deskthority

Thanks guys. I’ve bought the cable & am waiting for Hasu’s reply as to whether he can do me a 8P8C converter in a housing/case. If not I’ll just go with the eBay converter.

EDIT: Hasu isn't selling them so went with the ebay unit.

Thanks v. much for that. I found a nos 8P8C cable - would this work? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NOS-IBM-RJ45-8p8c-Coiled-Flat-Cable-for-Terminal-Model-M-Model-F-122-key-/274865559289?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m2548.l6249&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0] It’d be great to be able to use this original ...

Apologies, got caught up with family stuff. Here's the sticker:

This sounds perfect, thanks. I like to keep things original too and was disappointed not to get the original cable with the keyboard. I didn’t realise I could order a replacement from Unicomp. Just to clarify, is the cable I need a PS2 cable or usb cable?

Without a proper description of the problem and/or a picture it is very hard to make suggestions. Specifically, what original parts, if any, were removed? We have to know the starting point to formulate a path forward. Of course, sorry I should have posted photos - I've attached them here. I don't ...

Hi, I was lucky enough to come across a pretty mint silver badge Model M. The trouble is that the guy I bought it from did a bad job of the USB converter. It started disconnecting randomly and now doesn't work at all. So now I want to get the replace his bodge with the easiest solution possible to g...

Really appreciate all the advice, very interesting stuff. I'll take a step back & let it all settle, these Fs can get quite involved!

Nice one, and is the space bar on the F122 really good? I know it’s better than the other Fs, but is it superior to the M’s? And does it feel like the rest of the keyboard?

Yes this might be the only option for a perfect original model F. I’d heard it’s space bar is much nicer & the layout is great. Love the combination of a larger enter key and big backspace. It’s just so damn huge! It really would take over a desk - although it might be worth trying to get over this ...

I don't think so, it is merely an attempt to make it lighter. I Thought as much. i like the feel of the F AT spacebar... It's heavy but it didn't take long to get used to. Ok good to know - I’ll just have to try one somehow. If I can’t deal with it I’ll have to look into that alt mod. Everything se...

Ahh yes I've seen a youtube video where someone's done this, it looks great. But if I'm honest with myself I'm a stickler for authenticity with all my retro stuff so I'd probably end up keeping it looking stock. So in this case, am I limited to the wire mod? And if so, does the wire-modded F spaceba...

Sorry, I don't mean to harp on here, just didn't want to make a new thread & clutter the forum: I've decided on a AT for sure, not interested in XT or new model F now. I know I won't be happy with that stiff space bar though - is it *really* possible to mod the spacebar so it actually feels really n...

It’s the same with the retro gaming community. There’s lots of elitism about pro monitors that cost tens of thousands when new and all sorts of other stuff. I ended up with one of these & loads of high end desirable kit but after all that I prefer my bog standard consumer Sony Trinitron.

Wazrach wrote: ↑

13 Jun 2021, 00:26

I was referring to the F122, Unsaver and 4704 Model F spacebar. It's similar to the M spacebar but a bit different (better).

Ahh I couldn’t remember who that was - good to know

That's an Apple M0110 Thockmaster. Yes I vaguely remember these - I used the first generation Macintosh a lot when I was at school but barely noticed if the keyboard was good or not. I was much more interested in what was happening on screen at that point. It sounds lovely though, thocky but satisf...

Tritian wrote: ↑

12 Jun 2021, 20:53

do it here's mine.

Gorgeous, love that sound! What’s the second board?

Tritian wrote: ↑

12 Jun 2021, 19:18

fwiw i have no issues with my f77 spacebar

Good to know, not sure why it was mentioned, perhaps it was a particular batch. They do look so good, an F77 would be my choice as well.

over here, model f xt's sell for $100-$130 all the time. I did a quick sold listing search for "ibm (xt,83) keyboard" I circled a relevant bit that you might be interested in. :D Nicely circled :D I did see those but the first two were one that a guy listed twice for some reason and looked a bit ro...

Couldn't you get a US one for $100-$130 with not too much searching and import it for a lot cheaper? also that badge is scratched up. 'm with you, although it's rare to find a decent one sold for less than $150. A nice one went for $125 in mid April & another for $163 in mid march. But yes, you're ...

I must admit, I'm curious about the lighter feel of the XT, especially as many in the enthusiast community seem to favour that key feel. What do you guys think of this one? Pricey but it's in the UK so I wouldn't be paying ridiculous custom charges & vat: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324417388957?ul_n...

i prefer the key feel of the F AT also. it is heavier than an F XT though, and in my experience a lot of people in this hobby prefer light clickies. i also prefer the sound of the F AT. no alt keys in their proper place can be annoying but people get used to the AT layout. There is always the alt-m...

Hi, thanks for that @AJM. Definitely interested, I’ll send a pm in a mo. I see you’re in Germany. I was looking at a board in Poland last night and it turns out that the combination of VAT & custom charges for importing to the UK can result in as much as £99 charges for a £250 item! Absolutely crazy...

Only "Sold Items" results should be considered reliable as to current pricing. Of course, I forgot about this, much more useful. Quite a long time ago I wrote this, but it is still valid: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=51443.msg1132476#msg1132476 Great guide, thanks. Patience seems to be a ke...

Thanks very much all, learning a lot here. I was missing this stuff but of course now you guys have pointed it out it seems obvious. I didn't notice that the cable stay's not in place & so as you guys say, it seems likely that someone who doesn't know what they're doing opened it up, tried and faile...

NOS would be a dream, where did you find that?

It went for £84.26, which xe.com says is $118. Not to be too much of a pedant, but that is over $100 :P And that one had 'been left outside in the rain for some time' and would have been in need of a degree of restoring. I know nothing but I'm guessing rust and rotting foam would probably end up be...

@an_achronism - Got it Cheers, I get the feeling you really need to approach things as a restorer with the F's, I think that's the key. I got what looks like a brand new first generation silver badge M, virtually no plastic rivets missing. The underneath has a mark or two but from above I probably w...

It's odd thoough - the XTs I'm seeing on ebay all seem to be way more than $100. I've seen quite a few & I'm not seeing them go any where near as cheap as that yet. Perhaps I haven't been looking long enough - or could it be that the prices have taken a upward turn in recent times? https://www.ebay....

Brilliant thanks so much guys, you helped me dodge a bullet there. Damn I keep hearing about boards damaged in the post, fedex seem pretty bad about handling parcels. This forum has been amazingly helpful, everyone's very decent unlike a lot of forums out there. I’ll hold back & be patient then. Sti...

Yes I agree it looks odd, good eye. btw that is an F XT not an F AT I thought you said you Thanks for that. Yes I want an AT ultimately but they’re so hard to come by, I thought I’d get an XT for the fun of it during the wait. The keyboard looks very good in other ways. The feet extenders look to h...