$2 Goodwill keyboard with Blue Alps?

[narlzac85]

I found this board for $2 at goodwill and I'm wondering what I've got.
I've tried plugging it in with the ps/2 adapter and I could only get the numlock and capslock buttons to work (ie. just toggling the LEDs).
I tried using the USB adapter and the LEDs just blink. Tried USB2 and USB3 ports. I'm not sure the USB adapter actually works since I've never used it before.

Any ideas or other comments?

[Pacifist]

focus fk?

[E TwentyNine]

focus fk?

Yep.  http://deskthority.net/wiki/Focus_FK-555

[narlzac85]

Any pointers on getting this working over either PS/2 or USB?

[jwaz]

Does it have an XT/AT Switch on the back? which converter are you using?

[narlzac85]

nevermind. Switched the XT/AT switch on the bottom and rebooted. Its all working now!

[jwaz]

nevermind. Switched the XT/AT switch on the bottom and rebooted. Its all working now!

   post it up in the "What Did You Find" thread!


http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=56814.0

[Halverson]

That's it! I'm going thrift shopping tomorrow!

Nice find!

[dustinhxc]

Very nice find man! Id love some Alps! 

[jacobolus]

Any ideas or other comments?

Send it to me, and I’ll make sure the switches see some proper use.

Alternately, you can probably get at least $70 for it on eBay.

[False_Dmitry_II]

That's it! I'm going thrift shopping tomorrow!

Nice find!

Don't bother you won't find anything. The only "old keyboards" I ever found were old domes...

[CPTBadAss]

That's it! I'm going thrift shopping tomorrow!

Wish I could find awesome stuff like this at thrift shops...Congrats OP

[noobicus]

Awesome!  I've been loving my Blue Alps I found in a thrift shop recently.  Thrift shop ftw!

[badboybry9000]

Dang I'm jealous. Nice find.

[fohat.digs]

Don't bother you won't find anything. The only "old keyboards" I ever found were old domes.

Once in a blue moon you will find something good.

If you have a job that involves driving around, pop in for brief look as you pass by.

Otherwise, don't expect a "good find" more often than once every 20-50 visits.

PS - in 3-4 years, and hundreds of visits, I have NEVER found anything like blue Alps!

[Halverson]

Don't bother you won't find anything. The only "old keyboards" I ever found were old domes.

Once in a blue moon you will find something good.

If you have a job that involves driving around, pop in for brief look as you pass by.

Otherwise, don't expect a "good find" more often than once every 20-50 visits.

PS - in 3-4 years, and hundreds of visits, I have NEVER found anything like blue Alps!

I like the adventure. I used to live in Ottawa and checked out several thrift shops multiple times a week. Never found anything. Checked a thrift shop in a small town, found a mint Commodore 64 super cheap.

You never know, until you know

[dante]

Unfortunately our Goodwill's only have Dell and HP Rubberdomes..

[CPTBadAss]

I've only ever seen rubberdomes in my local thrift shops. I do like adventures though so I still check from time to time.

[slickmamba]

Wow that is exciting!  Makes me want to go out and look too, but I have no clue what to look for haha.  I'd only recognize MX and alps, and maybe BS? 

[CPTBadAss]

Just take a keycap puller with you and then grab whatever strikes your interest. It can't be that pricey to get keyboards at thrift stores and you can have a nice little adventure!

[fohat.digs]

Unfortunately our Goodwill's only have Dell and HP Rubberdomes.

Goodwill stores in the Atlanta area do not sell computer gear. A manager told me that it was due to pressure from "real" computer stores.

These days, Value Village is the most likely to produce.

[johndavis33]

Live near boston, constantly visit the thrift stores here looking for stuff.

Go to one thrift store in Maine on vacation, get a board with simplified black alps.

[False_Dmitry_II]

Unfortunately our Goodwill's only have Dell and HP Rubberdomes.

