Some beamspring keyboards I found today

[green-squid]

Wait so a total of 8 of these?!?

http://pila.fr/wordpress/?p=361

EDIT: are you replying to the original poster or me?

The OP.

Oh okay! I thought you were trying to say 'oh, so a total of eight videos??'. No, there are many ones you can do this with (almost any plain dumb terminal)

[Bass]

No, the total was 6. But I can't really complain either way .

[tron]

No, the total was 6. But I can't really complain either way .

I'm blown away by this find. Reminds me of the SSKanoly on Geekhack. Please put me on the list if you plan to sell them

[green-squid]

Welcome to the cover of Fortune, Bass.

[FXT]

If you do decide to sell to users on here I might be interested.

[E3E]

Time to raffle them off to the hordes.

[pr0ximity]

Hubba hubba, you weren't kidding. What a haul! Doesn't get much better than that.

[Bass]

Alright, so I have gotten a lot of PMs from potential buyers for some of these 3278s. The APL one has already been sold (for a restored 5251 plus some cash) and I am thinking I will likely keep one of them for myself to restore as a personal DIY project or spare parts. That currently leaves a total of at least 4 for sale. I should note that aside from the one I just sold, I still have not been given a concrete number as far as offers go so I do not know the best market price for these. Perhaps I could sell them for an exorbitant price if ebay is to be believed but I do want to keep these boards in the hands of this community if possible. So for now I think I am going to plan to sell just one at a time for now to get a better feel for what I can get, and I also want to take into account that some of them are in a little bit better condition than others. I'll post a formal for sale thread tomorrow.

[ramnes]

Then you should raffle them at a fair price, something around $250 + shipping.

[j0d1]

I like the raffle idea and I would go one step further and only sell to someone who doesn't own a beamspring yet!

250$ seems too low though, he could definitely get more on eBay. I feel like 400-500$ is more fair.

[__red__]

Even though it is against my best interests to do so, unless you're the kind of person that has the level of disposable income or you know the people who you're selling to already, I'd advise you to sell to whomever you can get the best price to.

I love love love the idea that you want to keep it in the community, but bear in mind that someone you don't know well here may take you up on your generous offer and then immediately flip it on ebay.

Save yourself the heartache.

PS: Who's the SOB who bought the APL one?

[JP!]

I like the raffle idea and I would go one step further and only sell to someone who doesn't own a beamspring yet!

250$ seems too low though, he could definitely get more on eBay. I feel like 400-500$ is more fair.

That is a good thought, that others here without a beam spring might be able to get one, as long as the don't immediately get flipped on eBay for a quick buck. The price is subjective and it depends on who you ask though so I won't suggest what they should sell for.

A random thought though, there almost needs to be a community beam spring which could be loaned out to members here on DT (with a nominal fee to support DT of course ). Often I think many just want to try one out and will spend what it takes, sometimes sacrificing rarity or condition to do so now days. I think often these don't get used on a regular basis by owners once the novelty wears off. Take something like a 5251 for example the case is quite large and doesn't necessarily have the best ergonomics for most people to use as a daily driver. There also may be the sentiment that since they are so special and rare, why would you want to get your greasy fingers over it everyday.

[zool]

maybe you could hold on to them for a while. let the love simmer. Restore one and after that, do what you like... them raffle or whatever. I do like the idea of spreading the beaminess around to those who care. Maybe a cleaned up one on permanent loan for a local tech museum? (If your looking for ideas that is).

[green-squid]

A small loan of a million beamsprings

[Iggy]

A random thought though, there almost needs to be a community beam spring which could be loaned out to members here on DT (with a nominal fee to support DT of course ). Often I think many just want to try one out and will spend what it takes, sometimes sacrificing rarity or condition to do so now days. I think often these don't get used on a regular basis by owners once the novelty wears off. Take something like a 5251 for example the case is quite large and doesn't necessarily have the best ergonomics for most people to use as a daily driver. There also may be the sentiment that since they are so special and rare, why would you want to get your greasy fingers over it everyday.

I support the idea of a loan beam spring. I'm interested in them and would like to try them out. I just don't have the small fortune to acquire one.

