Accom Axial keyboard review (Cherry MX Black)
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- čas přidán 12. 11. 2020
- Skip to 7:19 for a typing demonstration.
Intro by Kyle Carter
Outro by Facundo Cabanne
My keyboard reviews: bit.ly/1TbOtft
My switch teardowns: bit.ly/2C1QGHz
My TOP X videos: bit.ly/2FmpZfd
My XL typing demos: bit.ly/2OoAW3w
My tutorials and featurettes: bit.ly/2OrkLUh
My unboxing videos: bit.ly/2TSrr0m
I'm Thomas and I do videos and reviews on mechanical keyboards ranging from the most sickening modern RGB gaming keyboards to vintage hardware relics, or sometimes keycaps or keyswitches ranging from Cherry MX to Alps SKCM to IBM buckling springs and anything in between.
Follow me on Twitter for updates on my keyboard videos! / chyrosran22
The practice sentence was: "Hello my name is Thomas and I'm typing on an Accom Axial right now. Honestly, this thing doesn't even fit halfway into frame, it's absolutely ridiculous and I love it!" - Věda a technologie
I love how despite the size of this keyboard, they still merged the nav and arrow cluster together.
I wonder what the RAVE key does...
@@dhoffnun Do, do, do, do, dudle-um-dum, duddle-um-dum, duddle-um-dum, -THE SYSTEM IS DOWN-
@@00Klingon time to throw a light switch rave
@@dhoffnun What's more interesting is what the DISS key does... Chyrosran22 Disstrack incoming?!?!?!
@@dhoffnun Random Access Video Editing. An early form of disk based video editing in which tape cartridges were used to play into the system field recording video footage and were recorded on disk drives for later alterations. I spent hundreds of hours working on the Axial 3000 editing system whose keyboard is depicted here.
This ain't no battleship keyboard
It's a mothership
*Death star
It's a black hole. slowly eating your entire desk. and anyone that stands next to it.
-400 -400
Dang, I was gonna make the same joke except I wanted to call it an "Aircraft carrier" :)
@@ugyuu The Chyron is already the aircraft carrier xD .
Ok mate you dont have to steal a keyboard from the NASA control room to prove your love for keyboards. Great video mate!
considering the average weight of a female bald eagle (females are heavier) is 5 kilos, your measurement of 1.5 bald eagles is pretty accurate.
My patriotic family has been measuring in bald eagles for generations. Of course he’s right.
The cheese slice thickness too. Now I got a new unit of measure to use.
I see fellow cultured people. This increases my pleasure by about 2 tea crates.
How much would that be in electoral colleges?
@@beskydyk I believe about 134 if I remember the conversion rate.
One look at the thumbnail and I dropped everything to watch this review
I would love to have this. Dam.. One mother of a Keyboard..
This does give me an idea. When I finally finish my move. I will be building my new pc build.
Buy a big new keyboard, Elgato Keypad, & Extra Numpad. All in my own Accom with some RGB. Ha. Ha... Thank you for posting this video..
Saucy
You're going to review a Chernobyl control panel at this rate.
I hope he finds an old power station control keyboard for real though 😍
I had the pleasure of using this keyboard and the associated editing system (you should have seen the mainframe) in the mid-1990s through the early 2000s. It was top of the line. Its monitor display was also way more advanced than many of its competitors.
forget about desk space, this IS the desk
It fits in a desk, because desk gets cut out for it.
Yes definitely, have you had a look beneath? There should be 4 or 6 holes for screwing table legs.
Every time I see you pull out an even more ridiculous behemoth, that itch to DIY my own death star increases. Never knew I'd want a jog wheel on a keyboard but now I do!
This device was the keyboard that runs the edit control unit. The edit controller was a computer connected videotape machines, video mixers/switchers, special effects generators and Chyron/CG. The devices were usually control by a serial protocol...and it allowed editors to cut, color correction and output finished video product for air. These edit system were called ‘on line editors’ and they were the pinnacle of Video technologies....Until non-linear machines like I have it became advanced enough to take over their duties. everything with the system took a lot of skill. The editor would often have to take a floppy disk of a draft edit and upload it into the edit controller.
The Accom axial was a wonderful UNIX Xwindows based VTR editor controller! very powerful, and very easy to use... you could use a digibeta in preread mode as it's own a/b match frame source and recorder. you could also use a DDR as a frame recorder to cache clips for effects!
it also had a router control panel integrated into the EDL controller, so you could change sources on the router on the fly as sources. you could also do live source cutting with it.
it really was a control room in a box!
