Pet mysteries

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Since we seem to be sliding into a wholly off-topicthority site, and this bank holiday weekend hasn't been the hive of keyboard activity it should have been, here's an on-topic question:

What is everyone's pet mystery? Something that is stubbornly resisting being resolved/answered.

[seebart]

Obviously "the meaning of life" which is an ridiculous assertion in itself and vastly overrated. Close second being interhuman relationships. But that one I won't even get started on...

[Daniel Beardsmore]

ontopicthority…

I have a long list — things like the part number for B2R alternate action, whether Sasse Baureihe 25 included Hall effect, and many more.

The one that I most want to solve is to prove who made the standard four-tab clone types.

[fohat]

What lubricant did Alps use on its early switches?

[Techno Trousers]

Why did Taiwan never give up on the big ass enter key?

[emdude]

What hidden treasures lie in Unicomp's warehouse?

Spoiler:

[seebart]

OK so purely keyboard related?

Will we ever see a Beamspring Series1 here?

But of course ultimately...will the Alps vortex ever be fully ascertained?

[codemonkeymike]

Will anyone ever finish their custom Topre keyboards, and why is it so hard to make a Topre keyboard.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Doesn't "Alps vortex" include the clones? We'll never solve that fully — too much information is lost forever. I did get a lead on name of those funny little switches in that TH-5150: a Japanese company possibly called "Katano". No information about such a company seems to be in circulation now, but if you know where to look (and speak Japanese) you may be able to discover who they were. There were some Alps SKCC-like switches made by another Japanese company Jelco who are also now gone, and as you know, Tokai closed down in February (which is why I came across their optical switches, that I now can't ask them about!!)

There's still the mystery of Tai-Hao TH series keycaps (as found on the TH-5150) vs Cherry. Since Tai-Hao claim not to have ever sold TH series to anyone, then any keyboard demonstrably using TH series keycaps would have had to have been made by Tai-Hao. The trick is distinguishing them, as TH copied Cherry's typeface too and they're well-made.

To dig further into the Alps vortex I think you need to speak Chinese, and after several years I've had no luck getting a Chinese speaker involved. I can't even find out what happened to KBtalKing!

The company I'm more curious about is Omron — I want the series name for the "Alps-style" and "ball contact" switches, and to finally get my hands on B3G series.

[seebart]

Doesn't "Alps vortex" include the clones?

Sure, all the SKCM mount clones. Never say never Daniel!

There's still the mystery of Tai-Hao TH series keycaps (as found on the TH-5150) vs Cherry.

Yes, I'm actually less optimistic about Tai-Hao TH. Those seem to be quite rare. Yes, in summation we have few Asian members that are engaged in research like terrycherry who has been quite absent.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Terry briefly appeared and I tried to buy some yellow ITT DC-60 switches off him, but he'd already gone by then. I should have bought those from AliExpress while I still could.

I'm curious how long it will take to make the next breakthrough in Futaba switches (MD/MR/ML/MA series) — someone (I think that was also terrycherry) had some photos of the sealed type but they're all lost now. I have all the Futaba spec numbers, but I can't get hold of the specs themselves — those should prove the true series names.

I got so close with SMK J-M0404 series, but no-one with a part number has anything left in stock.

[tkim]

Will Matias ever release PBT caps?

[Daniel Beardsmore]

That's gone to join all the new Unicomp keyboards we were promised … I wonder what the tooling cost would be to have Tai-Hao produce a different typeface?

[PollandAkuma]

The biggest mystery is how I have survived till now. The second is why I'm not filthy rich.

[daedalus]

OK so purely keyboard related?

Will we ever see a Beamspring Series1 here?

I'm not sure if we're talking about the same thing, but the terminal keyboard for the IBM Series/1 minicomputer is probably my 'endgame' keyboard:



(http://www.computerhistory.org/collecti ... /102743636)

[seebart]

OK so purely keyboard related?

Will we ever see a Beamspring Series1 here?

