What's going on behind those keys
October 19, 2010 1:41 PM   Subscribe

We've previously discussed the minutiae of computer keyboards, and now overclock.net has a detailed guide to their innards.
posted by bitmage (49 comments total) 34 users marked this as a favorite
 
Wanna see an optical illusion?
posted by Rhaomi at 1:51 PM on October 19, 2010


Model M FTW!
posted by mmrtnt at 1:51 PM on October 19, 2010


I love my Das Keyboard. Yes, the Model M was great, but... man, I love my Das Keyboard.
posted by Wolfdog at 1:53 PM on October 19, 2010


That GIF of a buckling spring buckling is also great.
posted by Wolfdog at 1:55 PM on October 19, 2010


OMG, it's like keyboard porn.

Fuck yeah Model M! I need to go hug mine (birthdate: sometime in 1991). It's sadly disused now as my current job doesn't tolerate clicky keyboards like my old one did, and I always use the built-in keyboard on my laptop at home.

I would love to see how an M15 feels. But they're so damn rare.

Everybody I know is completely perplexed by my Model M fixation, but there's just something so damn wonderful about typing on it. It's either for you or it's not. One big myth is that it's more tiring to type on them, but I find it easier to type when you know exactly whether or not you the key.

Good place to buy Model Ms. Ebay also usually has a bunch, but the condition can vary.

Dan's Data had a good series on Model Ms a while back: 1 2 3
posted by kmz at 1:58 PM on October 19, 2010


I find it easier to type when you know exactly whether or not you the key.

You missed a few.
posted by Wolfdog at 2:01 PM on October 19, 2010 [8 favorites]


Das Keyboard? Sorry. Meh. It's cool-looking, buy you may as well have a Model M, frankly – it's a hell of a lot cheaper, for one thing.

You can have my Happy Hacking Lite 2 when you pry it from my quivering, carpal-tunnel-afflicted hands.
posted by koeselitz at 2:02 PM on October 19, 2010


You missed a few.

Aw crap. Well, I'll blame it on the fact that I'm typing on a Microsoft Natural right now.

(I do have an annoying tendency to drop verbs when I'm typing. Not sure why. Probably some esoteric neurological condition.)
posted by kmz at 2:08 PM on October 19, 2010


The Happy Hacking, by the way, is evidence that the Japanese are awesome. They actually improved on the buckling spring – by inventing the Topre switch. Topre-switch keys have the sensation of precision that one gets when typing on buckling-spring keys, but require slightly less force, and are more exact at picking up keystrokes. And the awesome, awesome main link above links to a great page on Topre-switch keys.
posted by koeselitz at 2:09 PM on October 19, 2010


I find it easier to type when you know exactly whether or not you the key.

You accidentally some keys there!

And I got really bummed when the first keyboard I thought looked interesting led to this page: http://www.guru-board.com/
posted by mnsc at 2:12 PM on October 19, 2010


I have a couple of PS2 model M's that came with old RS/6000 workstations - my old place of business was gonna chuck 'em, so I snagged them. I came across an old Dell AT101W, in black, the same way - the latter I have plugged into the docking station as my work-at-home rig's keyboard.

Unfortunately, I can't use mechanical switch keyboards in an office setting. They are immensely loud and annoying, especially when I get up a full head of steam.

There are two alternatives. The first is a high-end scissor-mechanism keyboard - I have the Aurora from Enermax at work, and the action is fantastic. The feel is definitely different from mechanical, and not as good, but it's lightyears beyond the usual rubber dome monstrosity.

The second alternative is, surprisingly, the aluminum Apple "chicklet" keyboards. They look like they should absolutely suck, but I can zip along on it almost as fast as the Dell, and with fewer typos. I was prepared to chuck the keyboard that came with my iMac, but after using it for a few years, I've gone so far as to procure a backup when they stopped shipping the numeric keypad model as standard - this is Apple, any perfect peripheral they make, they'll eventually replace with something stupid. See: Apple Extended Keyboard.

