IBM Model F - 83-key Danish layout

[Peter]

Thanks to Kristoffer for making this happen ..

First, some 'after' pictures -
Don't want a dirty board on the frontpage

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Before cleaning :

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[Muirium]

As my one and only buckling spring keyboard, I've gotta say the XT Model F is a fine piece of work. Not as future friendly out the box as its little brother the AT, but what's that matter when you can plug it into Soarer's converter and get creative with the layout?

Boom!

[webwit]

The AT has better layout, but the XT feels even better than the AT. The cheapening already began with the AT...

[Muirium]

I tried them side by side at the museum actually, and the difference in key feel is subtle enough that I wrote it off as within the tolerance between individual keyboards.

The AT does have an absolutely humungous cable, though. Same quality as the chunky XT's, but about four metres of it instead of one.

[Peter]

Isn't the F-XT just a el-cheapo Beamspring-killer ?

I never liked this layout, the AT is much better, but the build-quality and feel is superior .
But it doesn't matter much, it's a classic IBM-board and I want one of each in my collection - with Danish layout ..

[JBert]

Isn't the F-XT just a el-cheapo Beamspring-killer ?

I never tried a beamspring, but it is likely that it is quite different. Buckling springs do have some advantages though, for example the keyboard is way thinner yet still tactile and smooth.

I never liked this layout, the AT is much better, but the build-quality and feel is superior .
But it doesn't matter much, it's a classic IBM-board and I want one of each in my collection - with Danish layout ..

I find the physical layout of the XT just great.

The AT layout moved some useful keys off to the sides and filled the now-empty spaces with a larger shift and big-ass return key. The caps lock and backspace got moved too much to the side, making them harder to palm or press, and backspace was even made smaller.

Mind you, it does need some remapping to make it useful, but I like the position of Control and Escape.

[Muirium]

Beam springs are quite different. The third IBM keyboard out on the table last week was a Displaywriter beam spring, and comparing side by side with buckling spring they are night and day. This was my first taste of a beam spring and I was mightily impressed. They feel a more elegant and refined version of buckling spring. In fact, the "swing" of the stroke reminded me of the weighted feel of mechanical typewriters, or pianos. (A feature you have to pay dearly for in musical keyboards.) Beam springs are damn smooth, and they click without a twang. My favourite key feel yet, from someone who loves his buckling springs. The same qualities are present but enhanced.

While in truth IBM evolved the buckling spring from the superior beam spring…

Beam springs do have the critical flaw of being too damn big, so you're spot on about that. The resulting keyboards are just massive, which was something IBM had to address when looking at the home and small business market with the PC. Sure enough, they made them cheaper while they were at it. A process they didn't stop until they gave up on keyboards entirely.

[Peter]

They still make keyboards.. Well, something that resembles a keyboard maybe ?
Their POS-boards seem quite popular around here .
IBM did a good job imitating the Selectric with the beam-spring switch,
the Selectric is actually a 'semi-mechanical' typewriter (or maybe 'electro-mechanical' is the right word)
Regarding the layout .. I do like where the CapsLock is placed - Out of the way !
But the total lack of symmetry kinda triggers my CDO

( I like Big-Ass Return btw..)

[Muirium]

True, I overlooked the POS stuff. Been any design changes there in the last umpteen years? It's possible IBM forgot they did them too.

As for XT symmetry: note where home row is on the overall layout compared to AT and every full size keyboard since. That's a (near) symmetry I can agree with. What bothers me about TKL on up is all that extra keyboard sitting out on the right of you, "unbalanced" by the left. On the XT, I use the numpad as a nice big arrow cluster right by the side of the main alpha zone, and the function keys are mapped for the ones I really use.

[daedalus]

At least some of the difference between the feel of an XT and an AT is accounted for by the tightness of the plate. As the Model F's plates are held together only at the top, you can get some inconsistencies in feel depending on the size and shape of the keyboard plate. Some of the 122-key conversion crowd on here and Geekhack have bolted modded their 122-key Model Fs for this reason and apparently it can make quite a difference (my personal experience is that 122-key Fs feel different to ATs, and not necessarily for the better). I'd imagine that a bolt modded AT would feel closer to a PC/XT.

[webwit]

I'm not at my keyboards right now, but didn't the XT have a metal back and the AT a plastic one? In any case the landing on the XT is a bit tighter.

[JBert]

Both have metal on top and bottom, but the top or back plates are shaped differently. I think the XT one is flatter or has sorter hooks, so it needs considerably more pressure to squeeze the plates together.

They likely changed this to make it easier to assemble, making the keys somewhat looser.

[Kristoffer]

Hope you will enjoy your new keyboard i never used it, so i though it was better to trade it with someone who will have any use of it.

/

Kristoffer

[Spotty1125]

Such a nice unique keyboard.
Strange that no sites I've seen so far on keyswitches state anything about beam springs.
It's not #1 on my list, but I want to try a beam spring keyboard.
Enjoy your new old keyboard.

[Muirium]

The XT is a great keyboard (my biased opinion!) but as a Model F it is no beam spring. Those are much thicker, and feel quite different again. Model F is buckling spring. Like Model M, but with more metal (thanks to the case) and a louder twang!

Beam spring, meanwhile, is subtle and super nice. I've only used one once, and it is my favourite key feel of all. There's a good article about it on the Wiki. Which includes the reason why beam spring keyboards are all so big:

They're full of these! You could stack, I guess, four or five Cherry MX switches top to bottom beside that thing.