Keytronic E03600QL Bio-Rad DigiLab AT Keyboard Custom Key Layout For Parts

Keytronic E03600QL Bio-Rad DigiLab AT Keyboard Custom Key Layout For Parts

The Keytronic E03600QL is a full-size AT-interface keyboard manufactured by Key Tronic Corporation and custom-branded for Bio-Rad's Digilab Division. It differs from a standard PC keyboard in its key layout, which includes laboratory-specific function keys — visible in the photos are dedicated keys labeled Left Edge, Right Edge, Center, U1, U2, U3, U4, Menu, Help, and Line Feed, along with standard QWERTY alphanumeric and function key rows. The keyboard connects via a coiled 5-pin DIN (AT) cable and features a rear-mounted XT / Enhanced AT/XT mode selector switch. This unit is being sold as-is for parts or repair — it was found to be unresponsive on our test beds and is not in working condition.

Specifications & What's Included

• Manufacturer: Key Tronic Corporation
• Model Number: E03600QL
• MO / Order Number: 104863-03
• Assembly Number: 697-1523
• OEM Branded For: Bio-Rad Digilab Division
• Interface: AT — 5-pin DIN connector (coiled cable attached)
• Mode Switch: XT / Enhanced AT/XT selectable (rear of unit; set to Enhanced AT/XT)
• Power: 5.0 VDC
• Key Layout: Custom laboratory layout — includes standard QWERTY alphanumeric, F1–F12 function row, and Bio-Rad-specific keys (Left Edge, Right Edge, Center, U1–U4, Menu, Help, Line Feed, Num Lock, Caps Lock, Scroll Lock)
• Country of Manufacture: USA (per label)
• Includes: Keyboard unit with attached coiled AT cable only — no adapter

Applications

Key Tronic was a major US keyboard manufacturer from the late 1970s through the 1990s, well known for producing OEM keyboards for scientific instrument companies, medical equipment makers, and industrial system integrators who needed custom key layouts tied to their proprietary software. This E03600QL was built for Bio-Rad Laboratories' Digilab Division, which produced laboratory automation instruments — including densitometers, gel documentation systems, and chromatography equipment — that ran on IBM PC/AT-compatible platforms. Custom keyboards like this one replaced or supplemented standard PC keyboards to give lab technicians direct single-key access to instrument-specific functions (scanning edges, centering, user-defined macros, data entry shortcuts) without navigating on-screen menus. Today, units like this are of interest to collectors of vintage lab computing equipment, researchers maintaining legacy Bio-Rad Digilab instruments, and hobbyists interested in the history of scientific computing in the AT era.