Free Standard Shipping in the US on orders over $99

APT Hall Effect Mechanical Keyboard

details

reviews14

photos0

discussions201

01 / 22

... / MECHANICAL KEYBOARDS / 65% KEYBOARDS / ACE PAD TECH

APT Hall Effect Mechanical Keyboard

Name: APT Hall Effect Mechanical Keyboard
Brand: Ace Pad Tech
SKU: apt-hall-effect-mechanical-keyboard
Price: 114.99 USD
Availability: OutOfStock
Rating: 1.5 (14 reviews)

Where's the price?

To negotiate the best possible price for our customers, we agree to hide prices prior to logging in.

482 requests

379 Sold

Product Description

The Hall sensor, for which this innovative keyboard is named, was popular in keyboards of the 1970s and ‘80s thanks to its reliability. Frequently used in nuclear reactors, missile silos, and aircraft cockpits, the sensor steadily became less popular due to high cost of production Read More

overview

details

reviews14

photos0

discussions201

Customer Reviews

1.5

(14 reviews)

(0)

(1)

(2)

(10)

Images

Sort by: Top Reviews

tiborh

Nov 6, 2021

Verified Buyer

Somehow, the review link of my old order led to this page, where the 60% board is shown (I have the full board) The keyboard rested on my shelf for a long time after the cable connector came loose and I collected the strength and skill to repair it (surface mounted, not through-hole). It turned out to be an easy matter, it was enough to melt the soldering material already on the board. It has been working fine since then. Hall effect switches are one of the greatest inventions for keyboard switches: no friction, easy to type on. So that is not a question. The real question is how good the implementation and manufacturing are. APT, rightly so, went for simplicity. From the extra switches provided with the boards, it is easy to see that a permanent magnet is moving closer and further away from the board, this way creating current in the coil below, which is part of the board, as well as the LED. Lubrication is not needed, even if you have a plastic slab sliding on plastic switch-housing, which is not a rough ride. The other mechanic component, the spring but that is also going smooth. It is also a good move that the stems are Cherry-compatible, so swapping the caps out to a different set is not a problem. (Some people do not like the modern fonts on the caps provided with the board. Key feel? Very light, very smooth. I like typing on this keyboard. If you like cherry red, you will also like these switches, they running smoother than Cherry. Noise level? Not as silent as Cherry silent red, and definitely more noisy than rubber-dome keyboards. But not too noisy either. The main disadvantage? The Fn key is in the place of the right Ctrl, so it needs some time to get used to it. If you do not use other boards, it does not take too long to learn how to avoid mistyping. Build? The keyboard body is a good, hefty slab of plastic. It does not move around or bend while you are typing. Feet? Rubber domes help the keyboard stay in place, and there are two screw-in feet for raising the part of the keyboard further away from you. I have no complaint about them. Solid. You can decide to go with or without them, no setting in between. Do I like it? Yes, I do. Do I use it regularly? Yes I do. the extra switches:

the foot:

unscrewed:

default key-caps:

inside:

replaceability:

cable (mini USB connector in board, not braided):

(Edited)

Recommends this product? Yes

Was this helpful?

Vote

tremblane

Oct 12, 2018

Verified Buyer

The "manual" (if you want to call it that) is a single sheet of paper, with 4 pages printed on it in booklet form. It's shrunk down so far and photocopied so much, it's lost clarity so the keyboard shortcuts diagrams are unreadable. Everything about it says cheap and unprofessional. And there are typos. I'm trying to imagine somebody holding the printout, examining it thoughtfully, and saying "Yes, yes this is quality work. This is what I want to include with the finely crafted keyboard".
Already the Esc and keypad enter keys have gotten stuck in the down position, and the Esc switch will pop off the PCB every 10 presses or so. I've come very close to losing the spring several times.
Mine also has some of the scuffing on the corners like others have posted pictures of. Not nearly as bad, but still visible.
And the best part, I can't even use it, as the USB connector wasn't even soldered on. The pressure of the back plate was holding it down enough to make contacts. When I took off the back plate to see what was going on with the switch that was popping out, the USB connector just fell off. It looks like an attempt was made to apply solder, but clearly not enough to do anything.
So:
- Poor quality control - Unusable due to switches popping off - Unusable due to the USB connector not being properly soldered - Cheap and unreadable "documentation"

Was this helpful?

