Key Tronic Corp. Early '70s Keyboard

MightyFrame · 06 Jun 2019, 08:58

Hi. I rarely post here, but I always respect this community...the absolute best when it comes to understanding and preserving keyboards and their history!

I'm searching for a more rare one. It's a key tronic corp. 065-01149 [-003]

For the first time, I'm seeing good detail of the printed circuit board of the actual keyboard, with some identifying marks.

The one you see here was laid out in the traditional "keypunch" fashion, but there were a few other layout configurations.

For context of where this keyboard was used in, please see my page at http://EntrexDataScope.com , where I like to post every shred of evidence I've ever found on these rare terminals.

I don't actually have one of these, so I'm at the mercy of the images that I can find from other people around the world.

Any insight into these that anybody here can share (especially if someone can find or has one!) is highly appreciated.

Best always,
AJ

JP! · 07 Jun 2019, 04:05

Neat keyboard but I've never seen one before. I have seen a MicroSwitch with a similar color scheme once. Something like this will be almost impossible to find. You will want too keep tabs of terminals on eBay. Also other forums like vcfed might be a good resource.

MightyFrame · 07 Jun 2019, 06:09

Thanks for your reply and feedback, JP. Yes, I've had multiple saved searches on eBay for several years now, and I frequent the VCFed forum, and we've discussed this terminal there several times. Nobody has much to say about it, which is really why I started the site about it, so there would be something for that one person to find, when he/she comes across one and doesn't know who to contact.

Anyway, thanks for your input on this. I just got excited once I finally saw some details on the keyboard, that it could possibly catch someone's eye here in this space...and maybe...just maybe...it still will...

JP! · 07 Jun 2019, 19:24

MightyFrame wrote: 07 Jun 2019, 06:09 Thanks for your reply and feedback, JP. Yes, I've had multiple saved searches on eBay for several years now, and I frequent the VCFed forum, and we've discussed this terminal there several times. Nobody has much to say about it, which is really why I started the site about it, so there would be something for that one person to find, when he/she comes across one and doesn't know who to contact.

Anyway, thanks for your input on this. I just got excited once I finally saw some details on the keyboard, that it could possibly catch someone's eye here in this space...and maybe...just maybe...it still will...

That a great outlook and just maybe someone will stumble across one. I would send snuci a private message since he is really into terminals from the 70's.

Red_October · 09 Jun 2019, 02:39

That's really cool, the terminal has quite the resemblance to the VT05, and the later appellation "DECScope" lead me to wonder, do they have any relation besides the resemblance?

MightyFrame · 10 Jun 2019, 02:22

Red_October wrote: 09 Jun 2019, 02:39 That's really cool, the terminal has quite the resemblance to the VT05, and the later appellation "DECScope" lead me to wonder, do they have any relation besides the resemblance?

Not that I'm aware of, but that's very interesting to hear. When I google search VT05 and DecScope, most of the images I see are of a very "boxy" terminal. Can you provide a link or a pic of the version(s) you think has the resemblance? I'm fascinated by what you might be seeing here.

snuci · 10 Jun 2019, 03:10

MightyFrame wrote: 10 Jun 2019, 02:22 Not that I'm aware of, but that's very interesting to hear. When I google search VT05 and DecScope, most of the images I see are of a very "boxy" terminal. Can you provide a link or a pic of the version(s) you think has the resemblance? I'm fascinated by what you might be seeing here.

It does "sort of" look like a VT05 from the front but the VT05 is far from boxy. I don't know much about Entrex and their key-to-tape system that used to use these terminals. You may have better luck finding Nixdorf information. A complete or any part of this terminal will likely be hard to find but I appreciate your passion. Keep at it. If I find anything in my travels, I'll let you know. I do have two early key-to-tape systems but they are both unique and not the same.

As for the DEC VT05, I am still looking for the right keyboard/keys for it but here are a couple of pictures.

: DEC VT05 front; IMG_4578 (2).JPG (623.4 KiB) Viewed 7181 times

: Dec VT05 overhead; IMG_4574 (2).JPG (867.41 KiB) Viewed 7181 times

: DEC VT05 curvy sides; IMG_4579 (2).JPG (541.6 KiB) Viewed 7181 times

MightyFrame · 10 Jun 2019, 03:25

Thank you, Snuci, I really appreciate the reply and the encouragement!

