Fujitsu FKB4700

[Chyros]

Fujitsu FKB4700

The most common keyboard to feature these rubber-dome-with-slider Fujitsu Peerless switches, I've been intrigued by these switches for a while... And lo and behold, I get one for £0.50 xD .

It's one of the most well-built keyboards I've seen so far. Like a Model M, it has a barrel plate and a thick, curved metal backplate (quite heavy), and a thick plastic case, but unlike the Model M it doesn't have those stupid plastic rivets, it has actual screws! The caps, again like the Model M, are snap-on, dye-sublimed PBT caps that have resisted the ridiculous amount of yellowing the case has undergone (it's almost ochre in hue, and the caps even left white spots in their shadows). The caps aren't quite as elegant, though.

The switches are the biggest problem though. The biggest advantage of these clicky switches is that they're not very clicky and thus usable in an open office. They feel a bit like buckling springs, but very rough and stiff, and the stabilised keys, which use guiding rods and aren't mounted centrally, are so dysfunctional that I had to put red stickers on just to see where I had to hit them. They are enough to make the board pretty poor for typing unfortunately, but the normal keys aren't all that uniform either. It's okay for gaming though, because you'll likely not need the stabilised keys (except the spacebar, which has a normal metal horizontal stabiliser bar [except for the fact it's spring-loaded to make it heavier], is extremely well-stabilised). Overall, nah. Sturdy as it may be, the switches are just too rough and heavy for me.

[seebart]

I agree with you on every point. Glad to see someone else here take a look at the Fujitsu FKB4700. If only the switch was more satisfying this keyboard could turn out to be one of my daily drivers. With the build quality it's a shame really. I wonder if changing the springs could "improve" the switch feel. I might try that sometime. The stabilization issue can't be changed though. I actually tought about lubing the rods but I doubt that would make a difference. Have a look at mine if you like:

http://deskthority.net/photos-f62/fujit ... ilit=sanyo

[Chyros]

I agree with you on every point. Glad to see someone else here take a look at the Fujitsu FKB4700. If only the switch was more satisfying this keyboard could turn out to be one of my daily drivers. With the build quality it's a shame really. I wonder if changing the springs could "improve" the switch feel. I might try that sometime. The stabilization issue can't be changed though. I actually tought about lubing the rods but I doubt that would make a difference. Have a look at mine if you like:

http://deskthority.net/photos-f62/fujit ... ilit=sanyo

Cool, glad you liked it .

Yeah, that looks just like my FKB4700.

I know for a fact that lubing the rods won't work because I've tried it on another Peerless board; an Epson Q203A with almost exactly the same construction, except the integrated LED. Unfortunately the space bar on that one was irreparably damaged. The stabilised keys on that one were very bad too, so I lubed a few to see if it would work. Unfortunately it made it significantly worse. In the end, without a spacebar and with some of the stabiliser keys crippled even further, it really didn't work for me, so I disassembled it for parts. I reused the shift key on this FKB4700 though; if you look carefully, you can see the printing is slightly different from the other keys. The shift key on the original board was cracked. Fortunately, it works just as well as the original shift did, though that's not particularly great of course.

[seebart]

yeah I imagine that lubing would not do any good. No need for me to try it then. Different springs might be worth a try. I wonder if the peerless switch felt better and was more uniform when the keyboard was new. We'll never know.

[Chyros]

That's quite possible. I've found the springs inside to look somewhat rough, presumably not made out of the greatest quality metal. Maybe they're partly responsible for the feel. Might swap one or two for springs from the Epson and see how it affects them (the Epson also that lock light sliders for ALL keys, strangely).

[seebart]

I think that stiffer springs could be interesting, I need to see what I still have here or buy some. The switch might not work well with other springs though. I've been planning to try this for a while now but never got round to it. You're right the springs in my Sanyo look flimsy too.

[Chyros]

I tried replacing the rather old-looking 4700 springs (right) with the Epson ones (left) but it's hard to make anything out of it. I think whatever differences there are between the two are within the margin of difference of the switches themselves (which is rather large). It should be noted that although my 4700 is definitely used, it's not all THAT dirty, so I think these are not disproportionately bad or anything.



Epson spring's on the left, the Fujitsu one's on the right.