Univac 1710 Keyboard
- HaaTa
- Master Kiibohd Hunter
- Location: San Jose, California, USA
- Main keyboard: Depends the day
- Main mouse: CST L-TracX
- Favorite switch: Fujitsu Leaf Spring/Topre/BS/Super Alps
- DT Pro Member: 0006
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To commemorate the 3rd Annual Deskthority Awards, I'm going to completely take over the Photos & Videos column on the frontpage
Yet another interesting Univac find this year. This one, while not as cool as this one, is still absurd and interesting in it's own right.
The Univac 1710 Keyboard was for a Univac punch card...puncher?...you get what I mean . Has a solenoid clicker, and two 6 line relays that look to push separate keypresses (not confirmed). As well as being the first Microswitch keyboard with actual microswitches!
There are two types of switches, one is just a pulsed switch that just pulses the line. These are used on all the standard alphabetical keys.
The other type is a sustained switch, which behaves as usual. These are used on the modifiers and function keys.
The switches are clicky, stupid tall, and pretty wobbly due to the casing over the microswitch. The pins of the microswitches are really hard to desolder. And the PCB is the thickest I have ever seen...
The connector...also crazy.
Yet another interesting Univac find this year. This one, while not as cool as this one, is still absurd and interesting in it's own right.
The Univac 1710 Keyboard was for a Univac punch card...puncher?...you get what I mean . Has a solenoid clicker, and two 6 line relays that look to push separate keypresses (not confirmed). As well as being the first Microswitch keyboard with actual microswitches!
There are two types of switches, one is just a pulsed switch that just pulses the line. These are used on all the standard alphabetical keys.
The other type is a sustained switch, which behaves as usual. These are used on the modifiers and function keys.
The switches are clicky, stupid tall, and pretty wobbly due to the casing over the microswitch. The pins of the microswitches are really hard to desolder. And the PCB is the thickest I have ever seen...
The connector...also crazy.
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- Location: Amsterdam
- Main keyboard: variable: beamspring, Northgate, IBM SSK, Topre
- Main mouse: CST L-Trac
- Favorite switch: beamspring, dampened complicated white Alps, Topre
- DT Pro Member: -
beautiful jugendstil pcb !
thanks for this, I was wondering whether it had the same switches as the one you posted before..
thanks for this, I was wondering whether it had the same switches as the one you posted before..
- Matias
- Location: Toronto, Canada
- Main keyboard: TOP SECRET unreleased prototype from Matias Labs
- Main mouse: Prototype Matias Mouse
- Favorite switch: Matias Click Switch
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
Really nice caps...
- Muirium
- µ
- Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
- Main keyboard: HHKB Type-S with Bluetooth by Hasu
- Main mouse: Apple Magic Mouse
- Favorite switch: Gotta Try 'Em All
- DT Pro Member: µ
Goodness, aren't they!
For a peek inside Univac, America's first computer company, I recommend the classic documentary The Machine that Changed the World:
For a peek inside Univac, America's first computer company, I recommend the classic documentary The Machine that Changed the World:
http://waxy.org/2008/06/the_machine_tha ... he_future/Shortly after the war ended, ENIAC's creators founded the first commercial computer company, the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation in 1946. The early history of the company's funding and progress is told through interviews and personal home videos. They underestimated the cost and time to build UNIVAC I, their new computer for the US Census Bureau, quickly sending the company into financial trouble. Meanwhile, in London, the J. Lyons and Co. food empire teamed up with the EDSAC developers at Cambridge to build LEO, their own computer to manage inventory and payroll. It was a huge success, inspiring Lyons to start building computers for other companies.
The Eckert-Mauchly company was in trouble, with several high-profile Defense Department contracts withdrawn because of a mistaken belief that John Mauchly had Communist ties. After several attempts to save the company, the company was sold to Remington-Rand in 1950. The company, then focused on electric razors and business machines, gave UNIVAC its television debut by tabulating live returns during the 1952 presidential election. To CBS's amazement, it accurately predicted an Eisenhower landslide with only 1% of the vote. UNIVAC soon made appearances in movies and cartoons, leading to more business.
