I uncovered a mammoth - IBM Multistation Keyboard (5556-OP1) - need help tho!

[oxchamballs]

So I found this massive board over on chinese fleabay:










Full album and more blabbing here: https://imgur.com/a/zhYbG

Deskthority wiki page I found on the board: http://deskthority.net/wiki/IBM_Multistation_Keyboards#5556-005

This board is absolutely gorgeous, and I love it, but I've got no way of getting it to work right now. I'm not too sure what protocol it uses; it's got an AT port but I'm pretty sure it doesn't work that easily. I tried it out with both PS/2-USB active adapters I have (Belkin and Blue cube), but it doesn't work at all (random ghost keypresses detected on the blue cube, after which it jams up my other keyboards by keeping LCtrl pressed).

If anyone here has any experience with a board like this, will this work with Soarer's converter or Hasu's TMK? I found a youtube video of a guy who's managed to get it to work, but I've not managed to get his reply yet.

PS: Thanks for the help in advance. It's 3am here now so I'm gonna head to bed first. Will be back in the morning!


Edit: Goofed on the model, it's actually a chinese version of the 5556-004. The 5556-005 happens to be the real mammoth (img via deskthority):

[azhdar]

I can't help you but this is a trully magnificient board.
Very nice get.

[CPTBadAss]

Try this:

1) Get two adapters - AT to PS2 and PS2 to USB
2) Connect the two adapters
3) Plug in USB end into your computer

You can daisy chain the two adapters. I'm fairly sure that's an AT connector too. I picked up an DIN5 AT to PS2 connector at Microcenter but this is an example of the what the adapter might look like. Then I like this PS2 to USB adapter but get what you can find as long as it's active.


I'm *REALLY* jealous of your board. Those caps are amazing, I love SKCM Green Alps, and it's an IBM board. Even the colorway on the caps is great. Thanks for all the pictures, I'm going to have to try and find a board like this I think.

[Coreda]

Beautiful looking board (and photos!), congrats.

I wonder if there's something that could be done to fix the bottom-left crack.

[CPTBadAss]

I wonder if there's something that could be done to fix the bottom-left crack.

Bondo or epoxy might work.

[jbondeson]

Man, that is one gorgeous board! The DT Wiki doesn't definitively mention the protocol that it's using, but it very well could be AT and in that case trying what CPTBadAss mentioned is a great first start. If that doesn't work you'd be looking at an active converter like Soarers being the next logical step.


Oh and if you ever get sick of it make sure to mail it to me  )

[SamirD]

Very nice!  It's like an f122 layout, but with alps.  Very cool.

[R1N3]

Wowwwww this thing is quite a sexy beast.. Grats on the find and even if you don't get it working, the rapture end times are just around the corner and there's no doubt you could bust heads with it

[Macsmasher]

I love how you have your PJs on in the video hahaha. I work from home and can relate. I usually don't get dressed until late afternoon or evening.

[Snowdog993]

It must have taken a hell of a hit.  Maybe that's the reason the adapters won't work.  You can try using an AT to PS/2 adapter and hook it directly to the PS/2 port and see what happens.  (If you have a machine with one.)
I have the feeling you might have to salvage what you can and use it as a donor board.

[Halverson]

Love that board, damn! Great find!

[oxchamballs]

Try this:

1) Get two adapters - AT to PS2 and PS2 to USB
2) Connect the two adapters
3) Plug in USB end into your computer

You can daisy chain the two adapters. I'm fairly sure that's an AT connector too. I picked up an DIN5 AT to PS2 connector at Microcenter but this is an example of the what the adapter might look like. Then I like this PS2 to USB adapter but get what you can find as long as it's active.


I'm *REALLY* jealous of your board. Those caps are amazing, I love SKCM Green Alps, and it's an IBM board. Even the colorway on the caps is great. Thanks for all the pictures, I'm going to have to try and find a board like this I think.

Man, that is one gorgeous board! The DT Wiki doesn't definitively mention the protocol that it's using, but it very well could be AT and in that case trying what CPTBadAss mentioned is a great first start. If that doesn't work you'd be looking at an active converter like Soarers being the next logical step.


Oh and if you ever get sick of it make sure to mail it to me  )

It must have taken a hell of a hit.  Maybe that's the reason the adapters won't work.  You can try using an AT to PS/2 adapter and hook it directly to the PS/2 port and see what happens.  (If you have a machine with one.)
I have the feeling you might have to salvage what you can and use it as a donor board.

Thanks for the help fellas. Yup I did try it out with an AT-PS/2 adapter chained to an active PS/2 adapter (I have these two: Belkin USB Dual PS/2 Adapter & a Blue Cube). This setup works for my SIIG Minitouch but not for this one.



I've got a feeling its not working great because I'm using a macbook. I'll try it out on my dad's windows pc which has a native PS/2 port, it might work there! Will check out the adapter on techkeys, thanks CPTBadAss, last I checked they weren't in stock. I'm open to building a soarer's/tmk adapter too, have had reasonable success building on for my Apple M0330.

Anyways if you guys want more pictures, let me know & I'll take what I can!

I love how you have your PJs on in the video hahaha. I work from home and can relate. I usually don't get dressed until late afternoon or evening.

Haha that isn't me, that's another guy who has the Japanese version of this board. Looks like he's using it with a modern pc, which gives me hope that this will work without too much effort. Snazzy PJs though, I totally agree lol.

[SamirD]

It must have taken a hell of a hit.  Maybe that's the reason the adapters won't work.

I'm wondering this too.  If it's taken a hard hit, it probably needs to be opened up and checked over bit by bit for any circuit breaks and whatnot.

[oxchamballs]

Hmm, y'all might have a point there. Maybe I'll remove the foil protector and have a look in tomorrow, see if the PCB is still in one piece.

[jerue]

Oh man. That is one beautiful board. I hope my Secret Santa is watching

[jeb]

I love that board just for being Alps with a split spacebar. But it doesn't hurt that it looks fantastic otherwise.

Regarding the functioning--the XT protocol uses the same connector; is it possible that's what it's speaking?

[Bucake]

woah, beaut!
how do the caps feel?

[mcmaxmcmc]

**** it, Imma necro a 6-year-old post to make a correction.

This is the 5556-OP1 (it really should just be 5556OP1 with no hyphen, but having it there is easier to read imo) and not the 5556-004.

The Multistation family of keyboards have codes for each language/layout they did -- the 004 is for the Katakana model used for 5250 emulation.  The OP1 was for the Chinese market -- this thing.

TED Talk over.  Bunch more info here: https://www.ardent-tool.com/IBM_5550/option_1-e.html

[oxchamballs]

updated title

[mcmaxmcmc]

updated title

Oh dang, didn't realize you're still active!

Thanks for the correction!  I've been trying to document all of the 5556 models, and this thread kept popping up while I was trying to search for other stuff   

This is def. one of the cleanest 5556 boards I've ever seen -- though I don't imagine you still have it?

[oxchamballs]

i still have it I managed to get an undamaged case + space pcb from a friend who harvested keycaps from his. was meaning to figure out reprogramming the pcb but life got in the way