deskthority

Just bought the in worst condition IBM Thinkpad 700c ever. The rubber finish is a sticky mess and for everything that can be possibly broken, it is. The keyboard seems to be in quite decent condition though. Obviously I paid next to nothing for it. I see it as an amusement project. I was curious abo...

MMcM wrote: ↑

04 Nov 2020, 17:59

Are these keycaps wood?

https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/26078/lot/59/

Asking $50.000 for a calculator prototype? What do they smoke at Bonhams?

This is the 3mm thick stuff, compresses to less than 1mm easily. I think that I really ordered 2mm thick, they messed up the order and received 3mm thick but it is really OK anyway.

The one perfectly working for me was 100mm ( https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00L6YAN42/ref=pe_3044161_189395811_TE_SCE_3p_dp_1 ) It links to the German Amazon, but it contains the details. Thanks! I'm guessing that rubber is quite incompressible? I think I saw someone used EVA foam successfully also. Als...

New video from Retro Recipes about the old story of a time traveller looking for an IBM 5100

Now $442 with still one day to go... doesn't look like it will end cheap.

Almost... Orihalcon has a "7" for sale just now in his Ebay store. Maybe a repeated "7" would be better that an empty space, until you can fin a proper "8"

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/CHOOSE-Single-K ... 3807911162

This has to be a glitch in the Matrix.

Wodan wrote: ↑

25 Oct 2020, 12:50

A bot bidding war?

What dystopian future do you live in?

You look sus, maybe you made that bid and vented here afterwards to make us believe that you are not a bot...

Maybe the arab oil sheicks are getting into mechs or something... If a F107 is worth $3.000+ then I imagine that for an original F77 you should expect something like $30.000 :? . But I won't be surprised if it only was an accidental stupid bot bidding war and we see it relisted soon. But if it's leg...

yeah if they break again I will try this but there was one repaird switch I used as a fidget toy extensively for several weeks and it held up, but I see your point in the flexible glue but. this is my "ghetto screw 250$ parts" attempt It is very useful to know that this works, because it is so easy...

It is a good idea to assign that repaired switches to less used keys. I feel that stock superglue is too rigid and will fall apart after some time with heavy use. There are similar products that add some flexibility, like "superglue ultra gel control". I would prefer something like that for this kin...

JP! wrote: ↑

15 Oct 2020, 17:26

cakeanalytics wrote: ↑

15 Oct 2020, 16:53

Displaywriter beamspring, BIN at $999
https://www.ebay.com/itm/293783994433?ul_noapp=true

Attack of the Clones!

Missing that many keys and still asking for $5000?! The balls of certain sellers... Yeah the thing is the most valuable part of that board is the rare keycaps, which falls drastically if you don't have a complete set and missing a spacebar :roll: Well, I'm not pretty sure here. Are those the usual ...

Things have been recovered from the Titanic looking better than this keyboard. Good luck with the restoration!

It is incredible how small those computers are... you may well have added a dozen inside the M122 and say that you have built a supercomputer cluster inside a keyboard!

There are some similar commercial solutions for sale, but of course it is much better to do it in style inside a Model M...

Would be nice to see some images of the internals.

thats cool, ive found some; let me know if these work, im planning on spinning up my own to do some data-sniffing around a system 32/34/36/38 i have occasional access to. here are my notes for the 5250 anyway: connector for panel mount connector Amphenol 082-5590-RFX cable ends use Amphenol 082-558...

listofoptions wrote: ↑

01 Oct 2020, 02:11

I noticed you have either a panel mount or a pcb mount twinax connector on your boards there, got any part numbers?

Sorry, no part numbers nor any markings whatsoever, just generic parts picked randomly off Ebay.

likely some more interesting information about the 5250 terminals will be found here http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/system34/fe/SY-31-0458-6_IBM_System_34_Theory_Diagrams_Manual_Volume_2_198201/11_Work_Station_Attachment.pdf http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/system34/fe/5340_Volume_D_ALD_sn0029238_Feb80.p...

Complete IBM Displaywriter with its BeamSpring keyboard, UK local collection only. Accepts offers just now...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-comp ... 4171616228

No doubt that was a high risk operation... shipping is from China, the guy has zero feedback as seller, only posting high value keyboards and some with terrible sloppily made photos, incredible if you are trying to sell a $1000+ thing online. https://www.ebay.com/sch/febin2253/m.html I won't say it ...

I think it won't work. Even if you can physically make the device, most dirt will be firmly stuck to the plastic and no amount of air will unstuck it without scrubbing, specially in the confined and intricate innards of a switch. Also you can end up killing your vacuum cleaner, as those usually rely...

Darkshado wrote: ↑

16 Sep 2020, 21:52

Regular barrel frame + an appropriate saw?

+1

It had an integrated QIC tape drive. Diskettes were high-capacity storage at that time. Yes, there was a model with the QIC tape like the 5100. This one doesn't have it, so it seems you are stuck to the disk drive. Maybe an external QIC unit was available, but doesn't make much sense to get that if...

Did this thing really have to be so massive? I feel like they could have shrunken it significantly without too much effort design wise. Unless I'm missing something: Yes, it makes little sense for a system you market as "portable" to do such a thing. Some possibilities that occur to me: Maybe they ...

Al Kossow wrote: ↑

14 Sep 2020, 21:42

I'm interested in getting this for the Computer History Museum

Wow! is that the same Computer History Museum that has the working IBM 1401 mainframe? That's impressive...

Congrats! Super nice find. One more of that beauties saved from the scrapyard :D . Hope you can put that disk drive to work, if not it will be very difficult to load anything in the 5110. That computer is heavy but the disk drive is just insane, it's like 60Kg if I'm not wrong, it is like your fridg...

I would add on one or maybe both sides of the board pads for on-board lock leds, with the same spacing as the regular model M leds. That way, add a case and a legend sticker and you can get a more compact version of what I use for my F/M-122's. Mine is just a regular off-white project box with the ...

I would add on one or maybe both sides of the board pads for on-board lock leds, with the same spacing as the regular model M leds. That way, add a case and a legend sticker and you can get a more compact version of what I use for my F/M-122's. lock leds.png Mine is just a regular off-white project ...