IDENTIFY THE KEYBOARD thread

[seebart]

Whatever it is it's too expensive. Looks a bit like a Monterey clone except for that hinge above the function row.

[88Teo88]

Can someone help identify this keyboard?

[Harshmallow]

Can someone help identify this keyboard?

Looks exactly like a Chicony KB-5181, just missing its rear label.

[88Teo88]

thank you

just there is no place for the logo

[Slom]

I kinda dig the way this thing looks ... anyone know whats inside?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Daytron ... 2589071630

[Daniel Beardsmore]

The logo recess isn't always present — a case with no logo recess seems to be an uncommon variant. One way to get a positive ID is to check under the feet, as Chicony's name is moulded into the inside of the larger foot (both sides I guess). Not that I see any reason to doubt that it's Chicony.

[Chyros]

Can anyone identify this keyboard? The FCC ID says it's from PC House and it was granted in 1987. The board looks like it's in good condition and has already had two declined offers on it. It's intriguing me. Board label shows 80 Data - 5339

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Rare-80-Data-533 ... SwZKBZMPe8

Ha a very Tai-Hao vibe about it I'd ay.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Can anyone identify this keyboard? The FCC ID says it's from PC House and it was granted in 1987. The board looks like it's in good condition and has already had two declined offers on it. It's intriguing me. Board label shows 80 Data - 5339

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Rare-80-Data-533 ... SwZKBZMPe8

Ha a very Tai-Hao vibe about it I'd ay.

The keycaps aren't either TH or TI series, which I'd expect them to be if Tai-Hao was the OEM. There's a lot of similarity between Tai-Hao, Focus and various other brands.

I recognise the keyboard though …

Yes, here it is:

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=80464.0

Clicky foam and foil, if it's the same as the others.

[Mr.Nobody]

@seebart

Hopefully，there will be some info inside the keyboard, maybe on the inner side of the plate or on PCB, it's unthinkable that a keyboard like this has no LOGO Serial No. nothing...

Did you buy it?

Yes，I did, it will break my BUD tenet a little bit(if it's not convertable eventually) but the price is insanely low, so I bought it to give a try. if it's convertable, this will be a perfect purchase for me

[rsbseb]

Anyone seen this board before. I spotted it in an article on e-waste and the picture appears to have been taken in Ghana or Pakistan based on the text from the article (linked in the spoiler).

BBBPOSH.jpg (32.8 KiB) Viewed 6567 times

Spoiler:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/technolo ... hp#image=5]

[Harshmallow]

Can anyone identify this keyboard? The FCC ID says it's from PC House and it was granted in 1987. The board looks like it's in good condition and has already had two declined offers on it. It's intriguing me. Board label shows 80 Data - 5339

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Rare-80-Data-533 ... SwZKBZMPe8

Ha a very Tai-Hao vibe about it I'd ay.

The keycaps aren't either TH or TI series, which I'd expect them to be if Tai-Hao was the OEM. There's a lot of similarity between Tai-Hao, Focus and various other brands.

I recognise the keyboard though …

Yes, here it is:

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=80464.0

Clicky foam and foil, if it's the same as the others.

Thanks Daniel, that appears to be the one!

[THATGUY69]

Hello, Im trying to identify this keyboard, It is allegedly a NTC board, but after doing some searching on the internet, I can't find a NTC board with this layout. Any help would be appreciated.

[ramnes]

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w180629904



What's that thing?

[Mr.Nobody]

@seebart

Hopefully，there will be some info inside the keyboard, maybe on the inner side of the plate or on PCB, it's unthinkable that a keyboard like this has no LOGO Serial No. nothing...

It's clear this is part of a terminal or other computing device so it's not that unthinkable. I'm sure the terminal or other device has a huge logo on it

The keyboard will arrive today...hopefully we can find the clue what ternimal it's intended for.

[Mr.Nobody]

I have gotten the keyboard... holy cow...extremely thick case and the QC stamp indicates it might be made in 26th October 1958(at least to Chinese and Japanese people, it means this. ) had computer been invented at the time?

Spoiler:

[seebart]

I have gotten the keyboard...

Next time open a new thread for something like this Mr.Nobody!

QC stamp indicates it might be made in 26th October 1958

Impossible. More like 1985. Actually that may not even be a time stamp.

[Mr.Nobody]

@seebart
If you say so, it deserves a new thread, I will open it now, just copy and paste...

