Dell Quietkey - which one to get?

jakkul

20 May 2015, 11:11

Hi!

The question stated above. I know about the wiki page http://deskthority.net/wiki/Dell_QuietKey

You can easily get SK-1000REW with rubber domes, RT7D5JTW with domes with sliders is a bit more rare.

I'm asking, since people are generally very satisfied with those dells and since you can get one cheap here (up to 3euros), I'd like to test it myself.

Usage pattern: typing emails, documentation, linux console and such. I'm a fan of wrist rests, but I have some and know how to use duct tape.

davkol

20 May 2015, 12:18

Don't bother, unless it's made by NMB and in excellent condition. Any of them isn't particularly quiet though, compared to some modern keyboards.

andrewjoy

20 May 2015, 12:21


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Muirium
µ

20 May 2015, 12:43

Sure… if you use the duck tape on coworkers mouths!

If you want a good quiet keyboard, look into a Matias or a Topre. Won't get far with 3 coins though.

andrewjoy

20 May 2015, 13:51

yeh but you just get them for all your co-workers.

or get an office.

Everyone in work appears to not mind my SSK, but this is the type of place that does have a typewriter that can tweet :)

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Chyros

20 May 2015, 14:28

Don't bother, it's pretty shit and not THAT quiet :P .

jakkul

20 May 2015, 14:34

I'm using cherry MX blues at work right now, so sound is not an issue. I've just wanted to check out this dell, but since you generally tell me this is shit, I'm crossing it of my bucket list.

A few PLNs and a few hours saved :)

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elecplus

20 May 2015, 22:37

The Dell QuietKeys are pretty bad boards. I am not that picky, and even these feel like mush to me!
There are much nicer rubber domes out there, if that is what you want, but most of them are PS/2

jakkul

21 May 2015, 09:01

elecplus: what would you recommend? Rubberdomewise I have the Lenovo 73P2620 which has great key shapes and great overall ergonomics, Fujitsu ergoboard is slowly travelling towards me. I'm typing this on a MX blue gaming keyboard and I also have Fujitsu KPQ-E99AC-14 with inverted Mitsumi domes.

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Mal-2

21 May 2015, 10:35

jakkul wrote: elecplus: what would you recommend? Rubberdomewise I have the Lenovo 73P2620 which has great key shapes and great overall ergonomics, Fujitsu ergoboard is slowly travelling towards me. I'm typing this on a MX blue gaming keyboard and I also have Fujitsu KPQ-E99AC-14 with inverted Mitsumi domes.
Not Elecplus here, but the best-feeling non-Topre domes I've gotten my hands on are the Cherry G86 series. They're not terribly expensive either (at least on FleaBay). I am pretty sure Cindy has a fair number of them as well, and I'm selling one myself. Even if you don't want to buy mine (for any reason), feel free to benefit from my review. I only have the one to sell, so I'm not looking to push them on people who won't like them. I'd rather it move at the right time to someone who will enjoy it.

andrewjoy

21 May 2015, 10:44

for a decent rubber dome i was always fond of the G83, i had one ages ago in the late 2k early xp days and it was fine , tried a modern one however it was shit .

IBM domes are supposed to be pretty good.

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Stabilized

21 May 2015, 10:49

My Dad has a Quietkey that he has used for years, and it's a pretty regular feeling rubber dome in my opinion. By that I mean that it doesn't have very defined action (not crisp like on a good rubber dome or topre), and is about a quiet as any other rubber dome keyboard I have used with abs key caps. It's pretty mushy in the grand scheme of things, but the build quality is pretty nice, and it isn't a bad looking keyboard.

For 3 euros I would suggest just buying it to give it a try, not much you can lose (except your 3 euros of course).

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Mal-2

21 May 2015, 11:05

andrewjoy wrote: for a decent rubber dome i was always fond of the G83, i had one ages ago in the late 2k early xp days and it was fine , tried a modern one however it was shit .

IBM domes are supposed to be pretty good.
I do believe the G86 is using the heavier domes the "good old" G83s used to use. Aside from the extra rotation locks Cherry put on the G86 keys to keep you from moving keys across rows, I believe the stems are even the same. I know the ones on the 63401 keyboard I'm using right now require about 60g to activate (according to my test method). The ones in the 61410 I have for sale are slightly lighter and slightly less snappy, but uniformly so (indicating it's not wear, though it could still be age — the 63401 I bought brand new).

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fohat
Elder Messenger

21 May 2015, 14:27

If the actual question on the table is: Which Dell?

Then the answer is: the RT7D5 in preference to the SK-1000, by all means.

Much nicer keyboard.

shrubbry

22 May 2015, 01:20

I remember the QuietKeys as being horrible, mushy boards. After a friend raved, I went and dug one out of the garage...and it was pretty nice! Not amazing, but the top of the press had some good crispness and the bottom wasn't mushy.

So what happened? Well, it could be my tastes have changed - when the QuietKeys started to become the standard Dell keyboard, I was comparing them directly to Model Ms, whereas now I appreciate a good topre too. But all I really look for is some sort of crisp haptic feedback, and I can't believe I would have panned them so hard if they felt like the one sitting next to me now. I think the most likely explanation is just that the domes have stiffened up over time. And the reason they occasionally get good-ish reviews from topre enthusiasts is that they happen to be trying ones with stiffer domes - and that's pretty unpredictable.

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Ander

27 May 2015, 10:06

It's fun that this just came up. Tonight I visited a friend who gave me a QuietKey RT7D5JTW (sliders over domes, Thailand) he was going to give to the thrift store. I'd never tried one, so I accepted it gratefully—but I knew it was an RD board and was prepared not to like it.

