Whilst it appears to “work”, the use of an external keyboard is not a supported feature.
So, if you choose to plug in an external keyboard and type on it etc that’s your choice to do so, however, if you get any unexpected behaviour…
Thanks for trying and sharing though.
hmmm, unexpected behavior? Last night i’ve got a database corruption, could that keyboard be the cause of that?
As any external keyboard iisnt a supported item, and there are so many usb keyboards with so many custom buttons on them, I would imagine that “anything is possible”
However, I’d be more likely to think of unexpected behaviour to be things like… this completely ficticious scenario "when I was trying to type a letter F, I accidentally caught the letter G next to it at the same time and the track stopped playing
What a USB keyboards “Custom” buttons (e.g.: Keys which are not shown on the on-screen keyboard) may do though… could be less than predictable.
This COULD be an idea for the keyboard shortcuts.
So to be clear, this is a not an active list, but a SUGGESTION!
TEXT ENTRY Used in the text entry ‘widget’; when searching and during renaming playlists etc.
(When not editing) • Return = starts editing
(When editing) • Cursor left / right = move caret • Return / Enter = DONE and move focus to next field • Escape = DONE but leave focus on this widget • Home / End = beginning / end of string • Backspace = Delete backwards • Delete = Delete forwards • Caps-lock and number-lock are honoured
LISTS Used when browsing the library • Up = Same as rotating PUSH SELECT knob anti-clockwise • Down = Same as rotating PUSH SELECT knob rotary clockwise • Left = Same as pushing BACK • Right = Same as pushing FWD • Return = Select/Load (same as PUSH SELECT press) • Page up / down = Page up / down • Ctrl-Page up / down = Top / bottom of list • Escape = go back up one level
SLIDER • Left (or) Up = Move slider left • Right (or) Down = Move slider right • Ctrl-left / right / up / down = Move to beginning / end of slider
GENERAL • Tab = move focus to next field • Shift-tab = move focus to previous field
GENERAL SHORTCUTS • Ctrl + C = Goes to ShortCuts window • Ctrl + E = Goes to Eject media window • Ctrl + F = Goes to search ALL for the current library, similar to pressing F1 • Ctrl + H = Goes to History window • Ctrl + L = Goes to Library view (last position used of crates, playlist, prepare, files or search from anywhere in the user interface) • Ctrl + P = Goes to Prepare folder window • Ctrl + S = Goes to Source window • Ctrl + U = Goes to Utility / Preferences • Ctrl + V = Switch between the library view and track view • Ctrl + + = Zoom in Waveform • Ctrl + - = Zoom out Waveform • ALT + TAB = Switch Layer
• Escape - Cancel any popup windows
• F1 = Open search browser for current library, set to “All” and put keyboard focus in the text entry widget • F2 = begins a “Title” search • F3 = begins an “Album” search • F4 = begins an “Artist” search • F5 = Browse library by Genre • F6 = Browse library by BPM (with analyzed tracks) • F7 = Browse library by Year • F8 = Crates menu • F9 = Playlist menu • F10 = Prepare menu • F11 = Files (File browse the device directly) • F12 = Library (press again to change to next library, if available)
And maybe when possible over network to use 1 keyboard for multiple SC5000’s: • Ctrl + 1 = Player no. 1 responds to keyboard • Ctrl + 2 = Player no. 2 responds to keyboard • Ctrl + 3 = Player no. 3 responds to keyboard • Ctrl + 4 = Player no. 4 responds to keyboard
So I hooked up a regular rDell USB keyboard and it works great, Here are some of the shortcuts I have found
s=sync on 0-sets track to -100 and stops F7 - loads previous track E - eject esc - escapes screen L - layer switching X - ejects track from deck, wish the player could do this without the keyboard plugged in N - next track M - takes the left side of the screens icons for playlist, search, etc… and moves it to the right side spacebar - play/pause
SHIFT does nothing so all commands are in lower case
And >BANG< that’s why I wouldn’t have a USB keyboard connected to each of my players.
