Some LK201 clones with Cherry MX switches
Posted: 18 Oct 2021, 07:54
The wiki has a page on Clones of the DEC LK201, and a number of them were made by Cherry with MX black switches. After working on some related keyboards, I dug the ones covered here out to focus on. They aren't Cherry boards, but do have Cherry switches.
First up is a Wyse WY85, 840105-01, with thick double-shot keycaps, from around 1987.
It is hard to tell from the photo, but the legend colors are navy and yellow.
The switches are in need of a good clean, which probably means desoldering. But it's still operational, if a bit scratchy.
This is the version without an actual controller. The strobe pulses just clock a 393 TTL counter.
This is the same model that Soarer used for their WYSEverter and it works fine with that, provided a pull-up resistor is added.
The protocol is so simple, though, that it might be worth reimplementing for TMK/QMK at some point; the same converter hardware should work.
First up is a Wyse WY85, 840105-01, with thick double-shot keycaps, from around 1987.
It is hard to tell from the photo, but the legend colors are navy and yellow.
The switches are in need of a good clean, which probably means desoldering. But it's still operational, if a bit scratchy.
This is the version without an actual controller. The strobe pulses just clock a 393 TTL counter.
This is the same model that Soarer used for their WYSEverter and it works fine with that, provided a pull-up resistor is added.
The protocol is so simple, though, that it might be worth reimplementing for TMK/QMK at some point; the same converter hardware should work.