We've had a lot of keyboards over the years, but some stand out from the rest as the best - a favorite keyboard from the past or present. What are some of your favorite keyboards for consoles and computers, and what makes them appeal to you?
We've had a lot of keyboards over the years, but some stand out from the rest as the best - a favorite keyboard from the past or present. What are some of your favorite keyboards for consoles and computers, and what makes them appeal to you?
The Commodore Vic-20 was all keyboard, all the time.
I have to say I enjoyed the satisfying clack of the BBC micro keyboard though.
We had one that came with our IBM Aptiva. It wasn't one of the clicky ones that people go on about. Much softer and quieter, but it still had very sure keystrokes and a great feel to me. I believe I used that one through high school, college, and most of grad school before it finally gave out.
Have a logitech S510 now. It is fine, but mostly just happy with its consistent wireless performance and negligible battery use.
The IBM model M, and its predecessor the model F, are considered classics among computer users. They use what's known as "buckling springs" in the key-switches, which give them that nice, solid, click-y feel. Another user of them are the old Northgate keyboards from the '80s and early '90s. Here's a sound sample of me typing normally on my Northgate Omni-Key keyboard:
http://www.electronixandmore.com/ada...hgate_demo.mp3
Apart from those, the Commodore "breadbox" VIC-20/C-64 keyboards are also nice, as are the ones used on the early Apple II series machines (as well as the Lisa). Not quite as solid as the "buckling spring" ones, but they have a great feel, and are usually still working flawlessly 30+ years later. As for least favorite keyboards, the "membrane" keys on the Sinclair ZX-80/81 have to be up there, along with the rubber "chiclet" keys used on the Mattel Aquarius and the original TRS-80 Color Computer. Not quite sure what they were thinking on those...
-Adam
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any thing mechanical, on a modern computer volume controls are a must in my book.