Great/Interesting Finds

[Muirium]

These keycaps have me drooling. What type of keyboard is this?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Casio-FP-1100- ... 3316556868



Edit: Oh, duh. There are more pictures in the listing.

So what is it then?



The seller knows enough to take the caps off, but leave the stabilised ones on!



Nothing I recognise. (Not that I’m a big collector of vintage stuff I don’t already know by reputation.)

There’s a few candidates in here:

wiki/Generic_cross_mount_recognition

And a lot of tantalising placeholders!

[swampangel]

A non-working IBM Model M2 that looks like it's in good physical shape for $35 USD https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Vintage-IBM-Mod ... 4384443931 Usually one can be revived with replacement capacitors.

[cli]

A non-working IBM Model M2 that looks like it's in good physical shape for $35 USD https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Vintage-IBM-Mod ... 4384443931 Usually one can be revived with replacement capacitors.

As an IBM M2 owner for over 20 years, I would say: NOOOOOO!
It's a horrible keyboard.

[Muirium]

You’ll hate this thread.

[bhtooefr]

Of course... buckling spring or rubber dome M2? There is a difference, after all.

And the buckling spring M2 is honestly a keyboard that impresses me a lot. It's not a Model M, but it's damn close, and it's incredibly well cost-optimized. I suspect a Chinese company could take the design as-is, replace the controller with a USB one, modernize the layout (add Windows keys, really), and profitably mass-produce it and sell it for $25 a keyboard (considering similar modern rubber domes are cheaper), and have something that feels very close to a Model M.

[cli]

Well, within one year the keyboard start having problems, key presses didn't register.
Also one the buckling spring hammer broke..

[Muirium]

I suspect a Chinese company could take the design as-is, replace the controller with a USB one, modernize the layout (add Windows keys, really), and profitably mass-produce it and sell it for $25 a keyboard (considering similar modern rubber domes are cheaper), and have something that feels very close to a Model M.

I wish! That would be categorically the best clicky keyboard available today. Absolutely annihilates clicky Cherry MX, and even the caps are surprisingly good. If they did it in tenkeyless Bluetooth, I’d get one myself! I’d love to see the SSK’s descendant.

[bhtooefr]

Tenkeyless would actually require a major design change due to the controller...

Also, $25 may not get you dye-sub PBT. IDK how much that'd cost in quantity. (And, with black keyboards being more popular, dye-sub wouldn't necessarily work anyway.) But let's face it, even pad printed ABS, it'd still be a hell of a deal for that price. It wouldn't be a good gaming keyboard (2KRO just like a Model M), but seeing how people will pay like $87-94 for a Unicomp Ultra Classic...

And, re: keypresses not registering, I mean, there are known electronic problems with the M2 (due to early SMT electrolytic capacitors that are known to fail prematurely). A broken hammer sounds like a freak thing that I've never actually heard of being a problem before now, it doesn't usually happen.

[Muirium]

My Kishsaver had a broken hammer. Snapped at one of the pivots. Only time I’ve seen that, myself. Both M2s I’ve had are perfect shape internally. One of them just happened to have a smashed spacebar from bad shipping. Inflicted by my AT on its way out of Texas!

I hear you on the controller. Arguably, that’s what the blank spot past the function row, over the numpad was always for in so many keyboards: implementation details! But electronics is so much smaller now, and there’s still space for a battery around the arrow keys or below the function row.

[cli]

Yep, broken hammer, it was the part that was holding the spring that broke off.
But c'mon guys, IBM cut to many corners with the M2 keyboard. Maybe a nice keyboard to collect, but not for regular use.

[swampangel]

Yep, broken hammer, it was the part that was holding the spring that broke off.
But c'mon guys, IBM cut to many corners with the M2 keyboard. Maybe a nice keyboard to collect, but not for regular use.

