Amiga (2000) Keyboards Drilldown

[intric8]

Hey Everyone!

I wanted to share research I performed on Amiga Keyboards.

There were several different keyboard models created for the Amiga 2000, and I happen to have each of them in my possession. I go through all of the various differences, and show how the final Mitsumi keyboard became the defacto standard (except with metal springs) across the entire Amiga line.

If nothing else, I hope this information inspires some of you to run to your keyboards and determine which one(s) you might have!

[ Show youtube player ]

(If video isn't your think, I made an article version, too with tons of photos documenting all of the differences.)

[Mathesar]

When I bought my used 3000 waaaaaay back in 1999 or so, the store didn't have an 3000 keyboard to go with it. They did however had a stack of 2000 keyboards and I could pick one I liked….

I picked the one that looked and felt the newest.
Only 15 years later, when cleaning the keyboard I found out it had cherry mx keys I choose wisely

[intric8]

@Mathesar wow NICE!!!

[Bruce Abbott]

Excellent article. I pulled my A2000 keyboard out of storage just to see which one it is - a Hi-Tek!

[Jope]

Also featured on this forum http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=31893 :-D

NMB still rules. I have one in all of my regularly used Amigas. :-)

[NorthWay]

My B2000 Cherry is infamous for having slower timings than whatever the A500 typically had - loads of games/demos will take one key press before locking up (they don't wait long enough when communicating so the exchange breaks down).
But not slower timing than what C= documented just FYI.

[Jope]

This is true, but not well known these days. The cherry boards were only available for a short while.

[idrougge]

Was the B2000 ever sold with a Cherry keyboard?

It seems like sometime during the Hitek keyboard's lifespan, Commodore changed the left Amiga key from a Commodore logo to the current Amiga "A".

[Jope]

Have you seen a hitek keyboard with an A key on the left?

As far as I know, the Cherry keyboards were only shipped with the A2000A boards. Now what is curious is, when were the NMB boards shipped? The last A2000As or the first B2000s, or something in between? In A500s they were found in the earliest 1987 machines.

[BLUELiGHT]

Yep, one of my Amiga 2000 keyboards is a NMB one and has the Amiga key on the left.

I think that Cherry keyboards were only sold with the 2000A, afterwards with the B2000-CR they switched to NMB mechanical (first with C= key, later with standard Amiga key), finally to non-mechanical Mitsumi.

[idrougge]

Our club has one S/FI Hitek keyboard with C= key and one CH Hitek with A key.

I think I've observed the same phenomenon on S/FI Hitek A500 keyboards.

[idrougge]

Straying from the A2000 topic: A friend owns a UK A600 with a keyboard made by Samsung instead of Mitsumi. Similar mechanism, but distinctly different typing feeling.

[NorthWay]

Originally Posted by BLUELiGHT

I think that Cherry keyboards were only sold with the 2000A

My B2000 rev 4.1(or was it 4.2? I traded it with a friend after I got my A4000) that I bought new in August/September 1988 came with the Cherry version.
It did not have any cpu-slot memory, and I later swapped Agnus chips and cut a motherboard trace to get 1M chipram.
(But they keyboard I still have. Now connected to my more recently acquired A1000.)

[Jope]

The B2000 was never supplied with the CPU slot ranger board. I have never gotten one to work in a B2000 motherboard either, but that might just be because I've had faulty ranger boards. :-)