The Happy Hacking Keyboard (HHKB) is a small

computer keyboard A computer keyboard is a built-in or peripheral input device modeled after the typewriter keyboard which uses an arrangement of buttons or Push-button, keys to act as Mechanical keyboard, mechanical levers or Electronic switching system, electro ...

produced by

PFU Limited is a Japanese information technology company wholly owned by Ricoh, formed by the merger of Panafacom and USAC Electronic Industrial in 1987. As of 2019, it focuses on computing and IT consulting, with products including image scanners, embedded ...

of Japan, codeveloped with Japanese

computer scientist A computer scientist is a scientist who specializes in the academic study of computer science. Computer scientists typically work on the theoretical side of computation. Although computer scientists can also focus their work and research on ...

and pioneer

Eiiti Wada Eiiti Wada (和田英一, 1 June 1931) is a computer scientist and emeritus professor at the University of Tokyo and the Research Director of Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ), a computer network technology company. He is one of the creators of the ...

. 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 In computing, a Control key is a modifier key which, when pressed in conjunction with another key, performs a special operation (for example, ). Similarly to the Shift key, the Control key rarely performs any function when pressed by itself. ...

to its original position as on the early 84-key

IBM Personal Computer/AT The IBM Personal Computer AT (model 5170, abbreviated as IBM AT or PC/AT) was released in 1984 as the fourth model in the IBM Personal Computer line, following the IBM PC/XT and its IBM Portable PC variant. It was designed around the Intel 8 ...

and XT layouts. The current models in production are the Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional Classic, Professional Hybrid (wired/wireless dual connectivity), and Professional Hybrid Type-S (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, Professor Wada and PFU collaborated to design the Happy Hacking Keyboard with the following philosophy: 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 The Personal System/2 or PS/2 is IBM's second generation of personal computers. Released in 1987, it officially replaced the IBM PC, XT, AT, and PC Convertible in IBM's lineup. Many of the PS/2's innovations, such as the 16550 UART (serial por ...

Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...

, 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 is a Japanese engineering company that manufactures Stamping (metalworking), stamped parts for automobiles, refrigeration units for trucks, air conditioners, and various other electronic and electro-mechanical equipment. It was founded in 1935 as ...

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

The third-generation models of HHKB Professional: Classic, Hybrid, and Hybrid Type-S – were released in December 2019. 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.

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 Unix (, ; trademarked as UNIX) is a family of multitasking, multi-user computer operating systems that derive from the original AT&T Unix, whose development started in 1969 at the Bell Labs research center by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, a ...

environments. Happy Hacking Keyboards lack a

numeric keypad A numeric keypad, number pad, numpad, or ten key, is the calculator-style group of ten numeric keys accompanied by other keys, usually on the far right side of computer keyboard. This grouping allows quick number entry with right hand, ...

, and keys outside the typewriter key area are mainly accessible through the

Fn key The key, short form for ''function,'' is a modifier key on many keyboards, especially external keyboards, and is not available for mobile devices. For use in a compact layout, combine keys which are normally kept separate. Alt + Fn is typically ...

. The keys are arranged in a layout resembling the Sun Type 3 keyboard. Specifically: * The

is placed where most keyboards place the caps lock. This is the only control key on the keyboard. * The

esc key On computer keyboards, the Esc key (named ''Escape key'' in the international standard series ISO/IEC 9995) is a key used to generate the escape character (which can be represented as ASCII code 27 in decimal, Unicode U+001B, or ). The escap ...

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 The delete key (often abbreviated del) is a button on most computer keyboards which is typically used to delete either (in text mode) the character ahead of or beneath the cursor, or (in GUI mode) the currently-selected object. The key is somet ...

is located directly above the

enter key On computer keyboards, the enter key and return key are two closely related keys with overlapping and distinct functions dependent on operating system and application. Functions The return key has its origins in two typewriter functions: c ...

; 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 the keyboard key that in typewriters originally pushed the carriage one position backwards, and in modern computer systems typically moves the display cursor one position backwards,The meaning of "backwards" depends on the dir ...

. Backspace is accessible via though its function can be interchanged with the

key using a DIP switch, using this setting, the

is accessed via * The

meta key The Meta key is a modifier key on certain Computer keyboard, keyboards. It first appeared on the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab (SAIL) keyboard in 1970. History The Meta key first appeared on the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab (SA ...

s are located between the

space bar The space bar is on the bottom center of the keyboard. The space bar, spacebar, blank, or space key is a key on a typewriter or alphanumeric keyboard in the form of a horizontal bar in the lowermost row, significantly wider than all other keys. ...

and the

alt key The Alt key (pronounced or ) on a computer keyboard is used to change (alternate) the function of other pressed keys. Thus, the Alt key is a modifier key, used in a similar fashion to the Shift key. For example, simply pressing ''A'' will ty ...

s. On the far side of the keyboard there are

DIP switch A DIP switch is a manual electric switch that is packaged with others in a group in a standard dual in-line package (DIP). The term may refer to each individual switch, or to the unit as a whole. This type of switch is designed to be used on a p ...

es. These may be used to: * Turn the delete key into a backspace. remains backspace, and (top-right key) remains delete. * Swap the alt and

meta Meta most commonly refers to: * Meta (prefix), a common affix and word in English ( in Greek) * Meta Platforms, an American multinational technology conglomerate (formerly ''Facebook, Inc.'') Meta or META may also refer to: Businesses * Meta (ac ...

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.

References

{{Reflist

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
Computer keyboard models