Goodies from China

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Mr.Nobody

07 Jan 2017, 07:00

Ail wrote:
Mr.Nobody wrote:
Ail wrote: Noooooooooo! All of my treasures! I have pretty much most of these listings, and many more, in a notepad text file.

Seriously though, great idea! There are some real gems on Taobao is you know where to look. I recently ordered a set of the SKCC ALPS spherical caps, some of them are a little beat up, but for the price it was a decent purchase.

The model 925 is from a TeleVideo console, and I did look into it for awhile because I considered purchasing one. I believe they are Futaba switches.
Please post some photos of your Alps spherical caps, in fact, I'm looking for those caps recently.
Image

Here's the album:

http://imgur.com/a/ENXJr

I bought two different sets. The lower, dirtier set, was cheaper.

I did spot one board like the one in top picture, the price wasn't low, and I don't know how to deal with the Enter Key...large keys are always a issue for setting up a keyboard using spherical keycaps...

User avatar
Mr.Nobody

07 Jan 2017, 07:07

Ail wrote:
subcat wrote: How much are the Reuters, NCR and 1800?

NCR would be pricy because of what looks like dyesubs, I think.
Some of them listed have dyesubs, but those are usually even more. Here's an ANSI NCR with dyesubs:

Image

https://world.taobao.com/item/229772445 ... .65.ZYwoUJ

Over $200.

The Reuters boards are anywhere from $70 to $100. The 1800 with Dolch is $128, if it is the same listing I have here.
Yes,almost, Reuters from $70-$100 around 500-800 in RMB (including demestic shipping) NCRs are above 1000 in RMB, does dysub make them so pricy?

User avatar
Mr.Nobody

07 Jan 2017, 07:09

Harshmallow wrote: Yeah that Cherry with Dolch caps looks sublime - just love the quality of those doubleshots and the colour scheme. BTW Monsieur Nobody, the black board with all the colourful keycaps you're not sure about - it looks like a hostess keyboard or one used at a restaurant for taking orders...but I don't know anything about the manufacturer...looks like another cherry board.

I think it might be time to start hiding your photos behind 'spoiler' buttons - I have a very fast internet plan, but I can't say that for everyone, and this page is getting quite filled with images.
Advice taken, I will use "spoiler" from now on...

User avatar
Mr.Nobody

07 Jan 2017, 07:22

#34 I found another G80-1813,Not a Cherry MX Guy, is it only me or...to me these things are ridiculously pricy...
Spoiler:
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#35 Another Reuters
Spoiler:
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Spoiler:
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Spoiler:
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Last edited by Mr.Nobody on 07 Jan 2017, 11:19, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Wodan
ISO Advocate

07 Jan 2017, 08:21

That last Reuter looks like a cheap rubberdome ... even if there are Mx switches in there, the caps look crap

User avatar
Mr.Nobody

07 Jan 2017, 09:16

Wodan wrote: That last Reuter looks like a cheap rubberdome ... even if there are Mx switches in there, the caps look crap
Okay, if you say so, how about the others. I will post more reuters since they get people's attention.

User avatar
Mr.Nobody

07 Jan 2017, 09:28

#36 again, nobody know what the hell this is:
Spoiler:
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Image

User avatar
Mr.Nobody

07 Jan 2017, 09:48

@Ail

I think I have found the seller from whom you got your spherical Alps caps:
Spoiler:
Image
Any project using these caps? I am really curious about the ultimate result...let us know if you have finished keyboard.

User avatar
Wodan
ISO Advocate

07 Jan 2017, 10:27

Mr.Nobody wrote:
Wodan wrote: That last Reuter looks like a cheap rubberdome ... even if there are Mx switches in there, the caps look crap
Okay, if you say so, how about the others. I will post more reuters since they get people's attention.
The sought-after Reuters was made by Cherry and thus got its iconic article number G80-9009
The keycaps on the last one you linked as well as the mayout do match Cherry production. The keycaps with LED windows have a very uncommon window location for MX switches. I wouldn't take the risk...

