IBM SSK club!

User avatar
idollar
i$

24 Feb 2015, 13:30

Halvar wrote: As I understand it, if you press Shift+ScrollLock, the controller switches to the numeric layer and you can input numbers over the virtual numpad on the alpha keys. Is that right?
Lets try it. I type some text without pressing Shift-ScrollLock ....
and n26w a0 typ5ng s60e 06re text w5th the n40ber36c2 pressed.
This text is typed back after releasing the Shift-Scroll-lock

So the answer is yes, you are right :-)
Halvar wrote: Does this also change the status of NumLock on the PC, i.e. if you plug in a second keyboard with a NumLock LED, does it go on and off when you press Shift&ScrollLock on the SSK? Or is it like an Fn key in that the PC doesn't know anything about its status?
The answer to this question is yes also.
Two facts demonstrate it:
1.- The popup of the windows box stating that the number lock is on
2.- The led in my external controller which lights.
If the latter is right, is there also a way to change the "standard" NumLock status so you can use the virtual numpad in navigation mode?
Yes, there is.

The procedures is the following:

a) Set the mumber lock (Shift-scroll)
b) Press and hold shift

(first the normal press, then the num-lock, then the num-lock+shift)

u = 4 = left
o = 6 = right
8 = 8 = up
k = 2 = down
m = 0 = Ins
/ = . = DEL
7 = 7 = Home
9 = 9 = Pageup
i = 5 =
; = * = n.a.
- = - = n.a.
= = + = n.a.


I hope that this answers all your questions

------

BTW - Officially I am not a member as I have not posted the official picture.

Cheers
Last edited by idollar on 24 Feb 2015, 13:32, edited 1 time in total.

andrewjoy

24 Feb 2015, 13:31

i think it is just an FN lock , i cannot test it unfortunately as i have nothing around with a number pad light on it :P and i don't think mac has num lock anyway

User avatar
Muirium
µ

24 Feb 2015, 13:35

Macs have no Num Lock, but SSK does numeric entry on Macs just fine anyway! I suspect the embedded navigation controls within the numpad layer are simply ignored on OS X and show up as numbers instead; just like with a fullsize keyboard. The SSK is pretending to be one via its controller after all.

User avatar
Halvar

24 Feb 2015, 13:46

Thanks a lot! Now I think I understand.

idollar, your post should definitely establish official membership ... :-) Which doesn't mean you shouldn't post pictures ...

Cheers

User avatar
idollar
i$

24 Feb 2015, 13:47

Halvar, I could test a debian system at home later if you need to complete the W7 and Mac reports ... let me know.

andrewjoy

24 Feb 2015, 13:55

debian ...... ewwwwwwwe

:P Its fine , i just find apt-get overly complicated and confusing and the way you add repos to it is messed up :(.

give me pacman any day.

Debian itself its fine its just apt-get that terrible.

User avatar
scottc

24 Feb 2015, 13:56

Debian is great, apt is great! Arch has been useless since they switched to systemd.

andrewjoy

24 Feb 2015, 14:03

i hated systemd at first . but i like it now.

I do miss the installer however , its a shame that has gone.

main reason i love arch is pacman and the awesome documentation. Other distros should be ashamed of there documentation vs arch.

I want to try a stage 1 gentoo install one day as well just so i can say i have

User avatar
Muirium
µ

24 Feb 2015, 14:05

Wait, I thought Arch was the flavour of choice on DT?

Something that would be amusing is statistics on who is using what OS / distro. I don't think a poll would be as informative as the server logs!

As for the hardware bit of the user agent string, I'm pretty sure I'm the only PowerPC user around here, even if occasionally. (PowerBook G4 right now.)

User avatar
scottc

24 Feb 2015, 14:16

andrewjoy wrote: i hated systemd at first . but i like it now.

I do miss the installer however , its a shame that has gone.

main reason i love arch is pacman and the awesome documentation. Other distros should be ashamed of there documentation vs arch.

I want to try a stage 1 gentoo install one day as well just so i can say i have
Systemd itself wasn't the problem, it was mostly the attitude of the maintainers from around that time onwards. Things like the perfectly functional installer that were scrapped, constant breaking updates requiring manual intervention, and other pains in the ass at a much higher frequency than before. I'd used Arch for something like 2-3 years before that, and at that point I just gave up and went to Debian.

I agree about the documentation, however. I still sometimes use the ArchWiki for Debian. :lol:

You can try Gentoo, but don't say that we didn't warn you...

Image

I did it. Once. On a measly 1.3Ghz Ultra Low Voltage i3. Even used it for a few weeks. Never again.

User avatar
Halvar

24 Feb 2015, 14:52

Muirium wrote: Macs have no Num Lock, but SSK does numeric entry on Macs just fine anyway! I suspect the embedded navigation controls within the numpad layer are simply ignored on OS X and show up as numbers instead; just like with a fullsize keyboard. The SSK is pretending to be one via its controller after all.
So I understand this correctly: you cannot use cursor navigation functions on the numpad of a mac full size keyboard anyway, so you also can't use them on the SSK, right?
idollar wrote: Halvar, I could test a debian system at home later if you need to complete the W7 and Mac reports ... let me know.
I don't think that's needed. I think I understand what I need to send now. Thanks anyway!

Pressing numpad keys together with Shift to get their navigation functions also works on a standard fullsize keyboard with NumLock on in Windows, so that seems to be something the OS does.

User avatar
Muirium
µ

24 Feb 2015, 15:05

Halvar wrote: So I understand this correctly: you cannot use cursor navigation functions on the numpad of a mac full size keyboard anyway, so you also can't use them on the SSK, right?
Bingo. I think there aren't even separate HID codes for numpad Page Up etc., simply the OS interprets the numpad keys as it likes, either respecting Num Lock state or ignoring it entirely like the Mac.

