Keyboard Dictionary

1.25-unit enter key

Also known as: tiny-ass enter

The 1.25-unit enter or return key is one that horizontally long but just 1.25 units so. It comprises the shared area between ANSI and ISO enter keys. IBM notably used such a return key on various Model F family keyboards such as the alphanumeric IBM 4704 Display Station keyboards (types 472X-200, 472X-300 and 470X-400) and the IBM 4980 Display Station Typewriter Keyboard.

60%

"60%" describes a small form-factor keyboard that omits dedicated numeric keypad, arrow keys, function keys and navigation keys. Such keyboards are the smallest available that do not compromise on keys within the alphanumeric section but often rely on function layers to reintroduce the functionality from the aforementioned keys. The Model F-based IBM 4704 Model 200 Alphameric Keyboard is an example of an early 60% keyboard design. The Anne Pro and Anne Pro 2, GK61, various HHKBs, Vortex POK3R and Wooting 60HE+ are examples of more recent 60% designs.

ABNT2 layout

The "ABNT2" physical and function layout is one of the keyboard layouts introduced by the Enhanced layout alongside the ANSI and ISO layouts. It is solely intended for Brazilian Portuguese keyboards. It is named the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards (ABNT) body's specification for the alphanumeric portion of the layout - ABNT NBR 10346 variant 2. It is very similar to an ISO layout but additionally has a smaller (1.75-unit) right shift key and a smaller (1-unit shorter) numpad plus key.

ANSI enter key

Also known as: long enter key

The ANSI-style enter, return or field exit key is one that is horizontally long and usually 2.25 units long. It is used by the ANSI physical layout and is thus common for standard PC keyboards destined for the United States of America (among a few others). For IBM and family, a key similar to it emerged by 1978 for IBM 4978 Display Station Keyboards. In the '80s, it was popularised by the Enhanced layout as the main domestic (relative to the USA) counterpart to the ISO-style enter key.

ANSI layout

The "ANSI" physical layout is one of the two main keyboard layouts introduced by the Enhanced layout alongside the ISO layout that together remain the base of most keyboard layouts. It is named after the American National Standards Institute and was primarily intended for the United States of America but is also used for generic English keyboards in The Netherlands and many East Asian countries. It may also be used for Arabic and Cyrillic language keyboards. Compared to ISO, ANSI physical layout has a larger (2.25-unit) left shift key and a horizontally massive (2.25-unit long) enter key.

AT

AT layout

The AT layout refers to the key arrangement of Model F-based IBM 5170 Personal Computer AT Keyboard from 1984 that was briefly a de facto standard for PC keyboards in the mid-1980s. The AT's layout is a rework of the "XT layout" that eliminated many of the stepped keys, switched to a "backwards-L" enter key, and introduced a separation between the alphanumeric and numeric keypad sections. PC clone manufacturers and other companies briefly adopted the layout, but it was quickly overshadowed by the arrival of the Enhanced layout the following year. The "AT" name is derived from the IBM 5170 Personal Computer AT to retrospectively distinguish it from the XT layout.

AZERTY

AZERTY is one of several alphabetical key arrangements named after the first six of such keys that appear on a given keyboard. It is a derivative of QWERTY used in France and Belgium for their separate national layouts. AZERTY first appeared in the 1890s, but its exact origins are unknown.

AccuType Keyboard

"AccuType Keyboard" was Lenovo's marketing name for an island-style keyboard design introduced in the early 2010s as a more compact replacement for its previous "classic" keyboard designs. AccuType Keyboards typically have 80 to 90 keys but can be larger with a numeric keypad, and most 1-unit or larger keycaps have a curved bottom edge. In recent years, the curve has been removed for keys that are not alphabetic or numeric. AccuType Keyboards are intended for Lenovo's consumer PC devices such as IdeaPad and (non-ThinkPad (Yoga) - the ThinkPad equivalent to AccuType is the Lenovo Precision Keyboard.

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene

Alphabetic shift

Alphanumeric point of sale

Backwards-L enter key

Also known as: big-ass enter

A "backwards-L" enter or return key is one that is shaped as described and is usually 2.25 units long and 2 units tall. For IBM and family, a return key very similar to it appeared on US English IBM 3732 Text Display Station Typewriter Keyboards by 1978 but it was not popularised until the emergence of the AT layout in 1984. After the AT layout was supplanted by the Enhanced layout, this style of enter/return key found a new home on the so-called "Asian 10X" layout.

Base Keyboard

Also known as: IBM Base Keyboard

"Base Keyboard" was IBM's official name for a 75-key or 87-key IBM 3270 family terminal keyboard. They were originally introduced in 1977 as Model B keyboards (for IBM 3276, 3279 and late 3279) and reintroduced in 1982 as Model F keyboards (for IBM 3104 and 3178) and were perhaps the closest analog IBM had to a full-sized keyboard before Converged and Enhanced Keyboards. They all have two sets of two-column 10-key areas flanking the sides of the main keyboard, and may also have a 12-key keypad for program-function keys, numeric keys or both at once.

Base plate

Also known as: back plate, backplate

A keyboard base plate is a plate that sits at the bottom (the base) of a keyboard whose assembly is separate from its cover set and is used as a rigid support for everything else on the assembly to rely on. On Model F and most buckling spring Model M keyboards, the base plate is also curved to provide a sculpt for its keys. Typically, it is metal to provide strong support, but it can be plastic. For keyboards that don't have an assembly separate from the cover set, its bottom cover piece will assume its purpose.

Battlecruiser

Also known as: battle cruiser

"Battlecruiser" can refer to two types of keyboards. For IBM and family, they're simply a version of a "battleship" keyboard that whilst retaining the same physical layout, its overall casing is slightly smaller. "Battlecruiser" thus typically refers to later versions of the 122-key IBM Converged Keyboard (Type 3, 4 and 5 122-key Model Ms) that are slightly smaller than the earlier versions (122-key and 127-key Model Fs and Type 1 and 2 122-key Model Ms). Outside of IBM and family, "battlecruiser" keyboards can still be similar to "battleship" style keyboards but don't strictly follow its physical layout and typically have further expanded navigation clusters.

Battleship

"Battleship" describes a keyboard larger than a full-sized 101 to 105 key keyboard, typically featuring a 10-key block and two rows of function keys to the left and on top of the alphanumeric keys respectively. 122-key and 127-key members of the IBM Converged Keyboard family (Model F and Model M) are the primarily examples of an IBM "battleship".

Black oval

Refers to a style of IBM logo typically found on their industrial and black keyboards, especially from the early to late-1990s. Typically, these came in the form of a stadium-like solid black oval with a raised white or silver IBM logo aligned in the centre.

Black square

Refers to a style of IBM logo found on their industrial computers and keyboards, especially from the early to mid-1980s. Typically, these come in the form of a solid black square with a white IBM logo aligned at the top.

