vail@tegra.COM (Johnathan Vail) (06/17/91)
I just bought a Northgate Omnikey keyboard and find it has a problem with keystokes bouncing. The repeat-rate is horrendously fast too. I bought it as a demo and only got a copy of the Ultra book which has different settings. Can anyone tell me what the switches on the back do? Has anyone else had this problem? Thanks, jv "I'm insanely jealous of the spiders in your path" -- RH _____ | | Johnathan Vail | n1dxg@tegra.com |Tegra| (508) 663-7435 | N1DXG@448.625-(WorldNet) ----- jv@n1dxg.ampr.org {...sun!sunne ..uunet}!tegra!vail
robinson@knuth.MTSU.EDU (David Robinson) (06/19/91)
In <2397@atlas.tegra.COM> vail@tegra.COM (Johnathan Vail) writes: >I just bought a Northgate Omnikey keyboard and find it has a problem >with keystokes bouncing. The repeat-rate is horrendously fast too. >I bought it as a demo and only got a copy of the Ultra book which has >different settings. >Has anyone else had this problem? We have several of the Northgate Omnikeys and experienced (I guess, from your description) the same problem. In our case the keyboard seemed super-sensitive. I could strike a key once and I would get several keystrokes on the screen. Sometimes, I'd hold down an arrow key for three or five seconds and the thing would lock and would keep repeating the arrow command until I hit the opposite arrow key. I called Northgate and explained that I was getting multiple spurious repeats with a single keystroke. The person I talked to allowed as to how this was a known problem and that I needed a replacement controller card. The catch is, I had to get the vendor I bought the keyboard from (we specified the Omnikey as part of a system bid package.) to request the new controller. Northgate won't deal with the end user. Fortunately, we have a pretty good relationship with the vendor so I was able to call 'em and ask them to order the new controller cards from Northgate. They did, and Northgate sent them with no problem. The new controller cards are real easy to install (especially if you have an electric screwdriver :-) I sent the old controller cards back to Northgate. Problem solved. The DIP switches on the back have nothing to do with the problem. Call Northgate, or your dealer. ----------------------------------------------------------------- David Robinson robinson@mtsu.edu Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37132
mark@hermesa.uucp (Mark McWiggins) (06/20/91)
I solved my Northgate keybounce-then-fail-while-I'm-doing-a-hardware-upgrade problem by stomping it vigorously and hurling it with great force into the dumpster. I could have been a little hasty; the silly thing was heavy enough to serve as a softball bat or self-defense tool. You could kill an unsuspecting intruder with it. I now have a $69 Keytronics with which I'm quite pleased. -- Mark McWiggins mark@hermesa.uucp ...uw-beaver!amc-gw!hermesa!mark Box 40357, Bellevue WA 98004 / +1 206 455 2786 (24 hrs.)
jamesp@world.std.com (james M peterson) (06/21/91)
There are two problems with the northgate keyboards. One is a ROM problem. We upgraded past 6.04 (6.05?) and several of the weird happenings went away. The other is that some keyboards have a resistor pack cut off that should be there. The new keyboards we have have the resistors and have no bounce problems. jamesp@world.std.com
berger@iboga (Mike Berger) (06/24/91)
mark@hermesa.uucp (Mark McWiggins) writes: >I solved my Northgate keybounce-then-fail-while-I'm-doing-a-hardware-upgrade >problem by stomping it vigorously and hurling it with great force into >the dumpster. I could have been a little hasty; the silly thing was heavy >enough to serve as a softball bat or self-defense tool. You could kill an >unsuspecting intruder with it. *---- I solved my problem by calling the factory. They sent out a replacement controller board for do-it-yourself installation, though I could have sent the keyset in if I had preferred. This applies only to newer models, but the fix was free in my case. -- Mike Berger Department of Statistics, University of Illinois AT&TNET 217-244-6067 Internet berger@atropa.stat.uiuc.edu
goldfish@concour.cs.concordia.ca (Paul Goldsmith) (06/26/91)
In article <robinson.677304486@knuth> robinson@knuth.MTSU.EDU (David Robinson) writes: |We have several of the Northgate Omnikeys and experienced (I guess, from |your description) the same problem. In our case the keyboard seemed |super-sensitive. I could strike a key once and I would get several |keystrokes on the screen. Sometimes, I'd hold down an arrow key for |three or five seconds and the thing would lock and would keep repeating |the arrow command until I hit the opposite arrow key. I called |Northgate and explained that I was getting multiple spurious repeats |with a single keystroke. The person I talked to allowed as to how this |was a known problem and that I needed a replacement controller card. |The catch is, I had to get the vendor I bought the keyboard from (we |specified the Omnikey as part of a system bid package.) to request the |new controller. Northgate won't deal with the end user. Fortunately, |we have a pretty good relationship with the vendor so I was able to call |'em and ask them to order the new controller cards from Northgate. They |did, and Northgate sent them with no problem. The new controller cards |are real easy to install (especially if you have an electric screwdriver |:-) I sent the old controller cards back to Northgate. Problem solved. | |The DIP switches on the back have nothing to do with the problem. Call |Northgate, or your dealer. | |----------------------------------------------------------------- |David Robinson robinson@mtsu.edu |Middle Tennessee State University |Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37132 I called up Northgate and after a substantial wait on the phone they eventually sent me a replacement card with idiot proof instructions. The keyboard was fixed in about ten minutes and the bad card was in the mail real quick. My complaint is that Northgate should consider revamping their quality control a bit, since the bouncing keys should be detectable and it shouldn't be necessary to take two trips for an obvious problem. Also, I have bought three products in the last five years directly from manufacturers and in all cases, found it for MUCH less from a mail-order or local suppliershortly after. Northgate assured me that the $149.00 US for the keyboard was the best and only available price. with exchange, duty, brokerage, etc ... it landed on my PC for $250 Canadian (approx) and about another $30.00 for long distance phone calls, shipping costs etc on the replacement board. I found it in a store for $150.00 Cdn. a week after I ordered it, which proves that you should never believe someone when they use the word "exclusive" since it usually only means "more expensive". I must say that the OMNI-Key is one of the best five keyboards I have ever used (the Apollo keyboard fills at least the first four places by itself) and it is easily the best PC keyboard available. A technically superior product, however, the several comments about defective controller boards suggests that Northgate should clean up their quality control act and test their VERY expensive keyboards before they leave the factory. At those prices, they should work out-of-the-box. -- -- Paul Goldsmith <goldfish@concour.cs.concordia.ca> (514) 848-3031 (Shirley Maclaine told me there would be LIFETIMES like this) the future isn't what it used to be; and possibly, never was (ao)