The whole concept of a numpad navigation layer is straight off the original IBM PC keyboard. Apple never needed to backwards support it.

All USB keyboards look like this to OS X:
Image
http://deskthority.net/post209185.html#p209185

Num Lock is a mysterious key, which OS X interprets as "Clear", supposedly a third kind of Delete! Most software chooses to ignore it. Most Macs are hooked up to compact Apple keyboards which omit it anyway.

User avatar
Halvar

24 Feb 2015, 15:18

Ah, I see. So if you press Shift+ScrollLock on the SSK, do you get "Clear"?

User avatar
Muirium
µ

24 Feb 2015, 15:25

No. What you get is no keypress, as I remember. Instead, the SSK toggles its internal numpad when you press Shift + Scroll Lock. The SSK's controller handles the numpad state all by itself.

Incidentally, Scroll Lock is also ignored by Macs! We only use Caps Lock. The Scroll Lock key is interpreted as F14 by OS X, like the diagram says.

I'm glad you're asking all this. I think I know what you're up to!

User avatar
alinh

24 Feb 2015, 16:02

New member of the select SSK club checking in :)

Image

(former) NIB SSK and NIB 9ft SDL to PS2 cable - both from Cindy

Birth date 01 Oct 1990

Image

Thanks Cindy for the keyboard and cable and thanks Iacoizumi for proxying them :D

PS: I do have red escape key, but Daniel already took a pic of his SSK with one so... :?

User avatar
seebart
Offtopicthority Instigator

24 Feb 2015, 16:10

Ah two new members in one day, welcome alinh! I own one of those 9ft SDL cables also.All keyboard cables should be that long!

andrewjoy

24 Feb 2015, 16:16

I did not know she had long ones ...... i want a long one

User avatar
alinh

24 Feb 2015, 16:17

andrewjoy wrote: I did not know she had long ones ...... i want a long one
She still has a box of them. Drop Cindy a PM ;)

andrewjoy

24 Feb 2015, 16:48

alinh wrote:
andrewjoy wrote: I did not know she had long ones ...... i want a long one
She still has a box of them. Drop Cindy a PM ;)

i know i have one . but mine is standard length :(

User avatar
Muirium
µ

24 Feb 2015, 17:09

I have two. One standard. One long. Chicks really dig that surprise I got waiting for them!

User avatar
seebart
Offtopicthority Instigator

24 Feb 2015, 17:18

Muirium wrote:I have two. One standard. One long. Chicks really dig that surprise I got waiting for them!
[emoji61] [emoji61] [emoji61] [emoji50]
Last edited by seebart on 24 Feb 2015, 17:20, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Muirium
µ

24 Feb 2015, 17:18

Quick. Pants up, it's the cops!

User avatar
idollar
i$

24 Feb 2015, 17:46

Hi,

I just realised that I have already posted some pictures of the SSK that I used for the test above here:
http://deskthority.net/workshop-f7/shal ... t9598.html

It is a different view ...
DSCF1905.jpg
DSCF1905.jpg (211.24 KiB) Viewed 6025 times
22nd-July-1987
1391472


BTW: apt-get works perfectly fine for me. Who needs more ?

User avatar
alinh

24 Feb 2015, 19:34

idollar wrote:

BTW: apt-get works perfectly fine for me. Who needs more ?
I do. That's why I use aptitude :)

User avatar
idollar
i$

24 Feb 2015, 19:54

alinh wrote:
idollar wrote:

BTW: apt-get works perfectly fine for me. Who needs more ?
I do. That's why I use aptitude :)
You are showing a wrong "aptitude" :-)

User avatar
alinh

25 Feb 2015, 06:52

idollar wrote:
alinh wrote:
idollar wrote:

BTW: apt-get works perfectly fine for me. Who needs more ?
I do. That's why I use aptitude :)
You are showing a wrong "aptitude" :-)
You might be right : "This aptitude does not have Super Cow Powers." :shock:

User avatar
Redmaus
Gotta start somewhere

26 Feb 2015, 22:51

Nothing crazy, but its mine.
IMG_20150102_003701.jpg
IMG_20150102_003701.jpg (473.63 KiB) Viewed 5921 times
Artsy Shot
IMG_20150102_003729.jpg
IMG_20150102_003729.jpg (403.34 KiB) Viewed 5921 times
Sticker
Space Cadaver.jpg
Space Cadaver.jpg (497.15 KiB) Viewed 5921 times

User avatar
Redmaus
Gotta start somewhere

26 Feb 2015, 22:52

Sorry for phone potato pics

User avatar
ShivaYash

26 Mar 2015, 16:44


User avatar
LLRnR
\m/

28 Mar 2015, 20:44

Hey, I can finally join the SSK club now! I received my very first SSK yesterday from Cindy's used SSK batch.

It has a few chips here and there and a few stain marks that just won't go away, but it looks great after cleaning!

Image

It's an old beauty that saw the light of day when I had just mastered walking:

Image
Spoiler:
...and which accumulated dust ever since :lol:

Image
Now it's clean and everything works, but it does require a bolt mod.

I've been using my brand new/old SSK for half a day and I realize there can't be any other IBM after the SSK in my life. Well, except for a Model F AT maybe...

I'm currently daydreaming about a couple of sets of blank key caps (a standard pebble/pearl one, as well as a colored one for fun, I think pebble/orange or pebble/green would be awesome). But I need to slow down for a bit, I've been spending way too much on keyboards since I joined DT. :P

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