Blocking

Blue oval

Refers to a style of IBM logo found on their business and personal computers and keyboards, especially from the early to late-1990s. Typically, these come in the form of a stadium-like solid grey oval with a blue IBM logo aligned in the centre.

Brilliant white (keycap)

Also known as: true white, white

"Brilliant white" or simply "white" in a keycap context is Unicomp's term for a chromatically-cool white colour. Brilliant white keycaps are a modern equivalent to pearl keycaps, which by comparison were a warmer colour and look slightly yellowed side-by-side with brilliant white keycaps. They are usually paired with gray keycaps (themselves also a modern equivalent to pebble keycaps) as part of a two-tone set, with brilliant white keys usually being alphanumeric and the spacebar and gray keys usually being arrows, enters, modifiers and operators, they may comprise the entire keyboard as well. They are typically available as an option for Unicomp raven black keyboards.

Buckling rubber sleeve

Also known as: buckling sleeve

A buckling rubber sleeve (or simply "buckling sleeve") is a type of rubber tactile element used in some keyswitch designs. Some may not distinguish it from a rubber dome, but buckling sleeves are distinct in that they are seldom used in a keyswitch design for actuation when rubber domes are typically used for such. Most buckling sleeve designs in fact sit on top of a keyboard assembly instead of residing inside, used to provide tactile feedback and a keycap return force only. Many are also not a complete dome shape and may appear to be a dome that is upside-down. Capacitive and membrane keyboard designs have made use of them, such as the tactile variant of Key Tronic "form-and-foil" and Mitsumi KPQ-series keyswitches respectively. "IBM buckling sleeves" is the provisional name for a major membrane-based keyswitch family that was used on many Model M family keyboards for the space-saving, point of sale and laptop markets (including many early IBM ThinkPad laptops) and seen as a high-quality alternative to the average rubber dome and scissor-switch keyswitch designs. Alongside IBM buckling springs, it's only one of two IBM-originated flagship keyswitch designs still in production.

Buckling spring

A buckling spring is a keyswitch actuator design where a metal coil spring characteristically buckles into a kink instead of compressing in a straight column, which pivots something that can be registered by a pad card or membrane assembly underneath (depending on exact implementation). Various keyswitches that use such a design are referred to as "buckling springs", including IBM's famous buckling spring keyswitches originally designed by Richard Hunter Harris. Buckling springs allow a keyswitch to provide actuation, tactility, auditory feedback and a keycap return force all with just one spring, with the actuation and "click" events occurring at the same time. IBM used versions of buckling springs on all Model F (capacitive) and many Model M (membrane) family keyboards.

CANPOS

Also known as: Compact ANPOS

Stands for Compact Alphanumeric Point of Sale, which specifically refers to the IBM CANPOS Keyboard and IBM CANPOS Keyboard with Card Reader.

Capacitance sensing

Centinewton

Cherry profile

Also known as: GMK profile

"Cherry profile" is a cylindrical-based sculpted keycap profile. It's named after Cherry, who have used this profile since the 1980s, and is currently popular in today's hobby for custom keycap sets.

Classic ThinkPad layout

Also known as: 7-row ThinkPad keyboard

The "classic ThinkPad" layout refers to the traditional IBM and Lenovo ThinkPad keyboard layout initially introduced in late 1992 on IBM Model M6 keyboard assemblies for the IBM ThinkPad 700 series (though itself a refinement of previous IBM and Lexmark notebook keyboard layouts). It's a form of compact tenkeyless design where the navigation cluster keys are located above the main keyboard area and the arrow keys are located below the right shift key. Whilst the layout has been modified over the years to first include an Fn key, then include a Windows key, and lastly have double-height Esc and Delete keys (to name a few notable changes), the overall layout remained stable until its general replacement in 2012 with the Lenovo Precision Keyboard.

Classic Touch

Clicker assembly

Also known as: keyboard clicker, keyboard solenoid, operator feedback, simply "solenoid"

A clicker assembly was an internal component known for being present in various Model B and some Model F terminal keyboards. It was typically a solenoid, but speaker-based implementations were also known. When enabled, it would generate considerable feedback whilst keys were being pressed. For IBM's terminal usage, it was used for indicating when the keyboard was enabled by its host terminal/program to its operator, and potentially for other audible cues depending on the exact terminal/terminal family. A typical example of its use for 327X-75 type and 327X-87 type Model Bs would be if the terminal's operator purposely enabled the clicker, it would engage during key presses and remain silent when the keyboard has been disabled by the host terminal/program. If the terminal operator purposely disabled the clicker, the opposite would be true and the clicker would only engage if said operator tried pressing keys whilst the keyboard is disabled by the host terminal/program. It has also been theorised that it was also used to generally enhance audible feedback, in some ways comparable to the sound pollution of a mechanical typewriter.

Cmdxx key

Command function (Cmd) keys were typically found on IBM 5250-style 122-key terminal keyboards and were used to pass information between the terminal and the (IBM midrange) host system programs and to perform terminal operations. There were region-specific versions of the nomenclature such as "Mdtxx" for Spanish keyboards.

Colemak

Colemak is an alternative functional keyboard layout arrangement for Latin-script alphabet languages designed to address perceived comfort shortcoming with the QWERTY layout. It was created by Shai Coleman and released on 1^st January 2006. Like the Dvorak layout, Colemak places the most frequently used letters of the English language on the keyboard's home row, but makes fewer changes to the rest of the keyboard's layout to make itself more 'approachable' to former QWERTY users. Compared to QWERTY, most symbol keys remain in the same position and common GUI-centric shortcuts remain the same since "A", "Z", "X", "C" and "V" have also not been moved. Colemak is supported on Android, ChromeOS, most major Linux distributions, macOS, and Windows 11 (since update 24H2).

Complete sub-assembly

Also known as: subassembly, internal keyboard assembly, internal assembly

A complete sub-assembly (CSA) refers to a functioning keyboard assembly that can be separated from the keyboard's cover set. "Complete" refers to how such a keyboard assembly has most of the components needs for operation such as keycaps and possibly controller card connected to it, meaning it would technically be functional without a cover set. Model B, Model F, and (most) Model M family keyboards used CSAs.

Console keyboard

Also known as: operator console keyboard, display console keyboard

Console keyboards are a type of terminal keyboard used by a console-style terminal that specialises in low-level control of a host processor such as a mainframe. They descended from IBM typewriter-based printer-keyboards that were often used as consoles. "Display console" and "operator console" are often used interchangeably, but "display" technically implies the console uses a visual display unit (such as a CRT display) and was used to contrast them from earlier printer-based consoles. Console keyboards are usually specialised with legends for controlling the processor and any running programs.

