deskthority

Does anyone know why my IBM Model M has a white plastic interior? Of all the dismantling and cleaning videos/guides I've seen, all IBM Model M's have black plastic insides. Here's a picture I took. It's not very clear, but you can see that the inside isn't black.

And here's the rest of the pictures that I've uploaded on imgur, with part number and everything.

I have a few Model M keyboards and I think two have a white plates I think its just to do with time and place of manufacture. I don't think there is any real difference except colour.

Same here. My SSKs have white barrel plates, and are American made. My other Ms have black barrel plates, and hail frae Greenock, Scotland.

I also have two new old stock SSK barrel frames from Unicomp (one belongs to Chzel) but I can't remember what colour they were. They showed up just as I was leaving the country, too late to take! Perhaps they were black.

My formerly NIB SSK came form the same haul and it too has a white frame

Yep, my first one had the white barrel, they are rarer.

also interesting regarding the frame to quote dorkvader from GH: "IBM switched to white (beige) barrel frames in about 1989-1991 or so for the "beige label" model Ms of the time. Lexmark switched back to black, so beige was only used for a short while."

That squares well with the fact that Model Fs are so black inside. And my own black framed Model Ms are quite late.

Come to think of it I've never seen a blue label full size Model M with a white barrel.

I'm fairly certain I have\had a full size blue label M or two with the white barrel frame, I'll have to check sometime, I know one would be in parts and the other somewhere in the garage.

Both my SSKs have white barrel plates, while my 1990 Greek M has black.

The second generation Model M keyboards (without drainage channels) had the white barrel frames on several models. Usually around 1988 to 1992. That run (not only SSK's but some terminal boards as well) had them. Not necessarily all of them had the white barrels, but a lot of them did.

Model M 1395665 Terminal Board (19-Dec-1989)

Model M 1391401 PS/2 keyboard (30-Oct-1991)

Model M 1393464 PS/2 Sabre (16-Jan-1990)


These are a few examples. I hope this helps.