Driver

There is no software driver support for the Zalman ZM-K650WP, with all functionality being hardware based. As such, I have chosen to combine the Driver and Performance pages into one.

Performance

There is 26-key rollover USB here, which is more than I could test for using all ten fingers and my palm on Aqua's test. Similarly, no key chatter was detected using Switch Hitter.

Performance-wise, there is not much else to talk about really. This is a fairly standard keyboard with no onboard storage or key assignment/macro features, meaning what you press under the QWERTY ANSI layout here is what is registered as a keystroke. The volume-control buttons work well also. I would have liked to see some secondary functions attached to the function keys, which would have added to the productivity of the keyboard, but it is not a deal breaker. For an elevated basic keyboard, if that makes any sense, this does what I expected it to and more. Typing on it felt nice, although the tactile feedback from the rubber dome is more of an indication than a means to stop bottoming out - once past the bump, you absolutely will bottom out here. Given the nature of the plastic membrane, actuation is when the rubber domes make contact, which is when the switches bottom out.

This means that you have to exert the maximum amount of force for the setup at the very beginning to depress the rubber domes, and so, it is not really going to be comfortable for longer typing sessions. Neither would this really be the best for gaming with such a long actuation and travel distance.


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 ZM-K650WP sample at ~95 WPM. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with tactile switches. I did bottom out here and you will too, as is the case with most membrane switches. In terms of actuation force, given the nature of the separate plunger switch and rubber dome, it makes little sense to compare with a mechanical switch, and thus, I did not quantify it here. It feels close to a Cherry MX Brown, if that helps, and was consistent during the three weeks of testing this went through.

Oh, the waterproofing works well - I may have gone a bit overboard in spilling an entire 250 mL water bottle all around the keyboard, but it continued to work just fine immediately after and a week later, with no drying done aside from a simple wipe over the top. The only casualty was the cardboard box in which it was placed, which got wet, so I suppose the keyboard did its job as intended.