alternative input methods - there is certainly some development in virtual keyboards.

Have a look at this.

Touch Stream Keyboards

[fean]

I use the touchstream LT (in fact, typing on it now...)... it has no buttons so it makes no sound.. it takes a while to get used to, but as long as you can touch type now, you'll be able to get the hang of it (it took my girlfriend a couple days to stop hunt n pecking, but it takes a couple months to get up to full speed again...)

I really like all of the different special things you can do with it, like closing windows, zooming, using it as a mouse, etc...

anyways, I highly recommend it

Re:Touch Stream Keyboards

[jabberjaw]

In addition, if you happen to have a 15" tiBook you can get a drop in touchstream keyboard

Virtually indestructible keyboard

[Space]

There are several membrane only keyboards on the market but most are too mushy. the "Virtually Indestructible Keyboard" from Grandtec has semi-solid key tops so you know when you have pessed the key far enough unlike others on the mrket that have keycaps as mushy as the sides of the keys. Radio Shack and Best Buy have carried then in their stores so take a look. BTW this message was typed on their black USB verion.

Re:Virtually indestructible keyboard

[paul248]

I saw that keyboard once at a CompUSA, but it was broken.

Re:Virtually indestructible keyboard

[davey_darling]

The Virtually Indestructible keyboard comes with a 90 day warranty.
Hardly instills confidence in the product, does it?

Perfect Solution

[cheezus]

Get some dictation software and whisper to it.

Siemens Virtual Keyboard?

[Squideye]

Loath to cite Ananova, but there's a "virtual keyboard" you might be able to look into. Projects light onto a surface, and you type by interrupting the beams.

From the designer's site: Here

Submitter's comment

[Kethinov]

After having read all of the comments up to this point I'd have to say that the "Virtually Indestructible Keyboard" looks like the best option so far. Keyboards have to have feedback; either in a physical push, or a click sound. Since the whole point of this discussion is on ways to eliminate the click sound, the physical push is paramount. You said that this specific virtually silent keyboard solves the problems with others of its type being too mushy. Can you be more specific on how it has physical feedback where others fail?

change your roommate

[ghettoreb]

to me, there's a clear solution to your problem:

if you live with a roommate (or gf, etc) who minds the noise you make with your keyboard during late night coding, then the obvious thing to do is to change your roommate or gf, much more so than go with drastic actions like changing your keyboard.

hope this helps

Re:fruit roll-ups

[Anonymous Coward]

The roll up style membrane keyboards are very quiet. About the same level of noise as drumming your fingertips on your mousepad, at the very most.

As far as their usability goes, i prefer it to a conventional keyboard, but it is certainly an aquired taste.
Once you get used to aiming for the contact under the middle of the keys, rather then any part of the actual keys themselves, they actually become quite nice to use. The surface of the keys are soft, and friendly to fingers hitting them. It makes for some smooth continous typing, and as you've gotta get your accuracy up to type effectively, your typing skills improve faster.

As a side note, i found this type of keyboard extremely effective for stepmania, as the mass of the keys themselves is a lot lower then a conventional plastic keyboard. And they don't always need to return to the relaxed position before they can accept another keystroke. Very good for the 10 foot songs. ^_^

IBM Model M: Loud but eternal

[reignbow]

I've got what is probably the least silent keyboard in the world: The good old "Model M" from IBM which has been mentioned several times already. The version I possess was built in 1985, thus being only one year younger than I am. The first 13 years of its history, it served as my father's keyboard at work. Since he's a researcher with a desk job, you can assume heavy usage 9 hours per work day. Five years ago, he brought it home, exposing it to three computer-happy boys by plugging it into the computer in the house. Now, 17 years after it was build, I'm using it, and it's still a mechanical wonder, with unsurpassed feel. On the downside, it is rather loud. But it's nevertheless impressive, considering that no modern keyboard lasts more than a few years, while this one will probably last for as long as computers support PS2 keyboards.

Remove the springs

[no_such_user]

The IBM M keyboards *can* be completely silent. Just remove the springs. I kid you not -- remove the key caps, pull out the springs, and put the key caps back on. Though the keys don't spring back anymore, the keyboard is still functional -- just the tiniest bit of pressure on a key will cause it to register... silently!