Great/Interesting Finds

[inozenz]

Focus FK-6000 for a decent price with make offer:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/125321022924

I always thought btc was the only one doing big escape keys :O

[digital_matthew]

Pretty interesting vintage piece for quite a sum of money:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/403845241489?h ... R-KFz-TYYA

Capture.JPG (110.22 KiB) Viewed 9911 times

I'd buy if only the Return key were a bit larger.

[Muirium]

I'd buy if only the Return key were a bit larger.

Yeh. Know where ur coming from mate. Doubt I could find it when drunk typing, what with same colour. Must be great for wardialing tho. 2 handed.

[digital_matthew]

Is this really an Apple 1 keyboard?

Capture.JPG (219.91 KiB) Viewed 9743 times

https://www.ebay.com/itm/295185041598?_ ... %7Ciid%3A1

[Slom]

Is this really an Apple 1 keyboard?

I think the Apple 1 came without a keyboard, so "the" apple 1 keyboard is whatever ASCII keyboard the user bought for it.

[Muirium]

Correct. The “Apple Computer” came without a case, as well. You just bought the pre-assembled PCB, soldered by Steve Jobs sister (and friends) in their parents garage. I’m not making this up! Keyboard, data storage, I think even the power supply was on you. The one you often see illustrated is a home made wooden case someone made for theirs and sits in a museum.

The idea to sell their computer as a finished product rather than a kit came from the guy who ran the Byte Shop, who offered these kids enough cash up front that they could go get injection molded plastic cases designed and made in time to come back with a fair amount of what was by then the Apple II.

[guidemetothelight]

Nokia Data Keyboard.
I woul guess Ericcson RMD 973 Switches.

5E937240-6B6B-4F0C-9D20-E2FEECDC88D8.png (1.25 MiB) Viewed 9567 times

Link:


https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anz ... nt=app_ios

[inozenz]

Nokia Data Keyboard.
I woul guess Ericcson RMD 973 Switches.
5E937240-6B6B-4F0C-9D20-E2FEECDC88D8.png
Link:


https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anz ... nt=app_ios

made in mexico definitely rubber dome!

[guidemetothelight]

made in mexico definitely rubber dome!

Ah sad. Its too expensive anyway, the seller only sells at premium prices...

[dcopellino]

For a couple of days I dreamt of getting this Honeywell for a handful of €€.... Then reality woke me up abruptly. Sob
Remain the consolation that such a beautiful keeb with perhaps the best switches ever conceived can't be so easily connected to a modern pc. Couldn't it?

Screenshot_20220907-141902_eBay.jpg (659.91 KiB) Viewed 9193 times

Ehi Mu, do you know something about it, don't you. Ever tried to connect yours?

[Lalaland124]

For a couple of days I dreamt to get this Honeywell for a handful of €€.... Then reality woke me up abruptly. Sob
Remain the consolation that such a beautiful keeb with perhaps the best switches ever conceived can't be so easily connected to a modern pc. Couldn't it?
Screenshot_20220907-141902_eBay.jpg
Ehi Mu, do you know something about it, don't you. Ever tried to connect yours?

Since when have these things become so expensive

[mmm]

Since when have these things become so expensive

It seems ludicrous. Is it just two people that suddenly decided they wanted MS boards, no matter the cost, making the price skyrocket? This also recently went for 1k USD, which also confuses me.

[Muirium]

Things? They've been costly for a while now. These specific Micro Switch keyboards? Can't say I've been watching.

Now, to answer Coppelino's question: my Honeywell remains in a drawer. I've DMed a handful of more technically capable DTers about getting it up on USB, and opinions vary. Haata once said he reckoned it was fundamentally 1KRO, as it doesn't send break codes (key release); though this was many years ago and I may be misremembering. I believe McMM has the chops (he's done plenty more conversions, take a look at his post history) but he's not gotten back to me when I pestered a while ago.

I'd much rather convert the board than rip out its proud Micro Switch guts. Besides, hall effect sensors are beyond my usual capsense and simple diode matrix know-how.

[JP!]

Since when have these things become so expensive

It seems ludicrous. Is it just two people that suddenly decided they wanted MS boards, no matter the cost, making the price skyrocket? This also recently went for 1k USD, which also confuses me.

I didn't even get a bid in for that Micro Switch since it went 4x+ more than I bid for it. I must be missing something with this one as I don't see it being anywhere near the $1k mark. It is SW series which are a bit more scarce. Perhaps there might be a historic context which only a small subset of refined enthusiasts would even care about such as the specific machine this keyboard belonged to. It could even simply be a bidding war gone too far. This has only happened to me one time and it wasn't ultimately worth it. This reminds me of the in-person auction equivalent of holding your hand up and never lowering it because you are going to have it no matter the price.

