deskthority

This just arrived about 20 minutes ago. The feeling you get on your fingers is rather strange, there is a real ping, and it sounds very old fashioned. I can't imagine what life must have been like, working in an open plan situation, with about more than five people typing on these things at once!

My example has green ALT key lettering, any ideas why?

I'll report fully once I've lived with it for a while.

In the meantime, where can I purchase the right 'bit' to open it open and give it a jolly good clean?

With best wishes,
SY

This will work well.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stanley-7-32-He ... 2edbaf7e33

5.5mm is the closest metric size and works equally well.

If you buy a socket, make sure that it is "long" and "thin-walled"

Thanks, an afternoon in and I am in love... a cliche heh?

Its very different to anything I have ever used, and it will still take time, getting use to, but I think I'm done. I am not sure if this example is the best SSK in the world, some keys don't like to be pressed unless you are dead centre on them... but I have cleaned just a few, and after 28 years, the quality looking back at me is just incredible, no wear to the keys, the case is bright and original looking, no yellowing, no bending. Its a joy to use.

BUT I think within a week my fingers will be more muscular. Its a workout typing on it. And will get better with a jolly good clean.

The SSK is a beautiful keyboard. Enjoy!

Hypersphere wrote: The SSK is a beautiful keyboard. Enjoy!

Couldn't agree more.

@SY The thing you write about you having to press some keys dead center could be due to some adjacent rivets being broken in that area, something you can find out when you open the beauty up. I found a suitable socket wrench in a hardware store in town, but I had to shop around a bit until I found one that was slim enough. With regards to the Alt keys, all of my Model Ms have green text on Alt. I guess that's just the way IBM did it.

SSKs are great, you sure will love it the more you use it! The first time i tried out a SSK or Model M in general was for me amazing. I think Ms have a nice click, much more mature than Cherry MX Blues or Greens (or Whites). Of course there are Beamsprings, and Model Fs, but not in that shape, layout and size as a SSK. And that's the reason why i love them that much.

If you want to bolt / screw mod, there are so many guides and methods out there, or look at my thread, there are some pictures which could help you!

fohat wrote:This will work well.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stanley-7-32-He ... 2edbaf7e33

5.5mm is the closest metric size and works equally well.

If you buy a socket, make sure that it is "long" and "thin-walled"

Thanks but I'm in the UK. Will this work?
1/4" Shank 7mm Spanner Hex Nut Driver Bit 2 Pieces https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0053O99HI/ ... Rub0TQY08F

You'll need a 5,5 mm or 7/32" nut spinner (there are several on Amazon) or use a plastic pen and melt it (there is a guide here on DT, i have to search for it).

Go to Maplin and get one of these sets:

http://deskthority.net/f-o-r-s-a-l-e-f5 ... ml#p191737

Thoroughly useful, and dirt cheap. They cost more when I bought mine. The right size for Model M disassembly is included. As are Model F insides and beamsprings! IBM loved to use a bunch of hex bolts in that size range.

Anyway, glad you warmed up quickly to Model M! I type on my SSK so often it's ridiculous, given the array of boards I've got here it's clearly a practical favourite of mine. They're not the most modern of things, or really very much like anything else out there at all, but they make damn good typing. Again and again and again and again and again!

That's what i searched for, a great guide from webwit for the pen trick instead of a nut spinner:
http://deskthority.net/post34013.html?#p34013

Muirium wrote: Go to Maplin and get one of these sets:

http://deskthority.net/f-o-r-s-a-l-e-f5 ... ml#p191737

Thoroughly useful, and dirt cheap. They cost more when I bought mine. The right size for Model M disassembly is included. As are Model F insides and beamsprings! IBM loved to use a bunch of hex bolts in that size range.

Anyway, glad you warmed up quickly to Model M! I type on my SSK so often it's ridiculous, given the array of boards I've got here it's clearly a practical favourite of mine. They're not the most modern of things, or really very much like anything else out there at all, but they make damn good typing. Again and again and again and again and again!

Thanks, I shall try and get to my local store ASAP!

Madhias wrote: SSKs are great, you sure will love it the more you use it! The first time i tried out a SSK or Model M in general was for me amazing. I think Ms have a nice click, much more mature than Cherry MX Blues or Greens (or Whites). Of course there are Beamsprings, and Model Fs, but not in that shape, layout and size as a SSK. And that's the reason why i love them that much.

