Sol-20 Keyboard

[Hugo Holden]

I just noticed this on ebay, these do not appear very often:

Processor Technology SOL 20 Vintage Computer Keyboard Sol-KBD UNTESTED AS IS | eBay

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">UNTESTED AS IS! BY PURCHASING THIS ITEM YOU UNDERSTAND THAT ALL AND/OR A PORTION OF IT MAY NOT BE FUNCTIONAL! </p> <p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">Good physical condition. Some slight yellowing on some spots. Items are...

www.ebay.com

They are a very special capacitance keyboard. The ASCII data on the output stays stable after a key press. They also do very well if the pads in them are replaced by those from a SUN-4 Keyboard. I wrote an article in the past on these keyboards and a diagnostic tool to check them:

www.worldphaco.com/uploads/HARDWARE_DIAGNOSTIC_TOOL_FOR_THE_SOL.pdf

Could be a good chance for someone to get this keyboard for a vintage computer project or SOL-20 repair, but the price, it seems, is not cheap. It looks in good order (but it will need new pads for sure)

 

[wperko]

Hi,

I bought a Sol-20 motherboard with a S-100 Expansion backplane for $500 on eBay a couple of years ago. It would be nice to have a real Sol-20 keyboard, but it's just not worth $100 to me since I can use a modern USB keyboard to be more reliable and do the job anyway.




.

 

[bzotto]

FWIW, there's an outfit in TX that manufactures premade replacement pads for these keyboards which makes an reliable overhaul relatively straightforward and cheap:

105 "Foam and Foil" Capacitive Pads for KeyTronic & BTC Keyboard Repair - TexElec

This set of 105 count foam capacitive pads for repairing vintage KeyTronic and BTC keyboards with deteriorating foam pads. These are homemade in house and the 105 should cover what you need with a few extras for your convenience. These will work on keyboards for many different kinds of vintage...

texelec.com

(I used one of these kits for a PET once some time ago to great success, their page claims the pads are also compatible with the SOL keyboard mech.)

 

[Hugo Holden]

FWIW, there's an outfit in TX that manufactures premade replacement pads for these keyboards which makes an reliable overhaul relatively straightforward and cheap:

105 "Foam and Foil" Capacitive Pads for KeyTronic & BTC Keyboard Repair - TexElec

This set of 105 count foam capacitive pads for repairing vintage KeyTronic and BTC keyboards with deteriorating foam pads. These are homemade in house and the 105 should cover what you need with a few extras for your convenience. These will work on keyboards for many different kinds of vintage...

texelec.com

(I used one of these kits for a PET once some time ago to great success, their page claims the pads are also compatible with the SOL keyboard mech.)

I tried their original ones and they were not suitable as they did not raise the capacitance enough for all keys to operate reliably, it is explained in my article I posted why. But, I believe TexElec subsequently changed the design to make them work in the SOL, however, I never got to try these out, because I fitted the others, known to definitely work properly, from the Sun-4.