Zenith Data Systems 84 key w/ Alps Greens Spring Modding

[codemonkeymike]

Hey there, been lurking for a while and finally decided to make a post. I am in search of the "End Game" keyboard, and in my quest have picked up this bad boy. Zenith Data Systems 84 key, no label on the back. I picked it up because I thought I would love Alps greens and while they are buttery smooth are a bit too stiff for my liking. My initial plan was to replace the greens with salmons from an broken apple m0116 but now I am reconsidering. I was hoping that if it was possible I could swap out the spring of matias switches to get a lighter linear feel. Anyone try this?

PS: I'd like to note that no matter what I plan on keeping this keyboard working.

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[ramnes]

I'm pretty sure that you can replace your green Alps springs by Matias springs. Just try and give us your feedback!

[fohat]

no matter what I plan on keeping this keyboard working.

Then don't mess with it.

Get another Alps keyboard for tinkering, perhaps a Dell AT101 with Matias linears transplanted into it?

[codemonkeymike]

I understand your concern Fohat, I have a professional de soldering station and a friend who is quite talented in soldering/desoldering. My plan was to keep all the alphas with greens and replace the other switches with other Alps.

[terrycherry]

Glad to see the rare Zenith 84keys. Love the keyboard made with high quality and metal case.
I have the ZKB-2 like sandy owned but I haven't time to clean and desolder it.
http://sandy55.fc2web.com/keyboard/zkb-2.html#ZKB-2_grn

[Chyros]

They're not rare mate xD . Zenith had huge contracts in the US.

[codemonkeymike]

Well as it goes with early 80's keyboards its fairly uncommon if you compare it to say IBM.

[Chyros]

Bit skewed to measure something's prevalence as uncommon compared to a company that almost monopolised the market at the time . Zenith were second at some point though iirc, and they were giving away Zenith computers in the US Army. Look on eBay and there's always a few available.

[klikkyklik]

I've been watching eBay for a ZKB-2 for almost a year and have never seen one. If not "rare" then we could settle on ... "hard to find." I have seen more of the 84-key though - perhaps they were more common than the ZKB-2?

[codemonkeymike]

There is a valid case for the comparison, If one company makes 80% of the keyboards in a given year that would mean the second largest is less then 20% probably more on the order of 10%. So if i had a 100 of keyboards from 1980 there would only be about 10 Zenith in there, that seems uncommon to me.

[Chyros]

I've been watching eBay for a ZKB-2 for almost a year and have never seen one. If not "rare" then we could settle on ... "hard to find." I have seen more of the 84-key though - perhaps they were more common than the ZKB-2?

There's a ZKB-2 on eBay right now .

[klikkyklik]

THERE BETTER NOT BE!

[klikkyklik]

Link, please? Pretty please?

[codemonkeymike]

He said ZKB-2 three times fast.

[Chyros]

Link, please? Pretty please?

http://m.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-ZENITH-DA ... nav=SEARCH

[klikkyklik]

I was wondering if that was the one you were going to point out. I've been following it since the day it was posted. I'd made a fairly lowball offer on it (and was denied) and I was the one that got the seller to post pictures of the keyswitch sliders.

I'm more interested in getting a board with greens than yellows, because I prefer lighter keyswitches.

That's not technically a ZKB-2 though, is it?

[Chyros]

I think it is actually. I know the FCC ID ends in KBD17, but Zenith model numbers on keyboards can be very misleading, and it looks, to my eye, just the same as a ZKB-2, with the same switches and caps.

[seebart]

I think it's simply a later revision, it does look different to mine.

http://deskthority.net/photos-f62/zenit ... lit=zenith

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[klikkyklik]

OK, thanks guys.

I found it interesting that our Wiki doesn't have an entry on the ZKB-2. Maybe someday I'll find mine and be able to fulfill that void!

[terrycherry]

The ebay's one that Chyros shared was green logo(the later version of ZKB-2). Mine is the older logo with the oldest version of Alps yellow switch(without alps brand on the top). That's more rare to see.
And the ZKB-2 with the Mitsumi Switch is much more rare! Hope to buy this one.

Seebart's keyboard is same as me but it had the ABS keycaps with case but mine 1986 made was PBT as I correct.(I"ll tell more details when I got the time to clean it)

[klikkyklik]

The one on eBay with Alps yellows just sold for the asking price ($59.95 + $12 shipping). Hope it went to a good home.

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[Hypersphere]

What kind of keycaps and printing on the yellow-Alps Zenith?

Found the answer: dye-sub PBT.

wiki/Zenith_163-73