Model M appreciation

[depletedvespene]

Let's see the rest of that cable (it could well be a replacement). But if that thin logo triggers you, buy a replacement from Cindy! (she should still have some of those fantastic black cables in stock)

Cindy?

Cindy. https://www.elecshopper.com/ibm-sdl-to- ... e-new.html

[Darkshado]

Edit: i also hope to be upgrading my pc soon to the asus strix b450-f board and that comes with a ps/2 port so i wont need a long line of converters

I'd rather use a converter anyway since it enables hot-plugging via USB; also there's been reports of modern PS/2 ports not providing enough current, so look out for that.

[nelamvr6]

Let's see the rest of that cable (it could well be a replacement). But if that thin logo triggers you, buy a replacement from Cindy! (she should still have some of those fantastic black cables in stock)

Cindy?

Cindy. https://www.elecshopper.com/ibm-sdl-to- ... e-new.html

Thanks!

[Donnelly20]

I'd rather use a converter anyway since it enables hot-plugging via USB; also there's been reports of modern PS/2 ports not providing enough current, so look out for that

So If i use the AT to PS/2 and then the PS/2 to USB i will be able to hot plug the board ?

[Chyros]

Elecplus. She has a bunch of cool stuff, including NOS black IBM SDL cables.

[Fkazim]

Elecplus. She has a bunch of cool stuff, including NOS black IBM SDL cables.

Yeah so tempted to pick one up but its £34.95 shipped to the UK thats whats put me off.

[vometia]

Who still uses it as daily driver?
Why/why not?

I would but as my sleep schedule is rather erratic thanks to chronic insomnia and a lifetime of that "I have an awesome idea that I must act on immediately!" at 2am... well yeah, it keeps my gf awake and she gets grumpy about that, curiously enough.

What are your stories?

A lifetime of inadequate keyboards, starting from keyboards that were anything but inadequate (i.e. basically any UK "home computer" of the early '80s that used actual keys) but which were marred by snob value, through assorted clone terminal keyboards which had assorted levels of wonderfulness and dreadfulness, and a brief excursion into IBM Twinax, nice beam-springs with a clunker: I had no idea, but even then knew they were nice.

Anyway, mid '90s. By this time the Model M had passed me by (I'm mostly a Unix girl, so other than the odd dalliance with Linux in 92/93 PCs weren't my thing at all) and had seen the proper mechanical keyboards replaced by creaky Cherry-based NCD keyboards to the varying quality of rubber domes. DEC LK2xx keyboards weren't too bad; SGI ones were sort of okay; most other stuff was increasingly rubbish.

And lo! In about 1997 someone decided I needed a PC so I got a Dell Optiplex. Meh. Dell does PCs, I suppose, and Optiplex sounds like something I clean my contact lenses in. But it's so awesome to type on! And it sounds so good. And the weird thing is, if I'm still here after the cleaners arrive with their noisy Henries it sounds even better. I had no idea I'd just encountered my first Model M and it immediately set the bar by which all other keyboards shall be judged. And were found wanting for about another 10 years until I discovered what was the deal.

What makes a Model M a Model M?

Unicomp, as far as I know.

Can you type fast on it?

Not especially. Experience with keyboards: about 40 years. Ability to touch-type: er... let's not go there. My typing speed and accuracy are rubbish. But I'm convinced the M makes them better.

[Darkshado]

So If i use the AT to PS/2 and then the PS/2 to USB i will be able to hot plug the board ?

Yes, USB supports it, AT doesn't, so plug your adapter last and voilà! Hot plug.

(Hot plugging AT or PS/2 reportedly fries electronics, haven't had that bad luck but I recall having to restart the computer if the keyboard got unplugged and plugged back in for it to work.)

[Fkazim]

All this talk of AT connectors and bootlegs reminds me, the cable of my Model M bugs me. Surely they're not supposed to have a logo that looks like THIS, right?
IBerM.jpg
That's got to be too far off model for IBM to tolerate. I mean, here's an XT's plug for comparison.
IBMXTplug.jpg
So what's up with this cable? Is it some kind of replacement?

That IBM logo on your Model M's SDL cable is original. Most IBM Model M Keyboard made in the UK had that this text IBM logo yours is made in the UK so it makes sense that the IBM logo looks like that. If it bugs you can buy a new one though

[Obscure]

Who still uses it as daily driver?
Why/why not?

I would but as my sleep schedule is rather erratic thanks to chronic insomnia and a lifetime of that "I have an awesome idea that I must act on immediately!" at 2am... well yeah, it keeps my gf awake and she gets grumpy about that, curiously enough.

