I generally don't trouble fellow ATer's with my trials and trib's, but this may be a useful cautionary tale...
And please excuse the verbosity - it's just the way I am (as if you didn't already know)...
I bought an http://www.A4Tech.com KBS-2550ZRP(U) wireless kbd/mse combo back in Oct. 2006. When it's working, it functions very well, particularly for the reason I purchased it. The reason is that it is built for righties but has the num-pad on the left. This allows me to put my trackball closer to the center of the home-row keys thus centering me better on the kbd and putting less stress on my back. I had bought another A4Tech before (OEMed for Kensington) and I was happy with that as well, but my back was killing me. I sold it on eBay an AFAIK the buyer is satisfied with his purchase. The A4Tech kbds have a stiffer than usual action that provides a feel that I like, while reducing the likelihood of RSDs, etc..
The fly in the ointment is that the 2550 (and probably other current models as well) has design and/or materials defects, some of which can cause it to cease to function. The defects are:
1- The legends on the key tops are unusually small and made up of much finer than usual lines. That makes them hard to see to begin with. And whatever the light color is made of seems to absorb skin oil and dirt readily until they become obscured - the "e" key is nearly illegible already. I've tried several substances to clean them w/o much success.
2- The spring in the battery compartment of the kbd is weak and is not made of very spring-like material. It will eventually loosen until the batteries no longer make contact and the kbd stops working. I adjust the spring and it works again - but not for long. The springs in the other units (NiMH charger in the receiver and the battery box in the mse) don't look any stronger but they haven't been tested as I use only Logitech trackballs (which work superbly with this kbd design BTW) and I have a better battery charger anyway - don't want to load down my kbd power circuit needlessly.
3- The USB connector will also lose contact so I will occasionally have to unplug/replug it to keep going. Perhaps the spring in the contacts isn't that springy either...
I arranged an RMA that went fine. I took a while to send it in because of the weather here in central NY but that was no problem either. I was called on the phone (probably so I wouldn't have any record of the agreed resolution - but they don't reckon on people like me, I guess) by my CSR (name witheld) to determine a resolution (as they apparently don't retain stock for replacements) with which I'd be satisfied. We agreed that I'd get a NEW keyboard unit and a Refurbished PS/2 receiver/interface/charger unit. The PS/2 connection would resolve the USB connector problem. And now that I'm aware of the defects, I could prevent them from devolving into a problem with the new unit.
What I received back was my original keybord unit with, as far as I could tell, nothing having been done to it. And a "refurbished" PS/2 receiver unit. Channel 1 on the keyboard doesn't work now and it did before. Luckily (or unluckily depending on your POV) there is a Ch.2 for the kbd or I wouldn't be using it right now to type this for you to read. I have backup kbds in case of emergency though. This doesn't give one much confidence in their tech's refurbishing skills. I tested the mse and it worked fine on Ch.1 - Ch.2 is untested as I don't use the mse anyway.
Anyhoo, I sent my CSR an eMail on March 5th asking for an explanation of this situation and have yet to receive a reply (3/9). I think she's hiding as I'm guessing they don't have much experience with handling a fully-informed and aware customer who probably knows their own products better than they do. She even tried to get me to send a check for $8.00 to cover return shipping when their Warranty Policy (I DLed a copy JIC they tried to alter it post facto) specifically states that they cover return shipping. :roll:
More to follow as it happens...
..b.h.
And please excuse the verbosity - it's just the way I am (as if you didn't already know)...
I bought an http://www.A4Tech.com KBS-2550ZRP(U) wireless kbd/mse combo back in Oct. 2006. When it's working, it functions very well, particularly for the reason I purchased it. The reason is that it is built for righties but has the num-pad on the left. This allows me to put my trackball closer to the center of the home-row keys thus centering me better on the kbd and putting less stress on my back. I had bought another A4Tech before (OEMed for Kensington) and I was happy with that as well, but my back was killing me. I sold it on eBay an AFAIK the buyer is satisfied with his purchase. The A4Tech kbds have a stiffer than usual action that provides a feel that I like, while reducing the likelihood of RSDs, etc..
The fly in the ointment is that the 2550 (and probably other current models as well) has design and/or materials defects, some of which can cause it to cease to function. The defects are:
1- The legends on the key tops are unusually small and made up of much finer than usual lines. That makes them hard to see to begin with. And whatever the light color is made of seems to absorb skin oil and dirt readily until they become obscured - the "e" key is nearly illegible already. I've tried several substances to clean them w/o much success.
2- The spring in the battery compartment of the kbd is weak and is not made of very spring-like material. It will eventually loosen until the batteries no longer make contact and the kbd stops working. I adjust the spring and it works again - but not for long. The springs in the other units (NiMH charger in the receiver and the battery box in the mse) don't look any stronger but they haven't been tested as I use only Logitech trackballs (which work superbly with this kbd design BTW) and I have a better battery charger anyway - don't want to load down my kbd power circuit needlessly.
3- The USB connector will also lose contact so I will occasionally have to unplug/replug it to keep going. Perhaps the spring in the contacts isn't that springy either...
I arranged an RMA that went fine. I took a while to send it in because of the weather here in central NY but that was no problem either. I was called on the phone (probably so I wouldn't have any record of the agreed resolution - but they don't reckon on people like me, I guess) by my CSR (name witheld) to determine a resolution (as they apparently don't retain stock for replacements) with which I'd be satisfied. We agreed that I'd get a NEW keyboard unit and a Refurbished PS/2 receiver/interface/charger unit. The PS/2 connection would resolve the USB connector problem. And now that I'm aware of the defects, I could prevent them from devolving into a problem with the new unit.
What I received back was my original keybord unit with, as far as I could tell, nothing having been done to it. And a "refurbished" PS/2 receiver unit. Channel 1 on the keyboard doesn't work now and it did before. Luckily (or unluckily depending on your POV) there is a Ch.2 for the kbd or I wouldn't be using it right now to type this for you to read. I have backup kbds in case of emergency though. This doesn't give one much confidence in their tech's refurbishing skills. I tested the mse and it worked fine on Ch.1 - Ch.2 is untested as I don't use the mse anyway.
Anyhoo, I sent my CSR an eMail on March 5th asking for an explanation of this situation and have yet to receive a reply (3/9). I think she's hiding as I'm guessing they don't have much experience with handling a fully-informed and aware customer who probably knows their own products better than they do. She even tried to get me to send a check for $8.00 to cover return shipping when their Warranty Policy (I DLed a copy JIC they tried to alter it post facto) specifically states that they cover return shipping. :roll:
More to follow as it happens...
..b.h.
)... The poor 2550 just suffers from cost cutting. Even I know how to make keys whose legends can't wear off until the whole top of the key has worn off - but the process isn't cheap, it's called double-shot keycaps. That's why the legends on IBM keys like on the Selectric typewriters never wear off. Too expensive to make now expecially at the low end of the market. I suppose Cherry keyboards still have double-shot caps as well as the high-end Keytronics kbds - maybe even the IBM/Lexmark clones that PCKeyboard.com sells.
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