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Split Access xy keyboards

Posted: 04 Mar 2011, 14:46
by hoggy
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For those that don't know, Access-IS make POS keyboards with cherry black switches, plate mounted, diodes galore, oh and each key is programmable. Layouts are stored within the keyboard so you can move the board to a another computer and keep the layout.

The Fitaly area on the left is intended to make it easier for me to bring a twiddler into work (must get some more practice!) - the idea is instead of getting flustered I can just press the appropriate key and carry on.

As the layout spreads over the two boards, I can have them roughly shoulder width apart.

The geekhack keys in the 'middle' corners activate another layer. On the right there's an embedded cursor set on hctn, and the alpha keys on the left are cut, copy paste depending on their row - stole the idea from the Matias range.

Posted: 04 Mar 2011, 15:06
by webwit
This is great, I wondered how long before a guy would take two programmable pos keyboards to make one split keyboard.. top points!

Posted: 04 Mar 2011, 15:08
by sixty
Only problem I see is that they are so damn high. It looks very uncomfortable without a wrist rest.

Posted: 04 Mar 2011, 18:43
by urlwolf
hactually they are about as high as a desko or a G80. It just looks high because of the design of th curved plastic in front.

I have two of these and they are my main board. I was planning to to the split mod before Hoggy posted his (great minds think alike?). In fact the boards come with a Y cable; they seem to be asking for this mod. I actually added a column of keys in between and the hand separation is plenty for me, so I don't think I'll do the split mod.

Posted: 04 Mar 2011, 18:49
by Ascaii
I love the potato...as well as the keyboards...^^

Currently working on turning the access you sent me into a german iso layout I can work with.

Posted: 05 Mar 2011, 00:31
by elbowglue
Ok now this is a cool idea. Dang it's hot.

You only need a trackpoint and map some of the buttons to left click and right click (otherwise the mouse will be way off the side)

Posted: 05 Mar 2011, 01:29
by Ascaii
elbowglue wrote:Ok now this is a cool idea. Dang it's hot.

You only need a trackpoint and map some of the buttons to left click and right click (otherwise the mouse will be way off the side)
there are versions of the access pos boards with trackpad. hint, hint

Posted: 05 Mar 2011, 07:32
by hoggy
It is definitely a cool idea.

It would certainly be a better use of some of the 'dead' area that I've filled with the fitaly layout.

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Sadly, I've only got one each of these boards, and you might recognise some of the keys from the first post.

The programming software can't deliver mouse clicks or movement, but that could be arranged with autohotkey without too much fuss.

I've tried a trackball in the middle of the two boards which works well.

Posted: 05 Mar 2011, 17:46
by notlofty
Whoa this is a really cool idea! I like it!
Set a trackball between the two halves?

Posted: 05 Mar 2011, 20:37
by calavera
Wow this is new. If they were angled to fit the hand more comfortably it would be perfect.

Posted: 06 Mar 2011, 11:59
by hoggy
notlofty wrote:Whoa this is a really cool idea! I like it!
Set a trackball between the two halves?
I stole the idea from here - http://www.maltron.com
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Posted: 07 Mar 2011, 10:20
by zet13
I'm interested in those boards. How did you get one ?

Posted: 07 Mar 2011, 13:53
by webwit
I find that a bad position for a pointing device. Why? Put your mouse, trackball whatever right in front of you instead of to the right or left of your keyboard. It's not very comfortable and your hand will be at an angle.

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Posted: 08 Mar 2011, 07:55
by hoggy
zet13 wrote:I'm interested in those boards. How did you get one ?
Ebay. They pop up every now and again, but not as often as I'd like.

Posted: 08 Mar 2011, 07:59
by sixty
hoggy wrote:
zet13 wrote:I'm interested in those boards. How did you get one ?
Ebay. They pop up every now and again, but not as often as I'd like.
Are you still not satisfied with your Access collection? :P You probably have more already than their own warehouse!

Posted: 08 Mar 2011, 09:42
by zet13
Indeed I just looked over ebay .fr and .com and I found nothing. I would like to know as well the priced you payed for the akc090 and the package you got with it : keycap, software, …
If the price is too high I will not waste my time looking for something I can't buy.

Thanks in advance.

Posted: 08 Mar 2011, 14:11
by hoggy
zet13 wrote:Indeed I just looked over ebay .fr and .com and I found nothing. I would like to know as well the priced you payed for the akc090 and the package you got with it : keycap, software, …
If the price is too high I will not waste my time looking for something I can't buy.