The Model M's I use as the console to my Unix boxes.
posted by Slap*Happy at 2:16 PM on October 19, 2010


I have switched back to Windows, but I kept my slimline Apple keyboard. It's easy to keep clean, small enough to travel with, and I find going back to full travel keys to be a bit of a pain.
posted by notion at 2:18 PM on October 19, 2010


When I was ten or eleven, during a bout of frustration, I just happened to slam my fist down (as one does) onto the keyboard of my family's brand new PS/1. As it turns out, the spring-loaded design of the Model M isn't so much keyboard perfection as it is keyboard Perfection.
posted by Sys Rq at 2:21 PM on October 19, 2010 [1 favorite]


Slap*Happy: “Unfortunately, I can't use mechanical switch keyboards in an office setting. They are immensely loud and annoying, especially when I get up a full head of steam. There are two alternatives. The first is a high-end scissor-mechanism keyboard... The second alternative is, surprisingly, the aluminum Apple "chicklet" keyboards...”

You should try using a Topre keyboard! They're actually mechanical, but they're completely silent. Some of us even think they're more satisfying to type on than buckling-springs, too. And you won't make any noise at all. I'm actually thinking of buying myself a spare Happy Hacking, since they're only $69, and since I've got the black one but would like to try the white one.
posted by koeselitz at 2:25 PM on October 19, 2010


Everybody I know is completely perplexed by my Model M fixation, but there's just something so damn wonderful about typing on it.

Personally, I love how the "click" when the key goes down and the "click" when it comes back up makes it sound like you are typing twice as fast - It sounds like you are ON FIRE!

Non touch-typists can never appreciate it this particularly tactile enjoyment.
posted by mmrtnt at 2:25 PM on October 19, 2010 [1 favorite]


Another member of the Model M club. Well former anyway. I had one for years, but the clickiness ended up being too much for my wife. Like Slap*Happy said, once you get rolling on that thing gets REAL loud. I picked it up for a song (may $10) in the late 90's when no one seemed to care about them. I ended up selling it for a few bucks at a yard sale, so it wasn't much of a financial loss, but certainly missed the feel.

I have an Apple Extended Keyboard II in the garage that I'm thinking about finding a USB/ADB adapter for. Certainly not as loud as the Model M and still has a nice feel.
posted by bionic.junkie at 2:32 PM on October 19, 2010


Actually, I've found, as have many others, that the hard-strike Model M is actually better for carpal tunnel, because it increases muscle strength.

You have to be really careful when you first start, because if you're already hurting, you can very rapidly blow yourself into crisis if you switch to a hard-strike keyboard and start pounding away all day. If you're sore when you start, you have to take it real slow, no more than an hour or so a day for the first week at least, and then gradually build up to using it full time.

I was a bit achy last year -- I've had wrist trouble, on and off, for most of my adult life -- and buying a Model M fixed me right up. I just had to be careful at first. After a couple of weeks, I forgot I was on a different keyboard. After a couple of months, I finally remembered that I'd been having wrist trouble. It had completely vanished.
posted by Malor at 3:35 PM on October 19, 2010 [2 favorites]


Burhanistan writes "(with useful extra buttons if you are on a Windows box)."

I think one of the greatest features of my 1981 Model M is that it doesn't have a bloody windows key. I hate those things.
posted by Mitheral at 3:41 PM on October 19, 2010


Awesome post.
posted by rosswald at 5:01 PM on October 19, 2010


Mitheral: I think one of the greatest features of my 1981 Model M is that it doesn't have a bloody windows key. I hate those things.

Seriously. Three meta keys wasn't enough? They need five? And then they made the fourth one do things that could just as easily be assigned to control or alt, and the fifth one was promptly forgotten about by everyone forever.

