geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: NewbieOneKenobi on Thu, 23 September 2010, 08:32:39
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It must come from the Neolithic, judging by the layout. Designated as C2. Probably older than F by some, isn't it. Somebody surely must know more about this. Or whether it can be made to work on a modern computer and with how much hassle.
http://allegro.pl/1032-zabytek-klawiatura-ibm-oryginal-i1244332289.html
I've just bought it for $8.
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It's an old mainframe terminal keyboard. I don't think they're PC compatible without significant work.
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Thank you. Well, at worst I'll keep it for spare parts. Wonder how the keys feel.
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IIRC: Everyone who has one of these says it is amazing.
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It's a Model F keyboard for the 3178 Model C2 Display Terminal.
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Thank you, sirs. Is there a way to make it work with a PC (USB) without being a physics major or do I keep it for spare parts? I don't dabble with cables but I have a friend who could help me if it were as simple as to wire the cables into a different plug and then use a premade converter (and then another) or cannibalise the USB or PS/2 controller from the cheapest Logitech or Microsoft.
He did turn a radio adapter into computer speakers for me or cut a LAN cable to give a speaker an additional yard, or install two fans on a single plug etc. for me, so if the operation doesn't require more skill, we should be able to pull it off.
IIRC: Everyone who has one of these says it is amazing.
Perhaps transplating the alpha key springs into an M could be worth it, just to see what I get.
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You want an electrical or computer engineer actually.
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Thank you, sirs. Is there a way to make it work with a PC (USB) without being a physics major or do I keep it for spare parts?
As pointed out above, you'd probably need to be very experienced in electronic engineering matters. It hasn't been done before, and given how completely different the signaling is to modern keyboards, it is not a trivial task.
Perhaps transplating the alpha key springs into an M could be worth it, just to see what I get.
It's been tried before, it won't work. The springs and hammers are too different.
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Unicomp is selling some keyboards of the 122 kind and there's the magical word "emulator" there. Wonder if they wouldn't, say, have designed a makeshift converter already, such as in order to be able to test those on a PC.
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crooked keycaps are crooked.
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Unicomp is selling some keyboards of the 122 kind and there's the magical word "emulator" there. Wonder if they wouldn't, say, have designed a makeshift converter already, such as in order to be able to test those on a PC.
The terminal emulator keyboard is just a standard PS/2 keyboard with extra buttons. All the emulation is done in software.
crooked keycaps are crooked.
Model F keycaps have a lot of 'wiggle' in them due to the way that barrels are mounted.
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Another find:
http://www.aukcjoner.pl/gallery/003412217-.html#I1
But this one looks very, very odd, despite the five pins in the plug...
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seems like a language swap on that Sanyo MBC-555 someone posted a while ago. Love the unlabelled keys, and the symbol for shift.
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It's a Model F keyboard for the 3179 Model C2 Display Terminal.
As such, this thread (http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?t=6770) should be worth reading.
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seems like a language swap on that Sanyo MBC-555 someone posted a while ago. Love the unlabelled keys, and the symbol for shift.
Does the 5 din possibly yield to an AT>PS/2 converter?
As such, this thread (http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?t=6770) should be worth reading.
Thankee.
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Does the 5 din possibly yield to an AT>PS/2 converter?
No, according to kbdbabel the MBC-555 protocol is completely different.
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3178. Whoops.