User avatar
Mr.Nobody

07 Jan 2017, 12:33

Wodan wrote:
Mr.Nobody wrote:
Wodan wrote: That last Reuter looks like a cheap rubberdome ... even if there are Mx switches in there, the caps look crap
Okay, if you say so, how about the others. I will post more reuters since they get people's attention.
The sought-after Reuters was made by Cherry and thus got its iconic article number G80-9009
The keycaps on the last one you linked as well as the mayout do match Cherry production. The keycaps with LED windows have a very uncommon window location for MX switches. I wouldn't take the risk...
Maybe because it's a Thomson Reuters, notice the logo at the upper right corner of the keyboard.
Spoiler:
Image
Anyway,the only Cherry I care for is this:
Spoiler:
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Image
Image

Those are the photos I took this afternoon at the grocery store downstairs... :lol:

User avatar
Chyros

07 Jan 2017, 13:40

Jesus Mary and Joseph, the goodies keep on coming, holy fuckballs! Oo

The Maxi thing is MAxi Switch dome with slider, btw.

User avatar
Mr.Nobody

07 Jan 2017, 14:18

Chyros wrote: Jesus Mary and Joseph, the goodies keep on coming, holy fuckballs! Oo

The Maxi thing is MAxi Switch dome with slider, btw.
How about come to China Chyros,we have plenty keyboards here for you to review,and you can make a million annually with your PhD. in Chemistry seriously.

User avatar
Ail

07 Jan 2017, 15:52

Mr.Nobody wrote:
Yes,almost, Reuters from $70-$100 around 500-800 in RMB (including demestic shipping) NCRs are above 1000 in RMB, does dysub make them so pricy?
Yeah, the OG dyesubs are most of the price, but also people really like those old g80-3000 winkeyless Cherry boards that are in good condition. NCR, the Peacock, that Reuters board, Olivetti, so on and so forth.

User avatar
Ail

07 Jan 2017, 15:55

Mr.Nobody wrote: @Ail

I think I have found the seller from whom you got your spherical Alps caps:
Spoiler:
Image
Any project using these caps? I am really curious about the ultimate result...let us know if you have finished keyboard.
I have a Pingmaster (IBM 4704) and I am planning to swap around some keycaps on that, that's it really.

User avatar
Ail

07 Jan 2017, 16:09

Mr.Nobody wrote: #34 I found another G80-1813,Not a Cherry MX Guy, is it only me or...to me these things are ridiculously pricy...
Yeah, most of the DolchPACs are upwards of $100, you can find the caps only for around $80. Most of these sellers with vintage boards know that they are worth money to the right buyer. There are also plenty of collectors in mainland China as well it seems, I found a guy who had OG Dyesubs from a Peacock who said he was a collector so he didn't want to sell them.

Some of the prices on vintage boards from Taobao are pretty good, but a lot of them are what you would expect from a seller who knows they have a coveted vintage mechanical board.

User avatar
Laser
emacs -nw

07 Jan 2017, 16:18

@Mr.Nobody - don't know if anybode else already said it, but - nice offer! :)

I'd be interested in some cheap (i.e. under 50$ total) Unitek keyboard, ANSI layout, with non-yellowed keys ... is there something like this? Actually I'm only interested in the keycaps (cherry mx, not doubleshots, but lasered) - I like them because they are thick, sharp and they make a nice sound.

User avatar
Daniel Beardsmore

07 Jan 2017, 17:06

Mr.Nobody wrote: #34 I found another G80-1813,Not a Cherry MX Guy, is it only me or...to me these things are ridiculously pricy...
How would we know — you're withholding all the links to them, so are we supposed to invade your mind and rip the prices out of it?

What sort of idiotic guessing game is this? Here, have photos of things but I won't tell you how to find them.

User avatar
Chyros

07 Jan 2017, 20:10

Mr.Nobody wrote:
Chyros wrote: Jesus Mary and Joseph, the goodies keep on coming, holy fuckballs! Oo

The Maxi thing is MAxi Switch dome with slider, btw.
How about come to China Chyros,we have plenty keyboards here for you to review,and you can make a million annually with your PhD. in Chemistry seriously.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted at the prospect. I'm very much aware China is the new land of opportunity.

