![]() ![]() A NeXT keyboard, even in the poorest condition, can fetch a hundred or more dollars, if for no other reason than for its switches. ![]() They have a smooth actuation which bottoms off with a crisp tactile sensation and, depending on the model, a slightly muted click or thock sound. It features Alps SKCM Black and SKCM Cream switches where are regarded as the best switches every made. The NeXT keyboard is a particularly highly sought after vintage mechanical keyboard. Most are pricey and pale in comparison to their vintage counterparts. ![]() Consequently, there are few mechanical keyboards still being made today. Today’s all too common rubber dome keys are good enough for vast majority of customers. In today’s computer market, however, where manufacturers focus on delivering the highest performance for the lowest cost, the keyboard is the first piece of hardware to be cheapened since it is perceived as adding little value to their offerings. Sadly, mechanical keyboards were once common during the 80s and 90s. They provide a pleasant tactile sensation along with an audible confirmation, turning the chore of typing into a very satisfying experience. It sounds like you never experienced what it’s like to type on a top tier mechanical keyboard. Posted in Arduino Hacks, computer hacks Tagged Arduino micro, hid, keyboard, NeXT Post navigation It’s a good way to bring back life to some otherwise unusable antique hardware. The final product is an adapter for NeXT to USB, which allows for the old keyboards to be used on any computer with USB. They implemented this protocol on the Micro, and used the Keyboard library to create a HID device. The keyboard communicates bidirectionally with the computer, so they needed to send the correct frames to key data back.įortunately, they hit on a Japanese keyboard enthusiast’s site, which had protocol specifications. Since the protocol used by NeXT isn’t standard, they had to figure it out and write some code to interpret it. It connects to the keyboard using the original mini-DIN connector, and is housed in the classic Altoids tin enclosure. The device uses a Arduino Micro to read data from the keyboard and communicate as a HID device over USB. So they built a custom device to convert the NeXT protocol to USB. And had an old keyboard from NeXT, but since it used a custom protocol it wasn’t usable with modern hardware. ![]()
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