转一篇国外硬件论坛上关于机械键盘的好帖

seas

原帖地址：http://www.overclock.net/keyboards/491752-mechanical-keyboard-guide.html

"In my opinion, the best keyboards available have mechanical key switches. They are known as mechanical keyboards, or mechanical key switch keyboards. What makes them so desirable is that mechanical keyboards tend to be constructed of higher quality materials, they last longer and are more reliable, and most importantly, once properly acclimated to one, a mechanical key switch keyboard will make you a better typist--you may even be able to get work done faster, with less fatigue.

That may sound like a stretch, but it is ABSolutely true. You see, the vast majority of keyboards included with white box systems or sold at office supply stores are rubber dome or membrane keyboards. They are inexpensive, mass produced, relatively low quality devices that are inconsistent and degrade the user experience. The problem is most users don't know this, or simply don't care. The appeal of cheap rubber dome or membrane keyboards is that they're usually available in a variety of styles, are included "free" with a new system, and they may sport additional features like media controls or wireless connectivity. But these cheap keyboards typically don't provide users with any tactile feedback, the keys feel mushy and may not all actuate at the same point, and the entire keyboard assemblies themselves tend to flex and move around when typed on. Not fun.

Depending on the type of switch used in a mechanical keyboard, however, it will offer distinct tactile feedback to the user--which is to say there is a pronounced "bump" transmitted to the user's finger tip when a key is pressed. Once acclimated to the tactile feedback, users of mechanical keyboards have a second feedback mechanism, other than a letter appearing on screen, by which they'll know a key has been pressed. Many mechanical keyboards also have clicky key switches, which provide a third, audible feedback mechanism--you feel the tactility of the switch, hear it click, and see the letter appear on screen. The switches are built to stricter tolerances than rubber domes as well, so key presses are consistent across all of the keys. And mechanical keyboards, more often than not, are also heavier and more rigid than rubber dome boards. All of these things add up and culminate in what is simply a better product in my opinion." - HotHardware

For typing, you generally want switches with Tactile feedback. Part of the beauty of mechanical boards is that you don't have to press the keys all the way down for them to register - and with tactile feedback, you know exactly when each key has registered. It might take a bit of adjustment when you are coming off of rubber domes, but finding a switch type you like is well worth the effort.


Switch Mechanisms

This is a list of general switch types that you're likely to find on PC keyboards. There are others - such as hall effect and magnetic reed switches, but unless you're looking for a keyboard to put on a space shuttle or a calculator from the 1950's, I doubt you'll run into either.


Rubber Dome

Over 90% of all full size keyboards today use this type of switch. Back in the 1980's, when the first IBM PC clones were popping up, the companies making them knew that to compete with IBM they had to be cheaper. And one of the ways they were able to do this was by cheapening the keyboard. At the time, the Model M alone added around $250 to the cost of the PC ($500 when adjusted for inflation), and the Model F that came before it cost even more than that. And that's how rubber domes really took off.



In these pictures you can see two ways that rubber domes work. The one on the left is the most common. In that picture all the domes are part of a single sheet of rubber placed on top of a membrane sheet with traces that don't touch each other. When you push the dome downwards, the black pad underneath it touches both contacts and closes the circuit. One of the major weaknesses of rubber domes is this contact pad. It has a graphite coating (the conductive part) that wears out over time; you'll slowly find yourself having to press harder and harder to create that electrical contact, and eventually it will just stop altogether. This type of dome can work on both membrane sheets and PCBs, though it's rare to find them with the latter.

In the picture on the right the dome is attached directly to the key stem, and each key has it's own separate dome. In addition, you might notice that this dome doesn't have a black contact pad on it. That's because with this type of rubber dome there are two membrane sheets placed on top of one another with a blank separator sheet in the middle, and when you press down on the dome it pushes the top sheet onto the bottom one, creating the electrical contact that way. The small rubber stump still wears out just like the contact pad in the picture on the left, but at a much slower rate (about 5 million vs 20 million keypresses). Unfortunately, manufacturers today only opt for the cheap method, so this type of dome is no longer found on new keyboards.

In all technicality, the rubber domes on the left are properly called "membrane switches" while the ones on the right are the true rubber dome switches. But today we no longer make the distinction.

