IDENTIFY THE KEYBOARD thread

[Daniel Beardsmore]

It would appear that you've got this inside:

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=41 ... msg1758586

Some sort of compound spring-over-membrane design with Acer-style click leaves.

[emdude]

I will be picking up this Cherry MX? XT keyboard. Can somebody identify this? After doing some snooping, I originally thought I was maybe looking at a G80-0414. However, the only label on the back is a "Made in Taiwan R.O.C." which makes no sense. Maybe it's a TH-series keyboard?

Sorry about the poor photos, they are from the seller.

Album: http://imgur.com/a/Nb9AI

Spoiler:

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Curious — the keycaps look a bit shoddy, but who else had that style of windowed keycap?

By the way, I learnt the other day why these old keyboards tend to be model 5150 — that's the model of the IBM PC itself. 5160 is another common keyboard model, and that was the PC/XT's model number.

[E3E]

I will be picking up this Cherry MX? XT keyboard. Can somebody identify this? After doing some snooping, I originally thought I was maybe looking at a G80-0414. However, the only label on the back is a "Made in Taiwan R.O.C." which makes no sense. Maybe it's a TH-series keyboard?

Sorry about the poor photos, they are from the seller.

Album: http://imgur.com/a/Nb9AI

Spoiler:

Yep, I think this is definitely a Tai Hao clone of some sort. The caps stand out to me as Tai Hao's Cherry profile clone, especially with the slashed 0s.

There was a Keytrak board that didn't have slashed 0s that I noticed a while back too though.

[emdude]

Yep, I think this is definitely a Tai Hao clone of some sort. The caps stand out to me as Tai Hao's Cherry profile clone, especially with the slashed 0s.

There was a Keytrak board that didn't have slashed 0s that I noticed a while back too though.

Interesting. From a glance, the keycaps appear to be identical to those on the G80-0414, shares the same slashed 0s as well. https://imgur.com/a/EcqMH

[E3E]

Yep, I think this is definitely a Tai Hao clone of some sort. The caps stand out to me as Tai Hao's Cherry profile clone, especially with the slashed 0s.

There was a Keytrak board that didn't have slashed 0s that I noticed a while back too though.

Interesting. From a glance, the keycaps appear to be identical to those on the G80-0414, shares the same slashed 0s as well. https://imgur.com/a/EcqMH

Good observation! I didn't know that, but perhaps that is where Tai Hao based its original molds off of, because I see other common aspects, particularly in the tab legend, asterisk, and slashed 0.

Given the label on the board you're planning to buy, it does seem as if it's likely not a Cherry-made board, though it does look great, regardless.

[emdude]

Thanks for the info, sounds like this will be an interesting keyboard. I'll be sure to get photos when I receive it.

[E3E]

Looking forward to it! I'm still waiting for my own FAME board to come in! It's been on a long trip from Australia.

[88Teo88]

Yugoslavien keyboard from 1987 , TRS-096
with lighting?




http://imgur.com/a/HR5jr

[gogusrl]

That's amazing. Did you to power it up ?

[seebart]

Yugoslavien keyboard from 1987 , TRS-096 with lighting?

Very nice find indeed, made me think of Fujitsu magnetic cross reed:

wiki/Fujitsu_Magnetic_Reed

[88Teo88]

That's amazing. Did you to power it up ?

i couldn't yet, because someone cut off the cable, i need to repair first time

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Yugoslavien keyboard from 1987 , TRS-096
with lighting?

Ah, you're thinking that the little glass tubes are backlights?

They're reed capsules — the magnet in each key does something clever to make the metal reeds inside the capsule touch. It's more complicated a process than I realised, and the magnetic fluxy fieldy stuff makes the reeds remain in contact even when you ease off on the key, giving you a configurable amount of hysteresis.

The magnet doesn't pull the reeds together; it makes them attract each other, or some such. I'd have to go back and read about it again.

[Polecat]

Digging through the closet to find a switch and keycap donor for the ebay Avant and stumbled on one branded "Laser". Blue Alps, double shot keycaps, low miles and barely yellowed if at all. FCC ID is FKF456K-102. I thought this was something later and generic until I popped off a couple keycaps and found the blue Alps switches. Is this a known keyboard? Keeper? Pretty sure I still have a Leading Edge or two to borrow switches from, but I haven't found them yet.

[ohaimark]

You mean Alps Mount SMK Blue Switches? AKA Monterey Blues?

I haven't seen it in Laser branding before, so photos would be welcome.

[Polecat]

Happily, but what is it? No logo on the top of the switches, but they've got to be early blue Alps, yes? New here, so I have a lot of reading and learning to do.

It needs a good cleaning, but other than an old ID etched on the back side it's near mint. Inside is almost spotless. Don't think I can part this one out, but I found the insides from an old Datacomp with most of the switches still there and I have enough loose ones to fill in the rest. Glad I saved this stuff when the getting was good. Sorry for the bad photos; and yes, this *is* the good camera.

[ohaimark]

Wow! That is a weird one. I mixed up the keyboard model (oops, K102s come with Alps and not SMK), but that's because I didn't expect it to come with Blues.

I'd say it's a keeper. Clean it up and cherish it. The layout is even usable.

Edit: those are Blue Alps.

[Polecat]

Thanks, I didn't expect to see the blue Alps either. Doing some reading, and the Wiki says this is an MTek/Monterey. I may be slow, but, uh, how does the rest of that go? I'm rebuilding the Avant to replace a perfectly functioning Monterey K-104 that I've worn the tops of the caps off of over the last ten years, and here sitting in my closet I have a like-new K-102 with the identical layout, and what's probably the same PC board inside, with blue Alps and double shot caps. D'Oh!

[Daniel Beardsmore]

How does something "go"?

