SSKanoly!

[bmmcwhirt]

FIRST!  Please do not contact me about buying these, some are going to be sold and they will be sold to members here FIRST. I'm an advocate for them going to people who will use them and appreciate them and not to some E-Bay reseller.

Second, I have not tested them yet, I was just given to go-ahead to test and clean them up. Once that is done I will let everyone know. These are not mine, they are my bosses and he'll let me know how many at at what price we can let them go. Most are SSK only a few 104 and so far none of the 60% style.

This is a portion of what he has in storage so it's going to take me a few weeks to sort through, test and clean. I'm also still looking for the box of SDL cables.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/qO1jioYj59zUocZB3









Sorry about that, I hope the one link works now as there is a video as well showing a small selection of the actual SSK, there are also to Model F I think is what they are.

[mogo]

The link doesn't lead to anything we can view; there must be some privacy permissions set wrong.

edit: Actually, it's a 404. So perhaps the link is mis-copied

God damn. It's a motherlode.

[pixelpusher]

Following this thread.  Hope to see some pics

[bmmcwhirt]

Sorry about that guys I forget I have to use the copy link instead of copying the url.

[xueyao]

Awesome find! Would love getting an AT and an SSK! Hope to hear news soon!

[Gajible]

Any '94 boards? I'm still looking for my Birthday M!

[bmmcwhirt]

I had to dig out a ps2 to usb adapter so I've only gotten a few tested so far but so far they all test good. I have an AT adapter around here too.

I haven't even started looking at dates yet.

[ander]

Nice find! I hope people pay attention, too, and notice that you've asked them NOT to contact you about these (which I failed to do, and sorry again about that).

[bmmcwhirt]

Nice find! I hope people pay attention, too, and notice that you've asked them NOT to contact you about these (which I failed to do, and sorry again about that).

It's fine to talk here, I just don't want to try to deal with a few hundred personal messages.

[romevi]

PMing you a few hundred pm's right now.

[bmmcwhirt]

I only managed to test 4 after we got back to the office before my nephew called needing a ride. Tomorrow will be different. Then Friday I go to look at two more locations that have even more. I'm still hoping to find the elusive 50% style Model Ms but I doubt it.

100% of the ones tested so far are in perfect working order. It takes longer to press all those keys than you think, it's harder than just typing because you have to make sure each key registers and you do the in order, it's not as natural as typing.

Once they have all been tested and cataloged I'll make a post in the classifieds section. People who were members before my original post will get precedence over anyone joining after, my small way of giving back to everyone who has been so kind here and I want them going to enthusiasts first and foremost. There are people on RMK and DT that will be upset but I spend far more time here.

[xueyao]

Thank you for being an awesome community member! Will be looking out for your post!

[raxander]

Jimminy Christmas!  I watched the video and I don't even want to guess how many boards you have there.  That's nuts man.  What a find.

[kokokoy]

Wow what a find. Congrats mate!

[rustywok]

I'll be following this closely.

[fohat.digs]

This is a good key testing program:

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=34670.0

[bmmcwhirt]

Ok, I managed to steal enough free time to test about 25 boards today. One of the AT boards was non-responsive and the other worked fine so I think my adapters are working but I am going from AT to PS2 to USB to USB-C because I'm on a macbook pro.

As for the SSK, all of them tested worked but one has a stuck spacebar. I've not tried to fix it yet as I'll do all that after they have all been tested.

[pixelpusher]

Ok, I managed to steal enough free time to test about 25 boards today. One of the AT boards was non-responsive and the other worked fine so I think my adapters are working but I am going from AT to PS2 to USB to USB-C because I'm on a macbook pro.

As for the SSK, all of them tested worked but one has a stuck spacebar. I've not tried to fix it yet as I'll do all that after they have all been tested.

Thanks for the update.  Sure would like to get my hands on an SSK

[sleepy916]

Oh please let there be an Unsaver in there...

[bmmcwhirt]

Oh please let there be an Unsaver in there...

Not yet, but we'll see what happens tomorrow.

[xueyao]

Oh please let there be an Unsaver in there...

Not yet, but we'll see what happens tomorrow.

You're gonna spoil the market with your crazy find

[JP]

Wow, nice find! Glad to see some folks here will be able to use these.

[sleepy916]

Oh please let there be an Unsaver in there...

Not yet, but we'll see what happens tomorrow.

So you're telling me there is a chance... 😍

It is awesome you guys found a good amount of SSKs and other BS keyboards. I'm glad they didn't get thrown away a long time ago.

[Kavik]

What a find! I will be following this thread.

[bmmcwhirt]

Here is a photo of the one's I tested the other day. There are 2 off screen that either didn't work or had issues and 3 I've set aside for personal use.