There’d be me thinking I was pressing space, or any key along the bottom row z x c v b n m and catch the space bar accidentally in a search, and … the music that everyone’s dancing to … Stops.
the spacebar in a search doesn’t start/stop the track, that would be silly, it only stops it if you are in waveform view with the track playing
I agree with @DJ_Boothe on the spacebar, because they keyboard should not affect current playback on the device.
In the list I suggested above the keyboard is used in a way that it is a big step forward to quickly navigate through the SC5000, but doesn’t affect play controls.
indeed but if you “thought” you were in a search but weren’t
It’s a bit like having too many big red stop buttons in an evevator… one on every wall… sooner or later, someones gonna lean on one accidentally.
It’s like on the supported implementation of the external USB keyboard for the DN-S1200, HD-2500, HS5500 etc - No playback controls were unmasked, only around 10 of the function keys, for changing between String/Normal Search, Changing Time between Elapsed/Remain, Back, Add To Hot List, Arrow keys, Enter and then A-Z and 0 to 9 - oh and Tab.
By all means add 4 USB keyboards when you buy your 4 x SC5000 Primes… But I’d consider prising off the spacebars 
Still, it shouldn’t 
This mistakes are very to easy to make… Seen it many times before.
Hope this list makes sense though…
I am unsure of the need for a keyboard or even a debate on it.
The SC5000 has a very capable touchscreen keyboard already available on each player. What would lugging about 2 extra usb keyboards achieve? (Maybe i’m missing something here)
And then if you want to use the keyboard for shortcuts to the players functions why the heck buy the players in the first place?
I’m sorry i am at a total loss to understand why this is a request from people to support an option that serves zero functions over what is already superbly available on the players themselves
Oh and i am sorry but the phrase “not everyone likes a touch screen keyboard” is not a valid reply as well if that was the case you wouldn’t have a smart phone or do you carry around a USB keyboard for all the function of sending messages.
Sorry I am not popping at anyone but I just don’t get the whole USB keyboard debate going on
The “good” ole Numark D2 Director had USB keyboards support, but it would only react to library related issues. There were NO control functions available as shortcuts. So even slamming the keyboard with your flat hand would show some weird things on screen perhaps, but you could simply not interrupt or otherwise manipulate a running track.
Well for starters when the keyboard is called up on screen, a lot of things that were previously visible will be hidden.
Say you’ve got a track playing, then you decide to search for something and call up the on screen keyboard. Can you still see the remaining time of the playing track? I don’t know, as I’ve not seen anyone do that, but it could be an issue.
Then there’s the space limitations on a screen. A real keyboard has all the keys available at all times. An on screen keyboard doesn’t. You have to faff around with separate keys for caps and for numbers.
As for your smart phone argument - well I for one didn’t actually want a touch screen phone. I much prefer one with keys - but, unfortunately the market is saturated with touch screen phones. it’s almost impossible to buy a “normal” phone these days.
Perhaps no NEED, but it could be handy though… And if you don’t want it, just don’t plug it in 
Just some achievements an USB keyboard could add on top of the onscreen board.
And for the need of 2 (or 3 or 4) extra keyboards I suggested a shortcut to tell your setup which player should listen to the keyboard, so you might only ‘need’ to use one if they can pull that off… Or off course still you can use zero if you like…
Did you do this using your own SC5000 Brichi? Or, in a store perhaps? Either way, just to advise, the use of an external keyboard, plugged into an SC5000 is neither supported, nor recommended at this point
Until now, I didn’t understand why Denon didn’t officially stated support for the keyboard with SC5000. But seeing these last few replies in this thread - people just cannot be pleased. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. 
Hi Paul, I did this on my own SC5000
Why are there working shortcuts if a keyboard isn’t supported ? Someone had to program this shortcuts in the firmware.
It would be more a case that someone would had to have programmed blocks or masks in order to stop the USB chipset from recognising a USB keyboard.