IBM 3277 terminal with Beam Spring keyboard

[snuci]

This beauty came to me from our very own emdude! It traveled from California to the Great White North (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) and all 105 lbs (just shy of 50 kgs) made it in almost one piece. I had an issue with the power button and some of the cards came loose inside but I'm pretty shocked it made it well. This is a testament to emdude's packing skills!

You will notice some "screen burn-in". That's to be expected because these terminals were work horses and were usually on 24 x 7. It's still a very nice terminal and a decent keyboard too. My plan was to try to get this working but I did power it up and saw nothing. Certainly smelled like it was trying but I gave up for now. The keyboard had to have the protective plastic/rubber shroud removed because it was tattered and looks like it was the result of the journey. They keyboard looks almost pristine otherwise.

Anyhow, you probably don't want to see yet another beam spring keyboard but I'm posting this anyway because I promised emdude I'd post pictures. I apologize for the bad lighting in advance.

P.S. I don't think we need any of these pictures for the wiki but if we do, please let me know.

IBM 3277 terminal - profile

IBM 3277 terminal - profile.JPG (234.6 KiB) Viewed 4968 times

IBM 3277 terminal - side

IBM 3277 terminal - side.JPG (239.91 KiB) Viewed 4968 times

IBM 3277 keyboard - top

IBM 3277 keyboard - top.JPG (296.09 KiB) Viewed 4968 times

IBM 3277 keyboard - profile

IBM 3277 keyboard - profile.JPG (253.97 KiB) Viewed 4968 times

IBM 3277 keyboard - bottom

IBM 3277 keyboard - bottom.JPG (446.47 KiB) Viewed 4968 times

IBM 3277 keyboard - beam spring keyboard mechanism

IBM 3277 keyboard - beamspring keyboard mechanism.JPG (375.61 KiB) Viewed 4968 times

IBM 3277 keyboard - keyboard mechanism top

IBM 3277 keyboard - keyboard mechanism top.JPG (459.69 KiB) Viewed 4968 times

IBM 3277 keyboard - botto of keyboard mechanism

IBM 3277 keyboard - botto of keyboard mechanism.JPG (394.39 KiB) Viewed 4968 times

IBM 3277 keyboard - beamspring switches without key caps

IBM 3277 keyboard - beamspring switches without key caps.JPG (445.07 KiB) Viewed 4968 times

IBM 3277 keyboard - beam spring switches close up

IBM 3277 keyboard - beam spring switches close up.JPG (423.34 KiB) Viewed 4968 times

IBM 3277 keyboard - keyboard controller

IBM 3277 keyboard - keyboard controller.JPG (357.8 KiB) Viewed 4968 times

IBM 3277 keyboard - misc ICs

IBM 3277 keyboard - misc ICs.JPG (385.49 KiB) Viewed 4968 times

IBM 3277 keyboard - keyboard connector with markings

IBM 3277 keyboard - keyboard connector with markings.JPG (296.49 KiB) Viewed 4968 times

IBM 3277 keyboard - some key caps removed

IBM 3277 keyboard - some key caps removed.JPG (359.23 KiB) Viewed 4968 times

[emdude]

The display station looks fantastic, cleaned up marvelously! Very happy that it made it to you safely and is in your loving care now.

There were many issues with shipping, but snuci helped me a ton every step of the way and I am very grateful for it.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Take a look — the [wiki]beam spring[/wiki] page on the wiki is lacking a lot of pictures.

There is also the page [wiki]IBM 3277 typewriter keyboard[/wiki], suggesting that this keyboard is from a typewriter, and whose introduction suggests that the computer/terminal is the 3270 and 3277 is the keyboard model (like with the Kishsaver/Kishsausagedog series where the keyboard does have its own model).

It's generally a safe bet that whatever you have isn't on the wiki unless you already put it there.

[snuci]

Take a look — the [wiki]beam spring[/wiki] page on the wiki is lacking a lot of pictures.

There is also the page [wiki]IBM 3277 typewriter keyboard[/wiki], suggesting that this keyboard is from a typewriter, and whose introduction suggests that the computer/terminal is the 3270 and 3277 is the keyboard model (like with the Kishsaver/Kishsausagedog series where the keyboard does have its own model).

It's generally a safe bet that whatever you have isn't on the wiki unless you already put it there.

Okay, will be happy to post some pics but I have to do a little research first. I don't think there was ever an IBM terminal with the model 3270. I believe it was a series with the 3277 being one of the first. The smaller screen version (40×12 characters) preceded this version (80x24 characters). I don't know if anything came before that.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

It's just the page name and introduction that are confusing.

