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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: jacksonh22 on Wed, 11 March 2020, 19:22:59

Title: Does anyone know what computer this keyboard comes from?
Post by: jacksonh22 on Wed, 11 March 2020, 19:22:59: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-4-Vintage-80s-Cherry-B4VE-A302-Mainframe-Terminal-Keyboard-w-Springs/233507535820

Ignore the absolutely ridiculous price, but does anyone know the actual name of this keyboard or where it comes from?
Title: Re: Does anyone know what computer this keyboard comes from?
Post by: Leslieann on Wed, 11 March 2020, 20:31:52: Just a guess and it's a wild one, but most likely military or aerospace.

Being Wisconsin I'd guess the Oshkosh corp. but considering the age, they could have come from just about anywhere.
Title: Re: Does anyone know what computer this keyboard comes from?
Post by: Maledicted on Thu, 12 March 2020, 08:23:07: Going by the part number listed in the auction, this suggests that they are the "CDC 721 keyboard" made by Cherry Corporation around 1984:

CDC 721 keyboard - Telcontar.net (http://"http://telcontar.net/KBK/Keycombo/keyboard?id=165")

This leads me to a Deskthority wikia page on the "Control Data 721":

Control Data 721 (http://"https://deskthority.net/wiki/Control_Data_721")

Which finally leads me to the manual for the Control Data Corporation CDC 721 operator's manual:

Control Data Corporation CDC 721 Operator's Manual (http://"https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1030630/Control-Data-Corporation-Cdc-721.html")

The manual itself refers to it as the CDC® 721 Enhanced Display Terminal, and the keyboard in the product image does seem to match.
Title: Re: Does anyone know what computer this keyboard comes from?
Post by: Leslieann on Thu, 12 March 2020, 08:33:54: Oops, I was thinking OP was asking where they were used/who they were made for as people often wonder about why they would be ordered with certain keys or have certain labels.
Title: Re: Does anyone know what computer this keyboard comes from?
Post by: Maledicted on Thu, 12 March 2020, 08:59:55: It happens. I find it funny that that they think they can get $2,799.99 for them. This really should be in the "not so great finds" thread.