geekhack

geekhack Marketplace => Great Finds => Topic started by: KillerBee on Sun, 21 November 2010, 20:19:18

Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: KillerBee on Sun, 21 November 2010, 20:19:18
Here is this space saver who is already 100 and its still 5 days to go but the things that jumped at me where in the number row some numbers are mis-mached.

http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-MODEL-M-SPACE-SAVER-CLICKY-KEYBOARD-RARE-/120648910391?pt=PCA_Mice_Trackballs&hash=item1c173c4637 (http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-MODEL-M-SPACE-SAVER-CLICKY-KEYBOARD-RARE-/120648910391?pt=PCA_Mice_Trackballs&hash=item1c173c4637)

Positive things to note has the selectric style backspace

and the Ctrl and Alt keys are like the 122 Key Model F

It also has the terminal style shifts!

I think the insert home page up area also has weird keys along with the print screen and scroll lock keys

I dont know maybe I am in one of my insane trips again but there is a crazy mix of caps there in some cases the printing does not match in some areas

AHHHHH!!! Insanity!! The Model M Kind!!
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: Sam on Sun, 21 November 2010, 20:26:49
The seller says he owned an IBM dealership.  Perhaps he switched keycaps from other keyboards for some reason.  I doubt IBM would have made a keyboard with mismatched keycaps.
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: msiegel on Sun, 21 November 2010, 20:30:24
it's gotta be the biggest hodge-podge since ripster's international mod :)
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: KillerBee on Sun, 21 November 2010, 20:39:14
Quote from: msiegel;250349
it's gotta be the biggest hodge-podge since ripster's international mod :)

model m key cap soup now in convenient space savers
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: MissileMike on Sun, 21 November 2010, 20:44:08
Ah so this is a Frankenstein mini.  I thought it was some special model they produced or something.   Oh well, glad to know that so I won't bid on it.
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: TexasFlood on Sun, 21 November 2010, 20:48:56
Quote from: ripster;250342
Whoah - that is an odd one.  

I wish Ebay sellers would take pics where you actually could read the keys.

Here it is bigger, if not much sharper...
(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13622)
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: KillerBee on Sun, 21 November 2010, 20:52:16
The Ctrl keys are green and I cant see, to find the numpad for the life of me, I cant see any visible traces on the keys or on the sides to indicate a numpad is present
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: KillerBee on Sun, 21 November 2010, 20:55:31
(Double Post)
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: TexasFlood on Sun, 21 November 2010, 21:05:54
Quote from: KillerBee;250368
The Ctrl keys are green and I cant see, to find the numpad for the life of me, I cant see any visible traces on the keys or on the sides to indicate a numpad is present

The picture is so bad that It's really hard to tell.
It looks like this 1392464 (http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/items.main/parentcat/9242/subcatid/0/id/120575), less some of the green labels.
But again the seller picture is too poor to be sure of much.
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: KillerBee on Sun, 21 November 2010, 21:10:22
As per the seller a day ago: I thought this was a rare early space saver at first

Build Date: January 18 1988
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: KillerBee on Sun, 21 November 2010, 21:13:49
My theory of this, I am 100% this guy just took the pretty caps he liked put it on his personal model M and swapped the normal ones in.

If you see the clicky keyboards one there are green legends everywhere and I dont see them at all!
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: KillerBee on Sun, 21 November 2010, 21:21:29
He states in the auction that the numlock activates with a Control Scroll Lock combo which really breaks the door wide open on this being a display writer keyboard but then you see the scroll lock key and its a standard issue one.

Which brings me back to my initial conclusion
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: Sam on Sun, 21 November 2010, 21:28:29
The real 1392464 has different legends for the F keys.  This one has standard F keys.  And as KillerBee mentions, no traces of green legends that I can see either.  Being it came from an IBM dealership, what do you want to bet that some customer needed those keycaps, so he pulled them off this board and then swapped in standard M keycaps.
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: TexasFlood on Sun, 21 November 2010, 21:49:28
Quote from: Sam;250380
The real 1392464 has different legends for the F keys.  This one has standard F keys.  And as KillerBee mentions, no traces of green legends that I can see either.  Being it came from an IBM dealership, what do you want to bet that some customer needed those keycaps, so he pulled them off this board and then swapped in standard M keycaps.

