Great/Interesting Finds

[stormbourne]

I saw this Avant Prime today: https://www.ebay.com/itm/122854520294

That Avant Prime got relisted today with a lower price ... https://www.ebay.com/itm/Avant-Prime-Ke ... 2876390386

[stormbourne]

I saw this Topre Realforce 104UW today: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Topre-Realforc ... 2876389917

[mike52787]

I saw this Avant Prime today: https://www.ebay.com/itm/122854520294

That Avant Prime got relisted today with a lower price ... https://www.ebay.com/itm/Avant-Prime-Ke ... 2876390386

still 3x more than what it's worth

[Elrick]

I saw this Avant Prime today: https://www.ebay.com/itm/122854520294

That Avant Prime got relisted today with a lower price ... https://www.ebay.com/itm/Avant-Prime-Ke ... 2876390386

still 3x more than what it's worth

The beauty of Flebay, where every seller can make a substantial profit on whatever they sell .

[mike52787]

The beauty of Flebay, where every seller can make a substantial profit on whatever they sell .

Except the fact that it probably will never sell at that price

[Elrick]

Found this ancient looking "Vintage NCR Workstation Keyboard" ;

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Vintage-NCR ... Sw2iNZ5QGb

I am only showing it here due to our ravenous hunger for anything using ALP's switches ; )

[Keybug]

Damn, which of you B*** snatched this up from in front of my nose?! It's the Fujitsu leaf spring Chyros reviewed... Fetched quite a price, too. I suppose shipping to Germany killed it for me or I would have gone a bit higher myself (lost out at 111.11 USD).

[ohaimark]

Found this ancient looking "Vintage NCR Workstation Keyboard" ;

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Vintage-NCR ... Sw2iNZ5QGb

I am only showing it here due to our ravenous hunger for anything using ALP's switches ; )

Those actually look like Omron keycaps, not Alps. (Yep. Scrolled through more photos and those keyboards use Omron White switches. Could be clicky, linear, or tactile -- it apparently varies.)

[Engicoder]

Found this ancient looking "Vintage NCR Workstation Keyboard" ;

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Vintage-NCR ... Sw2iNZ5QGb

I am only showing it here due to our ravenous hunger for anything using ALP's switches ; )

Those actually look like Omron keycaps, not Alps. (Yep. Scrolled through more photos and those keyboards use Omron White switches. Could be clicky, linear, or tactile -- it apparently varies.)

I have seen many of these with white space invaders, but first I have seen with Omrons. Price is pretty steep unless seller is accepting much lower offers.

[mike52787]

ALP's switches ; )

it really fuckin ticks all my boxes when people say ALPs or ALP's switches. the company name is alps. not alp!!!!!!!

[Keybug]

I prefer Sherry switches myself, the drier the better... And a merry Christmas to you all!

[depletedvespene]

ALP's switches ; )

it really fuckin ticks all my boxes when people say ALPs or ALP's switches. the company name is alps. not alp!!!!!!!

So, do you prefer "Alps switches" or "Alps' switches"?

[Chyros]

Damn, which of you B*** snatched this up from in front of my nose?! It's the Fujitsu leaf spring Chyros reviewed... Fetched quite a price, too. I suppose shipping to Germany killed it for me or I would have gone a bit higher myself (lost out at 111.11 USD).

If it makes you feel any better, it looks pretty skanky.

[Keybug]

It does, a bit... reminds me a little of your Gourd spring board... hehe

[Chyros]

It does, a bit... reminds me a little of your Gourd spring board... hehe

That board was actually very clean, it just happened to have gotten into a teleporter accident with a leopard xD .

[Elrick]

ALP's switches ; )

it really fuckin ticks all my boxes when people say ALPs or ALP's switches. the company name is alps. not alp!!!!!!!

To tick your box, besides leaving it as "alps" looks minimal and benign so I amp it up to "ALP's" which is then easily seen and noticed.

And it certainly worked with you .

[Slom]

5 Foam and Foil and a Hall Effect board walk into a bar ... yes, thats the start to a very bad joke

[Keybug]

That board was actually very clean, it just happened to have gotten into a teleporter accident with a leopard

Aha! Now we finally know how you acquire all those wonderful keyboards for your reviews!! Open portal and send in the keyopards (okay, leopards), let them do the dirty work (savage the previous owner and worse, no doubt...), then just teleport them back out before they start to devour the keyboard, too. Ingenious!

