deskthority

Just stumbled upon this great project!

I might have overlooked it, but is there way to change the keyboard settings? Specifically, I would love to use the 'real' 5250 enter key (the one where the right control key normally is).
A bonus would be to use the Field Exit key (located at the classic ...

webwit wrote: 12 Feb 2023, 19:27

At my current rate of usage and if I stick to the very same keyboard I am using now I should start worrying about the 25M mark at about a hundred years from now. And when that happens I imagine that I will have to... replace or restore the membrane and it should be good for a hundred years more.

I ...

Nice job, and curious to see that fix with the rubber bands. I would suggest using polyurethane plastibands instead, as the rubber ones will wear off and release the pressure pretty quickly.

In the case of Buckling Springs as I see it the key factor is low complexity. That is you just have the key, barrel, spring and flipper. Putting that into a MX package will involve more parts and complexity (and possibly losing dust resistance) and I don't see it worth the hassle.

PeterQuines wrote: 25 Dec 2022, 08:51

Will the be no lock lights on the BSSK?

I see no lock lights on the official pictures @PeterQuines. Although a clarification would be nice on the ordering page as I imagine people will be ordering them alongside BSSK's nevertheless.

It has been a regular complaint from some owners of original 5251 and 3278 terminals without the matching beamspring keyboard the lack of a cheap replacement if you just want to use and enjoy the terminal. The original stuff is with a reason highly regarded and get pretty high prices well above that ...

My solution:


f122.png


That's just a project box with the soarer converter inside, attached to the keyboard case with magnets so can be removed/shared easily. The keyboard is stock, the only modification needed is to attach the magnets inside the case with blu-tac, double-sided tape or similar ...

I'm not a 40% guy but this is an outstanding project, congrats!

inmbolmie I am not sure what you are asking? There is no extra clearance for the first round beam modules - the module touches the PCB which touches a thin layer of foam below the PCB. This foam touches the bottom of the case. The cases were designed to be the thinnest possible height while ...

I would say that it would be more interesting to have a modern layout with a metal case "in the spirit" of the 3278/3279. A full repro made more sense in the case of the Model F, that had already pretty modern layouts and are "unobtainium" keyboards.

Also considering the high clearance between the ...

I thought this was interesting. An eBay listing for a Model F122 metal upper cover and top screw fixing strip. Interestingly it’s an advanced order and the seller says the price may be high or low depending on their supplier price.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/custom-ibm-model-f122-Metal-Shell ...

I would say that the toothpicks are good advice just for one switch, once, but in the end it is more practical to disassemble the entire switch if you have the right tools, because of the risk of bending the beam using toothpicks is higher than the risk of breaking anything with a full disassembly ...

When I was into gaming I used to rip it off the keyboard, as well as its cousin Windows keys. Now I only use vintage keyboards so it is less of a problem

Why not Ebay? Like this https://www.ebay.de/itm/253565177853

Local delivery and free shipping if I'm not wrong

There are tons of similar sellers over Ebay

Interesting! I would buy this if [...]

Yes, yes, yes, but are you not excited at all by the very fact that modern beamsprings exist?
This is big news. Many of us have either tried a beamspring keyboard at a meetup or bought a single switch off eBay. Now there's a chance to get something even ...

That's a possibility, but I would prefer a solution where you can actually see the keyboard like plexiglass or some other moulded transparent plastic. The problem with those is that you will need some exact measurements and it is unpractical to find any standard off-the-shelf solution that fits ...

I found that this fits perfectly over an 87-key 327x when not in use:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DTGG1NW/


That's a possibility, but I would prefer a solution where you can actually see the keyboard like plexiglass or some other moulded transparent plastic. The problem with those is ...

In one of chyros' reviews he claimed that the original beamspring designs
were very susceptible to dust, and this was one reason Harris moved
to buckling springs.

Has there ever been verification of this dust sensitivity, and if so, how could
we protect ourselves from this if we get one (or more ...

shine wrote: 24 Aug 2021, 19:42 rare F's are sexy

That's just pornography

I thought the process had to be ridiculously complex, but the reality is beyond my imagination.

How in the hell do you manage to get rid of air bubbles? Are you using extra equipment not shown in the video like pressure pump/vacuum chambers?

There are no users I know currently with a 3486, but there is one user with a working 3477, that is a very similar model, so it should work but is untested.

I'm not terribly familiar with those "modern" terminals but the DB15 is intended to be used with a Twinax T adapter that is ...

I've just got hold of an IBM InfoWindow II 3486, and came across this thread when looking for ways to interface with it. Would be PCBs posted above be a possible way to interact with it? And if so, would I just be able to connect it from the DB15 connector on the terminal to the DB-15 on the PCB ...

Rubber domes existed before, and had a large market share, but it was that late-90's pricing war that really destroyed all market share that mechanical keyboards had prior.

I think that's about right. In a very general sense, if I see a keyboard with a Windows (95) key on it, I assume it's a ...

inozenz wrote: 16 May 2021, 18:54 this legit?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/274799620876?h ... Sw-tBf3sL4

Rubber dome, or kinda.

There is a sticker actually on the right hand side that says that it's property of the US government. I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt that it was some sort of NASA surplus since NASA used IBM, but there's nothing unique about the keyboard. You can make all the stickers yourself on ...

Look how bad the paint job is.



Too bad he couldn't leave well enough alone and sell it the way it was. If it really was NASA surplus it would have been worth a lot.


Oh man, if that was a genuine Nasa item it would be for some grands, but now it is totally ruined, what a joke.

But maybe ...

Oh my, now I urgently need to purchase just another kitchen appliance... Thanks for the tip!

XMIT wrote: 23 Apr 2021, 13:59 I for one am looking forward to the inevitable post-COVID keyboard crash on r/mechmarket.

Really? I am ready to buy the dip!

I think this is one of the few things that is trully "collectible" besides its usability.

It is usable only if you:

a) Have the original LISP machine (almost impossible)
b) You want to revive the good ol' times of UNIX hackers, GNU and such, and get the genuine experience of using X11 and Emacs ...