Amiga 500 keyboard

Teevee2

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I’m in the middle of a project (well waiting for parts to arrive) and I need to do a little “work” on the keyboard. I want to remove the white keys and replace with black keys and I’ve seen some ideas on the interwebs which involve using a donor keyboard so this is what I’m looking for. How do I figure it what my keyboard is so I can look for any ol keyboard to use the keycaps rather than searching for a CDTV keyboard. There has to be some 90s IBM keyboard I can use the keycaps instead


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There are only two types of A500 keyboards. One is the common one which 99% have, and they share keys with A1200, CDTV etc. The uncommon one is the mechanical DKB model which can be recognized by having a C= key in place of the left A (Amiga) key. I am not aware that it is possible to find black keys for the DKB keyboard and being rare as it is, it would also seem silly to mess with it.

I assume that you have the normal A500 keyboard which shares keycaps with the CDTV. I don't think you can find any other keyboard that can be used to swap the keys. Also remember that the Amiga key layout is different from a PC, so even if there was some PC keyboard which shared the keycaps, you would be missing the special Amiga-keys.

Your best option would be to spray paint some white keys black and apply decals, for example these: https://icomp.de/shop-icomp/en/shop/product/amiga-keyboard-sticker.html
 
There are only two types of A500 keyboards. One is the common one which 99% have, and they share keys with A1200, CDTV etc. The uncommon one is the mechanical DKB model which can be recognized by having a C= key in place of the left A (Amiga) key. I am not aware that it is possible to find black keys for the DKB keyboard and being rare as it is, it would also seem silly to mess with it.
There's also the Samsung variant - more 'acute' keys compared to the Mitsumi version (which is the one sharing the key design with the A1200).
Also 2 connections to the membrane instead of 1 for the Mitsumi on their controller PCB, and a different support system for the keys, with longer and thinner springs, which gives a more 'airy' feeling while typing fast IMHO.


Are you sure the CDTV keys are identical to the A500/A1200 Mitsumi ones?
The A2000/A3000 Mitsumi keyboard those days used a slightly different design for the keys - non-yellowing plastic and a different stem internally, requiring the keys to be matched to the proper accepting "stems" (which had a bluish colour). The A500 stems were either black or (later on) white AFAIK, as were the A1200 ones.
So the CDTV keyboard might just have inherited the same key design, as AFAIK it did have the rubber cones of the A2000/A3000 keyboards instead of springs.

(AFAIK, only in the very late A4000 keyboards were the A500 style keys used (along with a return to yellowing, springs, and with a soft membrane instead of circuit board with N-key rollover)).
 
I have the Amiga keys so it’s probably a standard keyboard.

I was hoping another brand computer used the same manufacturer as Amiga did for getting keyboard.

I don’t need the special size keys only the alphabet, 1-0 keys, arrows and keypad numbers. The grey keys will stay the same. The space bar is easy enough to paint its the other keys that can be tedious.


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There's also the Samsung variant - more 'acute' keys compared to the Mitsumi version (which is the one sharing the key design with the A1200).
Also 2 connections to the membrane instead of 1 for the Mitsumi on their controller PCB, and a different support system for the keys, with longer and thinner springs, which gives a more 'airy' feeling while typing fast IMHO.
Are you sure the CDTV keys are identical to the A500/A1200 Mitsumi ones?

I did not know about the Samsung A500 keyboards. Apart from the DKB model, I have only ever seen the Mitsumi variant in A500 and A500+, and on these one can freely exchange keycaps with A1200/A600(green membrane) and CDTV. I assume the Samsung type is not very common?
There are many people who have taken CDTV keycaps and installed on their A1200 keyboard in order to get a black keyboard and I have not noticed anyone mentioning that they had any compatibility problems with this operation so I assume that they should be identical.

I was hoping another brand computer used the same manufacturer as Amiga did for getting keyboard.
The most common A500 keyboard was made by Mitsumi who is a major keyboard manufacturer, but I am not aware that they shared the Amiga keycap stem design with any of their PC keyboard models. Some of the big box Amiga keyboard use Cherry MX keys so they can be compatible, but that does not help you.
 
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I did not know about the Samsung A500 keyboards. Apart from the DKB model, I have only ever seen the Mitsumi variant in A500 and A500+, and on these one can freely exchange keycaps with A1200/A600(green membrane) and CDTV. I assume the Samsung type is not very common?
Indeed, they seem to have been supplied for a short period, with late rev5's and early rev6As (early rev5's still having the hitek keyboard, late rev6A's onwards having the Mitsumi one). Here's a photo (among others) of mine. I've seen it in UK, US and german layouts.

There are many people who have taken CDTV keycaps and installed on their A1200 keyboard in order to get a black keyboard and I have not noticed anyone mentioning that they had any compatibility problems with this operation so I assume that they should be identical.
Ah, nice. So the difference is just the rubber cones (apart from the colour, of course!).
 
Ah, nice. So the difference is just the rubber cones (apart from the colour, of course!).

I've seen that you can improve the feel of the Mitsumi keyboards by replacing the springs with suitable rubber cones and that you can find these rubber cones on some PC keyboards.
 
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Ah, nice. So the difference is just the rubber cones (apart from the colour, of course!).

I've seen that you can improve the feel of the Mitsumi keyboards by replacing the springs with suitable rubber cones and that you can find these rubber cones on some PC keyboards.

Out of all the keyboards I’ve ever used I’ve always liked the Amiga keyboard over everything.

So wouldn’t these PC keyboards with rubber cones use the same principal for the key caps?


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So wouldn’t these PC keyboards with rubber cones use the same principal for the key caps?

No just because the rubber domes fit, that doesn't mean that the keycaps do as well. Again, I've never keycaps on a PC keyboard which can be directly transplanted onto an Amiga Mitsumi keyboard. Perhaps if you add some glue in the mix, but I wouldn't recommend that..
 
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