[Photos] Guess the keyboard :D

25 May 2012, 09:18

Recent arrival. NIB. Made in 1990.

Anyone care for a guess at the switch? Manufacturer, or even the brand of the keyboard?

I know what it is, but does anyone else? :lol:

25 May 2012, 12:18

The switches remind me of those in the DEC LK201, but it's definitely not an LK201...

25 May 2012, 13:04

Now that's a bulky mechanism... feel good?

25 May 2012, 13:15

the mechanism reminds me of cherry my, but it's probably something from Indonesia or Taiwan...

25 May 2012, 17:11

What is the prize ??

25 May 2012, 17:56

Hmm, prize...nah, this one is too easy.

Two hints:

What you're looking at (and the rest of the keyboard assembly) is made in Japan, the case, in Korea and more than likely sold in the US
It's a membrane keyboard.

25 May 2012, 18:07

Seems to be a Korean tradition to make PCBs in orange instead of green.

Is it some IBM keyboard?

25 May 2012, 18:21

Nope, though the company was a thorn in IBM's side at one point a long time ago. And probably not for the reason you think

Other side of the PCB.

25 May 2012, 18:25

Apple: no.
SGI: no.
DEC: no.
Wang?

25 May 2012, 18:35

The branding (or the company that had these keyboards made), started when punch-cards still existed.

The switches, keycaps, and pcb are all 100% Japanese made and designed.

Wang...nope. When this keyboard was made, the company was nearly dead.

25 May 2012, 19:14

Honeywell? no. still existing.
But there was another one ...

UNIVAC? no. died too early.
Burroughs?

25 May 2012, 19:27

Nah, these guys weren't technologically awesome. Really just glorified money pushers. Founded in 1957.
The company died because because their OS ran out of dates apparently.

Regardless, the brand of the company really has no ties to the makers of the keyswitch.

25 May 2012, 19:30

HaaTa wrote:Nah, these guys weren't technologically awesome. Really just glorified money pushers. Founded in 1957.

The company died because because their OS ran out of dates apparently.

This leads me to DEC again ...

edit: OK it's DEC, now I get that with IBM. I thought of main-frame companies, not DEC's mini computers making mainframes obsolete in some important fields.

25 May 2012, 19:33

Nope. But close (the keyboard is actually nice to type on, so that pushes DEC straight out

).

Ever hear of MAI Systems Corporation?
http://www.answers.com/topic/mai-systems-corporation#

25 May 2012, 19:46

1957 && OS ran out of dates apparently => DEC
Nevertheless, I bet you are the only one who knows MAI Systems Corporation.

:-(

25 May 2012, 19:54

Now, the big question(s), haven't been answered yet.

What switch?
Who made it?

Though really they're the same question.

More pics now that some info is know:

And a red herring pic (really, this spring actually makes the switch guessing harder):

My keyboard collection · 26 May 2012, 12:39

When I think of leaf-spring switches, I think of Fujitsu, but it does not look like any leaf-spring switch from Fujitsu that I have seen, and it can't be Fujitsu because it is still live.

26 May 2012, 14:19

I think I saw it on a Jetson's episode.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... rminal.jpg

This switch?
http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums ... hp?t=77835

26 May 2012, 19:18

Findecanor wrote:When I think of leaf-spring switches, I think of Fujitsu, but it does not look like any leaf-spring switch from Fujitsu that I have seen, and it can't be Fujitsu because it is still live.

Well, when I said alive, I meant the brand. Not necessarily the manufacturer.
But yes, it's a variant of Fujitsu Leaf Spring. Couldn't show a lot of pictures because there were Fujitsu style part numbers all over the place. And the sliders are a dead give-away.
This patent is interesting as it shows many different mounting styles for the leaf spring.

See:

Figure 5.
Figure 7. Part A
Figure 8.
Figure 9.
Figure 10.

http://www.google.com/patents/US4529849

26 May 2012, 19:23

I should start saying the first thing that pops into my mind and not think about it, I would've at least gotten the switch right.

26 May 2012, 19:32

Boring!

[h=3]Fujitsu[/h]

[h="4"]Fujitsu Leaf Spring[/h]
linear switch

Keyboards:
Fujitsu FMV KB211
Tandy 1000 (original) keyboard

Fujitsu FMV KB211

Source - Sandy55 - http://sandy55.fc2web.com/keyboard/fmv_kb-211.html

Old unidentified terminal keyboard

Picture courtesy of Sixty - [url="http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?4096-Keyboard-pics&p=123642&viewfull=1#post123642"]Source[/url].

Oops, images.

http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?2960 ... itch-Guide

My keyboard collection · 27 May 2012, 00:01

I know I have seen keyboards with Roman numerals before, but I can't remember where.

27 May 2012, 00:05

Spoiler:

27 May 2012, 05:36

webwit, are the Greek letters on the Space Cadet pad printed, engraved, or triple shots?

27 May 2012, 07:28

Findecanor wrote:I know I have seen keyboards with Roman numerals before, but I can't remember where.

http://deskthority.net/marketplace-f11/cherry-g80-3422lamit-t820.html#p17338

27 May 2012, 09:05

HaaTa wrote:webwit, are the Greek letters on the Space Cadet pad printed, engraved, or triple shots?

Pad printed.

27 May 2012, 11:21

The layout reminds me of the Sun 3, except nicer in some respects. Probably some sort of Unix workstation, or maybe terminal, from the mid to late 80s?

[Photos] Guess the keyboard :D

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