Hit the Jackpot, over 50 old IBM keyboards

[da20valve]

So tomorrow I start a new job and last week when the retiring IT guy was showing me the ropes took me into the old store-room, in there was over 50 IBM keyboards, (a huge bundle still in the box) over 50 old towers, and all the old decom stuff that they have never got around to getting rid off, this old room is literally like an old unground dungeon, with spider webs, the lights don't work, its like a bunker, my question is this.
What do I need to do to pull the keycaps off the old keyboards to see what are the mechanical ones. (I already know there are 5 in there), I seen 5 model M's we he was showing me the old tap backup drives, and are there some keys easier to remove then other, ie the spacebar I know can be tricky, I know I can look up the model numbers but I simply just want to whip a few keys off and see.

Thanks for your time

PS I seen in there a couple of really old split keyboards, I am hoping to go that some are mechanical but am not confident.

[paicrai]

JACK-****ING-POT

[ninjadoc]

So tomorrow I start a new job and last week when the retiring IT guy was showing me the ropes took me into the old store-room, in there was over 50 IBM keyboards, (a huge bundle still in the box) over 50 old towers, and all the old decom stuff that they have never got around to getting rid off, this old room is literally like an old unground dungeon, with spider webs, the lights don't work, its like a bunker, my question is this.
What do I need to do to pull the keycaps off the old keyboards to see what are the mechanical ones. (I already know there are 5 in there), I seen 5 model M's we he was showing me the old tap backup drives, and are there some keys easier to remove then other, ie the spacebar I know can be tricky, I know I can look up the model numbers but I simply just want to whip a few keys off and see.

Thanks for your time

PS I seen in there a couple of really old split keyboards, I am hoping to go that some are mechanical but am not confident.

A key puller will work but wiggle it and pull gently. If you just tap the keys you should be able to tell - they will all be buckling spring keyboards if they are IBM. I assume you have asked if you can have them? If the room contents are 10+ years old it and you have a place to take them I would offer to clean the room out depending on who made the old towers. Vintage computer guys would drool over the stuff assuming it is not simply old Dells or Gateways.

[Oobly]

If they're buckling spring boards, how about selecting the best to keep for yourself for posterity and start a Group Buy for the rest to give others a chance at owning one? There's a Price Check thread in Classifieds, so you can get an idea of what they'd be worth from there perhaps.

[fohat.digs]

"Store-bought" key pullers are better, my Leopold is my favorite.

But if you want one for tomorrow, just bend it out of a large paper clip.

IBM made many keyboards that were not buckling spring, including Model Ms, mostly it depends on age. If this stuff is pre-Windows, it is probably buckling spring (or even more archaic!).

I agree with the concept to keep a couple of choice ones for yourself and sell off the rest. Sell them as-is, warts and all, and give some geekhackers the opportunity to actually hack around like geeks.

[E TwentyNine]

When pulling a key to check, the spacebar is the last key you want to pull.  Pull something simpler and less used, like a function key.

[Vanilla]

Nice!

Pics of the haul?

[paicrai]

pics or it didnt happen

[da20valve]

Yeah, I always lie about insignificant things

[Sniping]

Alps? Nice!

[rowdy]

An Alps revival!

Nice find

[da20valve]

Okay I have 6 of the above, 4 still in the old stelephane wrapper and 4 of these, I take it these ones are no good ?

[dorkvader]

that appears to be a rubberdome

sweet RGB mods on the alps!

[nubbinator]

Okay I have 6 of the above, 4 still in the old stelephane wrapper and 4 of these, I take it these ones are no good ?

The ones with the White Alps would be fun if sold for $30-40 shipped.  White Alps aren't really all that well loved and the keyboard looks like it may not be a super sturdy one...not to mention the pad printed caps.  Still not a bad find.

The second one looks like MX compatible caps, so those may be worth it to someone if sold cheap ($5-10), but the keyboard is junk.

[da20valve]

Okay now that you.guys have figured out I'm not full of shirt, what do I need to buy to make these work with USB, please just list what parts I need

[rowdy]

Other than the obvious PS/2 to USB adaptor?

Or if they are AT, you can get AT to PS/2 convertors, then use a PS/2 to USB adaptor.