Controller card

Also known as: logic card, controller PCB

A controller card is a dedicated PCB that has electronics used for sensing key-strokes and reporting them to the host computer. Typically, a controller card has a microcontroller (which is where the name is derived from), connectors for the medium in which the key-switches are sensed (another PCB, membrane assembly, etc.), connector for a cable for the host computer (whether it's accessible from inside or outside the keyboard), and any other components needed for power regulation, signal quality control, ballasts for possible LEDs, etc. "Logic card" is a term used interchangeably with controller card, but it can additionally refer to PCBs that don't have a dedicated microcontroller - for example, the IBM 5291/5292 Display Station Keyboard Unit has a PCB that only sports components needed for capacitance sensing that the host terminal has to operate remotely.

Converged Keyboard

Also known as: IBM Converged Keyboard

"Converged Keyboard" was IBM's official name for a 104-key, 122-key or similar terminal or terminal emulator keyboard with a two-row 24-key function key area, a plus-shaped arrow key cluster and a left-side two-column 10-key area. The concept was introduced in 1983 with the IBM 3290 Information Panel's 104-key Model F keyboard and is seen as a successor to the Base Keyboard. IBM Model F and Model M family keyboards understood to be "unsaver", "battleship" or "battlecruiser" style by the keyboard enthusiast community are all a part of the IBM Converged Keyboard lineage. Their "Converged layout" served as the primary basis for the subsequent Enhanced Keyboard's Enhanced layout, the base layout for most modern, industry-standard keyboards.

Cover set

Also known as: cover group, case, casing, shell

A keyboard cover set or cover group (sometimes abbreviated "cover grp" by IBM Netherlands) is the outer structural casing of a keyboard. Typically they're referred to as a "case" or "casing", but "cover" specifically refers to the casing that the keyboard is supposed to be used in (as opposed to packing material or storage mediums like hard-shell cases, travel cases, fabric sleeves, etc.) "Set" refers to the fact keyboard cases are typically multiple parts, usually two - a top and a bottom cover.

Cylindrical (keycap shape)

Also known as: cylindrical-style keycap, cylindrical shaped keycap, cylindrical keycap

A keycap is "cylindrical" if its top has a cylinder-shaped indent. IBM used cylindrical keycaps on its IBM Selectric III electric typewriters, IBM Electronic Typewriter series, Wheelwriter, Quietwriter and Actionwriter electronic typewriters, IBM Model F family keyboards, and IBM Model M family keyboards. In the wider, modern keyboard hobby, the "Cherry profile" is an example of a cylindrical-based keycap profile. It's often used to contrast against spherical and simply flat keycaps.

DSA

"DSA" is a spherical-based short and uniform keycap profile. It resembles a flattened SA profile.

Data entry keyboard

Data entry (DE) keyboards are a type of terminal keyboard commonly found in mainframe, terminal and sometimes server usage that are specialised for simple data entry. Such keyboards are typically smaller than their typewriter-like (DA) counterparts and function with either a numeric shift (upper) or alphabetic shift (lower) only. They descended from IBM Card Punch keyboards and can only enter letters in uppercase.

Data typewriter keyboard

Also known as: typewriter-like keyboard, typewriter-style keyboard, typewriter keyboard

Data typewriter (DA) keyboards are a type of terminal keyboard commonly found in mainframe, terminal and sometimes server usage that are specialised for complete alphanumeric data entry or programming. Such keyboards are typically larger than their data entry (DE) counterparts and can output letters in upper or lower case. The "typewriter-like" moniker stems from the fact they were like typewriters (which could type in either case) instead of Card Punches (which DE keyboards are based on and could only type in uppercase). Technically, modern PC keyboards are also typewriter-like keyboards but the term "typewriter-like" is generally only found in mainframe and related context.

Discrete switch

Distributed cable

Dvorak

Dvorak is an alternative functional keyboard layout arrangement for Latin-script alphabet languages, designed to address perceived speed and ergonomic shortcoming with the QWERTY layout. It was created by August Dvorak and William L. Dealey, with its patent being filled on on 21^st May 1932. Various versions of the layout have been termed "Dvorak Simplified Keyboard" or "American Simplified Keyboard". Like the Colemak layout, Dvorak places the most frequently used letters of the English language on the keyboard's home row, but Dvorak emphasises not requiring the user to move their fingers as much compared to QWERTY and its layout changes both alphabetical and symbols goes further than Colemak's. This means it is not as easy to adapt to from QWERTY compared to Colemak.

EMEA

Enhanced Keyboard

"Enhanced Keyboard" was IBM's official name for a 101-key to 105-key general-purpose keyboard in the Model M family. It was the birth of the modern full-size keyboard that with minor modifications remains the de-facto standard today (see Enhanced layout for details specific to the layout).

Enhanced layout

The Enhanced layout refers to the key arrangements that are de facto standard on current PC keyboards. It was developed from IBM's Converged layout family with some external influences such as from DEC's terminal keyboards. It was cemented by the Model M-based IBM Enhanced Keyboard from 1985. Following the success of the IBM Personal System/2 and adoption by my PC clone manufacturers, the Enhanced Keyboard's 101-key "ANSI" and 102-key "ISO" layouts both became the standard that most full-size or tenkeyless keyboards derive from albeit with the inclusion of Windows/GUI and menu keys that bring the full-size key count up to 104 and 105 keys for "ANSI" and "ISO" respectively.

Erase-Eaze

Field Engineering Maintenance Manual

Field Engineering Theory of Operation

Field replaceable unit

Flip-out feet

A flip-out foot is a structure usually on the bottom of a keyboard that can be deployed or retracted to adjust the typing angle to the user's preference. They are typically paired but can also exist as one large foot or more than two to facilitate ergonomic features such as tenting.

Fn and Ctrl Key swap

Fn key

Folio keyboard

A folio keyboard is a type of tablet keyboard that can act as a protective cover for its host device. "Folio" refers to how such keyboards may look, as a tablet with such a keyboard attached resembles opening a book when the user wants to use it. Folio-style keyboards may be designed to act as a stand for its host tablet if it lacks its own integrated stand, potentially having groves for a tablet to stay upright on (and at various, different angles if there are more than one). Connectivity can vary as folio-style keyboards can attach to their host tablet magnetically or by being its cradle, and they communicate via a USB interface, Bluetooth, or 2.4GHz wireless. Folio-style keyboards may also have Pogo pins to facilitate a USB connection or charge the keyboard if it's wireless. Lenovo has made extensive use of folio-style keyboards for various Precision-era ThinkPad-branded tablets such as the original Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet, all three Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet generations, and the Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1.

Force-sensing resistor

Full-size

Also known as: 100%

"Full-size" describes a keyboard that is complete with an alphanumeric block, numeric keypad, navigation keys, and function keys. Typical modern full-sized keyboards prescribe to the Enhanced layout, which results in 101 or 104 total keys for "ANSI" style keyboards and 102 or 105 total keys for "ISO". The quintessential full-sized keyboard is the Model M-based IBM Enhanced Keyboard, which was largely responsible for cementing the standard that is still so today and is what the Enhanced layout is named after. Historically, "full-size" could also describe a keyboard using the 83-key "XT" or 84-key "AT" layout.

