Fantastic Model F-122 restore

[ander]

At a BIN price of $800, this isn't a "Great Find" in the bargain sense—but the seller did such a spectacular job restoring it, I had to share it with everyone:

IBM Model F-122 Key F122 Mechanical Buckling Spring Keyboard




















Rather than describe everything he did—and it's a lot!—I'll let you read the page yourself.

I will point out that he's added lock lights (which F's don't usually have), and in a particularly imaginative way: Caps Lock is indicated by LEDs around the alphanumerical area, and Num Lock by LEDs around the number pad. (If I owned this board, I think I'd want a way to leave the lights on independent of lock status, but I guess that'd defeat the purpose, wouldn't it?)

Oh, and he mentions:

This keyboard has the Fohat Bolt-Modification, which further tightens the barrel and base plates together.  The result is a dramatic improvement in crispness and sound.

Fo, you're famous!  :?)

I think this shows quite a bit of excellent, dedicated work. Is it anyone here? If so, you have my compliments and admiration. Whoever ends up with this beautiful battleship will be poorer, but should be a happy typer from now till eternity!

[chyros]

I think the backlighting looks a bit weird only on the outside of the alphanumeric area, but otherwise it looks very nice .

[ander]

I think the backlighting looks a bit weird only on the outside of the alphanumeric area, but otherwise it looks very nice .

Well, it's certainly not conventional, and wouldn't be to everyone's taste. (A couple of LEDs under each of the actual keys would be plenty for me.) But I'm sure he was just looking for more creative ways to enhance the board.

If he gets enough to make it worth his while, maybe he wouldn't mind modding his mod—for example, making the lighting more general, and dimmable... I agree, that'd probably appeal to more people.

[fohat.digs]

The lighting looks very weird to me. I would love to have CapsLock and NumLock lights, and I would drill small holes and just let LEDs poke through.

I would have done it long ago if I could figure out how to make NumLock *ON* be the time that the light is *OFF* and the CapsLock light work the normal way.

[just_add_coffee]

I'm the guilty party here.

Some stuff:

1)  Much of what I know about restoring Model Fs comes from Fohat's posts, and in fact my love affair with Model Fs began with an F122 that he restored years ago and detailed in a post either here on GeekHack or Deskthority.  I wanted to give him the proper credit by referring to the F122 bolt-mod by calling it the Fohat Bolt-Modification since he (I think) came up with the idea.

(And converting an F AT from the huge space bar to the Model M space bar ... I call that the WCass Space Bar Mod, since as far as I can tell it was their idea.)

2)  Regarding the lock light indicators, I personally thought outlining the section looked better, but I was on the fence for a while with it.  Here's an F XT in which I used a single LED to indicate the Caps Lock ...


Which looks better?  It's probably a judgement call.  Y'all can be my focus group! 

3)  I know some people will say that this keyboard is "too expensive."  But the keyboard itself cost me $300, and I only got it after MONTHS of trying on Deskthority and /r/MechMarket.  (I got another for $250 later, and another with the Xwhatsit for $300 more recently.)  The Xwhatsit ... $35-ish.  The custom cable ... $40-ish.  Other parts and things ... $40 (guessing here).  Had to buy a real drill because my Dremel was burning up cobalt bits ... $50.  Already had the Hakko desoldering gun and Xtronic soldering station.

(Yes, the desoldering gun was expensive.  And worth every damned penny.)

And we can't forget about Ebay fees.  Yay.

And besides that, I want to get more into the electronics-side of keyboards and thus I'm raising $$$ for a Rigol DS1104Z Plus.  Either I do some kickass keyboard refurbishments and get paid for my time, start a GoFundMe page, or start offering handjobs for an oscilloscope.  (I'm not sure which of the last two options are worse.)

I know that most of us here would rather get a keyboard and do this stuff ourselves.  That's most of the fun of this hobby!  But there are people out there who want vintage stuff and, because of work and other commitments (or the fact that they are sane), don't want to or have the time to research and do it themselves.  THAT'S my market.