[snuci]

Technically, the two keyboards illustrated on the IBM 3277 Typewriter keyboard are "typerwriter" type keyboards but the description is trying to cover too much. I would split this current wiki page into a 3277 Terminal page with the description and the mention of three types of keyboards, keep the Typerwriter keyboard page as a separate page (with appropriate description of the two keyboards) and create a third page with the "Operator Console" type keyboard that is shown in this thread. Not sure if we've seen a Data Entry keyboard which is the third type that can be seen on IBM 3277 terminals.

[pr0ximity]

Awesome pics of a gorgeous terminal! And that keyboard layout is to die for, probably the closest to ANSI that beamsprings ever got.

Thanks for sharing! Would love to see what that screen looks like when it's turned on, I bet it's magnificent.

[snuci]

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the thanks.

I did manage to find a 3277 terminal "Data Entry" keyboard at the terminal Wiki site here: http://terminals-wiki.org/wiki/index.php/IBM_3277



Maybe someone here does have one.

[seebart]

Very generous of emdude to let you have this.

[Engicoder]

Take a look — the [wiki]beam spring[/wiki] page on the wiki is lacking a lot of pictures.

There is also the page [wiki]IBM 3277 typewriter keyboard[/wiki], suggesting that this keyboard is from a typewriter, and whose introduction suggests that the computer/terminal is the 3270 and 3277 is the keyboard model (like with the Kishsaver/Kishsausagedog series where the keyboard does have its own model).

It's generally a safe bet that whatever you have isn't on the wiki unless you already put it there.

In the terminal era, typewriter style keyboard was used to refer to the layout and keymapping. A typewriter keyboard had the keys in the layout of a typewriter with the symbols in the same relative location and has a dedicated number row. Compare this to the data entry style where there the symbols are the above the letters and uses embedded numbers. The data entry style was inherited from the keypunch.

Here is a snippet from the Telex 270 (3270 clones) documentation:

Keyboards can be obtained with typewriter-style, data entry, or data entry with keypunch layouts. The 8O-key typewriter-style keyboard that can generate any of 96 EBCDIC characters.

It lists the available keyboards for their 3278 clone as:

EBCDIC Typewriter w/24 Program Function Keys
EBCDIC Typewriter w/12 Program Function Keys
EBCDIC Data Entry
EBCDIC Data Entry w/Keypunch layout
EBCDIC Typewriter w/Numeric Pad
ASCII Typewriter w/12 Function Keys
ASCII Typewriter w/Numeric Pad

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Don't tell me, tell the wiki!

[seebart]

Don't tell me, tell the wiki!

If you had a signature here at DT that should be it!

I do think that our current Beamspring page needs some work, but I do like having the keyboards on one page.

wiki/IBM_Beam_Spring_Keyboards

The Beamspring switch page seems fine:

wiki/Beam_spring

[Daniel Beardsmore]

All the keyboards on one page would be less tenable if they were properly documented. It only works now as the coverage is so poor.

The threshold between "all on one page" and "one sub-item per page" is a hard one to gauge, and one that troubles me continually. I think in hindsight it was reasonable to split off the different Alps SKCL/SKCM switches as the master page has grown and grown (and could easily grow a load more), while the separate switch pages ideally will gain ever more photos in time, of all the different variants, e.g. SKCM Brown using that unique long-slit tactile shell never seen before. Other times, the decision feels not just arbitrary but effectively random, undermining consistency.

The 3277 typewriter page times each beam spring keyboard would also be too much for one page, though.

[seebart]

Possibly we should only "highlight" keyboards with their own pages that have shown up more often here at DT, in the case of Beamsprings that would be the 5251 and the IBM 3276 & 3278 beam spring series for example. I created the 3277 typewriter page because I am fascinated by that particular keyboard but that's irrelevant in wiki terms.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

It's not a case of "more often" so much as simply which ones actually get photographed. I wouldn't suggest splitting out a new page otherwise.

[seebart]

Obviously the keyboards that show up here more often also get photographed more often. We have lots of threads on 5251's and 3276 & 3278 beam springs.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Not really — very little gets the HaaTa/snuci/seebart treatment.

[seebart]

Not really — very little gets the HaaTa/snuci/seebart treatment.

True, but there are "a few" more users here that also post, not all equally thorough. I have been very slack in that way the last months.

[Harshmallow]

Great photos Snuci, thanks for posting! Would love to see that terminal some day, or at least just the keyboard at some future meet.

[Hking0036]

Very cool stuff, I like how they have the keyboard "indent" under the monitor. It certainly looks like a product of the times.

[zslane]

Yeah, that was back when a computer was a truly integrated system. Back when all the components were designed together with a unified aesthetic. Ah, the good old days...

[lot_lizard]

Snuci, do you mind taking REALLY detailed pics of the power knob itself (even via a PM)? I am without, and until now... Have had no idea what I'm looking for. Great pics as always. Personally I LOVE CRTs with burn in