Great/Interesting Finds

[IKSLM]

Is this any good?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PERKIN-ELMER-37 ... 5d4cdbaf62

[scottc]

Hint: check the wiki.

[Muirium]

Ah yes, I've played with a similar keyboard in a museum. The caps are mighty fine, but quite incompatible with anything current. And the switches are fairly random ass linear. Although it could clean up quite well, I suspect.

Go on, you want a scientific keyboard! What else will go with your quantum chromometer?

[Hypersphere]

I saw this one. It is attractive in a retro sort of way. The color scheme reminds me of one of those Japanese SF TV series from the 1960s with the animated puppets.

As the wiki points out, the keycaps are nice double-shots. However, the switches are metal-leaf linear.

[seebart]

Cherry G80-1501HAD /11

http://www.ebay.de/itm/301217087744?_tr ... EBIDX%3AIT

[seebart]

Cherry MX 3000M; G80-3000LPME-0 /01

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Tastatur-Cherry- ... 418233ca11

[seebart]

Cherry MX 3.0

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Mechanische-Tast ... 2a3e7950f7

[Hypersphere]

IBM Model F 3178 Terminal Keyboard

http://www.recycledgoods.com/product/17 ... l-keyboard

[Hypersphere]

Keytronic KB 3278 B Keyboard

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Key-Tronic-Prof ... 19eee6c522

What is this? It has a layout like an IBM 3278; what switches did Keytronic use in this thing?

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Keytronic KB 3278 B Keyboard

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Key-Tronic-Prof ... 19eee6c522

What is this? It has a layout like an IBM 3278; what switches did Keytronic use in this thing?

I would be surprised if the switches were anything other than [wiki]Key Tronic foam and foil[/wiki]. Do we know that Key Tronic made any other kind of switch? (They could have used switches from another company, of course, but the style matches that of the [wiki]Key Tronic Model F clone series[/wiki] which so far as we know was all foam and foil.)

[urbancamo]

Looks like the UK seller of the DELL ALPS based keyboards has relisted them at the original price of 9.99 - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 1322006429

[Muirium]

I have a bad feeling about that guy, with his price gaming and zero shipping discounts.

@Hyper: "Foam and foil" doesn't sound great by name. But it's capacitative, and they originally called it the Butterfly Switch.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

@Hyper: "Foam and foil" doesn't sound great by name. But it's capacitative, and they originally called it the Butterfly Switch.

The "Butterfly" name is only confirmed to be associated with the linear switch. According to the 1981 ad, Key Tronic had been making tactile switches for "years" by 1981, which is interesting, as tactile in the 1970s was not commonplace, and even in the early 80s linear was still common (Amiga, Acorn, Cherry, Alps etc). The implication is that tactile foam and foil pre-dates the linear version by a number of years.

I don't know that we have any dating evidence for Key Tronic prior to the 80s though and the ad isn't clear on what the previous switch actually was.

[GSimon]

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/PBT-Keycap-Set-f ... 1525233876

Leopold FC750R keyset, the quality is awesome would recommend.

[Hypersphere]

IBM Model M Industrial
http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-Model-M-Cli ... 259085c3c0
No bids yet. Less than 4 hours to go.

[wheybags]

waaaay too high a starting price.
An ssk it ain't

[lowpoly]

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/PBT-Keycap-Set-f ... 1525233876

Leopold FC750R keyset, the quality is awesome would recommend.

Similar sets are sold under the Keycool label. Anyone know the OEM?

[seebart]

Cherry G83

http://www.ebay.de/itm/111383793181?_tr ... fresh=true

[seebart]

Commodore Amiga 4000 keyboard

http://www.ebay.de/itm/261507125323?_tr ... EBIDX%3AIT

[seebart]

Commodore Amiga 2000 keyboard

http://www.ebay.de/itm/151329747750?_tr ... EBIDX%3AIT

[seebart]

Model 925

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Ur-Alt-Tastatur- ... 20e7776c8e

[seebart]

IBM Model F / AT

http://www.ebay.de/itm/201110395228?_tr ... fresh=true

[rindorbrot]

Cherry G80 ???

http://www.ebay.de/itm/111383793181?_tr ... fresh=true

No, this is a G83 - Rubberdome.
You can tell by the nubs on F and J.

The Amiga keyboards should also be Rubberdomes. I think it was 7bit who said if they have 1.25x F-Keys, then it's a Rubberdome.

[Muirium]

Model 925 Beamspring ?

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Ur-Alt-Tastatur- ... 20e7776c8e

Unfortunately not. But a linear Futaba linear switch Televideo Terminal Keyboard:

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=49503.0

Still impressively retro, though.

[Hypersphere]

Model 925 Beamspring ?

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Ur-Alt-Tastatur- ... 20e7776c8e

Unfortunately not. But a linear Futaba linear switch Televideo Terminal Keyboard:

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=49503.0

Still impressively retro, though.

Looks like it had a latching CapsLock key, too.

[Hypersphere]

Perkin Elmer 7300 Terminal Keyboard.
Any idea which company made this keyboard for Perkin Elmer or what kind of switches it has? Retro colors...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Perkin-Elmer-73 ... 2eccb47a91

[Muirium]

Looks very much like this:

http://deskthority.net/wiki/Perkin-Elmer_3700_keyboard

[Hypersphere]

I wonder what the Hi-Tek switches sound/feel like?

[Daniel Beardsmore]

The Dragon by Tano uses the later dovetail (modular) switches, which have a really nice resounding metallic sound for PCB-mounted switches:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CixmqqOSWvQ (10 minutes in for example)

Imagine if my Poker II sounded like that =)

They're linear; I don't know how smooth they are.

[Hypersphere]

Model 925 Beamspring ?

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Ur-Alt-Tastatur- ... 20e7776c8e

Unfortunately not. But a linear Futaba linear switch Televideo Terminal Keyboard:

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=49503.0

Still impressively retro, though.

Looks like it had a latching CapsLock key, too.

Actually, this Televideo keyboard has several interesting features:
-- Separate Shift Lock next to a Control key
-- Three keys near the Return that could be used as Backspace
-- Short right Shift with two keys to the right that could be used as a Fn key
-- Spherical keycaps? (I cannot tell for certain; they do not look as nice as the sphericals on, say, a Selectric)