Spoiler:

I guess as a consolation I ended up with the Apple keyboard which is actually the only keyboard I've acquired in 2022

[dcopellino]

Things? They've been costly for a while now. These specific Micro Switch keyboards? Can't say I've been watching.

Now, to answer Coppelino's question: my Honeywell remains in a drawer. I've DMed a handful of more technically capable DTers about getting it up on USB, and opinions vary. Haata once said he reckoned it was fundamentally 1KRO, as it doesn't send break codes (key release); though this was many years ago and I may be misremembering. I believe McMM has the chops (he's done plenty more conversions, take a look at his post history) but he's not gotten back to me when I pestered a while ago.

I'd much rather convert the board than rip out its proud Micro Switch guts. Besides, hall effect sensors are beyond my usual capsense and simple diode matrix know-how.

Thanks Mu for answering, even though i'd have preferred another kind of reply, of the type: Never mind, it doesn't matter. they are 1kro and no one has never managed to connect them to a modern pc and when you type on them they don't play with a thock. Nice to know that ⍝ is SHIFT, though .....

[Muirium]

No. I think HaaTa or Dorkvader or more likely yet: my own damn memory was wrong. Only MMcM knows. But they didn’t get back to me.

[hellothere]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/265861595415
https://www.ebay.com/itm/125500184802

File these under interesting. Tai-Hao APC Semi-Mechanical. One's $38 and the other's $29. Free shipping. Alps mount. Nice keycaps, at least, and that's the hook the seller's using.

I don't know how "rare" these are and I haven't specifically been looking for them.

[Jan Pospisil]

I quite like the case as well, it's like an Ortek with an Omnikey styling almost.

[thefarside]

I remember someone posting they were looking for some Futaba switches and thought I would share this find on eBay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/265859274150

[hellothere]

I remember someone posting they were looking for some Futaba switches and thought I would share this find on eBay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/265859274150

Thanks for that. That might have been me. While I'm not really looking for one anymore, I might have mentioned that I'm low-key looking for one with MX-style mounts (which this isn't, but I appreciate the thought).

[xxhellfirexx]

Release year IBM 5251 keyboard. Note the unusual placement of the "Field Exit" label.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/304629303279

[thefarside]

Not your everyday alps board:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/403890297872

42C19DCD-9423-49E2-8093-47D7D400F93B.jpeg (160.57 KiB) Viewed 8273 times

[Polecat]

Not your everyday alps board:

42C19DCD-9423-49E2-8093-47D7D400F93B.jpeg

I've seen that model before with a different name on it. I can't recall what it was, but it was part of a luggable PC, and not one of the well known ones. Odd but fun layout.

[thefarside]

I stumbled across this Unitech K-973 battle ship keyboard which led me to an amusing and interesting DT post:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/295228260403

B1AE8BED-BE25-4AFD-836B-3E9E4F3333C2.jpeg (500.56 KiB) Viewed 8160 times

Based on the post the board should have MX blacks.

Amusing post:
Unitech K-973 IBM I aint battle ship keyboard
viewtopic.php?f=62&t=25649

The first thing I thought of after reading the acronym was also “IBM I AINT”

[-Space-NATO-]

Based on the post the board should have MX blacks.

Can confirm it got MX blacks.

[SK-8K]

Scorpius-35 trackball keyboard, likely Cherry MX Blue, for $50
https://www.ebay.com/itm/255728288297

[Polecat]

This would be a better fit if the thread was Great *or* Interesting, but here it is anyway. A Northgate 101S. Never heard of this one before, and hope not to again. But just for the record it appears to be a rebranded Honeywell rubber dome. And it should be documented, if only as a "nope or noper".

https://www.ebay.com/itm/225175888522

This one has none of Northgate's redeeming features whatsoever. And it has a <gasp> bar code. Two, actually.

[thefarside]

This would be a better fit if the thread was Great *or* Interesting, but here it is anyway. A Northgate 101S. Never heard of this one before, and hope not to again. But just for the record it appears to be a rebranded Honeywell rubber dome. And it should be documented, if only as a "nope or noper".

That’s too bad given the legacy of Northgate keyboards and quite a price for a rubber dome.

I stumbled upon this interesting Falco terminal board with the MX blacks replaced with 40g Zeal Clickies. Looks great and I bet it sounds great too:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/403896807224

6BF374EF-1EB8-4DA8-8801-BE80608F2607.jpeg (438.17 KiB) Viewed 7924 times

[Lekrafter]

Rare mac version of omniley ultra?


https://www.ebay.ca/itm/314161601692?mk ... media=COPY

[Muirium]

Quite a distinctive beast!




Not my style at all, MUUCH 2OO BB!G, but someone should grab that thing. Its sheer strangeness is commendable.