Standard keyboards are poor quality these days

[AndyMH]

or PS/2 to USB adaptor

Got one, in fact got several and could not get a usb keyboard to work with the ps2 port on my mobo.

[GS3]

PS2 connector has six pins: Gnd, 5V, two for mouse and two for keyboard.

If they are all wired then you can plug a mouse or a keyboard into any of them, no matter how they are labeled.

I have seen a case where the mouse stopped working in the mouse connector but worked in the keyboard connector which indicated a bad mouse connector. Using a PS2 splitter at the keyboard connector solved the issue.

[Moonstone Man]

Not bad, but when did you buy yours? The recent reviews indicate people who bought one years ago and purchased another recently noticing a marked decline in the quality of them. I'd also rather get a Cherry MX for that kind of money.

I ordered one of those yesterday. I only use mechanical MX blue. The MX blue keys are very clicky and the noise drives the live-at-home, adult kids right up the wall. I did warn them when they were much younger, and much noisier, that I'd have my revenge one day.

[antikythera]

As a Birthday treat I've chosen a Corsair K70 Rapidfire for my gaming rig which is reduced to £79.98 because there's a new replacement model out. It's backlit red only, not RGB which suits me fine. I don't find that as jarring as the blue on my worn membrane 'mechanical feel' gaming keyboard and do not need rainbow effects. The CMStorm is losing it's key lacquer on the more used keys and also the domes have gone spongy, I have filled in holes with black marker pen but light still leaks through a little.

I've tried the Rapidfire switches before so I know what I am getting into with regards noise and feel of the switches. At least I can replace the switches rather than a whole keyboard next time too. There's loads on the market now which has brought the switch prices right down as the Cherry patent expired.

There are cheaper mechanical boards but I went for the Corsair because I know it's well made and if it goes wrong the vendor will replace it without quibble anyway for the first 2 years.

[BG405]

This is an interesting thread to me as I will shortly be in the market for a decent keyboard. Those Chery MX Blue switches are rather appealing.

I stupidly gave away an IBM Model M clone (Elonex branded IIRC but looked identical re.design and it had a little switch underneath for XT orAT modes).

I m currently typing on a street-find Kensington-branded keyboard. This doesn't exactly "click" and isn't the most tactile of keyboards but feels reasonably decent & responsive .. you can tell if a keypress hasn't engaged by feel .. but at £6 retail are the current models even approaching this sort of usability ..?

[Dark Owl]

I have decided I don't get on with traditional typists keyboards now, what I need is the short-travel keys like you find on a compact Bluetooth keyboard... but I want a wired one.

The only full-size keyboards (104 key?) I can find with short-travel keys are wireless, and even those don't have the Off, Sleep, and (some other) key found on the Trust 20623 I'm using at the moment (complete with typos).

[Dark Owl]

I have decided I don't get on with traditional typists keyboards now, what I need is the short-travel keys like you find on a compact Bluetooth keyboard... but I want a wired one.

The only full-size keyboards (104 key?) I can find with short-travel keys are wireless

Found one: https://eu.perixx.com/collections/keybo ... ucts/11726

Only available in US and German layouts according to the manufacturer's website, but it's on Amazon with a UK layout. Just need a USB-C to USB-A adapter...

[Portreve]

Long story, short version:

I recently sight to replace my (still fairly new) Logitech K860 wireless whining keyboard, and wound up buying one of the K845 units, which amount other things have full mechanical keys.

It's so loud! I got the TTC Red version. Later, I found reviews on YouTube for the Blue and Brown versions.

Anyhow, I'm taking it back. Yes, both TTC and Cherry make very nice key mechanisms, but I'd much rather stay with the modern (and very silent) type.

EDIT: For the duration, I've decided now to go back to using my Logitech Illuminated Keyboard. It works very well, is low profile, and of perhaps greatest significance, it's very quiet. My ears are thanking me already!

