geekhack
geekhack Projects => Making Stuff Together! => Topic started by: wcass on Sun, 23 June 2013, 16:17:47
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A few months back, I picked up a "Vintage IBM Model F keyboard" for just $56 shipped. I think I got it so cheap because it had a small crack on the bottom right corner of the case. This is a very common crack on IBM 122 key Model F that can be glued back with little effort.
When the keyboard arrived, I was disappointed at how poorly the keyboard was packaged; a single layer of the thin bubble wrap was around the board in a USPS “game box” mailer. The keyboard slid freely left and right, up and down, and side to side; and it rattled. I should have complained, but the value of the parts for me was still > $56, so I didn’t bother.
Fohat.digs suggested that a case swap with a Model M might work; I thought so too, so I looked for a cheap “donor” keyboard and found one for $25 shipped. The packaging was very good with this one; a huge box with a lot of styrofoam peanuts. Below are some pictures. As I take more pictures, I will add them to this original post.
First, this is how they look before i clean them up.
[attach=1] [attach=2]
Here is a close-up of the damage. The missing pieces have broken up into small pieces. It was bounced hard enough to bend the thick metal bottom plate.
[attach=3] [attach=4]
The bottom and sides.
[attach=6] [attach=8]
[attach=7] [attach=5]
The insides - top needs a trim (use wire cutters) for many of the stand-offs here:
[attach=9] [attach=11]
The insides - bottom need to remove raised area here:
[attach=10]
And one last trim on the F base plate on both sides:
[attach=12]
Test the fit and bolt back together.
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Can't wait to see how this turns out!
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Yes, I'm wondering if this will work too.
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Yes, I wondering if this will work too.
+1
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I had been thinking all along about the very rare very early M-122s with F-122-style case with double stage feet and large side buttons.
If the common standard M-122 cases will work, then wow! I may have a couple of those laying around already.
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There are also M-122s with a case that looks like a F-122 top, but the bottom is single-stage built in feet. This is discrete from the latest case, which has a smaller area raised for the function keys.
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The case swap is done and works; I updated the original post.
I just need to do a restore on the key assembly now. Many keys do not spring back when pressed. The space bar is seriously damaged with deep scrapes on the top and missing the wire stabilizer. The M space bar is in good condition, but the F uses a thinner wire so the M stabilizer does not fit in the F's retention slots. I'll have to get creative again.
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The M space bar is in good condition, but the F uses a thinner wire so the M stabilizer does not fit in the F's retention slots. I'll have to get creative again.
Somebody was working on soldering thin centers to "C-shaped" thick ends, but the wcass method of sleeving a thin wire to create thicker spacebar ends is far more elegant.
I have had good success making bigger hold-down tabs with bent sheet metal in a "Z" shape, epoxied in place so that the larger M spacebar wire could just slip in.
It ain't pretty, but works well. An advantage of the sheet metal is that you can bend it slightly, up and down, to tune the tightness of sliding.
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I was thinking about making a bigger hold-down with something like bent wire, and epoxying it in place so that M spacebars could just drop in.
I did exactly that when i added "Alt" keys and M space bar to an IBM AT keyboard. i used bent strips of sheet metal (about .25" wide) and JB Weld to set them. I will likely try that again.
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JB Weld to set them.
Even Car Talk's Tom & Ray know that JB Weld is second only to Duct Tape for solving the world's problems.
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Has anybody tried to do this but with the original metal pan and connector piece? Only downsides is that there will be holes where the legs used to be, but the screw position seems to be the same and you don't need to trim as much
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Bump to move this up where people can find it again.
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Adding some comparison pictures of F122 and old style M122 cases (M on top, F on bottom)
(http://i.imgur.com/GeHiUnt.jpg)
Some more pics at http://imgur.com/a/j46wV