deskthority

Hello and good day to my brothers and sisters in keyboard.

I got this in the mail recently



Seeing that there is little information on the internet about this particular numpad, when I search for victor numpad or the model number BV30F03A, I decided to make this post. Maybe I am just dumb, to which I am very certain that I am, or who knows this could help some folks in the future when they stumbled across the same thing. And where else to entrust this trivial information but DT, amiright folks?

Also in the process of making this post, I stumbled across an interesting trip on keyboard knowledge. More to that later.

So first thing first, take it apart and clean it up



Then I wonder: to which would this numpad goes to? After browsing through a number of victor technologies portable computer image, I stumbled across this site, in French:

https://www.obsolete-tears.com/victor-v ... e-305.html

Great source of information, sadly I dont understand a thing as I do not speak, nor read, French. Long story short this is a numpad for the Victor V386PX computer. This beauty:



Here are some images of the internal, switches are SKCM white Then, when I come to inspect some marking at the bottom shell


Certainly an Ah-ha moment. OEMMAX, MCK something? Ring a bell, of course, this is from Ortek. Went on the wiki to learn a bit more about this:
wiki/Ortek_MCK-22

Interestingly, there is not much info on it. And to quote the wiki:

The lower shell of the Ortek MCK-18 is marked "MCK22", and the MCK-18 has four unused PCB and plate positions that would give it the full 22 switches. Having yet to be seen, the identity of these extra four switches is not known.

My guess is that this might be known, to people, for a long time. But not to me, and possibly not to many people. So here it is if you wonder what are those four switches for

Last note, would not be completed without mentioning the caps



Now since I have seen this, next step is to update the wiki at some point.

ntv242ver2 wrote: ↑

21 Feb 2023, 22:03

[…] Then I wonder: to which would this numpad goes to? After browsing through a number of victor technologies portable computer image, I stumbled across this site, in French:

https://www.obsolete-tears.com/victor-v ... e-305.html

Great source of information, sadly I dont understand a thing as I do not speak, nor read, French. […]

Here's an automatic (and as a whole, given the casual tone of the French text, astonishingly and frighteningly good) translation by DeepL:

Victor V386PX

Release date: 1988

The Victor V386PX is, as its name suggests, built around an Intel 386 processor. The beast is quite big, and is more like a transportable. Its power allows it not to take this weight as a big handicap.
Its black and white backlit LCD screen is of very good quality.

The machine has a 40 MB hard drive and a 3.5" 1.44 MB floppy drive as standard. The keyboard is detachable, which is very useful for office work. The keyboard is small and mechanical, but with closely spaced keypads to fit under the screen when the computer is closed. A numeric keypad is available, also marketed by Victor. It connects to one of the two serial ports available on the back of the machine. Under the keyboard there are two slots for two floppy disks, another handy feature.

As for the extensions on the back of the machine, in addition to the two DB9 serial ports already mentioned, there is a printer port, a VGA output, and two more original ports. One allows you to connect a 5.25" floppy disk drive, and the other is of an unknown format.
A good machine, but it is quite difficult to find information about it. If you have something to fill this form, don't hesitate to let me know!)

That is some juicy translation. Thank you. Now seeing that the keyboard is mechanical (very high chance that it is also skcm white or maybe better), it gives me lots of ideas. All of which involved CUSTOMMMM!!!! But i need to find a standalone keyboard module, if it survives, and is somehow, alone first.

Fun thing, now I just realize how much the bezzel of the detachable keyboard module resembles mck-84 compact keyboard. Cool stuff.

Hey, stumbled onto some NOS modules:) dm me, also have a mck-84, noticing the similarities lol

jejex wrote: ↑

08 May 2023, 22:10

Hey, stumbled onto some NOS modules:) dm me, also have a mck-84, noticing the similarities lol

Cheers, I myself just got a Victor V386PX keyboard module recently too! Without saying who, if you also get one from a certain UK seller, than mine would come from the same source.

Anyways, been meaning to update this thread with the laptop keyboard module, but things get in the way i havent had time to fully tear it down yet.

Soon tm