[Chyros]

That board was actually very clean, it just happened to have gotten into a teleporter accident with a leopard

Aha! Now we finally know how you acquire all those wonderful keyboards for your reviews!! Open portal and send in the keyopards (okay, leopards), let them do the dirty work (savage the previous owner and worse, no doubt...), then just teleport them back out before they start to devour the keyboard, too. Ingenious!

Shhh, they'll replicate my methodology!

[Redmaus]

LOL: https://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-Model-F-12 ... SwySVaRVmc

[//gainsborough]

LOL: https://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-Model-F-12 ... SwySVaRVmc

"...has the fohat bolt-modification"

>model f
>bolt mod

wait...what? Does that actually serve a purpose? I would love to hear a sound demonstration if one exists!

[Elrick]

LOL: https://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-Model-F-12 ... SwySVaRVmc

Shame really, a brilliant keyboard and it's restoration BUT using leds on this, WHY oh why?

The Youngster's here are into crazy RGB lighting that flash and hypnotize them when they down some ice or ludes. They won't be interested in just plain white leds at all.

Should of kept it simple and plain because doing that to one of IBM's most revered relics, is a crime against humanity .

[codemonkeymike]

LOL: https://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-Model-F-12 ... SwySVaRVmc

Shame really, a brilliant keyboard and it's restoration BUT using leds on this, WHY oh why?

The Youngster's here are into crazy RGB lighting that flash and hypnotize them when they down some ice or ludes. They won't be interested in just plain white leds at all.

Should of kept it simple and plain because doing that to one of IBM's most revered relics, is a crime against humanity .

Easily removable, its just an LED strip.

[Techno Trousers]

LOL: https://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-Model-F-12 ... SwySVaRVmc

"...has the fohat bolt-modification"

>model f
>bolt mod

wait...what? Does that actually serve a purpose? I would love to hear a sound demonstration if one exists!

Fohat originally came up with a bolt mod for the F-122, including drilling the plates and PCB, then later came to his senses and disowned it. If you find the Harry's bolt mod thread on Geekhack, you'll see that he no longer recommends it, and for good reason. The original F tabs are perfect for tensioning the sandwich, especially when using new, thick foam.

[fohat]

"...has the fohat bolt-modification"

Does that actually serve a purpose?

Original Model F foam crushes down to almost nothing under pressure. My technique (I have done at least a dozen by now) is to use "art foam" (from "Michael's" art supply store - about 1/6" = 1.5mm thick and rather firm) which, in my opinion, greatly improves feel and sound (although I am generally indifferent to sound) by making it all much firmer and tighter. I have used other foams, such as 1/8" neoprene from McMaster but it is not very satisfying.

The stiffness of the art foam makes the plates much more difficult to slide together (hence the multitude of clamps in my guide) and, in my opinion, it causes the plates to be farther apart and less secure along the inside of the curvature. With a thin or soft foam this may be less important.

Therefore, I use 3 "bolts" (actually something like M3x10 or 4-40x3/8 machine screws with nuts and washers) located between (1) Left Shift-CapsLock/F6-F8, (2) 5% and F5, and (3) Enter and just above Left Arrow. Naturally, locate these on the PCB first so that you don't cut any traces!

After you get the plates together in the normal way, torque down the screws and you will have tight ship.

As far as attenuating the sound, the floss mod is the only way to go. Unless you like the rattly high ringing ("singing") overtones (some people do) I consider a floss mod essential on any Model F.

[fohat]

If you find the Harry's bolt mod thread on Geekhack, you'll see that he no longer recommends it,

If you find my original thread on Geekhack, and some people still do, I don't know how because I closed and deprecated it years ago, you will see a technique wherein I tried to get away from the tabs altogether by cutting them off and going with screws exclusively. That first attempt was actually quite successful but I realized that it was going to be very hard to replicate.

For the past 4-5 years I have left the tabs in place and added the screws to compensate for the thicker firmer foam. I do not feel that the compression provided by the tabs is adequate for a firmer foam.

edit - I see that the version posted here still shows the "7 screw" layout vs the "3 screw" process. 3 is plenty. I also realize that my explanation of why the tabs should be kept might be construed as ambiguous.

[__red__]

I will confess being surprised that the use of bolts in a Model F doesn't alter the capacitative qualities of the keyboard. Cool to know that it works.

[Techno Trousers]

Interesting to know you still recommend a subset of screws. I guess I missed that somehow. Thanks for setting the record straight.

[FXT]

Wondering what this will go for
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-IBM-Be ... fresh=true

[Techno Trousers]

Wondering what this will go for

Sadly, the bid is already above what what I would consider paying for one.