Beige monitor to go with keyboard?

warty

19 Sep 2013, 02:49

I don't think I'll actually do this, unless my dell monitor was to somehow stop working. But... if I wanted a beige monitor to go with my fine AT F, does anyone have a lead on one? I did some googling, but it doesn't look to me as if anyone even makes white, let alone beige, monitors in the 24-27" range. All I see are black, with a few silver.

Maybe I could take the bezel off the dell and spray paint it. Make a fake IBM badge? Hmmm... I'd need a 2 big knobs for brightness and contrast...

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002
Topre Enthusiast

19 Sep 2013, 04:39

Looks like you're not the only one interested in doing this :) http://www.overclock.net/t/1344220/pain ... itor-beige

If Corsair's April Fool's joke became a reality, you could've really completed the set too.

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dorkvader

19 Sep 2013, 08:03

I get my excellent CRT monitors out of the university e-waste pile for free. I had 7 apeture grille ones at one time, and one sony GDM-FW900 (hp 2132A branded). I sill regret going to flat displays, They may use less power and take up less space, but the picture quality of the CRT is far superior to any flat panel I've yet seen. It's also in the size range you want and can do 1920*1200 at a high refresh rate (85Hz, if I recall correctly). I would recommend a VGA to BNC cable for this, though. It's one of the few widescreen CRT monitors. I would not recommend cranking it up to the max resolution (something like 2304*1440) as the refresh rate is too low. That said, my flicker threshold is roughly 76-78 Hz depending on lighting conditions. Some people are okay with lower refresh rates, I'm told.

Also, If you are going for dials, why not look for a set of actual IBM dials for CAD? These are excellent potentiometers and communicate over serial (which I'm told will be easy to convert with a teensy or other microcontroller) Here's some pictures of mine
http://imgur.com/a/G4e1P

These dials cost about 4 times as much as a model F keyboard ( $225 vs $950) back in ~1986

Findecanor

19 Sep 2013, 13:59

I have thick black picture frames from IKEA on the walls in the same room as my Dell monitor with a black bezel. I had chosen them because they sort of match.

I am also looking for a nice beige spray paint, but for painting a keyboard case. The hue I am looking for might be just a shade darker than the Model F's case, but please do post if you find anything!

Have you considered rebuilding the monitor bezel into an inner and an outer bezel like the monitors for the original IBM PC? The inner bezel is darker beige and has the black dials for light and contrast, while the outer bezel is a lighter beige. Maybe the colours match the alphanumeric and modifier keys on the Model F keyboard.
If your monitor's bezel is wide enough, then the outer bezel could be made from PVC L-bracket from a home improvement store. Otherwise the outer bezel could be made from thin (~2mm) plastic bars with the edges facing forwards more in the style of this IBM terminal.
002 wrote:If Corsair's April Fool's joke became a reality, you could've really completed the set too.
I don't know... There is actually a trend going on for building "retro"-PCs mostly for playing older games. "Retro" in this case is what young people call the Windows 98-era, while I (who is in my 30's) wouldn't call anything "retro" that is after '95.

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fruktstund

19 Sep 2013, 14:59

I recently bought an Eizo EV2736WFS-GY in hope it'd be more white than grey, since it'd have been a good match for my new desk, but as it turns out it's pretty beige-grey. Pretty much the CRT color, wohoo! Not a very pleasant surprise for me, but if you're in the market for 90s' color monitors this one might be good for you, if you're thinking of buying a new one.

Maybe I should take a photo with it side by side with my Model M.

warty

20 Sep 2013, 04:11

dorkvader: that is a BEAST. Is your beige? The ones I saw online were silver looking. I guess with enough spray paint I could cover the entire thing. ;-) I agree with you on the quality of the CRT displays. They always have seemed better to me, but it's a personal thing I guess. Lots of people say LCDs are clearer. Some of those ultra-high res ones they have now, sure. But normal resolution ones? I don't see it.

Findecanor: I did consider that. I haven't given up altogether, but Manufacturing plastics is not something I'm going to be good at. Hooking up some pots for the brightness/contrast controls? No problem. Making plastic look good? Not likely for me I'm afraid. But yes, I was thinking of the original IBM monochrome display. 5151 maybe?

Fruktstund: If you have a chance, I'd love to see that picture. I saw some pictures online that looked positively sparkly, and then some that looked vaguely beige.

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Dubsgalore

20 Sep 2013, 05:02

I'm getting a beige CST LTracX to match my setup haha..the 900D beige edition :lol:
I think i would actually buy that..

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dorkvader

20 Sep 2013, 09:31

warty wrote:dorkvader: that is a BEAST. Is your beige? The ones I saw online were silver looking. I guess with enough spray paint I could cover the entire thing. ;-) I agree with you on the quality of the CRT displays. They always have seemed better to me, but it's a personal thing I guess. Lots of people say LCDs are clearer. Some of those ultra-high res ones they have now, sure. But normal resolution ones? I don't see it.
Both of mine (one given away, one broken down for parts after it failed) were hp-branded and beige. I've only ever seen black/silver sony-branded ones. I had to carry both of them just under 2 miles by hand, and they weigh about 95 lbs.

I have two qualms with the flat panels I see, and I see this issue on almost all of them
#1. I can see them flickering. This is easily noticeable on the 27" iMac, and thunderbolt/cinema displays.
#2. I can see what looks to me like "swimming" on many types of displays. I see this on the above panel and some others besides, but it isn't as widespread as issue #1.
I see neither of these issues on my CRT's, once I crank the refresh rate up. I still sort-of regret breaking down my apple CRT, as it could do 1600*1200@85Hz.

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To make this post a little more on-topic (and therefore, productive) might I suggest you purchase a white display bezel and then dye (or paint, if dying won't work) it beige?

as far as re-purposing old hardware, I'd say the 12" IBM crt for the 5151 is a little too small for modern standards. You could get away with a 3290 plasma terminal though.

I sort-of want to get the IBM 4704 monitor for wheelwriter typewriters and use it for something.

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Karura

15 Aug 2014, 15:43

fruktstund wrote: I recently bought an Eizo EV2736WFS-GY in hope it'd be more white than grey, since it'd have been a good match for my new desk, but as it turns out it's pretty beige-grey. Pretty much the CRT color, wohoo! Not a very pleasant surprise for me, but if you're in the market for 90s' color monitors this one might be good for you, if you're thinking of buying a new one.

Maybe I should take a photo with it side by side with my Model M.
Would be cool to see pictures!!

Can you tell me what are your thoughts on the Eizo, since you've been using it for a while now?

I'm thinking of picking up the S2133 in the same grey/beige, to go with Model M, and a beige case!

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