Search found 443 matches

by vometia
14 Feb 2024, 04:16
Forum: Keyboards
Topic: DEC Ultrix Keyboard
Replies: 8
Views: 4931

Re: DEC Ultrix Keyboard

Key repeat rate should really be handled at the host, not on the keyboard, in my view. There’s nothing more disruptive than random crazy when you’re holding keys. It’s always the unintended triggers that getcha! I’d implement a faster repeat for arrow keys in Karabiner, if I didn’t already use Alt ...
by vometia
14 Feb 2024, 03:55
Forum: Keyboards
Topic: Steven Spielberg's beamspring?
Replies: 3
Views: 4203

Re: Steven Spielberg's beamspring?

Looks like an example of the twinax terminals I used in my youth, back in the 1980s; I'd assumed 5251 but I'll defer to sharktastica, not least as I was never certain. Even at that age and in that era (1980s, when keyboards were either really obviously terrible such as the ZX81 and Spectrum, or they...
by vometia
29 Sep 2023, 20:40
Forum: Keyboards
Topic: Dear Model F owners, can we talk? (Long rant)
Replies: 143
Views: 276693

Re: Dear Model F owners, can we talk? (Long rant)

As I've said before, I don't use the numpad that often, but when I enter numbers, I really miss it when it's not there. But that's probably also because I grew up with a numpad and muscle memory expects it to be there. I'm sure if I grew up without a numpad, I'd look at things differently. I wish t...
by vometia
29 Sep 2023, 20:35
Forum: Keyboards
Topic: Dear Model F owners, can we talk? (Long rant)
Replies: 143
Views: 276693

Re: Dear Model F owners, can we talk? (Long rant)

Ah, yucking people’s yums, as they say. The thing about the Model M specifically is its monumental reputation . Set aside how it got it, and accepting the fact it’s there, the result is people with some existing mech experience often dismissing buckling spring entirely when they do encounter it and...
by vometia
22 Jun 2023, 07:18
Forum: Keyboards
Topic: Has anyone Retrobrited an AEK or AEK II
Replies: 13
Views: 2322

Re: Has anyone Retrobrited an AEK or AEK II

Spraypainting it sounds like a much safer bet to me. Even without the risk of brittleness, I've seen several examples of Retrobrited stuff where the results are really inconsistent and patchy, plus the tendency for the yellow to just come back anyway. Paint is probably less prone to jaundice!
by vometia
22 Jun 2023, 07:14
Forum: Keyboards
Topic: IBM Model M Lifetime Discrepancy?
Replies: 20
Views: 4569

Re: IBM Model M Lifetime Discrepancy?

I really hate the current vibe for tiny fans: they're so noisy once they spin up. Some (e.g. gf's Intel Nug) are also in almost unmaintainable positions so as the dust gradually clogs them up they get louder and louder, and once they reach screaming pitch and can't do any more the CPU overheats and ...
by vometia
13 Mar 2023, 04:20
Forum: Keyboards
Topic: IDENTIFY THE KEYBOARD thread
Replies: 5297
Views: 1501563

Re: IDENTIFY THE KEYBOARD thread

DEC rebranded? Has that big "do" key. Just DEC layout. Looks like it's the same as this, with thin DCS-like double shots and MX blacks . Yikes. Don't think I've ever seen a legit DEC keyboard in black (I mean not unless you go back to the original VT100 era) and by the time the LK201 appeared they ...
by vometia
07 Mar 2023, 17:01
Forum: Keyboards
Topic: IBM 3742 restoration
Replies: 11
Views: 2122

Re: IBM 3742 restoration

Muirium wrote:
06 Mar 2023, 20:40
Nature abhors a vacuum, unless it’s where the loot was. Yoink! :lol:
:lol:

I am wondering how everything got in such a state, though. Everything's rustier than a Lancia Beta parked in Scarborough.
by vometia
07 Mar 2023, 08:07
Forum: Keyboards
Topic: Looking for a picture of a PERQ keyboard
Replies: 1
Views: 883

Re: Looking for a picture of a PERQ keyboard

ISTR quite a few PERQ pictures on Chilton Computing's website though I'm not sure if any of them have suitable close-ups of the keyboard.
by vometia
19 Dec 2022, 03:51
Forum: Keyboards
Topic: Is there something about Cherry MX switches that make them more "clonable" than other designs?
Replies: 66
Views: 30248

Re: Is there something about Cherry MX switches that make them more "clonable" than other designs?