I'll probably get some more today to test next week and go through what else are in the other locations.

I was looking at pulling all the cap covers and putting them in a 5gal bucket of dawn free and clear and water to clean them and something similar with the top case, or should I not clean them at all or what is usually preferred. I know some people prefer them to be untouched and restore them themselves. The bottoms are more of an issue as the labels are paper sticker that would not fair well in water. I'm open to suggestions on this as I've not done anything other than test them this far.

[mogo]

I think you're right that people are okay with doing the deep-clean themselves. Scrubbing the caps is nice. If you want to just take a moist rag to the cases (avoiding getting any paper labels wet) it'll probably be good enough to get them sold, the buyer can finish the detail work. Kudos for going through so many boards, you've got your work cut out.

[xueyao]

I think you're right that people are okay with doing the deep-clean themselves. Scrubbing the caps is nice. If you want to just take a moist rag to the cases (avoiding getting any paper labels wet) it'll probably be good enough to get them sold, the buyer can finish the detail work. Kudos for going through so many boards, you've got your work cut out.

Agreed, I think people would rather clean by themselves haha. Personally part of the joy in receiving a vintage board is the restoration itself.

[bmmcwhirt]

Ok, I'll just clean the cap covers and then give the cases a gentle wipe down with a damp cloth. I'm going to do the caps so that I can sort out the cleanest and ones without stickers (custom labels and brail). There is at least one with brail stickers and I will hold those for anyone that is in actual need of them an not just wanting them.

[dorkvader]

I received an SSK that was left outside for several years. The plate was rusty and the membranes were completely shot. I was able to fully refurbish it with new 104 membranes from unicomp after a bolt mod.

So any of them that are in absolute trash condition: they are still salvageable. All you need is the case pretty much; everything else can be had from donor boards.

Shoving the 104 membrane in there was pretty tricky, I had to cut the middle section out and put tape over the contacts to prevent them from causing issues. then I folded it back under the plate.

[mrhead]

holy magikarp.  That's a lot of SSK!  Guess I'm gonna have to subscribe and hope for a shot at one!

[bmmcwhirt]

I hope to have these available by Friday if not sooner.

For transparency it is going to cost me $7.00USD each for bubble wrap and boxes.
The rough estimate for shipping is about 28-32USD.

To make things simple if you are in the continental USA the price is going to include shipping. Outside the continental USA we'll have to check the shipping prices for you and if they fall inside the same area no problem, otherwise we will have charge the difference in shipping.

I'm not selling them here yet I will make that post in the Classified section so were not breaking any rules but I'll let you know here and link to that post when it's live so hold on a bit longer. I still don't know how many we have total but I have about 30 that will be ready on Friday.

The average price for an SSK is $222.33 (based on as many sold listings as I could find all over the internet)
The Mean price is $224.95

Don't cry just yet. We plan to let them go for $150.00 USD with an initial limit of 1 per person.

Because I care about the things I sell these will be wiped clean, and the cap covers cleaned and air dusted inside and out. It's going to be a lot of work but I want to keep a spread sheet and give you a serial number, manufacture date and photos before we complete a transaction so you know exactly what you are getting. Again you will have to be a member here with a join date before my initial post, then after all those members that want one are taken care of newer members will be taken. After that anyone wanting an additional keyboard will be taken.

Hopefully no one is upset with this but I think you all are aware of what we have and that if I wanted I could trickle these out on EBay for more money. I would rather them all go to you all who will take care of and cherish them.

[aspenc4]

Sweet, I'll keep an eye out. Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[xueyao]

Are there any updates on the Model F? Waiting eagerly for the AT or an F122.

[bmmcwhirt]

Sorry for the lack of news, I had a dental emergency and antibiotics and pain medications both make me sick to my stomach.

I dis get a few wiped down and the key caps cleaned and found a few of the cables so I'll try to get that sorted tomorrow.

I know everyone is being very patient so again I apologies and will get what I have ready up as soon as I can.

Thanks for your patience.

[mrhead]

You probably got an infection from the keyboards.  Offer at discount to hasten removal of health hazards!!

[Konjungamo]

All the best for your recovery, take your time! Keyboards can wait, especially in times of personal trouble

[mogo]

Patience is the one thing anyone in this hobby must learn and hone so don't fret it, friend. You do you and get your mouth situation sorted, that sounds like a lot of not-fun.

[InvidiousIgnoramus]

I really should stop buy BS boards, but I can't resist the possibility of an SSK, haha.

[Myoth]

myabe a Kishsaver ? 

[bmmcwhirt]

Ok, so to give you guys an idea what I've been going through. Somewhere in this pile or one of three others like it is a box of these blasted SDL cables.



