Micro Switch SW Keyboard Module

[snacksthecat]

I posted this on twitter but I don't exactly have many follower's, plus I consider DT my home base (even though I've been absent a while).

This post serves a few purposes so I'm opting not to post it under one of the other topics. Hope that's ok (feel free to move it if I messed up). My intentions are:

• to discover some general information about the board
• see if anyone knows how much it might be worth
• share some pictures I had fun taking

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Close-up shot of the keys and switches. It's missing a few caps but is in otherwise decent condition considering I literally pulled it out of a pile of e-waste.

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There's a piece of tape on it that says Super Keyboard! Looks like it was sold at some point for $29.75 which is a steal in my book I forget how much the recycling center charged me for each keyboard I took home.

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The switches are each labeled:
6926
1SW1

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Pretty hard to see but the label on the side has the following information...
Cat. List. K5 0326-S2SW3
Ser. No. 006
Date 6933

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The reverse side of the PCB indicates it was made by Micro Switch in Freeport, IL

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There's more text on the PCB that says:
SW-10033 [3]

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And here's a wider shot of the PCB which shows how the keys are numbered and the nifty routing of the traces. 45 degree angles are for wimps! Hand routing is way cooler.

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Finally, I did a photogrammetry scan of this keyboard in 2020. Someone left some comments which I vaguely remember him/her mentioning it is somewhat unique/special. Unfortunately they deleted their account so those comments are gone now.

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Here's the 3D model which turned out really nice and captured all of the cool geometry of the module slots and all!
https://skfb.ly/6QFnQ

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So if anybody knows any details about the board and/or what it might be worth, I'd love to know!

[Muirium]

Content deletion is a pain, isn't it? Voluntary bit-rot!

Strikes me as a nice, early Micro Switch board, presumably from week 33 of 1969 going by the date code. The rail structure of the keyboard looks designed as a template for adapting to many arbitrary layouts, which is consistent with the low serial number you noted. But I have no more knowledge than you do, so had better hold back on speculating.

Does it feel good? How is it compared to other Micro Switch hall effect boards and other vintage linears?

[snacksthecat]

Wow, that old ay?!?

Feels pretty good all things considered. I want to make a typing video and capture the sound real well but unfortunately the spacebar doesn’t return when pressed. It gets barely stuck enough that a small tap releases it but it won’t pop back on its own.

Upon closer inspection I see that there’s some grime on that key’s slider. I think cleaning that stuff off would resolve the issue but I don’t know a safe technique to remove the stabilizer wire and I’d die if I broke off one of the plastic clips.

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I’ll see if I can carefully get some of the junk off with this gentile little plastic spatula tool.

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Hopefully I’ll share a typing sample soon. Otherwise I’ll just demo the non-goobered keys with and without caps so you can get an idea of the sound and how it might feel.

[Muirium]

Wow, that old ay?!?

Mere speculation, based on the date stamp. (It would be a pretty weird date stamp if that wasn't the year!) The wiki does suggest that it's possible, though.

[snacksthecat]

Yay, the spacebar is fixed!

The "grime" on the switch slider was a misdirect. I think those are just friction marks with a small amount of dirt. Trying to clean the slider off did not do the trick.

I worked up the nerve to remove the stabilizer wire and it was actually quite painless.

Looking at the spacebar stabilizer prongs (?), I found that one of them was slightly bent. Probably due to being smashed under a bunch of other keyboard in the recycling facility.

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I used a set of needle-nose and regular pliers wrapped in electrical tape to straighten out the bent one as best I could.

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Then I sprayed a touch of DuPont Dry Film Lubricant to the two prongs for good measure. I did not lube the switch.

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The spray leaves a thin coat of white film which should help reduce friction a bit.

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I of course gave these parts a good wipe down to get all the dirt off first. There was quite a bit of junk, both on the prongs and in the housing that the prong slides in and out of.

After all these steps, the spacebar works quite nicely now!

Typing example to come.

Thanks BTW Muirium for the wiki link.

[invalid mr_a500]

[snacksthecat]

That's a sweet picture! Maybe she was the one selling them for "$29.75 ea."

Here's the typing video I promised. I tried to capture a few variations to give a good idea of what it sounds like in person. I kind of suck at making these but I think the sound came through good enough.

[invalid mr_a500]

[JP!]

I would certainly value it under $300 considering it is just the module and missing a few keys but what a great save and these early SW series switches are hard to come by these days

Considering inflation the 29.75 would have been much better spent in the stock market

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[snacksthecat]

Stocks would have been the way to go for sure. You simply can’t trust anyone who’s gotten rich off keyboards.

I’ll take Gordon Gekko any day of the week over Roy G. Biv (inventor of the modern gaming keyboard).

[Muirium]

Reinvesting dividends is unrealistic. Those are strictly for blow.

[snacksthecat]

ebay: Just say no