deskthority

Nah I'm probably as old as you and custom/specialized keyboards were always cool. In the same way that Zoo York watches and apparel have been cool since the early '90s. You can be "hip" and also be into nice stuff like mechanical watches and mechanical keyboards. Interscope has just found a revenue ...

I bought a "new" desk (beautiful hardwood, 300 lbs/136 kg, took 3 guys to move it, me included... and was $10 at Goodwill!) specifically because it doesn't have a keyboard tray, and my old desk did. Keyboard trays are awful. But I can envision some kind of metal arm that swings in and out that could...

So I'm just wondering if a beam spring keyboard... let's say the 5251 for example... will work with a Soarer's converter type of device? Original cable to converter to modern PC? Or would I need to put in a new controller? Thanks for your info.

UPDATE -- after some weeks of trying to repair the faulty numpad 2 key by reseating the spring, adjusting the keycap, etc., nothing worked. So, today I disassembled the keyboard down to the springs and barrels. I cleaned some black tar-like gunk out of the assembly (barrel) plate, then I swapped the...

Update: I have found a replacement cable. Thank you to all who PMed me! I need a working cable for an IBM Model F PC/XT keyboard. I can buy via eBay if you want to set up an auction, or PayPal, Venmo or Zelle. I also have a working, good-condition cable for an IBM Model F PC/AT keyboard I can trade,...

AndyJ... no, it's not a grounding issue, but thanks for the suggestion. But yeah, I totally agree that these keyboards (as far as Model Fs go, I've only tried the vintage AT and XT) are very sensitive to grounding. Any time that wasn't "right" on one of the boards, it would spit out total gibberish ...

Production error. Was probably damaged or nonfunctional and they sent it back through the production line. I have a 1987 Model M 1390131 with 2 back stickers one day apart, with large initials "JB" scribbled over both.

TL;DR: First-time Model F/XT owner. This board has semi-functional keys. How to fix them? [ Imgur album ] Greetings all... first, please forgive me. I did search DT and GH and found some helpful posts, but nothing that really seems to fix this problem. After several years of owning and using 1986-87...

sharktastica wrote: ↑

12 Feb 2024, 02:29

It looks to be IBM 5253/5254. The terminal specifically looks like an IBM 5253 Display Station,

Hey, just curious, would it be too much to ask for you to un-ban me from r/modelf and r/modelm? I promise to behave.

https://i.imgur.com/SNJLmiA.jpeg Ran across this photo of Steven Spielberg in his office, circa 1982. What kind of a keyboard is that? Looks like a beamspring to me, but I'm not an expert. I dug around for more photos, but this is all I could find. ( Here's another copy in case imgur doesn't work.)

Greetings, I'm trying to understand... what amount of rattle or "wobble" on a Model F/AT keyboard space bar is normal? I've acquired two of these boards; the space bar on each one moves 1-2mm, forward and back, on the left and right ends. They both have the problem, but one does it more severely tha...

What are the options, then, for connecting it to a device that only has USB-C support? I have a Dell laptop that's USB-C only, but it came with a Dell OEM C-to-A adapter, and it works great. My Model F/AT keyboard (IBM original) with a USB-A Soarer's converter, and a 1986 Model M with the same Soar...

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To bring this back to new vs old Model Ms, I have 1986-1991 Model Ms (IBM US), including a heavily-used Industrial, with virtually no broken plastic rivets (at all)... and Unicomps made as recently as 2017 with 10+ broken rivets. There's no rhyme or reason. However, I used to screw mod every used Mo...

Owner of several Models F, many more Models M (main ones are two 5/1986 1390120s and a 1987 early 1391401). Even though one of my Fs is a really sleek and great F/AT (with new foam and other improvements), my current daily driver is the 1987 early 1391401. It just consistently feels the best of any ...

My F case is painted. It is not like Model M cases that mostly weren't painted. I'm trying to remove the paint so I can repaint it, as the original paint is in bad shape. It looks awful, and I know I can spruce it up by painting it. I don't care about the original textured paint in the least. I just...

I want to remove the paint from an IBM Model F/AT keyboard case (just the top half), without damaging the case. Just wondering what the best way to do this is? I did already remove the metal IBM badge. Thanks for your advice!!

This is the converter I was trying to get to work with the F/AT keyboard and the Win11 PC. It's an active converter. It works fine with an assortment of 1986 and 1987 Model M keyboards (and a 2014 Unicomp), but doesn't work with the F/AT keyboard. My newer PC is a Dell and I've found that it kind o...

Please allow me to explain further: I have two desktop PCs. The older one, a 2011 machine running Windows 10, has native PS2 ports. This F/AT works on it with a simple adapter (such as the one shown in your photo). My newer PC, running Windows 11, is USB (no PS2 ports). The advert for the keyboard s...

Yes it is. Typing this on the keyboard. As I said above (before I edited my comment)... the seller said this keyboard would work with just a simple adapter. LOL. I was really naiive. But I'd rather be using an original IBM-made Model F (in my case, it's an AT) than one of the new ones (no offense, a...

Okay, I did that and I got this:



Does this look like it did it right?

I installed QMK Toolbox. Now, how do I use it to re-flash the Soarer's converter? (FWIW, I've downloaded the Soarer hex files.) To answer a question that arose above, yes, my concern is security. I definitely don't want adulterated firmware on my Soarer's converter. Also, I never used the term "upgr...

I'm a newbie to keyboards so please go easy on me :> I bought this Soarer's converter for my Model F/AT (connecting to a modern desktop PC) and it works great out-of-the-box. However, I want to install or load the genuine Soarer's 1.12 firmware onto it. (A product review says the OEM firmware is not...

It's weird how both the top and bottom of the spring look exactly the same in photos. It's like it does something weird, like a forced-perspective effect or something.

There was no delete button anywhere, even before you posted.

Well with a little work, I figured it out. Just please consider this thread moot. Thanks. (I tried to find a button to edit or delete this thread but, apparently, that's verboten around here.)

I pulled out my 1985 IBM Model F capacitive buckling-spring keyboard (PC/AT) the other day and realized it desperately needed a foam replacement. So I meticulously cut a new foam sheet and started the project. Now I'm dealing with a situation where I can't get the spacebar spring (the main spring, n...