Symbolics Space Cadet keyboard review (Honeywell Hall effect 4B3E)

[Chyros]

Well, as promised, for the last video of this year; the Symbolics Space Cadet keyboard. Hope you enjoy the video!

[pansku]

Nice review as always. Do you or webwit (I'm assuming these Symbolics boards are on loan from him?) know if the EEPROM is in working condition? It would be great to see this in actual use with an external converter. Good thing MMcM posted the code before he disappeared as fast as he appeared in the first place https://github.com/MMcM/lmkbd2 I sure hope to see a Symbolics series of reviews

[tobo]

Damn, posting this video quite late aren't you. Luckily I'm still up . I was curious as well if these can be connected to a PC, though no one would probably use them as their daily driver since they're so rare. Great video again.

[Chyros]

Damn, posting this video quite late aren't you. Luckily I'm still up . I was curious as well if these can be connected to a PC, though no one would probably use them as their daily driver since they're so rare. Great video again.

Late?! You mean early xD . It's barely into the 23rd :p .

[davkol]

Congratulations, great video. Complete success, as I didn't get mad through the first half.

[Engicoder]

Nice review as always. Enjoyed the jab at ounces. Maybe you could work slugs in there sometime

I assume SW series is coming down the road? IMO much smoother than SD.

[TuxKey]

the size of that spacebar hahaha...
Love the nice thick keycaps..
oefff nice typing puts my stock topre Leopold to shame..

Nice vid thx enjoyed ...thank you for going on..
Best wishes from The Netherlands..

[webwit]

Do you or webwit (I'm assuming these Symbolics boards are on loan from him?) know if the EEPROM is in working condition? It would be great to see this in actual use with an external converter.

It uses an Intel 8748 controller, but it is missing on this one. (The good news is that means it was really unused.)

Here is one with the controller in place:


Here's the code, in LISP of course

[seebart]

All this and we still only have this meager wiki page...says it all really.

wiki/Space-cadet_keyboard

[Daniel Beardsmore]

There isn't even a page for the Kishsaver at all. "Kishsaver" is not mentioned at all, while "4704" only gets mentioned in passing. The Space Cadet has rarity as an excuse, but keyboards like the 4704 do not, as they're comparatively common. I see that the original Poker now finally has a page — the Poker being another keyboard that gets paraded like Kishsavers.

[Menuhin]

Watched the review like this:



What a major treat to wrap up 2017.

The major players in the development of the Space Cadet keyboard and the Lisp Machines are all some of the historical heroes in my field of studies, but didn't get the chance to touch a Space Cadet keyboard.

Would be a big plus if there can be some video footage to see how some of them hack some lisp or scheme or related dialect with these keyboards - I know, interview was not something you usually do on your channel.

There are lots of Gurus and geniuses on DT/GH about many aspects of keyboards, but your way of organizing and presenting information with such a clarity make some lazy audience like me be able to sit back and listen to the brief summary - although of course infused with some of your personal opinions. By the way, I like more video game playing attempts with unfamiliar keyboards!

As for 2018, have your reviewed the DataHand yet?
If you include the ergo keyboards and some of those real alternatives, such as OrbiTouch, or even some pointing systems, and their developments, there will be plenty of content ahead.

[zslane]

The closest I am able to get to hacking on a Symbolics Lisp Machine today is to use my “Space Cadet” Realforce keyboard while coding some LISP in the Genera OS emulation running under Linux. Fun stuff!