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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: jacksonh22 on Wed, 22 January 2020, 16:58:52

Title: Zentec 9003 Terminal Keyboard - Key Tronic Switches
Post by: jacksonh22 on Wed, 22 January 2020, 16:58:52

I recently picked up this mid 1970's Zentec 9003 terminal on Ebay. Surprisingly, there's very little information about the terminal online and I'm sure, for most of you, this your first time seeing this keyboard. It weighs in at about 11 lbs and houses some old Key Tronic linear switches. I love these old Key Tronic keyboards, their keycaps and sound they produce are always great. This keyboard, while similar looking to most other Key Tronic keyboards, seems to deliver a deeper sound.

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Here's a quick typing test if you'd like to hear it in action:

And for anyone interested, the keyboard and terminal work, however, the terminal runs into an error on startup so I'm currently working on fixing it. Probably some bad ram or something.

Title: Re: Zentec 9003 Terminal Keyboard - Key Tronic Switches
Post by: invariance on Thu, 23 January 2020, 00:44:35

Nice score.
Love the sound that spacious and thick-walled case gives it.
Good luck getting it fulling running.

Title: Re: Zentec 9003 Terminal Keyboard - Key Tronic Switches
Post by: chyros on Thu, 23 January 2020, 02:02:19

Very nice! These looks like Key Tronic magnetic reed, although they did also make some foam and foil switches that looked like that. Easy to check; if you can hear the reeds ping when you slowly release a key, it's KTMR.

Title: Re: Zentec 9003 Terminal Keyboard - Key Tronic Switches
Post by: mode on Thu, 23 January 2020, 04:49:11

Can we get a side shot from the other side? That sculpt looks nice!

Title: Re: Zentec 9003 Terminal Keyboard - Key Tronic Switches
Post by: treeleaf64 on Fri, 24 January 2020, 11:17:50

Wonderful keycaps! These boards are probably twice as old as me  :eek:

Title: Re: Zentec 9003 Terminal Keyboard - Key Tronic Switches
Post by: jacethesaltsculptor on Sun, 26 January 2020, 14:08:18

Those keycaps colors are just amazing, I'd love reproductions of those.

I'm glad that especially recently retro looking keycaps seems to be making a comeback in group buys.

Title: Re: Zentec 9003 Terminal Keyboard - Key Tronic Switches
Post by: jacksonh22 on Sun, 16 February 2020, 14:15:16

Quote from: chyros on Thu, 23 January 2020, 02:02:19

Very nice! These looks like Key Tronic magnetic reed, although they did also make some foam and foil switches that looked like that. Easy to check; if you can hear the reeds ping when you slowly release a key, it's KTMR.

Yes, they are magnetic reed!