eBay US: Wang 724 $20 + shipping NIB

[tweaked]

hi, just to answer a few of the questions. The Wang 724 Keyboards 725-3770-US are indeed black mechanical alps. I sold some used 724 pink alps in the past for much more than these up to $100 a peace and that was used. The difference with these are they are in mint new condition and never have been used. They also have original factory box and packaging in good condition. They are only run up and tested before being shipped.

There is no mechanical difference between the black alps and the pink alps as far as I could tell when I have used them in the past. It is just a color which can't even be seen when the key caps are in place. I have seen a number if pinks in the past. However, I have only seen 1 with green alps ever and that was about 12 years ago. Black seems to be the common key switches. However, the color of the them has nothing to do with quality and functionality of the keyboards.

I do know that they are designed to emulate the Wang terminals 4230, 4230A, 2110A and some others on a standard PC for functionality. The keyboard can do anything the keyboards for those terminals could do. On a standard PC, you would run, a WLOC card which serves to connect to Wang server and emulate a Wang terminal on a PC. This along with Wang WLOC program makes a complete Wang terminal and the Wang 724 keyboard completes this package. You can assign keys all sorts of programmable tasks. I do not know how you would go about doing this using it as a standard keyboard as only the standard keyboard functions would work I suppose.

I can get working Wang WLOC cards and the software, if anyone is interested in try out what a Wang terminal was like on your PC. Your PC will have to have 16 bit slots tho. you won't be able to do much with out a Wang server like a Wang VS-6000 or what ever, I can get them too.

I have never touched a better made keyboard than these. Even the Wang 3335 or 3155 for the real Wang workstation terminals suck compared to these. By the way, I have other Wang keyboards, some used some new if anyone is interested.

[TexasFlood]

ALPS.  Damn, I was hoping for Cherrys.

I love pounding on some Cherrys with my Wang.

The trademark itlnstln wit has been missed...

[tweaked]

I started with 220 of these keyboards and in a little over a year, I now only have 57 left. I know where 20 more of them are but I would have to buy them so I'll only do that when the ones I have left are sold off. If anyone wants pictures or more information, I will be glad to help out.

Please realize that the Wang original cords are practically non existent. I have a source for them but they charge $25 each for them. Wang did not include any cords with these keyboards if have. I only have 30 original Wang cords (most new) and I am holding on to them until I use up all the materials I bought to make these cables. I also paid for the mini din PS/2 adapters I include for free.

One customer said he figured out how to use these on USB. I am not sure what he did to do that. I am thinking of looking into it and maybe making an adapter for that. If anyone here has knowledge of accomplishing this, please help me out. Maybe it is worth a keyboard for you. Maybe it is simple?? Don't know yet...

Now to clarify something on the first post to this thread. It is about keyboard only. No cord, no mini-din adapter was included on that listing. That listing is also now discontinued in favor of a listing for Wang 724 with cord and mini-din PS/2 adapter. Maybe USB adapter if I can figure that out.

Some more thoughts to ponder, Wang use to charge corporations up to $250 (usually about $200) for each 724 keyboards while the Wang 725-3155 were going for $125 back in the day. Shows the quality value difference in a way between the different Wang keyboards. We use to sell used Wang 724's for $125 ea. in the 1990's Crazy!

[litster]

This blue cube http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BSJFJS or these Belkin adaptors should work  http://www.ebay.com/itm/260810806320?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649. I have both, the work well with my IBM Model M keyboards.

[tweaked]

This blue cube http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BSJFJS or these Belkin adaptors should work  http://www.ebay.com/itm/260810806320?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649. I have both, the work well with my IBM Model M keyboards.

Wow thanks! That is real cool! I was just about to search on this and I received notice about your post. I will buy a some different USB to PS/2 adapters and test them on the Wang 724's. Cheers!

[tweaked]

Noticed something else on these. The microcontroller is not soldered to the PCB, it's socketed. You could perhaps extract it and read out the firmware. Then you could modify it to light up the dark LEDs, or to make the 8 nonstandard buttons send unique key codes instead of Alt-Fx combinations, or fix the key assignment on the nav cluster to be more standard. Next time I'll check what kind of uC it is.

There were different chips for these keyboards. Techs could walk in , pop a chip out, pop a different chip in, leave and then Wang could charge a $500 service fee. I never learned what the differences were but I believe Wang could turn these keyboards in to anything they wanted them to be for terminals, workstations, servers or standard computers. I could be way of based on that, I mean I was green around the ears then.

Yes they are programmable, I have no knowledge how to do so. Now they are meant to be using Wang WLOC software, so maybe there are utilities in the WLOC software package to program them. That was DOS based and there is a WIN 3.11 version of the software. I know someone that may be able to shed some light on how to program them. I'll let know know when I talk to him.

[jpc]

This blue cube http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BSJFJS or these Belkin adaptors should work  http://www.ebay.com/itm/260810806320?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649. I have both, the work well with my IBM Model M keyboards.

I have mixed results with the Belkin F5U119vE1, by the way. On the plus side it seems to work with all PS2 devices.

On the minus side it has "reset" issues, where the keyboard periodically does not respond and the LEDs blink. It goes out for perhaps 1 second every half hour? Not enough to be a real problem for regular office work. But I might look for a different one next time.

Also, there is an F5U119vE1, and an F5U119E, which may or may not be identical? They sure look the same.

[jpc]

The seller sent me a new cable that works well. Thanks tweaked.

So I'm about to buy two more of these. Four total. Crazy town.

[jpc]

Q. for geekhack: is there a source for ALPS keycaps with nubs?

The Wang 724 has no nubs on the F and J keys. I'd like to replace these with nubbed keys.

[litster]

Would the Alps keycaps from Round 4 group buy work?

http://deskthority.net/wiki/Round4#ALPS_.28ALPS_style_for_ALPS_CM.29

[tweaked]

the Belkin F5U119vE1, .... On the minus side it has "reset" issues, where the keyboard periodically does not respond and the LEDs blink. It goes out for perhaps 1 second every half hour? Not enough to be a real problem for regular office work. But I might look for a different one next time.

Good info there @jpc , My USB adapters should be here soon. I'll let everyone know what I find. Glad to hear you can run Wang 724 keyboards on USB. Some of my servers are USB only. I can't wait try it on them!

[litster]

I bought one from Tweaked.  It arrived today.  It is a very nice, NIB keyboard.  very solidly built.  Don't like the speaker sound though.  It still makes a little noise when it is turned all the way down.  The cable works and I can use it with my blue cube for plug-and-play USB connectivity.  

It is going back to the box for storage.  Might try to put the Wang keycaps onto my Filco Zero for some keyboard dress-up play.

[jpc]

@litster: You could pull the connector for the speaker. This keyboard is not difficult to open and close again.

[litster]

I will give that a try.  Thanks!