- Daniel Beardsmore
- Location: Hertfordshire, England
- Main keyboard: Filco Majestouch 1 (home)/Poker II backlit (work)
- Main mouse: MS IMO 1.1
- Favorite switch: Probably not whatever I wrote here
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
OK, now that's funny — real microswitches inside the switches!
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- DT Pro Member: -
Thanks for the link. I watched that whole thing. Fascinating. (...and like Spock, I raised one eyebrow when I said "fascinating")Muirium wrote:Goodness, aren't they!
For a peek inside Univac, America's first computer company, I recommend the classic documentary The Machine that Changed the World:
...
http://waxy.org/2008/06/the_machine_tha ... he_future/
- Muirium
- µ
- Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
- Main keyboard: HHKB Type-S with Bluetooth by Hasu
- Main mouse: Apple Magic Mouse
- Favorite switch: Gotta Try 'Em All
- DT Pro Member: µ
The whole series is pretty good. A ~1990 perspective of computing past and future. They knew the Internet was coming, but couldn't see it working without artificial intelligence and old school virtual reality. Treadmills and all!
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- DT Pro Member: -
So this is what the future looks like...
It's a 1701 - a verifying punch, while HaaTa's is a 1710, verifying interpreting punch. That means I won't ever be able to interpret. Damn. Oh well, interpreting is overrated.
Supposedly this is NOS. It looks new and there is a protective tape over the space bar. (causing more harm than protection - in the last 4 decades, the glue has become petrified)
The switches in this are linear, not clicky. I'll post more detail when I get a chance.
It's a 1701 - a verifying punch, while HaaTa's is a 1710, verifying interpreting punch. That means I won't ever be able to interpret. Damn. Oh well, interpreting is overrated.
Supposedly this is NOS. It looks new and there is a protective tape over the space bar. (causing more harm than protection - in the last 4 decades, the glue has become petrified)
The switches in this are linear, not clicky. I'll post more detail when I get a chance.
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- DT Pro Member: -
Yes, mine is definitely different construction. The switches are black and look like hall effect (but not confirmed):
Oh God damn it - made 11th week of 1974. I was hoping this would be my first computer keyboard older than me. It's not even close. This is my second oldest keyboard.
Oh God damn it - made 11th week of 1974. I was hoping this would be my first computer keyboard older than me. It's not even close. This is my second oldest keyboard.
- Daniel Beardsmore
- Location: Hertfordshire, England
- Main keyboard: Filco Majestouch 1 (home)/Poker II backlit (work)
- Main mouse: MS IMO 1.1
- Favorite switch: Probably not whatever I wrote here
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
Those switches look familiar, but I don't recall where I saw them now.
- HaaTa
- Master Kiibohd Hunter
- Location: San Jose, California, USA
- Main keyboard: Depends the day
- Main mouse: CST L-TracX
- Favorite switch: Fujitsu Leaf Spring/Topre/BS/Super Alps
- DT Pro Member: 0006
- Contact:
I believe those are Honeywell switches. The PCB looks right, likely the dual magnet hall effect.
I saw it on ebay that surplus place and thought it was just going to be more microswitches (which are meh to type on, but clicky). Glad you picked it up
I saw it on ebay that surplus place and thought it was just going to be more microswitches (which are meh to type on, but clicky). Glad you picked it up
- seebart
- Offtopicthority Instigator
- Location: Germany
- Main keyboard: Rotation
- Main mouse: Steelseries Sensei
- Favorite switch: IBM capacitive buckling spring
- DT Pro Member: 0061
- Contact:
I've finally gotten "in touch with the future":
very impressive mr_a500!
well all I can say is that those metal leafs holding the housings in place look exactly like those on my MICRO SWITCH SW-10591. I`d like to see some more pictures if possible.The switches are black and look like hall effect (but not confirmed):
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- DT Pro Member: -
I had no idea, so I looked it up. Apparently, the +12 is "Field Definition" "Punch in every column of a field, except the first (left)" and -11 is "Start Automatic Skip" "Punch in first (left) column of field(s) to skip". I'm not sure if I'm right though. I missed the punch card era. I started programming with the futuristic high technology of magnetic tape.jacobolus wrote: ↑What do the -11 and +12 keys do?
