5251 beamsprings - should I take them?
-
- Main keyboard: 6110668
- DT Pro Member: -
Recently I came across a guy who has some 5251 beamsprings lying around. They look like the picture posted below. The price is okay; the thing is, all of them have one or two nonclicking/jammed keys, and one of them is missing a letter key.
So... could the bad keys be fixed in general? Are they rare enough to be worth keeping despite the defect? Thanks!
So... could the bad keys be fixed in general? Are they rare enough to be worth keeping despite the defect? Thanks!
- Redmaus
- Gotta start somewhere
- Location: Near Dallas, Texas
- Main keyboard: Unsaver | 3276 | Kingsaver
- Main mouse: Kensington Slimblade
- Favorite switch: Capacitative Buckling Spring
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
I might be interested in one. Exact price would narrow it down. I think on the jammed keys could be fixed by opening them and reinserting fly plate, but I can't be sure of that.
Missing key might be a problem. I don't know of any places where you can get replacements.
Missing key might be a problem. I don't know of any places where you can get replacements.
- Nuum
- Location: Germany
- Main keyboard: KBD8X Mk I (60g Clears), Phantom (Nixdorf Blacks)
- Main mouse: Corsair M65 PRO RGB
- Favorite switch: 60g MX Clears/Brown Alps/Buckling spring
- DT Pro Member: 0084
Go get them! Depending on price I might be interested as well. Missing keycaps is a minor problem to me, you could jam a MX keycap on there or 3D print one. Irrepairable switches is a bigger problem.
- Ratfink
- Location: North Carolina, USA
- Main keyboard: IBM Displaywriter
- Main mouse: CST L-Trac
- Favorite switch: Beam Spring
- DT Pro Member: -
My Displaywriter board has two switches with broken beam springs. It's possible that the non-clicking keys in these are similarly broken. In any case, the switches are quite modular, so if you have n keyboards you can certainly get n-1 fully working ones. And if that last one becomes a parts keyboard, I might like to relieve it of two of its switches.
- Touch_It
- Location: Nebraska, United States.
- Main keyboard: Unicomp Classic USB 103 key (work) IBM F 4704 107
- Main mouse: Logitech g502 Proteus Core
- Favorite switch: Buckling spring (yet to try Beam Spring)
- DT Pro Member: -
Price would definitely be nice but definitely get them. Assuming price isn't crazy people will surely buy them.
- seebart
- Offtopicthority Instigator
- Location: Germany
- Main keyboard: Rotation
- Main mouse: Steelseries Sensei
- Favorite switch: IBM capacitive buckling spring
- DT Pro Member: 0061
- Contact:
I am interested. Info on the price would be helpful. An offer like this does not show up often. How many are there?
-
- Location: UK
- Main keyboard: Filco ZERO green alps, Model F 122 Terminal
- Main mouse: Ducky Secret / Roller Mouse Pro 1
- Favorite switch: MX Mount Topre / Model F Buckling
- DT Pro Member: 0167
add me as well , possibly.
i would even be interested in a set of caps and some spare switches if one is too far gone
i would even be interested in a set of caps and some spare switches if one is too far gone
- matt3o
- -[°_°]-
- Location: Italy
- Main keyboard: WhiteFox
- Main mouse: Anywhere MX
- Favorite switch: Anything, really
- DT Pro Member: 0030
- Contact:
I need the caps for you know what.
-
- DT Pro Member: -
Here they are:
http://imgur.com/Jssx3EP,blqPW47
http://imgur.com/Jssx3EP,blqPW47#1
the one keyboard the 'U' button is missing, it still clicks but doesn't have the key, the large 0 and field + keys don't spring back either. Other than that everything else functions.
The other keyboard the field + and back key (above the right hand side numbers) don't spring back, they click but no spring back. The space bar also seems to be jammed.
please e-mail me if your interested in purchasing the keyboards.
http://imgur.com/Jssx3EP,blqPW47
http://imgur.com/Jssx3EP,blqPW47#1
the one keyboard the 'U' button is missing, it still clicks but doesn't have the key, the large 0 and field + keys don't spring back either. Other than that everything else functions.
The other keyboard the field + and back key (above the right hand side numbers) don't spring back, they click but no spring back. The space bar also seems to be jammed.
please e-mail me if your interested in purchasing the keyboards.
- Redmaus
- Gotta start somewhere
- Location: Near Dallas, Texas
- Main keyboard: Unsaver | 3276 | Kingsaver
- Main mouse: Kensington Slimblade
- Favorite switch: Capacitative Buckling Spring
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
Are these the ones on ebay?
- Redmaus
- Gotta start somewhere
- Location: Near Dallas, Texas
- Main keyboard: Unsaver | 3276 | Kingsaver
- Main mouse: Kensington Slimblade
- Favorite switch: Capacitative Buckling Spring
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
I am gonna try my luck in elecplus's thread, that large ISO key is bugging me.
-
- DT Pro Member: -
I found another keyboard, which is missing a few more keys than the others, take all 3 and you'll have 2 full keyboards!
I have had a lot of e-mails, and I think i've replied to them all but no one has followed through yet. So there are still 3 of them available.
http://imgur.com/pXz1xCe,UhYe7RU#0
http://imgur.com/pXz1xCe,UhYe7RU#1
I have had a lot of e-mails, and I think i've replied to them all but no one has followed through yet. So there are still 3 of them available.
http://imgur.com/pXz1xCe,UhYe7RU#0
http://imgur.com/pXz1xCe,UhYe7RU#1
- XMIT
- [ XMIT ]
- Location: Austin, TX area
- Main keyboard: XMIT Hall Effect
- Main mouse: CST L-Trac Trackball
- Favorite switch: XMIT 60g Tactile Hall Effect
- DT Pro Member: 0093
It would help if you mentioned where you are located. Please put your country in your profile!
