HHKB Professional BT (Bluetooth)

[Trev]

The design and tech seems very dated to me, pretty lazy too. AA's are completely unnecessary in the age of modern 2-3mm thick LiPo packs. They could've fit a BT4 module and modern battery inside the existing enclosure, if they were actually trying.

Seems like a very awkward product given the price point.

[_PixelNinja]

I wonder if we will see a revision of the normal HHKB with this chassis (rubber feet, Micro-USB etc.), minus dat ass...

[cookie]

Ohh it's micro USB? I think I like this actually, there are a ton of aftermarket cables for micro USB!

[photekq]

3 months battery life you say? With those little AA-sized batteries?

How come they're able to get 90-180x the battery life of a HHKB modded with hasu's?

Does anyone have any insight?

[_PixelNinja]

Ohh it's micro USB? I think I like this actually, there are a ton of aftermarket cables for micro USB!

Yup. Micro-USB type B.

[002]

3 months battery life you say? With those little AA-sized batteries?

How come they're able to get 90-180x the battery life of a HHKB modded with hasu's?

Does anyone have any insight?

The spec page is here: http://www.pfu.fujitsu.com/hhkeyboard/bt/spec.html
The section labelled 動作時間 has the info about the battery life. I am not sure how hasu's implementation works so I can't really comment there. All I can say is that PFU themselves suggest that standard alkaline batteries lasted ~3 months in their tests.

[cookie]

As far as I know form several discussions here and on GH, the main problem is that a capacitive switch matrix need constant voltage to register a key-press... that also was Hasu's biggest issue with his custom controller.

Maybe they've changed the PCB in a way to achieve such long battery live, Hasu has used the default PCB.

@002: What is the button on the battery pack for? Maybe you have to wake the board up that way?

[timmo]

@002: What is the button on the battery pack for? Maybe you have to wake the board up that way?

I'd assume it's for bluetooth pairing.

[_PixelNinja]

@002: What is the button on the battery pack for? Maybe you have to wake the board up that way?

The picture in 002's OP tags it as dengensuichi; it's a power switch.

[Muirium]

Doesn't Hasu just bitbang the USB? If so, that would explain all the difference. There was a model M bitbang Bluetooth build a while ago that had miserably short battery life as well. Bitbanging is every bit as dirty as it sounds!

I'm disappointed with the style of this model's case. But I'd still like to try one. Was using my HHKB today (first mech with my laptop for a long while). Cables stink! Perhaps even more than that case.

Perhaps…

The design and tech seems very dated to me, pretty lazy too. AA's are completely unnecessary in the age of modern 2-3mm thick LiPo packs. They could've fit a BT4 module and modern battery inside the existing enclosure, if they were actually trying.

Seems like a very awkward product given the price point.

Exactly! Couldn't they have asked us? This isn't half the keyboard it could have been.

[shreebles]

It really does sound dirty. Are there any disadvantages to bit-banging on cable-bound keyboards? Does it increase latency or something?

Also, I read somewhere on DT that FaceW and FaceU PCBs with PS2avru also don't have native USB support and have to resort to bit-banging. What happens when these boards use PS2? I am typing this on a FaceW connected via PS2, by the way...

[scottc]

I assume they also just bit-bang the PS2 protocol! Typed on a FaceW connected via USB.

[shreebles]

Well yes, according to a discussion on GH it uses the atmega + vusb library. So what if it doesn't use USB?

[vivalarevolución]

What's the date on this article? Is it an April Fools joke? Do the Japanese participate April Fools?

[cookie]

HOLD ON!

What is up with that picture here:


It looks like they've just a modified the dome with a conductive bump?
That way they don't have to power the whole circuit but can do it the "Old fashioned Way" that would explain how they achieve the long battery life.

Could someone translate it for me please?

[andrewjoy]

You know its bad when the community modded one is superior

[Belfong]

honestly... I find the design vaguely retro, almost amateurish... you know it looks like they dutch taped the battery pack to the back of the keyboard... and I'm a bit ashamed to say that I kinda like it

I have no issue with its aesthetics. I thought it looked like an attachment, much like one attached a silencer to a pistol.

[cookie]

But a sound silencer ist cool!

[the_marsbar]

I'd also really like to know what the figure in cookie's post says. Someone please translate it

[vivalarevolución]

I'd also really like to know what the figure in cookie's post says. Someone please translate it

I used the translate feature on Google Chrome for the text next to the picture to get this. Don't ask me what it actually means.

Capacitance non-contact method to achieve the highest of key touch

Adopted capacitive contactless method of performing key input by detecting a change in capacitance value at the time of key depression. Because there is no need to outnegotiate the key to the bottom, to achieve a lightly smooth key touch. In addition, it boasts excellent durability can be more than keying 30 million times since the contact of the switch does not wear no.

[the_marsbar]

I did the same. However, I'd like to know what the text in the figure itself says

[matt3o]

it is actually pretty smart, they removed one element (the spring) from the equation making everything cheaper to produce. It is getting closer and closer to a standard membrane for sure

Of course we would need to open one and see for ourselves what they actually did inside.

[cookie]

I am kind of disappointed by that :/

[matt3o]

I actually see no harm. The spring added very little to the overall feel. I'd like to try one of these new HHKB though and wondering if all HHKB (not just the BT) will be like this...

[vivalarevolución]

Then what was the purpose of the spring? To help with the return action after depression? Add a bit more tactility? Will a lack of spring affect the spring back after depression or overall tactility? (Sorry if those are easily answerable questions with some searching, I'm in a rush right now)

I am wondering if that photo just shows a redesign of what is inside the spring, rather than indicating a full redesign with a lack of spring. Actually just looks like a comparison photo with a typical rubber dome rather than anything new.

And who will buy one to answer all these questions? Or be able to translate Japanese for us?

[LoneWannabe]

I'm pretty sure its just a comparison between normal rubber domes and capacitive switches. I don't understand Japanese, however I understand Chinese, and the Chinese letters in the second figure with the spring labels it as a capacitive switch, while the first figure without the spring has nothing of the sort.

[matt3o]

Then what was the purpose of the spring?

it is there just to vary the capacitance.

[Wodan]

3 months battery life you say? With those little AA-sized batteries?

How come they're able to get 90-180x the battery life of a HHKB modded with hasu's?

Does anyone have any insight?

There is an INCREDIBLE potential to conserve power when optimizing code and components with industry know how and resources.

AFAIK hasu uses an ATMEGA32 and an additional BT module. I just have a controller without BT and can see a footprint for a BT module. Anyway, I'm sure the Atmega32u4 isn't the first choice when going for low power consumption. It's just a popular controller for hobbyists. Pretty sure PFU is using some kind of integrated microcontroller with integrated ultra low power BT stack and other neat ultra low power features.

[002]

I'm pretty sure its just a comparison between normal rubber domes and capacitive switches. I don't understand Japanese, however I understand Chinese, and the Chinese letters in the second figure with the spring labels it as a capacitive switch, while the first figure without the spring has nothing of the sort.

Yeah, you are right. I am pretty sure that Topre have also used a similar diagram to compare a standard rubber dome switch and their own capacitive switch. The new BT HHKB will have the standard HHKB variant of the Topre switch for sure.

[webwit]

BT HHKB vs classic HHKB.