- snuci
- Vintage computer guy
- Location: Ontario, Canada
- DT Pro Member: 0131
- Contact:
I did manage to find a Univac 1701 keyboard assembly on eBay in the last week or two. Still waiting for it to arrive and am curious what key switches are in it. I'll post when it arrives. This is one of two keyboards that I have that I can't really use but it's definitely historical. Who can pass on that?
Last edited by snuci on 21 Oct 2015, 14:02, edited 1 time in total.
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- DT Pro Member: -
You can still get these new (NOS), by the way.
http://www.surplussales.com/computeracc ... oards.html
http://www.surplussales.com/computeracc ... oards.html
- snuci
- Vintage computer guy
- Location: Ontario, Canada
- DT Pro Member: 0131
- Contact:
Very cool but I actually prefer it used for the historical value. I know it probably doesn't make sense but that's the way I like 'em. It was also a little less expensive even with the crazy shipping to us in Canada.
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Shipping to Canada has gone insane. When I first started getting keyboards shipped from the US, it was around $20. Now it's up to around $70.
I still don't know why Americans get free shipping all over the damn place (even big heavy things), but it costs $25 to ship a tiny adapter in a bubble wrap envelope in Canada.
I still don't know why Americans get free shipping all over the damn place (even big heavy things), but it costs $25 to ship a tiny adapter in a bubble wrap envelope in Canada.
- snuci
- Vintage computer guy
- Location: Ontario, Canada
- DT Pro Member: 0131
- Contact:
As a collector of heavy computers, it's part of the hobby for me so I'm very used to the high cost of shipping. The Univac 1701 was US$40 so it wasn't too bad. I expect it to be on the heavy side. Here's the auction for reference.
- snuci
- Vintage computer guy
- Location: Ontario, Canada
- DT Pro Member: 0131
- Contact:
I was pretty shocked that I got it for that much. I would expect it's like yours but I am hoping for the older key switches. You can't lose either way.
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- Location: JAPAN
- Main keyboard: Model M, dodoo dome keyboard,CherryMX numeric pad
- Main mouse: logitech Master,M705 and 3 Logitech mice
- Favorite switch: ff
- DT Pro Member: -
I surprised that this keyboard have the other different variant of micro switch!
- snuci
- Vintage computer guy
- Location: Ontario, Canada
- DT Pro Member: 0131
- Contact:
My Univac 1701 Keypunch keyboard came in and I had a chance to open it up. As I was hoping, inside were the older Micro Switch key switches like Haata's 1710 shown above. The date stamped on the keyboard connector interface cards was November 30, 1970. It is my earliest keyboard!
It has some damage to some of the key caps but this goes to show that they are double shots because the scratches show the symbols go all the way through. I do
I made a post at http://vintagecomputer.ca/univac-1701-k ... -keyboard/ with more pictures but here's a few below:
It has some damage to some of the key caps but this goes to show that they are double shots because the scratches show the symbols go all the way through. I do
I made a post at http://vintagecomputer.ca/univac-1701-k ... -keyboard/ with more pictures but here's a few below:
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- DT Pro Member: -
Ah, so it is the older style switch. Is it as HaaTa says, "meh" to type on? It's nice to have the older rarer switch, but the new one is definitely an improvement. Pity about the keycap scratches.
What about case material? Is it plastic or metal? It looked like the old ones had metal cases.
What about case material? Is it plastic or metal? It looked like the old ones had metal cases.
- snuci
- Vintage computer guy
- Location: Ontario, Canada
- DT Pro Member: 0131
- Contact:
I've been corrupted by my IBM Model M and have been a long time user (who rejoined the Model M club recently) so nothing is good enough for me anymore.mr_a500 wrote: ↑Ah, so it is the older style switch. Is it as HaaTa says, "meh" to type on?
It is plastic. Metal would have made it heavier than it already ismr_a500 wrote: ↑What about case material? Is it plastic or metal? It looked like the old ones had metal cases.