Last edited by XMIT on 06 Jun 2015, 12:24, edited 1 time in total.
- Nuum
- Location: Germany
- Main keyboard: KBD8X Mk I (60g Clears), Phantom (Nixdorf Blacks)
- Main mouse: Corsair M65 PRO RGB
- Favorite switch: 60g MX Clears/Brown Alps/Buckling spring
- DT Pro Member: 0084
He is in Canada AFAIK. Is the price mentioned including shipping? If not, the price seems a bit high for an incomplete keyboard.
- Redmaus
- Gotta start somewhere
- Location: Near Dallas, Texas
- Main keyboard: Unsaver | 3276 | Kingsaver
- Main mouse: Kensington Slimblade
- Favorite switch: Capacitative Buckling Spring
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
xwhatsit beamspring controller.dramsey wrote: ↑Just out of curiosity, how would you even use these keyboards with modern computers?
-
- Location: Reno, NV
- Main keyboard: IBM Mod F AT
- Main mouse: Logitech M570
- Favorite switch: Mod F capacitive
- DT Pro Member: -
I'm not sure if I could handle it. When I first started with mech keyboards-- completely forgetting that the Apple //e and Apple /// keyboards I'd used back in the day were mech-- I thought Cherry key switches were incredible.
Well, they are, really, but then I became a Model M fanatic and used a Model M for years. I'd heard the Mod F was actually better, but there wasn't any way to hook the XT model up to a modern computer, and the AT model was super rare.
Then I stumbled across an AT version on eBay, rebuild it with new foam, and now I'm in typing nirvana.
Could a beam spring actually be better? I'm not sure I could handle it if it were. However, I would be...willing to try.
Well, they are, really, but then I became a Model M fanatic and used a Model M for years. I'd heard the Mod F was actually better, but there wasn't any way to hook the XT model up to a modern computer, and the AT model was super rare.
Then I stumbled across an AT version on eBay, rebuild it with new foam, and now I'm in typing nirvana.
Could a beam spring actually be better? I'm not sure I could handle it if it were. However, I would be...willing to try.
-
- Location: UK
- Main keyboard: Filco ZERO green alps, Model F 122 Terminal
- Main mouse: Ducky Secret / Roller Mouse Pro 1
- Favorite switch: MX Mount Topre / Model F Buckling
- DT Pro Member: 0167
You will never know unless you try it.
The are smoother , but its all about the build quality with a beamspring , nothing is made like that anymore. Nothing.
The are smoother , but its all about the build quality with a beamspring , nothing is made like that anymore. Nothing.
- seebart
- Offtopicthority Instigator
- Location: Germany
- Main keyboard: Rotation
- Main mouse: Steelseries Sensei
- Favorite switch: IBM capacitive buckling spring
- DT Pro Member: 0061
- Contact:
I'm ready !andrewjoy wrote: ↑You will never know unless you try it.
The are smoother , but its all about the build quality with a beamspring , nothing is made like that anymore. Nothing.
-
- Location: US
- Main keyboard: Omnikey 102 Blackheart
- Main mouse: Kensington Expert Mouse
- Favorite switch: White Alps
- DT Pro Member: 0174
It would be nice if someone would "steward" the worse condition unit as a community resource.
The people who got QWERTZ boards cbut speak English ould use the two different caps, and the intact switches could always be parted out for boards that are damaged during cleaning. There's a potential for a modest profit by parting it out, but it would likely take some time to realize.
The people who got QWERTZ boards cbut speak English ould use the two different caps, and the intact switches could always be parted out for boards that are damaged during cleaning. There's a potential for a modest profit by parting it out, but it would likely take some time to realize.
- y11971alex
- Location: Toronto, ON
- Main keyboard: MacBook Air
- Main mouse: Microsoft Sculpt Comfort
- Favorite switch: buckling springs
- DT Pro Member: 0172
Beam spring has certain technical elements that make its feel a little comparable to a rubber dome, especially a very high quality one (i.e. Topre), but not even the highest quality rubber domes will match the beam spring switch in terms of tactility and the sharpness and cleanness of that tactility, because the "dome" on the beam spring is made of metal. It's a truly fantastic switch type, but the Model F does a good job approximating it. The primary difference, I contend, is the post-click travel feel; whereas the Model F's collapsed spring continues to resist travel noticeably, the collapsed beam spring simply collapses, and the resistance offered by the coil spring is quite minimal. It's next to impossible to avoid "bottom out" on beam springs, since the spring collapses so suddenly and completely.dramsey wrote: ↑ Could a beam spring actually be better? I'm not sure I could handle it if it were. However, I would be...willing to try.
The Model F, to me, is a little livelier and bouncier, and the beam spring is a little more mellow and gentler. If beam springs were to get a 10/10 rating, the Model F gets at least a 9.5/10 if I'm savouring its feel and a 10/10 if I'm not. The Model F's, being significantly more tactile, is somewhat preferable to beam springs when typing very hard, very quickly.
A well-maintained Model F (as my allegedly new in box XT shows) is about as smooth as my beam spring, which can still get rough on deliberately bad presses, such as when I pushed the buttons completely horizontally. Centred presses, though, are as mentioned, extremely smooth, arguably smoother than Blue Alps. Build quality of beam springs is certainly first rate; however, at a given point, additional mass stops translating to quality; I like to refer to this as an instance of the law of diminishing return. My 3101 weights around 14 pounds, and I'd be just as happy if it weighted only 10. Being the single heaviest item on my desk, the IKEA desktop is literally bowing under its tremendous mass!andrewjoy wrote: ↑The are smoother , but its all about the build quality with a beamspring , nothing is made like that anymore. Nothing.