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geekhack Marketplace => Great Finds => Topic started by: Voixdelion on Sat, 19 February 2011, 23:50:34

Title: Unfamiliar (to me) IBM Mod F
Post by: Voixdelion on Sat, 19 February 2011, 23:50:34

model F (looks switchable) with funky function keys:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130488204728
 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130488204728)
Anybody got the scoop on what this is?

Title: Unfamiliar (to me) IBM Mod F
Post by: Sam on Sun, 20 February 2011, 02:14:32

I believe it's the keyboard used on the IBM 3178 terminals, with a 15-pin DIN connector.  Not PC compatible as it is.  There were a few different variants of this, I think C1 - C4.  This one is a C3.  I've got one of these as well a C1 and C2 variant, but haven't done anything with them yet to check how easy it'll be to make a new controller or converter for them.  I like the looks of these boards, but for now they're only sitting around looking good and not of any use.  C1 has 75 keys, C2, C3, C4 have 87 keys.

Title: Unfamiliar (to me) IBM Mod F
Post by: ch_123 on Sun, 20 February 2011, 05:52:14

That's an interesting one - traditionally the keypad on a 3270 keyboard would only have PF keys, this one has a numpad too. It also has the Model F designation, whereas the older originals would be designated against which submodel of the 3178 they were designed to be connected to.