Mechanical keyboard and case for 48K (work in progress)

[zx64]

This is one of my current projects, still work in progress. I'm designing a new keyboard for my 48K Speccy. It will require a new bigger case as well which I will 3d print (or have it made from steel if I find a reasonable price).

This is layout I'm thinking about. Blank keys are the ones I'm still thinking about. Cursor keys will be the cursor keys 5-6-7-8 and I think I will also make it possible to select them to work as Sinclair 1 / Sinclair 2 / Kempston joystick, for example by pressing one of the keys above cursors.



Keycaps will be blank ones with my DIY stickers.

[1024MAK]

Have you thought about how you are going to achieve the logic required for the “extra” keys?

By extra, I mean the keys over and above the standard 40 keys of the original rubber key Spectrum.

The +, 128 and +2 (grey) use four layer membranes. The +2A/+2B, +3/+3B machines have extra logic in the gate array chip.

Mark

[Alone Coder]

This is layout I'm thinking about. Blank keys are the ones I'm still thinking about.

Delete = Caps Shift+9 (in most text editors)
Home = Symbol Shift+Q (in most text editors)
End = Symbol Shift+E (in most text editors)
PgUp = Caps Shift+3 (in most text editors)
PgDown = Caps Shift+4 (in most text editors)
Ins = Symbol Shift+W (in most text editors)
Generally Tab is for Extend mode, Tilde ` is for Caps Shift+1.
Sadly your keyboard is missing Esc (that is for Break)

[zx64]

....

Thanks, good ideas!

Yeah escape would be nice, but then I need to include entire F keys row.

[zx64]

Have you thought about how you are going to achieve the logic required for the “extra” keys?

By extra, I mean the keys over and above the standard 40 keys of the original rubber key Spectrum.

The +, 128 and +2 (grey) use four layer membranes. The +2A/+2B, +3/+3B machines have extra logic in the gate array chip.

Mark

I will emulate two pairs of membranes by using 4066 switch. Already tested it and it works very well.

[zx64]

Delete = Caps Shift+9 (in most text editors)
Home = Symbol Shift+Q (in most text editors)
End = Symbol Shift+E (in most text editors)
PgUp = Caps Shift+3 (in most text editors)
PgDown = Caps Shift+4 (in most text editors)
Ins = Symbol Shift+W (in most text editors)

Can you give some examples of text editors which use these keys?

[Alone Coder]

ZX-Word
ModernWord
HorrorWord
Anaconda (PgUp and PgDown are swapped)
ZX/IBM Text Editor (PgUp and PgDown are swapped)
ZX-Winword
ACEdit
Pops
Turbo Word
CanSee (only Home and End are supported)
TASM (PgUp, PgDown, Del)
MASM (PgUp, PgDown, Del)
ZX-ASM
STORM
ALASM (except Ins)
Texted
Turbo Pascal for NedoOS
NedoBasic
Perfect Commander text editor (except Ins)
C Warp (PgUp, PgDown, Del)

PgUp and PgDown are also supported in XAS, STS, Pro Tracker 3 (also Del and Ins), ZXUnRar, RarView, Nedovigator (also Del), and in electronic press such as Nicron, ZX-News, Scenergy, Generation Z etc.
Home, End, Del are also supported in BGE and command line in NedoOS.

Backspace = cs0 is found virtually everywhere since 48 BASIC.

[Alone Coder]

Generally Tab is for Extend mode, Tilde ` is for Caps Shift+1.

A number of users agreed to switch to Sprinter's layout that differs in these keys: Tab for Edit, Tilde ` for ss+A. This allows to use tilde as Ё, as indicated on standard Russian PC keyboard.



In this case, language switching will be at ss+Space, as in MicroEditor and old versions of ACEdit.

On my side, I can fix all my programs (which are many) and the NedoOS keyboard driver. So, the question of compatibility is just upon the hardware designers. Sadly they more like to invent incompatible things