Author Topic: Noob here but not everywhere...  (Read 2231 times)

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Offline samwisekoi

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Noob here but not everywhere...
« on: Mon, 01 October 2012, 18:22:55 »
Greetings!

I am new here, but not everywhere, and certainly not new to the world of proper keyboards.  One of my first "real jobs" was working for the Memorex Comm Division, where we built IBM plug-compatible terminals (3270, 5051) for commercial customers.  In those days -- before the introduction of the Model M -- it was a normal thing to visit keyboard manufacturers to evaluate and specify keyboards down to the component level.  And to build things in the US of A!  So back in the day I visited Alps, Cherry, Keytronic and probably others.

Oh, and at that point in time, the keyboards still had metal shells and double-shot keycaps.

When the PC, XT and AT came out, we had those and made clones, and I got my first true IBM keyboard.

Some years went by, and manufacturing left the US, and keyboards went bad.  Then the gamers came into the world and proper keyboards are back!

I am writing this on my '93 Model M 101-key with a few custom keys from Unicomp.  As a Linux user, I don't need or want the Windows and Menu keys, so life is good.  (I *have* remapped Esc and added keyboard macros for Mute, VolUp and VolDn, however.)

Anyhow, it is now clear that I need (not want) one or more newer keyboards with real switches.  I can't use a Model M at home and expect others to sleep, so a 101+/- keyboard with browns is my current target.  Filco, Leopold, Roswell or WASD are what I am looking into, and this forum is where the best scoop can be found.

So here I am!

Very best regards,

 - Ron | Samwisekoi
   '93 Model M

"A noob here but not everywhere!"
I like keyboards and case modding.  Everything about a computer should be silent -- except the KEYBOARD!

'85 IBM F-122/Soarer Keyboard |  Leopold FC200 TKL (Browns) + GH36 Keypad (Browns/Greens) | GH-122 (Whites/Greens) with Nuclear Data Green keycaps in a Unicomp case

Offline hashbaz

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Re: Noob here but not everywhere...
« Reply #1 on: Mon, 01 October 2012, 18:24:35 »
Welcome!  Stick with buckling springs.  Too much Cherry stuff going on here that will drain your wallet. :)

Offline moonprismpwr

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Re: Noob here but not everywhere...
« Reply #2 on: Mon, 01 October 2012, 18:25:14 »
^^ Welcome. I dont think you'll have a hard time settling in at all after reading your post! Hope you make many new friends and find some nice keycaps during your stay :D

Offline rowdy

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Re: Noob here but not everywhere...
« Reply #3 on: Mon, 01 October 2012, 19:23:47 »
Welcome to Geekhack!

A very nice keyboard you have there.
"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

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Ị̸͚̯̲́ͤ̃͑̇̑ͯ̊̂͟ͅs̞͚̩͉̝̪̲͗͊ͪ̽̚̚ ̭̦͖͕̑́͌ͬͩ͟t̷̻͔̙̑͟h̹̠̼͋ͤ͋i̤̜̣̦̱̫͈͔̞ͭ͑ͥ̌̔s̬͔͎̍̈ͥͫ̐̾ͣ̔̇͘ͅ ̩̘̼͆̐̕e̞̰͓̲̺̎͐̏ͬ̓̅̾͠͝ͅv̶̰͕̱̞̥̍ͣ̄̕e͕͙͖̬̜͓͎̤̊ͭ͐͝ṇ̰͎̱̤̟̭ͫ͌̌͢͠ͅ ̳̥̦ͮ̐ͤ̎̊ͣ͡͡n̤̜̙̺̪̒͜e̶̻̦̿ͮ̂̀c̝̘̝͖̠̖͐ͨͪ̈̐͌ͩ̀e̷̥͇̋ͦs̢̡̤ͤͤͯ͜s͈̠̉̑͘a̱͕̗͖̳̥̺ͬͦͧ͆̌̑͡r̶̟̖̈͘ỷ̮̦̩͙͔ͫ̾ͬ̔ͬͮ̌?̵̘͇͔͙ͥͪ͞ͅ

Offline samwisekoi

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Re: Noob here but not everywhere...
« Reply #4 on: Mon, 01 October 2012, 19:35:50 »
Welcome to Geekhack!

