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Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 16 Apr 2021, 01:55
by XMIT
https://www.ebay.com/itm/164815576309/

I'd love to have a shot at this one. But it's over $1500 an hour after being listed. I don't think I have that kind of money!

Paging MMcM. I bet you probably know who owns this board, this "lcs8". I certainly don't.
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Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 16 Apr 2021, 01:59
by Weezer
Eh, what's the big deal anyway? It's not like it has cool legends or anything.

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 16 Apr 2021, 02:13
by mindgame
Weezer wrote:
16 Apr 2021, 01:59
Eh, what's the big deal anyway? It's not it has cool legends or anything.
WAT? :shock:

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 16 Apr 2021, 02:17
by micmil
Ugly fonts, stupid layout, slightly dirty, and you can't even hook it up to a Soarer's. Absolute piece of shit and everyone should stop bidding on it and convince the seller to just give it to me so I can properly dispose of it. As a token of generosity I'll even cover shipping.



Alright, can't even screw around. Slightly scruffy or not thing thing is still the best looking keyboard ever devised.

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 16 Apr 2021, 03:29
by XMIT
I mean, in the end, it's just a hyper inflated Micro Switch Hall Effect board. At what this will go for - I'm expecting $4k to $10k - it's seriously cheaper to make my own, carving the individual key caps out of blocks of ABS plastic. :lol:

It's already more than lispnick pricing, let me go put in my order with him...

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=25131
https://keymacs.com

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 16 Apr 2021, 03:34
by raoulduke-esq
I’d love to see that kit produced at scale to bring it to F62/F77 pricing!

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 16 Apr 2021, 03:49
by JP!
Where's the rest of the machine? I don't understand what this fetish with keyboards is all about. :ugeek:

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 16 Apr 2021, 04:12
by Rayndalf
JP! wrote:
16 Apr 2021, 03:49
Where's the rest of the machine? I don't understand what this fetish with keyboards is all about. :ugeek:
Normally I understand the fixation with keyboards, but the keyboard is honestly one of the least interesting parts of the Lisp machine. It'd be like taking a Xerox Alto and throwing away everything but the keyboard, it totally misses everything else that makes the system so interesting (the first GUI, the use of a mouse, the way the keyboard is shaped to fit under the monitor).

I really need to get a terminal of some kind up and running, it'd be great fun.

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 16 Apr 2021, 04:25
by micmil
Rayndalf wrote:
16 Apr 2021, 04:12
JP! wrote:
16 Apr 2021, 03:49
Where's the rest of the machine? I don't understand what this fetish with keyboards is all about. :ugeek:
Normally I understand the fixation with keyboards, but the keyboard is honestly one of the least interesting parts of the Lisp machine. It'd be like taking a Xerox Alto and throwing away everything but the keyboard, it totally misses everything else that makes the system so interesting (the first GUI, the use of a mouse, the way the keyboard is shaped to fit under the monitor).

I really need to get a terminal of some kind up and running, it'd be great fun.
It's a relatively "easy" to find component of a legendary piece of hardware. I'm sure there are some out there that value the computer itself but personally I have no use for anything I can't use. That's really the market. I wouldn't have one of these keyboards as a wallhanger, I'd have someone way smarter than myself make a breakout box that can talk to my computer and use the hell out of it. Assuming I had that much extraneous cash, which I sure as hell don't. :lol:

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 16 Apr 2021, 04:35
by John Doe
I think @Erderm_ should put something new into his MicroSwitch huge kbds collection again...

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 16 Apr 2021, 06:11
by XMIT
Rayndalf wrote:
16 Apr 2021, 04:12
It'd be like taking a Xerox Alto and throwing away everything but the keyboard, it totally misses everything else that makes the system so interesting (the first GUI, the use of a mouse, the way the keyboard is shaped to fit under the monitor).
A guy at work has an Alto in his home office, it's always fun to see it in the background of Zoom calls.

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 16 Apr 2021, 06:26
by John Doe
Bidding growing🤔

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 16 Apr 2021, 07:40
by Rayndalf
XMIT wrote:
16 Apr 2021, 06:11
Rayndalf wrote:
16 Apr 2021, 04:12
It'd be like taking a Xerox Alto and throwing away everything but the keyboard, it totally misses everything else that makes the system so interesting (the first GUI, the use of a mouse, the way the keyboard is shaped to fit under the monitor).
A guy at work has an Alto in his home office, it's always fun to see it in the background of Zoom calls.
That's bad ass. As far as retro computers I think it'd be one of the most accessible of the era (on account of the GUI), but probably well out of my price range.