Thanks in advance.
You just missed out on a batch going for about £20 each with £6 postage to the UK in need of a quick clean. Keycaps will vary as these are designed for POS environments. Some of the keycaps are likely to be double shots, but all of the akc090s I've seen have a mixture of lasered and double shots. Software is free and you can download it from their website http://www.access-is.com/softprog.php

Posted: 08 Mar 2011, 14:16
by hoggy
sixty wrote:
hoggy wrote:
zet13 wrote:I'm interested in those boards. How did you get one ?
Ebay. They pop up every now and again, but not as often as I'd like.
Are you still not satisfied with your Access collection? :P You probably have more already than their own warehouse!
They've got a few more models I'd like. Some of the smaller boards would fit the split layout design much better.

Posted: 08 Mar 2011, 16:14
by zet13
hoggy wrote:
zet13 wrote:Indeed I just looked over ebay .fr and .com and I found nothing. I would like to know as well the priced you payed for the akc090 and the package you got with it : keycap, software, …
If the price is too high I will not waste my time looking for something I can't buy.

Thanks in advance.
You just missed out on a batch going for about £20 each with £6 postage to the UK in need of a quick clean. Keycaps will vary as these are designed for POS environments. Some of the keycaps are likely to be double shots, but all of the akc090s I've seen have a mixture of lasered and double shots. Software is free and you can download it from their website http://www.access-is.com/softprog.php
so you said it is £20 each keyboard ???? :P It sounds interesting to give a try.

Can you tell me how I can follow those batch ?

Posted: 08 Mar 2011, 16:46
by Peter
Check out the standard layouts here :
http://www.access-is.com/programmable_p ... POS_QWERTY
AKC084 and AKC110 are great small-footprint keyboards with no glidepoint-thing, cherry blacks with diodes
and fully programmable keys .
But you never know for sure what caps you get from ebay-buys,
I have two sets of doublesize (covers two switches) doubleshot 'F1-12'-caps, blue DS arrow-caps,red DS 'VOID'-caps etc, etc . Sometimes the keyboards are heavily used, sometimes they are like new,often the 'main'-character is DS, any additional symbols are engraved . I got one NIB for 25 Sterling of ebay UK last year, it even has a mag-cad reader ...

I wonder what their minimum order is (and the price)..

Posted: 08 Mar 2011, 17:57
by zet13
Thanks for the advice but I'm interested in matrix layout, the AKC 090 keeps my attention.

Posted: 08 Mar 2011, 18:42
by Peter
zet13 wrote:Thanks for the advice but I'm interested in matrix layout, the AKC 090 keeps my attention.
Yeah, I like the looks of that one to..
They should sell these to normal people and not just airports and banksters ...

Posted: 08 Mar 2011, 19:55
by hoggy
Peter wrote: I got one NIB for 25 Sterling of ebay UK last year, it even has a mag-cad reader ...
Was that an AKC127? I was selling some last year on geekhack at the same someone was selling some on ebay.

Posted: 08 Mar 2011, 20:02
by Peter
hoggy wrote:
Peter wrote: I got one NIB for 25 Sterling of ebay UK last year, it even has a mag-cad reader ...
Was that an AKC127? I was selling some last year on geekhack at the same someone was selling some on ebay.
Unfortunately not, it is a AKC114EQ QWERTY over POS board..
I would REALLY like to own a AKC127, I'm thinking of contacting the local airports IT-department to buy their retired units, they have them in a very nice white/light-grey design ..

Posted: 08 Jul 2011, 00:14
by sordna
How nice! The AKC048 especially:
http://www.access-is.com/programmable_p ... POS_Matrix

Does anyone know if these are sold in the USA, and how much they cost?

Posted: 08 Jul 2011, 20:09
by hoggy
I contacted Access for a price for a single akc127 for someone at work. They seem to be geared up for project based sales, and have a moq of 10.

Their boards turn up on ebay uk everynow and again, but I haven't seen a 48 for sale anywhere.

Posted: 08 Jul 2011, 20:27
by xbb
I want also a AKC048, if you plan a group buy I'll join :)

Posted: 08 Jul 2011, 21:59
by hoggy
Might cost a packet. The AKC127s cost £140 each plus vat...

Posted: 08 Jul 2011, 23:45
by xbb
hoggy wrote:Might cost a packet. The AKC127s cost £140 each plus vat...
Then I got a very good deal when I bought it :)

Posted: 08 Jul 2011, 23:48
by xbb
Maybe it's the reader that costs a lot?