geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Stupidface on Thu, 14 October 2021, 23:28:44
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This photograph has been bandied about a fair bit:
[attachimg=1]
One thing I have not seen, however, is any mention of the specific make and model of keyboard that was performing triple duty as a keyboard, an ashtray, and a desktop atrocity*.
Can anyone identify it? I am vaguely reminded of one of the economy models that IBM was churning out shortly before they decided they did not want to make keyboards anymore, but I am grasping at straws with that guess.
*And, quite possibly, a headrest, should the hands in the photo start reaching for that bottle on the right.
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It looks to me as if the Esc key is 1.25u, but I'm not entirely sure.
A keyboard with an 1.25u Esc key and the text on modifiers small and top-aligned would BTC 5140 (https://deskthority.net/wiki/BTC_51_series) with Windows keys.
Many 5140 were made for Packard Bell, in at least two case variations, one of which is unique to Packard Bell.
But I don't know a 5140 case variation that has that detail in the upper right corner.
The layout could be German. More likely also because there's a bottle with German text there also.
BTW. Funny that there's a box of antacids ... next to the cigarettes and alcohol. Alcohol and cigarettes upset the stomach.
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It's a BTC 5121 (https://media2.24aul.ru/imgs/6284e2dbb2f50e7578cd5444dd461bca/klaviatura-btc-5121-din-1-14946293.jpg).
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BTW. Funny that there's a box of antacids ... next to the cigarettes and alcohol. Alcohol and cigarettes upset the stomach.
Yes, I had wondered about the cigarettes/alcohol/antacids trifecta as well (although I suppose if you reach for the bottle on the right often enough, the upset stomach won't seem nearly as bad).
A keyboard with an 1.25u Esc key and the text on modifiers small and top-aligned would BTC 5140 with Windows keys.
Between the poor picture quality and the keyboard-as-ashtray bit, I don't know if we'll ever be able to say for sure, but that sounds like a good guess. I favour it myself because, from what I can make out, the BTC 5140 sounds like a mediocre keyboard at best and I would hate to think that someone was ruining a good one.
(Granted, a keyboard owner is perfectly at liberty to use his keyboard as an ashtray should he feel so inclined.)
Thank you for the reply.
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It's a BTC 5121 (https://media2.24aul.ru/imgs/6284e2dbb2f50e7578cd5444dd461bca/klaviatura-btc-5121-din-1-14946293.jpg).
Thank you for the reply; that is a great picture.
Perhaps I am alone in this, but I am always impressed with keyboards that have worn-away lettering because I grew up with Big Blue keyboards that had the lettering moulded into (as opposed to printed onto) the keys, making it impossible for them to wear away.
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Sounds like the keyboard of a real IT person at home, the kind of freelance work where you don't take advantage of all the opportunities that remote work and free hours give you, you don't lead a healthy lifestyle and don't feel relaxed, of course there is no sport, it's definitely not a lifestyle for me