I'm not sure if we're talking about the same thing, but the terminal keyboard for the IBM Series/1 minicomputer is probably my 'endgame' keyboard:



(http://www.computerhistory.org/collecti ... /102743636)

Yes we're talking about the same keyboard. You're one of the few people around here who would even know. I remember that picture, there aren't too many pictues of those online.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

The biggest mystery is how I have survived till now.

If it was your sanity that was at risk, run away now before the what's left of the House of Usher Deskthority, takes your mind to its final resting place.

The second is why I'm not filthy rich.

If the insanity hasn't taken hold of you, the financial ruin will get you instead!

Your question supposes that you believe that you have good reason to be filthy rich — have you been watching too many of those weird Internet ads?

[citrojohn]

Of course there are the perennial ones: the details of the green-cased G80-1800 allegedly made for Sailor Radio Company, and the report of a dyesubbed G80-1800 that photekq hasn't managed to get substantiated. Apart from those, being an ignorant newb, I have a few Cherry-related mysteries:

• G80-8917. Going by the dimensions (215 x 466 mm) I presume it's 8000-like, but I can't find confirmation. It may have been a Korean special - the site where I found it only listed it with a Korean layout.
• G80-9039. This seems to have been made right up to the end of doubleshot production (it appears in Cherry's list of doubleshot boards of that time). DE, GB and US layouts.
• G84-4321. This is a Russian-market folding keyboard for PDAs, with (if the article number is to be believed) MLs and dyesub caps. But I'm sceptical that even MLs can fit into a small enough space:
  
  
  (let's hope people don't use Y and B too often)
• G80-3181 - probably just a 3180 variant, but a 2x2 Enter key was mentioned, which piqued my curiosity!
• the identity of layouts BG (G83-6104LCMBG), CB (G81-3504LAACB), EE (G83-6105LCMEE), and RA (again on a G83-6105 - Russian-Arabic for use in Syria?!)

[Daniel Beardsmore]

ML is tiny — that G84-4321 could actually be ML. I want one of those now! The question is, how do you get a pointing stick into one?!

[Parak]

cough

[seebart]

cough

Haha I remember that. It's not a mystery though.

[Madhias]

I always wanted to know more about (Click Clacks?) picture of the 60% Model M or F above...

[seebart]

I always wanted to know more about (Click Clacks?) picture of the 60% Model M or F above...

It's a homebrew project no more. Someone did a good chop-job.

[Madhias]

Ah OK, I only knew that GH user Click Clack posted it a while ago.

[webwit]

A possible goldmine, for someone in the US... or maybe they cleared that stock long ago. Give 'em a call to find out.

post16821.html#p16821

Atronix.

Confirmed here as the manufacturer.

[micrex22]

Will the unicomp label guy ever stop falling asleep and be able to align the printing properly?

Will the Lexmark SSK mold ever be found?

[citrojohn]

ML is tiny — that G84-4321 could actually be ML. I want one of those now!

Me too - if it actually is ML...

The question is, how do you get a pointing stick into one?!

If you want a pointing stick, I guess you'll have to settle for a J84-4300...


(Edit: since it's aroused interest, I think it merits a thread of its own: keyboards-f2/cherry-g84-4321-folding-ke ... 16394.html)

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Are we ever likely to get the series name/part number(s) of the [wiki]Philips keyswitch[/wiki]? Those are fairly rare — they're not common in BBC Micros and are not known from any other equipment. The most common BBC Micro switch is Futaba MR-6C series, and that was recently found for the first and only time in something other than an Acorn machine.

Philips made computers, too, so in theory there's a Philips computer with them in somewhere. I found a Philips keyboard collector in the Netherlands and twice e-mailed him, but never got a reply.

[Myoth]

What happened to IvanIvanovich ? (as in this is a pet mystery to me)

[Hak Foo]

I thought there was a group buy that jumped the tracks in spectacular fashion and he disappeared.

Why did the ANSI-style enter never take off with ALPS boards?