[Sold] IBM Model M Internal USB Conversion With Soarer $125 USB

[ezrahilyer]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331434166406

I have another restored Model M up on flea-bay. PM for 10% off.
Internal shipping available.

$125.00

Class A

[iamtootallforthis]

Damn if only it was the 27th of June.

[ezrahilyer]

Damn if only it was the 27th of June.

Missed it by 1 day!
I have been on the lookout for a March 21st 1987 for a while, but no luck (My wife's birthdate) If I ever find a model F with my birthdate (June 1981) I will grab it too.

[iamtootallforthis]

Damn if only it was the 27th of June.

Missed it by 1 day!
I have been on the lookout for a March 21st 1987 for a while, but no luck (My wife's birthdate) If I ever find a model F with my birthdate (June 1981) I will grab it too.

Considering I was born in a year where the boards were made by Lexmark, I just want a June 27th board, so I understand your need for those boards.

[ezrahilyer]

Damn if only it was the 27th of June.

Missed it by 1 day!
I have been on the lookout for a March 21st 1987 for a while, but no luck (My wife's birthdate) If I ever find a model F with my birthdate (June 1981) I will grab it too.

Someone should make up a webpage for people looking for specific dates on Ms and Fs. I might even implement that into my upcoming Model M online store... That would be cool huh?

Considering I was born in a year where the boards were made by Lexmark, I just want a June 27th board, so I understand your need for those boards.

[ezrahilyer]

And its sold to a fellow GH member!
Thank you all for looking.
-Ezra

[rowdy]

Thank you for reviving these wonderful historic keyboards

[ezrahilyer]

Thank you for reviving these wonderful historic keyboards

And thank YOU wonderful people on GH and DT for making it all possible!
-Ezra

[ezrahilyer]

Thank you for reviving these wonderful historic keyboards

And thank YOU wonderful people on GH and DT for making it all possible!
-Ezra

Especially Soarer wherever you are.

[fohat.digs]

And thank YOU wonderful people on GH and DT for making it all possible!

You are the first person to really make a success out of this.

A lot of us, myself included, have bemoaned the fact, for years, that a really nice bolt-mod would seldom fetch even an extra $20 bill or two in selling price. We assumed that bolt-modders wanted original gear to do themselves, and nobody else cared.

Then people such as 1_avid_collector came along and tried to sell really high-end refurbs (although I seem to remember that he did not always take them apart and do actual bolt-mods) for top-top dollar, and also failed.

Ezra has apparently found the "sweet spot" in price (the low-mid-$100 range) in combination with the right feature set (cleaned, bolt-modded, fully programmable USB conversion with detachable cable) to make a few bucks for himself and keep customers coming along.

PS - you put the screw heads on the metal side, with washers? don't the nuts interfere with the barrels and keys?

[ezrahilyer]

PS - you put the screw heads on the metal side, with washers? don't the nuts interfere with the barrels and keys?

This is what the top of the barrel plate looks like with one of my Rivet Replacements, you can see that the length of the screw is just enough to come through the plastic and stop flush with the top of the plastic. Unless you look closely you can't even tell it has been done from the top.

The biggest reason I decided to go this was was because of some of the pictures from other bolt-mods showing mis-alligned bolts, and nuts on top that interfered with key travel or the stabilizer wires (especially right here on the num-pad area)

This is why I refer to the conversions as 'Rivet Replacements' since I am not technically using bolts and nuts. On the bottom side; the size of the rivet is very closely matched by the small washer, this way it also won't interfere with clearance on the bottom of the case.

If you have ever noticed, on the plastic bottom case, you can see small depressions for the original rivet-heads. The flush screws and washers fit in these depressions like they were made for them.

And for the DIY minded people out there; I will be making a kit available with screws, washers, a properly sized drill-bit and possibly a nut driver.

[XMIT]

Where did you find these washers and screws? Something like a McMaster part number would be ideal...

[ezrahilyer]

Where did you find these washers and screws? Something like a McMaster part number would be ideal...

I order them from Bolt Depot, they are:

#4249 - Wood screws, Slotted flat head, Brass, #1 x 1/4"

#5563 - Flat washers, Stainless steel 18-8, #4

You then use a #53 drill bit to drill the holes.

-Ezra

[XMIT]

Oh neat, thanks. I did some looking last night and it looks like DIN 7982 screws worked well for someone in Europe doing a bolt mod. But those seem to be difficult to find here in the US. I ended up ordering these from McMaster : http://www.mcmaster.com/#90198a051/=vtbc4j . Of course they have not yet arrived to I have not yet tried them. These were the closest I could find to DIN 7982 from McMaster. (Hate Imperial units so much.)

[fohat.digs]

Here are the ones that I have used for "classic" bolt mods:

[XMIT]

Thanks fohat.digs. I've also used McMaster 90592A004 and 92005A029 for my previous bolt mod efforts. Those work just fine except for not getting the barrel plate close enough to the steel plate for vertically stabilized numeric keypad keys. Maybe I can just screw from the bottom for those but I have not tried it. I would like to try a self tapping screw from the bottom for my next attempt.

[fohat.digs]

Thanks fohat.digs. I've also used McMaster 90592A004 and 92005A029 for my previous bolt mod efforts. Those work just fine except for not getting the barrel plate close enough to the steel plate for vertically stabilized numeric keypad keys. Maybe I can just screw from the bottom for those but I have not tried it. I would like to try a self tapping screw from the bottom for my next attempt.

If you have an older M (pre-1989 or so) with a wire stabilizer and clip for the numpad "+" then you must be careful because drilling out the rivet shaft and installing a bolt (screw) will interfere with the hold-down clip on the top side.

The answer is to install a screw from the underside that is short enough such that it does not interfere, or, better, simply leave that one alone and do not drill it at all.

Nowadays, people are not worrying with the nuts at all. Drilling a 1/16" hole makes for a nice tight fit with an M2 as it cuts its own threads on the way through, so perhaps go that route. I have never shopped for lengths other than 8mm, but about 5mm-6mm would surely be enough if there were no nuts.

If you order the self-tappers shown on my invoice, the 1/16" bit will be too fat for them. I actually cut the head off a straight pin and used that for a drill bit down there.