IDENTIFY THE KEYBOARD thread

[jensma]

OK, I guess cropped versions of #1-4 and #7-8 plus the others as is will do. Not bad

You do the honours and get all the fame & glory for the feat

I'm way too stupid to add the information to the wiki. It would be my honor if you could do that

[tactica]

Heh. I was thinking of the ITW switch when I suggested you to add the info yourself. Identifying an Alps clone is beyond my abilities, so far I haven't found a match in the wiki either. In a worst case scenario it will have to be filed as another unknown.

[jensma]

Yet another switch that need identification wiki/Codegen_Technology_CG-84A1

[thefarside]

Yet another switch that need identification wiki/Codegen_Technology_CG-84A1

They look like blue alps.

[tactica]

Yet another switch that need identification wiki/Codegen_Technology_CG-84A1

You have to open at least one, and possibly the one under the space bar too as the spring something is likely to be different. External looks alone don't help identifying Alps clones, and the pictures you have submitted don't even provide complete details of the external looks either.

Then there's those random colours across the board that I hope are due to aging plastics and not mixed up switches...

[thefarside]

The switches and varied colors looks exactly like my Omni Key 102 and Focus FK-555 with blue alps, along with the stamps on the housing, but it couldn’t hurt to open them up

[jensma]

Yet another switch that need identification wiki/Codegen_Technology_CG-84A1

You have to open at least one, and possibly the one under the space bar too as the spring something is likely to be different. External looks alone don't help identifying Alps clones, and the pictures you have submitted don't even provide complete details of the external looks either.

Then there's those random colours across the board that I hope are due to aging plastics and not mixed up switches...

Alrighty! I just added a stabilizer 3D model to the wiki since I broke three of them when disassembling the keyboard. They are extremely brittle Then I desoldered a switch to open it but it really seems to be an Alps? There was a logo on the bottom, pics are here: https://imgur.com/a/61H8e1B

I think the odd one is just discolored & the space bar feels exactly the same as the other switches.

Innards: https://imgur.com/a/ylgixcD

[thefarside]

Looks like blue alps! I have the same discoloration in the stems as you do:

IMG_0264.jpeg (3.22 MiB) Viewed 13303 times

[tactica]

OK, my bad, they're the real thing. I'm sorry your stabilisers broke in the process...

The extra pictures would be useful in the Alps SKCM Blue article.

[jensma]

OK, my bad, they're the real thing. I'm sorry your stabilisers broke in the process...

The extra pictures would be useful in the Alps SKCM Blue article.

Feel free to use them =) As I said, I'm stupid when it comes to stuff like this. And no problem about the stabilisers, I just printed new ones.

[tactica]

The keyboard with the unknown yellowish Alps clones is from a MicroOrchid PC3 portable. I have updated the wiki article and emailed MicroOrchid asking for details. Too bad the email link for most subsidiaries is the one and the same as for the original manufacturer in China, so in the end it will be up to them if they decide to share any details.

Edit: the email returned a DKIM failure. @jensma I suggest you try your luck with the German contact address, see here.

Never mind, the site no longer exists. It's strange they're keeping their homepage and pointing people to dead contact links.

[jensma]

The keyboard with the unknown yellowish Alps clones is from a MicroOrchid PC3 portable. I have updated the wiki article and emailed MicroOrchid asking for details. Too bad the email link for most subsidiaries is the one and the same as for the original manufacturer in China, so in the end it will be up to them if they decide to share any details.

Edit: the email returned a DKIM failure. @jensma I suggest you try your luck with the German contact address, see here.

Never mind, the site no longer exists. It's strange they're keeping their homepage and pointing people to dead contact links.

Woah, thanks for the investigative work!
Yeah, that German location is no more. There is another IT oriented company at it's place, but I highly doubt that hey know anything about the keyboard.

[tactica]

Someone not using Gmail might try the generic email address just in case it's a Google thing and there's someone still there.

