ATARI Keyboards Keycap size

[gianlucarenzi]

Hello guys! I need your help Atari 800, ATARI 800XL/600XL owners!

If you guys own a caliber I urgently need to know which size in millimeters (or even better in keycaps unit 1U) the following keys:

 

ATARI 800:

  - CONTROL key (to my measurements using pictures found on internet) 1.5U

  - LSHIFT key 1.75U as well as the RSHIFT

  - FUNCTION KEYS (Select, Start...) 1.5U

  - CLR SET TAB key 1.5U

  - RETURN key 1.5U

 

ATARI 800XL

  - CONTROL key 2.0U

  - LSHIFT key 2.25U

  - RSHIFT key 2.0U

  - CAPS LOWR key 1.25U

  - RETURN key 1.75U

  - ESC key 1.25U

  - FUNCTION KEYS are spaced as 1U keysize.

 

The only correct keyboard I can check is the Atari 130XE style...

 

In attachment the PDF layouts of those keycaps (used by MaxKeyboard) and the keysize in keycap units.

 

Please help me,

Gianluca

atari-800-xl-style-maxkeyboard.pdf atari-xe-style-maxkeyboard.pdf

[Krenath]

I have an 1983 ATARI 800.  Key sizes are:

CTRL, TAB, RETURN are all 1.5U

Left SHIFT key is 2U, right SHIFT key is 1.5U

Spacebar is 9U

Function keys are 1.5U
 

Row 1 is 15U wide overall
Row 2 is 15U wide
Row 3 is 14U wide and is offset 0.25U from the left side of rows 1 and 2.
Row 4 is 14U wide
Row 5 (spacebar) is 9U wide and is offset 2.5U from the left side of row 4

It would certainly still work to make the shift keys the same size at 1.75U and possibly eliminate the need for a stabilizer bar on the left shift key.  

 Do you know where I could order a cherry mx keycap set for my 800 keyboard project like what you've designed here?  

 

Edited November 17, 2020 by Krenath