Sun Type 7

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Sun Type 7
Suntype7sf.jpg
Branding Sun Microsystems
Manufacturer Fujitsu
Features Three-port USB hub, Fun cluster, Compose key, Sound volume keys
Layouts ANSI, ISO, Unix
Keyswitches Fujitsu Rubber dome with slider
Keycaps Laser etched ABS
Interface USB
Supersedes Sun Type 6

The Sun Type 7 is a keyboard sold with Solaris workstations from Sun Microsystems (now Oracle). It is the successor of Sun Type 6.

Construction

Like its two predecessors, the construction is rubber domes on a curved backplane made by Fujitsu. The keys are somewhat different with a less mushy feel.

The case is rectangular like the Sun Type 5 but lower in profile: When the feet are down, the numeric row and space bar-row are the same height.

The keycaps are thin laser-etched ABS with rounded corners like the Sun Type 6 caps but with the legends laser-etched instead of printed. Like Type 5 and Type 6, modifiers are in the same light grey tone as the case while the alphanumeric keys are white.

The only purple highlight is in the sticker for the indicator lights, which are just right of centre above the function key row. The lights are small and hard to see in a lit room.

Layout

The layouts are almost the same as on its predecessors Sun Type 5 and Sun Type 6. There are variants for US-ANSI, Unix layout and ISO ("International") - the latter available with different key prints.

To the left side, there is a cluster of named function keys:

Help
Stop Again
Props Undo
Front Copy
Open Paste
Find Cut

The key symbols on the Space bar-row has been transposed to be closer to PC standard than on its predecessor but have retained the same physical key layout. This means that the Alt Gr key is one whole step more to the right than what is common on Windows keyboards with 1.5u modifier keys. There is no right Control key.

Key Control (or Caps Lock) Meta ("GUI" / Windows key) Alt Space bar Alt / Alt Graph Meta ("GUI" / Windows key) Compose Character ("Application" / Menu key)
Width 1.75 1 1.5 7.25 1.5 1 1

Cable and protocol

The cable is fixed. There is no channel for the cable but it could be routed under the keyboard if the keyboard feet are folded up.

The keyboard is available only with USB. There are two USB ports at the back and an another one underneath (giving out at a cable channel).

Dip switches

As in other Sun keyboards, this one has a set of five dip switches in the back (protected by a slide cover). These switches define the layout variant.

Code Switches Variant
33 00000 American
34 00000 American (UNIX)
35 00000 French
36 00000 Danish
37 00101 German
38 00110 Italian
39 00111 Netherlands
40 01000 Norwegian
41 01001 Portuguese
42 01010 Spanish
43 01011 Swedish
46 01110 British
47 01111 Korean
48 10000 Taiwanese
49 10001 Japanese
51 10011 Hungarian
52 10100 Polish
53 10101 Czech
54 10110 Russian
55 10111 Latvian
57 11001 Greek
59 11011 Lithuanian

Gallery