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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: sjohn on Tue, 05 October 2010, 19:09:06

Title: Newbie- Help vintage keyboard
Post by: sjohn on Tue, 05 October 2010, 19:09:06
Hi, can I get some help identifying this keyboard? There is an fabric tag on the cable-  Rojon Electronics
                PT. 2570207
                EC. 742796
Title: Newbie- Help vintage keyboard
Post by: TexasFlood on Tue, 05 October 2010, 20:17:21
Quote from: sjohn;230176
Hi, can I get some help identifying this keyboard? There is an fabric tag on the cable-  Rojon Electronics
                PT. 2570207
                EC. 742796


Some kind of IBM beam spring terminal keyboard? Similar to the 3270 below.
I know it's not exactly the same, but think it's in the ballpark.

(http://www.columbia.edu/acis/history/3270-01.jpg)
Title: Newbie- Help vintage keyboard
Post by: sjohn on Tue, 05 October 2010, 20:35:43
OK. Thank You. I have a few of these and couldn't find any info.  Looking to sell them. Ebay?
Title: Newbie- Help vintage keyboard
Post by: Phaedrus2129 on Tue, 05 October 2010, 20:40:40
Easier to find buyers on here. However, these are not PC-compatible and I don't think anyone has figured out an adapter yet. So they don't have much practical value, just moderate collectors value. Don't expect massive value like an IBM M15 has, as those have both collectors and practical value.
Title: Newbie- Help vintage keyboard
Post by: TexasFlood on Tue, 05 October 2010, 21:27:49
Quote from: Phaedrus2129;230213
Easier to find buyers on here. However, these are not PC-compatible and I don't think anyone has figured out an adapter yet. So they don't have much practical value, just moderate collectors value. Don't expect massive value like an IBM M15 has, as those have both collectors and practical value.

Yup.  I doubt there is any way to convert these but I'd love to be proved wrong.  Think these things were EBCDIC, not ASCII.  And the connector, possibly like the 3278 one shown below (not 100% sure, but if it has the same number of pins as yours then likely so) is nothing like the AT and PS/2 connectors shown at the bottom.  Maybe if you cut all the connections and wired in a new controller but that would be a lot of work and beyond my abilities.

(http://www.kbdbabel.org/conn/kbd_connector_ibm3278.png)
(http://www.kbdbabel.org/conn/kbd_connector_ps2.png)
Title: Newbie- Help vintage keyboard
Post by: Sam on Tue, 05 October 2010, 21:53:24
Quote from: sjohn;230176
Hi, can I get some help identifying this keyboard? There is an fabric tag on the cable-  Rojon Electronics
                PT. 2570207
                EC. 742796


Private Message sent to you about those keyboards.
Title: Newbie- Help vintage keyboard
Post by: Sam on Tue, 05 October 2010, 22:00:07
Quote from: TexasFlood;230229
Yup.  I doubt there is any way to convert these but I'd love to be proved wrong.  Think these things were EBCDIC, not ASCII.  And the connector, possibly like the 3278 one shown below (not 100% sure, but if it has the same number of pins as yours then likely so) is nothing like the AT and PS/2 connectors shown at the bottom.  Maybe if you cut all the connections and wired in a new controller but that would be a lot of work and beyond my abilities.

Show Image
(http://www.kbdbabel.org/conn/kbd_connector_ibm3278.png)

Show Image
(http://www.kbdbabel.org/conn/kbd_connector_ps2.png)

That's a completely different interface than the AT.  There's absolutely no way you can connect one directly or easily to a PC.  Totally incompatible signals.  The only way is to custom build a converter box or totally new controller after deciphering the signals which will convert them to compatible USB and/or PS/2 signals.  There is no easy way about this.  No such thing as hooking it up to a game or parallel port and hoping to patch a driver.  Custom electronics (read lots of time and probably money) will be necessary to get anything to work.
Title: Newbie- Help vintage keyboard
Post by: xwhatsit on Tue, 05 October 2010, 22:28:18
How many have you got? How much would you want for one?
Title: Newbie- Help vintage keyboard
Post by: didjamatic on Tue, 05 October 2010, 22:44:30
Nice boards!  I'm interested in one.

Hey Sam, you may have found your beam springs my friend.
Title: Newbie- Help vintage keyboard
Post by: TexasFlood on Tue, 05 October 2010, 22:47:01
I might like to get one just to open it up and see what how the beam springs are engineered.  But would depend on price since I have basically no hope that it could be actually used as a keyboard on any computers I have.
Title: Newbie- Help vintage keyboard
Post by: Sam on Tue, 05 October 2010, 23:08:44
Quote from: didjamatic;230261
Nice boards!  I'm interested in one.

Hey Sam, you may have found your beam springs my friend.


Yes, hopefully, though looks like a few other members here are also interested.