Mind The Gap - Unicomp NOS Industrial case
- Tritian
- Location: United States
My Model M arrived from ebay - a 1401 from 1990. Nice cosmetic condition - 8 rivets missing.
Anyway, I also bought an Industrial Gray case from Unicomp for $30 with a proper lock lights sticker. (cool black logo w/ silver IBM in the mail)
It arrived and looks almost-great, however there is a problem that I'm sure others on this forum already know about, however I will give some background.
The problem doesn't exist on the left side of the board, but as things go towards the right, an increasing wider gap forms between the case and the various key clusters, culminating at the numpad where there is a rather sizable gap on the left, and virtually no gap on the right side.
My questions:
1. I don't see how anything could reasonably be done to solve this, but.... uhh, can something reasonable be done to solve this?
2. Is there a version of Model M that better fits this case that I can be on the look out for?
3. How about the Unicomp innards?
I did notice a similar issue on my 1990 stock white 1401 case, but it was less pronounced.
Anyway, I also bought an Industrial Gray case from Unicomp for $30 with a proper lock lights sticker. (cool black logo w/ silver IBM in the mail)
It arrived and looks almost-great, however there is a problem that I'm sure others on this forum already know about, however I will give some background.
The problem doesn't exist on the left side of the board, but as things go towards the right, an increasing wider gap forms between the case and the various key clusters, culminating at the numpad where there is a rather sizable gap on the left, and virtually no gap on the right side.
My questions:
1. I don't see how anything could reasonably be done to solve this, but.... uhh, can something reasonable be done to solve this?
2. Is there a version of Model M that better fits this case that I can be on the look out for?
3. How about the Unicomp innards?
I did notice a similar issue on my 1990 stock white 1401 case, but it was less pronounced.
-
- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: IBM F122 (home) and 1401 89 (work) ANSI
- Main mouse: MX Master 2S
- Favorite switch: Buckling Springs
Sorry for not answering your question (beginner here). However, where do they sell the Industrial cases? I've been looking for something like that for a while.
- Tritian
- Location: United States
No problem, you can get them here:
https://www.pckeyboard.com/page/product/1394942
Don't forget to get the lock lights overlay here: (Pebble, LED's on bottom)
https://www.pckeyboard.com/page/product/LED
Black logo with silver IBM lettering:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-Model-M-In ... 0667.m2042
https://www.pckeyboard.com/page/product/1394942
Don't forget to get the lock lights overlay here: (Pebble, LED's on bottom)
https://www.pckeyboard.com/page/product/LED
Black logo with silver IBM lettering:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-Model-M-In ... 0667.m2042
- Tritian
- Location: United States
Hmmm - the plot thickens. I see on Ebay there is an auction with what LOOKS to be an authentic Industrial Model M from 1993 that also displays a very similar gap... interesting. Or is this someone getting fancy with a laser printer and a Unicomp NOS case?
$850 - yowzer.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-Model-M-In ... SwotJdtxzZ
$850 - yowzer.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-Model-M-In ... SwotJdtxzZ
- JP!
- Location: United States
- Main keyboard: Currently a Model M
- Main mouse: Steel Series Sensei
- Favorite switch: Beam Spring
- DT Pro Member: 0194
- Contact:
That means nothing to me. Things are still being rediscovered and there are a dizzying array of different part numbers for what is essentially a Model M. Any community driven wiki is a work in progress. Unsurprisingly there are plenty of keyboards here on DT that are not in the wiki so there is that
wiki/IBM_part_numbers
[Edit]
After a lookup of that part number we see a standard vanilla model m...maybe there is a conspiracy here. Also the black badge looks like a reproduction pcb badge. The real crime here is the price.
https://clickykeyboards.com/product/199 ... 11-nov-93/
[Edit #2]
Also I see my case from Unicomp shares similar characteristics as yours.
Last edited by JP! on 13 Mar 2020, 14:42, edited 1 time in total.