Well, surprise! It feels great to me, with a nice, definite, tactile touch. Maybe this one's in better condition than those Cindy tried, or an earlier model. (Actually, I think the RT7D5JTW [FCC ID AQ6-7DK15] was the first QK, wasn't it?)

I really like how it sounds, too. It's hardly "quiet" by today's standards—it's definitely clacky, and it also has a pleasing lower-pitched let-up sound like a Topre board. (The spacebar and Backspace sound just like Topres to me.)

It's quick and smooth—as we speak, I'm typing as fast on it as I would a mechanical.

I haven't opened it, but judging from its weight and stability, it obviously has a good metal backplate, and the keys are very nicely dye-subbed with thin, elegant characters. The lower bottom pads are a generous size (~2 x .5") so there's no slipping around at all.

I've seen many positive comments about QuietKeys on Geekhack, with some there calling it "one of the best" RDs. I'd have to agree, at least about this one.

I'm quite pleased, especially considering it was free! Well, just thought I'd contribute that... Cheers, pals.
Last edited by Ander on 27 May 2015, 10:17, edited 1 time in total.

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Chyros

27 May 2015, 10:14

There are a variety of different quietkeys from a variety of different manufacturers. There are traditional rubber domes ones (like I have, it's just like any other RD keyboard), conductive rubber domes (presumably over PCB), and apparently also dome-with-slider designs. Some may or may not feel better than others, I guess.

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Ander

27 May 2015, 10:35

Okay, I've IDs the switches in mine as NMB Dome Sliders (thanks, DT):


Image


This KB is identical to the one in this fellow's article, where you can click the numbers 1–9 to see some nice photos of the exterior and interior—including this one:


Image


Just look at those stout little guys! I've seen many examples of that design online, and always thought it'd be fun to have one.

This does not mean I've stopped appreciating mechanicals, of course. ;?)

Judy100

28 May 2015, 19:49

Thank all of you for this perfectly-timed thread. I bought a Dell RT7D5JTW out of the used bin at Micro Center 15 years ago for $5.00 and last week I ruined it. It has been perfect for me all this time. I wouldn't have thought I could replace it, but y'all encouraged me to try. I found a NIB one on eBay, shipped, for less than $20, and it is on the way.

Now I'll just have to find a PS/2 to USB converter for it, or select a motherboard for my next computer (later this summer, current one is 7-8 years old) with a PS/2 connector. Any advice on converters?

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Mal-2

28 May 2015, 22:33

Judy100 wrote: Now I'll just have to find a PS/2 to USB converter for it, or select a motherboard for my next computer (later this summer, current one is 7-8 years old) with a PS/2 connector. Any advice on converters?
Something active like a Blue Cube is probably overkill, but it's not like they're expensive, and then you'd have it around for keyboards that don't work on passive converters. Or, if you could confirm that it does "speak USB", you could do a cable swap and make it look original. The "dead" one might be useful for such testing, if you can get it to do anything at all. Even if the membrane is totally shot, you can use jumper wires on the board contacts directly.

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fohat
Elder Messenger

29 May 2015, 02:00

Ander wrote:
This KB is identical to the one in this fellow's article)
I have had these with light blue domes (as shown), as well as dark blue, and yellow (+ maybe orange, I just can't remember).

Never went to the effort to discern the differences (if any) but they were all very nice and superior to most of their competition.

My other favorite RDs are the IBM KB8923 (available in beige and black, and contrasting keys look good in the alternate case) and the Compaq SK-2800 with its extra media keys.

shrubbry

30 May 2015, 04:43

Chyros wrote: There are a variety of different quietkeys from a variety of different manufacturers. There are traditional rubber domes ones (like I have, it's just like any other RD keyboard), conductive rubber domes (presumably over PCB), and apparently also dome-with-slider designs. Some may or may not feel better than others, I guess.
Maybe, but since this was from my parents' house, I'm sure I must have typed on it it at some point - and I don't remember ever trying a Quietkey I liked. In fact, I actively disliked them. Either the keyboard changed or I did.

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XMIT
[ XMIT ]

30 May 2015, 15:38

FWIW, the Coleco ADAM keyboard is the best non-Topre rubber dome keyboard I've tried.

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ramnes
ПБТ НАВСЕГДА

30 May 2015, 15:52

inb4 Olivetti ANK

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Ander

03 Jun 2015, 10:08

Judy100 wrote: Thank all of you for this perfectly-timed thread. I bought a Dell RT7D5JTW out of the used bin at Micro Center 15 years ago for $5.00 and last week I ruined it. It has been perfect for me all this time. I wouldn't have thought I could replace it, but y'all encouraged me to try. I found a NIB one on eBay, shipped, for less than $20, and it is on the way...
That's great! Glad I could make a helpful suggestion.
Judy100 wrote: Now I'll just have to find a PS/2 to USB converter for it, or select a motherboard for my next computer (later this summer, current one is 7-8 years old) with a PS/2 connector. Any advice on converters?
Well, the "blue cube" style does indeed work well. However, I've found that other, less expensive types work fine, too. In my experience, the only important thing is to be sure it's an "active" converter (one with electronics in the middle) and not just a passive adapter (one that just changes the plug from one shape to another).

As I type this, I'm using my QuietKey with one of these keyboard/mouse cable converters that you can order directly from China for only a dollar or two (including postage!). (You can use them with just a keyboard; the mouse connector's optional.) The only challenge is not to feel guilty about how unbelievably inexpensive they are!

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fohat
Elder Messenger

03 Jun 2015, 23:33

Ander wrote: that you can order directly from China for only a dollar or two
I have bought many of these and often toss them in for free when I sell and older keyboard. They have worked 95%+ of the time for me, and are especially nice for something like a Cherry G80-11900 or other keyboard with built-in pointer.

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Ander

04 Jun 2015, 12:44

Ah, yes, the trackpad boards... They would be handy for that.

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