Pros:

• Cheap

Cons:

• Contact pad wears out quickly
• Frequently used keys lose their tactile feel due to the rubber flexing

Scissor Switch
This is the type of switch used in laptop keyboards today, as well as most slimline keyboards. Normally, keys require a lot of vertical room so that they can be stabilized at the stem. But to make laptops thinner they had to make the keyboard thinner as well. So instead of putting a stem underneath the keycaps, they used two plastic pieces that move in a scissor like motion.


In the center of the mechanism you can see the small rubber dome. The rest of the details here are the same as any other rubber dome switch (the membrane type). However, due to these domes having a smaller size and less flex, they don't lose their tactile feel anywhere near as fast as full size domes do. But their contact pad will still wear out.

Pros:

• Cheap
• Good tactile feedback

Cons:

• Contact pad wears out quickly

Foam Element Switch
Foam element switches, like rubber domes, came out of a need to make keyboards cheaper. The entire bottom of the pad is conductive, so the key is kept off the board by means of a spring. And underneath it you can find either a membrane sheet or a PCB. And as you can see in the picture on the bottom left, the contact area is enclosed by plastic to prevent dirt from getting underneath the pad.



Pros:

• Spring provides quick snap back into resting position
• Doesn't necessarily have to bottom out to actuate (the pad can touch the bottom without you feeling it)

Cons:

• Dirt can get in between the foil and contacts
• Contact foil wears out quickly
• Foam degrades quickly and becomes mushy

seas

Mechanical Switch
Mechanical switches come in all kinds of flavors, and use several different methods of actuating (though the most common is metal-on-metal contact). But the feel of the switch is always determined by the mechanism used.


In most cases each switch has it's own housing and is mounted on a PCB. A metal plate can also be used to reinforce them. The picture on the right shows the internals of a Cherry MX switch, where you can clearly see the contact point of the two metal leaves. The stem where the keycap sits is pushed back up by a metal spring.


Mechanical switches are some of the most durable switches you can get in a keyboard. Their feel doesn't change very much as they are used, so a key pressed 100,000 times will feel virtually identical to a key pressed 10,000,000 times. You don't have to press them down all the way either - they actuate somewhere in the middle of their travel.

The individual switches will be discussed in more detail later.

Pros:

• Very quick snap back into rest position
• Don't necessarily have to bottom out to actuate
• Very durable - some are rated up to 100 million keystrokes but still go for much longer
• Virtually no degradation - the feel remains almost constant over the lifetime of the switch
• Replacement of a single switch is possible if one goes bad

Cons:

• Expensive

Switch Matrix and Actuation Technologies

Matrix Design

Keyboards use a matrix of wires, in rows and columns. Each key is a switch that connects a row to a column, where each key has it's own unique position, or address, in the matrix.

This is a very simple 4-key matrix. You won't ever see something this simple in a keyboard, but for our purposes it's more than enough.



To detect keypresses, the keyboard will scan column by column and check to see which rows have been activated. In the image below, when the keyboard activates C1, R1 goes hot and therefore it knows that A has been pressed. When it activates C2, neither R1 nor R2 go hot so it knows that B and D haven't been pressed.



Multiple key presses work in the same way. In this image you can see that when C1 is activated, R1 goes hot, giving the letter A. Then when C2 is activated, R2 goes hot, giving the letter D.



But the problem in this matrix shows up as soon as you press three keys at once. In this image A, B, and D are pressed. The B and D switches short R1 with R2 because they are both closed; so when C1 is activated, both R1 and R2 go hot and the keyboard thinks that C has been pressed, and sends it to the PC even though you didn't really press it. This is what's called a "ghost" key.



There are two methods used to prevent ghosting. The first and cheaper option is for the controller to block that third keypress that causes the ghost key. So after pressing A and D, it ignores both B and C because pressing either one will cause the other to ghost. This gives this board 2-key rollover, because only 2 keys can be pressed at once.

The other option is to install a switching diode in series with each switch. The diodes only allow the current to flow in one direction, so the rows no longer get shorted to each other. In the image below you'll see the A, B, and D keys pressed again, but this time there are diodes to control the flow. Notice how R2 no longer goes hot when C1 is activated.



