Review on Perixx PERIBOARD-409H: Compact USB Mini Keyboard with Dual USB Hubs, Black, US English Layout by Brian Nelson

We bought two of these (paired) to replace one of our old radio keyboards which was causing letters to fall out from time to time. These keyboards are for Pony computers, not our mainstream automation PC that uses the expensive Keytronics KB. We needed a small footprint because the dedicated keyboard tray built into the console room has enough room for two of them and a larger Keytronics KB with numeric keypad. I'm happy to report the soft tactile response of these boards, and the chicken keys are a nice touch. The piano's finish isn't noticeable under overhead lighting and doesn't cover the entire KB, the keys themselves are actually matte but complement the circuit board nicely. The letter stencil is a thinner typeface than I would have liked, so it remains to be seen how long the key stencil will hold up in daily use of our speakers. Older keyboards seemed to have a stiffer jig than modern ones and lasted longer. But given that keyboards only last 4-5 years these days, I think if a stencil lasts that long then that's good enough. Other than Logitek or Microsoft, I don't really think a KB under $30 would be that reliable in a production environment these days, but considering we needed this size at a reasonable price I guess we'll give it a try. So far, so good. You were connected directly to a PS-2 PC in a niche of the console and the computer booted up immediately and I was able to use the KB immediately without any problems. Another KB was connected to a KVM host for one of the pony computers. It was also immediately recognized and could be used (on a PC with WinXP). KB works with WinXP and has no problems. The only complaint I have is that there is no power indicator on the PC to confirm KB is active. Since there's no numeric keypad, the numlock indicator doesn't light up, although it appears there's a spot for it right on the board. You could still light up the combination lock, although obviously you can't use the combination lock on this keymap just to have an "active" light so you know the KVM or PS-2 is communicating correctly. Caps and scroll lock indicators work flawlessly. I gave it four stars because it's clear that the build quality doesn't quite match that of Logitek or MS Keyboard. But still pretty decent. The boss thought they looked good and he's a big fan of the aesthetics in our control rooms. I think you will be satisfied with the price which is less than Jackson.