[Polecat]

Same way a raven can be like a writing desk. (...because there's a "B" in both...)

While we're being facetious, a bit more info on the MTeks. I opened up the K-104 (labeled MTek K-104 on the back) and the Laser, and the PC boards are nearly identical. K-104 says 31-42400-024, then K102A-H3, then Sung Wei 02HB. Laser says 38-42400-022, then K102A-H3, but no third line. Physically the boards will interchange, with identical layouts. The K-104 has a 3 position switch - A-X-S (whatever that "S" may be...) with three wires connected. The Laser has the same 3 position switch, but the case has a shorter slot which limits it to the A-X positions (thus labeled) and only two wires are connected. So...I can drop the Laser PC board into the dark gray MTek case, and use those blue Alps and sweet double shot caps until I wear clean through the plastic. I'll redo the Avant anyhow, just in case I like it.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

More stuff for you to add to the wiki.

Sung Wei is a major PCB manufacturer. Datacomp subcontracted their PCBs to Sung Wei. I don't recall seeing their name on another keyboard brand before, but I could have forgotten.

[Polecat]

Thanks, the two boards on the K-104 Wiki don't show the Sung Wei legend, but they're clearly from the same manufacturer. I can't actually confirm that the Laser board is an MTek or a K-101 (or K-102), since there's no model number other than in the FCC ID. There's no photo on the K-101 Wiki, so I can't match it up by the case, although the physical description does match the Laser. As I said I'm new here; not sure who does the Wikis or how to do one myself, even if I could confirm the K-101 ID on the Laser to be sure it belongs there. Help!

[Daniel Beardsmore]

K101 and K102 are externally identical, except for the key layout.

[pixelheresy]

Have something interesting.

Honestly, bought it already (it is on the way, so I probably can get more detailed info when I get it tomorrow/Monday), but really curious if you can figure out the switch.

It's an Alps clone of some sort (and I got it merely since I loved the double shot caps and the price was not bad). It doesn't look like common clones (at least as far as I can tell from the wiki). Also, hard to find US-layout vintage boards (even if BAE) in Europe... or at least for me.

Ideas?

[ohaimark]

It's a slide over dome or membrane switch. The distinct lack of a housing is the giveaway.

[pixelheresy]

It's a slide over dome or membrane switch. The distinct lack of a housing is the giveaway.

Derp. Should have noticed. Like the caps though, so no real regrets.

[Lustique]

[…]
I saw that price and decided to get TWO of those... but shipping to where I live costs 34.95€. Nope.

Well, that sucks. I don't know whether this is source of consolation, but shipping stuff over the pond in the other direction is just as expensive. That's the reason I'll probably never order anything from the US that doesn't fit in an envelope.

>60$ shipping for a 15$ Dell AT101 is not unheard of.

[NachtVorst]

Hi,

Hope this is the right thread for this, since this is a laptop keyboard, feel free to move it if it does not belong here

I recently got my hands on a sweet ancient laptop (a 'CAF Computer Corp CAF SUPERLITE 286/16-47-1, made in Taiwan, early nineties, 286/16MHz, 1MB RAM, CGA screen, etc.). No real use anymore, but the case has a sweet double-jointed flip-up screen and this super-cute keyboard, that to my limited knowledge seems to be mechanical, or at least has some kind of switch for each key:

After booting the machine (it still works!), I carefully gutted it, hoping to re-purpose the case and keyboard. The liberated keyboard looks like this:

And the back looks like this:

Looking under the space-bar, I can see some capacitors and a surface mount chip (pins on 4 sides) that could be some kind of controller:

The keyboard is connected to the motherboard by a 10-pin flat-cable:

Which connects on the motherboard to a Keyboard BIOS chip (separate from the main BIOS chip):

I took some close-ups of the switches (left side, right side, top side (excuse the crud, I did spray it with lots of air...)):




Some more pictures here:
http://imgur.com/a/JQFHe
If any pictures from another angle would help, let me know.

Now, my questions are:
- Can anyone identify the keyboard and/or switches?
- Any hints on how to remove the caps? I tried some gentle pulling, but not too much violence since I would really like to reuse the keyboard. I don't have a key-cap-puller, but will be getting one soon when I finally decide what mechanical keyboard I'm getting.
- Does anyone know the name of the motherboard connection and what protocol it might use? And if so, how to interface with this from a more modern system (USB, PS/2 or through a micro-controller)?
Bonus question:
- The function keys seem to be about half-height. Are there any current switches/keyboards that have these half-height switches/keys? I'm currently thinking about getting a 60% without function keys, but these small ones might be a nice compromise

Any info or hints would be appreciated! Once I know if/how the keyboard can be used again I can plan the rest of the hardware to fill the case with.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

That keyboard is almost the same as that of the [wiki]Sager NP-925[/wiki] — including the style of PCB, albeit Fontex instead of Parex. The switches appear to be [wiki]Alps SKFR/SKFS series[/wiki], finally indicating why the yellow ones exist (for function keys).

I don't have any keycaps to go with these switches so I can't say how hard they are to remove — someone with an Apple Adjustable Keyboard will know the answer to that.

I don't know of any series now with switches that are short front-to-back — that was an Alps peculiarity and all those series are gone. However, NOS SKFR and SKFS switches are still available, but I don't know off-hand if the yellow ones are still sold, as the chap I bought them from no longer sells parts. The problem with those is that you'd never get new keycaps for them.

[Byarlant]

Found this at a recycling center a few days ago cleaned it up it works great seems to be some sort of membrane kb with cherry stems which is very odd it also seems to use a weird type of membrane that has something else in it for the actuation it also has really nice DST keys with Cyrillic characters on it its pretty neat. tried searching the model numbers google gave me nothing :/