Model F Technical Manual Project

[Zcool31]

More!

render_keys_iso_np.png (500.11 KiB) Viewed 9963 times

classic_77.png (351.58 KiB) Viewed 9963 times

classic_62.png (284.5 KiB) Viewed 9963 times

[Zcool31]

compact_77.png (326.21 KiB) Viewed 9952 times

compact_62.png (262.94 KiB) Viewed 9952 times

[darkcruix]

If someone is interested on the crazy updates , here they are:
I have updated the PDF with mostly cosmetic changes. Apart from the correct page size (half-letter), I gave it the exact look of the 1981 to 1986 versions of the IBM Guides. The margins are now a match (IBM had some bad outliers and rarely stayed within them) The footers are now a match, too, and IBM never used headers in those years.
I did look at four original guides from that exact years and they did not even keep the font size consistent. For this version, I went for the original 5150 "Guide to Operations" for font size, borders, footer, and tables. IBM didn't use page numbers in a continuous way but counted pages per section, i.e. 4-23 would be Section 4, Page 23. I am not sure, if I want to do the same, but for now I count the pages through, starting from Section 1.

Content Update:
Added the "BezelMaster" to the table and clarified some items in the Getting Started guide. I also added references to later sections that don't exist, yet, but the LaTeX will insert those references later automatically. All figures for the standard layouts have been updated and split keys marked accordingly. Similar the updated figures for the F77 numpad standard options.

Planned Updates in Section: Hardware Overview:
- Show Barrel Plate Sandwich with Barrels
- Show 3 or 4 photos that show the sandwich taken apart
- Closing remarks on Section: Explaining that more information will be available in Section 4, including guides on how to re-seat keys / changing the layout / using the plastic stabilizer inserts / etc

[darkcruix]

This morning I took about hundred photos of the process to open the barrel plate sandwich and change the layout and re-assemble it again. Here's a small sneak peek of how these look like. This is all for the later section "Hardware Details"

assembly.png (1.74 MiB) Viewed 9885 times

I changed a F62 from a standard layout to a weird one with TIE Enter, Split Right Shift, and 4 keys to the right of the Space Bar. After the firmware update, all is working very well (including the cursor keys).

IMG_0913.jpg (128.66 KiB) Viewed 9872 times

[darkcruix]

OK, I locked-in the final design template for the Technical Reference. I did a complete original copy from the Technical Manual from 1984. I looked at all manuals that had the Model F as a part of the documentation and the IBM AT 5170 (first edition) had the most iconic design (before they moved to a new version in 1985 - including the Model M btw).
I went for full left and right Section marker in the margin and page numbers that are counted per section. Please have a look at the updated version here:
http://www.linux-tin.org/ModelFManual.pdf

Screen Shot 2020-08-30 at 17.57.04.png (200.8 KiB) Viewed 9792 times

Screen Shot 2020-08-30 at 17.57.11.png (39.3 KiB) Viewed 9792 times

Original IBM version:

Screen Shot 2020-08-24 at 21.07.24 (1).png (258.68 KiB) Viewed 9794 times

[darkcruix]

More!
render_keys_iso_np.png
classic_77.png
classic_62.png

I just looked at them in more detail - they look fantastic when printed. I am going to use specifically those in the Hardware Details in the later section. I will do real photographs but hope to have as many "drawings" as possible to keep things super close to the original references.

[OxC0FFEE]

I like yours better than the original! The font is a great touch.

[darkcruix]

Uploaded the September 1st version of the Technical Reference at http://www.linux-tin.org/ModelFManual.pdf.

The primary updates:
- Design has been locked-in
- Section 1 has been locked-in (focus shifted to finishing Section 2)
- Section 2 only misses three sub-sections I have planned / the corrections are nearly complete
- Section 3 planning has started (data collection / research / etc)
- Section 4 has been started to being outlined, order and additional content is still in movement

Help required:
- I am gathering data for different original IBM Models (length, depth, height without feet, weight, PN numbers, production dates). I have the following models myself: "F107, F122, XT, AT, XT Portable" to get most data from these.

[Zcool31]

The first version of my ISO enter render had an artifact:

enter_bad.png (12.5 KiB) Viewed 9642 times

All the later renders have that fixed:

enter_good.png (12.66 KiB) Viewed 9642 times

I'm pointing this out in case darkcruix cares enough to change the images.