- Tritian
- Location: United States
True, it's possible this is legit...
The wikipedia page does list this model as a blue badge - Not sure if that is automatically disqualifying, as my NOS Industrial Case from Unicomp is also a blue badge by default, and apparently they are legit Industrial cases made in 1995 by Lexmark.
The wikipedia page does list this model as a blue badge - Not sure if that is automatically disqualifying, as my NOS Industrial Case from Unicomp is also a blue badge by default, and apparently they are legit Industrial cases made in 1995 by Lexmark.
- JP!
- Location: United States
- Main keyboard: Currently a Model M
- Main mouse: Steel Series Sensei
- Favorite switch: Beam Spring
- DT Pro Member: 0194
- Contact:
Oh just read this from the listing...Tritian wrote: ↑13 Mar 2020, 14:41True, it's possible this is legit...
The wikipedia page does list this model as a blue badge - Not sure if that is automatically disqualifying, as my NOS Industrial Case from Unicomp is also a blue badge by default, and apparently they are legit Industrial cases made in 1995 by Lexmark.
"the IBM Badge has been replaced with one that has been modeled after the Industrial Model M Keyboard badges"
So this had the blue badge originally. Hard to tell if the seller changed the case or the factory just decided to use up industrial cases without changing the part number or someone was hungover and affixed the wrong label.
-
- Location: Germany
- Main keyboard: Model F77
- Main mouse: Logitech MX Master 3S
- Favorite switch: Alpaca V2
I wouldn't be surprised if the back label was printed by the seller and stuck on.JP! wrote: ↑13 Mar 2020, 14:50Oh just read this from the listing...Tritian wrote: ↑13 Mar 2020, 14:41True, it's possible this is legit...
The wikipedia page does list this model as a blue badge - Not sure if that is automatically disqualifying, as my NOS Industrial Case from Unicomp is also a blue badge by default, and apparently they are legit Industrial cases made in 1995 by Lexmark.
"the IBM Badge has been replaced with one that has been modeled after the Industrial Model M Keyboard badges"
So this had the blue badge originally. Hard to tell if the seller changed the case or the factory just decided to use up industrial cases without changing the part number or someone was hungover and affixed the wrong label.
- robo
- Location: Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Main keyboard: IBM Model M SSK (1993)
- Main mouse: Logitech M570
- Favorite switch: Buckling Spring
- DT Pro Member: -
Regarding the case fit, could you not shift the innards over towards the right, to sort of average out the gap? I imagine some judicious shaving of plastic inside the case might be necessary, but you just need a few millimeters...
-
- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: IBM F122 (home) and 1401 89 (work) ANSI
- Main mouse: MX Master 2S
- Favorite switch: Buckling Springs
Thanks!Tritian wrote: ↑13 Mar 2020, 13:42No problem, you can get them here:
https://www.pckeyboard.com/page/product/1394942
Don't forget to get the lock lights overlay here: (Pebble, LED's on bottom)
https://www.pckeyboard.com/page/product/LED
Black logo with silver IBM lettering:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-Model-M-In ... 0667.m2042
- Tritian
- Location: United States
No, if i shifted the innards over to the right, then a gap would form on the left side of the board which currently fits perfectly.
- Weezer
- Location: USA
- Main keyboard: IBM F122
- Main mouse: Dell 0KKMH5
- Favorite switch: IBM buckling spring & beam spring
My F122 has the same off center gap, although not as bad as the keyboard pictured. The manufacturing tolerances on these were not always perfect.
