48k plus vs DKtronics keyboard

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Hedge1970
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48k plus vs DKtronics keyboard

Post by Hedge1970 »

Does anyone have experience of the keystroke action differences between a 48k Plus keyboard and the third party DKtronics keyboard?
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1024MAK
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Re: 48k plus vs DKtronics keyboard

Post by 1024MAK »

What do you mean exactly? Do mean the feel?

The keys on a dk’tronics keyboard are much nicer. They are proper keyboard switches with proper contacts. No rubber parts or membrane involved.

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Re: 48k plus vs DKtronics keyboard

Post by cha05e90 »

I have both and used both. Of course the dk'tronics keyboard is the better keyboard - especially the later version(s) with a full Space bar. But: it's ugly! :D (at least regarding my taste). I have the first version which is not compatible with an Interface 1 setup, so I re-merged my ZX Spectrum back into it's ZX Spectrum+ case/keyboard.
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Re: 48k plus vs DKtronics keyboard

Post by Hedge1970 »

Thank you both, it was the key action I was interested in. I have a plus but it does not work however I can feel the keys are quite hard work - not very tactile. I have heard the DK is OK, but at the price they go for I was wondering if I should just transplant my speccy over to the Plus keyboard and be done.

I also think the DK is less attractive than the plus, I actually quite like the original rubber keys for looks but they are very dead for typing on.
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Hedge1970
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Re: 48k plus vs DKtronics keyboard

Post by Hedge1970 »

So ive had the good fortune of using the following keyboards now on the 48k spectrum - FYI in the 80s I only had the rubber key version and that only lasted about a year thanks in part to Daley Thompson and girls :)

1) Rubber Key

2) Spectrum Plus

3) DK'Tronics

The DK ive got I believe to be the latest version (full space bar and separate key pad) with support for the IF1 and Microdrive. IF 1 and Microdrive support is nothing too impressive other than it comes with a "dk" board that you connect to using a microdrive joining connector on the speccy side and the other side (out the case) is just a normal MD ribbon cable (see bottom picture).

The Spectrum plus is just a normal keyboard.

I have been programming on all three and found that while the DK was the best of the bunch key press wise, its the ugliest and largest by a long shot. To me it just feels, looks and sounds (keypresses echo through the case structure) like a cheap tupperware box. To use the IF1 in the DK, you first remove the IF1 from its case and mount the bare IF1 board to the base of the DK case along with the spectrum board. I found the straight through connector edge of the IF1 sat a little high which puts stress on the attached peripheral connection, easy to solve with thin book/paper stack, but annoying. With the Plus I really liked the way they had combined multiple keypresses into single keys i.e. delete key (as opposed to Cap Shift and 0) but the keys themselves are formed in such a horrid way that they lack the feel of a keypress and just like the rubber key version its easy to "miss hit" a key. On the Plus the IF1 just mounts in the normal way so no issues there. While I found the plus OK to look at - certainly better than the DK, it (now this is my personal view) is not as good looking as the rubber key version. I also think DK missed a trick by not incorporating more single key press keys like the Plus has, however because the keys are the same multifunction as the rubber key version you are already quite used to the layout and selection of the keys multiple functions - albeit the keys on the DK seem more spread apart.

For me and for what I like and do, it has to be the rubber key version over the other two. Again a personal view but the lack of colour denoting the different actions associated to each key on the Plus made it hard to find certain syntax. While I am sure if the Plus was your first Speccy this would not be a problem, coming from the Original this was an issue for me. If I was faced with hours of typing then I might forgoe the looks (and sounds) and use the DK but in normal general game and short programming tasks I much prefer the rubber key version. I have added photos of the inside of the DK, a side by side comparison of all three and also added a shot of my PC keyboard. Similar in size to the speccy rubber key so perhaps either it influenced my decision here or the speccy influenced me all those years ago :0

Image

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1024MAK
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Re: 48k plus vs DKtronics keyboard

Post by 1024MAK »

Interesting comments indeed.

For me, I preferred the dk’tronics. Yes, the case was rather large. It certainly is/was not designed for it’s looks. And the stickers that you had to apply to the keytops was not the best. But given the cost, it was as near to a Acorn BBC keyboard as I could get.

I already knew all the most common key press combinations, as I too came from a rubber key. At school we had two Acorn BBC Model B micros and a single Research Machines 380Z. All with proper keyboards of course. I liked those keyboards :D

Then Your Sinclair brought out / featured MegaBasic. After loading, you could type in programs using individual keys to type in keywords, commands and function names in the normal way (normal, as in the way all other computers worked, one letter at a time).

I never was tempted back then by the plus keyboard, and never went back to the rubber key keyboard (which was badly worn by then). I never had microdrives, so did not have an interface 1.

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Re: 48k plus vs DKtronics keyboard

Post by spider »

From what I can recall of a brief try or three of the DK keyboard its feel was not that far away from the Oric Atmos keyboard, moreso (I think) than the feel of the BBC Micro type keys.

As others have said though its a decent enough keyboard :)
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Re: 48k plus vs DKtronics keyboard

Post by Hedge1970 »

Never heard of MegaBasic thanks for the link.
1024MAK wrote: Mon May 13, 2019 5:56 pm Then Your Sinclair brought out / featured MegaBasic. After loading, you could type in programs using individual keys to type in keywords, commands and function names in the normal way (normal, as in the way all other computers worked, one letter at a time).
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