deskthority

Please vote for nominees for the Best relic/discovery in 2011.

You can use a maximum of 5 votes.

This round is used to trim down the suggested nominees - the 5 entries with most votes will make it into the final round.

Link to first round for reference:
http://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=1524

Damn.

Too late.

Some pics:

Early Fujitsu Leaf Springs with Rubber Gaskets/Pads (Has the earliest product code I've been able to find)







Optical Switch Keyboard (switches have a fun snap to them)



Magnetic "Pulse" Switches (due to design, doesn't require diodes)



Vintage NMB (note the slider, spring, and contacts)




Vintage Futaba (note the internal mechanism, and it's similarity to the more modern Futaba switch)






Vintage SMK (this one is easy, logo on the bottom )





Pre-Topre (lots of evidence, but no proof yet)

• Topre first started to build keyboards after these switches were discontinued by Seiko/Epson
• Similar PCB for capacitive sensing (no other capacitive sensing pcbs are this close to Topre's, e.g. IBM, Keytronic, Qume (lol, I haven't posted pics of this yet))
• Oddly similar domes, and dome sheet sections
• Capacitive
• Sliders are similar

Oops, no pics of the domes. I'll take some tomorrow

Maybe some more data-points tomorrow.

That really looks very close to the modern Topre switch. I think you are right and it probably is what they based their designs on.

Currently ahead are, in no particular order:

The Space-cadet keyboard, HaaTa, the IBM Model F AT, the Sega HTR-2106 and the G80-2000.

Seikosha Domes:

HaaTa wrote:Seikosha Domes:

Boobs.

HaaTa you are the Indiana Jones of Keyboards

I'm not sure it's a good idea for anyone other than the Site Admin to win this one.

Those SMKs look familiar...

Does this spacebar fit Leopold 'boards?

Probably not.

Maybe this one then (also SMK, I wrote a USB controller for this one, but the base controller is sorta shitty to deal with; mapping modifiers (e.g. Alt) is impossible for example)?

Currently ahead are, in no particular order:

The Space-cadet keyboard, HaaTa, the IBM Model F AT, the Sega HTR-2106, the G80-2000 and Tipro.

Teaser photo: