geekhack
geekhack Marketplace => Great Finds => Topic started by: eyesnine on Mon, 26 March 2012, 13:29:40
-
A couple of interesting Model F auctions:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-Vintage-Clicky-Keyboard-Model-F-or-M-150110-80s-Pretty-good-shape-1-/140730674605?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20c433adad#ht_2324wt_228
http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-Vintage-Clicky-Keyboard-Model-F-or-M-150110-80s-Pretty-good-shape-2-/140730704093?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20c43420dd#ht_922wt_1397
-
Ugh, I want to try the F. Is the XT layout really that bad?
Also, how many of these did the project Gutenberg guy have?
-
There's two AT Model F's on Ebay right now.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-IBM-PC-AT-PERSONAL-KEYBOARD-M-F-CLICKY-KEYBOARD-/260989198948?pt=PCA_Mice_Trackballs&hash=item3cc42b2264 and
http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-PC-AT-Model-F-Clicky-Keyboard-/280852696318?pt=PCA_Mice_Trackballs&hash=item4164200cfe
To be honest, I find the AT F's to be a little disappointing, namely the (very) heavy space bar, and the slightly reduced key travel distance compared to the XT F. Your call, though.
-
Space bar can be modded, although it's a bit of a task.
Reduced key travel, interesting. I hadn't noticed it. But then I haven't spent much time using the XT (and I only have one of them so I couldn't generalise from that anyway). I'll have to try a side-by-side later. I'm struggling to think which part is different on it though.
-
One of them (I think it's the AT) has that whole "under-carriage" affair on the back side of the spacebar. That might be part of it. I know that I had a heck of a time, using threads and weights, trying to re-install an AT spacebar, even with the board apart.
Am I remembering correctly that the XT has the super-long spacebar, and are you saying that it feels lighter than the AT in spite of its size?
The F-122 has a thinner wire for the stabilizer than the M, and is probably different from the other F models as well. I don't have an XT anymore, but I should compare the F-122 and AT side-by-side.
PS - I think that there were 2 Gutenbergs and that they fetched around $75 each, but I may be wrong.
-
Damn, I forgot to bid on this one: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/120883947419?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
Someone got a good deal, even if it's only for spares!
-
Am I remembering correctly that the XT has the super-long spacebar, and are you saying that it feels lighter than the AT in spite of its size?
The F-122 has a thinner wire for the stabilizer than the M, and is probably different from the other F models as well. I don't have an XT anymore, but I should compare the F-122 and AT side-by-side.
Compared to the AT-F, the XT-F has a pretty light space bar...I haven't weighted any of them, but the XT's is more balanced, compared to the other keys, while the AT requires quite a bit more force compared to the rest of the keys on the board..
By the way, isn't it the AT that has the super long space bar? Putting the two together, it's a bit hard to tell for me, but the XT's spacebar is much easier to type with, while the AT definitely takes some getting used to.
Reduced key travel, interesting. I hadn't noticed it. But then I haven't spent much time using the XT (and I only have one of them so I couldn't generalise from that anyway). I'll have to try a side-by-side later. I'm struggling to think which part is different on it though.
Doing a side by side, it feels that way to me. I guess it could be a matter of taste too...I have taken apart an XT (though I'm more than sure you could figure out it's innards way better than I could!), but I have a few of them, while I have only one AT, which I'm leaving as is. Don't want to risk it!
As a side note, I took off the 8* key from my good XT (the one I use if I decide to break out the convertor and use it), and an 8* from the AT.
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f91/nesfreak128/xtat2.jpg)
AT top, XT bottom
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f91/nesfreak128/xtat1.jpg)
XT left, AT right, delicious croissant far left (I was using the box)
It looked like the AT key (both are one piece, no removable keycap) is slightly shorter, but I could be wrong, since they both were interchangeable on the boards.
-
Reduced key travel, interesting. I hadn't noticed it. But then I haven't spent much time using the XT (and I only have one of them so I couldn't generalise from that anyway). I'll have to try a side-by-side later. I'm struggling to think which part is different on it though.
The barrels are molded separately, and AT uses a different mold compared to the AT. Maybe they enlarged the barrel in the redesign.