The USB Converted IBM 5550 Multistation

[Mattr567]

Hey all! Just finished my latest project I love this thing, its the perfect combination. Looks, sound, and feel.

Finished pics first.







This particular Multistation is the later type with PBT keycaps, around 1985ish. From start to finish this project took about 2 months. The MS PCB is very complicated verses most Alps PCB's!



I chose to use an xwhatsit for the sole purpose of adding a solenoid, and I have It goes fantastic with the linear SKCL Green alps switches that are in it.



The keycaps are a mix of original mods and other keys, with alphas from an IBM P70 keyboard. They are the thick type and are absolutely wonderful. I didn't get the board with alphas so these are the next best thing. The original Multistation numpad caps are the exact same font. So in my mind at least, if IBM had made a Multistation for the US, it would use these exact keycaps

The only layout modding I did was to the bottom row, the small JIS spacebar had to go! To solve this I used a spacebar from a 5140 and used the other JIS spacebar keys to fill the gap - the 5140 spacebar isn't an exact unit for unit replacement for the 3 JIS keys. After some minor case trimming it looks super OEM. Fat alt's I call them.

Full details can be found in my workshop thread:
workshop-f7/converting-an-ibm-multistat ... 18759.html

Here's it in action!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZDcMJFwiL8

#dta8?

[Iggy]

Great work there, I like what you did with the lay-out, longer left shift and ISO enter on a single keyboard are my favourite. I'd like to try such a multistation keyboard one day.

Here's it in action!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZDcMJFwiL8

Okay, that's a machinegun firing, not a keyboard.
Granted, I"m not a fan of solenoids, but hey, it's your keyboard.

[Menuhin]

Great conversion job.
I think the Keyboard God answered your blood sacrifice and decided to give you some great "finger-massage". ^^

[depletedvespene]

The solenoid action's sound is quite different from the sound the beamers make, and it obviously derives from the different material (plastic) the case is made from. Now I have to wonder if anyone has bothered to record and catalog the solenoid sounds produced by different keyboards (a beamspring, this multistation, orihalcon's (?) SSK, an Apple M0110, etc.).

[hypkx]

The solenoid action's sound is quite different from the sound the beamers make, and it obviously derives from the different material (plastic) the case is made from. Now I have to wonder if anyone has bothered to record and catalog the solenoid sounds produced by different keyboards (a beamspring, this multistation, orihalcon's (?) SSK, an Apple M0110, etc.).

There are some of my solenoid sound samples: w-a-n-t-t-o-b-u-y-f59/beamspring-soleno ... id#p386013

[Mattr567]

The solenoid action's sound is quite different from the sound the beamers make, and it obviously derives from the different material (plastic) the case is made from. Now I have to wonder if anyone has bothered to record and catalog the solenoid sounds produced by different keyboards (a beamspring, this multistation, orihalcon's (?) SSK, an Apple M0110, etc.).

One other thing I did was add metal plate underneath the solenoid to help with the sound. The solenoid already has some metal there, so I just made it thicker essentially.