One of the things I don't think I've seen covered yet having scanned the last three pages rather hastily is the choice of keycaps; which is what ultimately drew me to using MX, as the choice is largely "MX or GTFO". And I'm kinda of my time, which is before the IBM PC really took root with its appro...
by vometia
19 Dec 2022, 02:41
Forum: Keyboards
Topic: What was/is the worst keyboard/switch you have ever tried?
Replies: 70
Views: 39942

Re: What was/is the worst keyboard/switch you have ever tried?

Real blisters are more satisfying to pop. Membrane is just mush. Mush. Mush. Muh… muh… muh… Makeitstop! The ones I get on my fingers after going back to bass playing after yet another hiatus aren't; they're as resilient as those Unicomp rubber-domes. OTOH I have a new electronical contraption that ...
by vometia
18 Dec 2022, 15:03
Forum: Keyboards
Topic: GOOD Cherry MX Switches
Replies: 38
Views: 10390

Re: GOOD Cherry MX Switches

Scratchy, scuffy, even creaky MX switches are the ones I grumble about on request. If they just made them as smooth as they did before, then I’d be pretty hip with MX as a linear switch with sterling longevity and unparalleled caps. But their tactile and clicky versions, not so much. :P I think I'v...
by vometia
06 Dec 2022, 16:55
Forum: Group buys
Topic: Beam Spring 104+SSK Reproduction Project! First Batch In Stock, Shipping early next year after New Model F Project
Replies: 772
Views: 3566020

Re: Beam Spring 104+SSK Reproduction Project! First Batch In Stock, Shipping early next year after New Model F Project

Blimey, seems I missed some interesting stuff during my latest absence! I need to have one of these, if I can figure out how. Last beam-spring I used was from a Twinax thing (er... 5251? I forget the computer it was connected to, which was bloody awful, but the keyboard was awesome, albeit with much...
by vometia
06 Dec 2022, 16:17
Forum: Keyboards
Topic: What was/is the worst keyboard/switch you have ever tried?
Replies: 70
Views: 39942

Re: What was/is the worst keyboard/switch you have ever tried?

First ever vintage keyboard I ever bought was the Datalux Spacesaver: https://deskthority.net/wiki/Datalux_SpaceSaver ... I got it for £50 NOS from eBay on the basis that I really liked the layout it had. I found out through chyrosan22 how bad these boards were but did not pay too much attention. [...
by vometia
04 Jul 2021, 13:27
Forum: Keyboards
Topic: Dear Model F owners, can we talk? (Long rant)
Replies: 143
Views: 276693

Re: Dear Model F owners, can we talk? (Long rant)

...stuff... That name seems very familiar. Hercules mailing list? I'm still waiting for that VM hobbyists' licence to materialise. D: Responding to both of the above. I’ve found that, in general, most communities are shit. Sometimes, though, you might stumble on one that isn’t. I’m lucky to have fo...
by vometia
22 Jun 2021, 06:31
Forum: Keyboards
Topic: Custom keycaps: current options for one-off custom set?
Replies: 8
Views: 1978

Re: Custom keycaps: current options for one-off custom set?

You can also go a DIY route for dyesubbing. Other membes have good experience with Etsy for this, but it should also be fairly doable at home without expensive equipment, as long as you find some nice PBT blanks. Haven't attempted to do this myself yet, but it looks tempting, if you can find someon...
by vometia
20 Jun 2021, 21:40
Forum: Keyboards
Topic: Custom keycaps: current options for one-off custom set?
Replies: 8
Views: 1978

Re: Custom keycaps: current options for one-off custom set?

Signature Plastics now does one-off dyesubs on SA profile, but they're expensive (USD5/cap) and limited to a set of standard designs, so you might not be able to get the legends you want. I'm not sure how amenable they are to extending their catalogue. I suppose it can't hurt to ask, I've found PMK...
by vometia
20 Jun 2021, 07:20
Forum: Keyboards
Topic: Custom keycaps: current options for one-off custom set?
Replies: 8
Views: 1978

Custom keycaps: current options for one-off custom set?

