IBM 3278 Beam Spring

scottc · 10 Sep 2014, 00:04

Thanks to Halvar, I was lucky enough to get my hands on a wonderful IBM 3278 beam spring in DE layout.

Being a German-layout board, there are some interesting legends.

What's this -- sellotape? It looks like this section can't hold itself together anymore.

Good news - the booklet is still intact!

It's held up surprisingly well!

There are some homemade stickers on the numpad-ish area.

...and some other more official-looking ones in the navigation cluster.

Here's a view from the bottom. I don't have a flat-head screwdriver handy, so this will have to wait...

My favourite: the full name always gets me. Made in Canada. mr_a500 will be pleased!

Here it is, toothless and ready for cleaning. Keycap soup pictured in the background.

webwit · 10 Sep 2014, 00:13

That's a great score. I'll be eagerly awaiting your first attempts at fusion Irish-German poetry. Or, as Goethe, the most famous of German comedians, would say:

Lieblich ist's, im Frühlingsgarten
Mancher holden Blume warten;
Aber lieblicher, im Segen
Seiner Freunde Namen pflegen:
Denn der Anblick solcher Züge
Tut so Seel als Geist Genüge,
Ja, zu Lieb und Treu bekennt
Sich der Freund, wie er sich nennt.

Halvar · 10 Sep 2014, 00:24

For what it's worth, the various stickers suggest that the keyboard was used in the credit department of a bank until 1984.

The text of the "help" brochure must have been totally incomprehensible to most users back then I assume. It's written like the worst legalese.

scottc · 10 Sep 2014, 00:40

webwit wrote: ↑That's a great score. I'll be eagerly awaiting your first attempts at fusion Irish-German poetry. Or, as Goethe, the most famous of German comedians, would say:
Lieblich ist's, im Frühlingsgarten
Mancher holden Blume warten;
Aber lieblicher, im Segen
Seiner Freunde Namen pflegen:
Denn der Anblick solcher Züge
Tut so Seel als Geist Genüge,
Ja, zu Lieb und Treu bekennt
Sich der Freund, wie er sich nennt.

Oh grdstg, dat freig...

Halvar wrote: ↑For what it's worth, the various stickers suggest that the keyboard was used in the credit department of a bank until 1984.

The text of the "help" brochure must have been totally incomprehensible to most users back then I assume. It's written like the worst legalese.

Ooh, that's pretty interesting. The stickers were all but crumbling to dust, unfortunately, so I imagine that they'll be long gone after the dental tab soak.

Muirium · 10 Sep 2014, 00:53

Is there anything in the black plastic compartment, underneath? Mine had yet more instructions! Just as inscrutable as the first, to Germans and us alike.

The inside of the case is a good place to spot another date. And beware Greenock, even in "Canadian" boards.

Halvar · 10 Sep 2014, 01:11

The bottom compartment was empty in most of the keyboards that I got, including this one. I can provide a brochure with Goethe poems to put in there though if desired.

Muirium · 10 Sep 2014, 01:52

It's Irish now. Stash some limericks!

benichka · 10 Sep 2014, 08:15

That's a really nice piece

It does seem that it is full metal?
How much does that weight?

macmakkara · 10 Sep 2014, 09:57

Mine should arrive today or tomorrow acording to dhl

If you happen to find source for controller drop me pm

Halvar · 10 Sep 2014, 11:30

benichka wrote: ↑How much does that weight?

The case is full metal, it weights approximately as much as 2 Model Ms or 4 G80-3000s or 10 modern Dell rubberdomes (= 5 kg).

benichka · 10 Sep 2014, 11:34

lol...
I'm pretty sure some people have a lighter computer