Talk:Keyboard technology

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Is it erroneous to refer to a dome-switch keyboard as a "membrane" keyboard? I want to clarify the difference between dome-switch and (flat-panel) membrane keyboards (the former often being called "membrane keyboards" nowadays), but I'm not sure if referring to a dome-switch keyboard as a "membrane" keyboard is actually wrong.

Fourohfour 19:44, 12 September 2005 (UTC)

Contents

[edit] Reliability

Hall effect keyboards use magnets and "Hall Effect" sensors instead of an actual switch. When a key is depressed, it moves a magnet, which is detected by a solid-state Hall-effect sensor. These keyboards are extremely reliable, and are able to accept millions of keystrokes before failing.

This sounds impressive until you realize that dome-switch and buckling spring keyboards are also guaranteed to accept "millions of keystrokes" (see, e.g. [1]). Unless there's a factor involved converting "keystrokes" to "key switch life", the "millions" are not precise enough to illustrate that Hall effect keyboards are more reliable. Does someone have more precise figures or an explanation? 82.92.119.11 12:09, 4 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Keyboard feet

How about a section on the proper name for the feet/stand that you flip out to stand your keyboard at an angel? You'd probably also include the other standard non-electronic parts of a keyboard in that section.

[edit] multiplexed keyboard matrix wiring

What is the appropriate Wikipedia article to discuss the pattern of how the electronics are wired to the keys?

The rollover (key) article briefly mentions "a matrix of key switches", but the matrix disambiguation page doesn't seem to mention this kind of matrix. I've heard people say "multiplexed keyboard" but the multiplexer and multiplexing articles seem to focus on "devices" that "do" multiplexing. There is no such device in a multiplexed keyboard -- the only thing between the keyboard CPU and the switches are some resistors. (Higher quality keyboards also have anti-phantom-key diodes). But, of course, resistor isn't going to help me understand how a multiplexed keyboard works.

Does an article already exist that does for multiplexed keyboard input what the multiplexed display and Charlieplexing articles do for multiplexed LED output? --75.37.227.177 18:15, 20 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Sun type 4 keyboard switch technology?

What kind of switch technology did the old Sun type 4 keyboards use? ISTR they were nearly as nice as the buckling spring switches, while not being quite as loud. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.234.148.165 (talk) 07:07, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Broken Links

The links under Membrane Keyboard for IntelliKeys and Discoverboard are broken, and I have no idea where to find references for these. Just a heads up. IchiroMihara (talk) 01:02, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Combos

I'm using (or was, until I spilt wine on it) a keyboard which uses dome switches for the key action, but a membrane for the actual circuit. The keyboard is a Microsoft Natrual 4000. A similar combination was used in a previous keyboard I used made by BenQ. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.86.245.224 (talk) 15:31, 15 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Illuminated keyboards

Perhaps someone knowledgeable could add some bits about illuminated keyboards. -- Ddxc (talk) 19:07, 15 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Common failure modes

Mention common failure modes, "now the left and right shift keys send QQQ and ZZZ respectively", etc. and if there is a cure. Jidanni (talk) 00:22, 13 February 2008 (UTC)