AFC Alphakey II

[Muirium]

I just stumbled onto these two pictures of a rather distinctive looking Z-series style programmable keyboard.


Googling the name brought up this:

The Alphakey II is a highly customisable keyboard which appears to have been targeted at the business market. The keyboard itself appears to have been made for a variety of platforms, they probably just changed te keyboard interface appropriately. The keyboard has 120 keys, with 122 configurable key combinations. The keyboard also supports password protection, built in audio for a keyboard click, status indication and false control warning. The keyboard also supports special devices such as barcode readers and scanners.

http://www.bboah-works.de/bboahfaq/inde ... artlang=en

I can't find it already in the wiki. Anyone know anything more about AFC and the Alphakey?

[Muirium]

Apparently, that is the Alphakey II. The original Alphakey looked like this:

http://www.bboah-works.de/bboahfaq/inde ... artlang=de

[kint]

Apparently, that is the Alphakey II. The original Alphakey looked like this: ...

aka DYtcom aka Unikey aka/made by Dah Yang.
As sold by me, hit the "sold" spoiler, it's #11:
http://deskthority.net/marketplace-f11/ ... t6956.html
While mine had blacks, this one seemingly was also available with blues:
http://deskthority.net/keyboards-f2/gue ... tml#p37741
massive and very nice keyboard

As for AFC. The company was based:
AFC Computer GmbH
Salmstraße 20
D-5000 Köln 91
Germans might recognize the 4 digit zip code, that's because I have the adress from a sticker on the backside of an AFC "OPERATOR" keyboard bearing the date stamp 29.1.1985.
Haven't had the time to make pics yet, but has flat sperical caps, doubleshot, but with "inverted" MX mount, as in cross shaped peg in the cap. Slider over spring over membrane. Busted keyboard unfortunately though.

[Muirium]

Yes, you've got a good match:

That second version though, it's a dazzling change in direction! It looks so fantastically retro now that I can only guess it did badly in the 80s and wound up being their last. Curses!

[Daniel Beardsmore]

I have an outstanding unknown switch found in German keyboards with identical keycaps:

[wiki]USw UQPW01[/wiki]

The Alphakey II is also apparently German.

The mystery switch is most likely RAFI, and the keycaps are RAFI style.

I've had no word from RAFI about this switch, and it does not match anything listed in their catalogues that I've seen. However, it's just so very similar to their Full-Travel Keyswitch range.