If you're also a ThinkPad/ThinkPad keyboard fan, this one is especially for you!
Anyone who has or had particularly early ThinkPads (700 to 755, 350 to 365, etc.) and taken them apart or lifted the keyboard may have noticed they have an "M6" or "M6-1" Model M designation on their manufacture sticker... The IBM Model M6 was the original family of ThinkPad keyboards used on many historical models, using IBM's own key-switch technology (IBM buckling rubber sleeves, thus related to the Model M3 IBM PS/2 L40SX keyboards/numpads and M4/M4-1 desktop keyboards) and were the first keyboards with integrated TrackPoints and the vessel that popularised the 7-row 'classic' layout ThinkPad fans are fond of. In my opinion, good keyboards in their own right and much loved by period press and some current ThinkPad fans.
This is my wiki page documenting all known variations of these keyboards. Built upon my earlier
article from late 2021. Included are not only IBM branded ones, but various others that a former part of IBM who made most of these keyboards - Lexmark - produced for their own branded laptops and third parties. Non-IBM laptops using IBM keyboard technology!
The page:
https://sharktastica.co.uk/wiki?id=modelm6
Also included are some common design specs, a discussion on M6 vs M6-1, and a description of the "types" system I came up with to describe the 6 common layout/form-factor combo lineages.
Applicable IBM portables include the PS/2 CL57SX, PS/note 182, PS/note 425, 350, 355, 360, 365, 370C, 500, 510, 700, 720, 750, 755C, Power Series 850, RS/6000 Notebook N40 and RS/6000 Notebook 860.
Enjoy!
