deskthority

Posted: **02 Dec 2011, 10:19**

Other than http://www7.ocn.ne.jp/~hisao/image/N860-9201.htm, have full Magnetic Reed Switch keyboards been seen in the wild?

I have had some loose switches for a while.

Posted: **02 Dec 2011, 14:11**

HaaTa wrote:Other than http://www7.ocn.ne.jp/~hisao/image/N860-9201.htm, have full Magnetic Reed Switch keyboards been seen in the wild?

Yes. I spent good parts of my childhood on Apple II clones with reed switch keyboards.

Posted: **02 Dec 2011, 16:12**

You should do a wiki on them so I can copypasta it.

Check these:
http://www.grisk.com/keyboard/8095.html

Edit: Oh wait. Those don't look like magnetic reed switches to me.
http://www.grisk.com/pushbutton/kbm-lp.html

Posted: **02 Dec 2011, 16:36**

woody wrote:
HaaTa wrote:Other than http://www7.ocn.ne.jp/~hisao/image/N860-9201.htm, have full Magnetic Reed Switch keyboards been seen in the wild?
Yes. I spent good parts of my childhood on Apple II clones with reed switch keyboards.

I don't think those were magnetic either.

Posted: **02 Dec 2011, 19:21**

What are those?

Posted: **02 Dec 2011, 21:29**

R.I.P. Steve Jobs

I was general manager at Datanetics in Fountain Valley, Southern California. We built keyboards for cash registers and desktop calculators. IT&T bought the company around 1976. Steve Jobs dropped by on the way back from New York and asked me to build keyboards for the Apple II. By the spring of 1977 we were in full production.

In early 1978, Datanetics built keyboards for Mattel and others which prompted Steve's suggestion that I start a new company dedicated to supply Apple's needs.

Posted: **02 Dec 2011, 23:02**

Well, I guess not then...

I've come across some "Ghetto" Magnetic Reed Switches:

Tec is a terrible name...anyone have any info on them? Info will be rewarded with more pics

.
Harris is the company that distributed the keyboards.

I have 2 of these boards, 1 that's complete, the other is missing keys. Both of them lack controllers, but have speakers. The reed switches still work.

Posted: **03 Dec 2011, 18:02**

IIRC, the one I used had the reed switch vertically mounted.
I could still have one in possession in a remote location, or available in friend's collection.

IIRC, boring linear. But the subtle reed click was pleasant.

Posted: **03 Dec 2011, 20:14**

Oh, you mean like this?

Posted: **03 Dec 2011, 21:49**

I am a commie. It was a locally produced keyboard (early 1980s), so it might as well be local design/clone.
Since getting access to mine could take close to a year, I will ask a friend to search his collection.

It could have been like this:
http://www.pravetz8.com/BulComputers_Pi ... etz_82.jpg
or like this:
http://www.pravetz8.com/BulComputers_Pictures/8M.jpg

Human memory fades faster than magnetic media. Sorry for not being more specific.

Posted: **03 Dec 2011, 22:45**

What I found interesting, is that the above locking switch is very similar to the "Made in Mexico" reed switches I have, down to the pointing arrows.

*See first post*

Posted: **04 Dec 2011, 02:27**

heya, haata, i guess you forget about me and my private messages, well, nevermind about that.

btw, back to topic, these switch looks mechanism looks to be very unique.

Posted: **04 Dec 2011, 09:24**

I apologize, I've been really busy, but yeah, I've replied