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Author Topic: IBM Model M key stems  (Read 1629 times)

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Offline fohat.digs

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IBM Model M key stems
« on: Tue, 18 October 2011, 13:49:13 »
This was probably discussed in the past, but I did not find it.

Missing key caps are always an issue with Model Ms (anybody got a bunch for cheap?), but what about those key stems?

Having bought and disassembled over a dozen Ms, I find that probably 2/3 of the stem pieces are "gray" and 2/3 of the remainder are "light gray" (at least 2 variations of this) with some few remaining which are actually "white".

They seem randomly mixed, even on older IBMs and later Lexmarks, although a couple of boards did have consistent all gray. Was there any pattern or logic to this? For my "top" board I made the key stems match the caps, I like that, although nobody ever sees it but me! I am always short of white ones for this purpose.

Last, in all of these hundreds, I have found exactly one each of "bright white" (really, not the usual "ivory" sort of white) and "dark gray" which is very dark, almost black.

What was that about, anyway?

IBM, decades ago, would not seem like the kind of company that would do goofy random stuff like that!

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"Starting in 2011, the deficits again started to shrink. During Obama’s term  the deficit was reduced by $900 Billion  before finally in 2015 the GOP managed to wrangle a “reconciliation” bill out of Obama where he again cut corporate taxes, as well as made permanent some of George W. Bush’s original tax cuts. This is the year everything reversed. Before this, under Clinton, Bush and Obama the deficit in almost every year was gradually decreasing. The balance we had of taxes and the economy was bringing the deficit down, the money coming in was slowly catching up with the money going out until 2015. Trump’s subsequent tax cut has continued the new trend even after the rest of Bush’s cuts have since expired. Obama had an average GDP of 2.3%, with 11.6 million jobs created and unemployment peaking at 10% in 2009, then falling to 4.3% in 2016. If we had continued on that downward deficit track, we would have again reached balance and another surplus in 2017-2018.
– Frank V Walton 2025-07-01

Offline Thinkpad Fan

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IBM Model M key stems
« Reply #1 on: Tue, 18 October 2011, 14:26:06 »
I suspect that IBM did spec the plastic exactly, but recognized that no one would ever see the stems, so allowed some variability on color.  They were probably ordered in batches, and when the new ones showed up, they probably got "dumped in the bin" with the old ones - they are completely mechanically interchangable, after all.  They may have even used multiple suppliers - it keeps the cost down by making them bid against each other!  I doubt if the assembly line workers cared a lot!  

The caps themselves usuallly match up very well, even many years apart - so they stayed fairly rigid on the dyes and colors used on those.  You might fire off an email to the gentleman who runs Clickey Keyboards - he has a LOT of experience with these boards, and may even know why.  He has sold thousands, and is just now refurbishing a new batch he obtained recently.  He does sell stems and caps, too.  He had some clear caps, at the moment.  Thinkpad Fan
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Offline dorkvader

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IBM Model M key stems
« Reply #2 on: Tue, 18 October 2011, 18:32:12 »
In my jan 1990 M, the off-colour ones are on three switches, F, J, and 5 on the numpad.

They are grey, whereas the others are the same off white as the rest.

I recently cleaned it, and paid attention to the pattern.
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I didn't know they did it randomly on other boards, I thought it made perfect sense on mine, and really helped with replacing the switches when I went to Dvorak.
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Offline fohat.digs

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IBM Model M key stems
« Reply #3 on: Tue, 18 October 2011, 18:41:50 »
I am jealous. I would love to get a motherlode of the white (ivory) ones.

The dark one was even more shocking to find than the bright white one.
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"Starting in 2011, the deficits again started to shrink. During Obama’s term  the deficit was reduced by $900 Billion  before finally in 2015 the GOP managed to wrangle a “reconciliation” bill out of Obama where he again cut corporate taxes, as well as made permanent some of George W. Bush’s original tax cuts. This is the year everything reversed. Before this, under Clinton, Bush and Obama the deficit in almost every year was gradually decreasing. The balance we had of taxes and the economy was bringing the deficit down, the money coming in was slowly catching up with the money going out until 2015. Trump’s subsequent tax cut has continued the new trend even after the rest of Bush’s cuts have since expired. Obama had an average GDP of 2.3%, with 11.6 million jobs created and unemployment peaking at 10% in 2009, then falling to 4.3% in 2016. If we had continued on that downward deficit track, we would have again reached balance and another surplus in 2017-2018.
– Frank V Walton 2025-07-01

Offline fohat.digs

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IBM Model M key stems
« Reply #4 on: Tue, 18 October 2011, 19:28:48 »
WTF?

They did it on purpose to help humans install key caps onto the right stems?

Amazing. I am trying to get my mind around the Industrial Engineering here. What did the machines do, and what the humans?
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"Starting in 2011, the deficits again started to shrink. During Obama’s term  the deficit was reduced by $900 Billion  before finally in 2015 the GOP managed to wrangle a “reconciliation” bill out of Obama where he again cut corporate taxes, as well as made permanent some of George W. Bush’s original tax cuts. This is the year everything reversed. Before this, under Clinton, Bush and Obama the deficit in almost every year was gradually decreasing. The balance we had of taxes and the economy was bringing the deficit down, the money coming in was slowly catching up with the money going out until 2015. Trump’s subsequent tax cut has continued the new trend even after the rest of Bush’s cuts have since expired. Obama had an average GDP of 2.3%, with 11.6 million jobs created and unemployment peaking at 10% in 2009, then falling to 4.3% in 2016. If we had continued on that downward deficit track, we would have again reached balance and another surplus in 2017-2018.
– Frank V Walton 2025-07-01
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