Due to the sporadic nature of me being here (which is itself largely down to the sporadic nature of how bad my insomnia is!) I'm terrible at keeping up. And remembering stuff; while I could search, by the time I finally think "oh yeah, I should do that", things have often moved on as it can be month...
by vometia
20 Jun 2021, 06:57
Forum: Keyboards
Topic: Dear Model F owners, can we talk? (Long rant)
Replies: 143
Views: 276693

Re: Dear Model F owners, can we talk? (Long rant)

I think the next rung down on that ladder are the people who incessantly bash Unicomp Ms and insist that they're trash compared to IBM M boards. They constantly insist that the IBM boards feel/sound so much better and that anyone not shelling out more money for a used board (that may have dirt to c...
by vometia
19 Apr 2021, 12:19
Forum: Keyboards
Topic: Longterm Daily Drivers
Replies: 146
Views: 31390

Re: Longterm Daily Drivers

Yeah, it was me who nudged you in the unglamorous direction of MX red. They certainly get the job done. With a nice solid plate, and of course the right caps, they're good and cloppy as I like. Indeed, when I use mine, I always get the feeling they're the true proletarian Topre. Maybe if I ever lub...
by vometia
18 Apr 2021, 23:49
Forum: Keyboards
Topic: Vintage Increases Value?
Replies: 120
Views: 25633

Re: Vintage Increases Value?

What sucks is I see this going the way of guitars. A bunch of jackwagons looking to sell old crap started labeling everything old as "vintage" and a bunch of absolute schmucks that know nothing about instruments just eat it up. It's somehow been getting WORSE over the years to the point where absol...
by vometia
18 Apr 2021, 23:31
Forum: Keyboards
Topic: Longterm Daily Drivers
Replies: 146
Views: 31390

Re: Longterm Daily Drivers

The thing I used for the longest is almost certainly my SSK. I eventually stopped because of the noise (didn't bother me, did bother my other half when it was the middle of the night...) but it still has the best sound/keyfeel/feedback/etc of anything I've used; in spite of that, those acres of beig...
by vometia
18 Apr 2021, 22:59
Forum: Keyboards
Topic: Dark gray/industrial looking keyboard recommendations?
Replies: 21
Views: 4229

Re: Dark gray/industrial looking keyboard recommendations?

Go-Kart wrote:
15 Apr 2021, 08:50
A nice SGI?
Is that a thing? I had an Indy in the mid-late '90s (well, potentially still have, but a friend borrowed it 20 years ago and never gave it back!) but I wasn't a fan of its keyboard; rather mushy-feeling thing as I recall.
by vometia
02 Jan 2021, 04:30
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: Watch Photo Thread
Replies: 209
Views: 215173

Re: Watch Photo Thread

I got an LCD watch in about 1978/79 exactly because of the LEDs' reputation for battery drain. What I ended up with was something that was almost impossible to make out in any light and a nickel allergy. :|
by vometia
02 Jan 2021, 04:24
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: Unpopular opinions thread
Replies: 456
Views: 282706

Re: Unpopular opinions thread

General/life: - Python is an ugly language to program in. - Not a fan of dogs. I much prefer snakes or spiders as pets, and so does my grandmother (she's got my tarantula currently). - I'd rather have a Rover (not Land Rover, for those who don't know what Rover was) than any other average. A green ...
by vometia
29 Dec 2020, 15:04
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: Old beamspring photo thread
Replies: 92
Views: 102565

Re: Old beamspring photo thread

Those 2260s are kinda cute, and not just by IBM standards.
by vometia
09 Oct 2020, 16:58
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: I am new member here
Replies: 7
Views: 7036

Re: I am new member here

Yasu0 wrote:
09 Oct 2020, 00:39
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH BLADING!!!1
I've heard bad things about rollerblading tape-jockeys in computer rooms.
by vometia
29 Sep 2020, 01:25
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: how fast do you type?
Replies: 45
Views: 30115

Re: how fast do you type?

Yeah, pretty much! I was going to just stick with the number of times I need to use backspace* but got a bit carried away.

* this is why I got into such a panic when I re-capped my Vortex and yanked out one of the stems: it was the backspace key, the most essential one of all! D:
by vometia
28 Sep 2020, 09:59
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: how fast do you type?
Replies: 45
Views: 30115

Re: how fast do you type?

I type fairly quickly. Unless I subtract the number of deletions I do. And then going back and deleting a whole word because I missed something. And then proofreading it again. And editing it again. And submitting it and proofreading it again. And only then spotting that I messed up the grammar duri...
by vometia
28 Sep 2020, 09:55
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: How many keyboards is enough?!
Replies: 28
Views: 76833

Re: How many keyboards is enough?!

The same number as your wife has pairs of shoes. Er, I seem to be the one with all the shoes (I think I managed to get them down to double-digits... for a while at least. Some even fit) and all the keyboards, and bass guitars etc. Fortunately I'm the only devoted acquirer of stuff in our household.

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