[hansichen]

Not sure if people really wanna send 1000-2000$ boards to random people, going to a meetup should be a better way to test such a keyboard.

[__red__]

Maybe we need a regional beamspring network?

Not kidding... I'll bring my beamsprings to any meeting within a 4 hour drive of me (that covers most of NC,SC,GA - USA.

... like the keyboard meetup in Atlanta GA next weekend for example.

[hansichen]

A network or maybe a request thread would be an idea. Some people may not be aware of a meetup or they don't plan to bring it and in such a thread they could be made aware of the meetup. And instead of the shipping cost (which would be a thing with the loan idea) the guy who requested it could maybe pay a beer or something for the guy who comes to the meetup

[JP!]

Not sure if people really wanna send 1000-2000$ boards to random people, going to a meetup should be a better way to test such a keyboard.

Meetups are a great way to test keyboards but that is only for a short window of time. I brought one of my beamers to a meetup for others to try out. I think I had more fun watching peoples reactions when using using one for the very first time with the solenoid turned on. Of course you are right that people aren't going to want to send their expensive boards to random people, but it really just takes one person to donate one. My dream scenario involves finding a cache of 66 key mini beamers for a very good price and donating one. A guy can dream, right? The same concept could apply to other types of keyboards to prove such an experiment out. There would of course need to be certain rules and governance to support such a process. For example a new member or some well known nefarious character would have their application turned down.

[JP!]

Maybe we need a regional beamspring network?

Not kidding... I'll bring my beamsprings to any meeting within a 4 hour drive of me (that covers most of NC,SC,GA - USA.

... like the keyboard meetup in Atlanta GA next weekend for example.

I like that idea also. I might be bringing one to the meetup in Indianapolis, IN at the end of the month. I brought one to Columbus OH, oh and there is Keycon 2018 in Pittsburgh, PA coming up.

[__red__]

I like that idea also. I might be bringing one to the meetup in Indianapolis, IN at the end of the month. I brought one to Columbus OH, oh and there is Keycon 2018 in Pittsburgh, PA coming up.

Beamdesk or GTFO

Also - when are we going to get a video / pictures of the completed version?

[Ir0n]

Damn.. great find you lucky dog ;O

[JP!]

I like that idea also. I might be bringing one to the meetup in Indianapolis, IN at the end of the month. I brought one to Columbus OH, oh and there is Keycon 2018 in Pittsburgh, PA coming up.

Beamdesk or GTFO

Also - when are we going to get a video / pictures of the completed version?

I would need to disassemble or rent a lift truck to transport that. My idea for 100% completion is a long ways off. I want to eventually add a 3.5'' floppy drive, monitor, computer and write some software to emulate the original functionality as an interactive display. Perhaps I could have something around May though.

[Bass]

I have made a FS thread:

for-sale-f55/ibm-3278-beamspring-termin ... 18754.html

I stress that I will consider any offers, so don't be put off if the asking price is too much for you, you might just still have a chance.

[Mr.Nobody]

Don't tell me you raided an IBM warehouse. This thread is an envy-magnet.

[seebart]

This thread is an envy-magnet.

Not really, I've been more impressed here in the past.

[Mr.Nobody]

This thread is an envy-magnet.

Not really, I've been more impressed here in the past.

I have a feeling, someday someone will find a truckload of beamsprings somewhere.

[codemonkeymike]

This thread is an envy-magnet.

Not really, I've been more impressed here in the past.

I have a feeling, someday someone will find a truckload of beamsprings somewhere.

Maybe, but what company could even make use of a truckload of IBM terminals at that time?

[Mr.Nobody]

Maybe, but what company could even make use of a truckload of IBM terminals at that time?

Maybe in some wholesalers' or banks' or airlines' warehouses, just a wild guess. Hopefully they get found by the right people, otherwise they might end up in shredders at recycle centers.

[__red__]

Maybe, but what company could even make use of a truckload of IBM terminals at that time?

More more than you might expect, especially in manufacturing.

There are still many semiconductor companies that have SunOS (yeah, pre-Solaris) et al in their fabrication plants.