XMIT

881

XMIT

Oct 19, 2018

tremblaneI tried to write a good manual for the XMIT branded versions of these boards that I sold. It's a little out of date but it's here: http://www.xmitkeyboards.com/hall-effect-keyboard/manual/ . Sorry to hear that the OEM is sending out a crummy copy of that.

tremblane

Oct 19, 2018

XMITAwesome, thanks!

Vote

Razlak

Oct 13, 2018

Verified Buyer

I will just echo the same complaints as the rest, mushy space bar, scuffs all over the case, and a completely useless "manual". Main keys aren't half bad though.

Was this helpful?

Piefayth

Oct 17, 2018

Verified Buyer

Strictly disappointing. Does not sit level. One of the feet on the case screws itself around the screw, rather than holding steady so it can be turned into the case. This results in the screw being all the way into the foot where it is difficult to retrieve. Nevermind the feet; it does not sit flat when they are removed either.
The stabilizers are as bad as everyone says, although mostly only the spacebar suffers terribly. No programmability for keys or LEDs (on a 60% board?!). There is an awful sound at the end of each keypress when you bottom out (kind of like a spring twang) that is only somewhat muffled by a nicer set of keycaps with o-rings. The switches have an interesting feel, but the press is unexpectedly scratchy. It's much nicer typing on a light linear cherry switch.
I do like the aesthetic of the teak, and appreciate the few extra included switches.

Was this helpful?

static.overdub

555

Oct 24, 2018

PiefaythSo you're saying that if I wanted a keyboard to annoy coworkers with a "boing boing" sound, this would be it?
No really, I'm sorry this was terrible. So much potential, gone.

Croktopus

Oct 17, 2018

Verified Buyer

Echoing a lot of what other people said. Keys are all a bit mushy, but the spacebar is so bad that I'm missing it on like, half my key presses. Gonna try disassembling and removing whatever's causing this (I imagine foam). Just looking at the other keys, they honestly feel a bit like those fake rubber domes. I got the clickies (regretting not doing linears, but I plan to take out the clicky mechanism), and the tactility and clickiness feel disconnected from one another, and after the tactile event these feel a bit mushy. Also, super disparate feel (my J key actually feels pretty good, but the S is almost linear). I will say that they're pretty smooth, so I have high hopes for their potential after modding.

Was this helpful?

airencracken

Oct 11, 2018

Verified Buyer

Unfortunately this keyboard has a fatal flaw. The spacebar is just straight up mushy. I'm typing this review up on the keyboard and I keep missing spacebar presses because there is only one switch in the middle and the force isn't well distributed, so pressing the spacebar is like typing on oatmeal. It only really registers about twenty percent of the time. The rest ofthe keys are fine and accurate, but the spacebar is garbage. They really ought to have used two switches or a different spring, or something. Not only is it mushy, but you have to hit it directly in the center (where the switch is) to make it actuate. Bummer, waited quite a while for this one and it ended up being an utter disappointment. Avoid this keyboard.

Was this helpful?

a.-_1

Oct 11, 2018

Verified Buyer

Was this helpful?

Chinspike

155

Oct 11, 2018

Verified Buyer

Was this helpful?

ibltsandwich

Oct 11, 2018

Verified Buyer

Was this helpful?

Jovian

Nov 30, 2018

Verified Buyer

As others have stated, the build quality is dubious. I got the 96 key with the frosted acrylic, and I didn't see any scuffs on the case, but the white keycaps had scuff marks instead. The USB seems fine, but the fact that the quality control appears to be all over the place from user to user should be a huge red flag, making this board hard to recommend. A shame really. Also: I bought the clicky version and now wish I hadn't, I thought it would be smoother than it is. Doesn't really have much of a bump, might as well have gone linear.

Was this helpful?

Vote

Showing 13 of 17

Recent Activity

JackofTrades

FN+\ (above the enter key)

Elrick

Looking forward to a full 108 keyed keyboard done in Aluminium here. You do know that Aluminium is a non metallic material, which would be perfect for your keyboard design. Be the First Company to make this design instead of making something cheap and nasty because MassDrop is indeed for everyone BUT certain high QUALITY keyboards, attain certain interest and respect when it's presented that way. Concentrate on far more than only installing Hall Effect switches here, make sure they are inserted into a truly unique keyboard design, that will last forever. That would entice far more customers than simply focusing upon the 'cheap skates' in the Keyboard World. Super-fine keyboards cost a lot but their owners never complain or hesitate in buying another one ; )

XMIT

Please contact me, I've got a question for you. Cheers.