What keyboard was used in pi (1998)?

[Okeg]

http://imgur.com/tIZEp

I seriously recommend this movie, but onto the keyboards: The first keyboard idk, it seem to be very old due to its rub key?, and the old casing(as in no casing, only PCB.)
Reminds me of a hall effect keyboard, but i'm probably wrong.

The second keyboard is an apple one, not sure of the model. My conclusion is due to the color scheme, alps switches and the command key.

Haata, a500, parak, webwit. Where are you?

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Apple didn't use function keys for years, so that rules out pretty much everything Apple. The only keyboards that had them, with Alps switches, were the AEK and AEK II. I am not aware that any of those have a bigass enter key, and I have never seen any Apple keyboard with a single unit backspace.

Finding out what clone keyboard that is, is a job for rodtang! ^_^

[Findecanor]

I am pretty sure that the Mac clone keyboard is a "Micro Warehouse Power User 105" or with another brand. It has been found with a few. FCC ID GM83ZT MAC-105. As you can see in the screenshot, it has white Alps.

Here is a shot of mine, with the top off:

poweruser105open_like_in_pi.jpg (45.72 KiB) Viewed 4561 times

[mr_a500]

I am pretty sure that the Mac clone keyboard is a "Micro Warehouse Power User 105" or with another brand. It has been found with a few. FCC ID GM83ZT MAC-105. As you can see in the screenshot, it has white Alps.

Here is a shot of mine, with the top off:

poweruser105open_like_in_pi.jpg

Nice work - that looks like it.

As for the first keyboard, those ESC RUB BREAK PRINT keys are obviously faked - same with the FUNCTION at the bottom. If you ignore those, it looks like the standard DEC ("Selectric style") layout as seen in many keyboards like the Kaypro, Wycat, Sun-1 and others. The way to identify it is to narrow down the keyboards with the slash through the zero. That is relatively uncommon. The only keyboard I have with that is the TRS-80 Model III - but that doesn't have the same layout.

[kps]

As for the first keyboard, those ESC RUB BREAK PRINT keys are obviously faked - same with the FUNCTION at the bottom.

Whats obviously fake about that? It's pre monoculture.

If you ignore those, it looks like the standard DEC ("Selectric style") layout as seen in many keyboards like the Kaypro, Wycat, Sun-1 and others.

It's bit-paired ASCII, and has CTRL in the Q row, and possibly a 2u RETURN in the Q row.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

FCC ID GM83ZT MAC-105.

So, Ortek, then. That makes sense.

[Muirium]

Awesome movie. Saw it just after I finished Evangelion, too. The Kabbalah runs deep and maddening!

That Mac clone keyboard looks like a hit. Definite Control-Option-Command-Spacebar-Command-Option-Control layout in the film. Classic Mac.

[Okeg]

Awesome movie. Saw it just after I finished Evangelion, too. The Kabbalah runs deep and maddening!

That Mac clone keyboard looks like a hit. Definite Control-Option-Command-Spacebar-Command-Option-Control layout in the film. Classic Mac.

You watched pi, and evangelion?
You're my new Buddy! heheh.

We still haven't found an exact match on the first board, tho. Any other suggestions?

[HaaTa]

The keycaps themselves look SMK or Honeywell-like, perhaps Cortron/Univac.

Looking more closely at the image, the switches look Futaba linear to me (there are 3 switches without keycaps).
Similar (but not the same): https://plus.google.com/photos/11384566 ... banner=pwa

Now, there are a couple other features to notice.

1. The connector for the keyboard (sorta top right in the first photo) are like older keyboards, specifically DIY keyboards:
https://plus.google.com/photos/11384566 ... 3443189473
https://plus.google.com/photos/11384566 ... 4082633025
https://plus.google.com/photos/11384566 ... 2152135521

2. The key layout looks punch-card like (i.e. no Enter/Return key; Line Feed instead). Again pointing at being quite old (maybe DIY computer).

Also, sorta similar to this ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/140954466736?ss ... 1438.l2649

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Looking more closely at the image, the switches look Futaba linear to me (there are 3 switches without keycaps).
Similar (but not the same): https://plus.google.com/photos/11384566 ... banner=pwa

Wow, so they are. They look identical to me. The colour varies, of course, but even Sandy's bar mount version is for all extents and purposes identical inside. What's interesting about the Model 925—and I imagine the 950 is the same—is that Alpha Lock is latching. Would be nice to see how they implemented it.

[mr_a500]

As for the first keyboard, those ESC RUB BREAK PRINT keys are obviously faked - same with the FUNCTION at the bottom.

Whats obviously fake about that? It's pre monoculture.

I say it's obviously fake because those keys don't line up with the number row below. I've never seen that style keyboard with keys above the number row that don't line up. As you can see, there's lots of other crap added to that keyboard to make it look deliberately strange. I could be wrong, of course.

It's bit-paired ASCII, and has CTRL in the Q row, and possibly a 2u RETURN in the Q row.

Yes, I didn't notice the CTRL in the Q row. I've found another keyboard with this, from a 1978 BYTE magazine:

Maxi.jpg

pi.jpg

It has many other similarities, like the slash through the 0, and unusual character combination keys like "* :", "` @" and "~ ^". The font & layout are different and it's obviously not the same keyboard - maybe another Maxi-Switch keyboard with numeric keypad. (assuming that top row is faked, otherwise it must be a Futaba keyboard or something)

[Muirium]

The mysterious Maxi Man strikes again!

As seen in "Darth Vader's keyboard".