deskthority

Well... I finally got it to work. I want to thank Wolfi77W, Muirium and all of you for your help. I really, really appreciate it. I don't think I could have found this "level" (detail) of help on any other forum. Thank you all so much!

>> I'll assume you know the basics of how to "burn" .sc files into a converter. No, absolutely no idea how to do that or what that means. Also everything else posted is like reading Klingon. Thank you for the steps, but I'm not even at that level. I really do need something basic. Like... kindergart...

So a few weeks ago I decided to buy a Model F AT keyboard. I'm not a stranger to most things IT-related, but I'd never used a Model F in any way, shape or form, so I figured this would be a fun little excursion into vintage computing. (I do have experience with Model M keyboards, for what it's worth...

I've tried all the above.. cheap modern flimsy rubberdome keyboards, to mechanical (Cherry switches), to RGB backlit monstrosities, to finer/nicer/heavier milled and machined boards (aluminum blocks like the Vortex Race 3). Put those away, looked for something more tactile and heavier (as in actuati...

Admins, please remove this thread. Thank you.

Please remove, thanks.

I have three 1986-'87 1390120s. One weighs 5.5 lbs (2495g), one weighs 5 lbs (2268g) and the 3rd one is 4.95 lbs (2245g). All have matte "rainbow" steel backplates. Question, what could account for the weight differences between the 3? The 5.5 and 5 lbs were made only one day apart (May 12 and 13, 1...

Wondering why some older IBM Model M serial numbers (ID numbers) begin with a letter? Like this one, serial number F4185? Did the letter mean something special?

Please remove, thanks.

>>> It would be best to ask the author of the video to clarify this information I did. I reached out directly to the contact email at clickykeyboards.com. Although they've answered other questions I've had about their inventory and processes, they did not respond to my questions about where to find ...

I'm in the process of getting tools together to screw mod a Model M keyboard. Right now I'm stuck on drill bit size. Can't seem to find a consensus. What's the size of the bit they use in this video ? Also, where does one find "M2 machine screws" of the variety used by clickykeyboards.com in their m...

Mods please remove

Ugh. Sounds like a chore. Actually this keyboard was screw modded before I received it, with machine screws. I assume I could undo the screws, disassemble the whole thing, replace the membrane sheets and reassemble it? This "mildew" keyboard is a 1987 Model M. I do have a spare 1995 Model M laying a...

I need some help. I bought a Model M keyboard on eBay and when it got to me, I opened it and... oh my gosh it smells like mildew! Like, strong! I mean, like old books in a garage sale, or my grandma's basement. How can I get rid of the smell without killing the keyboard? I do own a 7/32nd socket tha...

fohat wrote: ↑

07 Feb 2023, 23:30

I use naptha (old-fashioned cigarette lighter fluid)

I have lighter fluid! What do you do with it?

I just bought a January 1987 IBM model M (1391401) that's super dirty and needs a good cleaning. I'm talking mud, dirt, hair, grease, you name it. I want to throw the whole case into my dishwasher (for real), but the problem is it would destroy the "birth certificate" label on the back. How can I re...

Switch testing is almost always capped only at how long the manufacturer is willing to test the switch itself. Given that Model Ms are sometimes still used in working environments, even today, it can be assumed that the switch reliability is much higher than IBM bothered to measure. I didn't know t...

Muirium wrote: ↑

02 Feb 2023, 19:42

Well, it’s not my only keyboard.

For a while, in the 2000s, this was:

Spoiler:

I remember those keys on my long-since departed 2007 MacBook Pro. I miss them. They were a joy to type on.

I've been spoiled by Cherry. I'll give them credit. My 2 mechanical boards with Cherry MX reds have been through everything and are still going strong. I just find it odd that most whitepaper type things call the IBM membrane buckling spring lifetime 25,000,000 presses, while most of the used/bolt-m...

Some sources say each buckling spring switch is good for only 25,000,000 keypresses, but many sellers claim that after bolt-modding their boards, the board will be good for another 30 years. How does the advertised potential lifespan of a 35-year-old bolt-modded IBM Model M (the promise of decades m...

XMIT wrote: ↑

29 Jan 2023, 14:02

70g peak.

Thanks. Did not see this chart anywhere till now.

So they're a bit heavier than vintage MX blacks...

What's the actuation and bottom-out force of a buckling-spring key switch, let's say, like the switch on a 1995 Lexmark-made model M 1391401? In grams? I'm trying to "on paper-compare" the force of a '95 Lexmark 1391401 to Cherry MX reds (45/75) and blacks (60/85). Most Google search results seem to...

kmnov2017 wrote: ↑

21 Jan 2023, 22:43

Yes, plenty of people have done that. Lookup FSSK.

Cool, didn't know that!

fohat wrote: ↑

21 Jan 2023, 22:05

that would be the Model F.

No, like, modding an actual model M with PCB.

Muirium wrote: ↑

21 Jan 2023, 17:45

just as they do in the cheapo rubberdome keyboards where they belong.

Makes me wonder if anyone has modded a model M with PCB contacts instead of the membranes?

I don't like Cherry MX browns, and probably wouldn't like blues, if I ever tried them... when I did have a brown board, it just felt like the switches were trying too hard to imitate the click and feel of buckling-spring switches. My favorites are Cherry MX red and black. Two red boards in my collec...

On model M plastic membranes (the ones on normal buckling-spring Ms, not the rubber-dome ones), do (or can) the membrane sheets themselves wear out and have to get replaced?

This is assuming normal keyboard usage and no liquid damage, etc., and no broken rivets.

Just wondering.

Admins, please remove

I'm not getting into selling myself, but there's something I've always wanted to know about those who do sell model Ms and other vintage/highly sought-after computer and A/V equipment: where do you find your inventory? (Specifically, where do you find your model Ms that you sell or resell?) Over the...