I think I have 10 cables so far I'm going to test those and once I know they work I'll let the first 10 units go.

As far as the AT Model F go I have three I need to test and if those work I will list those as well.

There are some white labels with attached non-removable cables and one piece key caps that I have to sort out also. The units that are sold will have a basic water only wipe down and the keycap covers cleaned. None of them will be opened by me and will only have a light dusting out so they will still need some cleanup and probably some internal dusting. If things go better with my oral surgery tomorrow and I'm feeling up to it I will open them and at least inspect the boards which was my original intent but many of you want your hands on these ASAP and I can understand that.

If you have any more questions hit me with them and I'll get back to you ASAP.

[fohat.digs]

My guess is that this lode might prove at least as interesting as that $100K "warehouse" sale.

[sleepy916]

Ok, so to give you guys an idea what I've been going through. Somewhere in this pile or one of three others like it is a box of these blasted SDL cables.

Show Image

I think I have 10 cables so far I'm going to test those and once I know they work I'll let the first 10 units go.

As far as the AT Model F go I have three I need to test and if those work I will list those as well.

There are some white labels with attached non-removable cables and one piece key caps that I have to sort out also. The units that are sold will have a basic water only wipe down and the keycap covers cleaned. None of them will be opened by me and will only have a light dusting out so they will still need some cleanup and probably some internal dusting. If things go better with my oral surgery tomorrow and I'm feeling up to it I will open them and at least inspect the boards which was my original intent but many of you want your hands on these ASAP and I can understand that.

If you have any more questions hit me with them and I'll get back to you ASAP.

Take your time, those keyboards have been waiting for years, they can wait a little bit longer.  ^-^

[mogo]

My guess is that this lode might prove at least as interesting as that $100K "warehouse" sale.

Yeah, that was definitely sus as hell, with the seemingly obviously planted model M on top of a bin. This here is an exciting trove.

There are some white labels with attached non-removable cables and one piece key caps that I have to sort out also. The units that are sold will have a basic water only wipe down and the keycap covers cleaned. None of them will be opened by me and will only have a light dusting out so they will still need some cleanup and probably some internal dusting. If things go better with my oral surgery tomorrow and I'm feeling up to it I will open them and at least inspect the boards which was my original intent but many of you want your hands on these ASAP and I can understand that.

As for opening them up to check for dust, I still think it's not really necessary. Testing the keyboards to ensure functionality and giving a light wipe-down is enough. Best not to risk an accident while opening the cases and damaging a working board (not that I don't trust you by now to know your way around these boards).

Oh, and that image you tried to link is broken. It seems to be an image you have on a google drive, but the permissions aren't set properly for public hotlinking. I'd recommend using imgur instead.

[bmmcwhirt]

Ok, I have 9 SSK and 1 Full size ready to go.

Sadly the AT keyboards all had issues so until I can solve those or something those wont go for sale.

I'll make the post in classified section some time this evening, before midnight EST.

I did not open or dust any of the keyboards by popular demand. They only got a light can or air dusting after they were cleaned. All of these are Blue Label SDL cable (except the full size, it has an attached cable) 2 part keycaps. All the cap tops were removed and given a bath in warm water because of how dusty/dirty they were and the cases were all wiped down with microfiber cloth dipped in warm water. That means they are presentable but will not actually be clean when you get them. None of the cable have been clean. They are all fairly stretched out to begin with and I didn't want to stretch them out further.

As of this writing it's 6:10pm EST

Photos (The AT wont be fore sale none of them worked propperly)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/hNkDiYfncs97tg7x2

[pixelpusher]

So are these going to be first come first serve?   I mean, I would love to have an SSK!

[InvidiousIgnoramus]

What about selling the AT for parts?

[retrochick]

hyped for the chance to buy an SSK! 

[bmmcwhirt]

What about selling the AT for parts?

I will get with you about the issues they have this week. Things have been very busy here and I fell behind on getting the SSK ready for everyone and I feel bad about that so I want to get that out of the way first.

Then I have to find this elusive box of SDL cables but I will get with you this week for sure. One is mostly working just had one key that sticks.

[bmmcwhirt]

So are these going to be first come first serve?   I mean, I would love to have an SSK!

Yes, but I have a lot more we are just still hunting for a box of SDL cables. I probably have about 14 more ready to go when I find that box. Thats the reason the prices are going to be so low. I dont have a lot of full sized though.

I will be posting here in the next half hour as Im writing that post as soon as I make sure I've answered questions here.

[pixelpusher]

Okay then, I’ll just keep refreshing the classifieds 

Hopefully the moderators will get it approved quickly