Ghosting

Gram-force

Gray (keycap)

Also known as: grey

"Gray" in a keycap context is Unicomp's term for a chromatically-cool grey colour. Gray keycaps are a modern equivalent to pebble keycaps, which by comparison were a warmer colour and look slightly yellowed side-by-side with gray keycaps. They are usually paired with brilliant white keycaps (themselves also a modern equivalent to pearl keycaps) as part of a two-tone set, with brilliant white keys usually being alphanumeric and the spacebar and gray keys usually being arrows, enters, modifiers and operators, they may comprise the entire keyboard as well. They are typically available as an option for Unicomp raven black keyboards.

Grey oval

Refers to a style of IBM logo found on their business and personal computers and keyboards, especially from the mid-1980s to the early-1990s. Typically, these come in the form of a stadium-like solid grey oval with a black or very dark grey IBM logo aligned in the centre.

Guide access panel

Also known as: Problem Determination Guide access panel, Maintenance Information compartment, literature compartment, document compartment, palm-rest compartment, underside compartment, pocket

The guide access panel or compartment was a feature on some IBM Model B and Model F terminal keyboards that allowed them to store a document useful to the terminal's operator or technicians as some sort of quick access to useful information. 327X-75 type, 327X-87 type and 327X-OC type Model Bs could have a colour-matched palm-rest access panel to the host terminal's problem determination guide and may also have a black bottom-mounted flap for the host terminal's Maintenance Information document. 31XX-75 type, 31XX-87 type and 330X type Model Fs had an underside guide slot for their host terminals' problem determination, operator reference or user's guide.

Home row

The home row is the middle-most row of keys in the primary typing area of a keyboard. For a QWERTY keyboard, it is the row whose first three letters are "A", "S" and "D". The home row is considered an important one for touch typists as it is the row one's hands should rest at. To help with orientating this, the home row may have homing indicators, so one can feel where to position their index fingers.

Homing indicators

Host Connected Keyboard

Also known as: host-connected keyboard, terminal emulator keyboard

Host-connected keyboards are those intended for use with terminal emulation software running on IBM PCs, PC-like thin clients and compatibles. For IBM specifically, Host Connected Keyboard is also the marketing name for Type 4 122-key Model M keyboards specialised for such use cases. In terms of layout and legends, they are a hybrid of PC-style and terminal keyboard and typically have text colour-coded to indicate what are PC-only functions and what are terminal-only/universal functions. "Host connected" refers to how the keyboard is intended for a PC that is ultimately connected to an host IBM processor such as a IBM System/370 or System/390 mainframe computer.

Hysteresis

I-Point

The I-Point was an integrated pointing device found solely on the IBM Wireless Infrared Keyboard (SK-8807) and IBM Wireless Navigator Pro Keyboard (SK-8810). In contrast to the more famous TrackPoint, the I-Point acted similarly to a typical game console controller's analogue joystick input. A similar technology may have been used for the Silitek PS/2 Wireless Rubberdome Keyboard (SK-7500) sold by Unicomp.

IBM and family

ISO enter key

Also known as: tall enter key

The ISO-style enter, return or field exit key is one that is shaped like an upside-down backwards-L and usually with a head that is 1.5 units wide, a body that is 1.25 units wide and is overall 2 units tall. It is used by the ABNT2, ISO and JIS physical layouts and is thus common for standard PC keyboards destined for EMEA, South America, Japan, and Canada (bilingual). For IBM and family, a key similar to it emerged by 1964 on the IBM 029 Card Punch Keyboard and was used for subsequent IBM keypunch keyboards and various terminal keyboards. In the '80s, it was notably adopted by IBM Converged Keyboards before becoming popularised by the Enhanced layout as the main international (relative to the USA) counterpart to the ANSI-style enter key.

ISO layout

The "ISO" physical layout is one of the two main keyboard layouts introduced by the Enhanced layout alongside the ANSI layout that together remain the base of most keyboard layouts. It is named after the International Organisation for Standardisation and was primarily intended for EMEA countries, Canada (bilingual) and South America (Latin American Spanish). Compared to ANSI, ISO physical layout has a smaller (1.25-unit) left shift key and a vertically massive (2-unit tall) enter key in the shape of a backwards and upside-down L. Typically, the right Alt key is also labelled as "Alt Graph" (Alt Gr).

Industrial grey

"Industrial grey" refers to the grey colouring IBM keyboards intended for their industrial computers could have. It's believed to be used to hide the dirt and damage expected to be inflicted upon the device within an industrial environment. The colour may also have a slight 'olive' tint to it.

Integrated cable

Integration tray

Also known as: I/O tray

An integration tray is a component for POS terminals that helps organise and attach peripherals such as keyboards, displays and printers onto the system or a specific location. IBM and TGCS POS terminals typically have multiple kinds of integration trays available to suite mounting peripherals on top of the terminal's PC base unit itself, on top of its cash drawer or on a countertop/tabletop. To fill up any openings, filler panels are also typically available.

Iron grey

"Iron grey" is IBM's and TGCS' marketing name for a dark grey colour used on many of their POS keyboards. Unlike the litho and storm greys used on the bottom of their pearl white POS keyboards, iron grey POS keyboards use the same colour on both sides.

JIS layout

The "JIS" physical layout is a possible keyboard layout derived from the Enhanced layout intended for multilingual Japanese keyboards. It is named after the Japanese Industrial Standards body. There are several similarities and differences compared to the ANSI and ISO layouts; for the latter, JIS utilises an ANSI-like long left shift key and an ISO-style enter key. However, 4 or 5 extra keys (compared to ISO and ANSI respectively) can be found from the splitting of the backspace, right shift and spacebar keys to support additional Japanese characters and language input keys for muhenkan (left of spacebar), henkan (1st right of spacebar) and katakana/hiragana (2nd right of spacebar).

Key nomenclature

Keyboard ID

Keyboard frame

Also known as: frame assembly, frame, barrel plate, barrelplate

A keyboard frame is a plate that typically sits at the top of a keyboard assembly and is used for holding and supporting key-switch components in their specific places. For IBM buckling spring and buckling sleeve keyboards, the frame is the official term for their barrel plates that have circular structures for holding their key-switch components in place. The barrel plate can be metal and have discrete (separate) barrels as seen on all Model F keyboards, or can be plastic and have their barrels integrated as seen on most Model M keyboards.

Keyboard matrix

Keyboard wedge

Litho grey

"Litho grey" is IBM's and TGCS' marketing name for a dark grey colour typically found on the bottom of their POS keyboards. Typically, a litho grey bottom cover piece would be paired with a pearl white top cover piece to produce the styling format "pearl white/litho grey".

