My keys arrived yesterday. They seem good quality and have a nice clicky action. The keytops connect to a square peg and sit nicely with no rotation.
My plan was to use an old keyboard membrane but the keytops are slightly too small to get all keywords in. I may try printing my own, but doubt I'd get enough resolution to include everything in 1cm square.
Now Ive got to decide whether to build on a perf board or drill the faceplate on a ZX81 and hold the body on with epoxy.
zx81 Keyboard...Sort of
Re: zx81 Keyboard...Sort of
Look like you are trying to create the same as I am.
I will have it as an external keyboard via expansion board however.
I have similar keys.
http://sinclairzxworld.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1793
I will have it as an external keyboard via expansion board however.
I have similar keys.
http://sinclairzxworld.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1793
Re: zx81 Keyboard...Sort of
That is good news.rune wrote:My keys arrived yesterday. They seem good quality and have a nice clicky action. The keytops connect to a square peg and sit nicely with no rotation.
May we know where we can buy these quality keys?
kind regards Paul
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is.
- RetroTechie
- Posts: 379
- Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 12:16 am
- Location: Hengelo, NL
- Contact:
Re: zx81 Keyboard...Sort of
Last summer I found an old PC keyboard in a 2nd hand store, that used actual switches. Exact feel when pressing the keys, gave it away...
Took it home for a few Euro's, selected which keycaps I wanted to use for the ZX81 keys, unsoldered the key switches (some flavor of Alps switches), and used a Dremel to cut up the metal plate holding them, to 'ZX81 size':
Then wired up the individual switches according to ZX81 keyboard matrix, with more-than-long-enough flatcable on the end. Also used some rubber + small piece of pcb to make sure solder points don't move when flatcable is pulled:
(no that's not blood on the wires, just a polarity marking... )
Result plugs right into a ZX81 board, and works fine.
Next to a ZX81:
Also had a heap of switches + keycaps left over. Unfortunately quite a few not functioning too well. And keycaps are different shapes due to some curvature between keyboard rows. Making it virtually impossible to construct a 2nd keyboard out of those spares...
In the meantime added some rubber feet such that wiring never touches a surface the keyboard sits on. Tbh don't particularly like the look (or feel) of this keyboard, but still it's the best keyboard I've ever had on a ZX81. Should basically last forever, and any failed switch is trivial to repair. When in use, I do need a ZX81 next to it for the keyword markings.
Before this I was using a dk'Tronics ZX Spectrum keyboard with its cable re-wired, which is a good keyboard but rather big (and will return to ZX Spectrum duty shortly).
To do: find/make a case for this + ZX81 pcb, and somehow whiten those keycaps (RetrObright or similar, soap didn't do).
Afaik you can buy keyswitches + keycaps like this brand new (Cherry MX series + others), but with a few problems:
Took it home for a few Euro's, selected which keycaps I wanted to use for the ZX81 keys, unsoldered the key switches (some flavor of Alps switches), and used a Dremel to cut up the metal plate holding them, to 'ZX81 size':
Then wired up the individual switches according to ZX81 keyboard matrix, with more-than-long-enough flatcable on the end. Also used some rubber + small piece of pcb to make sure solder points don't move when flatcable is pulled:
(no that's not blood on the wires, just a polarity marking... )
Result plugs right into a ZX81 board, and works fine.
Next to a ZX81:
Also had a heap of switches + keycaps left over. Unfortunately quite a few not functioning too well. And keycaps are different shapes due to some curvature between keyboard rows. Making it virtually impossible to construct a 2nd keyboard out of those spares...
In the meantime added some rubber feet such that wiring never touches a surface the keyboard sits on. Tbh don't particularly like the look (or feel) of this keyboard, but still it's the best keyboard I've ever had on a ZX81. Should basically last forever, and any failed switch is trivial to repair. When in use, I do need a ZX81 next to it for the keyword markings.
Before this I was using a dk'Tronics ZX Spectrum keyboard with its cable re-wired, which is a good keyboard but rather big (and will return to ZX Spectrum duty shortly).
To do: find/make a case for this + ZX81 pcb, and somehow whiten those keycaps (RetrObright or similar, soap didn't do).
Afaik you can buy keyswitches + keycaps like this brand new (Cherry MX series + others), but with a few problems:
- Too expensive (in the order of >1 Euro per switch. And you need keycaps too)
- No ready-to-use solution to have ZX81 markings on those keycaps
- Still needs a lot of DIY. Okay it's doable, but in practice this puts off a lot of potential users