US$20 wonder: the Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 keyboard

2007-11-21

I like my Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 keyboard a lot. I've had it for over a year, but a little over a week ago, I started to notice that keys were getting dropped: I'd forcefully press "C" and nothing would come out, and sometimes the "&" key would do nothing. For an AND person that copies-and-pastes a lot, you know this has gotta be a problem! This was an intermittent annoyance too, because the keys would work happily again for a few hours, then cease to respond again. This whole dance came and went for a few days, then I couldn't take it anymore because it was interfering with my productivity.

So, via Amazon.com (where I'm trialing their Prime system), I placed an order for… a new Comfort Curve 2000. I figured at US$20, I couldn't go wrong, and I certainly didn't the first time.

I'm typing on my new keyboard now, and as much as I know some of my friends prefer Das Keyboard or even still stick to their good ol' Underwoods, this is my signature keyboard of choice: it doesn't have bells 'n' whistles, but it's certainly cheap, cheerful, and enables me to get my job — and many blog posts — done. I continue to be fond of the gently-sloped curve and the low-profile keys, and after pressing my fingers into this new CC2000, I can definitely feel its touch is a lot crisper and… well, new. The space bar also doesn't squeak as much, which was a problem on the older one, but we'll see how that comes along. It also lacks the many dust 'n' crumbs that accumulated over time, as well as the finger oils that began to smudge some paint off.

Flipping it over, this CC2000 looks to be the same make and model — a v1.0. In my mind, it's already a classic.

{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }

dubya 2007-12-10 at 11:57 AM UTC

i had the B button stop working. Just unscrew the back and take the face off. the plastic membrane that sits between a circuit board and keys had become misaligned, probably when i banged and shook it to get water out that i had spilled. realign the poorly-secured membrane back in place, add screws, walla. you don't even have to unplug it.

Torley 2007-12-16 at 5:47 PM UTC

@dubya: Thanx for the the tip, I haven't tried popping off keys on these cheap keyboards. May be something I'll try if this newer CC2000 breaks.

Brian Heagney 2009-05-29 at 12:24 PM UTC

I tried unscrewing the back of mine, but the face wouldn't pry off. I took out all the screws I could find, and was able to get some of it apart, but for some reason, I couldn't get the whole thing apart. It felt like there was another screw somewhere, but I swear I couldn't find it.

My space bar is bugging the crap out of me, and it feels like there's something under it that won't come out.

Any suggestions on getting the keyboard apart would be great, I just feel like I'm going to break it. Are there tabs that need to be pushed?

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