Cherry G80-0776 find

Keybug · 08 Dec 2019, 01:28

Another 'Berthold' (photo) typesetting keyboard. This is just a teaser with two late-night shots of the PCB labels. EDIT: pics of the actual board two posts further down. It has MX blacks with mono-profile spherical double-shots and was made to be used with Sun Sparc stations. Any converters out there?

ramnes · 08 Dec 2019, 18:23

Please post a picture of the whole board, I'm dying here!

Keybug · 08 Dec 2019, 20:36

Here goes. Very sturdy plate-mounted board with detachable metal bottom casing (fixed with 8 screws, no less!). Plate in great condition but a good deal of yellowing is going on. Overall, quite the beauty!

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Muirium · 08 Dec 2019, 20:41

Quite why you’re hiding sweet pics the like of that behind a /spoiler I do not know!

The caps look the same Cherry spherical DSA-like profile as they used on M8, and 7bit was selling some years ago.

Keybug · 08 Dec 2019, 22:12

Please note the breathing holes for small vertebrates, plus the board can easily double as an insect hotel!

Even more interestingly, the location of the spacebar is extremely relaxing as it does not force your long fingers to curve as much as the now standard position does. It really feels much better to me, and it's something I had never considered in all my years of following the market for ergo keyboards.

yuchipashe · 09 Dec 2019, 02:19

Damn, this keyboard is a sight to Berthold.

Also just curious, are there any other board with a space between the alphas and the spacebar? Then again, this board has a really interesting layout to begin with.

Keybug · 09 Dec 2019, 10:37

I couldn't swear I'd seen it anywhere before though I have a lurking feeling that I did. However, there was a trend in the nineties to give keyboards deeper curved spacebars, which makes ergonomic sense. The Matias Ergo Pro takes this a step further by making the entire bottom row extra deep. I also came across this gaming keyboard recently. Beats me why Xah Lee seems to think it's a stupid idea.

Findecanor · 09 Dec 2019, 13:29

It's not uncommon among ergonomic keyboards to have a gap, or an extra large space bar. I'd say that Matias is part catering to that tradition, and part catering to being similar to Apple keyboards.

I'm not sure that Xah Lee was referring to the size of the gaming keyboard's space bar, but to other things such as e.g. its flat profile and overall gaudiness.
The space bar has actually got praise in several other reviews. It appears to be stabilised on two axes.
If there is anything wrong with it, I would say that it is that the front lip almost meets the wrist rest.

Keybug · 09 Dec 2019, 14:59

Yeah, larger bottom row on ergo keyboards is definitely a thing (MS, Logitech, Apple Adjustable as you pointed out, X-bows, ...) but a 'gap'? (unless you mean Kinesis / Maltron / Ergodox with separate thumb key clusters). And yeah, it probably wasn't the spacebar / layout that annoyed him. The large Escape key and the six cursor buttons also seem rather useful.

Findecanor · 09 Dec 2019, 17:17

Keybug wrote: ↑
09 Dec 2019, 14:59
but a 'gap'? (unless you mean Kinesis / Maltron / Ergodox with separate thumb key clusters).

Yes but I was thinking of other types of clusters as well: an arc of thumb-keys per hand is somewhat common for instance. But yes, there are also a few rare manufactured ergo keyboards with only one thumb-key per hand, 1u on the vertical and separated from the alphas.

Easy_Spinach · 20 Dec 2019, 01:08

I nearly bought them...but didnt have the funds at the time.
Found it in Hannover right? I actually met the guy and bought a G80 HAD 1988 from him that day.

Myoth · 21 Dec 2019, 14:21

a bit late to the party, but damn, that's an awesome find, Cherry keeps giving on and on and on, when will suprising finds and interesting keyboard stop ?

and a nice addition to the spreadsheet as well !

dcopellino · 21 Dec 2019, 15:27

Keybug wrote: ↑
08 Dec 2019, 01:28
Another 'Berthold' (photo) typesetting keyboard. This is just a teaser with two late-night shots of the PCB labels. EDIT: pics of the actual board two posts further down. It has MX blacks with mono-profile spherical double-shots and was made to be used with Sun Sparc stations. Any converters out there?

I wouldn't want to seem too trivial, but how much did you pay for such a beauty monster?

Keybug · 22 Dec 2019, 13:54

Easy_Spinach wrote: ↑
20 Dec 2019, 01:08
I nearly bought them...but didnt have the funds at the time.
Found it in Hannover right? I actually met the guy and bought a G80 HAD 1988 from him that day.

No longer sure where the guy was from, but it was likely him.

Keybug · 22 Dec 2019, 13:55

dcopellino wrote: ↑
21 Dec 2019, 15:27
I wouldn't want to seem too trivial, but how much did you pay for such a beauty monster?

It didn't come cheap but I paid a good deal less than the 300-500€ someone ("a student") told him it was worth. It's very hard to tell what these quasi-unicornlike things really are worth. If I could convert it from the SPARC protocol, I guess it would increase it's value a good deal.