IBM 3178 keyboard
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This article requires photographic illustration — disassembly photos of the 75-key version |
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| FCC ID | N/A |
|---|---|
| Branding | IBM |
| Manufacturer | IBM |
| Layouts | IBM 3178 |
| Keyswitches | Capacitive IBM buckling spring |
| Keycaps | Dye sublimated PBT |
| Interface | Proprietary |
The IBM 3178 Display Station was a low-cost 3270 terminal based on the 3101 revised in 1983. Designed to use the same commands and orders from the IBM 3278 Model 2 Display Station, the 3178's keyboards are a continuation of the 75-key and 87-key beam spring IBM Base Keyboard line used by the 3278 (and its 3276 and 3279 siblings) and are considered to be apart of the same lineage by IBM[1], deriving their physical and functional layouts from it.
The keyboards' rear labels show the model of the terminal they are intended for; C1 through C4. C1 and C2 keyboards were the standard 75/76-key "Data Entry" and 87/88-key "Typewriter" keyboards respectively. Whilst previous Base Keyboards' 75/76-key and 87/88-key models were differently sized, 3178-C1 used nearly the same enclosure as C2 through C4 but with the program-function/numeric keypad area covered. C3 and C4 were both 87-key typewriter keyboards that implemented layouts of earlier beam spring era RPQ keyboards (RPQ 8K1038 for IBM 3278 Model 2 and RPQ 8K0932 for IBM 3278 and 3279 respectively).[2][3]
To the naked eye, the most characteristic feature of these keyboards is the blue switch located on top which would toggle the "all uppercase" display mode anytime; this switch however is not present in Katakana models. On the bottom, there is a storage compartment for the host terminal's Operator Reference Guide (GA18-2128). They had no built-in risers or flip-out feet, instead, operators could fit clip-on feet (P/N 5641299) if they so desired.
The keyboard controller includes a jumper block with a number of jumpers already installed; the configuration of the jumpers should match the model of keyboard. All four keyboards are EBCDIC style and they and their host terminals use EBCDIC I/O interface codes.[2]
Contents
Variants
The following tables list all the variants available for C1 and C2 keyboards. The only existing C3 and C4 keyboards are P/N 6052101 and P/N 6052141 respectively, both using the 87-key US English layout.[4]
C1 keyboards
| Part Number | Number of keys | Layout |
|---|---|---|
| 4742679 | 75 | Canadian French |
| 4742680 | 76 | Katakana |
| 4742681 | 75 | Spanish speaking |
| 4742686 | 75 | French QWERTY |
| 4742687 | 75 | French AZERTY |
| 4742688 | 75 | Austrian/German |
| 4742689 | 75 | Italian |
| 4742690 | 75 | UK English |
| 4742691 | 75 | Belgian |
| 4742692 | 75 | Danish |
| 4742693 | 75 | Norwegian |
| 4742694 | 75 | Portuguese |
| 4742695 | 75 | Spanish |
| 4742696 | 75 | Swedish |
| 4742698 | 75 | Swiss/French |
| 4742699 | 75 | Swiss/German |
| 5640967 | 75 | US English[Note 1] |
| 5640991 | 75 | US English |
| 5641667 | 75 | US English (German) |
| 6052105 | 75 | US English (Netherlands) |
| 6052106 | 75 | Swedish (Finland) |
C2 keyboards
| Part Number | Number of keys | Layout |
|---|---|---|
| 4742683 | 87 | Canadian French |
| 4742684 | 88 | Katakana |
| 4742685 | 87 | Spanish speaking |
| 4742700 | 87 | French QWERTY |
| 4742701 | 87 | French AZERTY |
| 4742702 | 87 | Austrian/German |
| 4742703 | 87 | Italian |
| 4742704 | 87 | UK English |
| 4742705 | 87 | Belgian |
| 4742706 | 87 | Danish |
| 4742707 | 87 | Norwegian |
| 4742708 | 87 | Portuguese |
| 4742709 | 87 | Spanish |
| 4742710 | 87 | Swedish |
| 4742712 | 87 | Swiss/French |
| 4742713 | 87 | Swiss/German |
| 5640968 | 87 | US English[Note 1] |
| 5640987 | 87 | US English |
| 5641668 | 87 | US English (German) |
| 6052102 | 87 | US English (Netherlands) |
| 6052103 | 87 | Swedish (Finland) |
Footnotes
Gallery
P/N 4742702 (C2)
Top view
Underside, including the user manual
Top casing removed
A look at the barrels
Back side of the rear steel plate
A look at the flippers
Rusty barrel plate
Same barrel plate after a thorough cleaning session[5]
Back view
PCB and controller
PCB and controller, back view
Illuminated PCB and controller
Internal sticker
Close view of a keycap
P/N 6052101 (C3)
Keyboard top
Keycaps removed
Keyboard mechanism
Keyboard controller
Keyboard mechanism back
Back plate sticker
Inside bottom cover
Keyboard back
Rear "birth certificate" label
References
- ↑ IBM — IBM 3174 Establishment Controller Character Set Reference, document GA27-3831-02, p. 2-1 (bitsavers.org) Retrieved 2024-03-23.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 IBM — IBM 3178 Display Station Description, document GA18-2127-1 (bitsavers.org) Retrieved 2024-03-23.
- ↑ IBM — IBM 3178 Display Station Model C4 Announced, document 184-015 Retrieved 2024-03-23.
- ↑ IBM — IBM 3178 Repair Center - Maintenance Information, document SY18-2065-3, p. A-3 (Fig. A-2, Final Assembly Part Number List) (VT100.net) Retrieved 2024-03-21.
- ↑ Deskthority — IBM 3104 Display Terminal — complete disassembly by seebart. Posted 2014-12-30. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
