Hello SuSE people, The old guy is vision impaired and is beginning to have a lot of trouble seeing the keys on the keyboard. Decided to get a backlit keyboard. Googling around amd looking at hardware vendors I find that there are quite a few offered from $15 to $400. Now I know I don't want the cheapo and can't afford the other end, and besides that I have no idea how effective or readable they are. So the OT question is: Do any of you have experience with them or can make a reccomendation?? Prefer PS2 Bob S.
On Saturday 21 October 2006 17:18, Bob S wrote:
So the OT question is: Do any of you have experience with them or can make a reccomendation?? Prefer PS2
I think I would go with a known brand... and also buy it from a place that would take it back. Other than that, you haven't given us much to go on but I'm not sure this is something you can judge from a web page. Any chance of seeing one of these beasts in person?
On Saturday 21 October 2006 18:01, Bruce Marshall wrote:
On Saturday 21 October 2006 17:18, Bob S wrote:
So the OT question is: Do any of you have experience with them or can make a reccomendation?? Prefer PS2
I think I would go with a known brand... and also buy it from a place that would take it back. Other than that, you haven't given us much to go on but I'm not sure this is something you can judge from a web page. Any chance of seeing one of these beasts in person?
Thanks for replying Bruce. You are right of course, and that is the problem, seeing it in person. Office Depot and Circuit City don't have that kind of stuff. The nearest CompUSA is about 30 mile away and I'm not sure they would have it, or if they do, not much in the way of selection. Bob S.
On Saturday 21 October 2006 17:18, Bob S wrote:
Hello SuSE people,
The old guy is vision impaired and is beginning to have a lot of trouble seeing the keys on the keyboard. Decided to get a backlit keyboard.
Googling around amd looking at hardware vendors I find that there are quite a few offered from $15 to $400. Now I know I don't want the cheapo and can't afford the other end, and besides that I have no idea how effective or readable they are.
So the OT question is: Do any of you have experience with them or can make a reccomendation?? Prefer PS2
I have DeCK keyboards on my systems. It has big text on the keys and lots of LEDs keep it lit brightly, and it is built like a tank on a hefty slab of diamond plate metal. The model I have does not have the numeric keypad and I like it that way. That makes the keyboard quite compact and I never need the numeric keypad for coding. DeCK now sells version with the numeric keypad (the big keyboard comes in PS2 and USB versions). While they sell keyboards with a focus on the gaming crowd, the extra-rugged construction makes them great for coding, too. The small DeCK has worked fine on several systems here for all 9.x and 10.x SUSE versions. Note that the small keyboard is a USB keyboard. It works great once the system boots, but on my current computer it doesn't function for any of the BIOS screens or the grub menu. I don't care. I don't dual boot, so I never need to change grub. On the rare occasion I need to do something with the bios there are spare, el cheapo, no-name ps2 keyboards laying about here. Deck's home page: http://www.deckkeyboards.com/index.php I also found them being sold elsewhere http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=233&products_id=3840
On Saturday 21 October 2006 22:34, Ken Jennings wrote:
On Saturday 21 October 2006 17:18, Bob S wrote:
Hello SuSE people,
The old guy is vision impaired and is beginning to have a lot of trouble seeing the keys on the keyboard. Decided to get a backlit keyboard.
Googling around amd looking at hardware vendors I find that there are quite a few offered from $15 to $400. Now I know I don't want the cheapo and can't afford the other end, and besides that I have no idea how effective or readable they are.
So the OT question is: Do any of you have experience with them or can make a reccomendation?? Prefer PS2
I have DeCK keyboards on my systems. It has big text on the keys and lots of LEDs keep it lit brightly, and it is built like a tank on a hefty slab of diamond plate metal.
The model I have does not have the numeric keypad and I like it that way. That makes the keyboard quite compact and I never need the numeric keypad for coding. DeCK now sells version with the numeric keypad (the big keyboard comes in PS2 and USB versions). While they sell keyboards with a focus on the gaming crowd, the extra-rugged construction makes them great for coding, too.
The small DeCK has worked fine on several systems here for all 9.x and 10.x SUSE versions. Note that the small keyboard is a USB keyboard. It works great once the system boots, but on my current computer it doesn't function for any of the BIOS screens or the grub menu. I don't care. I don't dual boot, so I never need to change grub. On the rare occasion I need to do something with the bios there are spare, el cheapo, no-name ps2 keyboards laying about here.
