geekhack
geekhack Community => New Members => Topic started by: Krogenar on Mon, 20 August 2012, 11:31:28
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My name is Krogenar (more of a hard 'j' sound for the 'g') and I've been lurking at the forum for a few weeks now in preparation for buying my first IBM Model M keyboard. The users here really know their stuff --- color me impressed.
They say that on the Internet every form of pornography is available (Smurf cosplay bondage, midgets, etc.) -- well, I found my keyboard pornography right here at geekhack. Happy I found this forum!
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(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/61075086/Welcome.jpg)
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I do have to say sixty's cover girl is quite cute >~< (http://keyboardporn.com/)
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http://geekhack.org/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=34551.0;attach=2319;image
There are a lot of good looking keyboards NOT on webwit's 'site, too.
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http://geekhack.org/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=34551.0;attach=2319;image
There are a lot of good looking keyboards NOT on webwit's 'site, too.
Very cool - sort of a keyboard without the case. Reminds me of seeing a weird ass keyboard where the keys were all randomly positionable.
Edit: found it here: http://www.gearlive.com/index.php/news/article/ergodex_dx1_keyboard_with_movable_keys_05060217/ (http://www.gearlive.com/index.php/news/article/ergodex_dx1_keyboard_with_movable_keys_05060217/)
Ergodex DX1 -- anyone ever use it?
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I haven't but I remember it being mentioned on GH before. If you make a post about it, I'm sure someone will step forward with some knowledge to share.
The keyboard I posted (courtesy of alaricljs) Is just a filco TKL with it's upper cover removed, and thick "cherry profile" green Dyesublimated PBT keycaps. The USB hum it appears to be plugged into also looks like it's caseless.
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Do the people on GH ever have conferences or meetups? Anything like that?
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Welcome to GH!
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Welcome to Geekhack
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Do the people on GH ever have conferences or meetups? Anything like that?
There's a couple that have gone on.
Welcome to geekhack = p
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Welcome to geekhack, your wallet now belongs to us.
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No, I refuse to empty my wallet!
But... my wife thinks I'm crazy because I'm planning on visiting estate sales and yard sales in an attempt to find a discarded Model M keyboard. It's like I'm on some half-assed safari. Sure, I could buy one (and have already) but I want to find one. It's starting to affect my driving because I'm looking on sidewalks on metal collection Wednesdays for old computer equipment.
Again, my wife doesn't get it. She says, "So what if you find one... it'll likely be broken anyway!" I explain I could use a broken Model M for parts! She's grossed out by the idea of a used keyboard. But I'm looking forward to finding one and bringing it back to life. It'll be that much cooler to use if I find one myself.
Any tips on finding these in the wild? I'm thinking business liquidations might be a good place to find them.
And so my quest begins! Any tips greatly appreciated.
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Thrift stores and yard sales are great if you drive around a lot anyway.
I am in outside sales, and my driving causes me to pass at least a dozen of each a month. I stop in when I have a couple of extra minutes, make a very quick circuit, and then move on.
When you go out on a quest, you are sure to be disappointed 98% of the time.
That's why you need to make it quick and simple, and repeat often. I had been looking for half a year before I found a Model M, then I found 3 in a couple of months. 1 of them worked. Haven't seen another in months.
Patience.
PS - the same goes for ebay. use Auction Sniper and put in very lowball bids. occasionally you will get lucky.
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Thrift stores and yard sales are great if you drive around a lot anyway.
Yeah, I'm not on the road all the time anyway, so I pretty much have to use my spare time for the 'quest'. This past weekend I went to ten different tag sales and estate sales -- only two keyboards, but not buckling spring, or anything interesting.
I am in outside sales, and my driving causes me to pass at least a dozen of each a month. I stop in when I have a couple of extra minutes, make a very quick circuit, and then move on.
That's perfect. I'm thinking of making trips to the dump to check out the ditched computers, and just keeping my eyes peeled. Enlisted some family and friends to keep an eye out for old keyboards as well. I have a brother-in-law who loves a good tag sale and he's on the lookout as well.
When you go out on a quest, you are sure to be disappointed 98% of the time.
You are correct. But if it was easy then what would be the point, right?
I've since purchased my second Model M (this time from eBay, as opposed to the first, which was through clickykeyboards.) for home use. It arrived in good condition, but ot as good as the clickykeyboards keyboard which was immaculate. This second keyboard has a right shift that should stick, and a spacebar that pinged and had to be hit twice to register.
I hummed the MacGuyver theme, and swapped the 'Ctrl' keys (seemed like the right shift worked, but was a scraping the 'Ctrl' key) and this fixed it. The spacebar needed removing and just some light tweaking and now it's perfect. But scary there for a moment.
So now I've got two, but I still want to see how just how early a Model M I can find (or buy) -- silly, I know -- and I'm also contemplating a Model M Terminal (122 keys) just because it looks frickin' awesome. Just a monstrous looking keyboard. The Model F looks a bit out there even for me. I just want gobs of keys to remap, and the 122 Model M looks like just the trick. I'm a little leery of putting together Soarer's converter to make it work. I'm not that experienced with electronics.
Fohat, just how difficult is it to put together a converter?
PS - the same goes for ebay. use Auction Sniper and put in very lowball bids. occasionally you will get lucky.
The wife is giving me mild stinkeye over this keyboard business already. Nevermind that she has a Russian Doll-style purse collection (a purse inside a purse, inside another purse, which is inside yet another purse) but I figure if I torture her with enough tag sales she'll eventually crack. :cool:
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The wife is giving me mild stinkeye over this keyboard business already. Nevermind that she has a Russian Doll-style purse collection (a purse inside a purse, inside another purse, which is inside yet another purse) but I figure if I torture her with enough tag sales she'll eventually crack. :cool:
that's the spirit!! welcome to geekhack!
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The wife is giving me mild stinkeye over this keyboard business already. Nevermind that she has a Russian Doll-style purse collection (a purse inside a purse, inside another purse, which is inside yet another purse) but I figure if I torture her with enough tag sales she'll eventually crack. :cool:
that's the spirit!! welcome to geekhack!
This^^ and welcome to wallethack...