From: Gary Britt 

Thanks.  I've seen those and on paper they do look much like the old
Northgates.  I was told once by a guy who repairs northgate keyboards that
they are not nearly as well built as the old northgates however.  I
wouldn't expect one of those to last 20 years and more they way my
Northgates have. For example the Northgate lettering labels on each key cap
is molded into the plastic itself (instead of just being ink painted on the
top of the key cap).  So on my Northgates after 20 years of use the labels
on the key caps are just as solid and new looking as they were 20 years
ago.  On modern keyboards including the Avanti they ink wears off within a
few years and if it doesn't wear off completely it fades considerably on
the heavier used keys.

If I didn't have a sufficient supply of Northgates I would definitely be
tempted to try an Avanti, but not even Avanti makes the particular style
Northgate that I use.  I use the Ultra-F model that has the cursor keys in
the diamond shape just like they are on the numpad of any keyboard with
extra large insert and delete keys under the diamond cursor arrangement.
Page up and page down and home and end are also the same as on the numpad
of any keyboard.  No *new* fangled inverted T's for me thank you very much.
 I hate change!!! 

Gary

Rich Gauszka wrote:
> FWIW - The Northgate keyboard apparently has been reproduced in the 6.5 lb
> Creative Vision Technologies 'Avant Stellar'. Since I'm partial to $5
> keyboards I tend to shy away from $150 ones. I did own a Northgate at one
> time but since I'm a pathetic typist all the clickity clack did was irritate
> me.
>
> product
> https://www.cvtinc.com/products/keyboards/stellar.htm
>
> review
> http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,115892-page,1/article.html
>
>
> "Gary Britt" 
wrote in message
> news:4616644a$1{at}w3.nls.net...
>> Frank, I'm not sure what you mean by Northgates are *slow hardware*.  They
>> have the hardware ability to produce repeat rates not found on any modern
>> keyboard.  Of course windows doesn't take advantage of that hardware
>> ability, but the hardware is capable of quite fast and proper response,
>> even with modern CPU's.
>>
>> My Northgate Omnikey's work fine here on a P4 3.06 GHZ with HT all USB
>> only laptop, plugged in via a connector that takes the 5 pin DIN down to a
>> PS/2 connector and then another connector that takes the PS/2 connector to
>> a USB connector.  If it works through all of that (and even through a ps/2
>> KVM on my home setup) it should work with anything.  Of course that's
>> assuming the Northgate keyboards are in decent condition I suppose, and
>> that you use quality connectors.  There are many lower quality ps/2 to USB
>> connectors for example that will not work properly with the Northgate
>> Keyboards or with the real genuine old IBM keyboards.  There are even
>> websites devoted to identifying the quality connectors that handle power
>> requirements and other specs properly in all regards so as to let the old
>> solid IBM keyboards work with today's computers on a USB port.  Quality
>> ps/2 to USB connectors on the other hand not only work with the
>> Northgate/IBM keyboards but also work with a PS/2 KVM switch added to the
>> mix.
>>
>> .
>
>

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