I've only ever seen pictures of two 1392464 keyboards.  They did have different F keys.  I just don't know if a sample of two statistically means anything.  Could there have been other variations?  I don't know.  Changing the caps would also explain it.  Might do it just to make it look like a normal keyboard.
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: MissileMike on Sun, 21 November 2010, 22:18:51
The listing does say it's a 1392464.
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: KillerBee on Sun, 21 November 2010, 22:26:56
GUYS Check This OUT!! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Fellow member Shem just picked one up recently here is his post with the pics

http://geekhack.org/showpost.php?p=227351&postcount=109 (http://geekhack.org/showpost.php?p=227351&postcount=109)

(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=12640&d=1285618769)

(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=12641&d=1285618817)

(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=12642&d=1285618854)
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: TexasFlood on Sun, 21 November 2010, 22:32:52
Quote from: KillerBee;250400
GUYS Check This OUT!! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Fellow member Shem just picked one up recently here is his post with the pics
I said I'd seen pictures of two.  That's the other one (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290471215601).
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: Half-Saint on Mon, 22 November 2010, 00:44:07
Now that has to be the coolest looking Space Saver ever!
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: msiegel on Mon, 22 November 2010, 00:50:22
ebay result: sold for a hundred and twenty two bucks
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: Sam on Mon, 22 November 2010, 01:32:13
Quote from: TexasFlood;250385
I've only ever seen pictures of two 1392464 keyboards.  They did have different F keys.  I just don't know if a sample of two statistically means anything.  Could there have been other variations?  I don't know.  Changing the caps would also explain it.  Might do it just to make it look like a normal keyboard.


Look at the two real 1392464's.  For keycaps which have shifted and non-shifted legends on the same key, they all have the non-shifted legend printed high up on the keycap compared to normal M keycaps.  It's all very consistent.  Now look at the board on eBay.  It has the same high non-shifted legend on the following keys:

`
1
2
3
4
5
0
[
]
\
;
'
,
.

It however has standard M keycaps (with the lower non-shifted legends) on the following keys:
6
7
8
9
-
=
/

I simply cannot believe that IBM would go to the trouble of changing the legends for some of the keys, but not for others.

Look at the legends on the keycaps that weren't swapped.  None of them are DisplayWrite specific legends.  The person swapping the keycaps likely failed to realize the difference in how non-shifted legends were positioned differently and so just swapped some of the keycaps and not all of them.  Either that or they were lazy and just didn't bother.

Statistically speaking, two samples isn't much, but in this case I think it's sufficient to make it very obvious that the all the keycaps on this board are not original.  The ones I mentioned with the high non-shifted legend obviously are original, and in addition it looks like the backspace, and the stepped keys are.  Beyond that it looks like all other keycaps were swapped, with the possible exception of keys which are indistinguishable between a 1392464 and a standard M, such as alphabetic characters without any secondary legends, the space bar, and a few other keys.

In my opinion, it's safe to say with greater than 99% accuracy that this is most definitely a hodge-podge board.
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: KillerBee on Tue, 23 November 2010, 01:27:58
WTF? Now its at 76?

Am I harming this listing? Hahahaha
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: Sam on Tue, 23 November 2010, 02:11:02
For me, it would have to be an APL SpaceSaver to get me really interested.  Well, any IBM APL keyboard for that matter, doesn't need to be a SpaceSaver.  Rip, if you're ever looking to sell your APL board, let me know.
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: KillerBee on Sat, 27 November 2010, 14:02:59
Two hours to go!! This sucker just passed the 100 mark.
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: wanabe on Sat, 27 November 2010, 14:55:59
yikes...$141 with 1.5hrs left
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: MissileMike on Sat, 27 November 2010, 17:05:19
Sold for 152...  About what I expected.
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: KillerBee on Sat, 27 November 2010, 17:17:25
but I honestly think the keys did not have the legends on them
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: ch_123 on Sat, 27 November 2010, 18:20:48
I'm pretty sure these are just regular SSKs with funky keycaps. The ctrl+scrlck thing sounds interesting, though could be the seller being mistaken.
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: ch_123 on Sun, 28 November 2010, 07:21:32
Quote from: Sam;251061
For me, it would have to be an APL SpaceSaver to get me really interested.  Well, any IBM APL keyboard for that matter, doesn't need to be a SpaceSaver.  Rip, if you're ever looking to sell your APL board, let me know.


Email Unicomp
Ask for APL keycaps
???
PROFIT
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: woody on Sun, 28 November 2010, 07:32:00
APL keycap fetish is weird.  :)
Title: IBM Space Saver with Mismatched Caps?
Post by: Sam on Mon, 29 November 2010, 00:02:45
Quote from: ch_123;253291
Email Unicomp
Ask for APL keycaps
???
PROFIT


Thanks for that information.  I didn't realize they still sold them.  The only question though would be are they as good as the original IBM APL keycaps?  Anyone know?