I was a Unix admin and repair maint for this system and other editing systems such as Quantel. Accom also made Digital Disk Video recorders that were used as a video preread cache for doing A/B/C multisync and multi-roll effects and edits!
How much weight have you lost carrying this and the Chyron around for different shots?
It was good exercise, I can tell you that! XD
@@Chyrosran22 I'll guess it is 1 bald eagle and 3 yee-haws
A few bits of clarification:
- This is not intended for broadcasting, but rather for post-production film or tv editing. There would be a massive (5-6-unit) rack-mounted computer, and a (usually very large, for its time) monitor to display the editing controller -- the footage would be on several separate monitors.
- The company, Accom, is not exactly unknown in the post-production market. Alas, they seem to have folded in 2005.
- Try pressing down on that jog wheel: you will toggle it between free-wheeling jog mode, and relative-speed forward/backward control with a centre stop.
- About that display: You'd select "top-level" options by pressing one of the buttons above the display. The button would light up, and the display would show a number of control settings (top row) and current values (bottom row). You could then adjust the individual values by means of those rotary knobs.
- The lighted keys in the block left of the display would light up depending on context. I don't recall if they lit up when enabled, or if there were two brightness levels for "merely available" and "actually enabled", though. Sorry.
- Yes, some of those "seemingly thousands" of keys were in fact completely unused. Go figure.
In my opinion, the typing experience (and the sound of it) is mediocre at best (not as bad as the Mac (Plus) keyboard though), but then again you'd not often write more than a word or three at a time. The rest it did pretty excellently!
Cheers!
PS! Would you consider selling this?
Thanks for the information, quite interesting :) . I'm not selling this no, sorry. But are they that difficult to get hold of now? When I picked this up they popped up somewhat regularly. I even saw a batch of 3 for $250 total.
@@Chyrosran22 I wouldn't sell it either lol. Nice find.
Fun facts from someone who works in Lighting, Audio and Video equipment. Most equipment uses CherryMX Black switches for their reliability and because they are more difficult to accidently have a fat finger incident. This includes all GrandMA lighting consoles and Most Element Lighting consoles. The other switches, the backlit ones, are used for changing what appears on each display, in this case there could have been up to 6 displays. Also this equipment has a separate unit required to operate the keyboard. This would have used the 12 Din connection to communicate inputs. The Dials would have been programmable and likely were used for fine tuning post production color correction. The company that made this product no longer exists but I believe that it was bought out by another competitor.
not nearly enough keys, rather un-suitable for gamers
And no RGB back light.
@@beskydyk If you want to add RGB to that thing I don't think that the usb power is sufficient, you would need a power plug!
@@karellen00 I see on the new gamer RGB keyboards it uses two usb2 connectors for the power.
@@pqrstzxerty1296 Are you sure it's for power? Generally gaming keyboards have a pass through cable that ends on a port on the keyboard (kind of like a built in extension cord).
USB 3, including 3.1 and 3.2 pull more power than two USB 2 ports. If its recent enough to be a "gamer RGB" keyboard, it would not use 2 USB ports for power. I have an optical drive where the cable has 2 USB connectors on one end, the second is for dedicated power via USB 2, so there have been items built that way in the past, but the drive works well when plugged into just a single USB3 port. So one of keyboard's USB ports has gotta be a pass-through
Came for the ridiculous keyboard, stayed for the digs at the imperial system.
This brings memories. In the late 90s / early 2000s in the school of electronics, we had a session on this thing. We used it to edit a small video clip. We were told by our professors that this is what they were using in the TV channel stations. Of course shortly after Adobe Premiere came along. Keep it up, great videos!
Was just about to binge your vids and you uploaded a new vid. Sickass
Your best review by far. So, pretty much epic.
No idea why I'm watching this or why it was reccomended but 10 seconds in and I am intrigued
Just picture how brilliant one of these colossal behemoths would sound with capacitive bucking springs..
I really love these videos, and the humour on them has inproved... quite noticebly.
I like how you put light on unknown things which are always more interesting than your average branded keyboard.
My house is empty and yet I hear Flight Sim fans breathing heavy while watching this.
I worked on this keyboard for many years. It was an amazing system.
Yep, an edit controller. Could control several tape machines for editing television programming and commercials. The picture is a switcher or vision mixer. That was used to layer video together. add graphics and blue and greenscreen keying. The Accom also controlled the switcher and other gear like still stores and character generators firing a pulse to start sequences of animation like type reveals ect. I was a video editor for many years starting in the mid '80s in the transition from tape and switchers to non-linear editing. First on a Quantel Editbox, then Final Cut Pro and lastly Adobe Premiere.
ur sound is so relaxing
Your keyboard is in fairly good shape. Most Axial keyboards used in post-production environments developed faded or worn keycaps through heavy use. I purchased a spare one and could tell it came from a television facility that still allowed smoking in the edit rooms as it was quite grimy.
