IT'S ALIVE! Post your xwhatsit-resurrected beamspring/kishy

[jacobolus]

It may be possible to recreate this stepped profile with SA keycaps and angled stems (e.g. Cherry M9). I once made a mock up of this configuration but I can't find it at the moment. I'll search for it tomorrow and post it.

That’s a good point. It seems quite plausible that SA was originally intended for angled stems.

[jacobolus]

I started a nice discussion about this on Geekhack: "Hypothesis: SA is wrong when used on MX switches" http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=63052

And TacticalStache chimed in with “considering it was probably intended for hall effect (the molds exist, and are older than the MX ones), you're probably correct”

That explains so much.

[rindorbrot]

Hardware changes (rev. 2 Model F USB) are finished, now tackling the software...

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[Grond]

Beautiful keyboards in this thread! Glad to see them operational again.

[andrewjoy]

that looks good with the IBM logo

[Muirium]

Absolutely. The Kishsaver can wear it with pride.

Nice pictures, guys. I've taken a few crops to use as DT header art. Gimme the nod and I'll make them live.

[jacobolus]

Direct comparison of beam spring to Model F profile:

[quantalume]

I'll re-post these here, even though I posted them elsewhere.

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The color is "oil-rubbed bronze." It's nice to have this board usable after sitting in my garage for 10 years. However, after using it for several months side-by-side with my other boards, I'm now of the opinion that the Model F, specifically the F-122, is the finest keyboard ever made. Combined with the fact that xwhatsit's controller doesn't yet support macros, this board doesn't see a lot of use. Still, the beamspring holds a lot of sentimental value for me since I learned programming on one of these in the 70's.

[benichka]

Oh my... This one is REALLY gorgeous :O

[photekq]

Yeah, that's a real masterpiece quantalume. Gives me some ideas for mine..

[mr_a500]

Yes, that black beamspring is inspiration for my next one. I'll have one black and one bare metal.

Now I just need to make sure I get the right paint.

[Muirium]

Dangit, I'm planning a piano black 3276 as well… all because of Quantal, of course.

[mr_a500]

Maybe I'll paint mine dark blue then. I don't want my beamspring to look too common.

[Muirium]

Titanium would be pretty dashing. Though I suppose that's the general bare metal idea for your second:

[andrewjoy]

that black beamspring is amazing , that logo ! Where did you get it ?

[Nuum]

You can get one here, but I don't know wether it's exactly the same one quantalume used.

[andrewjoy]

its good enough , will try to find one on UK ebay but if not will go for that

industrial grey for my one i think

[Muirium]

GB!

[andrewjoy]

what for the logo or the industrial grey paint

[Muirium]

I do like those little stickers a lot.

Actually, I think a professional paint strip and spay is the expensive part. Snoopy sent out his Kishsaver for proper touch of that and it turned out fantastic. I just know I'd make a right mess if I did it myself!

[andrewjoy]

I can spray stuff ok ish but i don't have a good place to do it so that is usually why i mess a few bits of it up. if i had a shed or something where i could hang it up to spray it then it would be ok to do at home

I guess it would not cost that much 50 -100 quid i recon

[quantalume]

You can get one here, but I don't know wether it's exactly the same one quantalume used.

Yes, that's the one. They are actually thin metal, very nice.

[Icarium]

Wow, great boards in here

1) 3290 Serial APL. My new daily driver



4) 3278 APL 87 Key. This one is very special to me.

Damn, those APL boards are so sexy.

[mr_a500]

So that's only 11 xwhatsit-resurrected keyboards in this thread. I'm sure there are at least double that. Let's see some more!

I've got one in the mail and a controller waiting.

[andrewjoy]

i need a controller for the beamspring then i will post it

anyone know a way to improve the spacebar my one rattles loads

EDIT

i tweaked the stablisers holders a a bit

just squeezed em together a tiny amount and greased it up

its much better now if you do this too much it can stick now and again but its easy to slightly bend back

[xwhatsit]

Wow, only just discovered this thread. So chuffed! Well done everybody! Really glad I didn't just convert my boards in isolation and forget about it Very, very cool to see all of this old machinery back in use again.

My own boards are tired and scuffed-up unloved things compared to the effort that has gone into the boards photographed here.

[Muirium]

Glad you like them! We put our effort into the physical stuff that we can understand, instead. These boards have come back alive again thanks to just one man. Cheers mate!

I'll post some pictures of mine once I'm happier with the restoration. That second 3276 will take a while though, as I intend to go over and work on it in America next year… should be easier to find supplies that way. Might even bring it along to one of HaaTa's keyboard shindigs in San Francisco if I play my cards right.

[andrewjoy]

I don't know what method to use to paint my Beamspring. I am going to get it done professionally but there are things i want to thin about first.

How can i keep the texture of the current paint, should i use matte or satin paint, should i clear coat to protect it after, do i need to thin about a different primer for the plastic door .

The colour is also a a noodle scratcher, i was going to go for RAL 7030 but i don't know how good that would look on a beamspring with more area showing. Should i go for a dark grey or black like quantalume or that 62 key with the black caps?

Other maintenance issues are a concern too for example how do i stop the door from opening when i type what should i use to fix the booklet back in, should i paint the bottom of the case , what about the plate should i clear coat that to protect it ( my plate looks like new by the way not a single mark or even a scratch on it).

I also have another door on the back of mine with a booklet with the full MAP ( maintenance analysis procedure ) for the whole terminal. There are also some pre paid postcards to send comments to IBM i wonder if i should send one off to see what happens..
So much to think about

[jacobolus]

It’s probably a bit off topic over here, but since here’s where the discussion came up:

[Muirium]

Oh dark Lord Demongolator, I summon thee forth, for thine righteous topic justice!

Two interesting threads collided here. Hopefully our favourite spectre will fix it.