deskthority

Hello, I recently came across this keyboard at a client site. It was attached to a Facit monitor that I didn't look at very closely, I will do next week when I visit again. It's a terminal keyboard similar to a VT220 keyboard, with MX Blacks and a Linear Grey for the space bar. Judging from the date codes on the chips it's likely made in 1991?

An interesting detail is that the F and J keys have an extra deep cylindrical well instead of having nubs, something I have not encountered before.

Does anyone have more information on this particular keyboard?

Pictures: http://imgur.com/a/WkCZG

Nice find, I don't think I have seen a Cherry made keyboard like that before, also first time in a long time I have seen someone write "double shot injection molded caps" instead of just ds or double shots

The F and J keys are typical for how Cherry made their homing keys, they where always scooped on their double shot and dye sub keycaps. Some of their (earlier?) lasered was also with scooped J and H keys although I believe they have completely ditched it now.

It's a very weird layout with both Å and Ü beside each other. Where did you pick it up?

Put the pics on the wiki!

Broadmonkey wrote:Nice find, I don't think I have seen a Cherry made keyboard like that before, also first time in a long time I have seen someone write "double shot injection molded caps" instead of just ds or double shots

The F and J keys are typical for how Cherry made their homing keys, they where always scooped on their double shot and dye sub keycaps. Some of their (earlier?) lasered was also with scooped J and H keys although I believe they have completely ditched it now.

It's a very weird layout with both Å and Ü beside each other. Where did you pick it up?

Yes it is weird to see a Ü key there. The keyboard is Swedish, it was previously used by a Swedish customs office. Ü is not a letter used in the Swedish language so I don't know why they felt the need to have a key for that.

Ozric wrote:Ü is not a letter used in the Swedish language so I don't know why they felt the need to have a key for that.

I have seen Ü keys on at least one other Swedish keyboard before. While it is not used in the Swedish language, Swedes with German descent with German names spelled and pronounced in the German way are not that uncommon.

Edit a long time later:
Note that Ü and É match the positions of the regular dead-keys for the diacritic marks " and ' and that the keys also have the other diacritic marks common on those keys.
After having seen this setup many more times, I think that the letters might be just demonstration of what the dead-keys could be used for.

Makes sense putting it on a customs keyboard then.

Nice keyboard put the pictures and info on the wiki. The Facit story always makes me a little sad.

Very cool find. I am jealous!

After sitting in storage for a couple of years, the terminal is now at my office and is fully working after swapping out a leaking capacitor in the power supply.
Here is it connected to a Cisco ASA5505:


I would hazard a guess that this is the only Facit A3400 terminal in use today.

Nice one, worth the 4 year wait!

Hello, I found the keyboard Facit K3401, and later video terminal A1700 in good condition. How rare he is.

Ozric wrote: ↑

16 May 2014, 17:07

An interesting detail is that the F and J keys have an extra deep cylindrical well instead of having nubs, something I have not encountered before.

This feature is present at least on the Commodore PC5/PC10 keyboard's caps, see here: wiki/File:G80_0530_ger_web.jpg

I had one of these for quite some time before I noticed the F/J profiles were different. But to be fair, I didn't use board too much. Anyway, I remember spotting this feature on some other board as well after this, so I'm sure it's not entirely uncommon.

ollir wrote: ↑

07 Oct 2021, 14:36

This feature is present at least on the Commodore PC5/PC10 keyboard's caps, see here: wiki/File:G80_0530_ger_web.jpg

I had one of these for quite some time before I noticed the F/J profiles were different. But to be fair, it didn't use board too much. Anyway, I remember spotting this feature on some other board as well after this, so I'm sure it's not entirely uncommon.

It's a feature present across the vast majority of keyboards that Cherry manufactured with doubleshot and dyesub keycaps (G80/G81 series, which were often OEM'd for other companies like Commodore and Facit). There are a small number of exceptions, and their more modern lasered boards usually have bar indicators instead.

I was tempted to laugh about Cherry F and J keys with a deep cylindrical well being "not entirely uncommon",
but then I remembered how little I know about other keyboard brands and decided to laugh at myself instead.

I’ll nevertheless dare to correct photekq, who is the ultimate Cherry Picker after all, and replace "the vast majority of" with "virtually all"

kbdfr wrote: ↑

07 Oct 2021, 14:53

I was tempted to laugh about Cherry F and J keys with a deep cylindrical well being "not entirely uncommon",
but then I remembered how little I know about other keyboard brands and decided to laugh at myself instead.

I’ll nevertheless dare to correct photekq, who is the ultimate Cherry Picker after all, and replace "the vast majority of" with "virtually all"

Good catch there! Virtually all is definitely more correct.

kbdfr wrote: ↑

07 Oct 2021, 14:53

I was tempted to laugh about Cherry F and J keys with a deep cylindrical well being "not entirely uncommon",
but then I remembered how little I know about other keyboard brands and decided to laugh at myself instead.

I was guessing it might be a Cherry thing but wasn't intrigued enough to go and investigate further.

Oh, and I wouldn't have minded a little laughter; it's a nice rock that I'm living under where noise from outside doesn't get too loud :p

ollir wrote: ↑

08 Oct 2021, 12:23

[…] Oh, and I wouldn't have minded a little laughter; it's a nice rock that I'm living under where noise from outside doesn't get too loud :p

Always happy to oblige: