What is the oldest keyboard in your collection?
- elecplus
- Location: Kerrville, TX, USA
- DT Pro Member: 0082
- Contact:
Some really old keyboards are starting to pop up. What is the oldest one in your collection?
- seebart
- Offtopicthority Instigator
- Location: Germany
- Main keyboard: Rotation
- Main mouse: Steelseries Sensei
- Favorite switch: IBM capacitive buckling spring
- DT Pro Member: 0061
- Contact:
- XMIT
- [ XMIT ]
- Location: Austin, TX area
- Main keyboard: XMIT Hall Effect
- Main mouse: CST L-Trac Trackball
- Favorite switch: XMIT 60g Tactile Hall Effect
- DT Pro Member: 0093
- zslane
- Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
- Main keyboard: RealForce RGB
- Main mouse: Basic Microsoft USB mouse
- Favorite switch: Topre
- DT Pro Member: -
A Model M from 1993.
But once that is gone, my oldest keyboard will be a Filco Majestouch-2 from last year (though it might have been manufactured in 2014, I'm not sure).
But once that is gone, my oldest keyboard will be a Filco Majestouch-2 from last year (though it might have been manufactured in 2014, I'm not sure).
- fohat
- Elder Messenger
- Location: Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
- Main keyboard: Model F 122-key terminal
- Main mouse: Microsoft Optical Mouse
- Favorite switch: Model F Buckling Spring
- DT Pro Member: 0158
I had a 1978 Heath Stackpole but I sold it to hwood34 a year or 2 ago.
- Attachments
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- Model-F-122-14MAR84-6110688.JPG (158.11 KiB) Viewed 5866 times
- emdude
- Model M Apologist
- DT Pro Member: 0160
My IBM 3277 model 2 beam spring keyboard, I think from the early to mid-1970s.
Actually, I'm not sure what the exact date of manufacture is, I'll have to take another look at it. It does have a label printed on the bottom of the keyboard that is similar in format to the labels on the backside of Model M/F plates:
Versus...
But the shop date doesn't make any sense.
Actually, I'm not sure what the exact date of manufacture is, I'll have to take another look at it. It does have a label printed on the bottom of the keyboard that is similar in format to the labels on the backside of Model M/F plates:
Spoiler:
Spoiler:
- fohat
- Elder Messenger
- Location: Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
- Main keyboard: Model F 122-key terminal
- Main mouse: Microsoft Optical Mouse
- Favorite switch: Model F Buckling Spring
- DT Pro Member: 0158
Don't be silly:elecplus wrote: ↑
I am afraid they did not make keyboards older than I am!
- Attachments
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- 1952-IBM-b.jpg (88.19 KiB) Viewed 5779 times
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- 1952-IBM-a.JPG (36.71 KiB) Viewed 5779 times
- seebart
- Offtopicthority Instigator
- Location: Germany
- Main keyboard: Rotation
- Main mouse: Steelseries Sensei
- Favorite switch: IBM capacitive buckling spring
- DT Pro Member: 0061
- Contact:
- fohat
- Elder Messenger
- Location: Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
- Main keyboard: Model F 122-key terminal
- Main mouse: Microsoft Optical Mouse
- Favorite switch: Model F Buckling Spring
- DT Pro Member: 0158
I was choosing my own birth year. I think that Cindy is maybe somewhat younger than me.seebart wrote: ↑
Right fohat, and these are even older:
- elecplus
- Location: Kerrville, TX, USA
- DT Pro Member: 0082
- Contact:
Well, I was referring to computer keyboards, specifically Although I believe 2 computers were built before I was born, so maybe I am mistaken. ENIAC used punched cards for input though, not a keyboard. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ENIAC No fohat, I don't think I am younger than you are.
- zslane
- Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
- Main keyboard: RealForce RGB
- Main mouse: Basic Microsoft USB mouse
- Favorite switch: Topre
- DT Pro Member: -
I love looking at them. I have no desire to collect/own them. That's why I love the photo threads around here.
However, if I were to have a collection, it would consist of a single keyboard: an authentic Tom Knight Space Cadet.
- XMIT
- [ XMIT ]
- Location: Austin, TX area
- Main keyboard: XMIT Hall Effect
- Main mouse: CST L-Trac Trackball
- Favorite switch: XMIT 60g Tactile Hall Effect
- DT Pro Member: 0093
I don't know what year my Correcting Selectric II was made but it *might* be older. I'll see if I can find out...
My typewriter repair guy believes it to be a 1978 model, and notes that the correction feature debuted in 1976.
My typewriter repair guy believes it to be a 1978 model, and notes that the correction feature debuted in 1976.
- lancre
- Location: Nottingham, UK
- Main keyboard: Realforce 104UW
- Main mouse: DeathAdder
- Favorite switch: Topre, Space Invaders
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
Are your Honeywell and your weird Soviet keyboard from the 80's? 'cos they look reeeeeeeeally old.Chyros wrote: ↑The Fujitsu tactile magnetic reed N860 from 1979 .
- Khers
- ⧓
- Location: Sweden
- Main keyboard: LZ CLSh
- Main mouse: Logitech MX Ergo
- Favorite switch: Buckling Springs | Topre | Nixdorf Black
- DT Pro Member: 0087
My oldest keyboard is from 1985:
About a year and a half older than I am (±5 days). Interestingly about the same vintage as the first keyboard I ever used, which was also made in 1985. Bummer my parents threw it away.
I've got a Selectric as well, but that's neither a computer keyboard, nor do I know when it's from
About a year and a half older than I am (±5 days). Interestingly about the same vintage as the first keyboard I ever used, which was also made in 1985. Bummer my parents threw it away.
I've got a Selectric as well, but that's neither a computer keyboard, nor do I know when it's from
- XMIT
- [ XMIT ]
- Location: Austin, TX area
- Main keyboard: XMIT Hall Effect
- Main mouse: CST L-Trac Trackball
- Favorite switch: XMIT 60g Tactile Hall Effect
- DT Pro Member: 0093
Sure. Find a retired IBM guy who fixes Selectrics, pay him a bunch of money and wait a long time for him to fix your Selectric (twice, if FedEx drops your insured package along the way), and then just ask.zslane wrote: ↑Is there a standard way to determine the year of manufacture of a Selectric?
(To be fair, he did an excellent job. That's for another post.)
It might be possible to get this from the serial number stamped just under the platen roller but I don't know how to translate this.
- chzel
- Location: Athens, Greece
- Main keyboard: Phantom
- Main mouse: Mionix Avior 7000
- Favorite switch: Beamspring, BS, Vintage Blacks.
- DT Pro Member: 0086
My oldest is my 3101, early May (18th week) of 1982 and almost 6 months older than me!
And I somehow managed to misplace that label after I removed it carefully to preserve it...
And I somehow managed to misplace that label after I removed it carefully to preserve it...
- y11971alex
- Location: Toronto, ON
- Main keyboard: MacBook Air
- Main mouse: Microsoft Sculpt Comfort
- Favorite switch: buckling springs
- DT Pro Member: 0172
My oldest computer keyboard dates from Jun. 15th 1984, which is an IBM 3101 keyboard. The Wiki suggests that Model F variants of the 3101 keyboard appeared circa 1983, but at least the case of my beam spring was manufactured a year after the Model Fs were supposed to have replaced them. Perhaps they had some overlap?
The oldest keyboard in my collection is on an IBM Selectric, the case dating from Sept. 1970. I also know that it was made about 30 minutes by car away from my apartment, and installed in the Toronto Stock Exchange on Nov. 26th 1970. It received its last recorded maintenance in 1971, so I don't know what happened there. Perhaps they bought it and forgot about it?
The typewriter technician said it was probably regularly maintained, only lazy Toronto technicians omitted filling out the record sticker under the case.
The oldest keyboard in my collection is on an IBM Selectric, the case dating from Sept. 1970. I also know that it was made about 30 minutes by car away from my apartment, and installed in the Toronto Stock Exchange on Nov. 26th 1970. It received its last recorded maintenance in 1971, so I don't know what happened there. Perhaps they bought it and forgot about it?
The typewriter technician said it was probably regularly maintained, only lazy Toronto technicians omitted filling out the record sticker under the case.
- y11971alex
- Location: Toronto, ON
- Main keyboard: MacBook Air
- Main mouse: Microsoft Sculpt Comfort
- Favorite switch: buckling springs
- DT Pro Member: 0172
Before the advent of electric computers, there were mechanical computers.elecplus wrote: ↑Well, I was referring to computer keyboards, specifically Although I believe 2 computers were built before I was born, so maybe I am mistaken. ENIAC used punched cards for input though, not a keyboard. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ENIAC No fohat, I don't think I am younger than you are.
- fohat
- Elder Messenger
- Location: Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
- Main keyboard: Model F 122-key terminal
- Main mouse: Microsoft Optical Mouse
- Favorite switch: Model F Buckling Spring
- DT Pro Member: 0158
Apparently there were a number of electronic computers built in the 1930s and 1940s, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer but ENIAC was the first in the US. Great book, too: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/720730.Eniacelecplus wrote: ↑
Although I believe 2 computers were built before I was born, so maybe I am mistaken. ENIAC used punched cards for input though, not a keyboard. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ENIAC No fohat, I don't think I am younger than you are.
But there were no punch cards. Programming literally meant plugging and unplugging literally hundreds (thousands?) of patch cables for each new computing run.
I was born in mid-1952.
- vometia
- irritant
- Location: Somewhere in England
- Main keyboard: Durrr-God with fancy keycaps
- Main mouse: Roccat Malarky
- Favorite switch: Avocent Thingy
- DT Pro Member: 0184
In my case, probably whatever it is in my Dragon 32 from 1982: "whatever it is" I suspect being Alps switches with nice doubleshots, but I've never actually verified what they actually are. The oldest thing I can actually practically use with my desktop computer is an SSK.