IBM Model M 122-key terminals in Texas

[fohat.digs]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-1390876-VINTAGE-KEY-BOARD-LOT-OF-4-/112166993961?hash=item1a1dac8029:g:rV8AAOSwNRdYARE~

[samwisekoi]

Must not click "Buy it now"...

But somebody from GH should snag these!

 - Ron | samwisekoi
Auto-typed by my GH-122 keyboard.

[dgreekstallion]

I so live in Texas...

[rowdy]

$30 each!

Why has this not sold yet?

[taylorswiftttttt]

removed

[OfTheWild]

sell, hell its hard to give away a 122 key setup.

[fohat.digs]

A couple of years ago, ezrahilyer did a brisk business in converted M-122s, in the low-mid-$100 range, for about half a year until he got tired of it.

They were ANSI-modified with internal converters and USB cables.

[samwisekoi]

Now that I have converted to the 122-key format, I'll never go back.  These would be awesome with internal Soarer converters and a USB termination on the end of the coil cord.

If it wasn't such an awful thing to suggest, these would also be the least expensive way to house a GH-122 build.

 - Ron | samwisekoi
Auto-typed by my GH-122 keyboard.

[taylorswiftttttt]

removed

[fohat.digs]

Maybe I should pick up the rest of those M122s from that barn...

You might contact him to verify that it was entirely his choice and not that the market got saturated/exhausted/burned out.

That said, you can probably always unload them in the $10-$15 + shipping range, so if you can buy them for ~$5 ....

[rowdy]

sell, hell its hard to give away a 122 key setup.

I'll take them if anyone's giving them away!

Although my first one is in limbo at the moment waiting for parts from China, it's been fun doing it so far.

[ander]

Woo, and two of the four are p/n 138* with metal bases and the fancy two-stage feet.

And no keys are missing.

And who cares about being in Texas? They want just $20 to ship the bunch. (It's easily going to cost them double that.)

Finally, imagine: 488 keys, in a single order.

[fohat.digs]

Finally, imagine: 488 keys, in a single order.

Problematic for a key harvester because it takes a dozen keys to fill out each Model M "standard" set, pricey from Unicomp and probably mis-matched.

[ekeppel]

I have passed on batches of Model M's like this time and time again.  Unless you are overseas or love ISO layout, keep in mind that these are Model M's, and will require a complete bolt mod to change over to ANSI.  On the F122, that conversion is trivial by comparison.

Woo, and two of the four are p/n 138* with metal bases and the fancy two-stage feet.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe any of the Model M terminal keyboards had a metal base plate.  I thought that was only found on the F.

Finally, imagine: 488 keys, in a single order.

Problematic for a key harvester because it takes a dozen keys to fill out each Model M "standard" set, pricey from Unicomp and probably mis-matched.

This is so 100% true!  By the time you buy just the missing modifiers and such, you might as well spend a little more on a full set.  Buying individual keys is such a toss-up.  It's like they use a random number generator to determine the printing alignment, angle, and dye saturation for each key, lol.  On the other hand, I've found the complete sets to be excellent in that regard for some unknown reason.


EDIT: Grammar   

[fohat.digs]

will require a complete bolt mod to change over to ANSI.  On the F122, that conversion is trivial by comparison.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe any of the Model M terminal keyboards had a metal base plate.  I thought that was only found on the F.

I will disagree with the first point. Personally, I usually go overboard with a Model F refurbish and thoroughly clean, sand, and paint everything, including cutting a new foam mat, so I consider that process considerably more involved and time-consuming than a "mere" M bolt-mod. But even if you were doing the minimum in each case, I would consider the time and effort generally comparable.

Model Ms had all-plastic cases, even the 1st-generation ones with large side legs. There were, however, Model F Lexmark repair/rehab/rebuilds that got "Model M" stickers slapped on them in the 1990s.

[ekeppel]

will require a complete bolt mod to change over to ANSI.  On the F122, that conversion is trivial by comparison.

I will disagree with the first point. Personally, I usually go overboard with a Model F refurbish and thoroughly clean, sand, and paint everything, including cutting a new foam mat, so I consider that process considerably more involved and time-consuming than a "mere" M bolt-mod. But even if you were doing the minimum in each case, I would consider the time and effort generally comparable.

Yeah, I suppose it just depends on what we're used to.  Personally, I can break open an F122 and make a quick adjustment much faster than on an M122.  I can just about have an F122 opened up and then back together again in the same amount of time it would take me to just fiddle with removing all of the screws/bolts on a modded M122.  I guess I'm just more used to working on the Model F than on the Model M, that's all.   

----

On the subject of Model Ms... I'm not sure if anyone's mentioned it in the past, but the quickest way I've found to cleanly remove rivets when opening an M up for the first time is to use a set of flush cutters.  Even the cheapo ones from Harbor Freight work great, and leave a nice flat surface to drill your pilot holes into as well.  Once the plates are separated, you can also make a quick second pass if you prefer to remove the rivet stems completely down to the plate.  I usually don't need any sort of center mark to keep the drill bit from wandering so long as the old rivet is cleaned up with the flush cutters first.

[fohat.digs]

I can just about have an F122 opened up and then back together again in the same amount of time it would take me to just fiddle with removing

It never occurred to me to carefully open an F-122, move 4 springs, and slide it back together without doing anything else. I have always figured that I might as well take it completely apart into pieces and then "go all the way" with the restoration once I am in there.

I really like chisel tips for my Xacto knife for messing with rivets and posts.

[samwisekoi]

I can just about have an F122 opened up and then back together again in the same amount of time it would take me to just fiddle with removing

It never occurred to me to carefully open an F-122, move 4 springs, and slide it back together without doing anything else. I have always figured that I might as well take it completely apart into pieces and then "go all the way" with the restoration once I am in there.

I really like chisel tips for my Xacto knife for messing with rivets and posts.

Later this week I plan to  open my F-122 to swap out the ISO Shift_L for an ANSI Shift_L.  Bolts, some books to hold the assembly off the desk, pull the pivot and re-assemble.  Possibly blow any dust out, and look at the connections to my "Super Soarer" PCB.  Just a few minutes, including the time when I stop myself from doing "just a few more things while it is open..."

Also, a Dremel cuts the top of the Model M rivets off and leaves the surfaces dished for drilling.

 - Ron | samwisekoi
Auto-typed by my GH-122 keyboard.

[ander]

I have passed on batches of Model M's like this time and time again.  Unless you are overseas or love ISO layout, keep in mind that these are Model M's, and will require a complete bolt mod to change over to ANSI.  On the F122, that conversion is trivial by comparison.

Really? You'd bother converting these to ANSI? It takes me about 10 seconds to adjust to an ISO Enter key... Are my keyboarding skills that superior to all of yours? Or maybe I'm just not as fussy?  :?D

Sure, when you're used to a standard layout, 122's require a bit of adjustment. But the mad-scientist feeling of all those extra keys... The sheer glorious size of the thing... These should quickly outweigh any trifling layout quirks.

Plus, there's the authenticity thing. These boards are a significant part of computing history. Why not have an M-101 and an M-122, and enjoy each of them as the cool, original, usable collector's items they are?

If you must hack up a 122, sure, F's are easier. But they also cost several times as much. And they're not M's, they're F's; they feel different and sound different. It's apples and oranges.