This method allows for each and every key on the board to be detected independently, giving it n-key rollover (NKRO). It's called n-key because n is a variable, representing the number of keys on the keyboard.

Standard Actuation Detection

Resistive Switch

Capacitive Switch


A capacitor is formed by the use of two conductive plates separated by a dielectric (something that doesn't conduct electricity) with a potential difference (voltage) applied between them. When this voltage exists, the area in between the two plates will hold a charge. This is called the capacitance. There are many variables that affect it, but the equation we're interested in is:

Where C is the capacitance, A is the area of each plate, ε is the permittivity of the dielectric (don't worry if you don't know what that is), and - what we're most interested in here - d, the distance between the plates. As d decreases, the capacitance increases. And that is exactly what happens when you press down on a capacitive switch.

This image is a diagram of the simplest method of creating a capacitive switch. The oscillator produces a sine wave with a PLL (Phase Lock Loop) controlling the frequency.

seas

Mechanical Switch Types

Although there are dozens of manufacturers that make mechanical keyboards, many different boards can use the same switch. So when picking a mechanical keyboard you can easily tell what it'll feel like just by the type of switch it uses. And although it's hard to gauge the feel without trying it, especially if you've never used a mechanical keyboard before, it's at least good to have an idea of what you're looking for.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. It only includes the most common ones.

Buckling Springs


As you can see in the image, buckling springs are pretty straightforward. After pushing the key down a certain distance the spring buckles under pressure, causing the hammer at the bottom to hit a membrane sheet and create an electrical contact. The buckling of the spring also provides tactile feedback and a satisfying click as it hits the shaft wall. And you might also notice through the force diagrams later that this is the only mechanical switch where the tactile and audible feedback correspond to the exact moment the switch actuates.



As shown in the force diagram above, the actuation force of the switches is approximately 70g. The new Unicomp boards are slightly lighter, and require only 65g.

Link: Patent
Tactile: Yes, very precise
Clicky: Yes, loud
Actuation Force: 65g-70g
Key Travel: 2.3mm to actuation, 3.7mm to bottom


Cherry MX
When referring to the color of the switch, we're referring to the color of the stem that the keycap sits on. Each stem color is associated with a specific mechanism, and therefore specific feel.

Blue


Cherry MX Blue switches are one of the best switches for typing. The tactile bump can easily be felt, and the resistance is about average.

Although many people find them just fine for gaming, some don't like the fact that the release point is above the actuation point. This can cause some trouble with double-tapping if you don't normally release the key completely.

Link: Datasheet
Tactile: Yes, precise
Clicky: Yes
Actuation Force: 50g
Key Travel: 2mm to actuation, 4mm to bottom

Brown


MX Browns are a non-clicky, but tactile switch. They are a bit lighter than Blues, and are a good middle-ground between typing and gaming.

Link: Datasheet
Tactile: Yes
Clicky: No
Actuation Force: 45g
Key Travel: 2mm to actuation, 4mm to bottom

Clear


Cherry MX Clear switches have the internal mechanism of MX Browns, but with the spring of MX Blacks. So think of them as stiffer Browns.

Link: Datasheet
Tactile: Yes
Clicky: No
Actuation Force: 55g
Key Travel: 2mm to actuation, 4mm to bottom

Black


As linear (non-tactile) switches, these are one of the best types for gaming. When gaming, having a tactile bump does absolutely nothing because you're going to be bottoming out anyway. So these give you a very smooth feel. Also, the actuation and release points are at the exact same position. So games that require a lot of double tapping become easier than on any other keyswitch. However, most people don't enjoy typing on them that much.

If you're a person who tends to hit a wrong key every so often while gaming, these will be beneficial in that the high actuation force will help prevent many of those accidental presses.

Link: Datasheet
Tactile: No
Clicky: No
Actuation Force: 60g (40g-80g overall)
Key Travel: 2mm to actuation, 4mm to bottom

Red


These are linear just like the Blacks, except they require less force. These would be best for gaming as long as you're not prone to accidental keypresses, as they are pretty lightweight.

