Re: what keyboard do you use?

[songbird <songbird@anthive.com>]

hw wrote:
> On Sun, 2024-02-04 at 09:43 -0500, songbird wrote:
...
>>   if they made them with a metal base mine would probably
>> still be working, but the plastic base is too flexible for
>> me.  i have two dead ones.  :(  the pressure fitted ribbon
>> cable connection is a really bad design and those plastic
>> tabs break off.
>> 
>>   otherwise the feel is good.  very loud when i'm writing...
>
> IIRC IBM omitted the metal plate long time ago.  What are you doing
> that it's too wobbly for you?

  it's not wobbly it is the entire keyboard flexes when you
use it in a non-conventional manner.  i do not use them on a
flat desktop, i have them laying across my lap as a am laying
here on my comfy perch (i find sitting uncomfortable and 
eventually painful so i don't do it any more - instead i
sprawl out and have some pillows propping me up a little bit).

  i didn't really figure this out until it was too late for
the second keyboard (a replacement for the first which flaked
out right after the warranty period was up).  after i got the
2nd keyboard i took the first one apart hoping i could fix it
but there were broken plastic tabs and then the pressure
ribbon connection so i just left it aside for parts for the 
new one.  the new one also started having issues within about
a year and a half.

  the first keyboard may have been damaged in shipping based
upon the broken plastic tabs inside, but i can't say for sure
all i know is that it is not built sturdy enough for my use.

  if i knew that flexing was bad i could have come up with a
board or piece of metal to put underneath it to begin with.
this is why i'm mentioning it because there may be someone
else who sees this topic/thread who's doing something like i
am and i don't want them to be out of a keyboard that other-
wise may last quite a long time.

  if i can find a way to get keyboards functional again with-
out costing so much (the pressure ribbon connection just is
not seeming reliable enough) i'd love to have them working
again.  youtube vids are not really covering how to do this
sort of repair (making that connection reliable again).

  i won't contact Unicomp again because despite their claims
of having goals of great customer service i tried to resolve
issues of a bad key and this repeated issue of malfunctioning
connections and didn't get any satisfaction.  the key problem
was noted and should have been covered under the 1yr warranty,
but when i brought it up i got static and resistance.  three
strikes and i'm done with them.

  i did like the restored keyboard project[*] and read through
their website and history to follow it for a few hours but
the overall price is just too much ($300-500).  $80 for what
i have now was acceptable.

[*] https://www.modelfkeyboards.com/


  songbird