[nubbinator]

Okay now that you.guys have figured out I'm not full of shirt, what do I need to buy to make these work with USB, please just list what parts I need

Depends entirely on what they are.  AT? XT? PS2? Terminal?

[Findecanor]

AT and PS/2 have the same signals, just different size of the connector.
A PS/2-to-USB adapter should have some electronics inside it and cost a little more - not be a simple adapter.

There are adapters that are really small and light and cheap, that have PS/2 female in one end and USB in the other, but they won't work - they are not protocol adapters, they are for keyboards that support both USB and PS/2.

[rowdy]

Okay now that you.guys have figured out I'm not full of shirt, what do I need to buy to make these work with USB, please just list what parts I need

Depends entirely on what they are.  AT? XT? PS2? Terminal?

If there are 50 keyboards and 50 towers, chances are it is one keyboard for each tower, probably old PCs.  Hopefully

[da20valve]

They are not ps2, what's the difference between AT or terminal, the plug on these is a big ps2 type with 5 pins, there are also about 20 old apple pic in there also complete, and some really old metal keyboards

[rowdy]

http://www.seasip.info/VintagePC/ibm_1390876.html

That page has pictures of AT and terminal plug pinouts.

[da20valve]

Pretty sure it was the second picture,What the difference with converting them , if it is the second one do I just need a AT to active Ps2 to USB ??, Like this

http://superuser.com/questions/571252/din5-plug-adapter-to-usb

Scroll halfway down the page

[mouse.the.lucky.dog]

Alps? Nice!

Hate to burst everyones bubble.
I had an old Dell keyboard, it looked like it has Alps, but it was rubberdome with Alps stems.

[nubbinator]

Hate to burst everyones bubble.
I had an old Dell keyboard, it looked like it has Alps, but it was rubberdome with Alps stems.

And your anecdote proves nothing.

[mouse.the.lucky.dog]

Hate to burst everyones bubble.
I had an old Dell keyboard, it looked like it has Alps, but it was rubberdome with Alps stems.

And your anecdote proves nothing.

What it means is that you have to look at more then the stems to see if the keyboard has alps.

[nubbinator]

What it means is that you have to look at more then the stems to see if the keyboard has alps.

True, but with that stem and that switch housing (at least from OP's not so great pic), it looks like it's White Alps, not any of the Alps-ish clones out there.

[dorkvader]

Pretty sure it was the second picture,What the difference with converting them , if it is the second one do I just need a AT to active Ps2 to USB ??, Like this

http://superuser.com/questions/571252/din5-plug-adapter-to-usb

Scroll halfway down the page

If it's the second one (180 degree 5 pin DIN)
You will need the following:
AT to PS/2 adapter cable like this one
PS/2 to USB converter like this one (there are a lot of others, but that one is the best (in my experience) and also sold by a geekhacker)

[CaptLock]

Will you be selling these?

[hoggy]

What are the split keyboards like?

[ninjadoc]

Okay I have 6 of the above, 4 still in the old stelephane wrapper and 4 of these, I take it these ones are no good ?

The keys may be useful

[rowdy]

Pretty sure it was the second picture,What the difference with converting them , if it is the second one do I just need a AT to active Ps2 to USB ??, Like this

http://superuser.com/questions/571252/din5-plug-adapter-to-usb

Scroll halfway down the page

If it's the second one (180 degree 5 pin DIN)
You will need the following:
AT to PS/2 adapter cable like this one
PS/2 to USB converter like this one (there are a lot of others, but that one is the best (in my experience) and also sold by a geekhacker)

+1 for that PS/2 to USB adaptor - helped my PS/2 Model M work on a Mac.

And if THAT works, almost anything else should work!

[da20valve]

Can I just open a old ps2 keyboard and swap the plug (then I would only need 1 adapter) or can't that be done, bow it's deff the bottom pic, 6 pins in a semi circle

[da20valve]

Can't I just take the AT cable off and soldier the ps2 cable to it, or is this possible ?, it's deff the second pic so I guess it's not terminal

[rowdy]

If it is AT, then yes, they are pin-compatible, but you will need to check the pin connections.

One 5 pin cable is not necessarily a direct swap for another.

[False_Dmitry_II]

Can't I just take the AT cable off and soldier the ps2 cable to it, or is this possible ?, it's deff the second pic so I guess it's not terminal

I don't really see the point of doing that though.