User avatar
Ail

08 Jan 2017, 01:31

I pulled the caps off those boards for cleaning, the white caps are from an ALPS board with linear SKCC greens, no model though. The black caps are from a TeleVideo 950 console and the switches are definitely simplified complicated (Thanks Daniel Beardsmore) Futaba linears, which is probably what the TeleVideo 925 posted here also has. The caps from the TeleVideo do fit the SKCC switches, but I'm not sure how well in terms of where they sit versus the caps made for the SKCC switches. I'll know for sure once they're clean. Just an FYI update for anyone considering those sphericals or the 925 board.
Last edited by Ail on 08 Jan 2017, 02:31, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Mr.Nobody

08 Jan 2017, 01:35

Daniel Beardsmore wrote:
Mr.Nobody wrote: #34 I found another G80-1813,Not a Cherry MX Guy, is it only me or...to me these things are ridiculously pricy...
How would we know — you're withholding all the links to them, so are we supposed to invade your mind and rip the prices out of it?

What sort of idiotic guessing game is this? Here, have photos of things but I won't tell you how to find them.

On the first page of this thread I addressed the issue abundantly clear, you'd better read before you query anything. There are more than one sellers selling the same model which means dozens of links, and to make things even worse, some of the links are "Dead Links" which means when you actually contact the seller for the item, he might tell you it's out of stock, so is it practial and necessary to post all links under every photos before I know whether any DT members are interested in it???

If you think it's an "idiotic guessing game" okay then it's your problem. I don't see anything untoward helping DT members here to find and get the hidden gems from China. Generally speaking, collecting things always involves guessing and gambling and risk to some degree, and IMHO that's exactly why it's intriguing and addictive.

User avatar
Mr.Nobody

08 Jan 2017, 01:40

Ail wrote: I pulled the caps off those boards for cleaning, the white caps are from an ALPS board with linear SKCC greens, no model though. The black caps are from a TeleVideo 950 console and the switches are definitely simplified Futaba linears, which is probably what the TeleVideo 925 posted here also has. The caps from the TeleVideo do fit the SKCC switches, but I'm not sure how well in terms of where they sit versus the caps made for the SKCC switches. I'll know for sure once they're clean. Just an FYI update for anyone considering those sphericals or the 925 board.
Pictures please, I believe many people are concerned...

User avatar
Daniel Beardsmore

08 Jan 2017, 01:47

This is how we do things here:

other-external-f66/great-interesting-finds-t5700.html

It's all out in the open.
Ail wrote: The black caps are from a TeleVideo 950 console and the switches are definitely simplified Futaba linears …
Unlikely. Televideo keyboards with Futaba switches all use MD series "complicated" Futabas. MR series "simplified" is an off-the-shelf product, but thus far it's only known in early 80s Acorn equipment. I wasn't even sure if MR series (or whatever it's actually called) was commercially available until I found details of it on ECPlaza (now gone, but I did archive the pages).

[Edit: botched the quote tag!]
Last edited by Daniel Beardsmore on 08 Jan 2017, 01:55, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Mr.Nobody

08 Jan 2017, 01:51

#37 Another Reuters, does this one look "right" to you Wodan?
Spoiler:
Image
Last edited by Mr.Nobody on 08 Jan 2017, 03:01, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Ail

08 Jan 2017, 01:59

Daniel Beardsmore wrote: This is how we do things here:

other-external-f66/great-interesting-finds-t5700.html

It's all out in the open.
Ail wrote: The black caps are from a TeleVideo 950 console and the switches are definitely simplified Futaba linears …
Unlikely. Televideo keyboards with Futaba switches all use MD series "complicated" Futabas. MR series "simplified" is an off-the-shelf product, but thus far it's only known in early 80s Acorn equipment. I wasn't even sure if MR series (or whatever it's actually called) was commercially available until I found details of it on ECPlaza (now gone, but I did archive the pages).