And I encourage more folks to try to make money in this field.  Because when people have a potential profit incentive, **** gets done!  The person that I buy Soarer's cables and Xwhatsits from ... I think (I hope!) they make a profit on each item.  Them making money means they stay around making cables and cards and I appreciate the hell out of them.  There have been far too many amazing, incredible projects in the vintage keyboard field that have died because their creator lost interest and disappeared from the face of the earth.  And it pisses me off.  And I think it should piss all of us off.

I want buckling spring artisan keysets!  I want complete keyboard programmability via a GUI with a representation of the board ala Ergodoz-EZ or TMK for my F122!  I want to use my vintage board with my smart phone because typing with my thumbs sucks!  I want new form factors of buckling spring and Alps boards!  And there's certainly stuff that I haven't even thought of yet that can be included.  But ain't none of that will ever happen unless a very smart person decides that they can make some money or even a living making those things possible.

I apologize for the rant.  There isn't anyone here in which that last part was intended for.  I had a run-in with someone elsewhere whining about how much I wanted for a vintage keyboard that I worked on, yet (lesser quality) keyboards from obscure group buys costing three times as much and expensive pieces of colored plastic shaped like spikey fish didn't seem to irk anyone.  I'm still feeling a bit salty from that exchange.

Thank you for reading.  Happy holidays!  Don't drink and drive.  You can't pick your friend's nose.  Etc.

Edit: Regarding the Buy It Now price ... I don't really expect that anyone will do that.  But I guess it's possible.  Stranger things happen every day.  But mostly, I just REALLY want that oscilloscope.

[fohat.digs]

the F122 bolt-mod by calling it the Fohat Bolt-Modification since he (I think) came up with the idea.

(And converting an F AT from the huge space bar to the Model M space bar ... I call that the WCass Space Bar Mod, since as far as I can tell it was their idea.)

I did come up with the idea for adding bolts to a Model F, and add 3 to every one that I refurbish. With a thicker mat like the art foam, it is at least helpful if not downright necessary down the center of curvature. And, unlike a Model M bolt-mod where I generally keep the bolts rather loose, on  a Model F I tighten them down hard.

My foggy recollection is that YakMN was the one who came up with the F AT space bar mod, but I may be wrong. That one is tricky but it is the final step in making an F AT really functional and comfortable.

Last, the xwhatsit controller is probably the ultimate way to go, although it is much harder and more tedious than a simple Soarer's/Teensy.

[ander]

I'm the guilty party here.

LOL... I wish I could be "guilty" of something so cool.

1)  Much of what I know about restoring Model Fs comes from Fohat's posts, and in fact my love affair with Model Fs began with an F122 that he restored years ago and detailed in a post...

I'm glad to see other peeps appreciating Fo's contributions to the community... He's entirely too modest about 'em.

2)  Regarding the lock light indicators, I personally thought outlining the section looked better, but I was on the fence for a while with it.  Here's an F XT in which I used a single LED to indicate the Caps Lock ... Which looks better?  It's probably a judgement call.  Y'all can be my focus group! 

It's very subjective, of course, like anything involving KB esthetics. All we can say is what we personally like, but that's not any kind of bottom line.

Personally, while I find it very creative to light entire sections as lock indicators, such big lighting changes the keeb's appearance quite a bit—and if pressed to guess, I'd say most people would find that a bit radical. I also think backlighting is something people like to be able to control as a general look, rather than having it linked to something like lock status. But ultimately it's up to you, and whoever might buy the board.

3)  I know some people will say that this keyboard is "too expensive."  But the keyboard itself cost me $300, and I only got it after MONTHS of trying on Deskthority and /r/MechMarket.  (I got another for $250 later, and another with the Xwhatsit for $300 more recently.)  The Xwhatsit ... $35-ish.  The custom cable ... $40-ish.  Other parts and things ... $40 (guessing here).  Had to buy a real drill because my Dremel was burning up cobalt bits ... $50.  Already had the Hakko desoldering gun and Xtronic soldering station...

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply the board was overpriced. I didn't mention that your starting price was a mere $395—and indeed, an unmodded F-122 is worth a good bit of that. And this is a stunning and unique restore, which is why I posted it here—so it should fetch a premium price.

