Great/Interesting Finds

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flowerlandfilms

20 Dec 2018, 02:39

Got some hopefully cool stuff coming in later today, but the idiot AusPost office is making me wait until 4pm.

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zrrion

20 Dec 2018, 04:30

digital_matthew wrote: This is...something...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Apple- ... :rk:3:pf:0
Its beautiful is what it is. I don't know or care what's under the hood of that thing but is would fun to find out.

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JP!

20 Dec 2018, 06:00

Ah yes, I smell MicroSwitch.

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flowerlandfilms

20 Dec 2018, 07:27

The keyboard fairy has arrived...
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flowerlandfilms

20 Dec 2018, 07:39

1 of 4: Took a chance on this numpad because Sanwa sometimes used Alps.
No such luck. Although interestingly the keycaps are Alps mount they just use a weird black adapter.
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flowerlandfilms

20 Dec 2018, 07:44

2 of 4: Another Sanwa SKB-M109UH, great source for transparent Alps keycaps.
Dumb apple font though. They use Black Alps.

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Last edited by flowerlandfilms on 20 Dec 2018, 07:59, edited 1 time in total.

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flowerlandfilms

20 Dec 2018, 07:48

3 of 4: SIGMA AFK-7711, I couldn't find any info on this board so I took a shot in the dark.
Turns out it's a Cherry mount slider of some kind.
Really cool caps though, I think they are Dye Sublimated.
And some re-legendables too, which is fun.
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flowerlandfilms

20 Dec 2018, 07:58

4 of 4: How about this for a finale, I have been searching for Alps editing keycaps for a while.
I saw the centrally mounted locklights on this beauty and thought it was worth the gamble.
Sure enough it's our good friend SKFM switches!
The ones with LEDs are even double shots. Now that's a win!

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flowerlandfilms

20 Dec 2018, 10:54

So much for "Sigma". Looks like I found a new Chicony.
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Keybug

20 Dec 2018, 23:11

Congrats, man! I nominate you for this year's greatest find award!

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Keybug

20 Dec 2018, 23:27

Good heavens! Are these the two pieces of stone inscribed with the Ten Commandments when Moses ascended Mount Sinai? The ones that Exodus 31:18 refers to as the "Tablets of the Testimony"?

But wait, there are actually three, not two. So were there in fact Fifteen Commandments? What sacred switches will those keyboards come with? Will the Vatican be placing bids?

Makes you wonder what further wonders the holiday season may have in store...

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depletedvespene

21 Dec 2018, 02:33

Keybug wrote: But wait, there are actually three, not two. So were there in fact Fifteen Commandments? What sacred switches will those keyboards come with? Will the Vatican be placing bids?
Funny you should mention this...

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Keybug

21 Dec 2018, 09:57

Lol, I'm cracking up. I may have seen this in my youth and drawn on it in subconsciously...

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Polecat

24 Dec 2018, 05:53

Oddball on ebay: Podworld with a Micro Switch label???

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-Vintage-Po ... :rk:1:pf:0

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Noobmaen

24 Dec 2018, 06:04

Polecat wrote: Oddball on ebay: Podworld with a Micro Switch label???

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-Vintage-Po ... :rk:1:pf:0
It's a micro switch ST keyboard, the box and manual don't seem to belong to it.

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Polecat

24 Dec 2018, 06:07

[quote="Noobmaen";p=432944

It's a micro switch ST keyboard, the box and manual don't seem to belong to it.[/quote]

Thks, that makes a lot more sense. :oops:

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Dingster

24 Dec 2018, 12:22

flowerlandfilms wrote: 2 of 4: Another Sanwa SKB-M109UH, great source for transparent Alps keycaps.
Dumb apple font though. They use Black Alps.

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Damn, any options of finding one of these in the EU :P
Love the transparent caps

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Myoth

24 Dec 2018, 15:43

Dingster wrote:
flowerlandfilms wrote: 2 of 4: Another Sanwa SKB-M109UH, great source for transparent Alps keycaps.
Dumb apple font though. They use Black Alps.

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Damn, any options of finding one of these in the EU :P
Love the transparent caps
pm'd ;)

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XMIT
[ XMIT ]

25 Dec 2018, 00:52

zrrion wrote:
digital_matthew wrote: This is...something...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Apple- ... 2965138878
Its beautiful is what it is. I don't know or care what's under the hood of that thing but is would fun to find out.
JP! wrote: Ah yes, I smell MicroSwitch.
Flat top 3? Stepped modifiers? Definitely Micro Switch Hall effect. It even has an XMIT key. :ugeek:

I'll put a bid on this one, but I'm honestly not expecting to win it. :roll: :lol: Those relegendable sphericals are super interesting.

Please go bid! Save me from myself!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Apple- ... 2965138878

Slom

25 Dec 2018, 06:22

XMIT wrote:
zrrion wrote:
digital_matthew wrote: This is...something...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Apple- ... 2965138878
Its beautiful is what it is. I don't know or care what's under the hood of that thing but is would fun to find out.
JP! wrote: Ah yes, I smell MicroSwitch.
Flat top 3? Stepped modifiers? Definitely Micro Switch Hall effect. It even has an XMIT key. :ugeek:

I'll put a bid on this one, but I'm honestly not expecting to win it. :roll: :lol: Those relegendable sphericals are super interesting.

Please go bid! Save me from myself!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Apple- ... 2965138878
A month ago we had almost the same board in a different case:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-Micro-Swi ... true&rt=nc

And these have allready been converted:
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=19688

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XMIT
[ XMIT ]

25 Dec 2018, 17:55

Looks like SF Goodwill is selling an "Avant Stellar", an Omnikey knockoff from about 12 years ago.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Creati ... 3057275186

I've bid here too, but won't mind being outbid. But if you see this here, and outbid me, I feel like you should post with teardown photos and clean it up well.