Yes, Nixdorf is also one of my saved searches, and I find some hits across Germany and varying countries throughout Europe from time to time...

I'll certainly keep you posted here should I find anything.

The keyboard photos I posted at the beginning of this thread actually came from 2 separate auctions on eBay.de in Germany only, and I just found them within the past week, over a year after they sold. my eBay.com saved searches most certainly did not report those to me, it was a fluke Google search I was doing where I saw images of those terminals that I had not already archived on my site...that's how they got my attention.

I'll be posting those images in full soon on my site at http://Entrex480.blogspot.com (right now the post is in draft mode as I clean up some details I'm researching).

By the way, the "boxy" look of the VT05 DecScope I was referring to is the one in the middle here.

That is what Google was giving me the most images of on my search...but you're right, there certainly IS a resemblance to the images you post above. I think it's just what I"ll call "period-styling overlap", and nothing much more beyond that. But that's just my opinion. My research hasn't turned up any other connection with any DEC terminals, or DEC at all.

Anyway, best always!
AJ

snuci · 10 Jun 2019, 03:36

The DECscope terminal is a DEC VT50 or VT52. The picture above has the VT05 (left), VT50 DECscope (middle) and VT100 (right). These are iconic terminals and many were made to look similarly. The VT05 coming out in 1970 would have had other manufacturers make their terminals look similarly.

Germany would make sense for possibly finding something. It has a very early Keytronic modular key switch keyboard which is pretty nice. I have an early Datapoint terminal with these same key switches which was from around 1975.

MightyFrame · 10 Jun 2019, 07:19

snuci wrote: 10 Jun 2019, 03:36 The DECscope terminal is a DEC VT50 or VT52. The picture above has the VT05 (left), VT50 DECscope (middle) and VT100 (right). These are iconic terminals and many were made to look similarly. The VT05 coming out in 1970 would have had other manufacturers make their terminals look similarly.

Thank you for that clarity. That helps me understand the differences.

snuci wrote: 10 Jun 2019, 03:36 It has a very early Keytronic modular key switch keyboard which is pretty nice. I have an early Datapoint terminal with these same key switches which was from around 1975.

These Data/Scope Keystation terminals were seen as early as 1972. The first time my research shows that we actually see one in print is from this November 1, 1972 ComputerWorld advertisement, that is 3rd on my list on my page at https://entrex480.blogspot.com/p/entrex-ads.html

They could have been around even earlier, I just haven't found any "date-stamped" evidence of such.

So, the early 70s fits quite nicely with the vintage of this particular terminal, with what I believe to be this same keyboard.

Again, thanks for taking an interest in this with me!

Best,
AJ

MightyFrame · 29 Oct 2019, 05:59

Well, I have found some new information on this keyboard...and immediately thought to share it here...

https://www.instructables.com/id/Fridge ... -Keyboard/

Seeing this author's post made me both happy and sad...happy, of course, because he saved a rare vintage keyboard that he was certain would be thrown away...but then said, because, well...I'll let all of you here comment on your thoughts...

There are many many more pictures from the site hyperlinked above, so I encourage you to look at all of those, but here's just a few I'm embedding here, that jumped out at me...

OldIsNew · 30 Oct 2019, 02:20

MightyFrame wrote: ↑
Well, I have found some new information on this keyboard...and immediately thought to share it here...

https://www.instructables.com/id/Fridge ... -Keyboard/

: Dr-Smith.jpg (33.19 KiB) Viewed 6670 times

What else can you say really?

Sangdrax · 30 Oct 2019, 14:35

It wouldn't bug me much if they weren't the rare magnetic reed variant. I love the old foam and foil myself, but it ain't the end of the world if someone used one of those for some silly project like that instead.

mr_a500 · 30 Oct 2019, 15:54

Maybe some day an alien will come down, take that guy back to his home planet and say to his friends, "Hey, look! I found this primitive life form. I think I'll take off his appendages, put magnets on them and stick them to my plasmorb containment unit."

Chyros · 30 Oct 2019, 16:48

Sangdrax wrote: 30 Oct 2019, 14:35 It wouldn't bug me much if they weren't the rare magnetic reed variant. I love the old foam and foil myself, but it ain't the end of the world if someone used one of those for some silly project like that instead.

Looks like a quite neat little board too D: . I guess it's easier to get working over USB than the F&F version, as well.