Lock lights

Also known as: lock-lights, lock-light LEDs, mode indicators, status lights

Lock lights are a feature on PC-style keyboards that indicate whether a particular keyboard lock - num lock, caps lock or scroll lock - is active. Typically, it's positioned in the top-right corner of the keyboard.

Lock-light LED overlay

A lock-light LED overlay is a sticker for keyboards with lock lights that indicates which light represents which keyboard lock and has transparent parts to allow the light to shine through controllably. The lights can be labelled by text or by symbols. These overlays have also been used to display branding.

Lockable USB

Lockable USB (LUSB) is a series of Type-A USB sockets made by Amphenol. When a USB plug is inserted, the tab above the socket will provide mechanical security and must be pushed back before the plug can be released. The Unicomp Mini Model M notably uses a LUSB port.

MANPOS

Also known as: Modular ANPOS, Modular ANPOS II

Stands for Modular Alphanumeric Point of Sale, which specifically refers to the IBM Modular ANPOS II Keyboard and Toshiba Modular ANPOS Keyboard.

MCANPOS

Also known as: Modular CANPOS, Modular CANPOS II

Stands for Modular Compact Alphanumeric Point of Sale, which specifically refers to the IBM Modular CANPOS II Keyboard and Toshiba Modular CANPOS Keyboard.

MPOS

Also known as: Modular POS

Stands for Modular Point of Sale, which is a series of buckling-sleeve Model M extended family keyboards introduced in 2008. MPOS family keyboards were derived from the RPOS family and are thus close relatives to Model Ms. They remain in production for Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions.

Magnetic stripe reader

Also known as: card reader

A magnetic stripe reader is a point-of-sale device that can read coded information from a magnetic stripe. An example of such a stripe is the (usually black) line on the back of credit and debit cards. Magnetic stripe readers can be handheld or an attachment for a larger device such as a POS monitor or keyboard. Magnetic stripe readers may also be referred to as simply a "card reader" but note there are other types of card readers.

Manager's keylock

Also known as: operator keylock

A manager's keylock is a point-of-sale security feature used to access sensitive functionality on POS computers and terminals. This keylock is typically found on POS monitors or keyboards. For IBM and TGCS POS keyboards with such a key-lock, it typically has two positions; "system" (normal access) and "manager" or "operator" (privileged access). When the key is turned, the host keyboard can send a scancode to the host POS computer or terminal to indicate this change. The position of the key can also modify the scancodes the System keys ("S1" and "S2") return.

Matrix keyboard

Also known as: matrix-style keyboard, ortholinear keyboard, grid-like keyboard, ortho

A matrix keyboard is one whose layout is laid out in a uniform grid of mostly single-unit keys. IBM's use of matrix keyboards was generally limited to point of sale and financial communication system keyboards intended for functional (macro) or numeric input usage, where they could do away with alphanumeric keys as standard along with any row staggering for them. Many of these keyboards additionally sport two-part, relegendable keys, for which having a uniform layout is advantageous to support both single-unit keytops and multi-unit keytops that span multiple keystems. Examples of IBM matrix keyboards include the IBM 4704 Display Station Model 100 Function Keyboard, IBM 4680 POS Matrix Keyboard, IBM Modifiable Layout Keyboard and IBM SurePOS 100 Express System Keyboard Assembly. Amongst keyboard enthusiasts, the ortholinear keyboard emerged as a type of matrix keyboard that is usually compact but still intended to be an alphanumeric keyboard. Such keyboards often make use of layers to access function and number keys as they are often missing from their base layout.

Mechanical keyboard

Membrane assembly

A membrane assembly is a form of layered circuitry primarily used as the sensor for key-switches that rely on ohmic sensing. It is comprised of plastic (such as Mylar/BoPET) sheets with electrical traces and predefined contact points screened onto them. Typically, an IBM and family keyboard membrane assembly will have three layers - a sense line circuit membrane on top, an insulator layer acting as a spacer, and a drive line circuit membrane on the bottom. The sense and drive circuits are the two axes of the keyboard's matrix, with sense being the matrix rows that electricity is fed through and the drive being the matrix columns that are monitored from returning electricity. On its own, a membrane assembly is incapable of providing any meaningful auditory and/or tactile feedback. Thus, a common and economical pairing for them are rubber dome actuators to provide a tactile response.

Membrane blanket

Also known as: rubber mat, rubber sheet

The membrane blanket (or simply blanket) is a possible sheet of usually rubbery material inside a keyboard assembly that dampens the stress key-switches' actuators (such as the pivot plates on buckling spring keyboards) can exert on the membrane assembly. They can be black, grey or white coloured. At least for Model M keyboards, they can operate without a blanket but a Unicomp employee has stated they cannot reach their rated key-press lifetime without one. Its presence or lack of and its exact material can affect key feel.

Modelo M

"Modelo M" is Spanish for Model M. Model M keyboards produced by IBM Mexico notably had this written on their rear labels, thus "Modelo M" has been used colloquially to refer to such keyboards.

Monocase/dualcase switch

Also known as: dual/mono switch, uppercase/mixed-case switch, blue switch, blue button

The monocase/dualcase switch is a blue-coloured rocker-style switch found across various IBM 3270 family terminals. It affects how the terminal displays alphabetic characters, which as its "A/A,a" label suggests, toggles between all-uppercase or uppercase and lowercase text. It was originally introduced for the IBM 3276 and 3278 Display Stations, mounted to the right of their CRT. But for the IBM 3104 Display Terminal and 3178 Display Station, the switch was migrated to their Model F based keyboards (31XX-75 and 31XX-87 type, excluding their Japanese (Katakana) versions) and are a staple feature of them.

N-key rollover

NANPOS

Non-US backslash

Non-US hash

Numeric keypad

Also known as: number pad, numpad, 10-key

A numeric keypad is a bank of keys usually found on the right side of a full-size keyboard featuring keys for inputting numbers and basic operator symbols. Typically found in a 17-key implementation, you get keys for numbers 0 to 9, a decimal key, keys for four operators (/, *, - and double height +), a num lock toggle key, and an enter key. Variants with more keys exist too, with the 18-key variant that adds a backspace key at the expense of making one of the larger keys smaller being a common upgrade. Numeric keypads exist as either a part of a keyboard or as a separate device useful for laptop usage. When num lock is disengaged on PC-compatibles, the numbers and decimal keys become a navigation cluster represented by the secondary legends on the keycaps.

Numeric shift

Ohmic sensing

Operator control panel

An operator control panel is a component found on some console keyboards that hosts buttons and lights for low-level CPU operations. OCPs were typically black and originated from the much larger control panels found on the front of IBM mainframe (System/360 and System/370) processing units. When IBM adopted CRT-based operator consoles, this panel became smaller and integrated on the top of various IBM keyboards (mostly from the Model B keyboard family). An OCP may have buttons for IML or IMPL (initial microcode/microprogram load), Lamp Test (to test the lights on the OCP or other I/O devices), Power On/Power Off, and various other host-specific features. Some may even have an emergency pull that when pulled will cut power to the host CPU and has to be mechanically reset.

