Another NEC Blue Oval board

EpikalPuppy

02 Dec 2020, 01:24

I was browsing eBay for NEC blue oval keyboards as I don’t actually have one yet, and came across a listing with a strangely high price for a keyboard I can’t find any more information on. It’s kind of a weird layout, I’m not super informales, but it has aspects of an XT layout with some weird space saving stuff added in, such as a chopped off nav cluster. It uses similar if not identical double shot key caps like other NEC blue oval boards, and judging by the date (interestingly given in the Japanese emperor based dating systems), it was made in March of 1987. But when I search the model number (MMTKB-1001) absolutely nothing comes up. I just thought it would be interesting to bring up this keyboard here! I lowballed (in this case gave a reasonable offer) and won the board, and I should have it soon, but I’ll share some pics from the listing below!
Attachments
5CF128C4-48B9-4ADA-834E-356C85447B3D.jpeg
5CF128C4-48B9-4ADA-834E-356C85447B3D.jpeg (296.68 KiB) Viewed 1527 times
0771F4BD-A58E-4AAD-A718-6D9A214A6AA1.jpeg
0771F4BD-A58E-4AAD-A718-6D9A214A6AA1.jpeg (86.24 KiB) Viewed 1527 times
D23AE6E1-3734-488C-987A-A995317CC6A2.jpeg
D23AE6E1-3734-488C-987A-A995317CC6A2.jpeg (213.83 KiB) Viewed 1527 times

User avatar
Polecat

02 Dec 2020, 02:54

EpikalPuppy wrote:
02 Dec 2020, 01:24
I was browsing eBay for NEC blue oval keyboards as I don’t actually have one yet, and came across a listing with a strangely high price for a keyboard I can’t find any more information on. It’s kind of a weird layout, I’m not super informales, but it has aspects of an XT layout with some weird space saving stuff added in, such as a chopped off nav cluster. It uses similar if not identical double shot key caps like other NEC blue oval boards, and judging by the date (interestingly given in the Japanese emperor based dating systems), it was made in March of 1987. But when I search the model number (MMTKB-1001) absolutely nothing comes up. I just thought it would be interesting to bring up this keyboard here! I lowballed (in this case gave a reasonable offer) and won the board, and I should have it soon, but I’ll share some pics from the listing below!
Nice, looks very clean. That's actually an 84 key AT layout, other than the function keys, so I'd say you have a good chance of it being PS/2 compatible.

EpikalPuppy

02 Dec 2020, 03:25

Polecat wrote:
02 Dec 2020, 02:54
EpikalPuppy wrote:
02 Dec 2020, 01:24
I was browsing eBay for NEC blue oval keyboards as I don’t actually have one yet, and came across a listing with a strangely high price for a keyboard I can’t find any more information on. It’s kind of a weird layout, I’m not super informales, but it has aspects of an XT layout with some weird space saving stuff added in, such as a chopped off nav cluster. It uses similar if not identical double shot key caps like other NEC blue oval boards, and judging by the date (interestingly given in the Japanese emperor based dating systems), it was made in March of 1987. But when I search the model number (MMTKB-1001) absolutely nothing comes up. I just thought it would be interesting to bring up this keyboard here! I lowballed (in this case gave a reasonable offer) and won the board, and I should have it soon, but I’ll share some pics from the listing below!
Nice, looks very clean. That's actually an 84 key AT layout, other than the function keys, so I'd say you have a good chance of it being PS/2 compatible.
Oh yeah, duh, I need to study up on my layouts! Needless to say, I'm pretty excited to get this. Always wanted to try NEC blue ovals!

User avatar
Polecat

02 Dec 2020, 04:21

They're interesting switches. I have a NEC 412, but far from pristine. That one looks like it has never been used. Keyboards get exponentially more rare as you go back in time. The explosion of IBM clone parts and systems in the late '80s made that stuff available to everyone. But prior to that you had to make a big investment to put together a system, and there just weren't that many peope using computers. Add to that the wholesale disposal of the earlier stuff as newer, cheaper, faster parts became available. I don't even want to think about what I shoveled into the dumpster when I worked at a surplus/recycler back then. Nobody wanted the older parts, and the scrap dealers wouldn't take keyboards even for free.

EpikalPuppy

02 Dec 2020, 17:21

Polecat wrote:
02 Dec 2020, 04:21
They're interesting switches. I have a NEC 412, but far from pristine. That one looks like it has never been used. Keyboards get exponentially more rare as you go back in time. The explosion of IBM clone parts and systems in the late '80s made that stuff available to everyone. But prior to that you had to make a big investment to put together a system, and there just weren't that many peope using computers. Add to that the wholesale disposal of the earlier stuff as newer, cheaper, faster parts became available. I don't even want to think about what I shoveled into the dumpster when I worked at a surplus/recycler back then. Nobody wanted the older parts, and the scrap dealers wouldn't take keyboards even for free.
Funnily enough, I have an embarrassing tale in that regard, from recently too. My neighbor put out a bunch of trash on the side of the road, which included a Compaq from the early 90’s, but also but out a silver badge Model M and an AT Model F. This was about three years ago, and I sold them for peanuts. I really wish I hadn’t now haha

User avatar
hellothere

02 Dec 2020, 19:00

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEC-Blue-Oval- ... 3800661931

If you're still looking for a blue oval, that is. PS/2 connector. $80, ATM.

I find that keyboard in EpikalPuppy's post interesting because of the lack of keys. And I think that's either a 9.5U or 9.25U spacebar.

What's the real model number on these NECs? M-697181 or MMTKB-1001 in Puppy's post and M-698790 or APC-H412 for the one on ebay?

EpikalPuppy

02 Dec 2020, 23:12

hellothere wrote:
02 Dec 2020, 19:00
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEC-Blue-Oval- ... 3800661931

If you're still looking for a blue oval, that is. PS/2 connector. $80, ATM.

I find that keyboard in EpikalPuppy's post interesting because of the lack of keys. And I think that's either a 9.5U or 9.25U spacebar.

What's the real model number on these NECs? M-697181 or MMTKB-1001 in Puppy's post and M-698790 or APC-H412 for the one on ebay?
So the layout here is the original AT layout, the same one that is used on the Model F AT iirc. I believe that MMTKB-1001 would be the real model number for this, and the model number for the eBay one would indeed be APC-H412

Post Reply

Return to “Keyboards”