« previous next »
Pages:  [1]     Go Down

Author Topic: Can anyone identify this antique?  (Read 2706 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Jgs5093

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 10
Can anyone identify this antique?
« on: Thu, 21 March 2013, 19:50:44 »
Something about the color of the font on those keys is fantastic.
Logged

Offline bazemk1979

  • Posts: 1625
Re: Can anyone identify this antique?
« Reply #1 on: Thu, 21 March 2013, 19:54:40 »
seen those on ebay many times, can you pull a keycap and turn it backwards so we can see if its double shot ABS and its thikness, or is it PBT and its thinkness. If its PBT they look like dyesub, but they might be printed which  I doubt.
Logged
Quote from: IvanIvanovich on Wed, 08 January 2014, 18:02:50

When you bottom out dong cap... is it going balls deep?

Offline Findecanor

  • Posts: 5038
  • Location: Koriko
Re: Can anyone identify this antique?
« Reply #2 on: Thu, 21 March 2013, 20:01:04 »
It is a HP workstation keyboard. BTW, there is a HP logo on the keyboard.
The switches are leaf-spring. There have been a few threads about it on Geekhack before.
Logged
🍉

Offline DamienG

  • Posts: 315
  • Location: Redmond, WA
    • DamienG
Re: Can anyone identify this antique?
« Reply #3 on: Thu, 21 March 2013, 20:05:02 »
Yeah those keyboards shipped with HP Vectras - I loved the look, feel and unique profile. Thinking of picking one up.

[)amien
Logged

Offline ideus

  • * Exalted Elder
  • Posts: 8123
  • Location: In the middle of nowhere.
  • Björkö.
Re: Can anyone identify this antique?
« Reply #4 on: Thu, 21 March 2013, 20:05:25 »
That was a fast home run.

Quote from: Findecanor on Thu, 21 March 2013, 20:01:04
It is a HP workstation keyboard. BTW, there is a HP logo on the keyboard.
The switches are leaf-spring. There have been a few threads about it on Geekhack before.
Logged

Offline calavera

  • Posts: 1713
  • Location: South Korea
Re: Can anyone identify this antique?
« Reply #5 on: Thu, 21 March 2013, 20:08:16 »
Very similar to red alert sets...interesting.
Logged

Offline Parak

  • Posts: 532
Re: Can anyone identify this antique?
« Reply #6 on: Thu, 21 March 2013, 20:09:45 »
Slightly clicky and tactile leaf spring, at that. Not particularly pleasant though, probably due to the odd keycaps that don't tolerate off-center presses well at all. Note that the versions ending in 1A are dome and looks identical. Other versions may be dome too; YMMV.
Logged

Offline Jgs5093

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 10
Re: Can anyone identify this antique?
« Reply #7 on: Thu, 21 March 2013, 20:09:45 »
Sorry for making a duplicate post, is the 5 pin din that it has standard or is it mapped like a console keyboard?
Logged

Offline HaaTa

  • Master Kiibohd Hunter
  • Posts: 794
  • Location: San Jose, CA, USA
  • Kiibohds!
    • http://kiibohd.com
Re: Can anyone identify this antique?
« Reply #8 on: Thu, 21 March 2013, 21:18:57 »
You need a custom converter (which I've built already), for the 1A version. Not sure about other versions, but they are likely similar.
Logged
Kiibohd

ALWAYS looking for cool and interesting switches
I take requests for making keyboard converters (i.e. *old keyboard* to USB).

Offline rootwyrm

  • Posts: 829
  • The Hands of Steel
    • My Website!
Re: Can anyone identify this antique?
« Reply #9 on: Fri, 22 March 2013, 03:30:12 »
Quote from: Findecanor on Thu, 21 March 2013, 20:01:04
It is a HP workstation keyboard. BTW, there is a HP logo on the keyboard.
The switches are leaf-spring. There have been a few threads about it on Geekhack before.

Uh. No.

That particular model is a C1405A#ABA. Which A) is SDL to DIN5 and speaks AT and B) is rubber dome. The C1405A shipped with Vectra, Kayak and NetServer. I believe the caps are dye-sub PBT but it's been ages since I touched one.

