Or, perhaps, it was a customized keyboard for someone with an e-mail addiction.
![Evil Geek :evilgeek:](./images/smilies/icon_evil_geek.gif)
Thank you for the info regarding Alps and Northgate Polecat! The differences you described between early and later White Alps explains why my Northgate feels and sounds closer to my Blue Alps board than my other white alps boards. Only noticeable difference I can feel between the two is the larger tactility on the Omnikey than the Blue Alps.Polecat wrote: ↑02 Sep 2023, 05:49Very nice find, thanks for sharing! At least part of the reason for the good sound is that those are early white Alps switches. Alps made changes as time went on, and most folks who have tried the different versions including myself prefer the earliest ones. It would be interesting to compare this keyboard side by side with the metal base version.
I've been logging Northgates into a database for several years, up to almost 800 now, and the bar code label is new to me.
I'm pretty sure that Northgate added the labels after they received the keyboards from the manufacturer, because we've seen the same style labels on keyboards from several vendors including Monterey and Silitek. The 0B I believe is February 1990, but that would be when it was received or processed, not a manufacture date. I've only seen the GT6OMNIKEY03 FCC number once before, on a recent ebay listing for a 101I with the paper label missing. Most of the other 101I models on record had a GT6OMNIKEY01 ID. (GT6OMNIKEY02 was used on early 102 models) Note that this is an early 3 character FCC ID and only the GT6 part identifies the manufacturer. Later FCC codes used a 6 character identifier, but Northgate appears not to have switched to a 6 character ID.
I'd very much like to see scans of the manual. I have a nice 101I, but not a copy of the book. Looks like some kind of receipt also. Any clues about its origin there? Interesting also to see the RMA sheet with the instructions for displaying the firmware version at a DOS prompt. That works on my 101I and on most later Northgates, but apparently not on the earlier gold badge models.
Thank you for scanning and posting the manual! I'll give that a closer look soon. But you've answered one of our questions, explaining what the I and N meant.Wolfi77W wrote: ↑04 Sep 2023, 10:34
Thank you for the info regarding Alps and Northgate Polecat! The differences you described between early and later White Alps explains why my Northgate feels and sounds closer to my Blue Alps board than my other white alps boards. Only noticeable difference I can feel between the two is the larger tactility on the Omnikey than the Blue Alps.
While it is definitely a possibility that they did apply the barcode labels on their board, I find it interesting that no other Omnikeys have come up so far with the actual barcode. You'd think that if that was standard procedure that we'd have seen more boards before that also has the barcode or some remnants of the adhesive used to stick the barcode on the case. I don't know the history of this board so I guess we won't know the story or the reason for the barcode unfortunately. And the receipt you mentioned, if you're referring to the pink slip beneath the manual, is actually the receipt for taxes/duties I incurred from importing the Omnikey.
Regarding the instructions for displaying firmware, since the instruction is for DOS I should be able to do it through Windows Command Prompt right? I haven't thought much of looking into the firmware version until you mentioned it.
Here is the scan of the whole manual and RMA form as well: https://imgur.com/a/pzUYuZT
The manual appears to be from April 1990 and it's for both the I and N variants of the Gen 2 101s, or the 101-IBM and 101-NCS as the layout page explains it. Guess we now know why Northgate gave the I and N designations for the 2 variants.
Thanks for sharing your older 101I thread, lots of info I didn't know that was discussed there especially regarding vendors and the vendor numbers, all this time I assumed the gen2 101s still used Focus PCBs but clearly that's not the case. Interesting too that they started out with a plastic base for the older 101s and switched out for a metal base later on.Polecat wrote: ↑05 Sep 2023, 00:52Thank you for scanning and posting the manual! I'll give that a closer look soon. But you've answered one of our questions, explaining what the I and N meant.
I've had several of my Northgates almost since new, so I'm 99 percent certain that they didn't put bar codes on the ones they sold. Note that Northgate sold direct by mail order as well as through computer stores. They also included keyboards with the computer systems they sold. Here's the old thread from when I got my 101I, which has some of the unanswered questions near the end.
viewtopic.php?f=62&t=26699&p=497246&hilit=101i#p497246
Note that they went from a dot matrix printed paper label to a better looking and more durable vinyl one sometime between when yours (0B - February 1990) and mine (0H - August 1990) were made. And they also changed from a plastic base to a metal one on the 101I and 101N during that time. As far as I know only the early 101I and 101N models ever had a plastic base.
