HI I'M BARRY SCOTT

[hirez]

The last time I had to strip, clean and re-assemble an IBM keyboard, it was the mid 80s, the thing had probably come off an XT from Rolls-Royce at Filton that someone had poured their cocoa into, and I was the PFY.

It does all come back to one rather quickly.

This time, the keyboard was off a XT-286, so there was a connector at the keyboard end of the cable rather than a grommet, and most of the keys had separate caps to make pulling it to bits easier. These later efforts have the plastic-spot-welded chassis rather than the two lumps of steel twisted together, so there's no way of cleaning the switches, even if one wanted to. (Well, you can wang them in an ultrasonic bath if you really want.)

Comments

[whotheheckami.livejournal.com]

I'll stick to SLR SMG or SA-80

[hirez.livejournal.com]

I know which one is safest for me...

Mind, I suspect your choice would be more use for making stroppy coders see sense.

[voidmonster.livejournal.com]

I would just like to take this opportunity to point out that in an effort to create the new discipline of Method Writing, I wrote my 8-bit cyberpunk novel almost entirely on a piece of IBM artillery that just happened to have buckling springs and keycaps and stuff.

I am, at the moment, only half-way pondering whether or not I want to create laser-engraved, inlaid copper keycaps for this bizarro linux laptop I'm making.

I have, on the other hand, already ordered the copper cladding for the case, the labradorite gems for the power switch (two in case one is insufficiently translucent for the LED) and tomorrow will purchase the oxblood-red leather.

There will be pictures.

[nojay.livejournal.com]

I won't type on a keyboard I can't use to beat a spammer to death with. Model M for the win.

[quercus.livejournal.com]

I want to see two squaddies hitting each other repeatedly with an SA-80 and a Model M.

Which would break first?

[perlmonger.livejournal.com]

I'll indulge in a moment's nostalgia for Tandberg keyboards that made this IBM look flimsy. Hall effect switches they had too.

We had to replace them every now and then for $HOW_MUCH a pop, after scrotes cut them off with (presumably) some vain hope of interfacing them with their speccies and shit.

[hirez.livejournal.com]

I am minded to construct an poll about this sort of thing, because it's only now that the IBM seems exceptional.

Although I guess if I wanted exceptional, it would be the early Compaq keyboards where the switches were squidgy foam with silver paper glued to the business end. Exceptionally horrible.

[hirez.livejournal.com]

IIRC the 101-key versions were steel cased, for extra spammer-mangling value.

[hirez.livejournal.com]

I suspect you'll need to lacquer the keys so as to avoid tarnish.

(http://jarkman.co.uk/catalog/jewel/brassqrcodes.htm)

[nojay.livejournal.com]

The key thing, so to speak was that the early IBM computer keyboards (we will skip lightly over the electromechanical abortions on the 029 keypunches) were designed and laid out by the ergonomics people who made the Selectric typewriters which were the creme de la creme of typing engines at the time. That's why, for example, the keytops were dished and the rows sloped upwards in a curve rather than being a flat harsh plane of buttons as most keyboards had been up till then (see the Commodore PET for a horrifying counterexample).

[hirez.livejournal.com]

Yes. The original PET (2001?) was horrible, but by the time of the, um, 3032, things were less worse.

Then again, there was the MZ80K.

And then again one's off into odd industrial design with stuff like TVI terminals. I vaguely remember a slew of similarly-aged kit where the keyboards were just uniformly grotty, if only because of the nicotine stains.

[maluse.livejournal.com]

If said keyboard is a Model M type thing then popping it in a dishwasher on the "delicates" cycle should do the trick. A friend acquired a huge pile of IBM workstations about 10 years ago from a uni clearout. The machines were scrap but the keyboards, cleaned in the dishwasher and then dried, got sold for a reasonable amount to discerning students. I still have mine, connected to my main PC.

[nojay.livejournal.com]

A pressure washer will work on a Model M keyboard too but you might have to chase after some keycaps. They snap on over the switches no problem.

[reddragdiva]

After we move house (soon, let it be soon!), I plan to buy a new Model M from PCKeyboard. US$80, with postage to here £80, then customs. But it'll be USB rather than PS/2, so will actually work with ANY COMPUTER I ACTUALLY OWN.

[hirez.livejournal.com]

I bought a PS2->USB widget for £sixpence from the Amazons, on the off-chance that it would make the thing work with the Macbook. The widget-chain looks a bit ugly (DIN->PS2->USB) but did the trick.

[reddragdiva]

Looking at the selection on eBay, I decided I'd rather buy an immaculate one new than risk any of them. Though if one in known good condition came my way I might chance such a widget.

[hirez.livejournal.com]

They seem to average about three quid.

Mind, I'd had the keyboard since, um, 1993, so wasn't really rushing to find stuff that worked.

[aeia.livejournal.com]

I love the clunky IBM keyboards. Still have one stashed away which I should resurrect.

I remember when I worked at IBM making use of the fact that the keycaps come off. We had one particularly grumpy member of staff who was always in a bit late and in a grumpy mood so one morning we just swapped a couple of keycaps around on his keyboard. Made for great entertainment hearing him swearing as he couldn't quite type. Took him a while to twig what had happened!

[hazeii.livejournal.com]

This time, is it for pleasure?

Bought a bunch of old school keyboards when the new ones become $5 disposables; all still working, should last the rest of my natural.