Driver

There is no software driver support for the Penclic Mini Keyboard C2, with all functionality being hardware based. As such, I have chosen to combine the Driver and Performance pages into one.

Performance

There is six-key rollover USB here, as Aqua's test confirms. 6KRO is native to USB and is fine for what this keyboard is aimed at considering that does not include modifier actions in the count (CTRL, Shift, etc.). No key chatter was detected using Switch Hitter, so all is good on that end.

There are two sets of secondary functions assigned to some keys. The most straightforward are the Fn key actuated ones, which are printed in blue:

1) F2, F2, and F4 cover volume control
2) F9, F10, and F11 actuate Pause, Scroll Lock, and Num Lock respectively
3) F12 and Del actuate Print Screen and Insert respectively
4) The arrow keys actuate Home, End, Pg Up, and Pg Dn

If Num Lock is toggled on, the second set of functionality also opens up, as does the Num Lock LED. Here, the keys with orange secondary legends now behave as part of a Num Pad. I did appreciate the positioning such that 7, 8, 9 remain where they usually are for the Num Pad, although some actions including -, +, / are in different positions, so muscle memory will not help here.

This aside, the keyboard functions exactly as you would expect. You do need to bottom out to actuate here; however, the low-profile nature of the scissor switches means that bottoming out (and also actuation distance) is 2 mm, which is on par with the actuation distance of most mechanical switches as well. The rubber domes do not provide the best tactile feedback, especially given the height, so do not expect anything other than bottoming out to be the only real indication of a keystroke here. The average bottoming out/actuation force measured in at close to 60 g, which may sound heavy, but does not really feel so.


As always, the sound of a keyboard is based on more than just the switch type. So when comparing sound clips, consider the keyboard as a whole. In this case, I have provided above an example sound clip of me typing on the Penclic Mini Keyboard C2 sample at ~82 WPM. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with membrane and mechanical switches. I did bottom out here of course, but the combination of the rubber domes and low profile/travel means this is a very quiet keyboard to type on - near perfect for a busy office then!