IBM Model F AT Keyboard restoration and ISO layout mod
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
Hello everyone Here is my 1984 IBM Model F AT Keyboard restoration log hope you find it helpful.
How the keyboard Looked when I first got it
How the keyboard Looked when I first got it
- Attachments
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- IMG_20190209_211731 (2).jpg (4.43 MiB) Viewed 7418 times
Last edited by Fkazim on 04 Mar 2019, 01:13, edited 11 times in total.
- JP!
- Location: United States
- Main keyboard: Currently a Model M
- Main mouse: Steel Series Sensei
- Favorite switch: Beam Spring
- DT Pro Member: 0194
- Contact:
Very nice. Those AT's in German layout are super rare it seems and yours seems to be in excellent condition.
- depletedvespene
- Location: Chile
- Main keyboard: IBM Model F122
- Main mouse: Logitech G700s
- Favorite switch: buckling spring
- DT Pro Member: 0224
- Contact:
Mind if I feel a bit envious of you, for possessing that F AT?
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
Thanks a lot for all the support guys these keyboards are much nicer layout than the XT.
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
Thanks
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
Starting to remove all the key caps.
- Attachments
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- IMG_20190220_165100.jpg (836.6 KiB) Viewed 7532 times
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
All Key caps removed ready for ISO key caps.
- Attachments
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- IMG_20190220_170149.jpg (1.9 MiB) Viewed 7529 times
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
Image of the IBM logo IT EVEN HAS THE ORIGINAL PLASTIC WRAP STILL ON IT.
- Attachments
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- IMG_20190220_170200.jpg (404.47 KiB) Viewed 7527 times
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
All old key caps.
- Attachments
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- IMG_20190220_170520.jpg (417.64 KiB) Viewed 7524 times
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
Image of top case before being cleaned.
- Attachments
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- IMG_20190220_173927.jpg (766.86 KiB) Viewed 7524 times
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
Close up of the dirt on the top case.
- Attachments
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- IMG_20190220_173937.jpg (767.76 KiB) Viewed 7517 times
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
More dirt on the top case.
- Attachments
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- IMG_20190220_173950.jpg (284.2 KiB) Viewed 7518 times
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
Getting ready to clean the top case.
- Attachments
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- IMG_20190220_174024.jpg (968.99 KiB) Viewed 7513 times
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
Image of the capacitive sensing board for the keys.
- Attachments
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- IMG_20190220_190342.jpg (1.54 MiB) Viewed 7511 times
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
Image of the foam which appears in good condition but it is not as you will see in the next image.
- Attachments
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- IMG_20190220_190602.jpg (1.04 MiB) Viewed 7508 times
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
All key barrels removed at this point I knew it needed new foam.
- Attachments
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- IMG_20190221_224633.jpg (1 MiB) Viewed 7501 times
Last edited by Fkazim on 28 Apr 2020, 17:35, edited 2 times in total.
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
All keyboard parts disassembled.
- Attachments
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- IMG_20190221_225851_1.jpg (1.79 MiB) Viewed 7500 times
Last edited by Fkazim on 03 Mar 2019, 15:41, edited 1 time in total.
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
Image of all the buckling spring assemblies.
- Attachments
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- IMG_20190221_225858.jpg (2.33 MiB) Viewed 7495 times
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
Image of the lock light circuit board.
- Attachments
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- IMG_20190221_225920.jpg (1.07 MiB) Viewed 7493 times
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
New 3mm foam traced ready to be cut to shape.
- Attachments
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- IMG_20190222_010417.jpg (1.49 MiB) Viewed 7488 times
Last edited by Fkazim on 03 Mar 2019, 15:42, edited 1 time in total.
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
New foam in and a tip to anyone doing this use lots of clamps when reassembling.
- Attachments
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- IMG_20190222_220602.jpg (1.71 MiB) Viewed 7487 times
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
New foam installed and also space bar lightened by bending the wire stabiliser outwards and then using fishing line to hold the buckling spring in place while reassembling the keyboard.
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
Image of the completed keyboard Let me know what you think.
- Attachments
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- IMG_20190223_181603.jpg (353.42 KiB) Viewed 7480 times
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
The Manufacture label on the back of the keyboard.
- Attachments
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- IMG_20190302_160908.jpg (155.18 KiB) Viewed 7460 times
- snacksthecat
- ✶✶✶✶
- Location: USA
- Main keyboard: SSK
- Main mouse: BenQ ZOWIE EC1-A
- DT Pro Member: 0205
- Contact:
Ha! Reminds me of how many clamps I had to slap on when I stupidly used 1/8" foam to restore my F-122. And even with all this squeeze-power I still had a hell of a time getting it put back together.
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
Haha yeah I feel your pain but I would still say the IBM Model F is easier to work on than the IBM Model M what do you think?
- snacksthecat
- ✶✶✶✶
- Location: USA
- Main keyboard: SSK
- Main mouse: BenQ ZOWIE EC1-A
- DT Pro Member: 0205
- Contact:
F is much more modular and repairable. The darn rivets truly ruin M's (otherwise I feel they're great keyboards).
But M is less finicky from an electrical standpoint. I have a simple Soarer's converter that I made a long time back with Gnd, Vcc, data, and clock wired up. My F's don't work with this converter though. For the F's I have to also wire earth ground (?) to Gnd as well.
Sorry if this doesn't make sense. I don't understand basic electronics principals that you learn in jr. high.
But M is less finicky from an electrical standpoint. I have a simple Soarer's converter that I made a long time back with Gnd, Vcc, data, and clock wired up. My F's don't work with this converter though. For the F's I have to also wire earth ground (?) to Gnd as well.
Sorry if this doesn't make sense. I don't understand basic electronics principals that you learn in jr. high.
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
That's really useful info thanks for sharing and the plastic rivets really ruin M's as you said such a shame IBM chose that assembly method.
- digital_matthew
- Location: United States
- Main keyboard: Ellipse Model F62
- Main mouse: It's a Secret.
- Favorite switch: Capacative Buckling Spring
- DT Pro Member: -
I wouldn't be able to resist peeling that plastic off of the badge.