Happy Hacking Keyboard

Happy Hacking Keyboard
A white Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional 2 with blank keycaps
Manufacturer	PFU Limited
Keyswitches	Depending on model: Membrane, capacitive
Keycaps	Either dye-sublimated or blank PBT, ABS for spacebars on some models.
Interface	Depending on model: PS/2, Sun, ADB, USB, Bluetooth
Weight	approx. 500 g – depending on model
Introduced	20 December 1996; 28 years ago (1996-12-20) (original version) 10 December 2003; 21 years ago (2003-12-10) (HHKB Professional first-generation) 24 March 2006; 18 years ago (2006-03-24) (HHKB Professional second-generation) 10 December 2019; 5 years ago (2019-12-10) (HHKB Professional third-generation)
Discontinued	10 December 2006; 18 years ago (2006-12-10) (original version, HHKB Professional first-generation) 10 December 2019; 5 years ago (2019-12-10) (HHKB Professional second-generation)
Website	happyhackingkb.com

The Happy Hacking Keyboard (HHKB) is a small computer keyboard produced by PFU Limited of Japan, codeveloped with Japanese computer scientist and pioneer Eiiti Wada.^[1] Its reduction of keys from the common 104-key layout down to 60 keys in the professional series is the basis for it having smaller overall proportions, yet full-sized keys. It returns the control key to its original position as on the early 84-key IBM Personal Computer/AT and XT layouts. The current models^[2] in production are the Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional Classic,^[3] Professional Hybrid (wired/wireless dual connectivity),^[4] and Professional Hybrid Type-S^[5] (silenced variant of Hybrid) all in either dark or light colorschemes, and either blank or printed keycaps. Professional Hybrid models are also available in Japanese layout.

History

Beginnings

Frustrated that each new computer system came with a new keyboard layout that became increasingly complex, Wada sought to create his own keyboard that he could continue to use with various different computer systems. Inspired by the original Macintosh keyboard,^[6] Professor Wada and PFU collaborated to design the Happy Hacking Keyboard with the following philosophy:

Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. When America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces.

During the design process, Wada had mock-ups of the keyboard both with printed and blank keycaps; he found that his students quite liked blank keycaps and the tradition of HHKB's with blank keycaps continues to this day.

The first Happy Hacking keyboard (HHKB) was released in 1996 and used membrane keyswitches. It used PS/2, Sun, and ADB interfaces to connect to a computer with a detachable cable and is only available in white. The first HHKB was followed by the release of the HHKB Lite and HHKB Lite2 in 1999 and 2001 respectively. The HHKB Lite models also used membrane keyswitches but have a slightly different layout than the standard HHKB. The HHKB Lite is the first HHKB model to be available in black and the HHKB Lite2 is the first HHKB model to use the USB interface.

HHKB Professional Series

First-generation

The first HHKB Professional (not to be confused with the previously mentioned first HHKB) was released in December 2003 and is available in either white or charcoal (black) colorways with either blank or printed keycaps. Retroactively known as the HHKB Professional 1, this is the first HHKB model to use the famous Topre electrostatic capacitive keyswitches that all subsequent models use to this day. It also features a detachable mini-USB cable which is used to connect the keyboard to a computer.

Second-generation

The HHKB Professional 2 was released in March 2006 and is also available in either white or charcoal (black) with either blank or printed keycaps. Its main feature is a built-in 2-port USB hub for connecting mice and other peripherals.

In 2011, PFU released the HHKB Professional 2 Type-S. Only available in white (but with either blank or printed keycaps), the HHKB Professional 2 Type-S is a silenced variant of the HHKB Professional 2 containing silenced Topre keyswitches.

Another variant of the HHKB Professional 2 called the HHKB Professional BT, was released in 2016. This is the first HHKB to feature Bluetooth connectivity. HHKB Professional BT models run on AA batteries housed in a "battery bump" on the rear of the keyboard and can only be connected using Bluetooth (although these models have a micro-USB port, it can only be used to power the keyboard in place of batteries and not for data transmission).

