Author Topic: IBM Model M 1393464 (Read 5369 times)

jameslr · « **on:** Fri, 07 March 2014, 20:36:43 »

My wife was at Goodwill today and she found a classic M (1393464) and it's in great condition - she paid $3 for it. I'm in the process of cleaning it up and it looks like the + key on the numpad is missing the white insert that keeps it from sticking. Anybody have an extra one they could send my way? I'll post pics when I can get it clean enough to be presentable

fohat.digs · « **Reply #1 on:** Fri, 07 March 2014, 21:14:20 »

The "off-center" inserts are much less common than the ones for the horizontal keys.

Are you sure that it doesn't have a wire stabilizer?

jameslr · « **Reply #2 on:** Fri, 07 March 2014, 21:32:48 »

It does have a wire stabilizer. Am I doing something wrong? The other vertical Enter key has a stabilizer as well as the insert.

fohat.digs · « **Reply #3 on:** Fri, 07 March 2014, 22:02:44 »

Those are either-or, you do not need both.

If the key does not have a post pointing down in the inactive side, the insert is irrelevant.

jameslr · « **Reply #4 on:** Fri, 07 March 2014, 22:12:27 »

Here's some pics of the board after its first cleaning. I just did a once over to make it presentable and get some of the grime off of it.

False_Dmitry_II · « **Reply #5 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 01:55:54 »

People have said thrift shops are a good place to find stuff like this - and that is a nice sample - but I've never found anything like that before. When I looked only one of the many, many places I went to had any keyboards at all - and they were just old rubber domes.

But yeah, that's got to be the best $3 buckling springs I've seen.

dustinhxc · « **Reply #6 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 01:58:40 »

no fricken way! awesome

I went to good will savers and valu thrift and not 1 mech...

mougrim · « **Reply #7 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 03:25:28 »

You are frickin' lucky man. 3 bucks! Hell, you can order that stabilizer 3-D printed. I think.

jameslr · « **Reply #8 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 10:06:46 »

My wife told me the lady wasn't going to sell it to her because they send stuff like this to get recycled D: I don't think that means they're actually refurbishing them and reselling I think it means they're getting chopped up and actually recycled. You need to go to your local goodwill and tell them to hold them for you. The lady said she would hold them for us and actually give us a call when she got more. She said she sees one of these every other week or so. I think this is company policy for most Goodwills - old computer equipment gets recycled. Get on it!

fohat.digs · « **Reply #9 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 10:10:48 »

Quote from: jameslr on Sat, 08 March 2014, 10:06:46

I think this is company policy for most Goodwills

A Goodwill manager in the Atlanta area told me that Goodwill did not sell computer gear because actual computer stores have complained about the "competition"

jameslr · « **Reply #10 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 10:31:18 »

One question after cleaning my M last night some of the keys seem to stick. I made sure they were all dry before putting the keys back on and I didn't test every key before I started yanking them off but what should I do about sticking keys on Model Ms? Should I do a complete teardown like this video?

mougrim · « **Reply #11 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:12:52 »

Quote from: jameslr on Sat, 08 March 2014, 10:31:18

One question after cleaning my M last night some of the keys seem to stick. I made sure they were all dry before putting the keys back on and I didn't test every key before I started yanking them off but what should I do about sticking keys on Model Ms? Should I do a complete teardown like this video?

You don't know where that Model M had been and what awaits you inside barrels. So I think yes. But it's better to wait for opinion of more experience comrades

jameslr · « **Reply #12 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:24:02 »

why does this guy make me want to rip his face off every time he says something?

Sorry, but Model M's would not make great gaming keyboards.

E TwentyNine · « **Reply #13 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:27:15 »

Quote from: jameslr on Sat, 08 March 2014, 10:31:18

One question after cleaning my M last night some of the keys seem to stick. I made sure they were all dry before putting the keys back on and I didn't test every key before I started yanking them off but what should I do about sticking keys on Model Ms? Should I do a complete teardown like this video?

Hold off on the teardown. Describe your cleaning procedure. What keys are sticking? Are they still clicky or do they feel soft?

jameslr · « **Reply #14 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:34:56 »

I bathed the keys in warm water and borax for about an hour. Wiped them off and let them sit to dry for about 2 hours on a towel. Used a warm wash rag (no detergent, just elbow grease) to clean the case. That's pretty much all I have done. As I said it was just a quick once-over to make it presentable and to get the 20 year old grime off. The only keys that are sticking a bit currently are the left shift and the backspace. They both feel soft and are sticking. I have tried reseating them several times in case I didn't get them on the spring right.

E TwentyNine · « **Reply #15 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:35:45 »

Quote from: jameslr on Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:24:02

Sorry, but Model M's would not make great gaming keyboards.

And why is that?

mougrim · « **Reply #16 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:43:17 »

Quote from: E TwentyNine on Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:35:45

Quote from: jameslr on Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:24:02
Sorry, but Model M's would not make great gaming keyboards.

And why is that?

Hmm... 2KRO, I should say.

E TwentyNine · « **Reply #17 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:45:40 »

Quote from: mougrim on Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:43:17

Quote from: E TwentyNine on Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:35:45
Quote from: jameslr on Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:24:02
Sorry, but Model M's would not make great gaming keyboards.

And why is that?

Hmm... 2KRO, I should say.

