IDENTIFY THE KEYBOARD thread

[2ZQ]

As far as my searches have gone. Only the national is of use unless collecting. That msx is going to be sky high (likely), and canons (msx or otherwise) here in japan are somewhat unreliable (just my experience day to day here, though I haven't seen that particular board yet.) Hopefully our gods can help out.

[subcat]

As far as my searches have gone. Only the national is of use unless collecting. That msx is going to be sky high (likely), and canons (msx or otherwise) here in japan are somewhat unreliable (just my experience day to day here, though I haven't seen that particular board yet.) Hopefully our gods can help out.

That's a shame, I was banking on one of them potentially using SKCLs, but looks like they're a bit old for that. Ah well.

[Ail]

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/NCR-Keypad-small ... xyhXRTMcu-

Anyone know what might be lurking underneath those caps? Tempted to buy it just for the case if he accepts a low offer even if it ends up having shit switches

Was thinking the same thing myself, it would make a cool custom project and I just love those NCR badges, but the price is a bit high. If you do get it update us on the switch type!

[Daniel Beardsmore]

You're right, the best solution is to not say anything at all.

Correct.

If I don't have sufficient confidence in my attempt to identify something, I'll just keep quiet. If it's clear cut, then that's fine. Otherwise, I try to qualify information with whatever evidence I've found — I admit that I often don't bother if it's already well-documented here, but a quick link to the relevant wiki page never goes amiss.

P.S. I suspect he's more interested in the switches rather than who was the official designated OEM of which parts of the keyboard, just saying...

And of course, we can't ever say for certain. Statistically speaking, with more data, we can make educated guesses once we become acquainted with a product range, but Datacomp isn't quite well understood enough yet.

I don't recall seeing a Datacomp keyboard with the foot handles on the side (those are so rare they're virtually non-existent in Model F clones), or with those Fujitsu-like keycaps (also extremely rare outside of Fujitsu), and the only example of this keyboard fully externally depicted (posted here recently) is made by a different company that either copied BTC or were copied by BTC (label design, logo style and product naming).

Whatever this keyboard is (Datacomp or not), it's not a common design, and it needs documenting.

I don't even know what model yours is. If I knew the model, I may find photos of it, but often there are no photos anywhere. (I don't think I found any photos of the Sejin keyboard I found the manual for — I know what switches it has (MA41) but I can't get hold of a single photo!)

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Curious .... it's a DFK777, and there seem to be two versions. The one with normal keycaps is blue Alps in the examples I'm seeing:

[wiki]Datacomp DFK-777NA[/wiki] (Snuci posted it, and I didn't pay it enough attention!)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cptbadass/14256430675

Terapeak sold a DFK777 with those funny keycaps (no link, it's a 404!), and here's a funny keycap keyboard with Futabas:

http://imgur.com/a/FUeoM

So in theory, you should be able to tell the switch from the keycaps. That would figure, since the Alps version uses Tai-Hao keycaps, while they appear to have sourced the Futaba keycaps from some other OEM, which may explain the same keycaps appearing on some other brand of keyboard.

So, those keycaps appear to be a good indicator of Futaba switches. So now I wonder if that other keyboard was a company who subcontracted Datacomp and tried to imitate BTC with the keyboards Datacomp made for them. Definitely want to see the PCB on one of those Tech keyboards now!

[Chyros]

I was going to point that out, but you've found it already, I see. The Datacomp ears and tombstone caps really aren't that weird tbh.

Mine's a DFK-700FI, for the record. It looks pretty much like the second keyboard, except without the metal badge. I've had it for over half a year, and would've done a review on it ages ago, but I'm waiting on an accompanying piece of hardware from someone before I can do it properly.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

The one on Flickr is a 700 on the PCB and 777 on the FCC ID, so it's more of the same old model muddle.

The Terapeak page that's already 404 is the only place I found clear photos of the tombstone keycaps on an identifiable Datacomp keyboard. Searching for a 777 found the Alps version (DFK-777NA, so A for Alps and F for Futaba?) while 700/700F/700FI finds almost nothing (just one result).

Futaba seems a much less common option, although several models used Futaba switches. 555 is one, and 121 is another:

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=26420.0

[Chyros]

The Alps one has very typically Alps keycaps rather than the tombstone type ones. I should mention that mine doesn't have a label on the back, it only has a PCB stamp which lists "DFK-700FI".

[2ZQ]

As far as my searches have gone. Only the national is of use unless collecting. That msx is going to be sky high (likely), and canons (msx or otherwise) here in japan are somewhat unreliable (just my experience day to day here, though I haven't seen that particular board yet.) Hopefully our gods can help out.

That's a shame, I was banking on one of them potentially using SKCLs, but looks like they're a bit old for that. Ah well.

Have a few to pick up tomorrow after work. One is a canon and I will doublecheck, but not getting my hopes up with my luck as of late. National would be great but the wife shuts me down so quickly these days. Need to get rid of some boards but I cant bear to see them off.

[subcat]

As far as my searches have gone. Only the national is of use unless collecting. That msx is going to be sky high (likely), and canons (msx or otherwise) here in japan are somewhat unreliable (just my experience day to day here, though I haven't seen that particular board yet.) Hopefully our gods can help out.

That's a shame, I was banking on one of them potentially using SKCLs, but looks like they're a bit old for that. Ah well.

Have a few to pick up tomorrow after work. One is a canon and I will doublecheck, but not getting my hopes up with my luck as of late. National would be great but the wife shuts me down so quickly these days. Need to get rid of some boards but I cant bear to see them off.

Good luck! Since discovering Yahoo! Auctions ~20 days ago I have bought 15 things and spent almost $700

[Lynx_Carpathica]

Hi guys!

