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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Coolzrock on Tue, 22 June 2010, 16:50:39

Title: IBM Model M Question
Post by: Coolzrock on Tue, 22 June 2010, 16:50:39

So i've got an IBM Model M 1391401 keyboard (1988). On the back side there is something like an speaker.

(http://i48.tinypic.com/xmq4ph.jpg)

What is it? Can someone tell me please :)

Title: IBM Model M Question
Post by: itlnstln on Tue, 22 June 2010, 16:53:51

It's a grille for a speaker used with some of the terminal Model Ms (it just made a beep sound when you pressed the keys).  The PC Model M's have the grille but no speaker.

Title: IBM Model M Question
Post by: Coolzrock on Tue, 22 June 2010, 17:15:55

Quote from: itlnstln;195552

It's a grille for a speaker used with some of the terminal Model Ms (it just made a beep sound when you pressed the keys).  The PC Model M's have the grille but no speaker.

Thanks. I wonder why they left the grille.

Title: IBM Model M Question
Post by: EverythingIBM on Tue, 22 June 2010, 18:22:24

Quote from: Coolzrock;195559

Thanks. I wonder why they left the grille.

Some models did have the speaker; I believe a few made in mexico did?

Customers at a business or school may have wanted the speaker, so, IBM just made one casing rather having to spend extra money making different ones. Therefore, a speaker could be added on request.

It's kind of like in cars where they make one frame for multiple configurations -- I know the 2009 ford mustangs did that.

Title: IBM Model M Question
Post by: ch_123 on Tue, 22 June 2010, 19:12:39

Or, as pointed out above, they were used for terminal keyboards.

Their RS/6000 Unix workstation keyboards had them too, for the same reason that the terminal keyboards had them.

Title: IBM Model M Question
Post by: maxlugar on Wed, 23 June 2010, 01:25:58

Quote from: ch_123;195586

Or, as pointed out above, they were used for terminal keyboards.

Their RS/6000 Unix workstation keyboards had them too, for the same reason that the terminal keyboards had them.

One of the Model M variants sold with the RS/6000 workstations was the 1394540.  I have a March 1990 1394540 Model M, an excellent keyboard manufactured a full year before control was relinquished to Lexmark.

It looks exactly like any other 1391401 Model M but actually has a speaker behind the grill.  The speaker adds a fair amount of heft (weight) to the keyboard!

Title: IBM Model M Question
Post by: ch_123 on Wed, 23 June 2010, 04:20:19

I've seen Lexmark and Greenock made ones of those, latest one was 96/97 or so. Unusually, they still had the white/black label on them long after other keyboards got the blue label, although later ones had the blue one.

Title: IBM Model M Question
Post by: Shawn Stanford on Wed, 23 June 2010, 07:35:36

Wasn't someone (Ripster?) going to implant a USB speaking in one of these?

Title: IBM Model M Question
Post by: microsoft windows on Wed, 23 June 2010, 12:45:56

Quote from: EverythingIBM;195575

Some models did have the speaker; I believe a few made in mexico did?

Customers at a business or school may have wanted the speaker, so, IBM just made one casing rather having to spend extra money making different ones. Therefore, a speaker could be added on request.

It's kind of like in cars where they make one frame for multiple configurations -- I know the 2009 ford mustangs did that.

My truck's like that. You can see in the inside that there are covered up holes for a right-hand-side steering column, dashboard, and pedals. It's kind of strange though.