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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: azhier on Wed, 23 November 2022, 14:42:18

Title: Keyboard DEC LK421 Worth? price?
Post by: azhier on Wed, 23 November 2022, 14:42:18

Anyone knows the value of this keyboard? DEC LK421.
Cant find anything about it

Title: Re: Keyboard DEC LK421 Worth? price?
Post by: Findecanor on Wed, 23 November 2022, 14:58:34

It's a compact version of the LK401 keyboard. They work only with DEC computer terminals, used for connecting to a mainframe, such as a VAX.

https://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?t=17981
Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LK421.jpg

I've owned a DEC LK401 (https://deskthority.net/wiki/DEC_LK401). If the small one is like its bigger cousin, then it  has stiff or mushy rubber dome keys. Dye-subbed spherical PBT keycaps on a curved backplane.

Title: Re: Keyboard DEC LK421 Worth? price?
Post by: azhier on Wed, 23 November 2022, 17:29:04

do u know the worth price of the 421?

Title: Re: Keyboard DEC LK421 Worth? price?
Post by: Findecanor on Fri, 25 November 2022, 10:14:39

I believe the only people interested in them would be geeks who collect the old DEC hardware they work with.
If I remember right, I donated my keyboard to one such collector for the price of shipping.
(hint: If you are a vintage keyboard-collector, find one in person and ask if they have another keyboard in trade: you might get something interesting ... or you might get a dud. Either way, it is more exciting :) )

In general, you can often find the going price for something by searching on ebay for sold items went for.
I checked for LK421: there was none right now, but a few full-size boards for DEC terminals went for $20-$50 or so.