Meanwhile, you don't have a fast way to make things like the Euro sign, the degree symbol, foreign language characters, or things like basic mathematical symbols.
posted by Mitrovarr at 5:19 PM on October 19, 2010


Can anyone share opinions of the Unicomp model M clones? Is the build quality up to that of the IBM original?
posted by cromagnon at 5:20 PM on October 19, 2010



Sure wish I could type.
posted by notreally at 6:31 PM on October 19, 2010


The Happy Hacking keyboard isn't just the ne plus ultra to type on -- with the "Control" key to the left of 'A' (as God intended), it's the only keyboard for Emacs users.
posted by phliar at 6:34 PM on October 19, 2010 [1 favorite]


Or you could just remap caps lock.
posted by kmz at 7:31 PM on October 19, 2010 [2 favorites]


When I was younger I was willing to put up with shit like remap the Caps Lock to Ctrl. Now I just want the damn thing to work. (That's also why I stopped installing OSes [Linux or *BSD] on PCs I built myself, now I only get preinstalled machines.)
posted by phliar at 7:43 PM on October 19, 2010


I have used Emacs every day for years (on my Model M, even) and I am going to just admit it: I have no fucking idea why you would switch the Control and Caps Lock keys. I have never had the slightest problem reaching the Control key. I don't understand why this is a thing you are supposed to do if you are an Emacs user. It baffles me.

Someday I'm going to have to get myself an old Symbolics keyboard with a proper meta key, though.
posted by enn at 7:55 PM on October 19, 2010


Typing this on an Apple Extended II right now, via a Griffin iMate ADB->USB adaptor. I've been using this setup for years.

Griffin had stopped making the iMates a couple years before I bought one, and it looks like the only place to find them any more is on Ebay (somebody's selling a gold-colored one right now, which surprised me - all the iMates I've seen are Bondi blue). Fortunately, even though Griffin maintained iMate drivers for Mac OSes up through 10.3, you don't need one for keyboards and non-customizable mice, so it should be OS X compatible for as long as it continues to work at all.

And oh yeah, the Apple Extended II is as great as I remember. I should secure a spare or two before the last few other owners haul theirs off to the recyclers.

I have a Model M partially disassembled and cleaned on a shelf behind me. Got it for five bucks in a burst of enthusiasm before realizing that without a Windows key, it can't easily be adapted to use on a Mac. Not sure what to do with it now; tossing it would be pointless and cruel. In any event, it's surprisingly hard to find a PS/2->USB adaptor compatible with it, since run-of-the mill adaptors physically fit but don't work electrically.
posted by ardgedee at 8:37 PM on October 19, 2010


Seriously. Three meta keys wasn't enough? They need five? And then they made the fourth one do things that could just as easily be assigned to control or alt, and the fifth one was promptly forgotten about by everyone forever.

Okay, I guess I'll defend the Windows key. The beauty of it is that it brings up the Start menu and gives it keyboard focus, so you can launch programs (or open documents) quickly--for example, I have Notepad++ on the first level under Programs, so I can just hit Win, P, N to launch it. Of course you have to actively keep your Start menu organized to see any benefit, as opposed to just letting installers dump random folders all over the place, but you can save a lot of time with the Win key. (Granted, you could do the same with Ctrl-Esc, but I think it's worth it to have a less-awkward dedicated key.)

The right-click menu key (or whatever the hell it's called), though, I'll give you--that's not nearly useful enough to warrant a whole extra key. Don't know what they were thinking there...
posted by equalpants at 8:50 PM on October 19, 2010


In any event, it's surprisingly hard to find a PS/2->USB adaptor compatible with it, since run-of-the mill adaptors physically fit but don't work electrically.

The above-linked clickykeyboards.com sells an adaptor that they've specifically tested for this purpose, for the future reference of anyone reading this thread.
posted by enn at 10:10 PM on October 19, 2010


It took me a while to get used to it, but thank you, Microsoft, for giving us a Meta key. I use mine to handle everything at the windowing system level, like switching desktops, cycling through windows, etc. I never have to worry about remapping a combo that an application is actually using. It's quite nice.

Great link, but it still doesn't solve the haunting mystery of the mystery switch what is a mystery.
posted by phooky at 10:15 PM on October 19, 2010


enn: “I have used Emacs every day for years (on my Model M, even) and I am going to just admit it: I have no fucking idea why you would switch the Control and Caps Lock keys. I have never had the slightest problem reaching the Control key. I don't understand why this is a thing you are supposed to do if you are an Emacs user. It baffles me.”