[darkcruix]

The first version of my ISO enter render had an artifact:
enter_bad.png

All the later renders have that fixed:
enter_good.png

I'm pointing this out in case darkcruix cares enough to change the images.

He definitely does and will change it today (I have planned to make some more cosmetic changes later...

[darkcruix]

@Zcool31:
I have your beautiful barrel plate - I'd need a top and bottom half of a case also to replace my ugly drawing. Whenever you find a few minutes, could you ... ... help me with it?

[Zcool31]

@Zcool31:
I have your beautiful barrel plate - I'd need a top and bottom half of a case also to replace my ugly drawing. Whenever you find a few minutes, could you ... ... help me with it?

Not for free. I accept payment in photographs and measurements.

First, the barrel positions, especially for the larger keys like Shift and Space, are guesses. A clear top-down view, with maybe a few 1u keys for reference, would help.

I'd also like a view of the inside of the case. I haven't modeled it yet as it isn't visible in any renders so far. Here are descriptions of pictures that should be easy to take and also give me the most information.

First, take off the top cover flip it over, lay your ruler on the rim, and take a picture looking straight down. Don't worry about getting the perspective exactly right, I can fix that on my end. While you have the top cover off, could you also measure the dimensions between each pair of red arrows in this picture?

dims.png (62.6 KiB) Viewed 9600 times

Next, remove the guts of the keyboard from the bottom cover. Lay your ruler on the rim, and take a picture from above just like with the top cover.

If not too much trouble, could you also measure the height of the top and bottom covers? I have been assuming they are equal.

[depletedvespene]

I am reading now the latest version of the manual. I'll PM you in a little while a proposal for changes on section 2.5 (which is what I'm prioritizing for the well-known reasons).

[darkcruix]

I am currently out of the country and in a hotel room. I do have a F62 with me, but no rulers. I will try to buy one later today (and also a screw driver)... so bare with me.

...
Not for free. I accept payment in photographs and measurements.

First, the barrel positions, especially for the larger keys like Shift and Space, are guesses. A clear top-down view, with maybe a few 1u keys for reference, would help.

I'd also like a view of the inside of the case. I haven't modeled it yet as it isn't visible in any renders so far. Here are descriptions of pictures that should be easy to take and also give me the most information.

First, take off the top cover flip it over, lay your ruler on the rim, and take a picture looking straight down. Don't worry about getting the perspective exactly right, I can fix that on my end. While you have the top cover off, could you also measure the dimensions between each pair of red arrows in this picture?
dims.png

Next, remove the guts of the keyboard from the bottom cover. Lay your ruler on the rim, and take a picture from above just like with the top cover.

If not too much trouble, could you also measure the height of the top and bottom covers? I have been assuming they are equal.

[Zcool31]

I am currently out of the country and in a hotel room. I do have a F62 with me, but no rulers. I will try to buy one later today (and also a screw driver)... so bare with me.

Or, and this might sound crazy, how about doing this when you return home? Your keyboard will still be there. Or maybe it won't. Is it really such a good idea to travel with a very expensive thing? What if someone steals it? That's why when i travel, I take my cheap watch, wear my cheap suit, drive my cheap Lamborghini...

[darkcruix]

I am currently out of the country and in a hotel room. I do have a F62 with me, but no rulers. I will try to buy one later today (and also a screw driver)... so bare with me.

Or, and this might sound crazy, how about doing this when you return home? Your keyboard will still be there. Or maybe it won't. Is it really such a good idea to travel with a very expensive thing? What if someone steals it? That's why when i travel, I take my cheap watch, wear my cheap suit, drive my cheap Lamborghini...

I am addicted to the keyboard - how can I leave it behind without feeling the satisfying clonk of the keypresses and the singing sound of the vibrating springs?

[twasa]

This is such a great project. I've been meaning to offer my help if proofreading could be of any assistance.

[depletedvespene]

I am currently out of the country and in a hotel room. I do have a F62 with me, but no rulers. I will try to buy one later today (and also a screw driver)... so bare with me.

Or, and this might sound crazy, how about doing this when you return home? Your keyboard will still be there. Or maybe it won't. Is it really such a good idea to travel with a very expensive thing? What if someone steals it? That's why when i travel, I take my cheap watch, wear my cheap suit, drive my cheap Lamborghini...