[subcat]

"Noisy" is very subjective. I found the Alps integrated dome switches in the Zenith Supersport SX to have a loud metallic sound, despite being rubber domes.

The PC-8401 has more in common with the PC-8201, which was Alps SKFL. However, the PC-8201 and TRS-80 Model 100 both used Alps spherical keycaps.

Chances are it's something lower profile from Alps, like SKFL.

Yes, to most normal people anything with a metal plate can be considered 'loud', and that was something I had taken into consideration too. Ultimately, my curiosity got the better of me and I bought it, so I'll be sure to post when I have it.
Thanks!

Received it today and it's SKFL.

[Scarpia]

@seebart
If you say so, it deserves a new thread, I will open it now, just copy and paste...

It definitely deserves a thread! Also, any chance the seller still has any of these left? I'm guessing there's a few people here who wouldn't mind snagging one for themselves

[Mr.Nobody]

@seebart
If you say so, it deserves a new thread, I will open it now, just copy and paste...

It definitely deserves a thread! Also, any chance the seller still has any of these left? I'm guessing there's a few people here who wouldn't mind snagging one for themselves

yes, the seller still has 15-20 pieces, but he refuses to ship abroad...the price is insanly low, 30 US$, the keyboard weighs 2.383 Kg...

[Mr.Nobody]

I stumbled upon this yesterday...

[Chyros]

Futaba low-profile. Pretty awful.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Interesting to see an LED in a switch. For the older, larger switches, the LED version has a separate model number, MD-7. However, I've also seen the sealed linear Futaba switches with the LED forced in by butchering the switch.

An LED version of ML has never been seen before that I'm aware of, and from that photo I can't tell if it's a separate switch type, or a regular switch with the corner sawn off.

Also, is alpha lock alternate action? ML series alternate action has never been seen either.

It's just occurred to me … the known older switches are MD-4* (normal) and MD-7 (LED). The "Futaba clicky" switches are MA41/42 and MA71/72. Curious, because ML and MR don't follow that pattern (3 and 6 respectively for the standard switches).

[Mr.Nobody]

@Daniel
This pic will serve you well...although I am completely at sea about this switch.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Still hard to tell. If you remove the keycap to the right you should be able to get some more light in around the LED.

It's tentatively known as [wiki]Futaba ML series[/wiki] as the two known codes (ML-3-CM and ML88) start "ML", and all Futaba switch series seems to have a two-letter prefix. MR for the larger version of those, and MD for the more expensive large version. The ones you get in Sejin keyboards all have MA codes.

[Mr.Nobody]

By the way, I don't own this keyboard; the photos are from the seller who owns it. Unknown switches confuse me, I won't buy until I know better.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

I wouldn't call these unknown. They're just average I guess — I spent many hours writing software on a BBC Master with these switches. I never thought anything of them except that most BBC Masters by that stage (late 90s) had at least one dead key. I've never had a BBC B with a dead MR-6C switch, but the ML-3-CM (?) switches in the Master seemed to be less robust.

It's the LED version that interests me, as if that really is an LED switch (and not a bodge) that's a new discovery. LED versions do exist in other Futaba series (MD and MA).

[rymut]

Apologies for jumping in late, but it is indeed a Polish keyboard. I once scanned an ad for it, in June of 1988, from a Polish computer magazine named… Komputer. It says “a professional capacitative keyboard compatible with XT and AT, with Polish diacritics [*] for microcomputers, minicomputers, and screen terminals, with serial and parallel interface,” produced in the city of Poznań in Poland.

I own this keyboard it is IBM model F clone (capacitative buckling springs) keyboard base is made from solid metal plate - only plastic are keycaps. I have some inside photos somewhere - two boards are connected through metal wiring ands sets of resistors and diodes that holds both of them together.

[Keybug]

Bought this for 20€ shipped. Thought it was a rebranded Zenith but couldn't find an exact match. Label says ACR - American Research Corporation. Thanks!

$_1.JPG (29.31 KiB) Viewed 6119 times

[Daniel Beardsmore]

What a surprise .... all the images on Geekhack are gone:

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=46705

This seems to be the smaller version:

wiki/SKB-5150C

The smaller version seems to be made by Podworld. No detailed photos are known to exist of the larger version. If yours has a serial label beginning with "PD" then I guess it's also Podworld. It's not proven that Podworld = ProWorld, though, and these types like you have don't have an FCC ID that would confirm this.