You can always tell the real oval industrial keyboards apart by the raised metal lettering of "IBM"
You can always tell the real oval industrial keyboards apart by the raised metal lettering of "IBM"
- PlacaFromHell
- Location: Argentina
- Main keyboard: IBM 3101
- Main mouse: Optical piece of shit
- Favorite switch: Beamspring
- DT Pro Member: -
The gap in my silver label model M is almost the same as in your keyboard and the XT I had used to have the same issue. My 3178 and my F 122 are quite well centered. Looks like IBM engineers had some stupid errors
- Weezer
- Location: USA
- Main keyboard: IBM F122
- Main mouse: Dell 0KKMH5
- Favorite switch: IBM buckling spring & beam spring
No my apologies my post was way too vague. I meant that the real black oval badges could be told apart by the metal raised lettering. The industrial model Ms with blue badges were made by unicomp and just have normal flat plastic badging. The original square black badges were flat as well.
Last edited by Weezer on 13 Mar 2020, 22:58, edited 1 time in total.
- JP!
- Location: United States
- Main keyboard: Currently a Model M
- Main mouse: Steel Series Sensei
- Favorite switch: Beam Spring
- DT Pro Member: 0194
- Contact:
I have a similar issue with my F107 but I'm sure I can tailor it to make it perfectly center.
- fohat
- Elder Messenger
- Location: Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
- Main keyboard: Model F 122-key terminal
- Main mouse: Microsoft Optical Mouse
- Favorite switch: Model F Buckling Spring
- DT Pro Member: 0158
I haven't had an F apart in a while, but when the internal assembly screws down into the base it might be near-impossible to shift it in the tray.
- wobbled
- Location: USA
- Main keyboard: HHKB PD-KB300 Pro 1
- Main mouse: Logitech MX Master 3
- Favorite switch: Topre
- DT Pro Member: 0192
Yep that's definitely a replica badge (he didn't buy from me though, as I've never given him any ebay feedback, unless he's a deskthority user?)
The case is also a Unicomp swap-out, which you can clearly tell from the weird square things on the back.
Not to mention the model number on the back matches with grey model M's from 1993 and 1994.
The case is also a Unicomp swap-out, which you can clearly tell from the weird square things on the back.
Not to mention the model number on the back matches with grey model M's from 1993 and 1994.
- ddrfraser1
- Location: United States
- Main keyboard: Changes weekly
- Main mouse: MX MASTER
- Favorite switch: Lubed 55g BKE Redux Domes
- Contact:
I don’t get it. Did he paint it?
- wobbled
- Location: USA
- Main keyboard: HHKB PD-KB300 Pro 1
- Main mouse: Logitech MX Master 3
- Favorite switch: Topre
- DT Pro Member: 0192
Which part?
The cases can be bought here:
https://www.pckeyboard.com/page/product/1394942
And the badges here:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164296163469 ... 1555.l2649
- ddrfraser1
- Location: United States
- Main keyboard: Changes weekly
- Main mouse: MX MASTER
- Favorite switch: Lubed 55g BKE Redux Domes
- Contact:
Oh cool! I totally did not know you could get an industrial Grey case from them. Well, I know what I’m buying next! I’ll have one of these $750 gems in no time, for about 30 bucks...
- ddrfraser1
- Location: United States
- Main keyboard: Changes weekly
- Main mouse: MX MASTER
- Favorite switch: Lubed 55g BKE Redux Domes
- Contact:
1394946 wrote: ↑28 Jul 2020, 23:22ddrfraser1 wrote: ↑28 Jul 2020, 23:21Oh cool! I totally did not know you could get an industrial Grey case from them. Well, I know what I’m buying next! I’ll have one of these $750 gems in no time, for about 30 bucks...
hahaha dont sell for profit tho
- wobbled
- Location: USA
- Main keyboard: HHKB PD-KB300 Pro 1
- Main mouse: Logitech MX Master 3
- Favorite switch: Topre
- DT Pro Member: 0192
Don't forget the LED overlay sticker too!ddrfraser1 wrote: ↑28 Jul 2020, 23:21Oh cool! I totally did not know you could get an industrial Grey case from them. Well, I know what I’m buying next! I’ll have one of these $750 gems in no time, for about 30 bucks...
And yeh... Don't resell for £800 either LOL