Unicomp, are you drunk?

[Bjerrk]

Now, I know Unicomp sometimes (rightly) gets a bit of flak due to their QC, but mostly their keyboards are pretty solid, IMO.
I got this Unicomp 2009 Model M at a good price in the local classifieds, and I have to say it compares fairly well to my 1987 Model M.



However, after using it for a moment, I noticed that the right shift felt ... weird. Crunchy, very badly stabilized. I proceeded to pull off the keycap, and found this:



A spring where the stabilizer insert should be - and not just that. It's complete with flippers, and if I insert two 1U keys in the barrels, the right one registers as RShift, while the left one also registers a keypress, however without being bound to anything.

So, what the ... is going on? One of course immediately begins to think "Ooooh, split shift!", but it came with a normal, wide RShift, and the left key is, as mentioned, not in use. When testing with xev, it just registers as NoSymbol:

Code: Select all

KeyPress event, serial 38, synthetic NO, window 0x7000001,
    root 0x7a6, subw 0x0, time 3314365411, (1040,456), root:(1048,525),
    state 0x2000, keycode 97 (keysym 0x0, NoSymbol), same_screen YES,
    XLookupString gives 0 bytes: 
    XmbLookupString gives 0 bytes: 
    XFilterEvent returns: False

[an_achronism]

Hahaha what the hell?!

[depletedvespene]

Perhaps they mistook Brazil for a Nordic country?


(the Brazilian keyboard layout adds an alpha between the -_ key and right Shift and yes, Model M keyboards support this)

[ddrfraser1]

I have done this to myself before when bolt modding. It's the worst feeling after having finally reassembled it all. But I've never seen that happen from the factory.

I wonder if there's a way to remap it?

What's your plan? Send it back? Bolt mod and partial refund? Ask for them to ship you 2 new keys?

[depletedvespene]

I have done this to myself before when bolt modding. It's the worst feeling after having finally reassembled it all. But I've never seen that happen from the factory.

I wonder if there's a way to remap it?

YES.

Soarer's Converter reads its scan code as INTERNATIONAL_1 and mapping it to something else should be immediate.

[Findecanor]

(the Brazilian keyboard layout adds an alpha between the -_ key and right Shift and yes, Model M keyboards support this)

A Brazilian Model M keyboard should also have a split numpad + key, with the top key used for + and the bottom key used for comma.
I'm interested to see if it has that, or if it could have been bolt-modded (like also suggested).

Another possibility is that it had been a special order for some application, and then perhaps got keycaps replaced before sale. Unicomp does cater to that market.

BTW. If xev says "No symbol", then the keyboard's controller does at least sense the key and send it to the OS -- it is just not mapped to anything by X.

[Bjerrk]

If it was ps/2 I easily remap it in the converter. But this is USB, so a bit more of a hassle. I'll think about it for a bit, but worst case scenario, it becomes a donor board. I got it fairly cheaply in any case. But didn't expect this!

And yeah, the controller is absolutely "aware". However I don't think I have spare keys of the correct size at the moment (the Model F is using them, until Ellipse's keys arrive)

[kps]

Code: Select all

    state 0x2000, keycode 97 (keysym 0x0, NoSymbol), same_screen YES,
    

“keycode 97” is evdev 97−8 = 89 KEY_RO (see /usr/include/linux/input-event-codes.h), which is what you'd expect for that position. The USB HID code is page 7, usage 0x0087 named ‘Keyboard International1’.

[hellothere]

If it was ps/2 I easily remap it in the converter. But this is USB, so a bit more of a hassle.

If SharpKeys can see it, your hassle will only be about two minutes long, at most.

I was also thinking that maybe this was a terminal keyboard in its past. I have a couple terminal Ms (RJ-45 connectors) that I've replaced the keycaps on to make them a bit more consistent with Windows.

[Findecanor]

You could most likely remap it in X with xmodmap.

If the 1u key's spring is twisted out from the top, would a barrel insert fit? (Don't try it, because it is difficult to put back!)

BTW. Another layout with a split right Shift is Japanese (JIS), which Unicomp also has made keyboards for... (but I dunno if they used the same barrel plate)
In that case, the Backspace should also be split but the left Shift key be a long one -- and the <> key not work, so I do find it unlikely.
The backspace on this Unicomp does look suspicious however because it is white and not pearl grey!

[Bjerrk]

If it was ps/2 I easily remap it in the converter. But this is USB, so a bit more of a hassle.

If SharpKeys can see it, your hassle will only be about two minutes long, at most.

I was also thinking that maybe this was a terminal keyboard in its past. I have a couple terminal Ms (RJ-45 connectors) that I've replaced the keycaps on to make them a bit more consistent with Windows.

Well, fair point I use Linux, though, but it still only took about a minute:

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xmodmap -e "keycode 97 = Shift_R"

Now at least both keys output RShift.

(Edit in case anyone finds this thread via Google some day: I also had to run xmodmap -e "add Shift = Shift_L Shift_R" to actually make the "new" Shift_R behave as a proper modifier)

What I meant with "more hassle" is that I somewhat dislike relying on host modifications, since I often switch computers (switching between a few at home and at the university), so I like to just bring my TMK PS/2 converter along and have it handle things But this is workable, at least.

[depletedvespene]

You could most likely remap it in X with xmodmap.

If the 1u key's spring is twisted out from the top, would a barrel insert fit? (Don't try it, because it is difficult to put back!)

BTW. Another layout with a split right Shift is Japanese (JIS), which Unicomp also has made keyboards for... (but I dunno if they used the same barrel plate)
In that case, the Backspace should also be split but the left Shift key be a long one -- and the <> key not work, so I do find it unlikely.
The backspace on this Unicomp does look suspicious however because it is white and not pearl grey!

That's typical for Unicomp keyboards from that age (and I hate it, too — I have a small cache of properly-colored Backspace keys to deal with that!).

In this particular case, it all amounts to a simple matter of whatever operator placing a spring where a barrel insert should have gone on that particular barrel.

Unicomp, were you drunk back in 2009?

[Bjerrk]

If the 1u key's spring is twisted out from the top, would a barrel insert fit? (Don't try it, because it is difficult to put back!)

I had the same thought and tested it, but it still didn't fit, due to the flipper being in place. I can't really be bothered to remove it (the flipper, that is), so I think I'll just go with putting in to smaller keys and remapping both to RShift (or perhaps I'll come up with something more fun to remap one of them to at some point )

The backspace on this Unicomp does look suspicious however because it is white and not pearl grey!

Huh, yeah, good point. Image Googling "Unicomp Model M 2009" (the year this one was made), I see a few examples with white backspaces.

[Bjerrk]

Unicomp, were you drunk back in 2009?

Seems they may have attended some meetings since then, and then had a relapse when designing the controller for the new Mini M ...