geekhack Community > Keyboard Keycaps

black replacement key for a model M13?

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xwhatsit:
I'm surprised Unicomp don't have a black return key. They carry complete 104-key keysets in black (I bought a set as part of a Geekhack group buy a few weeks ago) -- the only catch being that they don't have printing on them (the M13 has rubbish labels that wear off very quickly, so they gave up).

rootwyrm:

--- Quote from: xwhatsit;397527 ---I'm surprised Unicomp don't have a black return key. They carry complete 104-key keysets in black (I bought a set as part of a Geekhack group buy a few weeks ago) -- the only catch being that they don't have printing on them (the M13 has rubbish labels that wear off very quickly, so they gave up).
--- End quote ---

 
That would have to be a change or defect on Unicomp's side or a specific issue to the black keys and how they were made. I can tell you for fact that IBM and Lexmark gray/white keycaps are the only ones to ever successfully withstand me for more than 2 years. (My '92 M13 only has about 10 caps replaced and I've owned it for about a decade.) I haven't got a black keycap example though, but I still can't see how they could screw up that badly. Would love to know what they botched so badly there.

The Solutor:

--- Quote from: rootwyrm;397537 --- Would love to know what they botched so badly there.
--- End quote ---


They are just made with different techniques, beige keycaps are dye subbed, black ones pad printed, like the Filcos or first price keyboards.

Die sub works well only on light colored plastic, like light gray white or beige.

xwhatsit:

--- Quote from: rootwyrm;397537 ---That would have to be a change or defect on Unicomp's side or a specific issue to the black keys and how they were made. I can tell you for fact that IBM and Lexmark gray/white keycaps are the only ones to ever successfully withstand me for more than 2 years. (My '92 M13 only has about 10 caps replaced and I've owned it for about a decade.) I haven't got a black keycap example though, but I still can't see how they could screw up that badly. Would love to know what they botched so badly there.
--- End quote ---
No, the normal grey/white Unicomp keys are as good as the old IBM ones. They're dyesub PBT and last forever.

The black keys were pad-printed (not being able to dyesub a black key of course) but there's no protective coating or decal thing on top. So they wear off in very short order. I believe the original black IBM boards had the same affliction.

Unicomp's quality is very good -- they very rarely botch anything, because (lol) they don't innovate at all, really. They've carried on doing what they used to when they were IBM/Lexmark and haven't changed anything for more than a decade :P

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