It's not just an Emacs thing. Seriously, I appreciate it when people say "geez, why do that?" but believe me – I've never even really used Emacs (beyond as a viewer sometimes) but I found that having Control where Caps Lock used to be was incredible for my typing speed and acuity. I didn't really expect much of a difference, but I was amazed at how much easier it was to reach and use consistently. Talking just about common keystrokes, little things like Control-A and Control-Z are easy when Control is in the middle position &nash; but I feel like you'd have to be some kind of amazing spindly-fingered mutant to do something like Control-T without at least stopping for a moment and spanning index across your little finger in a sort of pirouette. And don't even think about Control-F4 – that's not gonna happen without two hands. Which is annoying to me, frankly, because (at least in XP, where I have to work a lot for my job) Control-W and Control-F4 and Alt-F4 are all different degrees and levels of the "close window/tab" command, and I really like to be able to use all of them. I'd actually gotten into the habit of just hitting Control-W for every tab or window I closed on a standard keyboard, even when I'd rather not (for example when I'm pretty sure it won't work), simply because it took two hands to do Control-F4 so not really worth the hassle.

With the Control in the right place, none of those keystrokes is difficult. Control-F4, Control-W, and Alt-F4 are all equally easy. And Control-Tab is so easy I can do it with one finger.

The Happy Hacking is, I should say, sort of a different experience as far as keyboards go; and I think it's something of an acquired taste. There's a good picture of the one I have here, and you'll see that it's kind of a surprising setup. There are obvious benefits to the layout, I think, a few things that they did right first off: not only is Control in the right place, but the Delete/Backspace key (there's a dip switch to hardware-map it on the back, mine is mapped to be "Backspace") is large and placed prominently right above the Enter key, so it's easy to get to and to use. That's really helpful, I find.

But there are odd things people don't often talk about: most of all, it is tiny, 11 inches across. And it's stubbornly tiny; it's as though they said "we are going to make this keyboard as tiny as possible!" and willfully kept with their goal. At first this seems insane, but it makes for incredibly efficient typing; now I get annoyed when I have to use one of those behemoths with a billion extra keys for everything under the sun, since my Happy Hacking has all of those keys and then some, it just doesn't take fingers the size of tree branches to type on. Yes, you have to Fn to get the F1-F10 keys out of the number row; but there are Fn keys on both sides, so that's easy wherever you are. (Even Alt-F4 still only takes two fingers, since you can hit Alt and Fn with your thumb – you start doing this multi-finger keying stuff a lot with a Happy Hacking.) PageUp is mapped to Fn-Up, but that's easy, since there's Fn right next to the Up key, so you can just hit both. This is a rarer use, but I'm on a XP virtual machine a lot of the work day, where the equivalent of Alt-Tab is Alt-PageUp/PageDown; I used to get annoyed when I had to stretch over and hunt/peck to do that combination on a big ol' Model M type, but now it takes three relaxed fingers of one hand. And Shift-Insert – the Paste command in lots of applications – might seem daunting at first because Insert is Fn-\, but since Fn is right next to Shift, you can do it with a thumb and a forefinger on your right hand. Heck, the Happy Hacking Lite 2 is so small that I could probably reach the two farthest keys from each other with one hand without straining; it's ideal for those who are lazy (as in don't-want-to-move-our-fingers-or-hunt-and-peck lazy) and want to get things done, and do stuff that's repetitive enough to learn combos like Fn-Up.

equalpants: “The right-click menu key (or whatever the hell it's called), though, I'll give you--that's not nearly useful enough to warrant a whole extra key. Don't know what they were thinking there...”

It's weird, because that's probably my favorite key on those old keyboards. Maybe it's just me. I use a lot of keyboard scripts, but the only straight-up remapping I do on my Happy Hacking is to get that Menu key back. I have a feeling it's because I'm one of those mouse-haters who'll do everything to avoid moving my hands from the keys – it's awesome to be able to right-click whatever's in focus without actually clicking.
posted by koeselitz at 10:18 PM on October 19, 2010 [1 favorite]


When I was younger I was willing to put up with shit like remap the Caps Lock to Ctrl. Now I just want the damn thing to work.

*shrug* It's 5 seconds to set the option in Ubuntu. Admittedly does take maybe a few minutes in Windows.

