geekhack
geekhack Marketplace => Great Finds => Topic started by: AKIMbO on Sat, 18 August 2012, 21:20:50
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http://www.ebay.com/itm/140828824331?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
^Check it out. I'd bid on it if I didn't just acquire my 3rd PC/AT keyboard.
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ooosh, delete this thread <3
;D
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Lmao....it's my favorite make/model kb. Dunno if my signature gives it away.
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I really want to get one to try out (maybe mod) because I really like the switches on these better than my Model M. Hard to find a good deal on one though...
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Sadly not a german qwertz. Trying hard to find a Model F PC/AT (i love them *sigh) with german qwertz but no luck so far. :(
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Hoping everyone's poor this week. Really want to try an F but didn't worry about scoring one back when they were hitting trash piles... i mean, Ms had a better layout, and most keyboards were pretty good...
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Hoping everyone's poor this week. Really want to try an F but didn't worry about scoring one back when they were hitting trash piles... i mean, Ms had a better layout, and most keyboards were pretty good...
I keep saying...model f's will change your life bro. So much lighter than model m's....makes cherry blues feel like a pauper's switch.
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Heh, seems the F and J keys got some "home spot markers" burned in though... You want them, except when you're going for a Colemak layout.
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There is no doubt that the stock Model F XT has the best feel, undoubtedly since it was manufactured when IBM was charging $350 1984 dollars for it, about what a dot-matrix printer cost, and about as complicated.
I can't abide the layout of an F XT, or even an F AT, for that matter, because I use both number and arrow keys all the time, and switching between them with NumLock is a nightmare.
However, for me, a modded F-122 terminal board gives me everything I want, plus a bonus set of function keys and a dozen more spares at the top.
When you take it apart to move barrels and springs around to achieve a very-near-ANSI layout, you might as well do a bolt mod. It is much easier than a Model M bolt mod, and you can use normal nuts and bolts from the corner hardware store.
While you are at it, do a floss mod, too, and you will have a exquisitely delicate behemoth that is acceptable in polite company.
Unfortunately, the F-122s have now become as expensive as the others, and harder to find.
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I need to resurrect my bolt-mod wiki for the F-122.
The F XTs and F ATs have what I would call "sliding force-fit tabs" (for lack of a better term) at the top and bottom of the curved plates. It is only mildly difficult to slide them back together, but the F-122s have 3 rows of tabs, including 1 in the middle that requires some bending and forcing of the plates.
I am a big strong guy, but I only have 2 hands, and it is extremely difficult to put one of these beasts back together without a strong helper.
My bolt mod cuts the pesky tabs off and uses only about a half-dozen bolts. Unlike a Model M bolt mod, where there are many of them that you tighten to only finger-tight, for gently adjusting the feel and ping, on the Model F mod I employed rubber and metal washers and screwed them down just as tight as I could for complete rigidity.
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Hoping everyone's poor this week. Really want to try an F but didn't worry about scoring one back when they were hitting trash piles... i mean, Ms had a better layout, and most keyboards were pretty good...
I keep saying...model f's will change your life bro. So much lighter than model m's....makes cherry blues feel like a pauper's switch.
Model F is lighter and faster, indeed. My problem is the space bar being too hard for me. I opened mine when I cleaned it, but I had no idea, and no time to think about, how to make the space bar lighter. Underneath there is just a steal wire held between two plastic guides. Now, I don't think I want to open it again the second time.
So, if somebody has any idea how to make the spacebar lighter, or already tried it, please, share with us.
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Hoping everyone's poor this week. Really want to try an F but didn't worry about scoring one back when they were hitting trash piles... i mean, Ms had a better layout, and most keyboards were pretty good...
I keep saying...model f's will change your life bro. So much lighter than model m's....makes cherry blues feel like a pauper's switch.
Model F is lighter and faster, indeed. My problem is the space bar being too hard for me. I opened mine when I cleaned it, but I had no idea, and no time to think about, how to make the space bar lighter. Underneath there is just a steal wire held between two plastic guides. Now, I don't think I want to open it again the second time.
So, if somebody has any idea how to make the spacebar lighter, or already tried it, please, share with us.
It's an easy mod. If you look at the space bar stabilizer wire, it is bent into a downward v shape. You bend the stabilizer wire into a less sharp v shape ( ie. Place the v shape on your knee and bend the two highest points of the stabilizer wire downwards towards the ground). It only needs to be bent by a few degrees to significantly reduce the actuation force required for the space bar. There is a wiki on it somewhere on this site.
If you really want to attempt this mod and can't find the wiki, i will snap a few photos tomorrow and write a short how to.
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AKIMbO, thank you, it's enough. I'll try it. I was concerned of modifying the length of the stabilizer, at the beginning.
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I really want to get one to try out (maybe mod) because I really like the switches on these better than my Model M. Hard to find a good deal on one though...
I got mine for $5. It is in pristine condition, almost. It was sitting in a basement for 27 years, with other 7 IBM model F boards.
What I want to say, is that eBay is not the only source. Just look around, especially check the recycling companies.
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Another question for AKIMbO. The F and J key caps don't have nibs. There is a way to add them ?
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Another question for AKIMbO. The F and J key caps don't have nibs. There is a way to add them ?
Yes...I actually do this to all my F ATs (add home row nubs). I just source the F & J keys from model m keyboards. Unicomp (http://pckeyboard.com/page/Buttons/PRK) sells single keys for extremely cheap and so does clickykeyboards.com (http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/items.main/parentcat/10191/subcatid/0/id/162955).