deskthority

FactoryCat, here’s Soroban 1963 catalog. You can read more about your keyboard (or its siblings) on PDF pages 2, 43–45, and 75–76.

Also, this has stuff in Appendix A.

It sort of depends on your definition of a keyboard…? Many early computers had binary toggles/switches on the console, but I personally don’t consider them keyboards. There were also weird hybrids, like a BINAC in 1949 which had a 0–7 octal keypad and a typewriter that could only output digits 0 to ...

Thanks! I see it now. Fascinating. I have scant idea what this does! I’ll ask around. Soroban Engineering was founded in 1954, so that means it can’t qualify as the first computer keyboard, though. Visually, it seems similar to the LINC keyboard Soroban did, but I’m sure you found that one already.

No luck for me. I tried a few browsers and in incognito myself.

Sorry, that also doesn’t work. Tried in Chrome and Firefox. I would suggest testing in incognito mode on your end? They might work only because you’re signed in and the site recognizes you.

FactoryCat, neither of these work – they show “please update your account to enable 3rd party hosting” images.

FactoryCat, can you post some photos?

This is a Teletype Model 40, also called “Dataspeed.” Came out in 1979. AFAIR was supposed to be accompanied by a CRT. I think HaaTa has one in his collection and could explain its mechanics better. It had a cool “press harder for autorepeat” mechanical functionality. You can check out its huge manu...

I found this in the UNIVAC 1 maintenance manual ( http://www.mirrorservice.org/sites/www.bitsavers.org/pdf/univac/univac1/UNIVAC1_Maintenance_Manual_Jan58.pdf ): 1-128. The keyboard unit houses three keyboards, keyboard microswitches, and capacitors (one of each for each key), and a resistor-matrix ...

Thanks to both of you! After some digging, it still looks like the 1951 Univac is the earliest dedicated keyboard connected to a computer that was not a repurposed teletype or an electric typewriter. It doesn’t have individual key switches, though, and it looks a bit more electromechanical than we’r...

Hi, new member here. I’m doing a bit of research on the first real computer keyboard, and HaaTa suggested this might be a good place to tap into other people’s knowledge/prior research. :·) ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— I think early computer keyboards can be divi...

Anyone has any idea what this is? http://i.imgur.com/4jgN3dU.jpg All I know is, that it's most probably a Polish mechanical keyboard (or made by someone for a Polish company). The badge on the left says "ICE Komputer Personalny AT", which means "ICE Personal AT Type Computer " Apologies for jumping...