IBM Pingmaster
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| Part number |
5954339 6112883 6112884 6113442 6341739 |
|---|---|
| Branding | IBM |
| Manufacturer | Alps Electric |
| Keyswitches | Alps SKCC Green |
| Keycaps | Double-shot spherical ABS |
| Interface | IBM 4704 proprietary |
| Rollover | NKRO |
| Introduced | 1983[1] |
IBM Pingmaster is the nickname given to a series of keyboards manufactured for the Asian market for IBM by Alps Electric around 1983. They are intended for use with the IBM 4704 display terminal. Five versions are known, which have either Chinese or Japanese legends.
The keyboard gained popularity when an eBay seller posted a large quantity for sale around 2013-2015. The nickname "IBM Pingmaster" was given to it in 2014 (at least) by Dorkvader for the pinging noise of the Alps SKCC Green switches when used with a replaced controller.[2]
5954339
A Japanese variant of the "Pingmaster"; bottom row of the numpad is "0", "00", "000"
Angle view
Closer
Even closer
6112883
A Japanese variant of the "Pingmaster"; has a lot of relegendable keycaps.[3]
6112884
A Japanese variant of the "Pingmaster"; bottom row of the numpad is "0", "000", "."
Top view
By default, the numpad is positioned in the centre cluster. It is common for owners today to relocate it to the right cluster.
Left hand side
Middle section
Left profile
Unlike the ones in the main cluster, the relegendable caps on the right use a uniform profile
Bottom
Bottom label
The connector features the only actual IBM branding on the board
The connector is a DE-9 plug with only four pins used
6113442
A Chinese variant of the "Pingmaster"; bottom row of the numpad is "0", "00", "."[4]
6341739
A Chinese variant of the "Pingmaster"; has a lot of relegendable keycaps.[5]
References
- ↑ Youtube — IBM "pingmaster" 5954339 (Alps SKCC Green, 60g linear) SOUND TEST by Avery. Dated 2018-07-19. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ↑ Geekhack — IBM 6113442 (Chinese) or 6112884 (Japanese) Alps T-mount $30 + shipping Posted 2014-09-09. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ↑ WorthPoint — IBM 6112883 - PINGMASTER KEYBOARD (JAPANESE VER) OPEN-BOX Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ↑ Imgur — IBM "Ping master" model no. 6113442 by panzerfausiwagen. Dated 2018-04-21. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ↑ WorthPoint — IBM 4704 ALPS GREEN "PINGMASTER" CHINESE LEGENDS KEYBOARD. 6341739 NOS Retrieved 2024-06-10.
