Some junk I found at work

Zilog Jones · 17 Jun 2015, 22:42

Not sure how interesting any of this stuff is but I thought I'd share what I found anyway.

A Sun Type 5 with UK ISO layout:

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Surprisingly good condition. Doesn't seem to have faded besides the space bar. Maybe the rest of the keycaps PBT or something else? We have a few and some have the italic "Sun" script next to the logo (unlike this one) - does this suggest this is an earlier example?

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These seem complicated for rubber domes - Fujitsu, right?

Here's a manky Sun Type 6, again UK ISO:

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The casing and space bar have faded more than anything else. Casing is supposed to be a lavender/purple colour.

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Keycaps seem similar but maybe slightly simplified?

Here's something not described in the wiki - a colour variant of the Type 6 (photo didn't come out well, but it's grey instead of purple):

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This was still wrapped, with a grey plastic palm rest. Looks unused.

Even more unused:

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A purple Type 6, still boxed. It came with a palm rest, mouse and mouse mat (like this but without the slogan). Is there much interest in these? Any Sun collectors?

A Microsoft Natural Elite, UK ISO:

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I used one of these for over 7 years before delving into the world of mechanical keyboards. My one's cleaner though

I do not miss that crappy arrow key/navigational key layout at all.

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An assortment of Dell AT102W's, all from around 1998-2001. I had some better condition examples but sold them off. Many of these are damaged from being in contact with the cables for many years (more on that here). I might try and sell them for parts or something. The apparent random distribution of faded keycaps is interesting.

Unfortunately not an AnyKey, but a pre-Win95 Gateway2000 keyboard:

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This was used in our server room for about 14 years, so had little exposure to UV light. It also explains the "Menu" label (KVM switches and serial terminal switches often use Print Screen to bring up the OSD).

Some sort of fancy rubber domes? IIRC it was made in Mexico.

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This old HP keyboard felt like garbage, and the two keycaps I tried removing broke (the X shattered, and the clips broke off the left arrow). I think it's fit for the bin. It might have come with an old PA-RISC workstation, though looks like a pretty standard PS/2 connector.

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SL89 · 17 Jun 2015, 23:01

Awesome find, those Sun boards are so nineties.

tactica · 17 Jun 2015, 23:14

I own one of those HPs too, the keycaps are indeed of the cheapest kind, but I find the design quite aesthetically pleasing. So much so that I traded it for a mechanical Fujitsu FSK I was selling. IMO it serves as a decent spare keyboard for the nightly sessions when you don't want to make any noise.

Zilog Jones · 17 Jun 2015, 23:23

And finally, the oldest thing in possession by the IT department, a DEC VT420 terminal with LK201 keyboard:

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Nobody knows why it's in the office, or when it was last used, but it does work... kinda:

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The screen was so dull (at max brightness/contrast) that I had to turn off the lights and use a pretty slow shutter speed to take that picture. Barely visible at all in daylight. I didn't try connecting it to a machine - I would have probably had to make my own cable anyway.

The keyboard is in pretty good shape:

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Compose Character key seems a bit wonky - not sure if broken or just a bit loose? The keycaps look less faded than the ones in the wiki page. Legends look the same as the LK201AA pictured there, except for the 3 key with additional pound sign (£ - a # is called a "hash" around these parts). Maybe it's a variant specific for the UK and Ireland?

Weird key mounts:

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No obvious date on the keyboard, but there is on the back of the terminal:

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I guess that's pretty late for a LK201, assuming it did come new with this? The keyboard pictured on the Wikipedia VT420 article looks like a more modern, slimmer design.

Label underneath the keyboard:

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I wonder what the two "mini" stamps could mean? And I wonder if the "EE" in the PN signifies the keycap layout, as this is different from the one in the wiki with "PE" and application-specific keycaps. The LK201AA in the wiki doesn't have a PN like this - maybe that's an older example?

