Reddit keyboard horror!

[abrahamstechnology]

I can't believe someone would do this to an IBM Model M. If they destroyed an in-production Unicomp it would be fine, but this...
https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyb ... d_model_m/

[Myoth]

I mean I'd rather have a small piece of shit rather than a large one

[depletedvespene]

I don't think even a Unicomp deserves to be chopped up like that.

Also, with the bezel it sports, the mutilated keyboard is still too large to be counted as a "compact" in the modern understanding of the form factor.

[CeeSA]

I like it.

[samuelcable]

now trust me, i dont like vintage modifications or stuff usually and i dont like model ms at all

but this project honestly seems pretty cool to me, they did a good job on the fitting the parts together imo

[FXT]

I'm pretty sure he started off with a full size M (supposedly damaged too) so it's not like it's a huge loss. Ms are still common enough and I think that came out nicely.

[hansichen]

I like it.

Agreed. It's a nice project. Time to develop a model F pc and make this a good keyboard

[abrahamstechnology]

This keyboard will probably be thrown out by the next owner in 10 years or so. However, refurbishing and boltmodding an M will ensure it will last 30 more years. Don't get me wrong, I like all sizes of mechanical keyboards, but I doubt the small keyboard trend will last much longer.

Buckling springs might not be everyone's favorite, but in my opinion they are one of the best spring-over-membrane designs and far better than rubber domes. Unicomp's tooling is ailing, and I doubt will be in operation for much longer.

[webwit]

Cool mod!

[zrrion]

This is a pretty cool keeb honestly and isn't any different than a homemade SSKs imo. The only thing thats even remotely "horrifying" about this is the damaged badge but it was a blue oval and not an industrial square badge so no big loss there. I'm not a huge fan of the blank caps but I suppose that prevents you from having any issues with misaligned Unicomp legends lol.

[vometia]

Apart from the duck-egg colour, I also quite like it. It's not like Ms are a serious rarity and from what I can gather he's given life to a keyboard that was otherwise pretty much dead.

[Myoth]

This keyboard will probably be thrown out by the next owner in 10 years or so. However, refurbishing and boltmodding an M will ensure it will last 30 more years. Don't get me wrong, I like all sizes of mechanical keyboards, but I doubt the small keyboard trend will last much longer.

wait are you saying that cutting the M will make it last shorter ?

[abrahamstechnology]

This keyboard will probably be thrown out by the next owner in 10 years or so. However, refurbishing and boltmodding an M will ensure it will last 30 more years. Don't get me wrong, I like all sizes of mechanical keyboards, but I doubt the small keyboard trend will last much longer.

wait are you saying that cutting the M will make it last shorter ?

Well, the hardware will probably be completely fine, but I'm just saying that the small keyboard trend might die off soon. And the next person who gets that may just throw it away.

[webwit]

Well, the hardware will probably be completely fine, but I'm just saying that the small keyboard trend might die off soon. And the next person who gets that may just throw it away.

As the famous German comedian Goethe once lamented,
Der ganze Gewinn meines Lebens Ist, ihren Verlust zu beweinen.

Such drama. Millions of Model M were binned by the next person.

[Findecanor]

Looks like a pretty good job, except that it (according to the description on imgur) lacks a screw post in the top/right corner for holding it together. He should have cut the top of the case a little bit differently so that it could have been kept.

I once started converting a IBM M2 into a tenkeyless, but I abandoned it. I got stumped on how to replace cut traces of the membrane: I had tried out some metal foil that turned out not to last. Then there was the problem of relocating the controller to the bottom and tension it against the folded membrane. I even considered making a new controller adaptor-board altogether. I also figured that I would have to find a way to bolt-mod it — which I had not yet seen anyone do. Too many problems to solve.

[webwit]

That would have been a pretty cool buckling spring board form factor.

[fohat]

I have done a couple of Model M "chop jobs" but never satisfactorily. Alignment and adhesive never worked out properly.

As for the membranes, simply folding them under (and isolating them electrically) seemed adequate - as long as they were "out of sight and out of mind" it was merely as if they were never being activated and thus irrelevant.

