Denial

Also good http://vic20.de/VCVIC20.pdf function keys are missing mind you

When I have to replace a keyboard on a VIC-20 and the replacement keyboard has gray F-key caps, I'll usually pluck them off and move the peanut butter colored keycaps over.

I've had a couple of VIC-20's that have had the gray F-keys and something about it just doesn't look right to me.

It's just my personal preference, of course, but I'm sure some of you know what I mean...

I had heard once that it was an issue of timing - early C=64's got the mustard yellow F-keys and sometime during the last year of the VIC-20's production run, Commodore switched over to gray F-keys.

I don't know if this was ever official... I had read it somewhere (years ago) and it seemed to make sense to me at the time.

From what I can see based on my VIC20s and the serial numbers is they keyboards go like this:

Microgramma (0-9441-??)
Helvetia + Orange F keys (21000-100000)
Eurostile (serial 100000-200000)
Helvetia + Grey F keys (serial >200000)

Anyone else observe a pattern?

mrr19121970 wrote: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.

I have (well I gave it to a good friend) a C64 with orange function keys. Its a 1983 Made in Canada model. It is definitely all original... They certainly do exist!