Link: Datasheet
Tactile: No
Clicky: No
Actuation Force: 45g
Key Travel: 2mm to actuation, 4mm to bottom


ALPS

Simplified Black

Tactile:
Clicky:
Actuation Force: Fukkas 60g, Others 70g
Key Travel:

Simplified White

Tactile:
Clicky:
Actuation Force: 60g-70g
Key Travel:


Topre


Link: Geekhack
Tactile: Yes
Clicky: No
Actuation Force: 30g, 35g, 45g, 55g depending on model
Key Travel: 4mm

seas

Key Printing Methods
I'd like to thank Ripster from geekhack.org for letting me use his pictures for this section.

Pad Printing
This is the type of printing you'll find on 99% of keyboards. It is the cheapest method possible, short of leaving the keys blank. Pad Printed letters are kind of like stickers, or decals, and you can feel the letter raised above the key surface.

This is a closeup of a Logitech key. You can clearly see the coating around the letters.


This is a closeup of a Filco key. Instead of putting the coating only around the letter they coat the entire keycap to make it look neater. But you can still see the embossed look of the letter itself.


Pros:

• Low Cost
• Can print multiple colors on a single key
• Can be used on any face of the key

Cons:

• You can feel the lettering
• Wears out quickly

Laser Etching
Laser etched keys are...well...the name says it all. They feel a bit scratchy. The process works best on light colored keys because the letter always comes out black, since that's the color of burnt plastic. So when it's used on black keys, a paint filler is poured into it, as is done with the Das S.

This is from a Dell AT101W:


And this is from a Cherry board.


Pros:

• Doesn't wear out easily

Cons:

• You can feel the lettering
• Blurry

Dye Sublimation
Dye Sublimation produces much nicer keys than either of the other two printing methods. A dye is set into the plastic, and seeps a tiny bit into it. So even as the plastic starts to wear off from use, the letter remains as good as new. Unfortunately, because of its cost, the only companies left that use it are Topre, Cherry Corp, and Unicomp.

A dye sublimated key.


And in the cross section, you can see how the dye seeps in.


Closeup of a key from a Cherry board:


Pros:

• Doesn't wear out
• Can't feel the lettering
• Can print multiple colors on a single key
• Can be used on any face of the key
• High Visibility

Cons:

• High Cost
• Can only print letters that are darker than the plastic (no white lettering on black plastic, for example)

Double-Shot Injection Molding
With this method, the keycap actually consists of two pieces. The first piece is the outside of the keycap with the letter basically cut out of it, and the second piece is placed inside it with the lettering embossed to fit into the top piece. You can see it in this diagram:

This method of printing results in the highest quality keycaps possible. The edges of the letters are perfectly sharp, and it achieves the highest contrast, clearest lettering possible. Unfortunately, because of the very high price, only TG3 Electronics still uses this method on their keyboards, and Fentek and Signature Plastics can create custom caps with it.

Here's a key from Cherry.


And these are from the NeXT keyboard. The green text on the front of one of the keys is actually pad printed.


The easiest way to verify if a key is double shot molded is to check from underneath. You will be able to see the two different colored plastics.


Pros:

• Doesn't wear out, ever
• Perfect edges
• Highest contrast and visibility

Cons:

• Highest Cost
• Limited to two colors per key
• On worn keys you can sometimes feel the edge where the plastics meet

seas

Keycap Shape
Again, thanks Ripster from geekhack.org for letting me use your pictures in this section.

When looking at the keycap shape, there are two things to consider. First is the shape of the very top of the key, and the second is the general shape of all keys on the keyboard.

Keytop Shape

Cylindrical - Almost all keyboards today use this shape.


You can also find them in the other orientation.


Spherical - This shape is normally found on vintage keyboards.


Flat - Frequently found on keys with replaceable legend inserts, such as on Point-Of-Sale keyboards.

You can also find them on chiclet style boards.



Overall Shape
(Sculpted, Flat, Curved Base)

Features To Look For and Myths To Ignore

n-key Rollover (NKRO)
This is when you can press as many keys as you want at the same time, and all of them go through. This is similar to what some 'gaming keyboards' incorrectly market as "anti-ghosting", even though Logitech and Razer only apply it to the WASD cluster (more on what ghosting really means later). You might also hear the term where n is replaced with a number (i.e., 6-key rollover), which means that up to that number of keys can be pressed simultaneously. Note that only PS/2 keyboards can exhibit full n-key rollover. USB spec limits keyboards to 6 regular keys plus 4 modifiers (but remember, it's not guaranteed, it's just a maximum).