A fun warning:

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You can also see the removable feet are not present.

SL89 · 17 Jun 2015, 23:28

dat terminal do

webwit · 18 Jun 2015, 00:20

Nice. That keyboard is known for shitty feel but legendary layout inventions, most famously the inverse-T cursor keys.

Chyros · 18 Jun 2015, 01:32

Wow, very nice finds!

What connector does that Sun 5 have?

sparky · 18 Jun 2015, 09:22

Chyros wrote: ↑Wow, very nice finds! What connector does that Sun 5 have?

AFAIR the Type 5 only ever came with Sun's own interface, 1200bps serial with inverted levels over an 8-pin mini-DIN connector. USB appeared starting with the Type 6.

andrewjoy · 18 Jun 2015, 12:30

wow wyse ripped that keyboard layout off !

Check out my WYSE 185

( sorry for the crap pic)

the layout is identical

Zilog Jones · 18 Jun 2015, 12:42

sparky wrote: ↑
Chyros wrote: ↑Wow, very nice finds! What connector does that Sun 5 have?
AFAIR the Type 5 only ever came with Sun's own interface, 1200bps serial with inverted levels over an 8-pin mini-DIN connector. USB appeared starting with the Type 6.

This is correct from what I've seen. The Type 6 was available with either the mini-DIN or USB connectors. I suspect the Type 5's came with SPARCstations and Type 6's are from Ulrta workstations (5, 10, etc.).

sparky · 19 Jun 2015, 21:17

Zilog Jones wrote: ↑
sparky wrote: ↑
Chyros wrote: ↑Wow, very nice finds! What connector does that Sun 5 have?
AFAIR the Type 5 only ever came with Sun's own interface, 1200bps serial with inverted levels over an 8-pin mini-DIN connector. USB appeared starting with the Type 6.
This is correct from what I've seen. The Type 6 was available with either the mini-DIN or USB connectors. I suspect the Type 5's came with SPARCstations and Type 6's are from Ulrta workstations (5, 10, etc.).

I believe the Ultra 60 still came with the Type 5 (that's what I have anyway). The U60 will not recognize a USB keyboard at the OBP.
I know the Blade 1000/2000 (not sure about the Blade 150) came with the Type 6, as those workstation do not have the mini-din connector, only USB.

daedalus · 19 Jun 2015, 21:49

There was also a Type 7, which kinda looks like the Type 5, but has a USB connector

The Sun keyboards came in two styles of layout - there was a more conventional one like the Type 5 and Type 6 layouts in the OP, and there was a "Unix" layout like the Type 7 pic above. The only time I've ever seen a Type 7 in person was in a UK university, and it had a US style layout, so I dont think they ever internationalized the Unix layout.

They also made a tenkeyless Type 5, but I can't find a pic of it...

Zilog Jones · 19 Jun 2015, 22:59

sparky wrote: ↑I believe the Ultra 60 still came with the Type 5 (that's what I have anyway). The U60 will not recognize a USB keyboard at the OBP.
I know the Blade 1000/2000 (not sure about the Blade 150) came with the Type 6, as those workstation do not have the mini-din connector, only USB.

It seems I was mistaken about the Ultra 5 and 10 as these have no USB ports, but I also forgot we used to have a load of Sun Ray 1 thin clients - these were USB-only and are known to have shipped with Type 6 keyboards. But as I said the Type 6 was also produced with Sun mini-DIN connectors, so it's not as clear cut as that. I guess we don't know when the Type 6 was introduced exactly?

Does anyone know the deal with the "Unix"-style Sun keyboards? Were they optional or something? I don't recall seeing any in the office (we used to have a lot more but threw them out about 4 years ago). It's not like Sun were shipping any non-Unix operating systems

dgeorge · 04 Mar 2016, 01:08

If the MS NKBE is still available, and all keys work, I'll take it off your hands. Check postage to Toronto Ontario Canada.

Thanks!
Duncan George