Rubber keyboard ( English chiclet keyboard ) - an electronic keyboard , a kind of membrane keyboard , in which the membrane is structurally integral with the button. Keyboards of this type are characterized by low cost and, compared to keyboards without closing mechanical contacts ( reed switches , microswitches , capacitive ones, etc.), not very high reliability . This type of keyboard provides tactile feedback (unlike membrane keyboards that do not use button shaping).
Rubber buttons are widely used in microcalculators , remote controls , push-button telephones , game controllers ( gamepads ) and other electronic equipment where low cost is required.
Rubber keyboards were also used in some home computers in the 1980s (see below). Modern computer keyboards use the combined technology of membrane , rubber and mechanical keyboards, where pressing a plastic key (actuator) pushes through the rubber cap, providing tactile feedback, and pushes the membrane.
Content
- 1 Name
- 2 Principle of work
- 3 List of computers with a rubber keyboard
- 4 See also
Title
Different countries use different names. In the US , the name Chiclet keyboard is used , derived from the name of the popular chewing gum “ Chiclets ”. In countries where the Chiclets chewing gum was not for sale, other names arose - dead-flesh keyboard in England (due to the feel of the keys) or simply rubber-keyed keyboard ; eraser keyboard in Norway (the keys resemble an eraser).
Principle of Operation
The rubber keyboard consists of two parts. The lower part is usually the circuit board of the device. At the locations of the keys on it is a grid of conductive tracks. The upper part is a rubber plate with keys on domed protrusions, in the center of which are platforms of conductive rubber. When a key is pressed, the dome is pressed through, creating a feedback tactile connection (the feeling of overcoming the mechanical resistance of the key) and the conductive rubber closes the tracks.
The reliability of the rubber keyboard is not very high , since moisture and dirt can build up between the board and the rubber plate, which interfere with the contact. Conductive rubber can also lose properties over time, which can be temporarily eliminated by “painting” the conductive section with a very soft graphite pencil or sticker of special conductive stickers.
List of computers with a rubber keyboard
- Cambridge Z88 (a combination of a membrane and rubber keyboard is possible)
- Commodore PET 2001 (original 1977 PET) had square keys from a calculator or cash register
- Commodore 116 (option C16, sold only in Europe)
- Ibm pcjr
- Jupiter ace
- Mattel aquarius
- Microdigital TK 90X (Brazilian clone ZX Spectrum )
- Multitech Microprofessor I (MPF 1) and MPF II
- OLPC XO-1
- Oric 1
- Panasonic JR-200
- Sinclair ZX Spectrum 16 / 48K (later models had an improved keyboard)
- Sharp MZ-80K
- Spectravideo SV-318
- Tandy TRS-80 Color Computer I (later models had an improved keyboard)
- Tandy TRS-80 MC-10 and its French version Matra Alice
- Texas Instruments TI-99/4
- Timex Sinclair 1500 (clone ZX81 , manufactured in the USA)
- Timex Sinclair 2068 ( ZX Spectrum clone manufactured in the USA)
- VTech Laser 200 (also known as Video Technology VZ200)
- Some early MSX computers , such as the Philips VG-8010
See also
- Membrane Keyboard