Grey function keys

[mrr19121970]

I have seen a few VIC20 here & here on ebay with grey function keys. I assume they are very late models (after 1984).

Does anyone know when the change was made and from what serial number approx this is ?

[tokra]

I have one with grey keys as well. I think Commodore used whatever was in stock. So if orange went out in a warehouse they just used grey. Don't expect any solid plan behind this.

[orion70]

Or maybe just the keyboard coming from a cannibalized C64?

[mrr19121970]

Both were also my line of thinking. However I did hope to see some pattern.

Whenever I see a 'super rare' C64 with orange keys I think it's a fake. Like this frankenstein.

[ken]

what you really want to find is the really old keyboard with the little suction cups instead of springs for the keys
that is 1 interesting keyboard to take apart and clean ...lol

[Boray]

what you really want to find is the really old keyboard with the little suction cups instead of springs for the keys
that is 1 interesting keyboard to take apart and clean ...lol

Is that keyboard old? I supposed it was some kind of late low budget keyboard, because it's totally WORTHLESS!

[mrr19121970]

what you really want to find is the really old keyboard with the little suction cups instead of springs for the keys
that is 1 interesting keyboard to take apart and clean ...lol

I might have one, one of the VICs I have has a KB that's not quite a PET and not a C64. The pegs underneath are blue (when viewed from the side), but I ddin't feel the need for a teardown as it was in good condition.

[eslapion]

I got my own VIC in late 1983 and it was one of the last units to have beige function keys.

Most VIC-20s sold in 1984 and early 1985 - when it got removed from the market - had grey function keys. A substantial portion of them were repaired machines customers had returned on warranty;refurbs.

[mrr19121970]

I just found out that one of my VICs has a grey function key set. WGB216136 5v

[ral-clan]

Did you guys look at the WIKI entry on keyboards?

http://sleepingelephant.com/denial/wiki ... e=Keyboard

I would surmise that the grey function keys started showing up when Commodore switched to C64 production, and when the C64 production started to outweigh the VIC-20 production.

Some very early C64s had the VIC-20 mustard colour function keys. This was when the VIC-20 production still strongly outweighed the C64 production.

[Jeff-20]

Does anyone actually have a preference? I am using a white keyboard at the moment, and the novelty wore off pretty quickly. I feel like I can see the contrast of the black keys much better. The square-ish PET keys have a similar novelty but lack of functionality; they're uncomfortable.

[mrr19121970]

Did you guys look at the WIKI entry on keyboards?

http://sleepingelephant.com/denial/wiki ... e=Keyboard

I didn't even know it existed. Good reading.

Now I have change my inventory, as my 'pet' keyboard in not a 'pet', but a eurostyle.

[orion70]

Does anyone actually have a preference? I am using a white keyboard at the moment, and the novelty wore off pretty quickly. I feel like I can see the contrast of the black keys much better. The square-ish PET keys have a similar novelty but lack of functionality; they're uncomfortable.

I personally prefer the regular one, with mustard function keys for aesthetics .

[eslapion]

The square-ish PET keys have a similar novelty but lack of functionality; they're uncomfortable.

I have to disagree. Having extensively used all generations of keyboards on the VIC and C64, the PET style keyboard is the one that requires the least maintenance and keeps its sensitivity after the longest and most intense usage.

I have an IBM keyboard made in 1994 which I still use on my Pentium D WinXP PC and its the only one which beats the PET style keyboard in reliability.

Also, if you look at the C64 on the cover of the Programmer's reference guide (for the C64) its a PET style keyboard on that machine but the font is different on the function keys and the grey is darker.

I'd love to have a spare PSK for my main 64.

[Jeff-20]

I spent a long time hunting down an elusive "clicky" keyboard for PC. Never got around to enjoying it before I downsized my desktop computer for a notebook.

I will never give up my PET style keyboard even if I don't use it for programming. Like orion70, I think the most common "mustard" is the most visually appealing, but I wonder if there grey ones are different in functionality or durability.