My keyboard colection

I wanted to share my keyboard colection for a while now. These are not the most beautiful nor the best ones but i like'em a lot. I'm quite proud of it. Most of them were found while dumpster diving.

I tried to took good pictures to show them off. They are all working and i use some of them from time to time.

Just a last warning : I didn't cleant them perfectly so they aren't all shiny and chrome ! You'll probably see that i host some cats and their fur.

If you click on pictures you'll have a better shot of them.

Microsoft Natural Keyboard 🔗

Here is my first thoughtful purchase, a long time ago. I liked it a lot and I'm still a bit nostalgic each time I see it… but i can't bear it's touch-feeling now.

Once you tried mechs, you can't go back to those crappy switches.

An old splitted keyboard from 20 years ago

It's design is still quite pleasing, no ?

It's a PS2 version which had some succesors.

A glamshot picture emphasing on the split.

Really, I still like this look.

Good, let's go back to the closet. Sorry mate.

Razer Black Widow 🔗

A basic gamer mechanical keyboard. I barely used it because it's my wife's keyboard (at least it was).

It uses cherry MX Blue so it's quite… noisy. It's an USB one. We tweaked it a bit (replaced some switches to MX Blacks, some O-rings, a keycap) but nothing very hard.

{< img src="razer_front.thumb.jpg" link="razer_front.jpg" alt="Un clavier noir avec un design anguleux" title="razer oblige c'est noir et anguleux. Pas de loupiote sur çui-là." >}}

This one isn't used anymore. It's still plugged to a tiny server in the closet in case of maintenance (one a year).

Siemens ?? 🔗

This one was rescued from the dumpster. It relies on black cherry MX

It's a PS2 keyboard with a nice cable.

Bleudo 🔗

Not it's real name but it fits well !

This one has lots of blue keycaps with telephone symbols printed

More exotic, isn't it ?

It's PS2 with Cherry black which were plugged to a PBX. Coupled with a telephone and some computer software you could do anything with it very efficiently and fast.

le usual glamshot

I find this one very sexy, i love it

Alcatel 4059 🔗

This one could be the big brother of the previous.

It has more keys than the previous one. Most of them are dedicated to telephony features with windows for LED.

Isn't this one a classy keyboard ? Lots of LED and windows and all.

It's quite a heavy board. It's bigger than usual keyboards and uses MX black switches.

It can't be plugged directly to a computer, it needs an external box with a lot of electronic to work. There is an USB version but it's not this one. This one was used for telephony stuff too.

Encore a glamshot

As I can't use it, it's far from being clean. It's a bit sad.

I never tried it at home but i used it at work a bit.

Alcatel ?? 🔗

Another one from Alcatel but a PS2 black cherry.

This one is more classic than the previous two.

Another basic one.

It's the doppleganger of the Siemens. These two were Cherry keyboards rebranded.

Another Glamshot

Ooops it's still a bit wet.

I didn't used it a lot.

Sesam ?? 🔗

It's not it's real name but i'll explain it. This one is the one currently used by my wife.

It's one the favorite but i won't spoil you !

This keyboard was used by french doctors. It can read smartcard used by french people to get some medicine and all. It's plugged with PS2 and also RS323 !

These are black switches.

I only plug the PS2 to use it. It then boot !

I plug it back !

IBM Model M 🔗

What would be any keyboard enthusiast without a Model M ?

This is a very famous keyboard from the 80s with a different layout than what we are used to. It features keys from F1 to F24

The beast. The heaviest of them all !

Here is the legend ! It's not Cherry MX switches but it uses custom buckling springs. The click is very distinctive but you'll need to press them hard.

I opened it to understand why is it so heavy. There is thick metal plate in it.

You just need to add four wheels to have a sturdy skateboard !

The originat connector was a DIN which i cut to put a Teensy inside to get USB. Bad luck, not every keys are recognized. It's barely usable.

The little teensy is a small PCB with a custom firmware to translate AT signal to USB Hid

It's quite a basic hack but it works but I should have put a longer cable !

Maybe tweaking the firmware (soarer) could help it work better.

I baught it for 10€.

Encore un glamshot

From this close it looks normal.

My favorite ! 🔗

This is my handmade keyboard with Cherry MX Brown using USB.

A wooden frame, an aluminium plate, some wires, a teensy and some switches.

Behold the polish !

It's a mix of different keycaps with four different profiles. 65 keys but one isn't used at all.

L'ultime glam shot.

It deserves to be cleant !

This is the one i used for the last 4 years most of the time.

Typematrix 2030 🔗

I don't have it anymore, so no photos.

I used it while i learned to type with the bépo layout ("french dvorak"). I gifted when my handmade was ready to be used.

Combo clavier/trackpad Cherry G80-11800 🔗

The newcomer in my collection ! It's one of the few Cherry Mx Brown but its main peculiar point is its small trackball !

It's a basic 90s keyboard but with a small trackball in its lower right corner

The design is very basic, bland, but the trackball gives it a peculiar look

It's a simple cherry keyboard with a Compaq branding. While looking at it you are back to the 90s. This one is from 98 and plugs to the computer with 2 PS2.

A not so glam glamshot.

Nothing to see here.

It's the first time i use a trackball and it may push me to buy one. One with a bigger ball and a better ergonomic design. This one is not so precise and the keyboard is not perfectly right to my taste.

A close up to the ball

This trackball is small and not so precise but it's probably enough for lite use.

Ergodox EZ 🔗

My first bought keyboard since 13 years ! (we are in June 2021) At last a splitted keyboard ! An ergodox with Cherry MX Red running on a FLOSS firmware named QMK.

This keyboard is in two parts linked with a small jack.

I love all those mixed keycaps.

It's now my daily driver keyboard configured with a bépo layout (french dvorak).

Each hand has a small thumb cluster with six keys.

The prints doesn't match the real key but who cares ?


That's all for now but probably more to come.