NEC PC-9800 Keyboard (Modified)

HaaTa · 03 Feb 2016, 23:31

So I picked up this keyboard, mostly because I didn't have one of these in the proper case.
But it also had something odd...USB?!

Otherwise, the keyboard the same as an a keyboard I posted a couple months ago: NEC KBL-729EC-103
Also uses the NEC Oval Switches.

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[url=https://flic.kr/p/DqWvj9]

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Lol, that's why there's USB

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Oh, and I've finally discovered who the CMK/GCMK numbers represent. As I thought, it's definitely the PCB fab. However, it's a special number associated with RU (UL), similar to FCC IDs for specific part certs. I think this may be the first board though that had the RU conveniently beside the number though

CMK is for Arisawa MFG Co. There is also a CMKG for Arisawa MFG, so that might be related to GCMK (no direct proof however).
Unfortunately, this puts me a step back in proving that Brother did Prototopre. I still don't have definitive proof that they OEM'd for Epson. Perhaps if we see some older (pre-1982) Brother keyboard devices we may be able to map the old product numbers.

Flickr Album

Touch_It · 03 Feb 2016, 23:57

That wiring! My goodness. That is aftermarket correct?

ohaimark · 04 Feb 2016, 00:03

What a rat's nest... I feel sorry for whoever soldered and organized all that, especially if it wasn't aftermarket.

Chyros · 04 Feb 2016, 00:47

Wow, very nice board!

Redmaus · 04 Feb 2016, 04:37

I like the character next to the D in the fourth picture

IKSLM · 04 Feb 2016, 11:06

Nothing personal, but why are the images blurry over the 3/4 of the surface? To add the artistic touch, or some physical/lens/macro... limitation? I personally would like to see the whole picture not just the minimal focused part.

ohaimark · 04 Feb 2016, 15:05

You'd need to shoot at a very small aperture with an extremely long exposure to get everything remotely in focus ((I think he's using a lens around 50mm?). The alternative is using a telephoto lens that has a longer depth of field. Both of those shooting styles have serious limitations -- the former makes quick handheld shots impossible (while causing detail loss past f10ish) and the latter requires a larger studio space.

ohaimark · 04 Feb 2016, 15:17

The DOF blur is also considered artistic by many photographers, especially when bokeh (the dots of light) occur.

In this case, practical and artistic reasons likely collided.

XMIT · 04 Feb 2016, 19:17

To get this to come out nicely you might consider "depth of field stacking", a post processing step that combines together images at different focal lengths to get a much greater depth of field. I've played around with this some and have gotten some amazing results. I'll need to share some of those results.

Muirium · 04 Feb 2016, 19:28

I like HaaTa's pictures as they are, you grumpy old bastards. (Uh, nothing personal!)

Actually, photographers have favored wide aperture (short depth of field) photography for generations. It looks more organic than everything stopped down to f/16. Perhaps an extra overview shot or two, taken from straight above, would please you guys. Or an X-ray…

nicstreet · 04 Feb 2016, 19:57

IKSLM wrote: Nothing personal, but why are the images blurry over the 3/4 of the surface? To add the artistic touch, or some physical/lens/macro... limitation? I personally would like to see the whole picture not just the minimal focused part.

I'm loving the shots, much more depth than I and certainly many others produce in their photographs!!

HaaTa · 04 Feb 2016, 23:16

IKSLM wrote: Nothing personal, but why are the images blurry over the 3/4 of the surface? To add the artistic touch, or some physical/lens/macro... limitation? I personally would like to see the whole picture not just the minimal focused part.

I take a lot of pics, I usually just put the ones I like in the post and leave the boring ones to the album (totally forgot to link the album).

Flickr Album

As for photography techniques, yeah. I'm just a novice, most of your discussion is beyond me. I find a lot of pictures don't properly capture surface texture and other small details (something that's important if you're trying to figure out what things are made of without having the physical object in person), so I do have a lot of photos dedicated to this.

My other problem is that I have HUNDREDS of keyboards to photograph, and my minimum number of pictures is around 50-60 per keyboard. So beyond quickly taking a bunch of pictures (after dismantling and cleaning, which can take hours per keyboard) I'm not really sure what I can do.

Unless someone wants to volunteer their time and come to my place to take photos

sth · 05 Feb 2016, 16:46

HaaTa wrote:
IKSLM wrote: Nothing personal, but why are the images blurry over the 3/4 of the surface? To add the artistic touch, or some physical/lens/macro... limitation? I personally would like to see the whole picture not just the minimal focused part.
I take a lot of pics, I usually just put the ones I like in the post and leave the boring ones to the album (totally forgot to link the album).

Flickr Album

As for photography techniques, yeah. I'm just a novice, most of your discussion is beyond me. I find a lot of pictures don't properly capture surface texture and other small details (something that's important if you're trying to figure out what things are made of without having the physical object in person), so I do have a lot of photos dedicated to this.

My other problem is that I have HUNDREDS of keyboards to photograph, and my minimum number of pictures is around 50-60 per keyboard. So beyond quickly taking a bunch of pictures (after dismantling and cleaning, which can take hours per keyboard) I'm not really sure what I can do.

Unless someone wants to volunteer their time and come to my place to take photos

haven't i offered to be your intern before?

HaaTa · 05 Feb 2016, 18:13

sth wrote:
HaaTa wrote:
IKSLM wrote: Nothing personal, but why are the images blurry over the 3/4 of the surface? To add the artistic touch, or some physical/lens/macro... limitation? I personally would like to see the whole picture not just the minimal focused part.
I take a lot of pics, I usually just put the ones I like in the post and leave the boring ones to the album (totally forgot to link the album).

Flickr Album

As for photography techniques, yeah. I'm just a novice, most of your discussion is beyond me. I find a lot of pictures don't properly capture surface texture and other small details (something that's important if you're trying to figure out what things are made of without having the physical object in person), so I do have a lot of photos dedicated to this.

My other problem is that I have HUNDREDS of keyboards to photograph, and my minimum number of pictures is around 50-60 per keyboard. So beyond quickly taking a bunch of pictures (after dismantling and cleaning, which can take hours per keyboard) I'm not really sure what I can do.

Unless someone wants to volunteer their time and come to my place to take photos
haven't i offered to be your intern before?

Last I checked you were on the other side of the planet still