deskthority

Hi peeps, today I received this Epson HC 40-41 from Japan - still in its original box, which is really nice, and even with the original documentation and everything (although the product is clearly used). When I popped off a keycap, I was met with Mitsumi Miniatures (thanks emdude) but this one doesn't seem to have been seen before. They feel... great, actually - all the tactility is at the top of the switch, it feels like SKCM Brown in a way.

Great find, more wiki fodder. I don't think we will ever have discovered everything!

seebart wrote: Great find, more wiki fodder. I don't think we will ever have discovered everything!

That to me is what makes this hobby great! Also @Daniel Beardsmore, PM me if you don't have any and want me to send one over

I've never been in favour of parting out working keyboards for switches.

Most reviews of these tactile switches rate them very poorly, and I still don't understand why. The tactility just seems to evaporate when you type on them. I would need a proper keyboard with them in (in good condition) to assess them properly. What's most important is to get this series graphed by Jacob#1 so that we can actually see how the force curve compares to other switches as this may offer some clues as to why it's so poorly received.

It is also colorful and not so boring - like some of the GMK tailor-made keyboards for companies.

There may also be a hotkey for ANAL but written in Japanese.

It looks like the switches and key caps are already of 'standard' size at the time when it was created - don't know when it was actually.

The switches are normal width, but shallow front to back:



The ones in the HC 40-41 appear to be a slightly different shape to the other types. What's more curious is that there are pairs of colours with presently no determined difference. It may be a difference in force.

Daniel Beardsmore wrote: I've never been in favour of parting out working keyboards for switches.

Most reviews of these tactile switches rate them very poorly, and I still don't understand why. The tactility just seems to evaporate when you type on them. I would need a proper keyboard with them in (in good condition) to assess them properly. What's most important is to get this series graphed by Jacob#1 so that we can actually see how the force curve compares to other switches as this may offer some clues as to why it's so poorly received.

They are the supreme example of the influences of typing orientation and mounting on keyfeel. This phenomenon is well-known, but taken to ridiculously extreme lengths with these switches.

Daniel Beardsmore wrote: I've never been in favour of parting out working keyboards for switches.

Most reviews of these tactile switches rate them very poorly, and I still don't understand why. The tactility just seems to evaporate when you type on them. I would need a proper keyboard with them in (in good condition) to assess them properly. What's most important is to get this series graphed by Jacob#1 so that we can actually see how the force curve compares to other switches as this may offer some clues as to why it's so poorly received.

Right, well the HC4041 appears to only be compatible with some vending/arcade machine in Japan - there's a diagram of a coin being put into a slot in the instruction manual. With that in mind, I'm not sure this can really be considered a 'working' keyboard - it doesn't have any cabling or anything like that. Although technically it could work if one were to find the compatible machine, that would be a tall order.