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Written by Mikhail Ivanenkov
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Sunday, 01 July 2007 |
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Page 2 of 2
The back of the keyboard has some specs (5V, 170mA) and the model number (5122). The case is held in place by eight steel screws; four large ones up top and four smaller ones in the middle. A medium-sized Phillips head screwdriver will work on both. The bottom has no screws, but rather plastic inserts which slide into the upper half of the case and lock into place. Removing the cover reveals the operating principle behind the keyboard. The green/blue sheet of plastic domes rests directly beneath the keys.
Under that are three layers of plastic with electrical contacts; a matrix, a plastic sheet in-between used to separate the two, and a third matrix sheet which completes the circuit. When you press a button the corresponding dome folds inward and makes the two matrix sheets contact each other, at which point an electrical signal is sent to the microprocessor in the upper left, then to your computer. The advantage to having a sheet (as opposed to individual domes, as found on many keyboards) is that it makes the keyboard even more spill resistant by keeping the liquid isolated from the matrix and allowing it to evaporate over time.
In terms of cable length, the wire is approximately 5.5ft, as opposed to the Microsoft Elite's ~6.5ft. This is more than enough for most computer desks, but if you plan on having your box in one corner of the room and the keyboard in another, you're better off finding something longer or a wireless solution altogether. Installation is nonexistent. It's completely Plug and Play; I was able to unhook my MSE and plug in the Russian board without a reboot. According to the device manager it's a standard 101/102 keyboard. Then it was a simple matter of enabling multi-language support in the Control Panel and assigning the key combination (left Shift + left Ctrl in my case) to toggle between languages.
Performance-wise, there's not much to say, at least not objectively. The keys aren't badly placed, I didn't really run into any problems, but there wasn't anything earth shattering either. I wrote this review with the keyboard and I don't think I made many more mistakes (it does take some getting used to after the ergonomic MSE) than I normally do. Typing in Russian is no different, except that I have to resort to the hunt and peck method. In other words, it's just another keyboard when it comes to speed typing or typing in general. And that's not a bad thing.
Pros
- Dual language support, available in other flavors
- Letters well printed, red to avoid confusion
- A few subtle irregularities (like curves at the top, converging LEDs)
- Dome sheet means more spilll resistance
- Plug and play, no software necessary
- Good price for non-English keyboard ~$19
Cons
- Escape key a bit funky
- Enter key too large
- Right Shift button slightly smaller
- Backslash button in non-qwerty location
For a normal keyboard, $19 is actually a lot, seeing as how you can get a fully loaded feature-rich Logitech Access for a $15 MSRP. However, this isn't an ordinary keyboard. Well, technically it is, since there are no real hardware mapping differences (aside from the Backslash button placement), but you know what I mean. The printed letters make up for lack of any interesting features. There's nothing wrong with the keyboard. The relocation of one of the keys is no big deal since it's rarely used.
This isn't a product everyone needs to get, because most people don't type letters/emails/whatever in more than one language, but for those who do (to relatives, for business, etc), the BTC is something to consider. I'd like to thank Directron once again for sending over the Russian keyboard and if interested you can get yours here. Thanks for reading and enjoy the site!
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Last Updated ( Friday, 13 July 2007 )
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