Also it's possible that they're actually XT instead.

[rowdy]

Need model numbers to make sure!

[da20valve]

Cant I just solder the cables from the PS2 to the where the AT cables attach ??, or cant that be done ??, I have taken a pic of the end so you guys  can confirm this is the right connection. The reason why is because the adapters are so hard to get in Australia, I will have to wait 2 weeks for one of those little cube ones.

[rowdy]

It looks like an AT plug to me, but I am not familiar with all the Model M variations (if this is a Model M).

I replaced a PS/2 cable on a Model M recently - someone had cut the existing cable off about 10cm from the keyboard.  I salvaged a PS/2 cable from an old membrane keyboard.  One end had a PS/2 connector, the other end had a 4 way plug that plugged into a 4 way header on the PCB in the original keyboard.  There is something similar in the Model M, but I had no idea whether the same wires went to the same pins.

So I cut that plug off, reverse-engineered the Model M header, and joined the wires together appropriately.

It worked!

So although it may be theoretically possible to disassemble the keyboard, unplug the old cable from the PCB, and plug the new cable in, there is no guarantee that IBM and the donor keyboard's manufacturer chose to use the same pinouts on their PCB header.

[da20valve]

How to Tell AT vs XT ?, I don't want to get the wrong adapter.

[rowdy]

Best thing to post model numbers of the keyboards

[Demetrium]

Nice find!

[fohat.digs]

How to Tell AT vs XT ?, I don't want to get the wrong adapter.

The plug is the same. The difference is that AT "speaks" to modern computers but XT does not.

AT uses a simple connector to hook up the right wires, but XT needs some actual computing.

[RJRElectronics]

I have been in the IBM Keyboard business for 24 years.  I have a TON of experience with IBM Keyboards, and I have lots of rare old Keyboards in my warehouse.  If you have questions about any IBM Keyboards, let me know, and will try to help. 

Mod edit: Personal/business information removed.  No self-advertising, please.

[dantan]

"Store-bought" key pullers are better, my Leopold is my favorite.

But if you want one for tomorrow, just bend it out of a large paper clip.

IBM made many keyboards that were not buckling spring, including Model Ms, mostly it depends on age. If this stuff is pre-Windows, it is probably buckling spring (or even more archaic!).

I agree with the concept to keep a couple of choice ones for yourself and sell off the rest. Sell them as-is, warts and all, and give some geekhackers the opportunity to actually hack around like geeks.

Wow. awesome. Hope I can get in on the action

[Lanx]

you're IT and you don't have a leatherman/gerber on you?

i still advocate the butterknife.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

True, but with that stem and that switch housing (at least from OP's not so great pic), it looks like it's White Alps, not any of the Alps-ish clones out there.

If you mean the upside-down photo, no, that's a clone. The switch is supported against the plate by four small tabs.

It's got a white slider, which is interesting. The most common type (AK-CN2) uses an ivory slider. You can see the difference here:

http://sandy55.fc2web.com/keyboard/mac_kb_wiz_s_alps.html

AK-CN2 at the top, ivory slider. The bottom keyboard has a white slider, which probably means an older keyboard, late 80s/beginning of the 90s (mine with that switch seems to be ca. 1992).

[da20valve]

Will this help for what I want to do??
http://pinouts.ru/InputCables/MiniDinToDinKeyboard_pinout.shtml

I have posted a pic of the connecter below
aswell as the pcb from the ps2 I plan to connect.

NOW the most important of them all.
to change cables do I just go from yellow on the cable to yellow on the PCB plug or is this wrong.
So I cut both cables, but leave enough cable on the pcb end and connect the PS2 of the same color to that plug, or is this wrong

[da20valve]

Pic of the keyboard

Does anyone know what this switch is on the PCD . it does switch from left to right

[fohat.digs]

So I cut both cables, but leave enough cable on the pcb end and connect the PS2 of the same color to that plug, or is this wrong

NEVER  trust color. Use a multimeter to verify what powers what.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Pic of the keyboard

What date is given on the controller chip? It should be something like "9013" (13th week of 1990).

Does anyone know what this switch is on the PCD . it does switch from left to right

Should be XT vs AT protocol.