Optical TrackPoint

The Optical TrackPoint was an integrated pointing device introduced by Lenovo in 2011. It was designed as a low-profile alternative to traditional TrackPoint pointing sticks and was exclusively used with two Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet PC keyboards - Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet Keyboard Folio Case (0B33533) and Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 Bluetooth Keyboard with Stand (EBK-209A) - before being discontinued. As they were an optical sensor not unlike the sensors in typical desktop mice, the user must swipe the stick to move the mouse cursor. They are easily distinguished by the black circle in the middle of the usual red nub.

Overnumpad

Also known as: pressure-based controller

"Overnumpad" is a nickname for a style of controller card used by fourth-generation Model Ms that is pressure-fitted to the host keyboard's membrane assembly. Compared to older Model M controller cards that used Triomate sockets to accept membrane flex cables, "overnumpad" style controller cards are smaller, electrically simpler and typically have lock-light LEDs onboard instead of having them on a separate PCB.

PA key

Also known as: PAx key

A program access key (PAn nomenclature) was a key found on some terminal and host-connected keyboards, used for calling a running program to communicate with it. It is typically found on IBM 3270-style and IBM 315X/316X ASCII style keyboards.

PFxx key

Program Function (PF) keys were typically found on IBM 3270-style terminal keyboards and were designed as dedicated keys specific programs could change to suit their specific task(s). Outside of terminals, PF keys may be used to indicate what keys the user can remap or create macros for.

POS

Pad card

Also known as: capacitance-sensing PCB, capsense PCB, capacitive PCB

A pad card is what IBM called a PCB with contacts to facilitate capacitance sensing. The name likely refers to the appearance of many pairs of rectangular pads of exposed copper under each key-switch actuator. Whilst pad cards may have controller/logic electronics on them, there is no specific requirement for one to also have such 'brains'. Some pad cards even had an edge connector for slotting a controller card onto it. IBM Model B and Model F keyboards both made use of pad cards.

Part number

Part-way actuation

Pearl (keycap)

"Pearl" in a keycap context was IBM's, Lexmark's, Unicomp's and TGCS' term for a chromatically-warm white colour. Pearl keycaps are typically paired with pebble keycaps as part of a two-tone set, with pearl keys usually being alphanumeric and the spacebar and pebble keys usually being arrows, enters, modifiers and operators. They are typically found on IBM and family pearl white keyboards.

Pearl white

Also known as: simply "pearl"

"Pearl white" is IBM's, Lexmark's and Unicomp's marketing name for an off-white colour used on many of their keyboards. It's usually colloquially described as "beige".

Pebble (keycap)

"Pebble" in a keycap context was IBM's, Lexmark's, Unicomp's and TGCS' term for a chromatically-warm grey colour. Pebble keycaps are typically paired with pearl keycaps as part of a two-tone set, with pearl keys usually being alphanumeric and the spacebar and pebble keys usually being arrows, enters, modifiers and operators. They are typically found on IBM and family pearl white keyboards.

Personal Systems

Pivot plate

Also known as: flipper, hammer, rocker

A pivot plate is a component of buckling spring key-switches that is moved when the namesake spring is pushed and buckles. It takes the form of a (mostly) plastic piece that has a knob for attaching a coil spring. At rest, the pivot plate should be lifted from the sensor underneath to not create a circuit. When pressured by a buckled spring, it will make a circuit - for Model F keyboards, its material is carbon infused and an increase in capacitance is measured by a pad card; for Model M keyboards, it will physically bridge contacts on a membrane assembly by applying pressure to it.

Pointing stick

Also known as: nub

A pointing stick is an integrated pointing device near or within a keyboard assembly intended as an alternative or supplement to a trackball or trackpad. Typically, they're isometric (stationary) but some may act as a small joystick. When located within a keyboard, they're typically placed in between the "G", "H" and "B" keys - a location chosen for quick and ergonomic access as per IBM. Other advantages to pointing sticks include their inherent compactness, their resistance to dirt, and sweat, and their operability when wearing gloves. Their main drawback is that they can get in the way of typing depending on the user's typing style. The most famous pointing stick is the IBM/Lenovo TrackPoint series.

Polybutylene terephthalate

Polycarbonate

Polyvinyl chloride

Port 5

Also known as: socket 5, number 5 port, cable 5, number 5 cable

Port 5 is the name of the RS-485-based keyboard port available on IBM 4680 and 4690 series POS Terminals and their descendants such as IBM SurePOS 700 and TGCS TCx 700 series. The port is 8-pin SDL based on both the keyboard and host side, with a double-ended male cable between them. On the keyboard side for RPOS series Model Ms, the port is simply embossed as "5" on the bottom cover piece. On the host side, the port may be labelled with a letter such as "5A" in case there are multiple such ports available. Examples of other IBM/TGCS POS RS-485 SDL port numbers include 3 (cash drawer), 4 (primary display), 7 (printer) and 9 (scanner or secondary display). USB-based RPOS keyboards and the PS/2-based IBM PS/2 ANPOS Keyboard with Integrated Pointing Device may still have "5" embossed on them, but this is due to shared tooling and is not a nomenclature that applies to them in practice.

Pre-Modular POS

The "pre-Modular POS" is a term used on Admiral Shark's Keyboards to refer to buckling-sleeve Model M POS keyboard designs introduced after the RPOS series and before the MPOS series. This typically refers to the IBM PS/2 ANPOS Keyboard with Integrated Pointing Device, IBM CANPOS Keyboard, IBM CANPOS Keyboard with Card Reader, and IBM 4613 SurePOS 100 Keyboard Assembly. IBM and Toshiba do not categorise such keyboards themselves, hence this term was introduced to refer to them.

Precision Keyboard

Also known as: 6-row ThinkPad keyboard

"Precision Keyboard" was Lenovo's marketing name for an island-style ThinkPad keyboard design introduced in the early 2010s as a more compact replacement for the classic ThinkPad style keyboard. They are based on the Lenovo AccuType Keyboard. Like AccuType, Precision Keyboards typically have 80 to 90 keys but can be larger with a numeric keypad, and most 1-unit or larger keycaps have a curved bottom edge. In recent years, the curve has been removed for keys that are not alphabetic or numeric. Being intended for ThinkPads, Precision Keyboards typically also have a TrackPoint pointing stick embedded in them.

QWERTY

QWERTY is one of several alphabetical key arrangements named after the first six of such keys that appear on a given keyboard. It is the most common such arrangement used worldwide, and the only one not confined to a particular region or language, which is the case for derivatives such as AZERTY, QWERTZ and QZERTY. The QWERTY arrangement was created by Christopher Latham Sholes in the early 1870s. A commonly repeated misconception about its creation was that it was designed to slow down typing and/or prevent jamming on mechanical typewriters. That said, some believe QWERTY to still be suboptimal and unergonomic, so Colemak and Dvorak (for example) were created to address its perceived shortcoming.