I need a keyboard with a Rave button in my life
Big keyboards reminds me, is there a chance you got in on the Hyper7 R3 that went up for group buy a few months back?
Ooh, we got a big boi here. Are you planning on reviewing the Hyper 7 at some point?
Why didn't I learn about the Hyper 7 until now? I need to get my hands on one.
Many videos lately!
What a compact board ! :)
Those backlit switches look like they're right off of the grass valley switcher you showed near the top!
Wow, finally a keyboard for my tablet. 👍😊
this keyboard is highly pleasing to look at and listen to
It is an edit controller. I worked with these for years back at Turner Studios in Atlanta about 20 years ago.
tried looking for this keyboard and some that you mentioned and couldn't find anything, where tf do you get these from?!
Shame you couldn't get a converter for it; I love the thought of you dragging that thing into the office for your usual weekly test. :-)
Finally you use some units that make sense.
I also thought of deathstar the moment I saw it.
It would have been a nice set piece for the Death Star too.
@@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017 yes it would fit pretty well
It reminded me a bit of control keyboards in original Battlestar Galactica, which is not that surprising, consider that the show used tons of real 1970s computers as props.
@@PaiSAMSEN I agree, battlestar galactica is another great fit
Now that is mahoosive!👍
Serious Q: where can I buy one for a decent price? and what was the orginal MSRP for this thing anyways?
Good god this is a monster keyboard fit for a king.
Looks perfect for Kerbal Space Program!
Given it has a serial port, do you think its just a standard terminal connection? Have you tried plugging it into your computers serial port and chatting with it via PuTTY or something. If that works you can turn on Window's telnet server and connect the keyboard to windows that way.
I was thinking the same, but he would first need to deduce how it gets power.
The desk keyboard is here!
How does this compare size wise to the Weytec you did a few months ago?
What keycap set is that? Yet another group buy I missed out on
Whoah! What a beast! I'm in love
Aww yeah! I'm popping a Belgian saison for this.
Is there a video showing where and how Thomas keeps his collection? I imagine it requires an insane amount of space and cleaning effort!
are you gonna review the k60 pro SE (cherry viola)?
What's desk space for your mouse? Never heard of that
DIN 6-pin is a standard for Audio devices and it looks like it, but I am not sure what the protocol is used.
I love this keyboard the polar opposite beauty of HHKB, I love especially trackball and shuttle wheel.
I wish I had these onto HHKB. Or I place this keyboard along my bed.
Communications protocol was RS-422.
Dave Sieg called, he wants his keyboard back!
God how I want to see this thing powered up I'd love to be able to see you use it and explain certain things on it I wish that I was really technically inclined when it came to being able to reverse engineer stuff like this I'd be more than happy to help if I could
I would love to have this. Dam.. One mother of a Keyboard..
I want this in my production room so bad. Fuck a mixing desk, I want a keyboard desk
that six-pin plug looks a lot like a SwitchCraft 6-pin XLR plug socket, like a Neutrik NC6.
You could play Missile Command with that trackball. And Tempest or Gyruss with the giant wheel thingy. Maybe some Atari games for paddle or driving controllers? It would be nice if it had two sticks for Robotron 2084, they really need to make the keyboard a little bigger and fix that in the next version.
Could you create episode about rare / interesting / premium keyboard designs that are build and sold today?. Im thinking about keyboards like modelfkeyboards offer. Thanks
How 60 percent keyboard users see full size keyboard users
Keyboard in a Electic power station is the biggest Cherry I have seen.
Does this come with cherry mx blues..??
It's broadcasting equipment.
6:30 They're like Logitech's romer G switches lol
Finally a keyboard big enough for Taran Van Hemert
that's not a DIN connector, it's an XLR, it's standard in things like broadcast, lighting and sound industries
Shoutout to the World Cup Soccer ‘94 pinball machine in the corner of the shot @ 2:17. Excellent taste.
Well recognised! :D
Wonder what happens when you push the Rave button. DJs and glow sticks?
RAVE was for a random access disk array
is it compatible with Reaper?
That keyboard makes me think of a control panel on the bridge of the TOS Enterprise :-) Noice!
What other hardware would you need to actually use this thing? Was it designed for a specific computer program?
My question exactly.
The mainframes were in pairs (one for display and the other for communications with video devices). The software was the Axial edit system and was a direct linear edit program. Very efficient and reliable in the days of videotape sourced editing. The built in Macro recording, editing and playback capabilities even outperform today's video edit software in certain categories.
