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geekhack Projects => Making Stuff Together! => DIY Discussions ARCHIVE => Topic started by: KillerBee on Tue, 03 August 2010, 08:40:17

Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: KillerBee on Tue, 03 August 2010, 08:40:17
This is the story of three Model M's:
- My Original Model M
- Sealcouch's Custom Doo-Doo Board
- A Black Rubber Dome Model M called Smartrex

This is the story of three very different IBM Model M's;

My original Model M I aquired back in 2001 back when I was a Freshman in High School. I was helping a teacher clean a storage when I encountered the sexy beast. It was big, heavy and clicky. Basically love at first type.


Up until recently I decided that I wanted a BLACK Model M, seeing as the famous M13 was basically an unobtainable of myself I decided to tackle it a different way.

I saw in an auction a UNICOMP SMARTREX keyboard and immediately fell in love with it, but I had just one problem... R-U-B-B-E-R D-O-M-E. Well I guess that was the end of it until I said to myself wait I can fit a Model M in here!


Wanting to keep my original Model M in its original incarnation I set out to find another Model M.
Looking in the EBAY auctions all I saw where dirty and as-is Model M or Model M that where waay out of my price liking.

Thats when I found THIS:
(http://i.ebayimg.com/15/!By0b6fw!2k~$(KGrHqZ,!iwEw5K+Pc2mBMTTJ,rrn!~~_12.JPG)

This Model M had been properly dyed by GH Member Sealcouch, just in an akward array of colors!! Dark chocolate brown grey keys and the white keys where dyed in a very nice blue. Thou the Model M was VERY UGLY (and cheap) I saw potential in it.

THE PLAN was to take the dark chocolate keys and replace them into my original Model M along with the red Fentex keys

This left me now with a whole set of blue keys (from the doo-doo board) and grey keys (from my Model M) Now all I had to do was recase the blue key monster into the SMARTREX case
(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=7260&stc=1&d=1263180196)

It became my custom BLACK Model M. Now the SMARTREX case has a decal over the LED, to reuse the LED's I added a LED Cover from a Model M that had a black border to properly blend with the case.



To Be Continued...

Today miraculously I recieved both the smartrex and the doo-doo board


The doo-doo board looks better in person than in the photos, I give sealcouch credit for the perfect dye procedure and the AWSOME pack job

Right away I went to the tools and cracked them open


Started swapping keys and stuff around


Then I tried this


I went with the second choice

Let me know what you guys think and if I should change anything

SPECIAL THANKS GOES OUT TO KISHY, RIPSTER, SEALCOUCH AND THE TEAM OF FENTEK
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: KillerBee on Tue, 03 August 2010, 11:28:26
Quote from: ripster;208675
Nice pics of the SmarTrex.


When I am done I will thank you for the pictures
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: sealcouch on Tue, 03 August 2010, 16:21:51
I'm bracing for impact.
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: audioave10 on Tue, 03 August 2010, 22:58:21
I guess no resize here - those pics ore HUUGE. No problemo however and I'm quite interested to see all your M's when finished.
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: KillerBee on Wed, 04 August 2010, 00:59:05
I fixed it a little on the resize issue
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: EverythingIBM on Wed, 04 August 2010, 01:42:53
This'll be interesting. Was wondering why you bought the doo-doo board. Too bad, its infamy for ugliness will be sorely missed. sealcouch can always make another one though.

$60 doesn't seem that cheap, I could have bought a Model M13 for $65 awhile back. Even a more "awhile back" I could have bought one for $20.
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: sealcouch on Wed, 04 August 2010, 01:51:23
The new Doo-doo board is in the brainstorming process.
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: KillerBee on Wed, 04 August 2010, 23:17:52
(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=12008&d=1280981253)

Threes company

(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=12009&d=1280981263)

Ohh nudy shots (note my dirty model m vs the clean doo-doo board)

(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=12010&d=1280981272)

IDEA 1

(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=12011&d=1280981282)

IDEA 2

I picked idea 2 but nothing is set in stone please I need feedback and comments to decide what to eventually do
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: KillerBee on Wed, 04 August 2010, 23:35:46
(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=12012&d=1280982874)
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: KillerBee on Wed, 04 August 2010, 23:38:06
Actually the brown keys look black so its a neat contrast
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: Shawn Stanford on Thu, 05 August 2010, 07:17:00
That looks horrible...
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: KillerBee on Thu, 05 August 2010, 07:24:14
Quote from: Shawn Stanford;209403
That looks horrible...