Can you describe how you're defining 2KRO ?

mougrim · « **Reply #18 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:48:48 »

Quote from: E TwentyNine on Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:45:40

Quote from: mougrim on Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:43:17
Quote from: E TwentyNine on Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:35:45
Quote from: jameslr on Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:24:02
Sorry, but Model M's would not make great gaming keyboards.

And why is that?

Hmm... 2KRO, I should say.

Can you describe how you're defining 2KRO ?

2 keys can be pressed and recognized by computer simultaneously. Not counting modifier keys.

E TwentyNine · « **Reply #19 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:55:37 »

Quote from: mougrim on Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:48:48

Quote
Can you describe how you're defining 2KRO ?

2 keys can be pressed and recognized by computer simultaneously. Not counting modifier keys.

Minimum. 2 keys is the worst case scenario.

You can get much higher, 22 keys simultaneously max (including the modifiers).

jameslr · « **Reply #20 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:59:45 »

I would think the most obvious reason would be the long actuation of the keypresses. Very difficult to "float" actuate a buckling spring. Not saying it's impossible, but very difficult. YMMV of course. I suppose it depends on the type of "gaming" you do. I'm sure it would be acceptable for casual games, but not suitable for the tournament pros who are revered for their APM abilities.

mougrim · « **Reply #21 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 12:05:41 »

Quote from: E TwentyNine on Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:55:37

Quote from: mougrim on Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:48:48
2 keys can be pressed and recognized by computer simultaneously. Not counting modifier keys.

Minimum. 2 keys is the worst case scenario.

You can get much higher, 22 keys simultaneously max (including the modifiers).

Yep, but when compared to Model F, which has NKRO...

dustinhxc · « **Reply #22 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 13:03:04 »

Damn you lucked out, thatd be awesome if they called you every other week with one!

jameslr · « **Reply #23 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 13:31:04 »

Here's a video of the sticking keys problem:

mougrim · « **Reply #24 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 16:23:44 »

Quote from: jameslr on Sat, 08 March 2014, 13:31:04

Here's a video of the sticking keys problem:

Hmm... either spring in those keys just not good anymore or there are something prevents key from returning all the way up. Like a lot of dirt.

E TwentyNine · « **Reply #25 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 18:32:11 »

Quote from: mougrim on Sat, 08 March 2014, 12:05:41

Quote from: E TwentyNine on Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:55:37
Quote from: mougrim on Sat, 08 March 2014, 11:48:48
2 keys can be pressed and recognized by computer simultaneously. Not counting modifier keys.

Minimum. 2 keys is the worst case scenario.

You can get much higher, 22 keys simultaneously max (including the modifiers).

Yep, but when compared to Model F, which has NKRO...

...means absolutely nothing the vast majority of the time.

E TwentyNine · « **Reply #26 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 18:41:07 »

Quote from: jameslr on Sat, 08 March 2014, 13:31:04

Here's a video of the sticking keys problem:

So it's only the oversized keys giving issues? Are they wire stabilized? Check that the wire is moving freely and positioned correctly under the tabs.

If they have inserts check they're correct and you don't have off-center inserts where centered ones should be.

Pics of the bottoms of the keys and the mounting points on the keyboard would answer these questions if you're not sure.

jameslr · « **Reply #27 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 21:03:51 »

They're not wire stabilized. They have inserts in them.

fohat.digs · « **Reply #28 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 21:39:01 »

Quote from: jameslr on Sat, 08 March 2014, 21:03:51

They're not wire stabilized. They have inserts in them.

On the underside of the long keys there are the "active" holes where the key stems and springs are located, and the "secondary" holes without springs.

If you have wire stabilizers, then the secondary holes are just blank and empty, and the wires hook into clips and hang down.

If there are no wire stabilizers, the secondary holes have tubular legs hanging down that slide into the stabilizers in the barrels.

You can add barrel inserts and change over to new keys with the legs, but each kind is different and must be accommodated properly.

jameslr · « **Reply #29 on:** Sat, 08 March 2014, 22:56:31 »

The one on the right is what they're like. They have the peg sticking out of the bottom of the key for stabilization. Not the wire.

fohat.digs · « **Reply #30 on:** Sun, 09 March 2014, 07:49:20 »

Quote from: jameslr on Sat, 08 March 2014, 22:56:31

The one on the right is what they're like. They have the peg sticking out of the bottom of the key for stabilization. Not the wire.

Then you need matching plastic barrel inserts. Unicomp has them, although not listed online. Send them a message and they will tell you how to order.

mougrim · « **Reply #31 on:** Sun, 09 March 2014, 08:06:41 »

Quote from: fohat.digs on Sun, 09 March 2014, 07:49:20

Quote from: jameslr on Sat, 08 March 2014, 22:56:31
The one on the right is what they're like. They have the peg sticking out of the bottom of the key for stabilization. Not the wire.

Then you need matching plastic barrel inserts. Unicomp has them, although not listed online. Send them a message and they will tell you how to order.

And if he'll order some novelty keycaps, they can even give one or two for free

jameslr · « **Reply #32 on:** Sun, 09 March 2014, 12:54:51 »

It looks like the keys are functioning normally. I re-cleaned them and let them dry overnight and they're working good as new. I'm probably going to post this board for sale in the classifieds since BS is not my thing. So if you're interested keep an eye out there.

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Author Topic: IBM Model M 1393464 (Read 5369 times)