Upgraded keypad

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Dan Simpson
Posts: 104
Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2020 3:29 pm
Location: Arizona

Re: Upgraded keypad

Post by Dan Simpson »

FHSPSU67 wrote:
Sun Oct 04, 2020 4:21 am
Are the characters on the keys painted bright yellow rather than orangish as displayed on this site? Thank you!
The characters on the keys are white. The characters above the keys are bright yellow. They are definitely not orange.
My Collection: HP-55, HP-67 (Teenix Mod), HP-15C, HP-16C, HP-41CV, HP-41CX, SY41-CL, DM41X, DM42, HP-42S, HP-48G, HP-71B, HP-75C, HP-86B.
rprosperi
Posts: 1698
Joined: Mon Apr 24, 2017 7:48 pm
Location: New York

Re: Upgraded keypad

Post by rprosperi »

FHSPSU67 wrote:
Sun Oct 04, 2020 4:21 am
Are the characters on the keys painted bright yellow rather than orangish as displayed on this site? Thank you!
To me, (and this is subjective) the shift-key and bezel legends are definitely yellow. To my eyes, the color in the photo does seem more orange than an actual device, but opinions on this vary, due to differences in people's eyes (and opinions). Tweaking colors is annoyingly difficult and it's essentially impossible to satisfy everyone.

Some folks will think the blue [Alpha] key is too light, others will find it perfect, one person thought it was too dark. Many of these comments are really comments on how this key compares with the blue on the front face of the keys on their own 41C (which of course is "correct") but in truth the blue lettering on those varied over the 10+ years of production, and there has also been fading to larger or lesser extent depending on exposure and use, so trying to precisely match that color is not only pointless, it's impossible.

One aspect of the new keyboard design that has not received much discussion yet is that the yellow [shift] key and blue [Alpha] key are fully molded in that color and not simply having it's top painted with the appropriate color. In the 41X Beta machines these were black keys (like all the others) with painted tops, which quite oddly was easily worn off on all yellow keys, but never worn at all on all Alpha keys. It was quickly clear this was not sustainable, and SM made the decision to use solid colored key to ensure consistency, long-life and user satisfaction.
--bob p

DM42: β00071 & 00282, DM41X: β00071 & 00656, DM10L: 071/100
FHSPSU67
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2020 5:45 pm
Location: Windber, PA USA

Re: Upgraded keypad

Post by FHSPSU67 »

Dan Simpson wrote:
Sun Oct 04, 2020 5:06 pm
FHSPSU67 wrote:
Sun Oct 04, 2020 4:21 am
Are the characters on the keys painted bright yellow rather than orangish as displayed on this site? Thank you!
The characters on the keys are white. The characters above the keys are bright yellow. They are definitely not orange.
Yes. Sorry for my inability to convert my thoughts to text, that is what I meant. Thank You!
HP:45, 67, 15C, 16C, 12C, 35S, PRIME, 50G; Swiss Micro: DM42
NoisyBoy
Posts: 13
Joined: Thu Jun 25, 2020 7:49 am

Re: Upgraded keypad

Post by NoisyBoy »

Got my 42 a couple months ago, and the 41X just arrived today.

First impression is it is slightly easier to press, and with a more audible click. However, I feel the 42 is actually closer to the 41CX when it comes to the keyboard because it is almost silent.

I think if you have a late built 42, the keyboard is just as good. They are different, but which one is better is purely a personal choice.
EM41
Posts: 192
Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2020 12:10 am
Location: Overijssel Netherlands

Re: Upgraded keypad

Post by EM41 »

I got my 42 in May and its a little better than the 41 beta but the new 41 is a real improvement.
HP41C (2x), HP41CV, HP41CX, DM41X β, DM41X, DM42, HP11C, HP48G, HP97
jsquaredb
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Oct 13, 2020 10:27 pm

Re: Upgraded keypad

Post by jsquaredb »

At what serial number were keypad improvements implemented?
DM42 01105 DM41X 00232 DM15L 00268 DM16L 00091
reavy
Posts: 101
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2018 9:08 pm
Location: Phoenix, AZ

Re: Upgraded keypad

Post by reavy »

jsquaredb wrote:
Wed Oct 14, 2020 5:25 pm
At what serial number were keypad improvements implemented?
I would also like to know.
grsbanks
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Location: Preston, Lancs, UK
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Re: Upgraded keypad

Post by grsbanks »

Units don't go out with serial numbers in sequential order, so there is no date/serial correlation.

The first DM42 units with new keyboards were received at the same time as the first DM41X production units and started shipping around the same time, maybe a bit earlier.
There are only 10 kinds of people in the world: those who understand binary and those who do not.
reavy
Posts: 101
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2018 9:08 pm
Location: Phoenix, AZ

Re: Upgraded keypad

Post by reavy »

Has anyone done a side-by-side comparison of the old and new DM-42? Sorry if that topic already exists and I missed it.
bernouilli
Posts: 48
Joined: Tue Jun 19, 2018 11:01 am
Location: France

Re: Upgraded keypad

Post by bernouilli »

reavy wrote:
Fri Oct 30, 2020 4:37 pm
Has anyone done a side-by-side comparison of the old and new DM-42? Sorry if that topic already exists and I missed it.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2562&start=30#p17806
DM15L - DM42 - DM41x
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