The keyboard you seem to be thinking of is the C1429A#ABA, which looks similar but is an entirely different beast and shipped with the HP 9000 730's IIRC. Still rubber dome.
Logged
"I remain convinced I am the only person alive who has successfully worn out an IBM Model M mechanically."
Daily Drivers: Adesso 625 (NPKC PBT / Kailh Blue), Rosewill RK9000V2 (KC PBT / MX Brown), 1994 Model M13, Sun Type4, and the rare IBM 1394540.

Offline Parak

  • Posts: 532
Re: Can anyone identify this antique?
« Reply #10 on: Fri, 22 March 2013, 06:26:05 »
Quote from: rootwyrm on Fri, 22 March 2013, 03:30:12
Uh. No.

That particular model is a C1405A#ABA. Which A) is SDL to DIN5 and speaks AT and B) is rubber dome. The C1405A shipped with Vectra, Kayak and NetServer. I believe the caps are dye-sub PBT but it's been ages since I touched one.

The keyboard you seem to be thinking of is the C1429A#ABA, which looks similar but is an entirely different beast and shipped with the HP 9000 730's IIRC. Still rubber dome.

Woops. Shamefur dispray! Especially since I own one.

46010A is the one with leaf springs (mostly?), with the 46011A being dome. And of course looks rather different in terms of layout. I blame lack of sleep.
Logged

Offline Findecanor

  • Posts: 5038
  • Location: Koriko
Re: Can anyone identify this antique?
« Reply #11 on: Fri, 22 March 2013, 06:29:05 »
I stand corrected. The leaf-spring keyboards have similar keys, though.
Logged
🍉

Offline HaaTa

  • Master Kiibohd Hunter
  • Posts: 794
  • Location: San Jose, CA, USA
  • Kiibohds!
    • http://kiibohd.com
Re: Can anyone identify this antique?
« Reply #12 on: Fri, 22 March 2013, 06:50:36 »
Hmm, I'd argue that this one is probably AT or PS/2 due to the leds. The protocol for the converter I built has no way of communicating back to the keyboard.
Logged
Kiibohd

ALWAYS looking for cool and interesting switches
I take requests for making keyboard converters (i.e. *old keyboard* to USB).

Offline simon_C

  • Posts: 163
  • Location: Bay Area California
Re: Can anyone identify this antique?
« Reply #13 on: Fri, 22 March 2013, 12:33:23 »
Theres a zillion of these for sale right now at the local San Jose electronics salvage shop WeirdStuff. Probably 30 or so. theyre solid keyboards and look pretty cool, but they are in fact rubberdome.
Logged

Offline HaaTa

  • Master Kiibohd Hunter
  • Posts: 794
  • Location: San Jose, CA, USA
  • Kiibohds!
    • http://kiibohd.com
Re: Can anyone identify this antique?
« Reply #14 on: Fri, 22 March 2013, 12:35:51 »
When I was there a while ago (last fall), I'm pretty sure I found at least one that was fujitsu leaf spring, though I didn't pick it up as I had too much other stuff I was grabbing :P.
Logged
Kiibohd

ALWAYS looking for cool and interesting switches
I take requests for making keyboard converters (i.e. *old keyboard* to USB).

Offline DamienG

  • Posts: 315
  • Location: Redmond, WA
    • DamienG
Re: Can anyone identify this antique?
« Reply #15 on: Fri, 22 March 2013, 19:19:59 »
Quote from: simon_C on Fri, 22 March 2013, 12:33:23
Theres a zillion of these for sale right now at the local San Jose electronics salvage shop WeirdStuff. Probably 30 or so. theyre solid keyboards and look pretty cool, but they are in fact rubberdome.
Went there, they had about 3 of the AT style and about 3-4 of the odd terminal layout ones. Picked one up for $1 :)

Also picked up a 3M/Razer branded optical mouse surface (my desk is glass) for $0.95... strangely no amount of Googling came up with this thing.