Ghosting
Ghosting is when you press two keys on the keyboard, and a 3rd key - which you didn't press - gets sent to the PC as well. This is very rarely seen on even the cheapest modern boards, because manufacturers have the habit of limiting the rollover so that ghost keys are always blocked.

Key Bouncing
All types of key switches - including rubber domes - do this. When you press a key, the switch "bounces" on and off very quickly as it sets into place. This causes keys to register multiple times for each press. Because of this, keyboards need to implement some sort of debouncing delay - so that once you press a key, the controller waits a certain amount of time before registering a keypress. As an example, Cherry MX switches need 5ms of debouncing time, while rubber domes need longer (exactly how long depends on their quality).

Polling Rates and Response Times
While it is very useful for mice, it's just about meaningless for keyboards. Let's assume for a minute that all switches have the 5ms debouncing time of Cherry MX switches (which is being very generous). Even if you had super human speed and reflexes, every single key would be delayed by at least that much. So really, any polling rate over 200Hz (at best) is absolutely useless, and nothing but market hype. It may even be a bit detrimental, because you'd be wasting CPU time polling the keyboard unneededly. And unlike USB keyboards, PS/2 boards aren't polled at all. They simply send the signal to the PC whenever they are ready to, which causes a hardware interrupt, forcing the CPU to register that keystroke.

PS/2 or USB?
PS/2 wins on three fronts: First, it supports full n-key rollover. Second, PS/2 keyboards aren't polled, but are completely interrupt based. And third, it is impossible for it to be delayed by the USB bus being used by other devices. There are two types of USB transfer modes - the interrupt transfer mode (USB polls keyboard, when key is sensed the USB controller sends the interrupt to the CPU), and the isochronous transfer mode, which reserves a certain amount of bandwidth for the keyboard with a guaranteed latency on the bus. Unfortunately, there are absolutely no keyboards made that use the latter, because special controllers would have to be used, thus making it cost prohibitive.

So if your keyboard supports both PS/2 and USB, and your PC has a PS/2 port, there's no reason not to use it.

seas

Modern Mechanical Keyboards

In the past few months it seems that there's been a lot more interest in mechanical keyboards than there used to. They are both great to type on and great to game on, but the trick is finding one that you like. But so far all that's been explained to you is why most people prefer mechanical boards over rubber domes.

And so I give you this compilation of today's most commonly manufactured boards. I also included any information about them I could, as well as a personal rating (out of 10) of their feel and usefulness for both typing and gaming. Keep in mind that your personal preference may be different, so check the information on the switch type and other quirks of that board to see if it could be right for you.


Unicomp Boards


Link: Unicomp Store
Price: $69 - $99
Switch Type: Buckling Springs
Switch Mounting: Steel Plate Backed
Keycap Printing: Dye Sublimated
Key Shape: Sculpted
Interface: PS/2 or USB
Rollover: 3 key
Layout: US ANSI
Extra Features: Trackpoint and Trackball available, Terminal style boards have F13-F24 keys that send Shift+F1 to Shift+F12 scancodes
Drawbacks: Lower quality manufacturing than IBM Model M
Other: The springs used provide slightly less resistance than the Model M's. They will provide a set of blank black keys for $20 if you ask for them in the checkout options.


Filco Majestouch


Link: http://www.elitekeyboards.com
Price: $109-$134
Switch Type: Cherry MX Blue, Brown, or Black
Switch Mounting: Plate
Keycap Printing: Pad Printed
Key Shape: Sculpted
Interface: PS/2 and USB
Rollover: 3 key or NKRO
Layout: US ANSI, UK
Extra Features: None
Drawbacks: Very bright LEDs, keycaps become smooth and shiny relatively quickly
Other: The blank keys on the "Otaku" boards have the same coating as the printed keys, while the blank keys purchased separately are not coated.


Das Model S


Note: Beware of the Das III, which looks like the Model S but without the Fn keys. It has key transposition problems, and will rearrange the letters that you type as to introduce typos into your text.