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Hypersphere

25 Dec 2018, 19:21

XMIT wrote: Looks like SF Goodwill is selling an "Avant Stellar", an Omnikey knockoff from about 12 years ago.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Creati ... 3057275186

I've bid here too, but won't mind being outbid. But if you see this here, and outbid me, I feel like you should post with teardown photos and clean it up well.
I have no interest in bidding on this. Just curious -- What would be the attraction for the Avant Stellar? I had the impression that this brand was an attempt to continue with a Northgate-like keyboard, but that the quality was substantially diminished. For my money, the Northgate Omnikey 101 with the US ANSI layout is the best of this line of keyboards -- too bad they didn't make this model with blue Alps like the NG 102 Gold Label (and its unfortunate they didn't make the Gold Label in a US ANSI version).

Hak Foo

25 Dec 2018, 19:42

Theoretically, it's not a difficult board to ANSI-mod... there's a hole for the |\ switch in the right place on the plate, so all you'd need is to drill holes in the PCB and jumper it in. (Or use one of BlindAssassin111's PCBs)

Still, nothing to recommend it over an older Northgate if you're already having to buy used.

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Polecat

25 Dec 2018, 20:44

Hypersphere wrote:
XMIT wrote: Looks like SF Goodwill is selling an "Avant Stellar", an Omnikey knockoff from about 12 years ago.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Creati ... 3057275186

I've bid here too, but won't mind being outbid. But if you see this here, and outbid me, I feel like you should post with teardown photos and clean it up well.
I have no interest in bidding on this. Just curious -- What would be the attraction for the Avant Stellar? I had the impression that this brand was an attempt to continue with a Northgate-like keyboard, but that the quality was substantially diminished. For my money, the Northgate Omnikey 101 with the US ANSI layout is the best of this line of keyboards -- too bad they didn't make this model with blue Alps like the NG 102 Gold Label (and its unfortunate they didn't make the Gold Label in a US ANSI version).
I was the first bidder, but I was just lowballing it in case it went cheap. Not something I need to have, with 14 Northgates here already I already need to find a way to stack them higher. ;)

Here's my black Avant with the ANSI mod. The earlier Northgates, all versions I believe*, also had the plate punched for this, but the PCB on some versions might take a bit of rerouting.

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=17564

The hard part is finding decent caps since the layout (all versions) is a bit odd. The Avants had winkeys on the bottom row, unlike the earlier Northgates. And The black Avants, and at least some of the beige ones, had crappy pad-printed caps, with blobs of clear paint over the printing. The case, plate, and PCB were of comparable quality to the early Northgates, it's the switches and caps that went downhill. And there's the problem with the EEPROM for the programming function. I hope someone here gets this!

*edit - this should probably say "...the earlier Omnikeys..." because Northgate also had OEM keyboards that came with their systems. The Omnikeys (101, 102, Plus, Ultra, Ultra-T, etc.) were sold separately, and are the ones most of us are most familiar with.

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Hypersphere

25 Dec 2018, 23:39

@Polecat: Thanks for the link to your Avant ANSI mod! Very ingenious. That mod would make the layout perfect for me, because when I refurbish boards and convert them to USB, I use Soarer's or Hasu's converter to remap them to something close to a HHKB layout. That split Right Shift is perfect -- I would remap the 1.0u Backslash key to Fn and the 1.5u Backslash to Backspace.

Lanrefni

25 Dec 2018, 23:41

IBM Wheelwriter 3 Keyboard for $34 +shipping

https://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-Wheelwrite ... SwEphcB~Qt

And a bolt modded one as well- https://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-Wheelwrite ... Sw0d1cBAa8
Last edited by Lanrefni on 25 Dec 2018, 23:47, edited 1 time in total.

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Hypersphere

25 Dec 2018, 23:46

An ARC (Chicony) keyboard. Looks like pine white Alps in fairly good shape:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/ARC-KB-5181-by ... %7Ciid%3A1

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XMIT
[ XMIT ]

26 Dec 2018, 00:23

Mostly I wanted to tear into an Avant Stellar and compare to a Northgate Omnikey. See what parts were made by the same manufacturers and what parts weren't. I missed my chance to buy them new 12 years ago. I remember passing on it because of the Big Ass Enter.

I do have an Omnikey Ultra-T that is in the middle of an ANSI mod. It's been in limbo for a while. queued behind some other projects.

I really don't need more keyboards for the collection. There are a couple that would be interesting to have. Mostly I need to finish cleaning and converting the ones I already have.

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Polecat

26 Dec 2018, 01:00

Hypersphere wrote: @Polecat: Thanks for the link to your Avant ANSI mod! Very ingenious. That mod would make the layout perfect for me, because when I refurbish boards and convert them to USB, I use Soarer's or Hasu's converter to remap them to something close to a HHKB layout. That split Right Shift is perfect -- I would remap the 1.0u Backslash key to Fn and the 1.5u Backslash to Backspace.
Thanks, but I can't take credit for the idea. I believe someone here did it before I did, or at least suggested it. The mod took all of twenty minutes, but I just wired the new switch across the original backslash. Ultimately I'd like to find an unused spot in the matrix so it generates a different scan code that can be remapped independently, but I haven't gotten that far yet. The Avant was going to be my main driver, but that was before I was talked into saving the Multitech KB-101A I'm using now.

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Polecat

26 Dec 2018, 03:12

Well I don't see this in the Wiki, under Systel or General Instrument. Anyone recognize the switches?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Vintage-K ... rk:16:pf:0

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