[)amien
« Last Edit: Fri, 22 March 2013, 19:26:16 by DamienG »
Logged

Offline simon_C

  • Posts: 163
  • Location: Bay Area California
Re: Can anyone identify this antique?
« Reply #16 on: Fri, 22 March 2013, 19:28:48 »
Quote from: DamienG on Fri, 22 March 2013, 19:19:59
Quote from: simon_C on Fri, 22 March 2013, 12:33:23
Theres a zillion of these for sale right now at the local San Jose electronics salvage shop WeirdStuff. Probably 30 or so. theyre solid keyboards and look pretty cool, but they are in fact rubberdome.
Went there, they had about 3 of the AT style and about 3-4 of the odd terminal layout ones. Picked one up for $1 :)

Also picked up a 3M/Razer branded optical mouse surface (my desk is glass) for $0.95... strangely no amount of Googling came up with this thing.

[)amien
well i was there a week ago, and they had probably 30-40 of those boards just chilling in a huge pile out back with the rest of the cheap keyboards. Too bad theyre pretty much useless, they look kinda cool.
Logged

Offline DamienG

  • Posts: 315
  • Location: Redmond, WA
    • DamienG
Re: Can anyone identify this antique?
« Reply #17 on: Fri, 22 March 2013, 19:51:09 »
I wouldn't say useless, they're one of the best rubber domes I've used and have some unique features such as the keycaps profile and the nice purple dyesub + font.

I just cracked mine open and also found a couple of surprising things about the plate over the rubber dome/membrane.

First off it's made of steel which explains both the weight and the fact it feels so good for a rubber dome.

Secondly you know all those blanked off keys? Well, there are holes in the plate... and bumps on the dome... and membrane contact points for them.

[)amien
Logged

Offline DamienG

  • Posts: 315
  • Location: Redmond, WA
    • DamienG
Re: Can anyone identify this antique?
« Reply #18 on: Sat, 23 March 2013, 20:32:56 »
Hmm, either my memory isn't so great or the rubber is a bit mushy with time.

The keycaps are really nice though, pretty sure they're PBT. They sink but I don't have any spare keys to throw nail polish remover at yet.

Also, I put a key in the bottom row left blank and remapped it to left Windows key. Works a treat.

Now how would I go about getting these caps mounted on a Cherry or an Alps... 

[)amien
Logged

Offline ComradeSniper

  • HHKB Pro
  • * Esteemed Elder
  • Posts: 1086
  • Location: Seattle, WA
Re: Can anyone identify this antique?
« Reply #19 on: Sat, 23 March 2013, 20:59:21 »
Those are some really nice looking caps, shame that they're rubber dome.
Logged

Offline rootwyrm

  • Posts: 829
  • The Hands of Steel
    • My Website!
Re: Can anyone identify this antique?
« Reply #20 on: Sat, 23 March 2013, 23:41:59 »
Sadly, the font is copyrighted to HP so I don't think we could get SP to manufacture these in Cherry MX quite so easily.
As far as material/color - SP ABS RBC for legends. GTH, GSC, and I think WFM. (Yes, the base is tricolor.)

Sadly, I don't think the really, really styling caps of the HP .. I forget which model it is, but it's got cut keycaps. You know which one I'm talking about. Also rubber dome, similar to C1405A, but even cooler.
Logged
"I remain convinced I am the only person alive who has successfully worn out an IBM Model M mechanically."
Daily Drivers: Adesso 625 (NPKC PBT / Kailh Blue), Rosewill RK9000V2 (KC PBT / MX Brown), 1994 Model M13, Sun Type4, and the rare IBM 1394540.

Offline DamienG

  • Posts: 315
  • Location: Redmond, WA
    • DamienG
Re: Can anyone identify this antique?
« Reply #21 on: Sun, 24 March 2013, 12:02:40 »
Quote from: rootwyrm on Sat, 23 March 2013, 23:41:59
Sadly, the font is copyrighted to HP so I don't think we could get SP to manufacture these in Cherry MX quite so easily.
As far as material/color - SP ABS RBC for legends. GTH, GSC, and I think WFM. (Yes, the base is tricolor.)
The font is Universe except for some symbols which looks like Helvetica on ?'";*

Additionally while you can copyright a TTF/OTF file you can't actually copyright the visual look of a typeface in the USA. (The TTF/OTF file is copyrightable only because it contains hinting which are small programs for laying out the pixels on-screen).

As a side note my HP Keyboard I picked up is PS/2 not AT.

[)amien
Logged
Pages:  [1]     Go Up
« previous next »