Link: Das Keyboard
Price: $129-$135
Switch Type: Cherry MX Blues (Professional, Ultimate), Cherry MX Browns (Silent)
Switch Mounting: Plate
Keycap Printing: Laser Etched (Professional, Silent), Blank (Ultimate)
Key Shape: Sculpted
Interface: PS/2, USB
Rollover: NKRO on PS/2, 6+4 key on USB
Layout: US ANSI, Left meta key replaced by Fn key
Extra Features: Media Keys (through Fn layer), USB Hub
Drawbacks: Shiny case attracts fingerprints, USB hub requires separate port


iRocks KR-6230


Link: Newegg
Price: $90
Switch Type: Cherry MX Browns
Switch Mounting: Plate
Keycap Printing: Pad Printed
Key Shape: Flat with Cylindrical Tops
Interface: USB
Rollover: 6+4 key simultaneous, anything above that is sequenced
Layout: US ANSI, Large Enter, Small Backspace, Relocated /? key
Extra Features: 2 USB ports
Drawbacks: The layout may take a bit to get used to
Other: Review. When numlock is on, using Ctrl allows the use of Home/End/Del/etc from the numpad.


ABS M1


Link: <[Discontinued]>
Price: $30
Switch Type: Alps Blacks (Fukkas)
Switch Mounting: Plate
Keycap Printing: Pad Printed
Key Shape: Sculpted
Interface: USB
Rollover: 3 key
Layout: US ANSI
Extra Features: None
Drawbacks: Very rattly and loud (not from the switches, from the board itself)
Other:


Deck Legend


Link: http://www.deckkeyboards.com/
Price: $149-$176
Switch Type: Cherry MX Blacks with MX Grey Spacebar, or Cherry MX Clears
Switch Mounting: Plate
Keycap Printing: Double Shot Molding and Dye Sublimation Combo
Key Shape: Flat
Interface: PS/2 or USB
Rollover: NKRO
Layout: US ANSI
Extra Features: Backlit using a single industrial grade LED on each switch with controllable brightness
Drawbacks: Requires the addition/removal of a resistor on the controller PCB to switch between USB and PS/2
Other: The warranty allows for modding, and they encourage it. Deck is a subsidiary of TG3 Electronics, which also makes mechanical keyboards.


Deck 82


Link: http://www.deckkeyboards.com/
Price: $119
Switch Type: Cherry MX Blacks
Switch Mounting: PCB
Keycap Printing: Double Shot Molded and Dye Sublimated
Key Shape: Flat
Interface: USB default, PS/2 Capable
Rollover: NKRO
Layout: Tenkeyless Modified US ANSI
Extra Features: Backlit using a single industrial grade LED on each switch with controllable brightness
Drawbacks: Requires the addition/removal of a resistor on the controller PCB to switch between USB and PS/2
Other: The warranty allows for modding, and they encourage it. Deck is a subsidiary of TG3 Electronics, which also makes mechanical keyboards. Backlight colors other than blue are no longer in production.


iOne Scorpius M10

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image dimensions are 800x491 and 46KB in size.

Link: http://www.max-geek-llc-amazonwebstore.com
Price: $59
Switch Type: Cherry MX Blues
Switch Mounting: Plate
Keycap Printing: Laser Etched
Key Shape: Sculpted
Interface: USB
Rollover: 3 key
Layout: US ANSI
Extra Features: None
Drawbacks: Cheap Construction
Other: Older keyboards have soldering problems, so avoid buying used


Steelseries 7G


Link: http://www.newegg.com
Price: $139
Switch Type: Cherry MX Blacks
Switch Mounting: Plate
Keycap Printing: Laser Etched
Key Shape: Sculpted
Interface: PS/2 and USB
Rollover: NKRO
Layout: US ANSI, Large Enter Key, Small Backspace, Relocated Slash
Extra Features: USB hub, pass-through 3.5mm headphone and microphone jacks, detachable wrist-rest
Drawbacks:
Other:

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image dimensions are 873x457 and 47KB in size.

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image dimensions are 1000x375 and 140KB in size.

seas

Topre Realforce 87U and Happy Hacking Pro II

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image dimensions are 680x235 and 34KB in size.

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image dimensions are 873x457 and 47KB in size.

