SwissMicros Calculator Forum

Michael has asked me to make this announcement:

We have discovered that it appears there is a quality problem with shift-key painting that needs to be addressed ASAP for both DM42 and DM41X models. Note that it appears the problem is limited to the Yellow shift-keys and the Blue (on the 41X) are not affected.

In the case of the DM42, sales have temporarily been halted, and new units will be made available again in a couple months. The handful of customers that received a DM42 with this issue should contact Michael by email in about a month.

In the case of the DM41X, all BETA units have been produced and received by SwissMicros and while it's possible that all of the BETA units have this problem (it appears many, but not all, do) we cannot delay the BETA program for a possible cosmetic issue. Once the DM42 solution is confirmed, we will explore similar options for future DM41X production.

Thanks for your patience with this and SwissMicros appreciates your early and candid feedback. While finding an issue like this is certainly a goal of the BETA program, it is disappointing for everyone and we apologize for any inconvenience.

Please continue your BETA testing and reporting any problems you encounter.

Meanwhile, in QC labs...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5lCViGaTGw

My late-2017 DM42 is totally fine as far as the shift key is concerned, but "EXIT" and the down arrow are definitely showing quite a bit of wear.

Re: DM42 Shift-key wear:

Sorry, the above message may be misleading. Very recent DM42s had the improved DM41X-style keyboard with the softer and generally more consistent key-click, and these machines also had painted (rather than solid yellow) shift keys. This only pertains to DM42 units purchased in the last few weeks, and only a handful are affected; this does not apply to earlier machines. As noted, if you have one of these, please contact Micheal by email around the end of February.

Ooh, improved keyboard feel? That instantly makes me more interested in the 41X...

Dave Britten wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 03, 2020 6:01 pm

Ooh, improved keyboard feel? That instantly makes me more interested in the 41X...

You can get it withe the DM42 as well.

Walter wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 03, 2020 6:44 pm

Dave Britten wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 03, 2020 6:01 pm

Ooh, improved keyboard feel? That instantly makes me more interested in the 41X...

You can get it withe the DM42 as well.

I would definitely be willing to consider buying a second DM42 if I end up impressed enough with the 41X keyboard improvements. The one I've got now, I love everything but the keyboard.

I don't have a DM42 to compare, but I was positively surprised by the DM41X keyboard. The key feel is better than my DM15L, and equal to my DM41L.

jthole wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 03, 2020 7:53 pm

I don't have a DM42 to compare, but I was positively surprised by the DM41X keyboard. The key feel is better than my DM15L, and equal to my DM41L.

That's great to hear. I have a DM41L and DM16L that I bought around 2015 or 2016, and while they certainly don't compare to a real Voyager, I find them perfectly acceptable.

Dave Britten wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 03, 2020 10:33 pm

jthole wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 03, 2020 7:53 pm

I don't have a DM42 to compare, but I was positively surprised by the DM41X keyboard. The key feel is better than my DM15L, and equal to my DM41L.

That's great to hear. I have a DM41L and DM16L that I bought around 2015 or 2016, and while they certainly don't compare to a real Voyager, I find them perfectly acceptable.

Unfortunately the keyboard of my DM41X developed a problem in the meantime; the 1,2,3 row of keys does not register anymore.

I am starting to wonder what magic HP put in their keyboards, given that even my heavily (ab)used HP 11C still works flawlessly after all those years.