From the «mmmmembrane» department:
Feed: Hackaday
Title: One Of The Worst Keyboards Ever, Now An Arduino Peripheral
Author: Jenny List
Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2022 01:00:20 -0400
Link: https://hackaday.com/2022/10/24/one-of-the-worst-keyboards-ever-now-an-arduino-peripheral/

[image 1]

For British kids of a certain age, their first experience of a computer was very
likely to have been in front of a Sinclair ZX81. The lesser-known predecessor to
the wildly-successful ZX Spectrum, it came in at under £100 and sported a Z80
processor and a whopping 1k of memory. In the long tradition of Sinclair
products it had a few compromises to achieve that price point, the most obvious
of which was a 40-key membrane keyboard. Those who learned to code on its
frustrating lack of tactile feedback may be surprised to see an Arduino project
presenting it as the perfect way to easily hook up a keyboard to an Arduino[2].

Like many retrocomputing parts, the ZX81 ‘board has been re-manufactured, to the
joy of many a Sinclair enthusiast. It’s thus readily available and relatively
cheap (we think they can be found for less than the stated 20 euros!), so
surprisingly it’s a reasonable choice for an Arduino project. The task of trying
to define by touch the imperceptible difference in thickness of a ZX81 key will
bring a true retrocomputing experience to a new generation. Perhaps if it can be
done on an Mbed[3] then someone might even make a ZX81 emulator on the Arduino.

We’re great fans of the ZX81 here at Hackaday[4], for some of us it was that
first computer. Long may it continue to delight its fans!

Links:
[1]: https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/zxkeys-arduino-featured.jpg?w=800 (image)
[2]: https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub/sl001/read-a-zx81-keyboard-with-arduinos-and-build-things-with-it-0189bd (link)
[3]: https://hackaday.com/2014/12/22/zx81-emulated-on-an-mbed/ (link)
[4]: https://hackaday.com/2020/04/01/accurate-dispensing-of-toilet-paper-will-get-us-through-the-crisis/ (link)

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On 25 Oct 2022, Retrograde wrote
(in article <tj8kts$tgo$1@solani.org>):

>
> For British kids of a certain age, their first experience of a computer was
> very likely to have been in front of a Sinclair ZX81.
I was banned from using the school ZX81 for, and I quote, “not treating the
computer with respect”. I was trying to get the damned keyboard to work...

Cheers,
Ian

On 25-Oct-22 11:30 pm, Retrograde wrote:
> From the «mmmmembrane» department:
> Feed: Hackaday
> Title: One Of The Worst Keyboards Ever, Now An Arduino Peripheral
> Author: Jenny List
> Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2022 01:00:20 -0400
> Link: https://hackaday.com/2022/10/24/one-of-the-worst-keyboards-ever-now-an-arduino-peripheral/
>
> [image 1]
>
> For British kids of a certain age, their first experience of a computer was very
> likely to have been in front of a Sinclair ZX81. The lesser-known predecessor to
> the wildly-successful ZX Spectrum, it came in at under £100 and sported a Z80
> processor and a whopping 1k of memory. In the long tradition of Sinclair
> products it had a few compromises to achieve that price point, the most obvious
> of which was a 40-key membrane keyboard. Those who learned to code on its
> frustrating lack of tactile feedback may be surprised to see an Arduino project
> presenting it as the perfect way to easily hook up a keyboard to an Arduino[2].
>
> Like many retrocomputing parts, the ZX81 ‘board has been re-manufactured, to the
> joy of many a Sinclair enthusiast. It’s thus readily available and relatively
> cheap (we think they can be found for less than the stated 20 euros!), so
> surprisingly it’s a reasonable choice for an Arduino project. The task of trying
> to define by touch the imperceptible difference in thickness of a ZX81 key will
> bring a true retrocomputing experience to a new generation. Perhaps if it can be
> done on an Mbed[3] then someone might even make a ZX81 emulator on the Arduino.
>
> We’re great fans of the ZX81 here at Hackaday[4], for some of us it was that
> first computer. Long may it continue to delight its fans!
>
> Links:
> [1]: https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/zxkeys-arduino-featured.jpg?w=800 (image)
> [2]: https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub/sl001/read-a-zx81-keyboard-with-arduinos-and-build-things-with-it-0189bd (link)
> [3]: https://hackaday.com/2014/12/22/zx81-emulated-on-an-mbed/ (link)
> [4]: https://hackaday.com/2020/04/01/accurate-dispensing-of-toilet-paper-will-get-us-through-the-crisis/ (link)
>
>
>
Anything would be better than the "keyboard" of a smart-phone.

