deskthority

These are good. My experience is that the the early Dells (made in Malaysia or Thailand, I think) are better than the later ones mad in China. With those, the domes are colored (either light or dark blue, or yellow) inset in a flat translucent sheet. I really like the IBMs, I like the styling of the...

However, a drill stand (press) is a must, if you ask me. I certainly wouldn't do it without one. I have done at least a dozen of them and I did not have a drill press (I have one now but got it after I stopped using and modding Model Ms), but that would be easier. Put on your reading glasses and ge...

I am not volunteering to work on it, but I bought a NOS in sealed box SSK from Cindy a few years ago and nearly half of its rivets were broken. Plastic is not known for aging well, and since I have done many bolt-mods on Model Ms I was not bothered and would probably have done it anyway. Sit tight f...

Contact Orihalcon directly via the forum and he will probably discount what would have been ebay's fee.

Hak Foo wrote: ↑

27 Feb 2021, 00:55

If rare and exotic alone was enough,

Not every 100-year-old coin, card, or stamp has great value. Some are highly desirable, others aren't.

ddrfraser1 wrote: ↑

27 Feb 2021, 00:48

I am younger than my model M

I am typing on a Model F built one day after my 33rd birthday.

I hope this bubble will pop hard someday and they will be somewhat affordable. That's not really the way collectible marketplaces usually evolve. There may cyclical fluctuations in price but the relationship between supply and demand always rules. Here we have a limited supply of vintage items (tha...

search on eBay for completed auctions, All good advice, but on ebay there are "Completed Items" and "Sold Items" so you want to study "Sold Items" because "Completed Items" also includes listings that are merely over and may not have been consummated. Also, be patient and start a "search list" for ...

I don't think there are any electronics there. When you cut out the plate for the Alt keys, the PCB is waiting for you with a spot.

I haven't had an F AT open in a couple of years but I think the answer is NO.

I will just use this entry since it is already here. Generally the rationale for offering direct (ie off-ebay) sales to fellow members is to avoid the fee burdens that ebay inflicts - 10% to ebay + 3% to Paypal (if some other payment scheme is employed). In the past I have given rebates and discount...

I'd like to offer a 10% discount on final price to any established forum member who buys it and PMs me here (preferably, not sure what eBay policy is on that sort of messaging) That would not be a problem if you had not received any bids yet. Once at least one valid bid has been placed on an item t...

3 categories is entirely acceptable. But then you need an alternate in each category for those times when you need a little change of pace, and also at least one backup for each of your favorites.

You deserve as many keyboards as your wife has pairs of shoes.

Go-Kart wrote: ↑

23 Feb 2021, 14:23

I wasn't paying attention

Use Auction Sniper. Works great and costs next to nothing.

Palatino wrote: ↑

15 Feb 2021, 10:07

I'd be surprised if he was specifically after a 1u backspace

Agreed. And I have found that i customarily operate Right Shift on its right edge with my right pinkie finger, so a broken Right Shift is a problem for me as well.

M

Those numbers usually start with 138 or 139, F-122 numbers usually start with 611.

Some of us old-timers are still around.

I don't need or want any more keyboards, the ones I have are more than I could possibly wear out in my lifetime, although there are certain "hypothetical" units that could tweak my curiosity.

If you do get a Dell AT101 (or, better for this) AT101W and don't like the switches, do not discard it. That case and chassis is one of the best, transplanting better switches into it makes for a great unit. PS - SGI AT101 is equivalent with better looks, AT101W is also available in black, but both ...

Apple Extended Keyboards are not too hard to find in good condition, but they require an ADB converter which costs a bit unless you build one yourself on the cheap. I don't like the overall package and look but they have great PBT caps and make a good source for switches for future projects if you g...

Yes, that mile-long space bar has an equally long "under-carriage" piece that sandwiches the plate between the two.

You will have to peel the plates apart in order to get the pieces stacked properly back inside.

It lacks the ultra-rare yellow "URINE" key.

Generally Model M cases have screws with 7/32" heads (5.5mm is an excellent match), and Model F cases also have some 9/32" screws (7.5mm is the best match).

Make sure that your socket is "long" and "thin-walled".

I have never had any problems with cheap active adapters like this, but some people have.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dual-PS2-Femal ... SwMmBV3Jqr

Jan Pospisil wrote: ↑

26 Dec 2020, 16:54

the nut driver I bought was too thick to fit in the holes.

The actual screw head is 7/32" and 5.5mm works also, but a socket must be "long" and "thin-walled" or the socket of a nut driver must be similarly thin-sided.

Polecat wrote: ↑

30 Dec 2020, 05:20

don't ask me how I know that

Rule for Life: Always follow paint instructions to the letter.

Bolt-modding Model Ms - the first one is much harder, it is always fussy and tedious but it gets much easier with practice..

Painting metal plates is relatively easy - just prep properly follow the paint directions to the letter.

Actually finishing projects from years past?

XT or AT that is. 122-key space bars are conventional.

inmbolmie wrote: ↑

24 Dec 2020, 17:09

Chyros wrote: ↑

24 Dec 2020, 17:04

blue Alps fan

Spoiler alert

Leading Edge 2014 is one of the only readily found keyboards that is a "sure thing" to have blue Alps.

hellothere wrote: ↑

23 Dec 2020, 23:15

Salmon Alps. No dirt. Probably no rust (I need to remove the keycaps). No sticking. No binding.

I would (and I have, in similar situations) transplant those switches into a Northgate Omnikey 101 or a Dell AT101W case.

This thread made me reflect on my own process. I have not bought an IBM keyboard in 3 years or so, but in the 5 years preceding that I probably bought a dozen each of Ms and Fs, as well as refurbishing a few for friends. Almost immediately, I fell into the habit of completely dis-assembling the keyb...

Coeus wrote: ↑

19 Dec 2020, 20:58

I was then disappointed to find that the enhanced layout that has since become the standard was not one of those available.

You can get very close to a standard ANSI layout.

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=48 ... msg1048948