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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: engicoder on Sat, 16 February 2013, 07:00:12

Title: Barn find: Zenith ZKB-2
Post by: engicoder on Sat, 16 February 2013, 07:00:12

For real...I was helping a farmer friend setup his new PC, an all in one HP which has a lovely screen but a piss poor chicklet keyboard and happened to mention that I preferred the older mechanical style keyboards. He said, "Really?, I have a couple old computers in the barn that don't work anymore."

Turns out he had a late 80's Zenith and a mid 90's Compaq. The Compaq had a Model M which he said he loved but didn't realize he could use with a newer pc. I got him set up with the Model M on his new PC and he let me have the Zenith...score!

So here it is:

Zenith ZKB-2
Date:    November 1987
Switch: Alps Green

[attach=1]
[attach=2]
[attach=3]

Its quite yellow...looks like time for a little Retr0brite!!
I will post a follow up when I get her cleaned up.

Title: Re: Barn find: Zenith ZKB-2
Post by: Hyde on Sat, 16 February 2013, 07:09:34

lol nice, the enter key almost look like a tetris piece.

And yes please post more pictures once it's cleaned up  :D

Title: Re: Barn find: Zenith ZKB-2
Post by: engicoder on Sat, 16 February 2013, 07:11:34

Quote from: Hyde on Sat, 16 February 2013, 07:09:34

lol nice, the enter key almost look like a tetris piece.

Yes...I'm surprised row 2 and 3 haven't disappeared ;-)

Title: Re: Barn find: Zenith ZKB-2
Post by: Number_25 on Sat, 16 February 2013, 07:15:22

It looks awesome, clean it up a bit and there you have a new (free) keyboard!

Title: Re: Barn find: Zenith ZKB-2
Post by: poxeclipse on Sat, 16 February 2013, 07:51:18

Green Alps are one of the best linear switches. I got an Ortek with green Alps, from the '80s, and was my favourite keyboard for a couple of months. Nice find.

Title: Re: Barn find: Zenith ZKB-2
Post by: AKIMbO on Sat, 16 February 2013, 08:43:39

I've got the same board (Zenith ZKB2-AT with green alps) and love it!  There is a key combo to turn the internal speaker on and off (the one that simulates a click sound).  I believe the key combo is alt + esc or alt + ~

Title: Re: Barn find: Zenith ZKB-2
Post by: engicoder on Sat, 16 February 2013, 08:47:35

Quote from: AKIMbO on Sat, 16 February 2013, 08:43:39

I've got the same board (Zenith ZKB2-AT with green alps) and love it!

Thanks for the info....
It appears to have an AT connector...will a standard AT to PS/2 converter work with this board?

Title: Re: Barn find: Zenith ZKB-2
Post by: AKIMbO on Sat, 16 February 2013, 08:52:56

Quote from: engicoder on Sat, 16 February 2013, 08:47:35

Quote from: AKIMbO on Sat, 16 February 2013, 08:43:39

I've got the same board (Zenith ZKB2-AT with green alps) and love it!

Thanks for the info....
It appears to have an AT connector...will a standard AT to PS/2 converter work with this board?

Yes it will.  When I hook mine up to my computer, I usually use an AT to PS/2 adapter and plug it straight into my PS/2 port.  Otherwise, I'll use an AT to PS/2 adapter and then plug that into a PS/2 to USB converter, which I then plug into my USB port.  Both ways work, but I have trouble with key rollover if I try to game on the Zenith when it is hooked up via USB.

Title: Re: Barn find: Zenith ZKB-2
Post by: engicoder on Sat, 16 February 2013, 09:31:15

Thanks....I use the PS/2 port usually anyway.

Title: Re: Barn find: Zenith ZKB-2
Post by: engicoder on Fri, 11 July 2014, 12:57:22

I finally got around to cleaning this old girl up a bit. Check it out here (http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=60478.0).