Keyboard Mechanical Design

[Rowena Larkins]

> but I'm at a loss as to what to do about the physical keyboard
> (i.e., the keys) itself.  Can you buy a mechanical keyboard, like you can
> with computer keyboards or touch tone telephone keypads?  If so, who 
> would carry these?  If not, then how do people generally build them (what 
> kind of switches should be used,

I have had two experiences in this. 

1. get some old tin cans. Cut them into strips. make sure there are no
sharp edges on the strips. paint some of them black and others white. 
get some veroboard and solder the tin strips at one end and solder contacts
under the other end. The result  a cheap and nasty and ugly keyboard thing which
works if used very slowly and carefully.

2. Buy some keys from an organ manufacturer. buy some nichrome wire from a 
wire shop (this is springy and has good electric capabilities). build a base to 
mount the keys on and add suitable weights to the keys to allow them to bounce 
back. Connect the wire so that it makes the appropriate contact (make and break)
and voila, you have an expensive and nasty keyboard which is not too ugly
and works unreliably.

My final solution was to buy a keyboard, ready made, from an organ shop for 
about $50. This came with contacts and looks good and works.

If you want a pile of old organ keys from option 2 I have them sitting in a
 box somewhere :-)

Rowena (from Australia)