Grabbed this really cool-looking IBM Model M 5-1 keyboard with Lexmark database-oriented keycaps on it and a sweet little integrated mini-trackball. Figured I'd do a writeup and pictures of the brief "restoration", though I'm not sure it qualifies as a review per se. The keys are a little gritty and the buckling-spring mechanism isn't as crisp as I'd like, but the trackball works great and is a really cool feature in a convenient spot. The unique database-oriented keycaps are just about the coolest thing ever, I love them.
These are the original pics from the eBay listing:
I can't guarantee my photos will be much better, I'm no photog and all I have is a couple of phones but I tried to pick the one that took the nicest snaps.1
Removed all the caps from the Model M 5-1 for cleaning.
Here you can see how the wiring is run on the outside of the plate for the trackball, looks like it was supposed to go under/inside the small piece of plastic that's shrunk/warped over the years and no longer lines up. I may try to repair that plastic at some point later.
Trackball innards:
Keycaps have nice, vivid LEGO colors now that they've been washed. I'm just letting them air-dry, in my climate standing water doesn't last long so they should be more than fine by morning.
Disassembling the keyboard to clean the guts out and ensure everything is as it should be:
Here I've already unscrewed the ground cable, and discovered a molded retaining clip for the trackball cable.
The trackball board underside:
And topside:
Main controller:
At this point I stopped to spend some time and alcohol (bourbon, not rubbing) cleaning everything thoroughly. Look how nice that plate looks now!
Reassembled without bolt-modding it because of time constraints, I'll have to revisit later for that one. Looking much nicer after a good cleaning! Sadly, buckling-spring isn't the thing for me, the keys seem "gritty" yet mushy at the same time. I will likely end up putting this in the classifieds to pass on to another member.
