IBM "Shop Date" to "Prod. Date" Calulator Script

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Bitteneite

14 Jun 2021, 17:38

Greetings!

I made this script a while back, and have been using it ever since I got an IBM board with no date.
I’m probably not the first to have done this, but I thought I could share it here for those who want a close estimate.

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Here's a link to the script: https://www.online-python.com/hd8RiIP6TG
Should just run online without issues. Try it with your Model F/M's Shop Date and limme know if it's close!

It’s a Python script based on Phosphorglow’s theory, which is often pretty close to the real production date.
It's pretty simple. It first subtracts your Shop Date with Phosphorglow’s Shop Date. Then uses that number to increment Phosphorglow’s reference Prod. Date by all the days in between, except for the weekends and holidays.
Here's the link to his theory, if you wanna give it a read: viewtopic.php?t=13443

The script is sometimes off by a few days, other times by a couple of weeks, but I found it close enough for what it is. You could change both the reference Shop Date and Prod. Date together if you know a reference that's closer to your board, as it should yield a slightly more accurate result.

My biggest mystery is arguably the “holidays” since I have no idea how it goes in America.
I’ve set up a list for specific dates to be counted as holidays. It's empty, but I've left a few examples if you wanna chime in. Just remove the # to uncomment a line.

I've also set up a separate "double days" modifier, which counts 2 days instead of one, sort of like an opposite of a holiday.
It's a thing I made up. I manually adjusted it to bring the estimates closer to their actual date. Could be useless later on.
I’ve set it to be the 1st and 330th day of each year, but then again, these are just guesses based on trial-and-error.

Feel free to try changing those numbers around, and share them if you can get closer estimates.

inozenz

14 Jun 2021, 19:10

Where do i find the Shop date on a model m?
Is it inside the keyboard?

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Bitteneite

14 Jun 2021, 19:35

inozenz wrote:
14 Jun 2021, 19:10
Where do i find the Shop date on a model m?
Is it inside the keyboard?
Shop Dates are the 4 digit numbers usually printed on the backplate's label.

See that "6256"?
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Most Model Ms already have the production date written on the bottom case, so this script isn't really useful for the majority of Model M's. Still, it might be useful for when you don't have the original case.

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AJM

22 Jun 2021, 14:30

Very interesting! I didn't even know such a calculation theory existed.
Thanks!

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raoulduke-esq

22 Jun 2021, 14:46

Do we know if the factories were open on Saturdays? Wondering if I'll ever find a birthday board...

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Bitteneite

22 Jun 2021, 15:00

raoulduke-esq wrote:
22 Jun 2021, 14:46
Do we know if the factories were open on Saturdays? Wondering if I'll ever find a birthday board...
I've set the weekends to be Saturdays and Sundays, since I guessed that's how it goes in the USA.
Then again, I'm clueless about how jobs work over there.

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