IBM Beamspring 5251/Great White low profile alternative shell

[seebart]

What are you talking about? I did an username search with retrosammler and found nothing :/

Good, next you need to repeat that more often in the future and have patience, "that's what I'm talking about". Searching elsewhere might help also. It took me well over two years to find my Beamsprings.

[y11971alex]

What are you talking about? I did an username search with retrosammler and found nothing :/

Deskthority
eBay

[mecano]

Oh I thought there was some kind of magician called retrosammler wondering around here
I'm not in an hurry but if there is an opportunity
Sorry for the OT, great project eager to see it going further.

[seebart]

Oh I thought there was some kind of magician called retrosammler wondering around here
I'm not in an hurry but if there is an opportunity

That seller is far from a "magician" and he's got nothing to do with DT except that quite a few people have bought Beamsprings from him, mostly 5251's like Wodan's. It would not suprise me if that seller has more in the future.

[alh84001]

Well, I wouldn't dismiss magical abilities of a person who seems to make beamsprings appear out of thin air on regulat basis

[seebart]

There is nothing magic about a warehouse full of old keyboards. The question is how many more he's got, and what exactly. I emailed with him often, he never straight told me how much he's got. Halvar has also done quite a bit of business with him.

[y11971alex]

There is nothing magic about a warehouse full of old keyboards. The question is how many more he's got, and what exactly. I emailed with him often, he never straight told me how much he's got. Halvar has also done quite a bit of business with him.

I guess you have the unfair advantage of a command of German

[seebart]

I do, but I do know he also shipps abroad. He had a 122 Model M in ebay recently. Pretty boring.

Since we're on this subject, is it true that the internal assembly of beam springs are largely identical in profile?

I can't speak for all beamsprings, but I can say the following:

• 3278
• 3279
• 3101
• 5251

All have very similar inner assemblies (webwit... EDIT: and Seebart... would be able to speak to some that I am missing).

I'll have to look at my 5285 and my 6580 again but I'm pretty sure the internal assembly of both is quite similair to the 5251. I also have a 3270 but we know about that one already. Besides webwit and myself we also have plenty other users here like Halvar that own other rarer Beamsprings.

photos-f62/poor-little-beamspring-t7928 ... ng#p160921

[pr0ximity]

Not sure how I ever missed this but I had similar interests when I first got my 5251. Laying the inner assembly down on a tabletop is a fairly nice profile, and with a bit of wrist guidance I think it would be quite a bit more usable than the original case.

[mike52787]

If this is still a thing in progress, I would love to be on this... just bought 2 5251s and I would love to actually use one.

[Wingklip]

I have been working to get an MX compatible version of the switch available within the start of 2018. It's a simple concept, just hard to develop because the materials have such delicate tolerances.

I have an early prototype actuator but as of yet no mechanism. It's direct compression of the leaf and does not need a spring to work. Should reduce size and latency of the switch.

Would perhaps OP be interested to design a case aesthetic to match it also when it's done? Would be cool to see what it looks like for the traditional design

[tron]

Any updates with this project? Maybe we should open an interest check?

[Techno Trousers]

I would love to see this revived.

[Darkangel]

I would be interested in this project as well. Please keep me updated.

[Techno Trousers]

Yes! Given how ridiculous beamspring keyboard prices are now, this type of a beamspring technology revival is now needed more than ever.

[invisiblefly]

I will be interested as well. can't wait for more update