HP Forum Archive 14

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voyager keyboards Message #1 Posted by hugh steers on 20 May 2004, 11:07 a.m. can anyone tell me how the voyager keyboards were/are made. im interested in keyboard quality and lifetime. also, are the newer keyboard mechanically worse and how they might stand the test of time? thanks for any input,

Re: voyager keyboards Message #2 Posted by Nelson M. Sicuro (Brazil) on 20 May 2004, 12:39 p.m., in response to message #1 by hugh steers For my experiences with voyagers: 1) gold-plated dual face PCB with circles and a dot inside for each key 2) steel domes (strips with 5 connected in line, 4 strips on the left half, 4 on the right half - I don't know if they are plated inside) 3) adhesive tape 4) thin rubber layer (removable) 5) articulated keys with a center "pin" that presses the rubber/steel dome 6) plastic case I noticed when the keyboard is very used the rubber layer develop holes when the key "pins" touch it, creating a "lower" and a little loose key. I can provide high-resolution scans from my 15C and 11C if you want. This information is from the mid-aged voyagers, with a single PCB with the keyboards and chips, serial <= 27xxxXxxxxx. Best regards, Nelson Edited: 20 May 2004, 12:41 p.m.

Re: voyager keyboards Message #3 Posted by hugh steers on 20 May 2004, 6:07 p.m., in response to message #2 by Nelson M. Sicuro (Brazil) very interesting, thanks. is it the gold plating that makes it reliable? ti keyboards also used metal domes, their action was much more clicky, and they used to fail too quickly. were they not gold plated?

Re: voyager keyboards Message #4 Posted by Nelson M. Sicuro (Brazil) on 20 May 2004, 6:38 p.m., in response to message #3 by hugh steers I have some TIs (TI-30, 55, Programmer, MBA - all LED ones). The keyboard also uses some kind of metalic domes in stripes, but the contact isn't gold plated as of the HPs. This particular series of calculators from TI uses a weird keyboard - wires inside a molded plastic holder, and the domes glued with adhesive tape on top of it. The domes made contact with the wires... I can make some scans of it this weekend, to compare to the HP - I have a TI30 "sacrificed" for the Calculators' God... Best regards, Nelson

Re: voyager keyboards Message #5 Posted by hugh steers on 21 May 2004, 6:57 a.m., in response to message #4 by Nelson M. Sicuro (Brazil) i tried to repair a ti57 once that worked fine, except the keyboard bounced horribly (especially the '5' key). basically, this made it unusable. inside the metal domes hit wire segments (as you've explained), and the whole module is molded together. i gave up, although some people have said it can be done. i was interested to know why this design was faulty. i didnt see anyt gold inside, so maybe that was it. best wishes.

Re: voyager keyboards Message #6 Posted by Nelson M. Sicuro (Brazil) on 21 May 2004, 12:50 p.m., in response to message #5 by hugh steers I repaired one of these weird keyboards (corroded contact), but it is *very* bouncy. But mostly by the de-bounce routine, I think. I have some experiences with keyboard scanning routines (particulary with this TI-30 keyboard), and in the software you can minimize the bounce effect - but the average keyboard quality of this "Majestic" series from TI is simply horrible! I have 6 "Majestic" from TI (2xTI55, TI programmer, TI-MBA, TI-Money Manager, TI-30) and my best one is a mint TI-55, but its keyboard bounces sometimes. Best regards, Nelson

Re: voyager keyboards Message #7 Posted by Veli-Pekka Nousiainen on 22 May 2004, 7:32 a.m., in response to message #2 by Nelson M. Sicuro (Brazil) "I can provide high-resolution scans from my 15C and 11C if you want." - Nelson M. Sicuro Yes, please! {VPN}

Re: voyager keyboards Message #8 Posted by OpenRPN on 20 May 2004, 3:51 p.m., in response to message #1 by hugh steers The important parts (mechanically) are that the keys were hinged at the back and rested against stainless steel domes which provide both contact and positive tactile feedback. Heat stakes holding the keyboard PCB in place created further rigidity, contributing to the solid feel of keypresses. Steel domes are the main part of the "feel" over time and will age with use. Most are rated for >1,000,000 presses. There are some good voyager series dissections online if you search around a bit. Best Regards, Hugh Evans

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