[Dark Owl]

FWIW my USB-C adapter turned up yesterday, and the Perixx is fine (for me, apart from needing the back lifted a bit!). Notebook-type feel (which is what I've been used to for years), and (as you say) QUIET! It turned up just in time for a longer word-processing session than I am used to these days.

Having proven it works, I am likely to cut off the USB-C and fit a USB-A (the only reason I didn't before was in case of return).

Regarding "quality", the Perixx seems well enough built, and I've never known a keyboard to fail (key caps are prone to pop off on my notebook, so maybe that counts as less good), so based on one day's use it works for me and that's what matters. When this thread started I was of a mind that "quality" meant mechanical switches, but having realised I don't like mechanical switches it has become clear that at least that aspect is very much in the eye of the beholder.

[Portreve]

PS2 connector has six pins: Gnd, 5V, two for mouse and two for keyboard. ...

It's funny, but for a moment when I saw this post, I thought you'd posted the diagram of an ADB connector.

I remember PS/2 connectors very well, though at the time they were at their zenith, I was busy enjoying using a Mac instead.

Too bad that ADB didn't get adopted by anyone else, since it was a lot more useful than either serial or PS/2 ever was. Oh well, I guess it's all water under the bridge now with USB.

[GS3]

I remember PS/2 connectors very well

Every single desktop machine I have is still using PS/2 keyboard and mouse. Most are ball, not optical, mouse. In fact, right now I am using a MS Intellimouse which is probably the first PS/2 mouse I ever had and has been giving me good service since something like 1998. USB was in its infancy and still had teething problems. Most computers had circular DIN connectors until then.

Though they are getting scarcer PS/2 keyboards and mice can still sometimes be found in Goodwill stores for close to nothing so I just buy them and I have quite a stock to last me for several lives.

[LanceM]

As far as I'm concerned, new keyboards and mice are great quality. I use Logitech wireless and the batteries last for incredibly long use periods and never give the slightest problems. My primary keyboard is a wired illuminated Logitech. Has been nothing but great and they still make it.

[Portreve]

I remember PS/2 connectors very well

Every single desktop machine I have is still using PS/2 keyboard and mouse. Most are ball, not optical, mouse. In fact, right now I am using a MS Intellimouse which is probably the first PS/2 mouse I ever had and has been giving me good service since something like 1998. USB was in its infancy and still had teething problems. Most computers had circular DIN connectors until then.

Though they are getting scarcer PS/2 keyboards and mice can still sometimes be found in Goodwill stores for close to nothing so I just buy them and I have quite a stock to last me for several lives.

I've owned a couple PS/2 mice over the years, and I think I even owned a straight PS/2 keyboard as well. Of course, I also used to own a Microsoft IntelliPoint USB optical mouse which I really enjoyed, and a dual-standard Microsoft Natural Keyboard Pro, which to be honest I wish I still had. Personally, I'm really glad USB wound up replacing all of those myriad ports we used to have. It was also cool having USB before any of my Windows-using peers.

[Dark Owl]

Tethered keyboard... no problem. Tethered mechanical mouse? An economy too far!

Yes, I go back to those big old circular connectors too, and every iteration since, and I remember having to clean fluff out of mechanical mice... exchanged for replacing batteries (although now I charge it up).

[Portreve]

Tethered keyboard... no problem. Tethered mechanical mouse? An economy too far!

Yes, I go back to those big old circular connectors too, and every iteration since, and I remember having to clean fluff out of mechanical mice... exchanged for replacing batteries (although now I charge it up).

Unlike GS3 above, I abandoned mechanical mice as soon as it was possible to do so. I mean, I owned a bunch of them over the years, and having had a chance to play with a modern optical mouse (i.e. one not requiring a mirrored mousepad with an etched grid) I jumped at the chance to buy one for myself. It took a little bit to fully get off of them because I was also using a Mac at the time and there weren't any non-USB optical mice, so it was a bit of a struggle.