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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: nathanscribe on Sun, 07 November 2010, 18:16:12
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I've had an old Cherry-made board for years, given to me by an ex-British Telecom engineer. It spent a long time in the cupboard before being used as I had no idea how to connect it back then. However, I found I could connect it to PS/2 just fine via an adapter and have been typing on it happily for the last three years or so.
It has a mode switch on the base, switchable between XT, AT and MF. Anybody know anything about that? I've read a little about XT and AT, but have not seen anything about MF. Are these switchable boards common?
The keyboard has Cherry blacks topped with cream and grey double-shots (plus some splashes of purple and green), a 5-pin DIN connector and 102 keys and is dated 1989. Pics after cleaning:
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MF = Mainframe?
That is a seriously beautiful keyboard. PCB mounted MX switches and thick vintage doubleshots, MmmmHmmm.
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Now look what you've done. Didja's all excited.
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MF = MFII keyboard functionality, particularly codeset 3 support.
Our beloved "standard" 101/102-key layout was termed "Multi-Function II" by IBM, remember?
For all intents and purposes, you can pretty much set it to MF and forget about it.
And yes, at least XT/AT switching was common in those days. It gradually disappeared in the following years.
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"Multi-Function" might be a red herring in this case.
It might just mean auto switching between XT and AT modes, which was quite common.
I have a confession to make. One of my jobs was installing Compaq PC upgrades in BT offices around London, including that one. So I may be responsible for the binning of hundreds of those lovely keyboards. Boo, hiss!!
(Though it was the late 90s, so they were probably long gone by then.)
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My bets would still be on codeset 2 & 3 (host selectable) support in MF mode and codeset 2 only in "AT 02".
Anyway, these G80-1000 series boards have a nice sound and feel to them. They're kinda hollow under the PCB, so they sound far less "dead" than a G80-3000. Goes well with blacks IMO. These old blacks feel a bit less stiff, too. Very chocolate-y feel.
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Very chocolate-y feel.
That's a very good way to describe it. I've not compared it to a modern black switch yet.
I use this in AT 02 mode; I remember trying each position and one didn't work for me, the other threw up weirdness - but it's three years ago I did that, and I knew nothing about any of this then - and not much more now - so some dabbling and research into what's going on is needed I think. Something to do while it rains.