QWERTZ

QWERTZ is one of several alphabetical key arrangements named after the first six of such keys that appear on a given keyboard. It is a derivative of QWERTY commonly associated with German-speaking countries, though it sees use in Albania, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and some countries formerly a part of Yugoslavia.

QZERTY

QZERTY is one of several alphabetical key arrangements named after the first six of such keys that appear on a given keyboard. It is a derivative of QWERTY that was used in Italy. Whilst it sees some support on modern devices, it has mostly fallen out of favour for QWERTY.

Quiet Touch

Also known as: Enhanced Quiet Touch, Easy Touch

"Quiet Touch" is an IBM, Lexmark and Unicomp umbrella term for a non-clicky keyswitch of some kind. It's largely associated with keyboards that use rubber dome over membrane keyswitch designs such as the IBM Basic Keyboard, but it's also been used to refer to other IBM Model M variants with IBM buckling sleeves and IBM Model 1B (Micro Switch ST-series based) keyboards as well. It was used to contrast them with the companies' typical clicky keyboards, for which Lexmark in particular referred to as "Classic Touch" as a counterpart. Sometimes the term also appeared in a keyboard's marketing name, for which IBM has released several different "Quiet Touch Keyboards".

RANPOS

Also known as: Retail ANPOS

Stands for Retail Alphanumeric Point of Sale, which specifically refers to the IBM Model M9 Retail ANPOS Keyboard.

RPOS

Also known as: Retail POS

Stands for Retail Point of Sale, which was a series of buckling-sleeve Model M keyboards introduced in 1993 for the IBM 4690 family of POS terminals. RPOS keyboards were designated Model M7 through M11 and were produced for IBM and later Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions.

RPQ

Raven black

Also known as: stealth black

"Raven black" is IBM's, Unicomp's and TGCS' marketing name for a black cover set and keycap colour used on many of their keyboards. It particularly signifies an 'absolute' black colour in contrast to bluish-black colours IBM sometimes used. IBM sometimes used "stealth black" interchangeable with it.

Rear label

Also known as: birth certificate

A keyboard's rear label is a sticker typically placed on the bottom of a keyboard that details some basic facts about the keyboard. Typical fields on such a label can include the keyboard's part and/or model number, FRU number, date of manufacture, country of manufacture, OEM and/or factory, copyright date and any applicable regulatory information. The typical inclusion of a manufacture date has led to these stickers colloquially being referred to as the keyboard's "birth certificate". Additionally, keyboards may have multiple such rear labels - typical for IBM and Lexmark era Model F and Model M keyboards is having an "outer rear label" on the bottom of the cover set and an "inner rear label" on the bottom of the contained complete sub-assembly.

Riser feet

Also known as: riser-style feet, risers

A riser was IBM's term for a specific kind of flip-out foot that was particularly long and thin and typically deployed by turning something or pushing a button on either side of the keyboard. Such feet were common on various Model F keyboards and early (Type 1) 122-key Model M Converged Keyboards. For terminal keyboards, it was also common for the feet two have 2 or 3 settings (levels of typing angle adjustment).

SA

"SA" is a spherical-based tall and sculpted keycap profile. It's similar to old IBM and Micro Switch keycap sculpts, but it is a distinct contemporary (to them) design that has since become popular in today's hobby for custom keycap sets.

SIO

Scancode

Scissor-switch

Also known as: scissor switch, scissor-stabilised rubber dome, pantograph switch

A scissor-switch is a rubber dome keyswitch design where their keycaps and keyboard frame are connected via two cross-arms designed to stabilise the key. The domes on such keyswitches are typically very small, thus they can struggle to stabilise a key on their own, requiring the scissor structure to ensure a more uniform travel regardless of where you press the key and reduce wobbling. They are typically used for low-profile applications such as laptop keyboards, but various desktop keyboards such as IBM's and Lenovo's SK-8835, SK-8840 & SK-8845 family and Apple Magic Keyboard family also use them.

Select-a-Keyboard

Setup switches

Also known as: setup DIP switches, setup switch bank

Setup switches are usually a possible bank of DIP switches on the underside of or inside a top-facing compartment on a terminal or console keyboard that gives the operator some easy access to hard-code some settings relating to the keyboard and/or other peripherals. They are often associated with keyboard ID purposes, but depending on the exact terminal or console, they can also or either be used for setting the terminal's audible alarm volume, specifying a possible printer, and how many lines per inch said printer should print. Setup switches may also be used in tandem with or as a replacement for a simple internal jumper header on the keyboard's controller card intended for the same or similar purpose. Keyboards with setup switches may also have a sticker near them where one could indicate what the typical configuration should be by marking the relevant on (I)/off (O) boxes under the switch position number.

Shielded data link

A type of electric connector designed by AMP resembling a flattened modular 8P8C (ethernet/RJ-45) connector. In keyboard circles, SDL connectors are known for being the modular connection type IBM used for many Model M keyboard variants in 6-pin (buckling spring) and 8-pin (POS) forms.

Silver square

Refers to a style of IBM logo found on their business and personal computers and keyboards, especially from the early to mid-1980s. Typically, these came in the form of a solid silver square with a black IBM logo aligned at the top and optionally followed with additional text stating the computer or keyboard's host name or model number.

Small form-factor

Soft Touch

"Soft Touch" was an IBM marketing term for a keyboard that sported buckling spring (clicky) keyswitches that were greased from the factory to make them quieter than normal. The grease mitigated the spring's ping. This is in contrast to Quiet Touch keyboards, which use different keyswitch actuator designs to reduce noise. The only known Soft Touch keyboard is the Lexmark-made IBM Soft Touch Keyboard (P/N 8184692).

Spherical (keycap shape)

Also known as: spherical-style keycap, spherical shaped keycap, spherical keycap

A keycap is "spherical" if its top has a sphere-shaped indent. IBM used spherical keycaps on its IBM Model D, Selectric I and Selectric II electric typewriters, IBM 029 and 129 family Card Punch Keyboards, IBM Elastic Diaphragm family keyboards, and IBM Model B family keyboards. In the wider, modern keyboard hobby, SA and DSA are examples of spherical-based keycap profiles. It's often used to contrast against cylindrical and simply flat keycaps.

Stabiliser insert

Also known as: barrel insert, rod insert

A stabiliser insert is a component designed to support a part of a multi-unit keycap stabiliser, though there are different forms of such. For IBM and family, something referred to as a "stabiliser insert" is used by most buckling spring and Quiet Touch rubber dome Model M family keyboards as something that sits in a keyboard frame barrel to receive a protrusion of a 2-unit or larger (but not spacebar) keycap to ensure its stable and descends smoothly when pressed. These protrusions are sometimes referred to as a "rod", so this form of stabilisation is also sometimes referred to as "rod stabilisation". The inserts for horizontal and vertical multi-unit keycaps are slightly different as the horizontals' hole (pictured) are centred whereas the verticals' holes are aligned towards the top or bottom. For Cherry MX-style stabilisers such as Costars, a small plastic part used to attach a metal stabiliser wire to the keycap can also be referred to as a "stabiliser insert".