Link: http://www.elitekeyboards.com
Price: $228-$255
Switch Type: Topre Capacitive. HHKB: 45g, 103U: 35/45/55, 87U: 55g
Switch Mounting: PCB
Keycap Printing: Dye Sublimated
Key Shape: Sculpted
Interface: USB
Rollover: 3 key
Layout: US ANSI (103U and 87U), Custom US ANSI (HHKB)
Extra Features: Switchable Caps Lock and Ctrl Key
Drawbacks:
Other: Some production runs of older versions (2.0 and 1.0) have a ghosting problem, so avoid buying those used unless the seller can confirm he has a fixed one.


Matias Tactile Pro 3.0

Link: http://www.matias.ca
Price: $149
Switch Type: White Alps Strongman
Switch Mounting:
Keycap Printing:
Key Shape: Sculpted
Interface: USB
Rollover: 3 key
Layout: US ANSI with Mac keys
Extra Features: Media Keys, Mac keys, Extra printed symbols to help find them on a Mac
Drawbacks:
Other:


Optimus Maximus

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image dimensions are 1000x375 and 140KB in size.

I really don't expect anyone to buy this. I'm only listing it here because it fits the criteria - it's readily available, and it uses mechanical switches.

Link: http://www.artlebedev.com
Price: $2400
Switch Type: Cherry ML Black
Switch Mounting: PCB
Keycap Printing: None
Key Shape: Flat
Interface: USB
Rollover: Unknown
Layout: Any
Extra Features: Programmable OLED screens on each key
Drawbacks: Price
Other: I don't expect anyone to buy this keyboard, but it's here because it's mechanical.


Adesso MKB-135B Pro


Link: Provantage: MKB-135B Pro
Price: $58-$71
Switch Type: Cherry MX Blue
Switch Mounting: Plate
Keycap Printing: Pad Printed
Key Shape: Sculpted
Interface: USB
Rollover: NKRO
Layout: US ANSI MK-135B
Extra Features: USB Hub, headphone jack
Drawbacks: Lesser quality construction
Other: Cheaper and smaller version available, the MK-125B

Cherry G80-3494
G80-3494LYCUS-0 (White) and G80-3494LYCUS-2 (Black)


Link: Taobao
Price: Email obook@yahoo.cn for inquiry
Switch Type: Cherry MX
Switch Mounting: PCB
Keycap Printing: Laser Etched
Key Shape: Sculpted
Interface: PS/2 and USB
Rollover: NKRO
Layout: US ANSI
Extra Features: None
Drawbacks: None
Other: The white model has a Polystyrol casing with PBT keycaps, the black model has an ABS casing with POM keycaps.


iOne Xarmor U9BL


Link: http://www.ione.com.tw
Price: $150-$170
Switch Type: MX Blue (Brown version upcoming)
Switch Mounting: Plate
Keycap Printing: Dye sublimation, overlaid with a rubber coating with the letter laser engraved from it
Key Shape:
Interface: PS/2 and USB
Rollover: NKRO
Layout: US ANSI
Extra Features: Individual LED backlight for each key, USB hub, pass-through 3.5mm audio/mic jacks, media keys, detachable wrist rest
Drawbacks: Some concerns about keycap durability
Other:[/QUOTE]


The Miniguru


Link: http://www.guru-board.com/
Price:
Switch Type: Cherry MX Blue, Brown, or Red
Switch Mounting: PCB
Keycap Printing:
Key Shape: Sculpted
Interface:
Rollover:
Layout: HHKB style
Extra Features: Trackpoint, many customization options, programmable firmware, USB hub
Drawbacks:
Other: Not released yet



Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboards

Kinesis Advantage

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image dimensions are 720x471 and 44KB in size.

Apple Adjustable
*picture removed temporarily*

Maltron Keyboards


IBM M15


Datahand Professional II


Northgate Omnikey Evolution


Chicony KB-7001

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image dimensions are 1024x768 and 233KB in size.

Cherry MX 5000 ErgoPlus

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image dimensions are 1024x674 and 142KB in size.

Pace Adjustable Keyboard


Kinesis Evolution Chair Mount

我叫Jonn.yR

插楼成功……

loveel

写的太好了，就是都没看懂。。。。

我叫Jonn.yR

鼓掌…………文章太精辟了，好文！！顺便问一句，翻译成中文啥意思