{"id":133301,"date":"2023-04-23T22:52:22","date_gmt":"2023-04-23T22:52:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/appleinsider.com\/articles\/23\/04\/23\/elecom-pantograph-wired-mini-usb-keyboard-review-multilingual-value?utm_medium=rss"},"modified":"2023-04-23T22:52:22","modified_gmt":"2023-04-23T22:52:22","slug":"elecom-pantograph-wired-mini-usb-keyboard-review-multilingual-value","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2023\/04\/23\/elecom-pantograph-wired-mini-usb-keyboard-review-multilingual-value\/","title":{"rendered":"Elecom Pantograph Wired Mini USB Keyboard review: Multilingual value"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Elecom’s Wired Mini USB Pantograph Keyboard makes a nice travel companion for your Mac<\/a>, although it is a bit heavy.\n<\/p>\n

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Popular Japanese electronics maker Elecom<\/a> offers a small, clever, high-quality USB 2 keyboard – model TK-FCP096WH<\/a> – which works with Macs and most PCs.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Elecom is a fairly popular brand in Japan and is known for its quality. Dozens of top electronics stores, such as Bic Camera, and others all over Tokyo carry Elecom’s products.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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As with most things Japanese, the keyboard keeps with Japan’s aesthetic ideals of smallness and understated beauty.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Features<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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It is a small portable keyboard slightly larger than Apple’s own current model wireless aluminum Bluetooth keyboard. It uses a wired USB 2 connection, but the lack of USB 3 shouldn’t be a problem since the amount of data used by keyboards is tiny.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The rear of the keyboard has six large rubber feet, and a slightly raised area at the top with a weight inside to provide the keyboard with both a slope and a little heft. Along with keeping it from sliding around on your desk, the internal inert weight also gives the keys a more solid feel when typing.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The added weight, however, does make it slightly heavy for travel – weighing in at just under a pound versus nine ounces for Apple’s wireless compact keyboard.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The keyboard’s non-removable USB cable is approximately four and a half feet in length and uses a standard USB-A connector.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The underside round edges have a unique shape and curve to them, somehow making the keyboard easier to pick up than most computer keyboards. It’s a curve that is just enough to slip your hand under, but hardly noticeable when you look at it.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Keys and Pantographs<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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Overall the device has a solid feel – with quality plastics throughout, and special key mechanisms called Pantographs<\/a>. These devices were originally used to trace small images by hand to create larger copies on paper, and had two inverted movable “V”-shaped sides connected in the center with two round joints.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Pantographs slide open and closed vertically, and their use as key switches is ingenious as they give the keys a smooth but solid click.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Key faces include both English and common Hiragana characters for English and Japanese use. The use of a language key allows you to switch between either of the languages. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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There are also a few special-use keys for computers found only in Japan.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Although the TK-FCP096WH isn’t a full-sized keyboard and thus lacks dedicated PC keys and a numeric keypad, Elecom has thought of a solution anyway: Page keys are located on the arrow keys, and are accessible using the function key. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Likewise, most other PC and Mac function keys are found on other keys via the use of the function key:\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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