Third-generation

HHKB Pro Hybrid Type-S

The third-generation models of HHKB Professional: Classic, Hybrid, and Hybrid Type-S – were released in December 2019.^[7] These third-generation models feature 100% PBT keycaps, where previous models used ABS for the space bar. Furthermore, the third-generation models feature USB-C connectivity instead of mini-USB. HHKB Professional Hybrid models run on AA batteries housed in a "battery bump", similar to the previous HHKB Professional BT. However, unlike the HHKB Professional BT, these models can also be used with a wired connection via the USB-C port. HHKB Professional Hybrid models also support PFU's official key remapping software.

Happy Hacking Keyboard Lite 2 with 68 labeled keys

Common features

Some of the Happy Hacking Keyboard design tenets, as dictated by Wada, include a minimal 60-key design, no cursor or function keys, and standard keyboard pitch, all optimized for use in Unix environments.^[8]

Happy Hacking Keyboards lack a numeric keypad, and keys outside the typewriter key area are mainly accessible through the Fn key. The keys are arranged in a layout resembling the Sun Type 3 keyboard. Specifically:

• The control key is placed where most keyboards place the caps lock. This is the only control key on the keyboard.
• The esc key is located to the left of the 1 key; the tilde key normally found there is at the right end of the same row.
• The delete key is located directly above the enter key; the key normally found there is the second-rightmost key on the row above it. Further, this is a true delete key, not a historically named backspace. Backspace is accessible via Fn+Delete though its function can be interchanged with the backspace key using a DIP switch, using this setting, the delete key is accessed via Fn+`
• The meta keys are located between the space bar and the alt keys.

On the far side of the keyboard there are DIP switches. These may be used to:^[9]

• Turn the delete key into a backspace. Fn+Delete remains backspace, and Fn+` (top-right key) remains delete.
• Swap the alt and meta keys.
• Enable/disable downstream USB ports on USB models.
• Set the OS
• Enable/disable power-saving mode on HHKB Hybrid models

It is roughly the size of A5 paper.

Model overview

Model names with JP denote a Japanese layout variant.

Model name	Model #	Color	Switch type	Interface	Blank keycaps	Introduced	EOL	Notes
Happy Hacking Keyboard	PD-KB02	White	Membrane	PS/2, Sun, ADB	No	Dec 20, 1996	Dec 10, 2006[10]	Buzzer (Sun), Power supply switch (Sun/Mac)
	PD-KB02N
Happy Hacking Keyboard Lite	PD-KB100W	White		PS/2		Jun 7, 1999[11]	Un­known	Was also available in black and white unlabeled versions[12]
Happy Hacking Keyboard Lite 2	PD-KB200W/P	White				Mar 15, 2001[13]	Dec 19, 2008	Arrow keys, 2-port USB hub. Available in Japanese and English layouts.
	PD-KB200B/P	Black
	PD-KB200W/U	White		USB
	PD-KB200B/U	Black
	PD-KB210W/U	White
	PD-KB210B/U	Black
	PD-KB220W/U	White
	PD-KB220B/U	Black
	PD-KB220MKW	White						Mac version, has command and option keys in addition to the other Lite 2 features.[14]
	PD-KB200MKB	Black
	PD-KB200MA	White
	PD-KB220MA	White
Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional	PD-KB300	White	Topre capacitive[15]			Apr 24, 2003	Dec 10, 2006[10]	First HHKB to use Topre keyswitches
	PD-KB300B	Charcoal
	PD-KB300NL	White			Yes
	PD-KB300BN	Charcoal
Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional 2	PD-KB400W	White			No	Mar 24, 2006[16]	Dec 10, 2019
	PD-KB400B	Charcoal
	PD-KB400WN	White			Yes
	PD-KB400BN	Charcoal
Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional 2 JP	PD-KB420W	White			No	Nov 10, 2008
	PD-KB420B	Charcoal
Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional HG[17]	PD-KB500W	White			No	Oct 12, 2006		Special 10-year anniversary models[18]
	PD-KB500B	Black
	PD-KB500WN	White			Yes
	PD-KB500BN	Black
Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional HG JAPAN[19]	PD-KB500J	Wajima-style lacquer
Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional 2 Type-S	PD-KB400WS	White			No	Jun 29, 2011		Silenced variant[20]
	PD-KB400WNS				Yes
Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional 2 Type-S JP	PD-KB420WS				No
Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional BT[21]	PD-KB600B	Charcoal		Bluetooth	No	Apr 12, 2016		First HHKB to use Bluetooth
	PD-KB600BN				Yes
	PD-KB600W	White			No
	PD-KB600WN				Yes
Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional BT JP	PD-KB620B	Charcoal			No
	PD-KB620W	White
Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional Classic	PD-KB401W	White		USB-C	No	Dec 10, 2019
	PD-KB401WN				Yes
	PD-KB401B	Charcoal			No
	PD-KB401BN				Yes
Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional Hybrid	PD-KB800W	White		Dual mode USB-C or Bluetooth	No
	PD-KB800WN				Yes
	PD-KB800B	Charcoal			No
	PD-KB800BN				Yes
Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional Hybrid JP	PD-KB820W	White			No
	PD-KB820B	Charcoal			No
Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional Hybrid Type-S	PD-KB800WS	White			No			Silenced variant
	PD-KB800WNS				Yes
	PD-KB800BS	Charcoal			No
	PD-KB800BNS				Yes
Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional Hybrid Type-S JP	PD-KB820BS	White			No
	PD-KB820WS	Charcoal			No