Stepped keycap

Also known as: hatted keycap (for double-stepped only)

A keycap is stepped if it has a noticeably lowered space on one or both sides of its top face. Steps can be present on keycaps larger than a single unit and used to either make a keycap feel more distinct if you're trying to find it quickly/without looking or to reduce the need for a stabiliser by forcing the user to press the keycap a certain way. Since the Enhanced Keyboard's introduction, it's been typical for IBM and family keyboards to at least have single-stepped Caps Lock and (if applicable) stepped ISO enter keys to help define them. However, keyboards like the IBM Personal Computer's used two steps for all non-spacebar keycaps larger than 1 unit so the user must press them at their centre.

Storm grey

"Storm grey" is IBM's and TGCS' marketing name for a light grey colour typically found on the bottom of their POS keyboards. Typically, a storm grey bottom cover piece would be paired with a pearl white top cover piece to produce the styling format "pearl white/storm grey".

Strain gauge

Styrene-acrylonitrile

TEMPESTed

Tenkeyless

Describes a small form-factor keyboard that is similar to a full-sized (101 to 105 key) keyboard but omits a dedicated numeric keypad. This is usually done for reducing the overall footprint of the keyboard without sacrificing function or navigation keys, although it has become popular in gaming circles since it allows the user to bring the keyboard and mouse closer together. In specific, "tenkey" refers to the number 0 to 9 keys. The Model M-based 1987 IBM Space Saving Keyboards (SSK) is perhaps the most well known and first popular example of a tenkeyless keyboard.

Terminal keyboard

TouchStyk

The TouchStyk is a force-sensing capacitor pointing stick introduced by Synaptics as a competing product to IBM's TrackPoint. It was invented by 2001. It's famously used for HP laptops with pointing sticks and even by IBM and Lenovo for their SK-8835/SK-884x family of keyboards. It's also possible some modern Lenovo ThinkPad keyboard assemblies also employ TouchStyks instead of TrackPoint as implied by Synaptics' advertising.

TrackPoint

The TrackPoint is a family of strain gauge pointing sticks introduced by IBM in 1992 with the IBM ThinkPad 700 series. TrackPoint II was the first implementation in the traditional stick format, with the original TrackPoint being an unrelated convertible trackball/ball mouse for the IBM PS/2 L40SX laptop from 1991. TrackPoint is considered a staple feature of ThinkPad laptops and keyboard products. TrackPoint II was followed by III in 1994 which added a negative inertia firmware feature to improve cursor reaction speed, and IV in 1997 which allowed for a possible third mouse button and press-to-select feature. Lenovo has continued using TrackPoint IV since purchasing IBM Personal Computing Division in 2005 and has introduced increasingly lower-profile versions of it. TrackPoints iconically uses a red protective/grip cover as its cap.

Triomate

Also known as: TRIO-MATE

Triomate is a family of 2.54mm (0.1") pitch flexible flat cable sockets currently made by TE Connectivity. They have been used as membrane flex cable sockets for many Model M family keyboard variants. They could also be used for cables running between a controller card and a lock-light LED daughterboard.

Tsangan bottom row

Also known as: Unicomp 103

A keyboard with a "Tsangan" bottom row has 1.5-unit sized Ctrl and Alt keys separated by 1-unit GUI keys and a 7-unit spacebar. It's based on the Enhanced layout bottom row but with the spaces filled in. Unicomp refers to this bottom row as "103" style (which refers to a 101-key US English ANSI layout keyboard with the two extra GUI keys). It's not to be confused with the Tsangan layout in general, which has this bottom row but also has other traits that diverge from Enhanced's ANSI and ISO layouts. They're named after a geekhack community member who liked this style of bottom row and had several modifier keycap adapter kits named after them.

Two-key rollover

Typematic

Typewriter section

UltraNav

UltraNav is an IBM and Lenovo marketing term for the pairing of a pointing stick and a programmable/configurable trackpad on a ThinkPad laptop or ThinkPad/ThinkPad-style discrete keyboard. Typically, an UltraNav will consist of a TrackPoint and a trackpad produced by Alps, ELAN or Synaptics, but for some keyboards such as the IBM/Lenovo SK-8835/SK-884x family, a TouchStyk is used in place of a TrackPoint. Typically, IBM and Lenovo laptops with an UltraNav get two sets of mouse buttons (one below the spacebar for the pointing stick and one below or integrated into the bottom corners of the trackpad).

Unsaver

"Unsaver" describes a tenkeyless keyboard similar to "battleship" and "battlecruiser" that omits an integrated numeric keypad but retains a 10-key block and two rows of program-function keys to the left and on top of the alphanumeric keys respectively. The term is almost exclusively used to describe the Model F based 104-key keyboard for IBM 3290 and 5080, the original IBM Converged Keyboard design.

Winkeyless

A winkeyless keyboard is any keyboard that lacks Windows (aka, GUI or Super) and context menu keys. However, a winkeyless keyboard typically takes the form of a keyboard's bottom row with unused 1-unit spaces between the Ctrl and Alt keys. The term has only existed since after the Windows key's widespread adoption following Windows 95, but many older keyboards have been retroactively referred to as "winkeyless keyboards". The 101-key and 102-key Enhanced layouts are perhaps the most famous example of a standard winkeyless design despite predating Windows keys.

Workstation Element

A Workstation Element (WSE) is simply a large general component of an IBM workstation, professional-grade personal computer, or terminal. These can be basic components one might associate as being a part of a typical computer such as monitors, tower or desktop PC units, keyboards and mice, and non-consumer computer/terminal components such as logic bases and light pens. For example, an IBM Display Station may have a "video WSE" (ie, a monitor), a "logic WSE", and a "keyboard WSE". Some IBM keyboards such as 31XX-75 and 31XX-87 type Model F keyboards can have stickers referring to themselves as a "KEYBOARD WSE".

XT

XT layout

The XT layout refers to the key arrangement of Model F-based IBM 5150/5160 Personal Computer Keyboard from 1981 that was once a de facto standard for PC keyboards in the early 1980s. The XT layout was derived from the IBM 5250 typewriter layout originally used on the IBM 525X-83 type Model B. Early PC clones such as 1983's Compaq Portable adopted the layout, propelling it as a standard for a short period of time. XT is specifically known for its high number of stepped keycaps, vertical but thin enter key, and no separation between the alphanumeric and numeric keypad sections. The "XT" name is derived from the IBM 5160 Personal Computer XT to retrospectively distinguish it from the AT layout.