I have used Emacs every day for years (on my Model M, even) and I am going to just admit it: I have no fucking idea why you would switch the Control and Caps Lock keys. I have never had the slightest problem reaching the Control key. I don't understand why this is a thing you are supposed to do if you are an Emacs user. It baffles me.

I'm a Vim user and the Caps Lock -> Control mapping is key for me to use Ctrl-[ as an Esc substitute. It's also handy for screen, process control, etc. Control just gets used a lot all around. And at least for me, it places way less strain on my pinky and my whole left hand to not have to reach down to Left-Control.

I don't actually swap Caps Lock however. I just make it an additional Control. I've never found Caps Lock useful. (I think one of those elephant flash games required Caps Lock. Oh well.)

In any event, it's surprisingly hard to find a PS/2->USB adaptor compatible with it, since run-of-the mill adaptors physically fit but don't work electrically.

I believe that's because normal adapters don't actually convert PS/2 to USB. They're designed to work with keyboards that have USB support already in them. You'll need something like this, which is what i got to use with my Model M.
posted by kmz at 10:22 PM on October 19, 2010


The real beauty of the Windows key, at least for those who work in an office, is that you can just hit Windows Key + L to lock your computer.

Mind = blown.

On keyboards - I like the Dell SK-8115 I use at work. I'm a copywriter and sometimes churn out thousands of words a day and it's always held up its end of the bargain. I've even got one at home that I plug into my laptop when I need to do some serious writing.
posted by Ted Maul at 3:14 AM on October 20, 2010


I have both the Das Keyboard (the one without markings on the keys) and several Model M's. My favorite? The 84-key "Space Saver" Model M with the poorly-done, wearing off paint job that I typed this comment on.
posted by namewithoutwords at 5:41 AM on October 20, 2010 [1 favorite]


Windows key is awesome, for W+D (show desktop), W+L (lock computer), and W+arrow keys (stick window to sides of screen, Windows 7 only), as well as just W (start menu).

Fascinating link! Thanks for posting.
posted by archagon at 6:11 AM on October 20, 2010


For the Happy Hacking Lite: Do y'all just have a separate numberpad, old-school style?
posted by muddgirl at 6:12 AM on October 20, 2010


Burhanistan writes "The real beauty of the Windows key, at least for those who work in an office, is that you can just hit Windows Key + L to lock your computer."

That's nice but it only saves you two key strokes over Ctrl+Alt+Del and then Enter.
posted by Mitheral at 6:35 AM on October 20, 2010


Can anyone share opinions of the Unicomp model M clones?

I have an Endurapro from them. It has a built-in trackpoint and USB connectors.

The quality is much better than any cheap keyboard you'd get with a PC these days. It's still not quite up to the Model M. It's not as heavy, and the feel of the keyswitches is different. The trackpoint response and feel is also very different from the old M13 units I have.

That said, it's still a very nice keyboard. And I love Unicomp, because they will repair my beloved M13 keyboards if I need them to. (I've had one trackpoint fail, and eventually the mouse buttons wear out).

As for PS/2 to USB, the model M keyboards draw more current than most. I've had great results with the Ziotek adapters, since I need both the keyboard and mouse inputs.
posted by bitmage at 6:57 AM on October 20, 2010 [1 favorite]


muddgirl: “For the Happy Hacking Lite: Do y'all just have a separate numberpad, old-school style?”

No. 10-keys are a waste of time and space. I have ten fingers, and I have ten number keys; I can key in numbers faster now that I've actually learned to use the number row. (This is counter to the prevailing wisdom, I know, but it is nonetheless true, at least for me.)

Also, for me anyway, I really like having another command key (the so-called "Windows" key, which on my Happy Hacking is actually a pleasing little diamond) principally because it's another key I can script things to, which is fantastically useful. For example, via AutoHotkey, I actually have a ten-slot Clipboard buffer set up so I can copy/paste ten (well, eleven, counting the traditional clipboard) different things at once with command-1, command-2, command-3, etc.

Mitheral: “That's nice but it only saves you two key strokes over Ctrl+Alt+Del and then Enter.”