I am addicted to the keyboard - how can I leave it behind without feeling the satisfying clonk of the keypresses and the singing sound of the vibrating springs?

I now have to wonder if one should have a regular zinc keyboard for the permanent office and a compact aluminium one for the travelling.

[darkcruix]

Or, and this might sound crazy, how about doing this when you return home? Your keyboard will still be there. Or maybe it won't. Is it really such a good idea to travel with a very expensive thing? What if someone steals it? That's why when i travel, I take my cheap watch, wear my cheap suit, drive my cheap Lamborghini...

I am addicted to the keyboard - how can I leave it behind without feeling the satisfying clonk of the keypresses and the singing sound of the vibrating springs?

I now have to wonder if one should have a regular zinc keyboard for the permanent office and a compact aluminium one for the travelling.

And this is approximately what I have ordered (I don't have the aluminum version, yet)
Currently I am traveling with the zinc F62 ... and it is heavy to carry

[darkcruix]

This is such a great project. I've been meaning to offer my help if proofreading could be of any assistance.

Any help is more than welcome. I am currently getting things re-arranged due to some great ideas from depletedvespene. Once the section 2 is re-arranged, any help on proof reading would be more than welcome. Right now, any additional ideas are also welcome for any of the sections.

[darkcruix]

I have updated the manual at http://www.linux-tin.org/ModelFManual.pdf. This time you will find a complete re-write of the section with the physical keyboard layout. depletedvespene has brought in all his wealth of knowledge around the topic and re-wrote it. There is still some polishing to do, but I think it is not only easier to read, but also has a better structure to it.
I wasn't sure, if Ellipse has created 5.5U and 5.75U space bars, but if I remember correctly, these have to be ordered from Unicomp. I could be wrong - any clarification would be great.

[Zcool31]

The pictures in section 2.1 look fine on my 1440p desktop display, but unfortunately they look quite atrocious on my tiny 1366x768 laptop. I need 250% zoom for the lines to resolve.

[darkcruix]

The pictures in section 2.1 look fine on my 1440p desktop display, but unfortunately they look quite atrocious on my tiny 1366x768 laptop. I need 250% zoom for the lines to resolve.

The PDF is created for printing ... I try the lower res PDF at: http://www.linux-tin.org/ModelFManual-Small.pdf. I have automated the creation of a lower res version that should look much better on screens.

[Zcool31]

100%:

zoom100.png (15.84 KiB) Viewed 9290 times

250%:

zoom250.png (64.76 KiB) Viewed 9290 times

My shader produces lines in screen space. If I render at lower resolution, it will look very different than scaling down a high resolution image.

[darkcruix]

I only have a MacBook Pro with me and the pictures look good - wither directly in Microsoft Edge or in Preview.
I did re-run your pictures through a 300dpi dither filter. Maybe this is causing some issues, too. Both of your pictures look ok to me.

[Zcool31]

720p:

compact_77_small.png (129.53 KiB) Viewed 9281 times

compact_62_small.png (105.99 KiB) Viewed 9281 times

480p:

compact_77_tiny.png (76.2 KiB) Viewed 9281 times

compact_62_tiny.png (63.62 KiB) Viewed 9281 times

Note: that isn't the actual final resolution. It is the size of the buffer to which I render before cropping empty space around the keyboard.

Edit: Original resolution scaled to 480p:

compact_62_scaled.png (59.84 KiB) Viewed 9269 times

[darkcruix]

I can create two versions - one for screen view at e.g. 720p and one for printing @ 300dpi or more.

For the re-creations in Photoshop (e.g. Split Keys) it is a bit more complicated, as it will take me some time to re-create them all in low resolution manually.
Best way would be a SVG file and line-art (nothing that can be rendered). Any thoughts, how we could do this in a better way other than having a low and high-res version?

[Zcool31]

The key layout views actually look fine - possibly because most lines are perpendicular. Only the perspective projection case views look not great.

[darkcruix]

The key layout views actually look fine - possibly because most lines are perpendicular. Only the perspective projection case views look not great.

Oh great - then let me get the two versions of the PDF done. I will re-create the low-res version done with all pictures converted from the original version to a width of 1280 and replacing the perspective projection ones with the new versions you have attached...

[darkcruix]

OK, uploaded a new small version with the 720p versions of the compact keyboards. Can you check?
http://www.linux-tin.org/ModelFManual-Small.pdf