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geekhack Marketplace => Great Finds => Topic started by: Elrick on Sun, 26 August 2012, 21:38:44

Title: Buckling Spring with a Clear Case......???
Post by: Elrick on Sun, 26 August 2012, 21:38:44
Just want to let you guys know (yes, I have lots of spare time to troll the Ebay sites) and found this for sale;

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Buckling-Springs-Precision-IZITK-105M-vintage-clicky-keyboard-NOT-IBM-Model-M-/271042042587?pt=PCA_Mice_Trackballs&hash=item3f1b5d5adb

Is it basically a Chinese made effort or something IBM had failed at doing successfully?  It just looks like some kind of attempted "Coolness" factor with using cheap plastic for the case/cable.......like a fashion/trend.
Title: Re: Buckling Spring with a Clear Case......???
Post by: tgujay on Sun, 26 August 2012, 22:06:22
Wat.  Looks like madcatz haha.
Title: Re: Buckling Spring with a Clear Case......???
Post by: bootstrap on Mon, 27 August 2012, 02:25:13
fohat.digs placed this keyboard in the classifieds not long ago: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=34864.0
Title: Re: Buckling Spring with a Clear Case......???
Post by: Elrick on Mon, 27 August 2012, 03:40:31
fohat.digs placed this keyboard in the classifieds not long ago: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=34864.0

Thanks for that, so weird keyboards do belong to Geekhackers.  I hope he can sell it on Ebay and get some recompense.
Title: Re: Buckling Spring with a Clear Case......???
Post by: fohat.digs on Mon, 27 August 2012, 07:42:16
I will be dropping the ebay price soon, and/or will sell it here for $35 + shipping.

If the wife wasn't already irritated with the keyboard collection/hospital/graveyard in the garage, I would keep it around and work on it "some" day.

The thing is interesting and weird, the only one I have ever seen.

Being that it looks cool and modern, and is not really any bigger or heavier than a "normal" keyboard, it should solve some of the objections against the old IBM behemoths.

Could be a 5-minute fix if you can diagnose the problem.


Title: Re: Buckling Spring with a Clear Case......???
Post by: AKIMbO on Mon, 27 August 2012, 09:09:38
I've never seen a barrel like that.  Looks cool! It kinda reminds me of the Filco Skeleton.
Title: Re: Buckling Spring with a Clear Case......???
Post by: REVENGE on Wed, 29 August 2012, 03:59:52
Yikes, this clone used to be well document in the wiki...
Title: Re: Buckling Spring with a Clear Case......???
Post by: Elrick on Wed, 29 August 2012, 04:32:36

The thing is interesting and weird, the only one I have ever seen.


Have you ever ran a test on the Clear plastic to see if it's PBT, ABS or some other type of plastic? 

I've only ever known ABS to be used as Clear casings throughout the early Apple Blue G3 years, far back in the nineties.  Not saying it's related to the Apple Corp.
Title: Re: Buckling Spring with a Clear Case......???
Post by: Icarium on Wed, 29 August 2012, 05:25:03
This looks totally like the barrel on the "worst buckling spring in the world". Now I just need to find the appropriate thread. :) Well, here is one on DT http://deskthority.net/photos-videos-f8/buckling-springs-can-5001cw-t2043.html?hilit=horrible%20buckling%20spring I hope nobody minds.

Edit: I've tried it at the keyboard party it really is quite horrible!
Title: Re: Buckling Spring with a Clear Case......???
Post by: fohat.digs on Wed, 29 August 2012, 06:52:03
It is not that one, and the assemblies are not oiled, unless very very lightly, but it may be similar. It has a PS2 connector.

"Worst Buckling Spring" does not mean worst keyboard, it is an interesting piece, especially for a collector. $25 + shipping, anyone?

I cry every time I look for the wikis. There was a treasure trove of information there, and I have expressed my deep gratitude to R.I.P.ster many times for his monumental contributions.

It was, in large part, because of Geekhack's wikis that I developed a passion for keyboards.
Title: Re: Buckling Spring with a Clear Case......???
Post by: Icarium on Wed, 29 August 2012, 07:19:26
fohat.digs: I would totally take that if the shipping costs to EU weren't so high. :) I by no means wanted to say that it is not interesting. Even if it is horrible it is still interesting and apparently it is not necessarily horrible. :)
Title: Re: Buckling Spring with a Clear Case......???
Post by: fohat.digs on Wed, 29 August 2012, 07:46:48
I hear what you are saying. I think it would take at least $40+ to ship it to Europe even without the flat rate box.
Title: Re: Buckling Spring with a Clear Case......???
Post by: REVENGE on Wed, 29 August 2012, 19:00:12
Unless there were two OEMs rip(ster)ing off buckling springs, you're looking at a Ya Sheng.
Title: Re: Buckling Spring with a Clear Case......???
Post by: ed_avis on Mon, 03 September 2012, 12:53:26
Looks similar to some Chinese buckling spring keyboards I used to have (don't know where they went...).  I guess that is Ya Sheng.  The clear case is unusual, but far better would be clear keys so you can see the buckling spring mechanism.  An all-glass buckling spring keyboard would be awesome.