New Unicomp 96U1114 on eBay – it's an RD

[ander]

Before any of you buys this NIB Unicomp trackball board on eBay for $70 shipped:

IBM Unicomp PS/2 Keyboard w/ Trackball 96U1114





...I thought I should point out that it's a rubber-dome board, not buckling springs. The seller doesn't mention that, even though I'd guess they know. (They may even have bought it thinking it was BS themselves.)

That said, Unicomp normally sells these for $115 + shipping—so if you do want a nice full-size RD board with a trackball, it's quite a good deal.

Well, I guess I've given you all the details now, haven't I? Yet this feels incomplete somehow. Maybe I should do some of my celebrity impressions.

[romevi]

Do Jack the Ripper.

[ander]

Unfortunately Jack the Ripper was never identified, so it's impossible to do a faithful impression of him, other than to go around killing people. Sure, I'm an artist, but even I am not willing to go to such extremes for the sake of authenticity. You'll have to settle for my interminable GH posts and the ill effects they may have on your mental well-being.

[Kavik]

I had one of the buckling spring versions from Unicomp briefly, and it was so bad that the rubber dome version would be preferable. The trackball is also terrible for any modern resolution monitor. Looks cool though; I'll give it that.

[ed_avis]

That's shocking!  What was wrong with the buckling spring keys, and would it be likely to affect any Unicomp product?

I agree that these on-keyboard pointing devices had their day in the age of 640x480 and haven't kept up since.  A keyboard with a capacitive trackpad, as on modern laptops, would be kinda cool.

[Kavik]

That's shocking!  What was wrong with the buckling spring keys, and would it be likely to affect any Unicomp product?

I agree that these on-keyboard pointing devices had their day in the age of 640x480 and haven't kept up since.  A keyboard with a capacitive trackpad, as on modern laptops, would be kinda cool.

I'm not really sure what the problem was, but it felt like garbage - worse than any other keyboard I've used (wasn't even close to a vintage Model M). The closest sensation I can describe is it felt like sliding two blades against each other, like sharp metal against sharp metal. On top of that it the feel was very inconsistent between sections of the board. This put a sour taste in my mouth for Unicomp, but I got a replacement inner assembly from a standard Unicomp Model M as a replacement for a vintage 1995 board that came with broken rivets (but it didn't fit in the case or use the same controller of course), and it actually feels pretty decent, not quite like a vintage M, but still nice. So I'm really not sure what to think about Unicomp. I just know I've had a mixed experience with the bad part being extremely bad and the good part being just all right.

[ander]

I had one of the buckling spring versions from Unicomp briefly, and it was so bad that the rubber dome version would be preferable. The trackball is also terrible for any modern resolution monitor. Looks cool though; I'll give it that.

I've typed on many Unicomp M's and own 4 or 5 myself. Some are better than others (the same can be said of IBM- and Lexmark-made M's) but I've never run into one remotely as bad as what you describe.

You didn't say if yours was new or used. If it was used, there's no telling how it may have been treated before you got it... Nothing's invulnerable to neglect (except maybe we married guys, since we're so used to it, LOL).

[ander]

I had one of the buckling spring versions from Unicomp briefly, and it was so bad that the rubber dome version would be preferable. The trackball is also terrible for any modern resolution monitor. Looks cool though; I'll give it that.

I've typed on many Unicomp M's and own 4 or 5 myself. Some are better than others (the same can be said of IBM- and Lexmark-made M's) but I've never run into one remotely as bad as what you describe.

You didn't say if yours was new or used. If it was used, there's no telling how it may have been treated before you got it... Nothing's invulnerable to neglect (except maybe we married guys, since we're so used to it, LOL).

[Kavik]

I had one of the buckling spring versions from Unicomp briefly, and it was so bad that the rubber dome version would be preferable. The trackball is also terrible for any modern resolution monitor. Looks cool though; I'll give it that.

I've typed on many Unicomp M's and own 4 or 5 myself. Some are better than others (the same can be said of IBM- and Lexmark-made M's) but I've never run into one remotely as bad as what you describe.

You didn't say if yours was new or used. If it was used, there's no telling how it may have been treated before you got it... Nothing's invulnerable to neglect (except maybe we married guys, since we're so used to it, LOL).

It was a brand new one; this was in November 2016, and it had been manufactured in August or October 2016 IIRC. I ended up sending it back after a few days for a refund (minus the $15 restocking fee and return shipping).