But that saves you from using two hands. As far as data entry goes, that's liquid gold right there. Keep in mind that (by design, of course) Control-Alt-Delete is pretty much the most difficult common keyboard shortcut to enter. Maybe that's no big thing for some people, but I really like being able to just do command-L with a flip of my wrist and walk away from my computer at any moment.
posted by koeselitz at 7:34 AM on October 20, 2010


On a enhanced (IE:101-104 key) model M you only need your right hand to Ctrl+Alt+Del and then Enter. Ctrl+Alt+Del was only difficultimpossible with one hand on XT keyboards (83/84 key varieties) where Ctrl+Alt are on the left and Del on the right.
posted by Mitheral at 7:49 AM on October 20, 2010 [1 favorite]


But that saves you from using two hands. As far as data entry goes, that's liquid gold right there.

Which is why I like a keypad. However, I hate the current trend of putting Insert/Home/PgUp/Del/End/PgDn and arrow nagivation keys between the keyboard and the keypad, considering they are just repeating functions.
posted by muddgirl at 8:20 AM on October 20, 2010 [1 favorite]


I love my ancient 1980s Model M clicky at home. I solved my work keyboard issue by getting an old IBM Model M silent keyboard at work -- basically a rubber dome keyboard, but a really high quality one. Very well made -- identical to the clicky in construction --and excellent to type on. Though not quite as nice as the clicky.
posted by fimbulvetr at 8:30 AM on October 20, 2010


> the current trend of putting Insert/Home/PgUp/Del/End/PgDn and arrow nagivation keys between the keyboard and the keypad

Current trend? That's how computer keyboards have been built since the 70s. It's how they're supposed to be, when the keyboard manufacturer isn't trying to cheap out by cutting corners on the number of keycaps they add. Numlock should be unnecessary. (As should the Fn metakey on laptop keyboards, although I begrudge it because of the space constraint.)
posted by ardgedee at 9:43 AM on October 20, 2010 [1 favorite]


muddgirl: “Which is why I like a keypad.”

Hmm. Yeah, that makes sense. On consideration, I was being far too absolute (as usual) when I said that they're a waste of time. For me, it's just that I hardly ever type exclusively numeric strings; so moving my hand off the keyboard is a waste of time when I'm just going to come back and key in letters again right away. Whereas if you're keying numbers at a stretch, I can see a 10-key being useful.

I've thought at times that it wouldn't be hard to remap a Fn-shifted 10-key into the center of the keyboard.
posted by koeselitz at 10:39 AM on October 20, 2010


Well, I'll rephrase it: I like the older trend of taking those keys out. I can map numlock to a more convenient key on my left hand, or even institute a system with both num-hold and num-lock.

Basically, there's two competing ways to set up a keyboard - put as much stuff on individual keys as possible, and conversely combine as much stuff into as few keys as possible. It seems that everyone falls somewhere different on the spectrum.
posted by muddgirl at 10:41 AM on October 20, 2010 [1 favorite]


ardgedee: “Current trend? That's how computer keyboards have been built since the 70s. It's how they're supposed to be, when the keyboard manufacturer isn't trying to cheap out by cutting corners on the number of keycaps they add. Numlock should be unnecessary. (As should the Fn metakey on laptop keyboards, although I begrudge it because of the space constraint.)”

It's not necessarily cheapness; some of the best keyboards in the world don't have 10-keys at all, like I said above. Some of us just don't have fingers like E.T., and prefer not to have to stop and ask for directions every time we start to hunt for the "Home" key.
posted by koeselitz at 10:46 AM on October 20, 2010


By the way, does anyone know if those Unicomp keyboards have the N-key rollover problem?

My 1994 Model M works great, but I occasionally get bit by its inability to register certain combinations of keystrokes correctly. I'd be interested in a Unicomp if it didn't have that problem.
posted by Malor at 3:16 PM on October 20, 2010


Nevermind, I see they have an entry for that. The Unicomps have 3-key rollover, not ideal.
posted by Malor at 3:25 PM on October 20, 2010


Whereas if you're keying numbers at a stretch, I can see a 10-key being useful.

That is precisely what it's for, you know. The configuration comes directly from hundred-year-old 10-key adding machines, though, sadly, most modern keyboards lack a satisfactorily authentic hand crank.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:24 PM on October 20, 2010 [1 favorite]


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