deskthority

Hi for the past month I have been looking all over eBay for an IBM Model F with a UK layout and have had no luck in finding one. Anyone have any ideas how/where I can obtain one any help would be much appreciated Thanks.

This is what a U.K. layout XT looks like:



I’ve not come across a local layout AT, but the good thing about those is they can be modified quite easily between ANSI and ISO. Certainly easier to open and move things around than an M! You just need the caps.

Hi Thanks for all the info I was thinking of buying another layout and converting it to UK layout only problem with that is I can't find the UK layout caps anywhere

Maybe just get some keys from a UK Model M.

You can absolutely do that. Model F and Model M are perfectly compatible for most keys. Only large ones like Return and spacebar differ between models. If you just want the £ symbol on 3, go grab it from a UK Model M, even a dirty and broken one!

Which Model F do you have in mind: XT or AT? Or one of Ellipse’s (sky high priced but newly manufactured) Kishsavers?

That's a good idea but the model m's lettering on the key caps are less sharp than the original model f's key caps so I think they would look mismatched I preferably would like to just buy a UK Model F any ideas where I might be able to get one Thanks for all the help guys.

Hi Muirium The IBM Model F XT i had in mind if you know anywhere i could get an IBM Model F XT keyboard with a UK layout like other users on deskthority or geekhack i would really appreciate some leads thanks again for all the help.

best bet would be to post a WTB post in the marketplace on here as well as mechmarket on reddit as long as you have had a reddit account and meet the kama levels needed. Other then that i would say your best bet is still just searching the vintage computing section on ebay, they do come up occasionally. I was super lucky with mine and got it as a BIN for £63 including postage the listing said it was faulty and didn't work (the seller also had the computer and sold it with an inferior xt board) however the problem was the bolt going through the pcb and back plate was screwed the wrong way so the capacitance was not working. The board i got looked nearly new apart from an ear broken off a leg, had to replace the foam and sand and repaint the barrel plate and back plate due to slight corrosion which is to be expected but the keycaps were pristine. Got a soarer's converter off orihalcon and all works perfectly and is so satisfying after putting up with thin crappy rubber domes at work all day.

Hi i just managed to get one model f with a uk layout so happy

but there is one problem one of the feet is snapped how did you get a replacement for yours?

Any help is much appreciated

Fkazim wrote: ↑Hi i just managed to get one model f with a uk layout so happy

but there is one problem one of the feet is snapped how did you get a replacement for yours?

Any help is much appreciated

Which Model F did you get? Each model seem to have unique feet

Fkazim wrote: ↑Hi i just managed to get one model f with a uk layout so happy

but there is one problem one of the feet is snapped how did you get a replacement for yours?

Any help is much appreciated

I'll assume you got a Model F XT, you should contact Cindy, elecplus, she should have a bunch of Model F XT spare parts

here is her profile : elecplus-u6391/

it is an XT is she on this forum?

Fkazim wrote: ↑it is an XT is she on this forum?

this is her
elecplus-u6391/

Have just messaged elecplus about the Feet are both feet the same on both sides so can the foot on the right side be swapped with the one on the left side?

yes the feet are the same on both sides

Feet come in many varieties! I know it is not either of the 2 left ones, because XT feet have "ears". Can people please identify which boards these came from?
All help appreciated!

The bag on the right are for the XT.

I have been told, from right to left, AT/XT, bigfoot, and the 2 left ones are for F122 and some old M122.

Now listed on website https://www.elecshopper.com/ibm-1107917 ... nd-xt.html

Thanks for the link ordered the feet about 3days ago .

Just waiting for the model f xt to be delivered can't wait.

I was wondering though for the model f xt could I use a 5 pin din to ps/2 converter and then ps/2 to usb active convertor to get the model f xt working on a modern pc or do I need a pricey soarers convertor?

As I am trying to plan ahead of when my model f arrives.

You would need a soarers converter. The XT protocol is different to the AT one. Had this been an AT board then you could have used the method in your above post however look at it this way, once you get the soarers converter you can then use it with both the XT and AT boards even ps/2 so you would not need any other converter.

That's a fair point once I got it I got it for whatever keyboard I want to use so I'm taking the plunge thanks for the response and support.

IBM Model F arriving today I will make sure to take pictures of the before and after.

Fkazim wrote: ↑... do I need a pricey soarers convertor?

I don't know about "Pricey" — I made one last week for under three quid. I did have a spare USB mini B cable and re-purposed an enclosure but even if I'd had to buy those I doubt it would have cost more than a fiver.

I mean a convertor that translates XT protocol to AT and they cost over 50 quid.

These convertors I'm talking about are to convert XT protocol to AT.

NOT AT protocol which only needs a simple active convertor.

I wasn't aware that a Soarer's Converter could translate XT to AT; I thought they converted either XT or AT to USB, which is what you seemed to be asking about a couple of posts ago.

I don't doubt that ready-made Soarer's Converters sell for £50 but the bits to make your own are far less: a Pro Micro £2.37, a 5-pin DIN socket 42p plus some sort of housing and a USB cable.

The details I followed are here: workshop-f7/how-to-use-a-pro-micro-as-a ... t8448.html

This would also appear to be an option: keyboards-f2/xt-usb-adaptor-with-nkro-a ... 14095.html

^^ Correct. You can build your own Soarers for next to nothing at all, if you dare. Or orihalcon can sell you a nice one in a cable for $30 something. I’ve only ever home made. But his are likely worth the price if you aren’t confident.

The saorers converters from orihalcon would convert ether XT or AT protocal to USB depending on what keyboard is plugged in when the converter is itself plugged into the PC so there is no need to convert XT to AT.

Ah I did not realise that thanks for letting me know