[jensma]

any idea about this switch? just found in an olympia cd 102

[jensma]

just disassembled the whole thing, seems to be an alps spring bridge with a rod mount. I'll take some pictures for the wiki later this day
edit: I just realised that the switch is already documented by pictures

[jensma]

I just added another keyboard to the wiki (wiki/Siemens_AK/U6). It has a strange logo on the pcb, anybody recognizing this? https://i.imgur.com/EnRbeb9.png

[OleVoip]

I just added another keyboard to the wiki (wiki/Siemens_AK/U6).

That's a nice find, thank you for adding it. I've moved it to /wiki/Siemens_97801-132, as AK/U6 is not the model name but the production stamp.
We've already got a successor of it in the wiki, which is rubberdome, though (/wiki/Siemens_Nixdorf_97371-132)

[joric]

Something really big ass, origin unknown, I got it here https://t.me/klavaorgwork/570135

photo_2024-07-10_03-05-25.jpg (81.64 KiB) Viewed 8095 times

Upd. looks like it's wiki/Marquardt_Mini but with a humongous ass set.

[jensma]

I just added another keyboard to the wiki (wiki/Siemens_AK/U6).

That's a nice find, thank you for adding it. I've moved it to /wiki/Siemens_97801-132, as AK/U6 is not the model name but the production stamp.
We've already got a successor of it in the wiki, which is rubberdome, though (/wiki/Siemens_Nixdorf_97371-132)

Thanks a lot! Keyboards by Siemens are pretty easy to find over here. Whenever I see one I grab it for the wiki.

[jensma]

https://ghostarchive.org/archive/wvGRk

What a sexy beast! Can anyone indentify it?

[TNT]

Probably Nixdorf Magnetic Valve. Maybe check the site of the nixdorf museum

Edit: I also found this: https://www.ebay.at/itm/284236957089

[jensma]

Probably Nixdorf Magnetic Valve. Maybe check the site of the nixdorf museum

Edit: I also found this: https://www.ebay.at/itm/284236957089

Ah yup, seems to be right! Thanks!

[8bitflux]

Came across an ASCII keyboard without any identification.

The keyboard matrix is made in Japan. The X and Enter are a lighter color, that seems original. The encoder is a KR2376 on a separate PCB below. There is also some sort of conversion PROM after the encoder chip, with 7 bit input and 8 bits output. There is even a clicking relay on that board. The connector is a 2 x 13 pin 3M. IC year markings around 1979 - 1983, the conversion IC is date marked 15-11-84.

Any thoughts? Thanks!

[amigastar23]

Looks like blue alps! I have the same discoloration in the stems as you do:
IMG_0264.jpeg

They look rather like Monterey Alps Switches to me.

[Polecat]

No, they are genuine blue SKCM Alps, confirmed by the two Imgur photo links.

They look rather like Monterey Alps Switches to me.

[nac5605]

I know its a Televideo keyboard, just not sure what model.

[AndyJ]

Televideo 995-65, according to the Reddit thread the picture is from. But you probably knew that already.

Interesting variant of the DEC layout. Separate Line Feed and Return keys, 20 function keys, 4 PF keys,
separate Backspace and Delete keys, Control key on middle row (and offset to the left, nice), Compose key to the left of leftAlt, "Lock" is presumably Caps Lock, "Help" and "Do" keys, part of the stupid nav-pad is repurposed for Find, Select, Prev Screen, etc.

All the extra keys get me all excited.

[mcmaxmcmc]

Came across an ASCII keyboard without any identification.

The keyboard matrix is made in Japan. The X and Enter are a lighter color, that seems original. The encoder is a KR2376 on a separate PCB below. There is also some sort of conversion PROM after the encoder chip, with 7 bit input and 8 bits output. There is even a clicking relay on that board. The connector is a 2 x 13 pin 3M. IC year markings around 1979 - 1983, the conversion IC is date marked 15-11-84.

Any thoughts? Thanks!

Not sure about where the keyboard came from, but it looks like FLS 1st Gen