deskthority

I finally got some time to take a closer look at this large Micro Switch keyboard I got months ago.

Quite a bit of hardware in this one:
Built 50th week 1977.The numpad section is seperate and has it's own sticker and a different production date.
The PCB is mounted on metal mounts which are part of the metal bottom part of the case. It is possible to adjust the postion of the keyboard on these mounts.
This is my first keboard with flip switches. This keyboard has an adjustable speaker / beeper.
The swtiches look like the white slider variant of the Honeywell Hall Effect switch. Linear, medium travel, smooth, not quite as nice as dual magnet hall effect in feel though.

http://deskthority.net/wiki/Honeywell_Hall_Effect
Very nice doubleshots in orange grey for the function keys and white for the rest.
I'm not sure if or how the command list above the top row is supposed to work.
These flip switches sure are fun. I'm going OFF line
You think you got a long enough connector cable on your keyboard?

seebart wrote: I'm not sure if or how the command list above the top row is supposed to work.

The two "FUNK AUSW" keys should do the trick.

Beautiful board, indeed. I love them bit-paired layouts.

Thanks OleVoip, some more shots:

PCB
Reassembly
Side view

The older they are, the stranger they are. I love those orange curves on the top, so seventies! If only the case was brown.

You've got another Hall Effect Micro Switch board? Is it older or newer than this one? I remember Dorkvader explaining how they cheapened and simplified things a bit between the generations.

Now, for a change, you're right about the legends. They are doubleshots of course. But the secondary legends in this picture look to be grey instead:



The right arrow looks a bit indented, which is the telltale of engraving. But the comma and the semicolon don't. And the surely doubleshot W legend seems to look indented in that light, with the reflection coming off it. So colour me confused.

One thing I'm guessing: they aren't tripleshots. Whatever they are, though, they're in great condition.

I got three now, the dual magnet Hall Effect from 76, this from 77 and the naked board with the great colors from 78.And yes while this is quite solid it is not to be compared to my dual magnet Hall Effect from 1976 which is only a year older.

http://deskthority.net/keyboards-f2/mic ... ilit=micro

Now regarding those doubleshots, its that shot with the reflection. These caps are not engraved. They are as nice as those from 1978. None of mine are tripleshots.

http://deskthority.net/keyboards-f2/mic ... ilit=micro

Wow, that's beautiful! =o

Man, that IS beautiful. I think I'm in love with the '70s aesthetic those orange stripes convey, and I'm especially jelly of those stupidly thick spherical caps.

I'm not a huge fan of linear switches, myself, but that might be because the only ones Iv'e tried so far have been Cherry MX. A shame hall effect keyboards don't come along more often.

Awesome find, Seebart.

I like everything about this board. The toggle switches. The thick spherical caps. The curved orange stripes. Some aspects of it have a STNG look, but other aspects are more retro.

It's a beautiful keyboard. Do the switch tips light up? Looks like they might?

Thank you guys, you are right Hypersphere, it does have a little STNG vibe to it. But the whole thing is too 70s though. I do not know if the switch tips light up snuci, the connector is "alien", I'll have to take that apart if I want to power it up.

Do eet. Tell us of your adventures in converting it to USB!

Crazy Canadian XXIV wrote: Do eet. Tell us of your adventures in converting it to USB!

That's a long shot, not because of the connector, but because this baby probably speaks some wierd custom protocol. Anyway I'll have a look at the connector.

Great case and keycaps design. Lots of "1A3B" micro switch in this keyboard. Not much more other variant.
Are they all the same?

They all feel the same yes. And visually all look the same by number at top of the switch housing.

http://deskthority.net/wiki/Honeywell_Hall_Effect

seebart wrote: The text on some of the function caps leads me to believe this was for military use. "FUNK AUSW" is analyse radio transmission. Who was doing stuff like that with a fat keyboard like this in the 1970s?

As the orange stripes suggest that the two "FUNK AUSW" keys are related to a respective set of functions, it seems more likely to me, these simply mean "FUNKtion AUSWählen" (select function). Many of these functions relate to database terms: Feld (field), Satz (record) and index; there are next field/next record keys instead of cursor keys and "SPeicheRunG" (save) instead of return and enter keys. So this must be the keyboard of a data typist, made for entering records into a database.

Right, of course I was dreaming of more exciting exotic usage. Data entry is a little more realistic. Anyway I added a picture of the slider to the Honeywell Hall Effect wiki page for now.

http://deskthority.net/wiki/Honeywell_Hall_Effect

But why the super long cable? For office use?

In the 1990s, my keyboard and my CRT had cables that were even longer - the workstation they belonged to rattled in the server room on the opposite site of the corridor, whilst I could hear the birds sing outside my office window.
At home, I had my PC in the kitchen behind the fridge, which made a humming sound anyway, whereas keyboard and CRT were on my desk in another room.

OleVoip: Did you know that unknown keyboard? I owned this two weeks ago.

Is there anything special to consider when removing Micro-Switch Keycaps, or are you just pulling them up straight?

Slom wrote: Is there anything special to consider when removing Micro-Switch Keycaps, or are you just pulling them up straight?

No just pull straight up. Although Micro Switch had different switch types in their range. I only own two different kinds.

Magnetic Reed:

http://deskthority.net/photos-videos-f6 ... tic%20reed

Pulling up straight should work fine. It's a press fit, just friction holding the keycap on the plunger.

@terrycherry: I don't know that board, but I don't have the impression that it belongs to a data entry device. Some buttons seem to relate to alignment, orientation and magnification. "I S" and "II S" could be single-sided and double-sided, "Q" could be quantity, "S" start and "C" clear, then this could be the keypad of a photocopier. But maybe it controls a milling machine or something, I don't know. The two keys left to "BS" and "JQ" look as if they were labeled in Chinese or Japanese. Can you read them?

I'm taking the time to assemble the Siemens T1000. No time to take picture at this moment....
I know Chinese and Japanese both. "BS" left is "字倍" means double size of word; "JQ" left is "行倍" means double row.
Sorry, I didn't tell you this is the Japanese board which made in 1985 of 4weeks.

Did you think it could be made for FANU's milling machine? Because I can see one of the FANU made keypad socket seems like mine.
Take a look:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/LEBLOND-MAKINO-F ... 2358b0764c

Lets see some pictures of your (dis)assembly when you`re done terrycherry!

Sure, seebart=]
I"ll show yours all steps and details I worked.

You know... That is really one FUNKy keyboard! i think I'm in looove!

Awesome keyboard! I'm surprised about the date. I thought the white slider (irregular rectangle) was an 80's version.

I want metal toggle switches on my keyboard! Oh wait - I've got a UNIVAC with toggle switches.

mr_a500 wrote: Awesome keyboard! I'm surprised about the date. I thought the white slider (irregular rectangle) was an 80's version.

I want metal toggle switches on my keyboard! Oh wait - I've got a UNIVAC with toggle switches.

Thanks, even I manage to get nice vintage boards on occasion.

"Bit pair layout" means this keyboard doesn't adopt the matrix method but a "dumber" way that needs more ICs and is easier-to-understand method?

Wow where did you get this?????

MrDuul wrote: Wow where did you get this?????