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geekhack Marketplace => Great Finds => Topic started by: Parak on Fri, 27 August 2010, 01:55:10

Title: A bunch of "how the deuce do they work" things.
Post by: Parak on Fri, 27 August 2010, 01:55:10

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140445452719

¯\(º_o)/¯

Title: A bunch of "how the deuce do they work" things.
Post by: Infinite north on Fri, 27 August 2010, 01:59:08

I was expecting magnets. these are membrane boards I would imagine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Membrane_keyboard (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Membrane_keyboard)

Title: A bunch of "how the deuce do they work" things.
Post by: Konrad on Fri, 27 August 2010, 02:12:14

They're membrane keyboards, designed for special applications: industrial, POS/cashier, educational, accessibility.
 
A search at the FCCID/OET site (http://www.fcc.gov/oet/ea/fccid/) with the FCCID clearly shown in one of the photos ("JQE SKB") leads to Unicorn Engineering, now extinct, but these (educational) IntelliTools keyboards are shown here (http://www.intellitools.com/about/history.aspx). The bewildering variety of adapters and such allow them to be used on circa-1980 computers like Apple ][x, XT/AT, C64, and clones galore.
 
[Edit]
Assuming they still work, you could probably use them on a modern PC.  You might need PS/2 and USB adapters, since I wouldn't be confident the supplied adapters would work.
I doubt it'd be worth the effort.  Membrane keyboards are hugely resistant to the sticky fingers and spilled drinks of small children, but they generally don't age very gracefully; as the years pass, the (rubberized) plastics tend to get brittle and the contact points erode away. Besides, these ones look kinda cheap ... I wouldn't even want to use them in their intended (educational) role these days, since even cheap used keyboards would probably be "better" suited for today's children than these ancient oddballs.  They won't contain any useful salvage beyond the obsolete adapters.

Title: A bunch of "how the deuce do they work" things.
Post by: itlnstln on Fri, 27 August 2010, 07:29:40

Quote from: Konrad;217150

Unicorn Engineering, now extinct

Oh, reeeeally.

Title: A bunch of "how the deuce do they work" things.
Post by: Konrad on Fri, 27 August 2010, 08:01:12

Um, yup?
 
As far as I could tell (in < 3 min, I admit) the company called Unicorn Engineering which made these keyboards no longer exists. A few companies called Unicorn Engineering appear to exist, but
1) they don't seem to have anything to do with keyboards or controllers of any type,
2) they are based in different countries (not Richmond, Canada),
3) they didn't seem to exist or market any products until more than a decade after IntelliTools disappeared ...
 
[Edit]
Though a second look (two minutes ago) found that this UE renamed itself as either/both Academic Software Inc (http://www.acsw.com/asiinfo.html) or the IntelliTools Company, now based in Idaho. They make these (and other) keyboards for education and disabled use.
 
My bad. Trust nobody, eh?  It's good to see people who aren't spoonfeeders.

Title: A bunch of "how the deuce do they work" things.
Post by: itlnstln on Fri, 27 August 2010, 08:02:13

Never mind.

Title: A bunch of "how the deuce do they work" things.
Post by: Konrad on Fri, 27 August 2010, 08:05:52

That'll learn 'im.  Extinct unicorns ... pah!  Everyone knows you can still see 'em at the zoo.

Title: A bunch of "how the deuce do they work" things.
Post by: kriminal on Fri, 27 August 2010, 08:58:21

eww..

Title: A bunch of "how the deuce do they work" things.
Post by: erricrice on Fri, 27 August 2010, 15:43:55

<------

Is much confused by the lack of sequitur statements in this thread.

Title: A bunch of "how the deuce do they work" things.
Post by: clickclack on Fri, 27 August 2010, 15:57:11

Quote from: itlnstln;217225

Never mind.

Lawls!