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Goodwill find
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dotdash
- Location: Chicago
- Main keyboard: Model-M 1988
- Main mouse: MS Intellimouse
- Favorite switch: Buckling Spring
Like many, whenever I visit a thrift store I check the inevitable pile of sticky old rubber dome garbage keyboards. I happened to visit a local Goodwill recently and made the obligatory check. I came across a filthy, late 90's Mac looking board. It felt heavier than a typical Apple board of the time, so I gave it a second look. The case was cracked, missing a foot, and in that unfortunate clear plastic 90's Mac clone style, but surprisingly the switches felt good. The back was nondescript,
but I found markings on the spacebar
It turned out to be the original version of the Tactilepro, which was OEM'd by Strongman and has grey Alps (and a couple of greens with LEDs)
A bunch of keys were binding due the case damage and the button for the power on switch was missing, but out of the case all the keys seem to work. It's got some weirdness, f13-15 instead of Print screen, Scroll lock, and pause. Media keys that only send OS codes, and an eject key that seems to send nothing. All in all, worth the five bucks, even with the hideous case.
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Findecanor
- Location: Stockholm, Sweden
- DT Pro Member: 0011
Nice find!
F13 to F15 was a custom since the Apple Extended Keyboard, whereon the keys also said PrintScreen/ScrollLock/Pause. That keyboard's extended layout was intended for a PC expansion card for the Macintosh II, but design elements lingered for a long time.
F13 to F15 disappeared from the Apple USB Keyboard (transparent iMac) but came back on the Apple Pro Keyboard together with the media keys above the numpad. The Tactile Pro looks like it was patterned after the Apple Pro Keyboard.
On the first full-size alumnium keyboard, the media key functions were moved to combinations with the Fn key, so the keys on the top row were numbered all the way to F19 — which they still are.
IBM PC-specific legends lingered on Apple's own keyboards for a time - the last was the "alt" on the Option key that got removed in 2017.
F13 to F15 was a custom since the Apple Extended Keyboard, whereon the keys also said PrintScreen/ScrollLock/Pause. That keyboard's extended layout was intended for a PC expansion card for the Macintosh II, but design elements lingered for a long time.
F13 to F15 disappeared from the Apple USB Keyboard (transparent iMac) but came back on the Apple Pro Keyboard together with the media keys above the numpad. The Tactile Pro looks like it was patterned after the Apple Pro Keyboard.
On the first full-size alumnium keyboard, the media key functions were moved to combinations with the Fn key, so the keys on the top row were numbered all the way to F19 — which they still are.
IBM PC-specific legends lingered on Apple's own keyboards for a time - the last was the "alt" on the Option key that got removed in 2017.
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apastuszak
- Location: Bensalem, PA, USA
- Main keyboard: IBM Model M
- Main mouse: Kensington Slimblade Trackball
- Favorite switch: Buckling Spring
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
Nice find.
i didn't know about these particular boards-
dotdash
- Location: Chicago
- Main keyboard: Model-M 1988
- Main mouse: MS Intellimouse
- Favorite switch: Buckling Spring
I was only familiar with the later Tan/Black Matias boards with the Matias Alps clone switches. I got curious of the history when I saw the grey Alps and noticed the controller identified itself as strongman when the keyboard was plugged in.