Sylvia

Sylvia Else <sylvia@email.invalid> wrote:
> On 25-Oct-22 11:30 pm, Retrograde wrote:
>> From the «mmmmembrane» department:
>> Feed: Hackaday
>> Title: One Of The Worst Keyboards Ever, Now An Arduino Peripheral
>> Author: Jenny List
>> Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2022 01:00:20 -0400
>> Link: https://hackaday.com/2022/10/24/one-of-the-worst-keyboards-ever-now-an-arduino-peripheral/
>>
>> [image 1]
>>
>> Like many retrocomputing parts, the ZX81 ?board has been
>> re-manufactured, to the joy of many a Sinclair enthusiast. It?s
>> thus readily available and relatively cheap (we think they can be
>> found for less than the stated 20 euros!), so surprisingly it?s a
>> reasonable choice for an Arduino project. The task of trying to
>> define by touch the imperceptible difference in thickness of a ZX81
>> key will bring a true retrocomputing experience to a new generation.
>> Perhaps if it can be done on an Mbed[3] then someone might even make
>> a ZX81 emulator on the Arduino.
>>
> Anything would be better than the "keyboard" of a smart-phone.

Well, if one had ever used a ZX81 keyboard, it just might rank as
'worse' (not by a lot, but yes, worse) than a smartphone keyboard.

The membrane keys needed rather significant pressure to even activate,
and even then, many times it took more than one try to get the key to
register as having been pressed if I recall correctly.

A smart phone keyboard, of the same physical size, at the time, would
have likely been quite superior in that the only issue would have been
finger hitting wrong key. And even then, if the phyiscal size of the
"smart phone keyboard" were the same as the ZX's keyboard, the keys
would have been "finger sized" so hitting the wrong key would have been
minimized vs. many smart phones where each key is, at best, 1/3 to 1/2
finger size.

On 30 Oct 2022, Rich wrote
(in article <tjlsd7$5om0$2@dont-email.me>):

> > Anything would be better than the "keyboard" of a smart-phone.
>
> Well, if one had ever used a ZX81 keyboard, it just might rank as
> 'worse' (not by a lot, but yes, worse) than a smartphone keyboard.
>
> The membrane keys needed rather significant pressure to even activate,
> and even then, many times it took more than one try to get the key to
> register as having been pressed if I recall correctly.

It was -way- worse than a smart phone. Massively so. More like the keyboard
of a pocket calculator than what you’d think of as a computer today.

A few other micros did it, the Atari...err..400? from memory. (Might be 600,
can’t recall). But even those monstrosities were ahead of the ZX81. But
then, they cost a lot more too. The ZX81 was a serious enabler of home
computing and ushered in the UK revolution really. Its predecessor, the ZX80,
came in kit form only and needed to be built. The ZX81 was effectively a
fully assembled ZX80.

Cheers,
Ian

Ian McCall <ian@eruvia.org> wrote:
> On 30 Oct 2022, Rich wrote
> (in article <tjlsd7$5om0$2@dont-email.me>):
>
>> > Anything would be better than the "keyboard" of a smart-phone.
>>
>> Well, if one had ever used a ZX81 keyboard, it just might rank as
>> 'worse' (not by a lot, but yes, worse) than a smartphone keyboard.
>>
>> The membrane keys needed rather significant pressure to even activate,
>> and even then, many times it took more than one try to get the key to
>> register as having been pressed if I recall correctly.
>
> It was -way- worse than a smart phone. Massively so. More like the keyboard
> of a pocket calculator than what you?d think of as a computer today.

