KB-4412 - What is it?
- HaaTa
- Master Kiibohd Hunter
- Location: San Jose, California, USA
- Main keyboard: Depends the day
- Main mouse: CST L-TracX
- Favorite switch: Fujitsu Leaf Spring/Topre/BS/Super Alps
- DT Pro Member: 0006
- Contact:
Found this is a random surplus/junk bin at my university along with some old Sun terminals and workstations.
I have no idea what company made it, or what kind of switch it uses. They are linear, but have some locking switches on a bunch of the keys.
Keycaps are doubleshot, and very similar (if not the same maker) to my Atari Keypad (http://kiibohd.com/Keyboards/CX85/).
The case is made out of MDF, which is strange (but seeing how old it is, maybe normal). I found the keyboard in pieces, and the one keycap that is missing has it's switch glued down and slider removed (epoxy or resin of some sort).
Anyways ideas on what it is?
Full set of dismantle pics (including switch disassembly): https://picasaweb.google.com/1138456619 ... directlink
I have no idea what company made it, or what kind of switch it uses. They are linear, but have some locking switches on a bunch of the keys.
Keycaps are doubleshot, and very similar (if not the same maker) to my Atari Keypad (http://kiibohd.com/Keyboards/CX85/).
The case is made out of MDF, which is strange (but seeing how old it is, maybe normal). I found the keyboard in pieces, and the one keycap that is missing has it's switch glued down and slider removed (epoxy or resin of some sort).
Anyways ideas on what it is?
Full set of dismantle pics (including switch disassembly): https://picasaweb.google.com/1138456619 ... directlink
- HaaTa
- Master Kiibohd Hunter
- Location: San Jose, California, USA
- Main keyboard: Depends the day
- Main mouse: CST L-TracX
- Favorite switch: Fujitsu Leaf Spring/Topre/BS/Super Alps
- DT Pro Member: 0006
- Contact:
Damn I was tired, never saw the "WEAB" on the switches.
Reference to it here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/anachrocom ... 741969030/
Still looking though.
There is also "MEI" on the PCB.
Reference to it here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/anachrocom ... 741969030/
Still looking though.
There is also "MEI" on the PCB.
- HaaTa
- Master Kiibohd Hunter
- Location: San Jose, California, USA
- Main keyboard: Depends the day
- Main mouse: CST L-TracX
- Favorite switch: Fujitsu Leaf Spring/Topre/BS/Super Alps
- DT Pro Member: 0006
- Contact:
Ugh, I'll see what I can do.
But the drama continues.
From this page: http://www.stronic.fr/en/index.php?rech ... egorie=150
Search for "weab".
And you'll find both terms "WEAB" and "MEI", manufacturer: Xerox
Not the same switch, but at least I know who made the switch now.
But the drama continues.
From this page: http://www.stronic.fr/en/index.php?rech ... egorie=150
Search for "weab".
And you'll find both terms "WEAB" and "MEI", manufacturer: Xerox
Not the same switch, but at least I know who made the switch now.
- kps
- Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
- Main keyboard: Kinesis contoured
- Main mouse: Kensington Slimblade trackball
- DT Pro Member: -
It's from a Volker-Craig terminal. They used to be very common here. I don't recognize the specific model, but it seemed there were hundreds of variations with no two alike, anyway. In my experience their keyboards were pretty awful, taking a lot of force to get started and bottoming out hard, and prone to bouncing and skipping.
May I ask which dumpster?
May I ask which dumpster?
-
- Location: Ugly American
- Main keyboard: As Long As It is Helvetica
- Main mouse: Mickey
- Favorite switch: Wanna Switch? Well, I Certainly Did!
- DT Pro Member: -
My experience wandering through a warehouse of these linear terminal keyboards was the same. This was before I walked around with nickels in my pocket so I never collected the numbers.
Here's some other oldies I tried in a different computer museum.
http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?8271 ... post145777
My conclusion is nostalgia effect for anybody who praises these things.
Here's some other oldies I tried in a different computer museum.
http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?8271 ... post145777
My conclusion is nostalgia effect for anybody who praises these things.
- webwit
- Wild Duck
- Location: The Netherlands
- Main keyboard: Model F62
- Favorite switch: IBM beam spring
- DT Pro Member: 0000
- Contact:
I think those keycaps are Key Tronic style.
- HaaTa
- Master Kiibohd Hunter
- Location: San Jose, California, USA
- Main keyboard: Depends the day
- Main mouse: CST L-TracX
- Favorite switch: Fujitsu Leaf Spring/Topre/BS/Super Alps
- DT Pro Member: 0006
- Contact:
Yeah, I wouldn't say it's an great keyboard to type on.kps wrote:It's from a Volker-Craig terminal. They used to be very common here. I don't recognize the specific model, but it seemed there were hundreds of variations with no two alike, anyway. In my experience their keyboards were pretty awful, taking a lot of force to get started and bottoming out hard, and prone to bouncing and skipping.
Not a dumpster, more like a bin with wheels in my University (of Waterloo). In one of the privileged (i.e. has a door code) labs on campus. Unfortunately, I've only ever seen the bin there once, when I found this keyboard, in the 2 years I've been using the lab.kps wrote: May I ask which dumpster?
- kps
- Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
- Main keyboard: Kinesis contoured
- Main mouse: Kensington Slimblade trackball
- DT Pro Member: -
Oh, I see. For a long time Central Stores had a dumpster outside that often contained interesting things. Sadly they removed it (or moved it inside) a few years ago.HaaTa wrote:Not a dumpster, more like a bin with wheels in my University (of Waterloo).
The ribbon cable puts this in the 'early half' of Volker-Craig history, since later models used coiled phone cord. Most of their keyboards had a black metal faceplate with the sides and bottom molded like yours. My memory is vague, but I think this one was one of their earliest free keyboard models (after the all-in-one and exceedingly dumb VC303) -- VC403 comes to mind, but I'm probably wrong. The early models had only primitive control sequences -- no insert/delete line, no reverse or standout or anything -- so editing on them was slow, and nobody used them unless the terminal rooms were crowded.
- Bjerrk
- Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
- Main keyboard: Cherry G80-1800 & Models F & M
- Main mouse: Mouse Keys, Trackpoint, Trackball
- Favorite switch: IBM Buckling Springs+Beamspring, Alps Plate Spring
Ah! A thread from Obama's first term! I remember that! I had a cool phone at the time:
(You may have more luck if you message HaaTa directly (or at least quote his post). Cheers.)
(You may have more luck if you message HaaTa directly (or at least quote his post). Cheers.)
- Muirium
- µ
- Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
- Main keyboard: HHKB Type-S with Bluetooth by Hasu
- Main mouse: Apple Magic Mouse
- Favorite switch: Gotta Try 'Em All
- DT Pro Member: µ
Correct! This was my desktop at the time:
Message these people directly. (The various users you’re finding who post pictures of these boards.) No one’s following threads 11 years after they started them.
Message these people directly. (The various users you’re finding who post pictures of these boards.) No one’s following threads 11 years after they started them.
- depletedvespene
- Location: Chile
- Main keyboard: IBM Model F122
- Main mouse: Logitech G700s
- Favorite switch: buckling spring
- DT Pro Member: 0224
- Contact:
- Muirium
- µ
- Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
- Main keyboard: HHKB Type-S with Bluetooth by Hasu
- Main mouse: Apple Magic Mouse
- Favorite switch: Gotta Try 'Em All
- DT Pro Member: µ