I used one for years before I got my Omnikey. A bit fragile, yes, but fine to type on imo

[Jimi14]

Two old siemens boards with STB 21 switches and AT compatibility for any Swedish buyers. Would have bought them myself if they didn't have German layout.

https://www.tradera.com/item/340854/361 ... ka-brytare

https://www.tradera.com/item/340854/361 ... r-retro-pc

[cli]

my my, there is still one shop in the Netherlands that sells Monterey mechanical keyboards new out of box....

https://www.timmermuziek.nl/specsProduct.php?spec=0204
(it's a Monterey MK 9500 - https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=72413.0)

[OleVoip]

Two old siemens boards with STB 21 switches and AT compatibility for any Swedish buyers.

Thank you for sharing this. The field programmer board on the lower image is quite interesting - you rarely find them offered with case and cable.
Beware of the other one, though. It's not easy with this style of Siemens boards as only some of them do have STB keys (and some rare boards even have some unidentified ones). However, there are some indicators that make it increasingly unlikely that this one's got mechanical keys:

• The seller knows what 'mekaniska' keys are (see other item) but does not claim this board to have them.
• Production year after 1987.
• Siemens-Nixdorf.
• Key caps are lasered, modifiers have coloured labels
• Plastic ridges can be discerned in the gaps between the keycaps.

  

  3rd image of the auction after rescaling intensities

  siemens3.png (68.13 KiB) Viewed 11414 times

[Muirium]

Now that is some Kbdfr level sleuthing at work, very nicely detected and explained!

[Jimi14]

Two old siemens boards with STB 21 switches and AT compatibility for any Swedish buyers.

Thank you for sharing this. The field programmer board on the lower image is quite interesting - you rarely find them offered with case and cable.
Beware of the other one, though. It's not easy with this style of Siemens boards as only some of them do have STB keys (and some rare boards even have some unidentified ones). However, there are some indicators that make it increasingly unlikely that this one's got mechanical keys:

• The seller knows what 'mekaniska' keys are (see other item) but does not claim this board to have them.
• Production year after 1987.
• Siemens-Nixdorf.
• Key caps are lasered, modifiers have coloured labels
• Plastic ridges can be discerned in the gaps between the keycaps.
  siemens3.png

Well, the seller and i do live in the same city, so i could probably go and check myself actually. If you wanna buy one i could act as a middleman and send it to you since i'm kinda curious on stb's, but i don't want to buy a board that's probably just gonna sit around and collect dust.

Nice analysis btw. It's always impressive to read something written by someone who is clearly in his element.

[cli]

On ebay.it
Apple Extended keyboard M0115 with Italian keycaps for 30 euro
https://www.ebay.nl/itm/tastiera-vintag ... 3586391925

Seller doesn't ship outside italy, so only for our Italian friends!

[SpacemanToby]

I saw this lot for sale on craigslist and I'm going to look at it tomorrow. These are the best pictures they have. Send me your positive mechanical keyboard vibes.

[Keybug]

Good luck, man! I always found these kinds of hauls very exciting, a bit like Christmas TBH. And rare enough for those of us who don't have friendly recyclers in their vicinity like some I could mention...

[zrrion]

Local hauls are the best, good luck

[digital_matthew]

May a pallet of kishsavers be in your near future...

[SpacemanToby]

Literally all Dell Quietkeys...

[Keybug]

Buggeritis!

[digital_matthew]

Ugh. Upon closer inspection those purple PS/2 plugs are not a good sign.

[//gainsborough]

Dunno if this was posted already:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Symbolics-LISP ... .l4275.c10

[snacksthecat]

Dunno if this was posted already:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Symbolics-LISP ... .l4275.c10

I'll buy one, you buy one, and we can online game against each other.

[//gainsborough]

I'll buy one, you buy one, and we can online game against each other.

Done!!!


...is what I would like to say, but unfortunately, I don't have 5 Gs kickin' around >_<

[swampangel]

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/163851845177

Probably a little rich for just the Yaesu-branded Alpsaver, but maybe someone here has been waiting to get into ham radio ...

[xxhellfirexx]

Nissho KB106DE

https://www.ebay.com/itm/223666760269

[User101]

Nissho KB106DE

https://www.ebay.com/itm/223666760269

Good price