PCMR Group, Facebook:
Me: hi guys.
I've just bought a Cherry MX Board 3.0 for an awesome price of 20€. What are your opinions about the keycaps on this keyboard? I've read that they're not that great.
Guy: This isn't a Cherry board unless you bought used.
Me: it was. but it looks like it's never been used before.
Guy: 9/10 a Chinese knockoff

Are there any MX Board knockoffs there, is it true?

Looking for your answers, Lynx.

[cumwagondeluxe]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Brother ... 2547841665

Anyone know what sorts of switches these brother word processors use? Quite a few of them have these same non-standard keycaps

[mike52787]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Brother ... 2547841665

Anyone know what sorts of switches these brother word processors use? Quite a few of them have these same non-standard keycaps

Brother prototopre. IIRC the stems sortof fit proper topre switches, but I could be wrong.

[subcat]

http://page16.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/a ... u133466141

[y11971alex]

https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=Yu1BpJdrlxE

[Daniel Beardsmore]

A dead keyboard.

[Lynx_Carpathica]

Hi guys. I've just sent the money for theese keyboards. WUTARDOOZ???
I've successfully identified the 6 FREAKING Poor men's topre (BTC D W/ S, big Échap key, with the brown-black very distinct num-scroll-caps badge thingy) (temll me if you want one ), and the Altrix (which is ofc a cheap rbr dome, I have one already. But the others... Can't seem to be able to identify them. But the most interesting one being the top left Model M lookalike.

Thanks, Lynx!

EDIT: If I'm not mistaking, there is a Mitsumi dome over membrane also, that one which is badly yellowed.


PS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK0t38Al4_E if you don't get it

[seebart]

Hi guys. I've just sent the money for theese keyboards.

I hope not...

50678986.jpg (73.45 KiB) Viewed 5514 times

[Lynx_Carpathica]

Hi guys. I've just sent the money for theese keyboards.

I hope not...

50678986.jpg

Ahh crap, are they all dome keyboards?
I've wanted a BTC DWS, i've got a ton now xD

[seebart]

Honestly I don't know. Just relax.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Second from the top on the left is a Chicony, something like a KB-5916 (the [ ] bracket-style LED labels are a give-away, although it took a while for me to remember where I'd seen them).

Top left is not a Mitsumi, but it's very close to a Chicony KB-5181. It's not quite that, nor a 1KB101ATUS, nor a Monterey K101 — it's a common design, and there's a reasonable chance of it being mechanical. Hopefully it's interesting enough to justify whatever you paid for way too many BTCs :P

[cumwagondeluxe]

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/produc ... 28123.html

None of the alps-style switches here are actual Alps, right? Anyone tried any of these out?

[mike52787]

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/produc ... 28123.html

None of the alps-style switches here are actual Alps, right? Anyone tried any of these out?

Those are alps SKCL grey, a rather rare switch.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

From the top:

1. [wiki]Alps SKCL Grey[/wiki] (SKCLAQ) — medium-heavy linear
2. Unknown (don't have any of those), probably horribly stiff clicky
3. alps.tw Type OB5 — the "upside-down" KPT-like switch; clicky, and not exciting
4. Don't have any of those, probably horribly stiff clicky
5. Unknown — could be [wiki]Kwanda PB11E01[/wiki], a clone of [wiki]Tokai MM9-2[/wiki] (there are two clones that look virtually identical and I have both, and I've never been bothered to clean up and post the photos of either)

That last one, as I've mentioned before, defies the laws of physics. The movable contact is a huge ball bearing, and it's lifted up by a spring above it: the spring simultaneously pushes the slider above it upwards and raises up the ball bearing below it. The design is such that you can't open the switch and observe it to see it in operation. No-one knows how it works. It also has a really pointless attempt at tactility, that sucks even in Tokai's original design. None of the clones (Sanwa, Hori, Kwanda etc) feel any good.

[Lynx_Carpathica]

Second from the top on the left is a Chicony, something like a KB-5916 (the [ ] bracket-style LED labels are a give-away, although it took a while for me to remember where I'd seen them).

Top left is not a Mitsumi, but it's very close to a Chicony KB-5181. It's not quite that, nor a 1KB101ATUS, nor a Monterey K101 — it's a common design, and there's a reasonable chance of it being mechanical. Hopefully it's interesting enough to justify whatever you paid for way too many BTCs

10$+ship

[cumwagondeluxe]

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/produc ... 28123.html

None of the alps-style switches here are actual Alps, right? Anyone tried any of these out?

Those are alps SKCL grey, a rather rare switch.

Oh wow - I thought it might be, but I figured since they were so rare (or rather, they only come on spacebars usually right?) it might just be some clone. Might have to buy a loose one off somebody to test out as I rather like heavy linears and it'd be pretty neat to have a keyboard full of these, although at nearly $5/switch even if it's NOS it feels a little overpriced..

[Lynx_Carpathica]

The guy sent me some more pictures. I've searched for the magic keywords and found this: http://img3.picload.org/image/lopagri/w1ssv1j.jpg
Seems like MX Blues, and guess what, mine also looks like PCB mount, confirming futaba Clicly or mx something.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Doh, pad printing with selective image coating.

Seeing it more closely, I'm now pretty certain actually it is a Chicony KB-5181.

[Lynx_Carpathica]

Doh, pad printing with selective image coating.

Seeing it more closely, I'm now pretty certain actually it is a Chicony KB-5181.

What do you think? Is it PCB Mount? I see it as a brownisch sheet of idk what. PCB or Metal Mingplate.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Not sure. The 5191 was often PCB mounted, but that to me looks like a black painted plate, and 5181 with MX Blue is confirmed to exist in plate mount. It's the case that gets a bad rap, though.