Tono Theta o 9000e

seebart · 16 Sep 2017, 17:36

This is the all-in-one RTTY / CW console made by TONO Corporation in Japan in the 1970s. The keyboard uses the linear plate mounted Mitsumi simplified switch with the round mount.

wiki/Mitsumi_simplified

The keycaps are beautiful thick glossy sphericals in black, dark grey, white and bright red with a texture on the top. The case is bulky & solid metal all around and keypress resonates an insane PING making this the true pingking.

Here is the full manual if you care:

https://www.dl0bn.de/dc7xj/Anleitungen/ ... Manual.pdf

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Nuum · 16 Sep 2017, 18:05

Looks amazing! I suppose it can be converted to USB quite easily and reversable with a Teensy or so, if that connector in the last picture just passes through the rows and columns of the keyboard matrix.

How do the switches feel?

mike52787 · 16 Sep 2017, 18:12

Oh my, looks beautiful!

seebart · 16 Sep 2017, 18:16

Nuum wrote: Looks amazing! I suppose it can be converted to USB quite easily and reversable with a Teensy or so, if that connector in the last picture just passes through the rows and columns of the keyboard matrix.

Possibly, for daily usage its a pretty bulky keyboard.

Nuum wrote: How do the switches feel?

Linear.

Pretty smooth but not phenomenal.

mike52787 wrote: Oh my, looks beautiful!

Thanks. Since I got a vintage collection going...what the heck another one.

zslane · 16 Sep 2017, 18:39

Dude, you have the best vintage sphericals, ever!

seebart · 16 Sep 2017, 20:14

zslane wrote: Dude, you have the best vintage sphericals, ever!

Oh I know your into vintage sphericals.

These come in a close second to Micro Swtich. The red is like a bright fire-engine red.

hoaryhag · 16 Sep 2017, 21:03

I could eat those caps, they are pure candy! Nice pics.

wobbled · 16 Sep 2017, 21:04

hoaryhag wrote: I could eat those caps, they are pure candy! Nice pics.

That would make for an interesting bowel movement.

seebart · 16 Sep 2017, 21:06

wobbled wrote:
hoaryhag wrote: I could eat those caps, they are pure candy! Nice pics.
That would make for an interesting bowel movement.

Might be hard to digest.

Engicoder · 16 Sep 2017, 23:15

Great find! One of these has been on my wish list for a while. Yours is in amazing condition. So clean!! It is very similar in capabilities to the HAL KB2100/CT2100 combination you already have. Do you know if the composite video output is working?

Daniel Beardsmore · 17 Sep 2017, 13:41

Well, that's awkward.

D8253C and D8251AC are NEC chip product numbers, not 1982 dates.
Motorola "81 27" suggests 1981, as does Hitachi "1F3" (week 3 of June 1981), and the Texas Instrument chips marked "8127A" and "8131A".
However, the Mitsubishi codes start "81", which denotes year 8, being 1978 or 1988. For example, "813200" means year 8, week 13, running number 200.

However, I've seen another example of this that seems wrong:

http://coronthica.com/by-uuid/c6e3bfed- ... 845aa2ef6/

The Mitsubishi chip code again indicates 78 or 88, but it starts "84" and the other chips seem to be 1984.

It seems that Mitsubishi changed their format, and that the PDF I found does not apply to chips this far back in time. Older chips do appear to start with the year. It seems that older Mitsubishi chips use a two-digit year, two-digit week, and two-digit running number, as then both of these examples would tie in perfectly.

seebart · 17 Sep 2017, 18:51

Engicoder wrote: Great find! One of these has been on my wish list for a while. Yours is in amazing condition. So clean!!

Thanks, the metal case actually does have a few dings.

Engicoder wrote: It is very similar in capabilities to the HAL KB2100/CT2100 combination you already have. Do you know if the composite video output is working?

No, I have not been able to check the connectivity.

Daniel Beardsmore wrote: Well, that's awkward.

D8253C and D8251AC are NEC chip product numbers, not 1982 dates.
Motorola "81 27" suggests 1981, as does Hitachi "1F3" (week 3 of June 1981), and the Texas Instrument chips marked "8127A" and "8131A".
However, the Mitsubishi codes start "81", which denotes year 8, being 1978 or 1988. For example, "813200" means year 8, week 13, running number 200.

However, I've seen another example of this that seems wrong:

http://coronthica.com/by-uuid/c6e3bfed- ... 845aa2ef6/

The Mitsubishi chip code again indicates 78 or 88, but it starts "84" and the other chips seem to be 1984.

It seems that Mitsubishi changed their format, and that the PDF I found does not apply to chips this far back in time. Older chips do appear to start with the year. It seems that older Mitsubishi chips use a two-digit year, two-digit week, and two-digit running number, as then both of these examples would tie in perfectly.

Yes quite dissapointing, as I could not find a clear date format anywhere. The terminal did come with English and German documentation, the German documentation is dated feburary 1982 giving us some indication.

hoaryhag · 17 Sep 2017, 19:47

seebart wrote:
wobbled wrote:
hoaryhag wrote: I could eat those caps, they are pure candy! Nice pics.
That would make for an interesting bowel movement.
Might be hard to digest.

I'll just stick to eating with my eyes.

seebart · 17 Sep 2017, 19:48

hoaryhag wrote: I'll just stick to eating with my eyes.

Thats the way to go!

Mattr567 · 18 Sep 2017, 00:43

The caps almost look like they would fit on Topre...

JP! · 18 Sep 2017, 01:01

Wow, those caps are sharp. Nice find.

depletedvespene · 18 Sep 2017, 03:20

wobbled wrote:
hoaryhag wrote: I could eat those caps, they are pure candy! Nice pics.
That would make for an interesting bowel movement.

... and phenomenal shitposting later on.

davkol · 19 Sep 2017, 13:33

hoaryhag · 19 Sep 2017, 21:36

davkol wrote:
seebart wrote:
hoaryhag wrote: I'll just stick to eating with my eyes.
Thats the way to go!
If you're a frog, definitely.

You're a frog?

davkol · 19 Sep 2017, 21:54

seebart · 19 Sep 2017, 22:18

I can't believe how my own thread is going off topic like this.

Frogs?!?

Oh well...there's always a logical explanation:

Spoiler:

Daniel Beardsmore · 19 Sep 2017, 23:11

"frogs-eat-their-eyes-literally" — I see.

depletedvespene · 20 Sep 2017, 00:52

More like you eat.

depletedvespene · 20 Sep 2017, 00:56

To get back on topic, would it be technically feasible to make a custom controller so this keyboard could be hooked to a PC and both type AND control the volume with it, using that knob? (and what, else, with the other one?)

seebart · 20 Sep 2017, 06:40

depletedvespene wrote: To get back on topic, would it be technically feasible to make a custom controller so this keyboard could be hooked to a PC and both type AND control the volume with it, using that knob? (and what, else, with the other one?)

It should be possible since the keyboard part of the machine is only attached to the terminal by those ribbons and there is no controller on the keyboard. Honestly, I don't plan on doing that right now but who knows...