If you want to bolt / screw mod, there are so many guides and methods out there, or look at my thread, there are some pictures which could help you!

Really amazing work, many thanks for sharing. Would love to see photos of the final finished product.

Khers wrote:

Hypersphere wrote: The SSK is a beautiful keyboard. Enjoy!

Couldn't agree more.

@SY The thing you write about you having to press some keys dead center could be due to some adjacent rivets being broken in that area, something you can find out when you open the beauty up. I found a suitable socket wrench in a hardware store in town, but I had to shop around a bit until I found one that was slim enough. With regards to the Alt keys, all of my Model Ms have green text on Alt. I guess that's just the way IBM did it.

Thanks, I really hope the rivets aren't broken, but this is an item from '87, so quite possibly, you may be right. Are rivets easy to source and replace? Sometimes the larger keys are a little sticky too, both shifts like to stick. But then a light tap and it releases. Any ideas what may be causing this?

Any fellow IBM MODEL M geeks in or close to London?

congrats on your IBM Spacesaver. You'll like it more and more...and when you're bored check out (if you haven't done so) our own SSK club.

http://deskthority.net/photos-f62/ibm-s ... t2885.html

Sticky keys isn't something I've seen on a Model M… unless I just put them on wrong. Are they still clicking, like the other keys? Sometimes they just need pulled and reseated. I advise pulling all the caps and giving them a clean, anyway. I put them in hot washing up water and rub them by hand, and leave them out overnight to dry. Always been a stickler for clean caps!

I've been lucky and never had a Model M with many broken rivets. Once you can get the case open, have a look at the rivets and report back. If they're broken, they won't have the flat caps on them, you'll just see the thin stalk instead. If they're fractured, you should be able to feel it by pulling with your fingernail.

The only way to replace rivets is to do a bolt mod. A lengthy and involved piece of work. You strip the whole keyboard down completely and rebuild it with metal bolts instead. I did this once and it's an ordeal, the first time especially!

Madhias wrote: SSKs are great, you sure will love it the more you use it! The first time i tried out a SSK or Model M in general was for me amazing. I think Ms have a nice click, much more mature than Cherry MX Blues or Greens (or Whites). Of course there are Beamsprings, and Model Fs, but not in that shape, layout and size as a SSK. And that's the reason why i love them that much.

If you want to bolt / screw mod, there are so many guides and methods out there, or look at my thread, there are some pictures which could help you!

I presume the barrels, the black uprights I can see when the keycap is removed, should be tight, and not slide around? On my unit, there is slight movement, when I first got the board, the keycaps looked really badly aligned. I really hope this doesn't mean I need to rebuild the whole thing! Also, could this account for sticky keys? Like I said above, its only the larger keys, so far only both shifts that are doing the sticky thing.

HELP!

ShivaYash wrote:

Madhias wrote: If you want to bolt / screw mod, there are so many guides and methods out there, or look at my thread, there are some pictures which could help you!

Really amazing work, many thanks for sharing. Would love to see photos of the final finished product.

The pictures of this bolt and screw mod thread are from 4 various Model Ms. I posted or rather spamed some pictures of the keyboards in various threads, one of them two days ago here or here.

Muirium wrote: Sticky keys isn't something I've seen on a Model M… unless I just put them on wrong. Are they still clicking, like the other keys? Sometimes they just need pulled and reseated.

I've been lucky and never had one with many broken rivets. Once you can get the case open, have a look at the rivets and report back. If they're broken, they won't have the flat caps on them, you'll just see the thin stalk instead. If they're fractured, you should be able to feel it by pulling with your fingernail.

The only way to replace rivets is to do a bolt mod. A lengthy and involved piece of work. You strip the whole keyboard down completely and rebuild it with metal bolts instead. I did this once and it's an ordeal!

Lets hope I don't have too many broken rivets.

The barrels shouldn't move at all. You're sure it's not just the springs inside? The barrels are all one big piece of plastic: the barrel frame, which must be solid for the board to work right.

The only way to replace rivets is to do a bolt mod. A lengthy and involved piece of work. You strip the whole keyboard down completely and rebuild it with metal bolts instead. I did this once and it's an ordeal!

a screw mod might be "easier" depending on your tool recources.

http://deskthority.net/workshop-f7/ibm- ... ml#p196202

Muirium wrote: The barrels shouldn't move at all. You're sure it's not just the springs inside? The barrels are all one big piece of plastic: the barrel frame, which must be solid for the board to work right.

