Need some identification help

[rootwyrm]

Alrighty, so a friend is doing some cleaning of ancient hardware - too late on the M's, I already got them all! - but I came across a pair of, well, frankly keyboards I can't quite identify. These are both mechanical - the big weird layout one is absolutely linear mechanical - and incredibly smooth, and the NTC is clicky mechanical I can't quite place. Distinct from the KB-6251EM (yes I swiped that one, no you can't has it.)

Didn't have a keycap puller with me, so couldn't get the caps off of either. And yes, I would describe the caps on the 'weird' one as semi-spherical.

Pardon crappy cell phone photos, attached.

[tauburn]

at least rotate the last image. you really think we're going to try to read that?

[rootwyrm]

at least rotate the last image. you really think we're going to try to read that?

Er, no. I will admit I goofed though - bottom one says it's an NTC 6251-EA. Thought I mentioned that, but newp, just that it felt different from -EM. My bad there.

So yes, bottom claims to be 6251-EA; label looks different from what I remember of 6251-EM though and I don't know if that's a valid model number. Says "Zeos" over the indicator LEDs too.

[IvanIvanovich]

Most Zeos I have seen have been white clicky Alps or clicky space invaders. The other one I have no idea, but it has one of the worst layout I have ever seen, what a mess.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Is there a reason why you haven't posted photos of the switches? OK, not paying attention tonight, sorry :-)

6251 could be Alps (NTC keyboards are typically Alps and clones) but also Omron: http://sandy55.fc2web.com/keyboard/leo_6251.html

But seriously, it's the only way.

[rootwyrm]

Most Zeos I have seen have been white clicky Alps or clicky space invaders. The other one I have no idea, but it has one of the worst layout I have ever seen, what a mess.

That's actually a fairly common alternate US layout. It's also the good version of it - see the Focus FK-2001 for the ugly, and a couple SMK boards for the horrifyingly bad. At least the Zeos boards have \ in a halfway sane location. As opposed to between Alt and Ctrl below RShift.

Is there a reason why you haven't posted photos of the switches? OK, not paying attention tonight, sorry :-)

6251 could be Alps (NTC keyboards are typically Alps and clones) but also Omron: http://sandy55.fc2web.com/keyboard/leo_6251.html

But seriously, it's the only way.

I took another stab at both - NO way. Not a chance without breaking something, and it ain't gonna be my key puller. I will tell you straight up that the 6251-EA is not White Alps in this case. The -EM has Whites and the -EA is significantly lighter and strangely more consistent. Slightly sharper note as well. (Gods, I feel like I'm describing wine here, not keyboards.) Oddly enough, I didn't see the XT/AT switch on it either. So it might be Omron. I have a bad track record with keycap damage on Alps-and-similar, but as you may have noticed, those are two color (green Alt+SysRq) and I'd have to guess probably double shots.

The big bulky one is the one I'm REALLY interested in though. I mean okay, we've seen a bajillion NTC 6251's, we more or less know what's up with them. Layout's all new by me - especially the weird F-key layout. I'm legitimately stumped - I've never even seen a layout where Backspace was shared with Left Arrow, much less with 24 function keys.
And this thing is beyond smooth. It's smoother than Vintage Blacks - which is how I know it's probably not Super Blacks. It's just too smooth and it's not heavy enough - I'd estimate initial force at somewhere north of 70 but definitely below 125. Maybe 90-100 range peak? But my gods. Either it's worn to hell, or these are the smoothest switches I've ever seen in my life.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

The only other option is to dismantle the keyboard and look at the switches from the side.