Great/Interesting Finds

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Muirium
µ

18 Aug 2019, 15:55

snacksthecat wrote:
10 Aug 2019, 04:00
These keycaps have me drooling. What type of keyboard is this?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Casio-FP-1100- ... 3316556868

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Edit: Oh, duh. There are more pictures in the listing.
So what is it then?

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The seller knows enough to take the caps off, but leave the stabilised ones on!

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Nothing I recognise. (Not that I’m a big collector of vintage stuff I don’t already know by reputation.)

There’s a few candidates in here:

wiki/Generic_cross_mount_recognition

And a lot of tantalising placeholders!

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swampangel

18 Aug 2019, 22:56

A non-working IBM Model M2 that looks like it's in good physical shape for $35 USD https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Vintage-IBM-Mod ... 4384443931 Usually one can be revived with replacement capacitors.

cli

19 Aug 2019, 12:00

swampangel wrote:
18 Aug 2019, 22:56
A non-working IBM Model M2 that looks like it's in good physical shape for $35 USD https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Vintage-IBM-Mod ... 4384443931 Usually one can be revived with replacement capacitors.
As an IBM M2 owner for over 20 years, I would say: NOOOOOO!
It's a horrible keyboard.

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Muirium
µ

19 Aug 2019, 12:15

You’ll hate this thread.

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bhtooefr

19 Aug 2019, 12:40

Of course... buckling spring or rubber dome M2? There is a difference, after all.

And the buckling spring M2 is honestly a keyboard that impresses me a lot. It's not a Model M, but it's damn close, and it's incredibly well cost-optimized. I suspect a Chinese company could take the design as-is, replace the controller with a USB one, modernize the layout (add Windows keys, really), and profitably mass-produce it and sell it for $25 a keyboard (considering similar modern rubber domes are cheaper), and have something that feels very close to a Model M.

cli

19 Aug 2019, 12:47

Well, within one year the keyboard start having problems, key presses didn't register.
Also one the buckling spring hammer broke..

User avatar
Muirium
µ

19 Aug 2019, 12:55

bhtooefr wrote:
19 Aug 2019, 12:40
I suspect a Chinese company could take the design as-is, replace the controller with a USB one, modernize the layout (add Windows keys, really), and profitably mass-produce it and sell it for $25 a keyboard (considering similar modern rubber domes are cheaper), and have something that feels very close to a Model M.
I wish! That would be categorically the best clicky keyboard available today. Absolutely annihilates clicky Cherry MX, and even the caps are surprisingly good. If they did it in tenkeyless Bluetooth, I’d get one myself! I’d love to see the SSK’s descendant.

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bhtooefr

19 Aug 2019, 13:03

Tenkeyless would actually require a major design change due to the controller...

Also, $25 may not get you dye-sub PBT. IDK how much that'd cost in quantity. (And, with black keyboards being more popular, dye-sub wouldn't necessarily work anyway.) But let's face it, even pad printed ABS, it'd still be a hell of a deal for that price. It wouldn't be a good gaming keyboard (2KRO just like a Model M), but seeing how people will pay like $87-94 for a Unicomp Ultra Classic...

And, re: keypresses not registering, I mean, there are known electronic problems with the M2 (due to early SMT electrolytic capacitors that are known to fail prematurely). A broken hammer sounds like a freak thing that I've never actually heard of being a problem before now, it doesn't usually happen.

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Muirium
µ

19 Aug 2019, 13:10

My Kishsaver had a broken hammer. Snapped at one of the pivots. Only time I’ve seen that, myself. Both M2s I’ve had are perfect shape internally. One of them just happened to have a smashed spacebar from bad shipping. Inflicted by my AT on its way out of Texas!

I hear you on the controller. Arguably, that’s what the blank spot past the function row, over the numpad was always for in so many keyboards: implementation details! But electronics is so much smaller now, and there’s still space for a battery around the arrow keys or below the function row.

cli

19 Aug 2019, 13:23

Yep, broken hammer, it was the part that was holding the spring that broke off.
But c'mon guys, IBM cut to many corners with the M2 keyboard. Maybe a nice keyboard to collect, but not for regular use.

