Keyboards are considered the most important input device to the average PC user. They serve as a translation of "key hits" into a seemingly understandable input. Everywhere you go, keyboards seem to be different, but the real truth is that each one is primarily the same. Keyboards mainly differ by the amount of "bells and whistles" (added features) they each offer. Their are only two major types of keyboards: mechanical keyswitch and capacitive. 

Mechanical Keyswitch

The mechanical keyswitch keyboard is the ancestor of keyboards. It was the first type of keyboard ever introduced, and it is gradually being removed from today’s technology drive. A keyswitch keyboard works on the basic principle of completing a circuit. When you press a key, a plunger moves down and forms an electric connection between two wires/plates. The keyboard controller recognizes the closed circuit and transfers the data to the computer that a specific key has been pressed. Then, after the user releases his or her finger, the circuit is open, and the plunger returns to its’ original position. On a typical keyswitch keyboard, there will be approximately 100 individual keyswitches.

Continue the tutorial with the next section on Capacitive keyboards.