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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Zen on Wed, 15 December 2010, 11:14:46

Title: What is this ? IBM 1978 ??
Post by: Zen on Wed, 15 December 2010, 11:14:46

I got this today ..
It's HEAVY, made of metal, has a wonderful clicky sound and awesome
keycaps .. Even the blank Escape-key is double-shot !!
Somewhere inside is stamped '1978' and my old IBM-engineer friend
says it's a IBM-made keyboard but doesn't remember much else about it .
So, if you know anything about it, I'm all ears !

(http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/9392/scan6a.jpg)

(http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/3866/scan8s.jpg)

(http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/1530/scan10v.jpg)

(http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/1161/scan18t.jpg)

(http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/2098/scan13.jpg)

After cleaning :
(http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/553/scan21.jpg)

Title: What is this ? IBM 1978 ??
Post by: mr_a500 on Wed, 15 December 2010, 11:22:59

That's just a crap keyboard. You don't need it. I'll take it off your hands for a few bucks. :wink:

Title: What is this ? IBM 1978 ??
Post by: Phaedrus2129 on Wed, 15 December 2010, 11:23:52

They make good collectors items, and some people call beam springs the best switches ever made.

Good luck getting it to work on a PC though.

Title: What is this ? IBM 1978 ??
Post by: msiegel on Wed, 15 December 2010, 11:25:12

yay, it's a beautiful ibm terminal board :D

maybe international version of 3278?

webwit would be proud.
EDIT: here are 3278 pics (http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?t=7112)

Title: What is this ? IBM 1978 ??
Post by: godly_music on Wed, 15 December 2010, 12:43:49

I remember these. We used to load 'em up in choppers and drop them on Charlie back in 'Nam.

Title: What is this ? IBM 1978 ??
Post by: itlnstln on Wed, 15 December 2010, 12:48:02

Quote from: godly_music;263549

I remember these. We used to load 'em up in choppers and drop them on Charlie back in 'Nam.

Winner.  Got my lawl.

Title: What is this ? IBM 1978 ??
Post by: Zen on Wed, 15 December 2010, 13:22:14

Quote from: Phaedrus2129;263520

They make good collectors items,
and some people call beam springs the best switches ever made.

Good luck getting it to work on a PC though.

Thanks..
I've been air-typing on it for an hour and this is the best
feeling keyboard I have ever typed on..
To bad I can't see what I'm typing :)

Title: What is this ? IBM 1978 ??
Post by: msiegel on Wed, 15 December 2010, 13:38:12

Quote from: Zen;263568

this is the best feeling keyboard I have ever typed on

aw man... *envy*

i gotta get back to work on my model f conversion project, stat!

Title: What is this ? IBM 1978 ??
Post by: mr_a500 on Thu, 16 December 2010, 06:59:14

Quote from: godly_music;263549

I remember these. We used to load 'em up in choppers and drop them on Charlie back in 'Nam.

I'm going back to 'Nam - see if I can rescue a few. I bet they're being held in POW camps. They probably don't even know the war is over. With any luck, the rescue will go just like in Rambo... only clickier.

Title: What is this ? IBM 1978 ??
Post by: Findecanor on Thu, 16 December 2010, 13:31:40

I would like to try myself some beam-spring switches to find out if they really are the bees' knees or not ... and if they are, build a M15 out of it. :-P

It has German layout. Could this be the same keyboard that I once bid on over at German eBay, but lost? ...

Title: What is this ? IBM 1978 ??
Post by: Zen on Thu, 16 December 2010, 14:04:46

If 'once' is recently..
Yes, it could be .... And they are !

I also think the MASSIVE casing, the rock-solid mounting of the switches and  the beefy caps play a major role in how the package feels ..

Title: What is this ? IBM 1978 ??
Post by: PRISONER 24601 on Thu, 16 December 2010, 14:20:07

spacebar is a little shiny- just throw it out.