See also

• List of mechanical keyboards
• Das Keyboard
• FrogPad
• Optimus Maximus keyboard
• Model M keyboard
• Space-cadet keyboard

References

1. "IIJ Research Laboratory - Researchers". Internet Initiative Japan. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2011-04-27.
2. "Happy Hacking Keyboard (manufacturer's site)". PFU Limited. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
3. "HHKB Professional Classic". PFU Limited. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
4. "HHKB Professional Hybrid". PFU Limited. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
5. "Happy Hacking Keyboards Pro HYBRID Type-S Keyboard - HHKP & REALFORCE Keyboards". PFU Limited. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
6. "Eiiti Wada Mechanical Keyboard Community Interview | Massdrop". 2018-09-26. Archived from the original on 2018-09-26. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
7. "高性能コンパクトキーボード「Happy Hacking Keyboard」ラインナップ一新 | 株式会社PFU". www.pfu.fujitsu.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-04-02.
8. "Wada Eiiti". Computer Museum. Information Processing Society of Japan. Retrieved 2011-04-27.
9. "DIP switch functions". PFU Limited. Archived from the original on 2010-08-20. Retrieved 2007-05-08.
10. "Happy Hacking Keyboard Specifications". PFU Limited. Archived from the original on 2013-01-07. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
11. "PFU America releases "Happy Hacking Keyboard Lite" for all PC/Linux users and power users". PFU Limited. 1999-06-01. Archived from the original on 2000-01-23. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
12. "Happy Hacking Keyboard Lite". PFU Limited. Archived from the original on 2001-10-24. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
13. "PFU America Releases "Happy Hacking Keyboard Lite 2"". AllBusiness. 2001-03-15. Archived from the original on 2010-10-12. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
14. Murph, Darren (2007-01-26). "Happy Hacking Keyboard Lite 2 for Mac touts Apple Key, demotes Caps Lock". Engadget. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
15. "HHKB/Features/High quality keys". PFU Limited. Archived from the original on 2010-08-03. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
16. "Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional 2". AkibaLive. 2006-03-16. Archived from the original on 2008-06-16. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
17. "HHKB Professional HG Specs". PFU Limited. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
18. "The 3300 euros keyboard for PC". Akihabaranews. 2006-10-12. Archived from the original on 2009-12-16. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
19. "HHKB Professional HG JAPAN Specs". PFU Limited. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
20. "HHKB Professional 2 and JP Type-S press release". PFU Limited. Retrieved 2011-09-11.
21. "Happy Hacking Keyboard: HHKB Professional BT: PFU". PFU Limited. Retrieved 2016-04-12.

External links

• HHKB firmware, tools and manuals
• Eiiti Wada Mechanical Keyboard Community Interview
• Verge celebrates the Happy Hacking Keyboard as a status symbol
• engadget review of the Happy Hacking Keyboard Lite 2
• Linux Journal review of the Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional
• Review & spec of the Happy Hacking Keyboard Pro 2
• Linux Journal review of the original Happy Hacking Keyboard