Goodwill stores in the Atlanta area do not sell computer gear. A manager told me that it was due to pressure from "real" computer stores.

These days, Value Village is the most likely to produce.

So what you're saying is that stores like Microcenter and Fry's fear the competition Goodwill could bring against them?

[Firebolt1914]

The thrift stores I go to have nothing nice.   

[fohat.digs]

So what you're saying is that stores like Microcenter and Fry's fear the competition Goodwill could bring against them?

Ah, paranoia, what a faithful companion in life!

My local Micro Center (where, by the way, I buy ALL my computer gear, except for keyboards - and probably 2000 yards from a Goodwill!) sells low-end keyboards for $3.99. So used keyboards, at Goodwill at that price, or half that price, are certainly competitive.

Cables, at $0.99 are very competitive and that may be the biggest real threat to profit because I suspect that "incidentals" are one place where these brick-and-mortar computer stores really clean up. And monitors, now that thrift stores sell valid working monitors in the $20-30 range, that is a problem. Personally, I would rather have 2 nice 15" flat screens than a single larger newer one.

But for actual computers, no. Thrift stores sell a decade-old XP computer with a 80GB hard drive for $40. Unless it has a really nice case, forget it.

[False_Dmitry_II]

That's probably true, because they keep charging 20-30+ for what would be a 10 or less cable on amazon. Now that everything is digital the quality of cable almost doesn't matter besides.

That's where I got my rubber dome for my first build, back when they still charged $5 for those, and I chose it simply because I preferred its feel to the other, much more expensive domes.

I only buy things there when it's cheaper, usually CPUs and the like while the rest is from newegg or amazon.

But yeah, at that price of keyboards I suppose that could also affect something if someone is really willing to pay half of $4 for what is likely to be an ugly old dome.

[jacobolus]

That's probably true, because they keep charging 20-30+ for what would be a 10 or less cable on amazon. Now that everything is digital the quality of cable almost doesn't matter besides.

Everyone should buy stuff like cables at Monoprice. There’s almost never a reason to shop anywhere else for such commodity items.

[fohat.digs]

This place is awesome. Dirt cheap and I usually get stuff within 72 hours!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331141185858

[False_Dmitry_II]

That's probably true, because they keep charging 20-30+ for what would be a 10 or less cable on amazon. Now that everything is digital the quality of cable almost doesn't matter besides.

Everyone should buy stuff like cables at Monoprice. There’s almost never a reason to shop anywhere else for such commodity items.

I've known about monoprice for a long time, but every time I want something I think they'd have it's always cheaper to just buy it from amazon, most of the time because of shipping.

This place is awesome. Dirt cheap and I usually get stuff within 72 hours!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331141185858

I'll try to keep that in mind.

[jacobolus]

Everyone should buy stuff like cables at Monoprice. There’s almost never a reason to shop anywhere else for such commodity items.

I've known about monoprice for a long time, but every time I want something I think they'd have it's always cheaper to just buy it from amazon, most of the time because of shipping.

Ah, maybe it’s just to CA that the shipping from Monoprice is $6 flat, up to some ridiculous number of items. So I just buy a whole bunch of random stuff in one big order every year or so, and the shipping cost ends up being only a few percent of the total.

[ShawnMeg]

I went to a local thrift shop last week and came up empty, after reading about some of the posters finding some good stuff.  It was in a ghetto area, and happened to be driving by.  There were some disgusting, dirty rubber dome crap.  The place was dirty and smelly in an old strip mall.  Within 200 feet was a computer repair shop.  Perhaps, the employees there being close to the thrift shop, if they have any knowledge of keyboards, may snap up the good stuff.

I'll keep trying.  There's a Goodwill around, and I'll see what they carry.

I'm going to ask what the computer people at work do with old computer gear.  There is an old warehouse or storage area.  With any luck maybe I'll come up with some IBM F's, or M's.

Anyways, good find for the poster.