[Edit: botched the quote tag!]
Gotcha, I will post pictures maybe later tonight or early tomorrow as I am cleaning them as well since they were god awful filthy. There's a good chance I am misidentifying them as I am certainly no expert and only going off shape and color compared to the complicated version shown on the Deskthority page.

User avatar
Ail

08 Jan 2017, 02:02

Mr.Nobody wrote:
Ail wrote: I pulled the caps off those boards for cleaning, the white caps are from an ALPS board with linear SKCC greens, no model though. The black caps are from a TeleVideo 950 console and the switches are definitely simplified Futaba linears, which is probably what the TeleVideo 925 posted here also has. The caps from the TeleVideo do fit the SKCC switches, but I'm not sure how well in terms of where they sit versus the caps made for the SKCC switches. I'll know for sure once they're clean. Just an FYI update for anyone considering those sphericals or the 925 board.
Pictures please, I believe many people are concerned...
They are soaking in a cleaning bath right now. I can post pictures tomorrow of both sets mounted.

User avatar
Daniel Beardsmore

08 Jan 2017, 02:11

The difference is entirely in the shape:

Image

MD series "complicated" is on the left with the plate retention clips at the sides (down the long edges of the slider), and MR-6C "simplified" is on the right, with the plate retention clips above and below the slider (across the short edges of the slider).

MR-6C is always cream/dark ivory, but MD series can be ivory or black, and possibly even white.

User avatar
Ail

08 Jan 2017, 02:19

Daniel Beardsmore wrote: The difference is entirely in the shape:

Image

MD series "complicated" is on the left with the plate retention clips at the sides (down the long edges of the slider), and MR-6C "simplified" is on the right, with the plate retention clips above and below the slider (across the short edges of the slider).

MR-6C is always cream/dark ivory, but MD series can be ivory or black, and possibly even white.
Yup, you are correct. I went and pulled them up for a quick look, and the first time I must have been looking from the side or not paying close enough attention. The retention clips are along the longer side of the slider and they have those two notches on the top and bottom. These look completely white to me, but the light in my garage isn't great, so they could be ivory. Either way, definitely complicated. Thanks.

User avatar
Daniel Beardsmore

08 Jan 2017, 02:28

snuci's are definitely white, in his [wiki]Televideo 910[/wiki] keyboard, so that makes sense. MR-6C is much darker than MD series.

User avatar
Menuhin

08 Jan 2017, 03:15

Mr.Nobody wrote:
Daniel Beardsmore wrote:
Mr.Nobody wrote: #34 I found another G80-1813,Not a Cherry MX Guy, is it only me or...to me these things are ridiculously pricy...
How would we know — you're withholding all the links to them, so are we supposed to invade your mind and rip the prices out of it?

What sort of idiotic guessing game is this? Here, have photos of things but I won't tell you how to find them.

On the first page of this thread I addressed the issue abundantly clear, you'd better read before you query anything. There are more than one sellers selling the same model which means dozens of links, and to make things even worse, some of the links are "Dead Links" which means when you actually contact the seller for the item, he might tell you it's out of stock, so is it practial and necessary to post all links under every photos before I know whether any DT members are interested in it???

If you think it's an "idiotic guessing game" okay then it's your problem. I don't see anything untoward helping DT members here to find and get the hidden gems from China. Generally speaking, collecting things always involves guessing and gambling and risk to some degree, and IMHO that's exactly why it's intriguing and addictive.
From a Task Analysis point of view, there are definitely more clicks and keystrokes one has to perform to post just pictures but deliberately not the source. Perhaps Mr.Nobody really wants to serve the many members of DT that he wholeheartedly wants to befriend with in his virtual cyber-world.

I still want to say, it is a kind gesture to include also the links of all potentially still existing keyboard you discuss.
Please do so in the future, it is just a few clicks away.
This is especially important for the expert members here who are not able to use Chinese language to search TaoBao well.