What are your stories?

A lifetime of inadequate keyboards, starting from keyboards that were anything but inadequate (i.e. basically any UK "home computer" of the early '80s that used actual keys) but which were marred by snob value, through assorted clone terminal keyboards which had assorted levels of wonderfulness and dreadfulness, and a brief excursion into IBM Twinax, nice beam-springs with a clunker: I had no idea, but even then knew they were nice.

Anyway, mid '90s. By this time the Model M had passed me by (I'm mostly a Unix girl, so other than the odd dalliance with Linux in 92/93 PCs weren't my thing at all) and had seen the proper mechanical keyboards replaced by creaky Cherry-based NCD keyboards to the varying quality of rubber domes. DEC LK2xx keyboards weren't too bad; SGI ones were sort of okay; most other stuff was increasingly rubbish.

And lo! In about 1997 someone decided I needed a PC so I got a Dell Optiplex. Meh. Dell does PCs, I suppose, and Optiplex sounds like something I clean my contact lenses in. But it's so awesome to type on! And it sounds so good. And the weird thing is, if I'm still here after the cleaners arrive with their noisy Henries it sounds even better. I had no idea I'd just encountered my first Model M and it immediately set the bar by which all other keyboards shall be judged. And were found wanting for about another 10 years until I discovered what was the deal.

What makes a Model M a Model M?

Unicomp, as far as I know.

Can you type fast on it?

Not especially. Experience with keyboards: about 40 years. Ability to touch-type: er... let's not go there. My typing speed and accuracy are rubbish. But I'm convinced the M makes them better.

Oh thank you so much! Your kind words remind me on playing Manic Miner/Jet Set Willy on the ZX-Sinclair back then. Those rubber keys were definitely better than those of the ZX-81 . Never had a problem with them as they were perfectly responsive. Hitting two keys simultaneously always resulted in the exact move. Never one after another. Every move was 100% reproducible, which never worked on other platforms. The accuracy of these games had great influence on me lasting up today. Thank you Matthew Smith.

[dcopellino]

M5-1.JPG (539.63 KiB) Viewed 4099 times

I rediscovered model M's quite late as computer geek, during my work at Italian broadcast television company. Here in the South of Italy, there were few chances to work in big companies and ibm workstations could be only found in big bank institutes or, indeed, at RAI Tv. At the beginning of 2000s I worked as web designer at local TV venue in Naples and it was there that a winter day I noticed in a corner on the floor, among other electronical waste, a nice m122, most likely doomed to the rubbish dump. My impulse to save it was as prompt as that of someone who saves a cat on the speedway, turning me into a petty thief. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to claim it at the light of sun between bureaucratic procedures and frantic requests in unidentified offices.
The die was cast and that keyboard would have inoculated me with a strange virus worth of Gotham's Arkham freaks which will turn me into a fucking model M's & F's compulsive serial collector. This wonderful and well mantained M 5-1 ibm keyboard was acquired about more than 10 years ago from clickykeyboards before Ermita transformed his graveyard e-commerce in a close club for rich landowners. You can have a look to my personal treasure room, although I will be careful not to give you my home address : https://www.dariocopellino.com/ibmkeybo ... lneverdie/
You can browse it by smartphone or any other mobile device even if I suggest you to do it with a mouse.

[dcopellino]

In a lazy afternoon in South of Italy, warm is starting to make itself felt.... So instead of going out I preferred to swap key caps.
What do you think?

IMG_20190611_162326 (2).jpg (1.56 MiB) Viewed 4029 times

IMG_20190611_162336 (2).jpg (1.89 MiB) Viewed 4029 times

[depletedvespene]

Nice! If I may ask, what did you do to make the cream B, G and H keys fit on the M13?

[dcopellino]

Hi, no problem at all with the B key. G & H were cut with a cutter on the corners and then filed, though. Fortunately I had some spares.

[depletedvespene]

Further question: I noticed you got a 7U space bar and the accompanying mods are (stepped) 1.25U keys instead of 1.5U. Why so? Because 1.5U wouldn't fit or because you didn't have enough of those?

[dcopellino]

Because I followed Geekhack tut by YakMN and you'd need to file the keyboard case in order to fit 1.5U. Anyway I wasn't scared to do so, but I preferred the 1.25 ones due to the key design I consider more inline with the ALTS modifiers. They give an F122 retro look style to the mod notwithstanding the legends totally wrong. Anyway, as you can see from my other pics i don't dislike stickers...
More "hot" info about my Ibm model F AT mod here: viewtopic.php?p=445210#p445210