Actually, most pocket calculators had significantly better keyboards
than the ZX keyboard.

> A few other micros did it, the Atari...err..400? from memory. (Might be 600,
> can?t recall).

Atari 400 is correct. But the 400's membrane keyboard, while not as
good as a keyboard with real keyswitches, was much better than the ZX
keyboards. Had one of those too, so I know from experience it was
improved vs. the ZX keyboards.

> But even those monstrosities were ahead of the ZX81. But then, they
> cost a lot more too. The ZX81 was a serious enabler of home
> computing and ushered in the UK revolution really. Its predecessor,
> the ZX80, came in kit form only and needed to be built.

There were pre-assembled ZX80's, at least in the US. I know because a
pre-assembled ZX80 was my first home computer, circa 1980-1981. Which
is also how I know how terrible the keyboard on the ZX80 was, as I
actually used it. Although at ~ 13yo, the wonder of having a computer,
even with a keyboard as terrible as the one on the ZX, outweighed the
terribleness of the keyboard.

> The ZX81 was effectively a fully assembled ZX80.

Well, no. The ZX80 was offered as both a kit and a pre-assembled
version (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zx80). And while the ZX81 was
very similar, it was packaged in a very different housing, and most
likely used a different circuit board layout
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zx81).

Looking over the wikipedia pages cited above they indicate that the
ZX80 was built from TTL chips, while the ZX81 was built from a Z80, a
ROM, and a single custom chip. So very different circuit designs
inside between both.

Rich <rich@example.invalid> wrote:
> Sylvia Else <sylvia@email.invalid> wrote:
>> On 25-Oct-22 11:30 pm, Retrograde wrote:
>>> From the «mmmmembrane» department:
>>> Feed: Hackaday
>>> Title: One Of The Worst Keyboards Ever, Now An Arduino Peripheral
>>> Author: Jenny List
>>> Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2022 01:00:20 -0400
>>> Link: https://hackaday.com/2022/10/24/one-of-the-worst-keyboards-ever-now-an-arduino-peripheral/
>>>
>>> [image 1]
>>>
>>> Like many retrocomputing parts, the ZX81 ?board has been
>>> re-manufactured, to the joy of many a Sinclair enthusiast. It?s
>>> thus readily available and relatively cheap (we think they can be
>>> found for less than the stated 20 euros!), so surprisingly it?s a
>>> reasonable choice for an Arduino project. The task of trying to
>>> define by touch the imperceptible difference in thickness of a ZX81
>>> key will bring a true retrocomputing experience to a new generation.
>>> Perhaps if it can be done on an Mbed[3] then someone might even make
>>> a ZX81 emulator on the Arduino.
>>>
>> Anything would be better than the "keyboard" of a smart-phone.
>
> Well, if one had ever used a ZX81 keyboard, it just might rank as
> 'worse' (not by a lot, but yes, worse) than a smartphone keyboard.

I had a Palm Treo 650 for a few years...last in a succession of PalmOS
devices, and the only one that had a phone, making it arguably a smartphone
that predated the iPhone and Android devices. It had a three-row mechanical
keypad at the bottom that was quite nice for entering text. It was even
fairly easy to replace when I spilled a beer and kiled a few keys.

I had relatively limited experience with the ZX81 back in the day, but I
think it's safe to say it definitely had a worse keyboard than the Treo.
Even the membrane keyboard of the Atari 400 was more usable, with full-size
buttons and a click from the speaker for feedback when you pressed one.

As for the ZX81 vs. modern touchscreen smartphone keyboards, the latter
usually come out on top...at least until autocucumber gets in the way. :)

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