Found a few keyboards in the trash at work. Are these any good?

atomicthumbs · 25 Oct 2016, 05:19

The other one has different printing on it:

Spoiler:

emdude · 25 Oct 2016, 05:49

Very impressive finds.

Wodan has a great and thorough thread on a beam spring refurb: workshop-f7/me-too-beamspring-refurb-t14349.html

He is also organizing an Xwhatsit GB with lot_lizard here: group-buys-f50/xwhatsit-beamspring-cont ... 14500.html

chiptea · 25 Oct 2016, 05:51

Oh wow, two beamsprings.
I'd kill for one, but you're probably not letting them go

y11971alex · 25 Oct 2016, 07:20

I found one for $75 and someone finds two for free

seebart · 25 Oct 2016, 07:36

Yes certainly very nice to find IBM Beamsprings in the trash anywhere, are those APL caps on the second one? If you don't know what you've got there atomicthumbs search DT for "Beamspring" or look here:

wiki/IBM_Beam_Spring_Keyboards

y11971alex wrote: I found one for $75 and someone finds two for free

Ohters pay hundreds of dollars for one.

E3E · 25 Oct 2016, 08:05

Oh he knows, haha. He's just having fun.

...

Those finds still blow me away. Let me step out of this room before I faint.

seebart · 25 Oct 2016, 08:12

E3E wrote: Oh he knows, haha. He's just having fun.

...

Those finds still blow me away. Let me step out of this room before I faint.

Right, know what you mean.

Next time atomicthumbs find this one in the trash and give it to me...

Spoiler:

atomicthumbs · 25 Oct 2016, 08:44

Practicing typing on one of these, I think I figured out part of what people say makes them feel "magical". The shape of the beam spring and the way it's attached to other parts of the switch mean that it resonates and vibrates for a moment after it actuates; you can feel the key vibrating under your finger ever so slightly. It's the best tactile feedback I've ever felt.

My Model M doesn't have that at all, since any vibration is damped by the spring's contact with the side of the barrel.

seebart · 25 Oct 2016, 08:57

atomicthumbs wrote: Practicing typing on one of these, I think I figured out part of what people say makes them feel "magical". The shape of the beam spring and the way it's attached to other parts of the switch mean that it resonates and vibrates for a moment after it actuates; you can feel the key vibrating under your finger ever so slightly. It's the best tactile feedback I've ever felt.

My Model M doesn't have that at all, since any vibration is damped by the spring's contact with the side of the barrel.

Right, Beamspring has a great "swing", it's quite sensitive in a good way. That's what the hype is about. IBM went downhill from Beamspring to Model F (which is still great) to Model M which feels quite dull in comparison.

Khers · 25 Oct 2016, 09:05

I dropped my jaw so hard it dislocated

seebart · 25 Oct 2016, 09:09

Yeah this is even more extreme then when jou got his for 15 EUR or something. And APL on top of that.

E3E · 25 Oct 2016, 09:34

The closest thing I have to the majestic IBM beam stalk is a few Alps Plate Spring boards, which I often hear compared to beam springs, which, in itself, makes me really want to try/own a beamspring.

Alps Plate Spring switches are some of my favorite switches, so I can only imagine beam springs being just delightful.

fohat · 25 Oct 2016, 14:17

E3E wrote:
I can only imagine beam springs being just delightful.

Fortunately for me, I am absolutely allergic to weird-o layouts, so I can be a mere observer to all this.

But if I got one for free, I would make the effort.

photekq · 25 Oct 2016, 15:34

If you ever want to part with an APL one and want either my right testicle or someone killed, we can probably work something out

Ratfink · 25 Oct 2016, 15:50

chiptea wrote: Oh wow, two beamsprings.
I'd kill for one, but you're probably not letting them go

Why does it matter that he's not letting them go? You already said you'd kill for one! Pry those keyboards from his cold, dead hands!

atomicthumbs · 25 Oct 2016, 17:36

ok, so that's two people who are willing to kill for one of these. you'll have to take each other out. sorry, but that's the only way to do this fairly

Edit: wait a minute, I have two of them

*seals self in keyboard bunker*

Parak · 25 Oct 2016, 18:21

Mmm, the 3278 Attribute Select Typewriter/APL... so purdy...

Mattr567 · 29 Oct 2016, 04:53

Killer find man.

XMIT · 29 Oct 2016, 13:54

Heh. I've been looking for a reason to move back to CA and you've just given me two. Where do you work?!

Two years in to this hobby seriously and I've "only" found two Displaywriter beam springs. It's time to start making some Chinese knockoffs of them.

Why, I bet that with a little magnet embedded in the fly plate, we could make these Hall effect based instead of capacitive.

vivalarevolución · 29 Oct 2016, 19:57

Nice find. Wow.

alh84001 · 29 Oct 2016, 22:46

Khers wrote:

This