Traditionally, Great Finds is where we post stuff that we consider underpriced. So when I post something like this—not necessarily a "bargain", but remarkable enough to want to share—I feel obligated to mention why I consider it "Great". That's all.

And besides that, I want to get more into the electronics-side of keyboards and thus I'm raising $$$ for a Rigol DS1104Z Plus.  Either I do some kickass keyboard refurbishments and get paid for my time, start a GoFundMe page, or start offering handjobs for an oscilloscope.

Sounds ambitious and totally worthwhile! And again, no one's faulting you for wanting to get what your work and imagination deserve, or trying to discourage you in any way, so I'm sorry if I gave you that idea.

I want buckling spring artisan keysets!  I want complete keyboard programmability via a GUI with a representation of the board ala Ergodoz-EZ or TMK for my F122!  I want to use my vintage board with my smart phone because typing with my thumbs sucks!  I want new form factors of buckling spring and Alps boards!  And there's certainly stuff that I haven't even thought of yet that can be included.  But ain't none of that will ever happen unless a very smart person decides that they can make some money or even a living making those things possible.

I'm sure you'll find that we not only agree, but that we share your enthusiasm for such grand visions!

I apologize for the rant.  There isn't anyone here in which that last part was intended for.  I had a run-in with someone elsewhere whining about how much I wanted for a vintage keyboard that I worked on, yet (lesser quality) keyboards from obscure group buys costing three times as much and expensive pieces of colored plastic shaped like spikey fish didn't seem to irk anyone...

LOL—yes, I too have always found the whole "artisan key" thing hysterical (in both senses). It boggles my mind that some peeps are willing to spend more on a set of keys—or even just a few of them!—than the price of a whole, and often high-end, MK. Go figure.

Thank you for reading.  Happy holidays!  Don't drink and drive...

Certainly not! It's too easy to spill your drink.

Edit: Regarding the Buy It Now price ... I don't really expect that anyone will do that.  But I guess it's possible.  Stranger things happen every day.  But mostly, I just REALLY want that oscilloscope.

There's nothing at all wrong with setting a good "healthy" BIN. If someone goes for it, it means the board is worth that much to them. Otherwise, its value will be determined by how high people are willing to bid. And with something this special, it's esp. hard to pre-judge what its "value" should be, since you can't really compare it with anything else.

BTW, dude, I also hope you get all the hardware you want... You quite deserve it, IMHO. – A.

[just_add_coffee]

Wow!  There is a lot of interesting and useful stuff here and I'm seriously grateful for the feedback.

I forgot to mention that Fohat (via Deskthority) was also responsible for getting me to use art foam.  I was resistant to the idea that a $.99 item from a craft store would be suitable to my lofty endeavor (almost dropped my monocle in the chaffing dish!); but he was right all along.

And he's right about that bolt-mod.  I had refurbished my own F122 before this one and used it for about a month without the bolt-mod before working up the courage to do it.  So I got a Before and After with the same board, and it's sooooooooooo worthwhile! 

Regarding the lock lights, I wanted to also mention that Xwhatsit does let the user turn them off completely.  There are also two dropdowns labeled "255" and you'd think these could possibly decrease the LED brightness, but nope.   They're stuck at "255."  Maybe the creator intended for this to control the voltage but didn't get around to implementing it?

In future builds, I think I will either mount a potentiometer in the rear or just use singular LEDs.  I sometimes get carried away with shiny things and lights.

(I still plan to, one of these days, see what a chrome shop can do with the metal case of an F107.) 

Thank you!

[__red__]

Huh, a road I’m planning on traveling too...

[fohat.digs]

I wanted to get a plain metal 107 but the shop that bead-blasted it discouraged me.

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=76203.msg1900511#msg1900511

[just_add_coffee]

Enough people have said that they didn't like the way the LEDs were implemented that I've pulled the listing and will redo them tomorrow.  There will still be LEDs, but outlining entire sections of the keyboard might've been excessive.

I'll put it back up afterwards.  Stronger.  Better.  Faster.

[just_add_coffee]

I'm back.




You guys were right.  Thanks!

[rowdy]

I'm back.

Show Image

Show Image

You guys were right.  Thanks!

That looks great!