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 16 Apr 2021, 11:28
by shine
this is going to be huuuge

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 16 Apr 2021, 11:55
by TNT
Interesting to see how high this price tag will go. Well out of my range, that's for sure. When will someone finally properly recreate these caps for shmucks like me?

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 16 Apr 2021, 17:30
by kbdfr
TNT wrote:
16 Apr 2021, 11:55
[…] When will someone finally properly recreate these caps for shmucks like me?
You’re just a bit late to the party:
viewtopic.php?f=62&t=15386

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 16 Apr 2021, 17:59
by kps
Rayndalf wrote:
16 Apr 2021, 04:12
It'd be like taking a Xerox Alto and throwing away everything but the keyboard
I don't have an Alto (I wish) but I have a Dandelion (“Star”, but that was actually the name of a software package), and yes, I periodically get offers for the keyboard alone (which I ignore).

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 16 Apr 2021, 18:19
by inmbolmie
Please, form an orderly line to empty your pockets...

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 16 Apr 2021, 19:39
by TNT
kbdfr wrote:
16 Apr 2021, 17:30
TNT wrote:
16 Apr 2021, 11:55
[…] When will someone finally properly recreate these caps for shmucks like me?
You’re just a bit late to the party:
viewtopic.php?f=62&t=15386
Yeah, I'm aware of those, but they are missing the front legends :mrgreen:

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 16 Apr 2021, 19:59
by JP!
TNT wrote:
16 Apr 2021, 19:39
Yeah, I'm aware of those, but they are missing the front legends :mrgreen:
Paint them on by hand or use a pad printing process to do it like the originals. :geek:

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 16 Apr 2021, 20:43
by hellothere
John Doe wrote:
16 Apr 2021, 06:26
Bidding growing🤔
$2125.

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 16 Apr 2021, 22:11
by Suzuran
If anyone here ends up buying this and wants it to be more than a decoration, drop me a line and I can get you sorted for an interface and (if necessary) firmware.

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 17 Apr 2021, 00:31
by Go-Kart
Owning such a board would be pretty rad but I'd settle for a set of those caps on any of my boards...

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 17 Apr 2021, 01:24
by MMcM
XMIT wrote:
16 Apr 2021, 01:55
Paging MMcM. I bet you probably know who owns this board, this "lcs8". I certainly don't.
Actually not sure. lcs8 suggests Laboratory for Computer Science on the 8th floor of Tech Square and not initials, but I could be stupidly forgetting somebody. Also unclear how many times it's changed hands since GigaMos.

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 18 Apr 2021, 00:03
by hellothere
hellothere wrote:
16 Apr 2021, 20:43
John Doe wrote:
16 Apr 2021, 06:26
Bidding growing🤔
$2125.
$2550. Went up to $3100 in the time it took me to write this post.

For what it's worth, I'd rather have a nice looking, great condition beamspring for this price. I could probably definitely buy the nice blue caps from a Selectric I, too.

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 18 Apr 2021, 01:55
by micmil
I swear it was over $5k when I looked at one point. Fake bid, maybe?

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 18 Apr 2021, 02:06
by inmbolmie
micmil wrote:
18 Apr 2021, 01:55
I swear it was over $5k when I looked at one point. Fake bid, maybe?
There is indeed a $10000 retracted bid. That is people checking what the other’s highest bids are. Many sharks are circling this prey.

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 18 Apr 2021, 05:34
by John Doe
4 days and 19 hs left, $3100 a new level.

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 18 Apr 2021, 05:50
by Double_Shot_ABS
Private listings always have a reason behind :mrgreen:
John Doe wrote:
18 Apr 2021, 05:34
4 days and 19 hs left, $3100 a new level.

Re: Space Cadet Keyboard on eBay

Posted: 18 Apr 2021, 22:24
by darkcruix
Double_Shot_ABS wrote:
18 Apr 2021, 05:50
Private listings always have a reason behind :mrgreen:
John Doe wrote:
18 Apr 2021, 05:34
4 days and 19 hs left, $3100 a new level.
It will not end up very close to 10k nobody should pay more than 2k for it ... a nice piece to put behind glass but a horrible key feel and way too many keys. Without the original Lisp machine just unusable..
Sadly it doesn't ship across the pond ;)

ps: edits in italic font.