Looks like it'll be a challenge to get the firmware version on my pc. Might have to try checking the firmware on one of the older pcs at my workplace.Polecat wrote: ↑05 Sep 2023, 00:52The firmware version does come up when you hit that key combo at the command prompt in Windows 7, but it disappears almost immediately. On a faster computer than mine you might miss it completely. On mine it matches the label (1.02) but that might not always be the case. Northgate was making lots of changes for compatibility around that time, and some keyboards might have been upgraded before or after they were sold. We're in the process of trying to document those changes, but we're still finding new versions almost as quickly as we're figuring out the old ones.
No hidden clips or anything, just the visible screws, very easy to open up, at least on the metal base version. I've never seen the plastic version in person.Wolfi77W wrote: ↑06 Sep 2023, 07:46
Thanks for sharing your older 101I thread, lots of info I didn't know that was discussed there especially regarding vendors and the vendor numbers, all this time I assumed the gen2 101s still used Focus PCBs but clearly that's not the case. Interesting too that they started out with a plastic base for the older 101s and switched out for a metal base later on.
Also when opening the 101I, is there some clips or hidden screws I have to look out for? I'd like to take a look inside mine, but I don't want to damage the keyboard or case in anyway.
Looks like it'll be a challenge to get the firmware version on my pc. Might have to try checking the firmware on one of the older pcs at my workplace.
Code: Select all
[
{
"type": "down",
"name": {"key_code":"v"},
"usagePage": "7 (0x0007)",
"usage": "25 (0x0019)",
"misc": ""
},
{
"type": "up",
"name": {"key_code":"v"},
"usagePage": "7 (0x0007)",
"usage": "25 (0x0019)",
"misc": ""
},
{
"type": "down",
"name": {"key_code":"1"},
"usagePage": "7 (0x0007)",
"usage": "30 (0x001e)",
"misc": ""
},
{
"type": "up",
"name": {"key_code":"1"},
"usagePage": "7 (0x0007)",
"usage": "30 (0x001e)",
"misc": ""
},
{
"type": "down",
"name": {"key_code":"period"},
"usagePage": "7 (0x0007)",
"usage": "55 (0x0037)",
"misc": ""
},
{
"type": "up",
"name": {"key_code":"period"},
"usagePage": "7 (0x0007)",
"usage": "55 (0x0037)",
"misc": ""
},
{
"type": "down",
"name": {"key_code":"0"},
"usagePage": "7 (0x0007)",
"usage": "39 (0x0027)",
"misc": ""
},
{
"type": "up",
"name": {"key_code":"0"},
"usagePage": "7 (0x0007)",
"usage": "39 (0x0027)",
"misc": ""
},
{
"type": "down",
"name": {"key_code":"spacebar"},
"usagePage": "7 (0x0007)",
"usage": "44 (0x002c)",
"misc": ""
},
{
"type": "up",
"name": {"key_code":"spacebar"},
"usagePage": "7 (0x0007)",
"usage": "44 (0x002c)",
"misc": ""
},
{
"type": "down",
"name": {"key_code":"b"},
"usagePage": "7 (0x0007)",
"usage": "5 (0x0005)",
"misc": ""
},
{
"type": "down",
"name": {"key_code":"a"},
"usagePage": "7 (0x0007)",
"usage": "4 (0x0004)",
"misc": ""
},
{
"type": "up",
"name": {"key_code":"b"},
"usagePage": "7 (0x0007)",
"usage": "5 (0x0005)",
"misc": ""
},
{
"type": "up",
"name": {"key_code":"a"},
"usagePage": "7 (0x0007)",
"usage": "4 (0x0004)",
"misc": ""
},
{
"type": "down",
"name": {"key_code":"b"},
"usagePage": "7 (0x0007)",
"usage": "5 (0x0005)",
"misc": ""
},
{
"type": "up",
"name": {"key_code":"b"},
"usagePage": "7 (0x0007)",
"usage": "5 (0x0005)",
"misc": ""
},
{
"type": "down",
"name": {"key_code":"y"},
"usagePage": "7 (0x0007)",
"usage": "28 (0x001c)",
"misc": ""
},
{
"type": "up",