I didn't mind the first iteration, tbh, but the bleed through to the 24 function keys and left side function keys was a bit distracting.

[fohat.digs]

Huge improvement!

Since I use the numpad and never turn it off, I would really want to achieve a way to let the light indicate "NumLock OFF"

Has anybody ever worked this out, particularly with a Teensy?

[microsoft windows]

$800 FOR A KEYBOARD? WHAT A RIPOFF! I COULD BUY A THOUSAND KEYBOARDS FOR THAT PRICE.

[rowdy]

Huge improvement!

Since I use the numpad and never turn it off, I would really want to achieve a way to let the light indicate "NumLock OFF"

Has anybody ever worked this out, particularly with a Teensy?

Since it is just an on/off signal to the LEDs, wouldn't an inverter do the job?

[just_add_coffee]

Since it is just an on/off signal to the LEDs, wouldn't an inverter do the job?

Or by changing that line in the Capsense code.  Oh wait ...

[ed_avis]

Some keyboards have the Caps Lock light as a round LED inside the Caps Lock key itself (so the keycap has a small transparent window).  That's the most classy way to do it IMHO.

[just_add_coffee]

Some keyboards have the Caps Lock light as a round LED inside the Caps Lock key itself (so the keycap has a small transparent window).  That's the most classy way to do it IMHO.

I can understand that.  But it's not really possible with buckling spring switches unfortunately.

Personally, I think the BEST way to indicate if the Caps Lock is active would be to incorporate Pavlok's electric shock technology into the key.   

[ander]

Wow!  There is a lot of interesting and useful stuff here and I'm seriously grateful for the feedback.

Hey, that's why we're here! Oh, and because lots of these guys can't get dates. It's not that they're bad-looking or anything—but when you go out with someone and spend most of the evening talking about keyboards, word gets around.  :?D

I forgot to mention that Fohat (via Deskthority) was also responsible for getting me to use art foam.  I was resistant to the idea that a $.99 item from a craft store would be suitable to my lofty endeavor (almost dropped my monocle in the chaffing dish!); but he was right...

Yeah, CF is great. When I got my first MK (a Corsair K70 with MX Reds), I wanted to quieten it for use around my family. (I'm sure you were shocked, as I was, to find that not everyone loved the sounds of MKs!). O-rings weren't readily available, though, so I made my own from CF, and described the process here. (They were more like O-squares rather than rings, but there you go.)

And he's right about that bolt-mod.  I had refurbished my own F122 before this one and used it for about a month without the bolt-mod before working up the courage to do it.  So I got a Before and After with the same board, and it's sooooooooooo worthwhile!

Especially when it's someone like you who obviously has the skill and care to do it right. Unfortunately, some peeps take it on who have less patience and experience, and end up ruining a nice old board.

Enough people have said that they didn't like the way the LEDs were implemented that I've pulled the listing and will redo them tomorrow.  There will still be LEDs, but outlining entire sections of the keyboard might've been excessive...

Wow, looks excellent! I'm glad you took our suggestions in a positive way, too.

Some keyboards have the Caps Lock light as a round LED inside the Caps Lock key itself (so the keycap has a small transparent window)...

One of the first things I do when I install an OS is turn Caps Lock permanently off. (If I really want to yell, I can HOLD THE DANG SHIFT KEY for a few seconds.) I'm not sure why I just typed about that, though. Probably because I've had coffee.

Personally, I think the BEST way to indicate if the Caps Lock is active would be to incorporate Pavlok's electric shock technology into the key.   ;)

What an elaborate system for something so simple, though I can see the geek appeal... A sturdy rubber band works just as well (snap!).

[ander]

I'm glad to see the bids are up over $400 on just_add_coffee's F-122, which he's apparently relisted here. Given that restored F-122s not nearly as nice as this customized one are bringing $200–300 these days, I hope he'll get considerably more for his trouble. But at least people are recognizing the quality of what he's doing.

[fohat.digs]

Since it is just an on/off signal to the LEDs, wouldn't an inverter do the job?

I don't know what that is. I am not sophisticated in electronic engineering.

The Teensy has a pin that will turn a NumLock LED on, but I want the current to flow when NumLock is "OFF"