Deck's home page: http://www.deckkeyboards.com/index.php
Thanks for replying Ken The Deck looks like a winner. 8 separate lighting levels. Price is a little on the hefty side at $150 but seems like it may be worth it. The 105 key Eclipse is on BO right now but I guess I can wait. Bob S.
Bob, On Saturday 21 October 2006 14:18, Bob S wrote:
Hello SuSE people,
The old guy is vision impaired and is beginning to have a lot of trouble seeing the keys on the keyboard. Decided to get a backlit keyboard.
...
So the OT question is: Do any of you have experience with them or can make a reccomendation?? Prefer PS2
I have a Saitek Eclipse keyboard. It is a very basic keyboard with numeric pad. It's USB (which of course is easily adapted for PS/2, if that's your preference). It has two-level (plus off) back-illumination of the letterforms on the keytops. It has minimal additional keys: Beside the illumination control button, it has three sound-control keys (volume up and down and mute, at least according to the symbology associated with those buttons). It's fairly solidly built, but the keycaps are made of transparent plastic painted with reverse letterforms. The only problem is that the paint wears off eventually and the illuminated letterforms become progressively obscured. On my keyboard, A, S, E, R, N and L are now somewhat illegible and because of the odd way I handle modifiers (using only my left thumb for all of them regardless of which key they're modifying) the left ALT key is just a big blue blob when the illumination is on. The back edge can be raised about a centimeter by deploying the retractable legs, which are more solidly constructed than those on many other keyboards I've used, and I always tilt the back up on my keyboards. The real reason I chose this keyboard was not the illumination, but rather the fact that it is about as small as you can find for keyboard with a number pad. I have no use for all the funky special "media" keys, volume knobs, fingerprint readers and other goo-gaws on keyboards nowadays and I have limited desk space. I don't actually use the illumination (I can touch type, and the keyboard has the usual raised locater bumps on F and J, which is all I need). Anyway, I'm happy with the keyboard. Since I tend to be pretty hard on things, the fact that it has lasted over a year without serious wear or becoming to noisy to tolerate speaks well of its construction. If you Google "Saitek Eclipse" the very first hit shows some pictures. The palm rest you see in these images is removable.
Bob S.
Randall Schulz
On Sunday 22 October 2006 00:23, Randall R Schulz wrote:
Bob,
On Saturday 21 October 2006 14:18, Bob S wrote:
Hello SuSE people,
The old guy is vision impaired and is beginning to have a lot of trouble seeing the keys on the keyboard. Decided to get a backlit keyboard.
...
So the OT question is: Do any of you have experience with them or can make a reccomendation?? Prefer PS2
I have a Saitek Eclipse keyboard. It is a very basic keyboard with numeric pad. It's USB (which of course is easily adapted for PS/2, if that's your preference). It has two-level (plus off) back-illumination of the letterforms on the keytops. It has minimal additional keys: Beside the illumination control button, it has three sound-control keys (volume up and down and mute, at least according to the symbology associated with those buttons). It's fairly solidly built, but the keycaps are made of transparent plastic painted with reverse letterforms. The only problem is that the paint wears off eventually and the illuminated letterforms become progressively obscured. On my keyboard, A, S, E, R, N and L are now somewhat illegible and because of the odd way I handle modifiers (using only my left thumb for all of them regardless of which key they're modifying) the left ALT key is just a big blue blob when the illumination is on.
The back edge can be raised about a centimeter by deploying the retractable legs, which are more solidly constructed than those on many other keyboards I've used, and I always tilt the back up on my keyboards.
The real reason I chose this keyboard was not the illumination, but rather the fact that it is about as small as you can find for keyboard with a number pad. I have no use for all the funky special "media" keys, volume knobs, fingerprint readers and other goo-gaws on keyboards nowadays and I have limited desk space. I don't actually use the illumination (I can touch type, and the keyboard has the usual raised locater bumps on F and J, which is all I need).
Anyway, I'm happy with the keyboard. Since I tend to be pretty hard on things, the fact that it has lasted over a year without serious wear or becoming to noisy to tolerate speaks well of its construction.
If you Google "Saitek Eclipse" the very first hit shows some pictures. The palm rest you see in these images is removable.
Thanks for replying Randall, I had found them on my searches of vendors and had considered getting one. but your telling me about the letters wearing off kind of makes me reconsider. I like that Deck but that is a huge difference in price. I guess I will have to think about it. Thanks again. Bob S.
participants (4)
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Bob S -
Bruce Marshall -
Ken Jennings -
Randall R Schulz