@@bobcastro9386 Thanks for the reply. So it was specific to this one program? Was it also specific to the one "mainframe", or could the software be run on any PC?
@@noneofyerbiz7099 The circa mid-1990's Pentium PC was purpose-built rack mounted computer pairs that were designed specifically to just run this one software program in that hardware environment. In fact, the post-production customers were warned strongly not to install or run any other software as even the fonts were specially selected to populate the user interface to just the right size. Our systems (VTA had three) were connected to our in house ethernet network but were deliberately "sequestered" from the general internet as mission critical hardware couldn't risk getting malicious software via downloads. The custom interface cards, ports and inter-chassis communications gear meant that this system could not be run on generic office computer hardware.
@@bobcastro9386 Wow, what an incredibly specific piece of hardware, thanks for sharing.
Was this the holy grail keyboard you mentioned in a Q&A once?
No, although that one is similarly enormous xD .
What an email command bridge! Bet this would slaughter that inbox in minutes.
On the off chance anybody actually cares what the Grass Valley Kalypso does, it's a vision mixer/vision switcher. The buttons cut between different cameras or live sources - one of which might have been the graphics machine the Accom was hooked up to - and sends that source to the recorder or transmitter. No idea what switches they use, but if it's anything like the Ross VM I've used before they're slightly squishy and don't click; pictures of Kalypso parts online show a tall switch with a pale green body soldered onto the PCB.
Looks like this is control panel for an Accom Axial A/B Online video editor.
Basically a computerised cross over between tape based online editing and offline editing is software. You would have had it connected to the editor frame that’s a bit like a cross between a Vision Switcher, and a computer. This would control a bunch or Video Tape decks normally 1-2 (A and B, but sometimes even more that two) with your raw footage on, and one that will record you edit onto. This way of Tape to Tape editing was faster than editing on a computer as you didn’t have to load your raw footage onto the computer and record it back off the computer at the end, as you assembled the edit onto your record Tape as you went.
Unlike basic A/B edit controllers that could just do cuts and mixes, an edit controller like this it would let you do more ‘computer editor’ like effects and make an edit that looked like it was done with a computer but with the speed an higher picture quality (for the time) than you could easily be done by a computer.
If I get a custom mech, I want it to be like this, but with some good switches
magnificent
At what point does a keyboard become a control panel because i feel like this really blurs that line
I think I heard LMG's Taran van Hemert audibly gasp at this keyboard.
He could use five of these bad boys.
If I could get all the keys working I would buy this keyboard so hard
I think its a real time editing keyboard.for what brand and what equipment is unknown.like evs or k2 I think?>
I want a rave key on all my keebs!
So Does this Play centipede?
GrandMA makes some big ass lighting desks. Should get one of those.
Accom Axial, or the Vengeful Spirit, Gloriana-class battleship, adapted to a variant of the Scylla Pattern, that served as the flagship of the Warmaster Horus and the XVI Legion.
Oh man, you're the neardest among the nerds.
@@dacopellino Yes I am.
This does give me an idea. When I finally finish my move. I will be building my new pc build.
Buy a big new keyboard, Elgato Keypad, & Extra Numpad. All in my own Accom with some RGB. Ha. Ha... Thank you for posting this video..
So this is DSA keycaps right..?
I wonder what it would be like to use the keyboard's wheel for steering in video games :D
Wow that is one big MO FU darth vader music comes to mind noice
what a beast
Can you imagine bringing that thing into the office? You’d be fired same day.
the 6 pin DIN looks more like a XLR. Which would be in keeping
Looks cool! Is it a 40%?
No it’s a 181.73%
@@agrisimfarming jk
Was the six din for midi?
MIDI uses 5-pin DIN, not 6.
That's also an XLR socket, not a DIN socket. Chances are that wasn't just for power, it probably connected to the box this thing came with and broke out into a standard C13 and 3-pin XLR for audio.
Apparently there is a key on here for launching nukes.
oh my!...... I want one!
Nice desk 0:34
This is a keyboard from an Axial video editing system that directly connected to a server machine. You can see auctions for complete systems here:
www.bcs.tv/store/prod_search_results.cfm?brand_search=4526
Abekas is the current owner.
Here are two in operation: edit1 and edit2: cnt.kingrecords.co.jp/studio/video-editing/
Here is a 200 page user guide describing all the functions of the keyboard: www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/8189699/alphabetical-reference-abekas
I love that you bought a pack of American "Cheese" just for a quick imperial units gag.
Yup, went to the supermarket just before closing time just to get that stuff xD .
@@Chyrosran22 as a statey, I hate that shit. it's so icky.