What would you have done different?
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: microsoft windows on Thu, 05 August 2010, 08:55:52
If you feel like spending the money and like blank keyboards, you could chuck a set of blank black keys (http://www.fentek-ind.com/keys.htm) into that Smartrex.
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: microsoft windows on Thu, 05 August 2010, 08:56:35
Quote from: Shawn Stanford;209403
That looks horrible...


Hey. It's racially diverse!
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: KillerBee on Thu, 05 August 2010, 09:23:21
Quote from: Shawn Stanford;209403
That looks horrible...


I second that; if FIRST SGT. STANFORD says its horrible then it is.

I was active duty ARMY Signals Intel Analyst (98C)
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: hyperlinked on Thu, 05 August 2010, 09:32:34
Quote from: KillerBee;209346
Show Image
(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=12012&d=1280982874)

It really does look like the whole board is made out of chocolate!

I like the blue keys with the white outer keys look a lot better on the black case.
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: audioave10 on Thu, 05 August 2010, 11:43:33
I think I also like "idea 1" better. IMHO
Its nice to have some options however.
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: kishy on Thu, 05 August 2010, 11:43:43
I'd like to see all coloured keys in the black case.
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: gr1m on Thu, 05 August 2010, 11:52:01
I'm not too sure about the black-casing keyboard, but the white one (with blue inner keys) looks amazing.
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: Shawn Stanford on Thu, 05 August 2010, 20:10:35
Quote from: KillerBee;209439
I second that; if FIRST SGT. STANFORD says its horrible then it is. I was active duty ARMY Signals Intel Analyst (98C)

Better brush up the analysis skills, Soldier: I'm only a sergeant first class.  :-D
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: KillerBee on Mon, 09 August 2010, 08:21:03
there seems to be an extra rocker in your chest patch using the picture at the left
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: KillerBee on Mon, 09 August 2010, 08:23:10
my old man found an IBM Model M Terminal Keyboard in storage where he works, I told him to strip her clean of all caps and keys.

Should be throwing around some ideas soon
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: kishy on Mon, 09 August 2010, 11:49:25
KillerBee if the remainder of the board is to be trashed, please take a peek at the bottom and let me know if it has a DIP switch block installed or not (if not, it'll have a plastic panel filling the obvious hole). I'd want that block of switches and their little plastic bracket if it'd otherwise be thrown away.
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: EverythingIBM on Mon, 09 August 2010, 13:45:42
Hmmm... wouldn't it have been easier to just dye a beige case totally black? That way you'd have black for both top & bottom pieces.

You could even have a contrasting blue IBM logo against the black -- I think that always looks so cool.
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: instantkamera on Tue, 10 August 2010, 08:11:11
Cant the brown keys be dyed totally black?
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: KillerBee on Tue, 10 August 2010, 17:13:47
Quote from: instantkamera;210868
Cant the brown keys be dyed totally black?


I would possibly think so Im going to try within this upcoming week

@kishy: I got your letter today thanks! and dad tried to get the board out of the lab but they said NO :-( Eventhou he said it was trash but they denied.
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: EverythingIBM on Tue, 10 August 2010, 21:03:28
Quote from: KillerBee;211132
I would possibly think so Im going to try within this upcoming week

@kishy: I got your letter today thanks! and dad tried to get the board out of the lab but they said NO :-( Eventhou he said it was trash but they denied.


Don't remind me. So many stupid companies don't let you take things, even when they're about to throw it out.

A company (where I actually got my 300PL from) still was using all of them (lol), BUT THEY THREW THEM ALL OUT. I wanted them. Or at least one. Looks like I'll have to buy one ;)
Title: The Tale of Three Model M's
Post by: KillerBee on Tue, 10 August 2010, 23:20:30
Quote from: EverythingIBM;211200
Don't remind me. So many stupid companies don't let you take things, even when they're about to throw it out.

A company (where I actually got my 300PL from) still was using all of them (lol), BUT THEY THREW THEM ALL OUT. I wanted them. Or at least one. Looks like I'll have to buy one ;)


Atleast he got me the complete key set, and this is the Puerto Rico Telephone Company (PRTC) thing have changed since the government sold the company in the late 1990's