I occasionally see Packard Bell typewriters for sale at my local thrift store. They are fairly modern looking, but can't date when they were made. Until fairly recently, I discovered that some 'Packed in Hell', as us old farts fondly remember them, used ALPS switch on their older model PC keyboards. Are there any clickies, tacties, thockies or smoothies teasing us under their skirts?
Packard Bell Typewriter Switches
- joebeazelman
- Location: USA
- Main keyboard: Model M
- Main mouse: Dell Optical
- Favorite switch: Model F
- DT Pro Member: -
- Thorogrimm
- Location: England, UK
- Main keyboard: Niz C103
- Main mouse: Razer Viper Mini
- Favorite switch: Topre Electro-Capacitive
Bring a key puller next time you're out and give it a discreet look
- Muirium
- µ
- Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
- Main keyboard: HHKB Type-S with Bluetooth by Hasu
- Main mouse: Apple Magic Mouse
- Favorite switch: Gotta Try 'Em All
- DT Pro Member: µ
“HEY! What the hell are you doing? Pulling buttons off the typewriter! We’re never going to sell it if it’s missing those!”
Then the part where they offer you a demonstration that it can in fact still type, while you nod and consider if it’s even worth telling them why you might really want those keycaps…
Then the part where they offer you a demonstration that it can in fact still type, while you nod and consider if it’s even worth telling them why you might really want those keycaps…
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- Location: Stockholm, Sweden
- DT Pro Member: 0011
Changed URL to get bigger image.
BTW. The image looks like it was shrunk slightly on the horizontal. The keys are not perfectly square.
There are some switches used for typewriters where you can pull a key and not put it back on again without having to first disassemble the typewriter. (That was not fun to find out...)
The SHIFT LOCK key reminds me of the Amiga's Caps Lock... Could be Mitsumi KPQ or KPR type, but there are more types that have a LED window in the upper/right corner.
Edit: I think the NMB Hi-Tek's key's LED window is too big to be a match.
BTW. The image looks like it was shrunk slightly on the horizontal. The keys are not perfectly square.
There are some switches used for typewriters where you can pull a key and not put it back on again without having to first disassemble the typewriter. (That was not fun to find out...)
The SHIFT LOCK key reminds me of the Amiga's Caps Lock... Could be Mitsumi KPQ or KPR type, but there are more types that have a LED window in the upper/right corner.
Edit: I think the NMB Hi-Tek's key's LED window is too big to be a match.
- TheInverseKey
- Location: Great White North
- Main mouse: M570
- Favorite switch: Hi-Tek 725 Linear
- DT Pro Member: 0216
- Contact:
The printing on the keycaps is far off for NMB so I'm thinking that it's either F&F or rubber dome of some sort.Findecanor wrote: ↑17 May 2020, 22:26Changed URL to get bigger image.
BTW. The image looks like it was shrunk slightly on the horizontal. The keys are not perfectly square.
There are some switches used for typewriters where you can pull a key and not put it back on again without having to first disassemble the typewriter. (That was not fun to find out...)
The SHIFT LOCK key reminds me of the Amiga's Caps Lock... Could be Mitsumi KPQ or KPR type, but there are more types that have a LED window in the upper/right corner.
Edit: I think the NMB Hi-Tek's key's LED window is too big to be a match.