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swampangel

19 Aug 2019, 13:41

cli wrote:
19 Aug 2019, 13:23
Yep, broken hammer, it was the part that was holding the spring that broke off.
But c'mon guys, IBM cut to many corners with the M2 keyboard. Maybe a nice keyboard to collect, but not for regular use.
I used one for years before I got my Omnikey. A bit fragile, yes, but fine to type on imo :mrgreen:

Jimi14

19 Aug 2019, 15:26

Two old siemens boards with STB 21 switches and AT compatibility for any Swedish buyers. Would have bought them myself if they didn't have German layout.

https://www.tradera.com/item/340854/361 ... ka-brytare

https://www.tradera.com/item/340854/361 ... r-retro-pc

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cli

19 Aug 2019, 17:33

my my, there is still one shop in the Netherlands that sells Monterey mechanical keyboards new out of box....

https://www.timmermuziek.nl/specsProduct.php?spec=0204
(it's a Monterey MK 9500 - https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=72413.0)

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OleVoip

19 Aug 2019, 19:11

Jimi14 wrote:
19 Aug 2019, 15:26
Two old siemens boards with STB 21 switches and AT compatibility for any Swedish buyers.
Thank you for sharing this. The field programmer board on the lower image is quite interesting - you rarely find them offered with case and cable.
Beware of the other one, though. It's not easy with this style of Siemens boards as only some of them do have STB keys (and some rare boards even have some unidentified ones). However, there are some indicators that make it increasingly unlikely that this one's got mechanical keys:
  • The seller knows what 'mekaniska' keys are (see other item) but does not claim this board to have them.
  • Production year after 1987.
  • Siemens-Nixdorf.
  • Key caps are lasered, modifiers have coloured labels
  • Plastic ridges can be discerned in the gaps between the keycaps.
    3rd image of the auction after rescaling intensities
    3rd image of the auction after rescaling intensities
    siemens3.png (68.13 KiB) Viewed 10510 times

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Muirium
µ

19 Aug 2019, 22:24

Now that is some Kbdfr level sleuthing at work, very nicely detected and explained!

Jimi14

19 Aug 2019, 22:27

OleVoip wrote:
19 Aug 2019, 19:11
Jimi14 wrote:
19 Aug 2019, 15:26
Two old siemens boards with STB 21 switches and AT compatibility for any Swedish buyers.
Thank you for sharing this. The field programmer board on the lower image is quite interesting - you rarely find them offered with case and cable.
Beware of the other one, though. It's not easy with this style of Siemens boards as only some of them do have STB keys (and some rare boards even have some unidentified ones). However, there are some indicators that make it increasingly unlikely that this one's got mechanical keys:
  • The seller knows what 'mekaniska' keys are (see other item) but does not claim this board to have them.
  • Production year after 1987.
  • Siemens-Nixdorf.
  • Key caps are lasered, modifiers have coloured labels
  • Plastic ridges can be discerned in the gaps between the keycaps.
    siemens3.png
Well, the seller and i do live in the same city, so i could probably go and check myself actually. If you wanna buy one i could act as a middleman and send it to you since i'm kinda curious on stb's, but i don't want to buy a board that's probably just gonna sit around and collect dust.

Nice analysis btw. It's always impressive to read something written by someone who is clearly in his element.

cli

26 Aug 2019, 12:25

On ebay.it
Apple Extended keyboard M0115 with Italian keycaps for 30 euro
https://www.ebay.nl/itm/tastiera-vintag ... 3586391925

Seller doesn't ship outside italy, so only for our Italian friends!

SpacemanToby

26 Aug 2019, 20:04

Image

I saw this lot for sale on craigslist and I'm going to look at it tomorrow. These are the best pictures they have. Send me your positive mechanical keyboard vibes.

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Keybug

26 Aug 2019, 22:03

Good luck, man! I always found these kinds of hauls very exciting, a bit like Christmas TBH. And rare enough for those of us who don't have friendly recyclers in their vicinity like some I could mention...

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zrrion

26 Aug 2019, 23:55

Local hauls are the best, good luck

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digital_matthew

27 Aug 2019, 02:29

May a pallet of kishsavers be in your near future...

SpacemanToby

27 Aug 2019, 18:45

Literally all Dell Quietkeys...

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Keybug

27 Aug 2019, 19:51

Buggeritis!

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digital_matthew

01 Sep 2019, 05:24

Ugh. Upon closer inspection those purple PS/2 plugs are not a good sign.

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//gainsborough
ALPSの日常

02 Sep 2019, 05:58


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snacksthecat
✶✶✶✶

02 Sep 2019, 06:00

//gainsborough wrote:
02 Sep 2019, 05:58
Dunno if this was posted already:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Symbolics-LISP ... .l4275.c10
I'll buy one, you buy one, and we can online game against each other.

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//gainsborough
ALPSの日常

02 Sep 2019, 06:03

snacksthecat wrote:
02 Sep 2019, 06:00
I'll buy one, you buy one, and we can online game against each other.
Done!!!


...is what I would like to say, but unfortunately, I don't have 5 Gs kickin' around >_<

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swampangel

08 Sep 2019, 23:40

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/163851845177

Probably a little rich for just the Yaesu-branded Alpsaver, but maybe someone here has been waiting to get into ham radio ...

xxhellfirexx

16 Sep 2019, 07:51


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User101

16 Sep 2019, 08:59

xxhellfirexx wrote:
16 Sep 2019, 07:51
Nissho KB106DE

https://www.ebay.com/itm/223666760269
Good price

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