I know you are not one of those, but I know it is very common in East Asia to withhold crucial or source information for power and for one's winning move - it is just the way of doing things for many people in East Asia. There's not much copyright concept in East Asia, people held their secret until their death and disclose only to their single most beloved, most trusted disciple / employee / son, it is just how things have been done in East Asia for hundreds of years, i.e. not open. At the end, a lot of "secret knowledge" are lost - are wasted.

Discussion style in DT is very open, like in the link other-external-f66/great-interesting-finds-t5700.html. It's like, this round he won an auction and everyone then ask him for review and opinion and then the new ideas will be compared to those in the older reviews, and then for next round some other may get the same model. Of course, there are lurkers in DT, perhaps lots of them here: Lurkers don't discuss, those who discuss are trying to be as open as possible.

Here is my thought:
In every community there are of course veterans who are not necessarily the most well-mannered, polite and friendly towards newcomers. To be fair, I think respect between every two persons has to be earned, but not assumed, even for a person holding a relatively 'senior' position. However, I can also see that though I'm relatively "literate" about keyboards, there are members in DT who are 10 or 100+ times more knowledgeable than I do, and have been dedicating to this hobby for over 10 or some even over 30 years, many working collaboratively on the Wiki here. If I get a rare keyboard, I may learn something or perhaps it serves my ego a tiny bit, but if I pass the keyboard onto some more dedicated experts who are open to share their knowledge, the whole world will benefit.
I hope you can find your niche position to contribute in here, and what you originally want to look for in DT.

P.s. Many listed products in TaoBao are actually in really bad abused shape and are often not as advertised, especially for their used goods listings. Its just a warning because I was one of the victims. It is therefore important to get a responsive, sensible and careful TaoBao agent. On the other hand, people have forgotten the eBay of Japan: Yahoo Auction Japan. They have many listings of rare products in generally much better condition, and I won quite some really good items from their Yahoo Auction site, it is just not as convenient as using a TaoBao agent. So do check out also Yahoo Auction Japan when the listings of a search on TaoBao have been exhaustively gone through.

User avatar
Mr.Nobody

08 Jan 2017, 04:40

Maybe it's because I posted 30+ items overnight leaves an impression that it's easy to find these stuff for me, well, it is NOT, these stuff are marked one by one gradually since April 2016(that's when I started to collect computer keyboards) until now. It is definitely more than a few clicks away to list links and make sure they all count,to do that you need to contact every sellers and inquire about the item without actual buying...I don't think it's practical nor do I think it's a good idea,coz the whole market is dynamic, today one item is available tomorrow it might no be anymore.

You may notice that I post less frequently and slower, that's because my "resevoirs of marked items" has been depleted, I have to snoop around trying to dig out some new goodies which is a tedious process I believe most people here know and understand.

Well how I find these keyboards? At first I used keywords, then I found many goodies will be left over searching this way, because the sellers or me myself don't know what it is due to lack of thorough knowledge about some models of keyboards. So fuck the keywords :mrgreen: ,now I comb through the whole Taobao page by page manually every week :!: ,when I stumble upon anything looks "unusual" I mark it. Well maybe I am overly obsessed with keyboards recently, I remember I used to be a man who enjoys reading and playing piano a lot not long time ago, now...fuck reading and piano, let's go and find some freakin' keyboards.... :lol:

There is no need for me to withhold any resource or whatever, for what? Make money become a millionair by selling used keyboards abroad? If it were for money I wouldn't have done all this in the first place, for to me there are definitely better ways to make more money, and I am already a multi-millionair anyway...all in all it's more a hobbist thing to do. 8-)

So in a word, I do spend a lot of time and effort finding these stuff, and I posted them here share them to make it a little more convienent for those who have language barriers to have a glimpse of what's there in Taobao,and at the same time to know what those mysterious unknow keyboards actually are. :geek:

If anybody is not contented about what I am doing and give me a face like..."you should do better, give us more and give faster". Well I will punch that face and tell you to lick my ass and fuck off :evil: , coz I don't owe you anything, you can go and search for yourself...
Last edited by Mr.Nobody on 08 Jan 2017, 08:03, edited 1 time in total.

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