A very nice keyboard you have there.

TYVM!  I like it quite a lot.

Just waiting for Unicomp to do custom printing so I can move the audio legends to the keyfaces.

 - Ron | samwisekoi
I like keyboards and case modding.  Everything about a computer should be silent -- except the KEYBOARD!

'85 IBM F-122/Soarer Keyboard |  Leopold FC200 TKL (Browns) + GH36 Keypad (Browns/Greens) | GH-122 (Whites/Greens) with Nuclear Data Green keycaps in a Unicomp case

Offline hazeluff

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Re: Noob here but not everywhere...
« Reply #5 on: Tue, 02 October 2012, 06:36:38 »
Welcome to GeekHack = )
Fight For Freedom. Stand with Hong Kongers

Offline absyrd

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Re: Noob here but not everywhere...
« Reply #6 on: Tue, 02 October 2012, 18:11:30 »
Welcome to GH, Ron. Thanks for the backstory!

Browns are a great place to start. Let us know how it goes.
My wife I a also push her button . But now she have her button push by a different men. So I buy a keyboard a mechanicale, she a reliable like a Fiat.

Offline alvinliang

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Re: Noob here but not everywhere...
« Reply #7 on: Fri, 05 October 2012, 12:54:34 »
Welcome to geekhack
iPhone sucks

Offline Capitalistix

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Re: Noob here but not everywhere...
« Reply #8 on: Mon, 08 October 2012, 11:57:46 »
I enjoyed your story! You seem like you definitely know the minute differences in switches if you visited all of those manufacturers! And youre totally right, nothing beats the IBM American made boards! What job do you have know, is it PC industry related?


Offline samwisekoi

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Re: Noob here but not everywhere...
« Reply #9 on: Mon, 08 October 2012, 12:05:42 »
I enjoyed your story! You seem like you definitely know the minute differences in switches if you visited all of those manufacturers! And youre totally right, nothing beats the IBM American made boards! What job do you have know, is it PC industry related?

Thanks!

Indeed, yes.  I run a network engineering and 7x24 support company in the Silicon Valley, mostly providing infrastructure to VC-funded start-ups.

 - Ron | samwisekoi
I like keyboards and case modding.  Everything about a computer should be silent -- except the KEYBOARD!

'85 IBM F-122/Soarer Keyboard |  Leopold FC200 TKL (Browns) + GH36 Keypad (Browns/Greens) | GH-122 (Whites/Greens) with Nuclear Data Green keycaps in a Unicomp case

Offline Viz

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Re: Noob here but not everywhere...
« Reply #10 on: Mon, 08 October 2012, 12:49:58 »
I enjoyed your story! You seem like you definitely know the minute differences in switches if you visited all of those manufacturers! And youre totally right, nothing beats the IBM American made boards! What job do you have know, is it PC industry related?

Thanks!

Indeed, yes.  I run a network engineering and 7x24 support company in the Silicon Valley, mostly providing infrastructure to VC-funded start-ups.

 - Ron | samwisekoi

Yes, you'll definitely fit in here!

Offline Computer-Lab in Basement

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Re: Noob here but not everywhere...
« Reply #11 on: Tue, 09 October 2012, 12:34:27 »
tp thread is tp thread
Sometimes it's like he accidentally makes a thread instead of a google search.

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Offline tillertow

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Re: Noob here but not everywhere...
« Reply #12 on: Thu, 11 October 2012, 07:32:39 »
Welcome to GH!
FS: 6Gv2 Key caps ISO/scandinavian:
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=36427.0