IBM terminal w/Beamspring

didja · 15 Nov 2014, 21:30

Pioneer Audio video shows an IBM terminal w/beamspring keyboard, keypad and laser pen/digitizer monitor for CAD system.
http://youtu.be/owGlWRzkais?t=53s

I own this keyboard and other beam spring IBMs so it jumped out at me.

Parak · 15 Nov 2014, 22:52

Awesome. Looks like an IBM 3250 to my semitrained eye

Also, you're alive! Did you ever do a teardown of that opto keyboard in your profile pic, btw?

didja · 15 Nov 2014, 23:02

Yeah, I lurk from time to time.

I took my avatar pic keyboard apart (Invac Photoelectric) when I first got it but not since. It's pretty cool with the nixie tubes, lots of hand routed PCB work, mechanical wizardry. Nothing like a German enigma machine but still cool. It sits to the side of my desk in my office at work.

I got some controllers for my beam spring boards a few months ago from a guy on here and GH, sorry I can't remember his name now but he was in New Zealand. I haven't tried them yet.

Long live pre-1986 keyboards!

scottc · 15 Nov 2014, 23:09

That would be xwhatsit. Typing this on my wonderful beam spring which was brought to life by his magnificent work.

didja · 15 Nov 2014, 23:20

That's just awesome. I wasn't sure I'd see the day when we could use them on modern systems.

Very cool.

snoopy · 15 Nov 2014, 23:32

Post some pics of your beamspring... I need some motivation to start restoring mine...

scottc · 15 Nov 2014, 23:33

I posted some when I got it

http://deskthority.net/photos-f62/ibm-3 ... t8728.html

I accept payment for my motivation services only in the form of kishies...

didja · 16 Nov 2014, 00:15

This is the only one I have that's not in storage while we move. Other than this, I have one of the all white display writers, a small one and a big one. That's about as descriptive as I can get, it's been a while since I had them out. The small one I have is NIB and the guy I bought it from had 20 others but he had thrown them all in a dumpster a few months before. He missed the one I got from him.

Parak · 16 Nov 2014, 02:31

didja wrote: ↑The small one I have is NIB and the guy I bought it from had 20 others but he had thrown them all in a dumpster a few months before.