"name": {"key_code":"y"},
"usagePage": "7 (0x0007)",
"usage": "28 (0x001c)",
"misc": ""
},
{
"type": "down",
"name": {"key_code":"left_shift"},
"usagePage": "7 (0x0007)",
"usage": "225 (0x00e1)",
"misc": "flags left_shift"
},
{
"type": "down",
"name": {"key_code":"1"},
"usagePage": "7 (0x0007)",
"usage": "30 (0x001e)",
"misc": "flags left_shift"
},
{
"type": "up",
"name": {"key_code":"1"},
"usagePage": "7 (0x0007)",
"usage": "30 (0x001e)",
"misc": "flags left_shift"
},
{
"type": "up",
"name": {"key_code":"left_shift"},
"usagePage": "7 (0x0007)",
"usage": "225 (0x00e1)",
"misc": ""
}
]
Not the converter. Tried it directly to ps/2 on an old pc. I think I booted it to FreeDOS. I ended up making a video of the screen with my phone. I may have enlisted help to hold the phone while I pressed keys. (mine was sw rev 7.03 11/02/90)Polecat wrote: ↑07 Sep 2023, 03:20I don't know why the version number flashes and disappears. That could be from the Soarers Converter I'm running. I can try it on a blue cube or Radio Shack dongle next time I have it out. It does the same thing on my other Northgates also, so it isn't just the 101I.
The XXK is not alone anymore.depletedvespene wrote: ↑10 Jun 2018, 15:11Whenever I am trying out a new national layout or (or customizing one), this is the keyboard I test it out with:
Model_M_XXK.jpg
Aren't those blacks still blanks? Or are you paying homage to Topre's black on black legends? Even they aren't quite that invisible.depletedvespene wrote: ↑25 Oct 2023, 16:31So I finally got off my lazy ass and replaced the blanks in my F77
Those two black keys are still blanks. I'm not using either key, as muscle memory is a b◉tch and that area can only be Backspace. For now, I am perfectly happy with a TIE Enter and an "HHKB-style" Backspace, but once Ellipse has started to produce ISO Enter keys I might do the unthinkable and open up the F77 to take out one flipper and put one stab in.Muirium wrote: ↑25 Oct 2023, 17:00Aren't those blacks still blanks? Or are you paying homage to Topre's black on black legends? Even they aren't quite that invisible.depletedvespene wrote: ↑25 Oct 2023, 16:31So I finally got off my lazy ass and replaced the blanks in my F77
That's the cost of pulling Escape down from the number row, where it should be, just as Control must be left of A. I do agree with you on Backspace though.![]()
No, no, no, no. Delete has to be its own key as well. Of course, if it were for me, the keys ⌦ and ⌫ would be on either side of the keyboard (on B00 and B14), and both 1.5U in size. Or, at least, 1.25U and 1.75U, respectively. Then you'd probably quiet down the complaints about "inexcusably shortened left Shift" keys as well.Muirium wrote: ↑25 Oct 2023, 17:26Kidding. I use Backspace plenty, as I so often edit things around when I’m (re)writing them. But honestly, it's a nice big key even at 1.5u and causes me no problem. I do highly recommend mapping Shift + Backspace to Delete. If that's missing on a system, then I’m more likely to start cursing while mid-edit.
¿And to the right of what, as well? All modifiers should be on either side of the keyboard... and if we follow the basic rule of symmetry of the modifiers placements, that means that RCTRL should be where {ANSI | the lower half of ISO} Enter is. Which would imply, as well, a return to the old R2 Return keys.
Unconditionally agree.depletedvespene wrote: ↑25 Oct 2023, 17:40[…] All modifiers should be on either side of the keyboard […]
Nada mal. Cuántas eñes, oyes (i ces trencadas, noi).