They (or I should say it, as they form the frame) is able to move alright, only when pushed with my fingers I should say. When I first opened the parcel, I noticed immediately the keycaps were all pushed to the LEFT HAND SIDE, I took a photograph:
See the difference in gap circled in RED.

After some time of using the board this afternoon, I wanted to see why the keys were like this, so I took off a keycaps and for the first time, saw the black upright barrels. I carefully checked to see if this was aligned and I was able to re-position the barrel frame, so that the keycaps were properly centred in the top plate.

I presume this means I have many broken rivets! All the keys however are working, I checked. The only issue I am having, occasionally I should add, are the sticky SHIFTS. And the other observation, perhaps a quirk of this board, the large keys don't press if you hit the edges, one needs to almost hit the larger keys dead centre. This does not apply to the spacebar though.

The seller (a forum member) said sticky keys often are a result of the shipping process, and that I should reseat the key and press it several times. I've tried this and its not really working. Could temperature have an affect? The board was really cold when I first received it and now is up to room temperature. I should not think it would make a difference but I am new to the whole IBM game.

if everything is pushed to the LEFT HAND SIDE you need to stop using it and open the keyboard and take a look! The entire plate may be misaligned in the case although I have never heard of or seen such a case! This is wrong and not good. Don't use force on it. This has nothing to do with the barrels. All the barrels are fixed in place. No tempature does NOT make any difference! These keyboards are built solid! Everything you are writng sounds like there is a problem with the barrelplate alignment inside the case which I find highly unusual.

Given that the barrels are molded in a plate you should not be able to move them individually, which means that I guess you're moving all barrels simultaneously? It could be an indication of that all ( ) rivets are broken, or that the entire assembly is not seated properly in the case...

seebart wrote: congrats on your IBM Spacesaver. You'll like it more and more...and when you're bored check out (if you haven't done so) our own SSK club.

http://deskthority.net/photos-f62/ibm-s ... t2885.html

Thanks, mine is just stock but I'll keep any eye on your thread and make my maiden post shortly, once I have my niggling issues sorted.

With best,

Khers wrote: Given that the barrels are molded in a plate you should not be able to move them individually, which means that I guess you're moving all barrels simultaneously? It could be an indication of that all ( ) rivets are broken, or that the entire assembly is not seated properly in the case...

Yes, sorry for my lack of terminology. I was able to very carefully shift the whole plate, all the barrels therefore moved at the same time. I'll get the correct tool tomorrow and open up the board and take a look. I think its most likely a re-seating issue, for the keyboard works, I've typed all these responses on it with no issues, other than the annoying sticky SHIFTs issue.

or that the entire assembly is not seated properly in the case...

that's what ShivaYash's discription sounds like to me. Rivets could be broken too of course.

Yes, sorry for my lack of terminology

Don't worry about it. Not important now!

The metal plate is fixed on two spots of the bottom frame. These two pieces could be broken, and then the plate plus keycap frame is loose. I hade this plastic things broken in one case, and fixed it with some sort of glue.

This is the spot, in the upper right corner, where the metal plate is fixed. A weak point if a Model M is sent arround the world not only once!



Image from Icarium

Am I the only one, or does it just feel good to sit in front of a ssk? Feels like you could conquer the world... ehm the internet. It's not only the typing experience, it's the overall look and design which makes the ssk awesome and in my opinion one of the best (maybe the best) keyboard out there.

+1. Even in its native beige and caps, it's one of the best looking keyboards ever made. All that IBM goodness in a svelte case. It's almost perfect. Only the Kishsaver really challenges the SSK.

snoopy wrote: Am I the only one, or does it just feel good to sit in front of a ssk? Feels like you could conquer the world... ehm the internet. It's not only the typing experience, it's the overall look and design which makes the ssk awesome and in my opinion one of the best (maybe the best) keyboard out there.

You are not the only one. I feel the same way about the SSK. However, since rediscovering Model F keyboards and discovering Matias and Topre switches, I have found three switch types that I like better than the IBM membrane buckling springs employed in Model M keyboards. If the SSK were a Model F with capacitive buckling spring switches, then it would be even closer to perfection.