Zenith ZKB-2 question

[klikkyklik]

I saw this one recently on eBay that appears to be in really good shape:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Zenith- ... 19fff899a4

However, in the title, it says "CLICKY". I'd sent a message to the seller asking if he would pull a keycap off to let me know what the color of the sliders were, and he said he tried but it wouldn't budge, and didn't want to risk breaking it.

That got me wondering - what keyswitches did ZKB-2's have in them that were clicky? From what I've seen in the wiki, the only Alps keyswitches mentioned in correlation with ZKB-2's were green and yellow, which are both linear. A Mitsumi white was also mentioned, but even that one is linear. Perhaps it does have Mitsumi (peach?) keyswitches in it, and that's why the keycaps won't come off easily?

?

[seebart]

Mine has green Alps. It's a really nice solid keyboard. Highly recommended! A little pricey that one. But if it's in good shape why not. Often these sellers have no clue and just write "clicky" because it's an old keyboard. What I forgot to mention, the ZKB-2 makes an electronic click noise upon keystroke. The seller might mean that.

[Muirium]

Even the great Cindy described every kind of switch as "clicky" until we showed her example videos of linears in action. Compared to run of the mill modern keyboards, mechs are all "kinda clicky". Even the damped, quiet ones like the Apple Extended II are almost universally described as such!

My Zenith ZKB1 has green Alps and is a nice solid built board. Fixing it up remains a later project. They're good but not fantastic. The ZKB2 looks like a better layout, but may not be as solid metal as its elder brother.

[Chyros]

Because mist mechanicals gave a louder bottoming out noise than RDs, most people assume that that means clicky. Very few people know that there is a separate clicker mechanism in truly clicky keyboards.

[seebart]

Because mist mechanicals gave a louder bottoming out noise than RDs, most people assume that that means clicky. Very few people know that there is a separate clicker mechanism in truly clicky keyboards.

yes very good point. The other scenario in the past (before RD)...when people used mechanical keyboard's without thinking about it at all because most all were mechanical. But there must have been some transitional period when RD took over and some users took note of all those cheap new crappy feeling keyboards. Personally I don't remember that transition for some reason. I remember using AEK's in the early 1990's and not taking special note of the keyboard or it's feel or sound. I owned an Amiga in the mid to late 1980's. I'm pretty sure that keyboard had black MX's.

[klikkyklik]

Hmm. I'd considered both the speaker and the key bottoming out. If I knew this had green Alps I would buy it instantly, but I can't pull the trigger without knowing. Guess I'll let this one go, but it's a bummer seeing as how it's in such good shape.

[Muirium]

That sounds like a confession for a change of heart and a last minute purchase to me!

[seebart]

Hmm. I'd considered both the speaker and the key bottoming out. If I knew this had green Alps I would buy it instantly, but I can't pull the trigger without knowing. Guess I'll let this one go, but it's a bummer seeing as how it's in such good shape.

I agree with you all the way. Sometimes there's a way to tell a keyboard revision by the label(s). Daniel B. helped me out a couple of times with his knowledge that way. I can take a look at my label and compare if you want but it might also not be possible to tell what switch it has that way.

[klikkyklik]

I've asked the seller more questions, but it's kind of a moot point I think. Without the keycaps coming off, even if it were a linear board, it could have Alps yellows in it, which I'm less interested in.

Oh well...

[terrpn]

green or yellow alps and you can turn speaker on or off