Deutsche Aerospace Bedienfeld BF 1246 (RAFI RS 76 C Hall Effect)

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Noobmaen

20 May 2018, 20:54

This time I'll be showcasing another odd ebay find, in NOS condition. This keyboard has been on ebay for quite a long time, until I spontaneously decided to make a very low offer for it, which amazingly was accepted. It uses RAFI RS 76 C Hall effect switches which are covered by a dust- and what seems to be an EMR shield.
I expected them to be quite scratchy like RAFI RS 76 M, which I have also tried in NIB condition in a RAFI R8. However, unlike the mechanical contact counterpart, these are extremely smooth, possibly the smoothest switches I have ever tried besides beam spring. The caps lock is a locking switch.
Total weight of the keyboard is approximately 4.1kg.

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The backplate is 1.5mm aluminium.

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Doubleshot keycaps in the typical RAFI profile

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Keycap removed. The switch stem seems to use a lengthener to support the shielding, the yellow part is the stem of the switch itself.

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Inside view of the back cover, showing threading.

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Back cover screw

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Back cover removed. In addition to being screwed to the front case, the back cover is wedged into leaf springs running along the edge of the case, they are visible at the bottom edge here.

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Main IC, showing AEG sticker

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A buzzer or similar inside the case

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Side of the buzzer

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Mounting screw of the buzzer

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At the top: Thread of the back cover screws
Below it to the left: Backside of screws which are for mounting the keyboard with its backside to something

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The DE-9 connector of the keyboard is passed through this data filter.

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Other side of the data filter

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Screw thread of the 6 screws which mount the PCB supporting plate to the front case

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The 6 aforementioned screw. They use cylindrical spacers, in which the front case threads fit, so that they can be longer and more robust

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Top case without keyboard assembly, seems to be made by AEG

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Some model number and what appears to be a date of 09/94

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Front case thickness of 3.5mm at the top side

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Keyboard assembly removed from the case. The switches are PCB mounted, the PCB is mounted to a thick nonmagnetic plate with a lot of gunked screws. The switches are fully sealed against dust.

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PCB supporting plate thickness

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PCB thickness

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Keyboard assembly from the side

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Screws for mounting the keyboard in a stand or similar at the backside

Lastly, a typing demonstration of this keyboard:

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Myoth

20 May 2018, 21:23

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Iggy

21 May 2018, 08:56

Really cool, of course, but what can you do with it? Can it be connected to a pc?

Engicoder

21 May 2018, 17:03

What a magnificent beast! Everything about it is over built. They seemed to be very concerned about EMI as everything is metal and they even added that shielding mesh. The little teeth around the inside of opening in the top cover are probably to ensure conductive contact between the case and the key assemble. Same for the back cover to the case. How much does this thing weigh?

green-squid

25 May 2018, 19:39

It's such a shame that you can't convert most hall-effect keyboards to USB :(

Slom

25 May 2018, 21:45

green-squid wrote: It's such a shame that you can't convert most hall-effect keyboards to USB :(
Here is a homework question for you: what does the type of switch have to do with whether a keyboard can be converter to USB?

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