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A membrane keyboard is a computer keyboard whose "keys" are not separate, moving parts, as with the majority of other keyboards, but rather have only outlines and symbols printed on a flat, flexible surface. Very little, if any, tactile feedback is felt when using such a keyboard, and error-free blind typing can be difficult. A computer keyboard is a peripheral modeled after the typewriter keyboard. ...
Membrane keyboards, which work by electrical contact between the keyboard surface and the underlying circuits when keytop areas are pressed, were used with some early 1980s home computers, and have been much used in consumer electronics devices. The keyboards are very inexpensive to mass produce, and are more resistant against dirt and liquids than most other keyboards, but due to the low or non-existent amount of tactile feedback provided, most people have difficulty typing with them, especially when large numbers of characters need to be typed. Chiclet keyboards were a slight improvement, at least allowing individual keys to be felt to some extent. TRS-80 Color Computer II The home computer is a consumer-friendly word for the second generation of microcomputers (the technical term that was previously used), entering the market in 1977 and becoming common during the 1980s. ...
A chiclet keyboard is slang for a computer keyboard built with an array of small, flat rectangular or lozenge-shaped rubber or plastic keys that look like erasers or pieces of chewing gum. ...
Aside from early hobbyist/kit/home computers and some video game consoles, membrane-based QWERTY keyboards are used in some industrial computer systems, and are also found as portable, even "rollable-collapsible" designs for PDAs and other pocket computing devices. McDonalds restaurants in Canada use the membrane keyboard in its cash registers. Smaller, specialised membrane keyboards, typically numeric-and-a-few-control-keys only, have been used in access control systems (for buildings and restricted areas), simple handheld calculators, domestic remote control keypads, and other similar devices where the amount of typing is relatively small or infrequent. A video game console is a dedicated electronic machine designed to play video games. ...
The QWERTY Layout QWERTY (pronounced ) is the most common modern-day keyboard layout on most English language computer and typewriter keyboards. ...
palmOne Tungsten T5 Dell Axim X51v Pocket PC Personal digital assistants (also called PDAs) are handheld devices that were originally designed as personal organizers, but became much more versatile over the years. ...
It has been suggested that Telecommand be merged into this article or section. ...
The expression is also sometimes used in connection with modern PC keyboards which utilise dome switch technology. Although the lower layers in some dome-switch keyboards are essentially the same as the membrane keyboard, the dome-switch keyboard includes additional upper layers (rubber domes and solid key-caps). There are several types of keyboard, usually differentiated by the switch technology employed in their operation. ...
How it works
As can be seen from the diagram below, the membrane keyboard basically consists of three layers; two of these are membrane layers containing conductive traces. The center layer is a "spacer" containing holes wherever a "key" exists. It keeps the other two layers apart.
Cross-section diagram of a typical membrane keyboard. The thickness of the bottom three layers has been exaggerated for clarity; in reality, they are not much thicker than pieces of paper or cardboard. Under normal conditions, the switch (key) is open, because current cannot cross the non-conductive gap between the traces on the bottom layer. However, when the top layer is pressed down (with a finger), it makes contact with the bottom layer. The conductive traces on the underside of the top layer can then bridge the gap, allowing current to flow. The switch is now "closed", and the parent device registers a keypress. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (973x223, 12 KB) Summary Cross-section diagram of a membrane keyboard. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (973x223, 12 KB) Summary Cross-section diagram of a membrane keyboard. ...
List of computers with membrane keyboards QWERTY layouts unless otherwise specified - Atari 400 (full-travel replacement keyboards much like those that came with the Atari 800 were available)
- Cambridge Z88 (arguably a mix between a membrane and chiclet keyboard)
- Elektronika BK-0010, in early versions (it was a Russian home computer, hence the JCUKEN layout)
- Magnavox Odyssey², also known as the Philips Videopac G7000 video game console
- RCA COSMAC VIP, a do-it-yourself (DIY) kit computer with 16-key hex keypad
- SEGA SC-3000, a computer version of an early SEGA game console
- Science of Cambridge Microcomputer Kit 14 (MK14); the initial version had a 20-key extended hex keypad
- Sinclair ZX80, a pioneering British home computer that was available as a DIY kit
- Sinclair ZX81 (similar to the preceding entry)
- Synertek SYM-1, a sibling of the MOS/CBM KIM-1 with a 29-key extended hex keypad
- Timex Sinclair 1000 (a U.S. version of the ZX81)
An Atari 800XL, one of the most popular machines in the series. ...
The Cambridge Z88 was an A4-size, lightweight, portable Z80-based computer with a built-in combined word processing/spreadsheet/database application called Pipedream, along with several other apps/utilities, such as a Z80-version of BBC BASIC. The Cambridge Z88. ...
Elektronika BK is a series of Russian home computers trademarked as Elektronika that are approximate clones of PDP-11. ...
Philips Videopac G7000 shown playing Pickaxe Pete The Magnavox Odyssey², known in Europe as the Philips Videopac G7000, in Brazil as the Philips Odyssey, and also by many other names, is a video game console released in 1978. ...
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Royal Philips Electronics N.V.), usually known as Philips, (Euronext: PHIA, NYSE: PHG) is one of the largest electronics companies in the world. ...
Philips Videopac G7000 shown playing Pickaxe Pete The Magnavox Odyssey², known in Europe as the Philips Videopac G7000, in Brazil as the Philips Odyssey, and also by many other names, was a video game console released in 1978. ...
For other uses, see RCA (disambiguation). ...
The RCA Cosmac VIP (1977) was an early microcomputer that was aimed at video games. ...
See also: DIY Network, a cable TV network. ...
james In mathematics and computer science, base-16, hexadecimal, or simply hex, is a numeral system with a radix or base of 16 usually written using the symbols 0–9 and A–F or a–f. ...
Sega Corporation ) is an international video game software and hardware developing company, and a former home computer and console manufacturer. ...
Sega SC-3000 and joystick The SC-3000 was the computer equivalent of the SG-1000 cartridge-based gaming console manufactured by Sega. ...
Sinclair Research Ltd was a home computer company founded by Clive Sinclair in Cambridge, England. ...
Sinclair ZX80 The Sinclair ZX80 was a home computer brought to market in 1980 by Sinclair Research of Cambridge, England. ...
It has been suggested that Timex Sinclair 1000 be merged into this article or section. ...
Synertek was founded in 1973 as a masked ROM house that branched out into a fairly broad offering of MOS/LSI circuits (Static RAMs, ROMs, EPROMS, Dynamic and Static Shift Registers) and then sometime before 1979 became a second source to MOS Technologys 6502 microprocessor. ...
MOS Technology, Inc. ...
Commodore is the commonly used name for Commodore International, a West Chester, Pennsylvania based electronics company who was a vital player in the home/personal computer field in the 1980s. ...
The KIM-1, short for Keyboard Input Monitor, was a small 6502-based microcomputer kit developed and produced by MOS Technology, Inc. ...
The Timex Sinclair 1000 (TS1000) was the first computer produced by Timex Sinclair, a joint-venture between Timex Corporation and Sinclair Research. ...
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