Great/Interesting Finds

[ohaimark]

http://www.technohomecomputers.com/Home_Page.html

I advise virus protection and sunglasses. This website is straight out of a horror movie for web designers.

[webwit]

There's some hard and elite competition going on there, this is just across the street!

https://www.google.com/maps/@46.7155014 ... 56!6m1!1e1

http://www.apluscomputerservices.com/

[JanitorJoe]

I don't think I want to buy my computers from someone who doesn't know what a CPU is.

b.png (80.67 KiB) Viewed 5226 times

[E3E]

XD Wow.

[kokokoy]

Unbranded gmk tray https://www.originativeco.com/products/keycap-tray

[Blaise170]

Speaking of CPUs... Apparently a lot of people consider a "CPU" to be a full desktop. I have... First hand experience.

https://reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboard ... o_the_cpu/

[elecplus]

http://www.technohomecomputers.com/Home_Page.html

I advise virus protection and sunglasses. This website is straight out of a horror movie for web designers.

They build costume computers?

[E3E]

Does anyone want a Proto Northgate Omnikey gold label?



http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Keyboar ... Sw~OVW1f~S

Mine is in pristine condition, but I must say, that gold Northgate label is boss. I'm not gonna dare bid on this as we all know this is going to tip the scales once again with inflation... And I know this is just going to get torn apart for its switches, hahaha.

Sandy speculated there was a relationship between Focus and Northgate because of similarities on the FK-555 and Omnikey, so it's really cool to see a Northgate-branded one.

EDIT: I can't tell if this intentionally tan or is yellowed. Can a white powder coating yellow like plastic cases too? I suppose so.

[Chyros]

Oh wow. That is an AMAZING find =o .

[ohaimark]

It truly is. Shame on anyone who takes such a historic 'board apart.

Old Dell for cheap:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Dell-AT ... 2040888976

New Wyse, bid low:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Wyse-PCE-Me ... 2119469884

[Chyros]

It truly is. Shame on anyone who takes such a historic 'board apart.

Old Dell for cheap:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Dell-AT ... 2040888976

Should be pine SKCM Black, a massively underestimated gem IMO. That model is the keyboard I use at work .

[ReleaseCandidate]

I don't think I want to buy my computers from someone who doesn't know what a CPU is.

Speaking of CPUs... Apparently a lot of people consider a "CPU" to be a full desktop. I have...

Back in the day (when a computer had been more than a single box) the term 'CPU' was actually used like that.

[Wodan]

You better have a serious beard if you refer to a PC as a CPU.

[ohaimark]

I use PC, not CPU, and I have a serious beard at age 21. I am an enigma.

[Wodan]

You're 21, you should be calling it "something to sit on while using my tablet"

[Halvar]

Back before the PC age, when they had a big host computer and many dumb terminals, they would call the host the CPU. But a PC?

[kbdfr]

Not sure what, from the point of view of a lay user, is wrong in calling "central processing unit" the box containing everything which processes the data sent and received by peripheral devices.

The discussion reminds me of those German craftsmen who sneer at anybody calling a screwdriver by its usual name "Schraubenzieher" and contend its correct designation is "Schraubendreher" - a term nearly no one uses.
It surely gives them a sense of superiority.

[Wodan]

The discussion reminds me of those German craftsmen who sneer at anybody calling a screwdriver by its usual name "Schraubenzieher" and contend its correct designation is "Schraubendreher" - a term nearly no one uses.
It surely gives them a sense of superiority.

So you're a Schraubenzieher-person ?

Interesting !

[ohaimark]

I build computers. The CPU is the little silver square that you stick on the motherboard with a chunk of aluminum fins -- using it to refer to a computer as a whole is catachresis.

I am an outlier when it comes to mobile devices. I always think...

"Why do I want to cover 1/4 the screen with my fingers/hands on a touch-enabled device? Why should I sacrifice the speed/power/features of laptop processors for more portability? Why should I pay $300+ for a hand-sized doodad when I can get something multiple times more powerful for the same price?"

Thus I always settle on cheap phones and expensive computers.

[shreebles]

Well, with expensive computers comes the luxury of not having to wait. So, when I buy a smart phone, I make sure I buy one that doesn't make me wait for everything, such as installing apps or updating, up and downloading photos and the like.
Then again, I usually stay under 200€ and most people consider that cheap nowadays.

[Blaise170]

My OnePlus One was $250 and it still works fine. My desktop runs on an i7-5820k. My laptop on an i7-3537U. But I also have an iPad that I got free from a contest. And I do use it. Not nearly as much as the rest, but it's nice for reading books and using in class.

[seebart]

Does anyone want a Proto Northgate Omnikey gold label?

YES...W A N T !

And I know this is just going to get torn apart for its switches, hahaha.

Not if it was mine!

[Chyros]

The proto Omnikey definitely looks like a masterpiece. And as mentioned before, draws the missing link between Focus and Northgate we've been looking for. Makes me wonder who built the Omnikeys, now xD .

[seebart]

Yeah it also reminds me of the NTC KB-6151 a little. But the top almost looks Dell AT'ish.

[Chyros]

Yeah it also reminds me of the NTC KB-6151 a little. But the top almost looks Dell AT'ish.

It's one of many AT101-like designs, although the FK-555 is very old and may even precede the Bigfoot. The NTC itself was obviously inspired by the Bigfoot, except with a Model M shape case rather than the Bigfoot's banana case. E3E is the resident FK-555 expert, he's one of very few that have one and his is pretty amazing.

[bocahgundul]

It truly is. Shame on anyone who takes such a historic 'board apart.

Old Dell for cheap:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Dell-AT ... 2040888976

Should be pine SKCM Black, a massively underestimated gem IMO. That model is the keyboard I use at work .

What keycaps that this board uses? dyesubs?

[E3E]

It truly is. Shame on anyone who takes such a historic 'board apart.

Old Dell for cheap:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Dell-AT ... 2040888976

Should be pine SKCM Black, a massively underestimated gem IMO. That model is the keyboard I use at work .

What keycaps that this board uses? dyesubs?

It uses, what I think (thanks to Chryos) are dyesubbed ABS, though I have seen one of these with a rubbed off legend once.

Only the very first AT101s with Salmon Alps had dyesubbed PBT

[Wodan]

I've never seen dye-subbed ABS caps - and someone mentioned that ABS doesn't survive the temperatures necessary for dye sublimation.

[seebart]

What's also interesting is the reflective label on the back with the blue lettering, my FK-2001 with Alps SKCM Blue has a sticker with that blue also while my other Focus boards with Alps SKCM White have black lettering on the label.

[E3E]

What's also interesting is the reflective label on the back with the blue lettering, my FK-2001 with Alps SKCM Blue has a sticker with that blue also while my other Focus boards with Alps SKCM White have black lettering on the label.

My FK-555 with SKCM Blue has a black label. The caps on the one on eBay look like mine, so I'm assuming they are pad printed. I've seen some with doubleshots as well, mainly through Sandy's website.

There's also a version without the side-printed Caps Lock and Ctrl keys too.



This one also has a grey cable and a grey function row strip. It's weird how these vary. The Northgate one and most I see have beige strips. Some of them don't have the Ctrl/Caps Lock switch. Some have black cables, some have grey. Some have black plates, some have grey. It's strange.

The one on eBay is a bit earlier than this one here!