IDENTIFY THE KEYBOARD thread

[mr_a500]

This keyboard from 1953 is really more of a typewriter, but check out that space bar! I think that's the new winner of "longest space bar ever".



Women in computing... I have no problem with that:



Hey, this could be a good header. (...talking about Deskthority header)

[seebart]

Looks like two spacebars. And that piece of machinery in the background might be just right in size for kbdfr!

[mr_a500]

I wish I had that many buttons and switches. That way, even if I'm doing absolutely nothing it'll look like I'm doing something important.

[mr_a500]

Steve Jobs would probably reduce that to a single button - and then eventually even remove that.

[Stabilized]

It would be a very beautiful aluminium buttonless box though!

[ettasian]

Just adding my two bits: The TX-2 became operational in 1958.

And here is "Bert Sutherland at the console of the TX-2."

Do notice the stylus thingy in his left hand.

[Findecanor]

That's a bit small for a thingy. It is called a light pen.

[ettasian]

That's a bit small for a thingy. It is called a light pen.

Why, thank you for the lesson The more you know!

[mr_a500]

Just adding my two bits: The TX-2 became operational in 1958.

And here is "Bert Sutherland at the console of the TX-2."

Do notice the stylus thingy in his left hand.

Nice. That's one of the earliest. The IBM 2250 didn't come out until around 1965.

2250-ad.gif

IBM 2250-expo-1.jpg

[ettasian]

This keyboard from 1953 is really more of a typewriter, but check out that space bar! I think that's the new winner of "longest space bar ever".

There's one in better condition, and what do you know, it's from 1951.

I wonder if we can go deeper

[Muirium]

When was the first teletype? That ought to do it. Computer keyboards emerged from those.

And before that? It all goes back to typewriters.

Hey, this could be a good header. (...talking about Deskthority header)

I'm always in favour of vintage keyboard bintage. But who does the image belong to? And who's up to extending it to the sides, to fill the header's panoramic aspect ratio?

[mr_a500]

That's the problem. I tried making headers with many vintage secretary photos and it's always difficult filling in the sides in any reasonable way. I tried once to enlarge and crop (the "cleavage crop") and you said it was "too cropped". (damn you)

I think it would probably be easier to find a 1950's UNIVAC and a sexy girl and do a whole photo shoot.

"Yes, yes, yeah baby, yes, yes, NO! NO!"

[Azhdar]

http://www.leboncoin.fr/informatique/799033094.htm

This looks like an ALPS board to me.

[guk]

Looks like Mitsumi Hybrid to me.

[zuglufttier]

kbd1.JPG (258.42 KiB) Viewed 7544 times

This one turned out to be a Silitek SK-8801B-20, just some rubberdome but not the worst I ever used... But: It sports doubleshot key caps which should fit on Cherrys.

[gogusrl]

Thick doubleshots like OG Cherry or the thin ones like most alps ?

[zuglufttier]

What do you mean by thin? The print or the cap itself? Anyway, I'd say both is rather thin

[Muirium]

Always the caps. People are always obsessing over thick vs thin, especially PBT. Legends… well, you can always see those in pics.

[gogusrl]

Well, the thickness matters for typing, the legends don't. It was a very big difference for me when I went from thin to thick pbt. The keyboard sounds different, types different, it's worth obsessing about.

[scottc]

Yeah, absolutely. Thick Cherry ABS doubleshots are worlds apart from cheap shit like Tai-Hao. I do think that thickness is overhyped (it's now more of a marketing term used by inexperienced noobs that don't know their shit more than anything else) but it's definitely also a big factor in keyfeel.

[Muirium]

I agree, too. If I could have thicker caps on my IBMs, I would! The caps are buckling spring's prime weakness, in my view. And the racket, if you're so inclined…

But simply saying "thickness" is a bit misleading to those not already used to our conversations. Many things can be thick. Like Tai-Hao's customers, for example.

[Chyros]

Omg mu u naab wtf lolzorz. Thin ABS rules.

[Firebolt1914]

I found this on eBay, would it be hall effect?

[mr_a500]

Wang was a big customer of Key Tronic, so that's what I suspect it is.

[andrewjoy]

hehehe wang. Always makes me laugh.

[Firebolt1914]

I bought it as dorkvader confirmed it was hall effect by looking at the spacebar's stabs

[seebart]

I bought it as dorkvader confirmed it was hall effect by looking at the spacebar's stabs

Can't wait for more info's on it. Nice find!

[terrycherry]

Don't know which Capacitive switch is has


http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Amkey-Capac ... 7675.l2557

[Kurk]

None probably. My guess is Space Invaders.

[terrycherry]

Not that switch, I know the information of space Invaders switch very much.