Identify this!
- Kurk
- Location: Sauce Hollondaise (=The Netherlands)
- Main keyboard: Kinesis Advantage // Filco MJ2 + HID liberation
- Main mouse: ITAC Mousetrak Professional
- DT Pro Member: 0027
I've found this keyboard and I have no idea what it is. There's no brand or manufacturer on it. The only indications are the letters "A.D.I." and a serial number on the circuit board. It connects via a 4 pin Western plug to a computer (or whatever). Three types of key switches can be found: black stems under the single unit keys, brown ones under the two-unit keys and the space bar, and there's an actual locking switch for caps lock. As far as I can tell the black and the brown switches require the same actuation force. The stems are bent upwards slightly and compensate the slope of the mounting plate. BTW, they are slightly larger than Cherry MX stems so MX caps won't fit.
Time has yellowed the grey, thick double shot keys. You can put these caps on modern day Cherry MX switches but they cannot be used because the key mounts are too thick and won't slide into the switch housing. There are also some plastic supports in the way.
So... any idea what it is?
Here are the pictures, sorry for the dirt and the bad lighting:
The mounting plate with some caps removed. The switch stem of the num pad enter is broken:
Black switches:
The locking switch under caps lock:
A brown switch (right shift):
The dark side of the caps:
Time has yellowed the grey, thick double shot keys. You can put these caps on modern day Cherry MX switches but they cannot be used because the key mounts are too thick and won't slide into the switch housing. There are also some plastic supports in the way.
So... any idea what it is?
Here are the pictures, sorry for the dirt and the bad lighting:
The mounting plate with some caps removed. The switch stem of the num pad enter is broken:
Black switches:
The locking switch under caps lock:
A brown switch (right shift):
The dark side of the caps:
- Gilgam
- Location: france
- Main keyboard: Too many
- Main mouse: CST trakball
- Favorite switch: red ?, maybe topre, well no, black... Or brown???
- DT Pro Member: -
I don't know the keyboard, but i like the bicolor look. And you can mod the keys with a lancet (or a xacto knife) to make them fit in the modern cherry switches. I've done that several time and it works fine.Kurrk wrote: Time has yellowed the grey, thick double shot keys. You can put these caps on modern day Cherry MX switches but they cannot be used because the key mounts are too thick and won't slide into the switch housing. There are also some plastic supports in the way.
- Gilgam
- Location: france
- Main keyboard: Too many
- Main mouse: CST trakball
- Favorite switch: red ?, maybe topre, well no, black... Or brown???
- DT Pro Member: -
There must be different keycaps so (and if i remember well there is), because mine work fine :rodtang wrote:According to Mrinterface they don't fit at all.Mrinterface wrote:Nice sphericals for in the switch try bag.....
And no, those caps don't fit an MX stem ( I tried )
The killer The victims here they are .
-
- Location: Norway
- Main keyboard: Old rubberdome
- Main mouse: Logitech Performance MX
- DT Pro Member: -
- Kurk
- Location: Sauce Hollondaise (=The Netherlands)
- Main keyboard: Kinesis Advantage // Filco MJ2 + HID liberation
- Main mouse: ITAC Mousetrak Professional
- DT Pro Member: 0027
rodtang, these vintage SMK switches indeed look like the ones in my keyboard. I could desolder one of the switches to check for the SMK logo but I'm in a lazy mood. BTW, which thread are these pictures from? I also see the same key caps in the backgound.
Gilgam, my caps are definitively different from yours. The stem mounts are more massive and there are additional plastic supports. It won't be easy to get them to work with MX switches.
Here's a pic with a Cherry MX (black) stem fitted to one of the caps. Notice how the stem mount is much bigger than the Cherry slider.
A Cherry MX stem fitted to one of the caps.
Gilgam, my caps are definitively different from yours. The stem mounts are more massive and there are additional plastic supports. It won't be easy to get them to work with MX switches.
Here's a pic with a Cherry MX (black) stem fitted to one of the caps. Notice how the stem mount is much bigger than the Cherry slider.
A Cherry MX stem fitted to one of the caps.
- kps
- Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
- Main keyboard: Kinesis contoured
- Main mouse: Kensington Slimblade trackball
- DT Pro Member: -
I'd say it almost certainly belongs to a terminal, since there is a LOCAL key, probably serial (BREAK) and ASCII (\| and `~ pairs). I don't recognize the name ADI at all, though.Kurrk wrote:It connects via a 4 pin Western plug to a computer (or whatever).