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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: lowpoly on Mon, 05 October 2009, 10:20:26
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When I bought this I thought it would be a BS 'board. Turned out it wasn't. Plug is not ps/2.
Like my Symbolics 'board it was made by Micro Switch.
Keys are somewhat stiff.
Looks like Micro Switch (now?) belongs to Honeywell:
http://sensing.honeywell.com/1/4/6/5/1/3/index1.shtml (http://sensing.honeywell.com/1/4/6/5/1/3/index1.shtml)
(http://www.frs635.com/keyboard/73x3832_01.jpg)
(http://www.frs635.com/keyboard/73x3832_02.jpg)
(http://www.frs635.com/keyboard/73x3832_03.jpg)
(http://www.frs635.com/keyboard/73x3832_04.jpg)
(http://www.frs635.com/keyboard/73x3832_05.jpg)
(http://www.frs635.com/keyboard/73x3832_06.jpg)
(http://www.frs635.com/keyboard/73x3832_07.jpg)
(http://www.frs635.com/keyboard/73x3832_08.jpg)
(http://www.frs635.com/keyboard/73x3832_09.jpg)
(http://www.frs635.com/keyboard/73x3832_10.jpg)
(http://www.frs635.com/keyboard/73x3832_11.jpg)
(http://www.frs635.com/keyboard/73x3832_12.jpg)
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beautiful shots. thanks lowpoly :D
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Yeah, the feet are just great. I assume it doesn't move much on the desk. MaxiSwitch needs to learn how to make smaller controller boards - that thing is huge!
Msiegel - would a Model F fit in that?
hmm... the model f pcb assembly is 45.25cm x 17.5cm, including the mounting tabs on its sides, and the attached controller card. removing the controller card and *its* mounting tabs, the assembly would be about 13cm wide.
i'll have to check the switch/key placement later. offhand, the spacing between key clusters looks good. it's likely that the rightmost column of the number pad would have to be removed :)
that does look like a really nice case :D
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I wonder if they can be changed to work with PC's like the terminal keyboards.
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I wonder if they can be changed to work with PC's like the terminal keyboards.
hmm, this might be a question for kishy :)
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for some reason, a snazy, off color quote from Bender off of futurama seems like the right thing after seeing the inside of this keyboard.
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for some reason, a snazy, off color quote from Bender off of futurama seems like the right thing after seeing the inside of this keyboard.
"I didn't mean to say that the Enterprise should be hauling garbage. I meant to say that it should be hauled away AS garbage." -- Korax (The Trouble With Tribbles)
Just kidding!! XD
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:D wow, fast work!
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for some reason, a snazy, off color quote from Bender off of futurama seems like the right thing after seeing the inside of this keyboard.
Something about shiny metal backplates, maybe?
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Micro-Switch... they made Hall-Effect switches did they not? They certainly make some pretty fancy stuff, and I doubt that they'd be the people to call if you needed rubber domes. In addition, it doesn't look the mechanism is big enough to accomodate a rubber dome. Until I see pics of a membrane, I'm assuming it's something fancy that just feels like a rubber dome...
Like a Topre =P
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Micro-Switch... they made Hall-Effect switches did they not? They certainly make some pretty fancy stuff, and I doubt that they'd be the people to call if you needed rubber domes. In addition, it doesn't look the mechanism is big enough to accomodate a rubber dome. Until I see pics of a membrane, I'm assuming it's something fancy that just feels like a rubber dome...
Like a Topre =P
*watches 3 units disappear off of ebay* ;)
save one for me guys :)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140333923993&ssPageName=ADME:B:WNASIF:US:1123
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Not one that would fit into something that small.
Lowpoly: Is it a linear or tactile switch?
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Good eye, there doesn't look to be enough room for the traditional rubber dome in there...it may be "ultra thin for her pleasure" though.
Was there ever...a "mini" buckling spring?
lexmark does have a patent on a low-profile buckling spring switch. the spring is mounted horizontally, iirc
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lexmark does have a patent on a low-profile buckling spring switch. the spring is mounted horizontally, iirc
Did they ever build any?
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Did they ever build any?
i don't know, but here's the patent:
http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=uZckAAAAEBAJ
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IBM filed many many different keyswitch patents, very few of them got used. For one, if it was a Lexmark switch, why subcontract the manufacturing to a specialist manufacturer of specialized switches?
I'm betting that it's some sort of linear switch or another. Maybe not a hall effect one, but I'd be very surprised if that switch was a plain 'ole rubber dome.
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we'll have to ask lowpoly to take a closer look, if he has time :)
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There's a rubber dome under the plunger. I can see it through holes in the construction that holds the plunger. There's some distance between the upper and the lower plate and it uses that space too.
Also in the pics you can see the membrane connectors.
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aww, too bad :(
how much travel do the keys have? :)
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i don't know, but here's the patent:
http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=uZckAAAAEBAJ
Neat.
Looks kinda tricky to assemble, though possibly not much worse than current scissor-style laptop keyboards.
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aww, too bad :(
how much travel do the keys have? :)
About 4mm. Can't measure that very well right now.
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What's the date on the keyboard? Looks like 87 01, but I'm not sure.
It could be that after the Model M switchover, they just decided to switch to rubber domes instead of membrane buckling springs.
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I think that's actually a Model F. Those were (i believe) the rubber dome Model F's you asked me about earlier.
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I know that. What's that got to do with what I'm saying?
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I'd hit it
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It's about the same keyboard.
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When IBM moved over to the Model M, most of the Model F keyboards for dedicated terminals were converted to use a membrane buckling spring mechanism and relabeled as Model Ms. In this case, it seems that for some reason or another, IBM decided to switch them to rubber domes instead.
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Ok, the specific terminal keyboards. I've seen Model M versions of the 3178 and 5290 terminal keyboards (and possibly others). They looked identical, but they just threw in new guts. Oh, and they didnt change the part numbers.
Then you have things like that 50 key POS board that had a Model F style internal assembly (metal upper and lower that slid into eachother instead of plastic rivet junk) but had a membrane inside.
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In the last week or so I acquired a 73X3848 which is the same keyboard as the OP in this thread. It is also a Micro Switch rubber dome board and is designated 'Model 00'. There are individual domes for each key, along with a slider mechanism. The construction is exactly like a Model F but adapted to a rubber dome and membrane arrangement.
If anyone wants pics I can post them, or you can find them from my website.
Please note these keyboards do indeed use the same AT protocol and wide-spaced DIN connector as other familiar terminal Model M and F keyboards. This means they do work with existing converter projects, and in response to my earlier concerns in this thread about KBDID settings, there is a bank of DIP switches which should (though I haven't tested) do exactly that.
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Damn Honeywells, I see them everywhere!