[zrrion]

the small keyboard trend might die off soon.

It probably won't. When building a custom board everything is much cheaper if you can limit the board size. So long as component prices stay where they are and don't somehow drop to the point where building a fully custom battleship doesn't break the bank then they will continue to be the most affordable builds and therefore the most popular keyboards.

[hansichen]

the small keyboard trend might die off soon.

It probably won't. When building a custom board everything is much cheaper if you can limit the board size. So long as component prices stay where they are and don't somehow drop to the point where building a fully custom battleship doesn't break the bank then they will continue to be the most affordable builds and therefore the most popular keyboards.

What am I reading here? Do you really think people choose a smaller keyboard on their 500+$ builds cause a tkl or fullsize board would be too expensive?
For many people it's just more comfortable to use. We all do different stuff on our PCs so it's just preference. You don't expect that we all use cherry mx blues so why do you expect that we all wanna use fullsize boards?

Btw: the oldest 60% custom (otd mini) is from 2010 and worth 1.5-2k $ these days, definetly a short term hype and a good way to save money And the hhkb is successful for over a decade now too even if it's one of the most expensive retail boards out there.

[zrrion]

if I'm gonna build a keyboard 60% at 500 a full-sized keyboard is going to be even more! Not something I want to shell out for when a good vintage full-sized board is a fraction of that. I will say that it helps that a 60% puts the alpha block in the center of the desk which is more comfortable. the form factor has multiple advantages. I feel like price is a pretty big draw. (the hhkb is expensive because topre)

[mike52787]

Pretty sweet mod, dont know what you're on about. anyway it's just a model m... totally dime a dozen.

[Elrick]

Pretty sweet mod, dont know what you're on about. anyway it's just a model m... totally dime a dozen.

"Just a Model-M", what supreme and petty ignorance .

Every time I see another post about the Model-M being worthless and insignificant, I need to reach for my AR-15 and climb a church steeple for some retribution.

Typical blasphemy such as that deserves the maximum punishment, from every IBM Model-M keyboard collector/user.

[Hak Foo]

I feel like some of the current keyboard hobby is basically disconnected from the original "let's have awesome tools" thing.

From the perspective of a lot of the /r/mk crowd, a Model M is of no more use than a $12 Logitech rubber-dome: it's not RGB or NKRO, it's so *loud*, and you will have a hard time outfitting it in a new keyset for every day of the week. And it's so big-- when they are clearly typing on strange physics-defying desks that can hold multiple 34-inch ultrawide monitors, yet only fit a 40%

The closest thing I can think of right now is the split between the "model railway" and "toy train" hobbyist-- while it sounds very similar, they covet very different products to the point where the holy grail items of one community would seem strange and out of place in the other.

[Chyros]

I'm not really a huge fan of small stuff, but I think that's a pretty cool job actually. The modification looks absolutely seamless which can't be easy to accomplish Oo .

[//gainsborough]

Woah! This is really neat!! Ms are so common that I don't think using them for projects like this is such a big deal =P Especially when it comes out this nice!

[kbdfr]

This is a pretty cool keeb honestly […]

Next time I reed "keeb" on DT I'll report the post,
even if I'm not sure which category in the terms of use it fits in

[…] abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, sexually-orientated […] material […]

[Wodan]

You‘re just jelly because you‘re not a lit young memer like me and the other kek-bois #swag #yolo

[Slom]

This is a pretty cool keeb honestly […]

Next time I reed "keeb" on DT I'll report the post,
even if I'm not sure which category in the terms of use it fits in

[…] abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, sexually-orientated […] material […]

keeb? keeb. keeb! KEEB!!111!

Whats wrong with estonian boiled food?
https://de.wiktionary.org/wiki/keeb

[Khers]

I think that was really rather neat modification; it looks very well executed.

[vometia]

This is a pretty cool keeb honestly […]

Next time I reed "keeb" on DT I'll report the post,
even if I'm not sure which category in the terms of use it fits in

[…] abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, sexually-orientated […] material […]

Maybe Deskthority should be renamed to "Peeps with Keebs".