geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: lam47 on Tue, 18 November 2008, 04:44:13
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Yeah so this turned up today.
For some reason its not working.
Every key stoke makes a pip sound. It has a speaker built in.
Its very heavy. Switches are silent but pretty tactile.
If anyone has any ideas to get it going let me know. manufacture date is 86! Its brand new and I would like to try and use it :)
Pic and video.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v331/laurie47/?action=view¤t=MOV00033.flv
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/laurie47/DSC00032.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/laurie47/DSC00039-2.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/laurie47/DSC00042-2.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/laurie47/DSC00038-1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/laurie47/DSC00037.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/laurie47/DSC00034.jpg)
Dips and a removable chip.
More pics including internal in a bit.
Battery is charging.
It has dip switches in it!
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Switches are silent but pretty tactile.
Mine are as linear as it gets, strange ...
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Are we talking about the same thing? I mean they have resistance. No clicks or lumps in the travel.
Does yours work?
Does it make pip pip sounds?
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Are we talking about the same thing? I mean they have resistance. No clicks or lumps in the travel.
Does yours work?
Does it make pip pip sounds?
With lump it would be tactile, without lump linear.
Mine doesn't work either and it does beep. It's probably an XT board. Maybe the dip switch will do something here.
Manufacturer obviously is NMB Hi-Tek Corporation (as the switches already suggested).
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Right. I did wonder about the keyboard definition of tactile. Good to know!
Time to play with the dips then :)
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Tactile means that there is some sort of physical feedback as to when the key is actuated (typically referred to as a "bump")...resistance in the key stroke is typically less once the key is actuated. Clickiness refers to audio feedback as to when the key is actuated.
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I still have my old XT computer. It will take a couple of days to get it though. I hope my mum didn't throw it away. :)
Do regular multi-sync monitors work with MGA/Hercules cards?
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Took the chip out and the lights came on :)
Still cant get it to type though.
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Did you try the dip switches?
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Yes, have had no luck as yet though.
All 8 have traces leading to a chip so I think it must be switchable.
I just cant work out the combination.
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With windows you may have to boot after changing a dip switch. My Linux box recognizes a PS/2 'board immediately. I'll see if I can try that tonight.
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That's interesting and will slow things right down lol.
LMK how you get on.
I will keep trying.
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It should be possible to switch off the beep at least? This could work without reboot.
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Nope. No luck.
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Dips are all off but 1 by default. Tried turning 1 off too but it didn't change anything.
I will try some more this afternoon.
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That thing looks solid. The components are from reputable manufacturers it seems (Hitachi and Mitsubishi from what I can see).
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Yeah so this turned up today.
That makes it sound like you had an orphan dropped at you doorstep. :)
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Well 40 odd reboots later and I cant get the dips to do anything.
If anyone wants this solid weirdo let me know.
I would have loved to type on it as the keys feel very nice and its cool to have something from 86 in new condition.
Sigh.
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Is there any "birth certificate" on the back?
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Or an FCC ID would be great, too. :)
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Mine only has:
Part No. 113130
Rev A
Code AT
Made in Thailand
Kn 84 F1 (or Fl)
Serial No. T313193 86
And 2 small round stickers "Func Test2 1" and "Final 0187 1".
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This is the back of it.
Might be valuable to someone.
Here are the switches.
Would be happy to swap it for something I could use :)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/laurie47/DSC00045.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/laurie47/DSC00044-2.jpg)
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Nice pic of the switches. Now I see why they're called space invaders, the green one is quite cute. :)
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Well 40 odd reboots later and I cant get the dips to do anything.
I'll skip the dip switch test then and wait until I have my XT here.
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I had to play around with the dip switch anyway. Nothing happend.
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Wait a cotton picking minuet.
You have a model M right? Does it have the detachable cable?
Is the connector on the back of this not the same kind?
I will get a model m this week with a detachable cable so will let you know if it works!
Im thinking it will as the Cable on the weird keyboard is detachable too.
I might well be a genius!
lol
(i spelt detachable wrong 3 times, not that clever)
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That cable isn't considered detachable. And, it has a different connector from a non-detachable Lexmark Model M's cable, so that idea won't work.
Besides, with a pin adapter, an AT keyboard will work just fine on a PS/2 system (or PS/2 to USB adapter.) This seems to be an XT keyboard, which will need a protocol adapter (ClickyKeyboards sells one of their own design for $100 :eek:) to work on an AT or PS/2 system.
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That cable isn't considered detachable. And, it has a different connector from a non-detachable Lexmark Model M's cable, so that idea won't work.
The NMB board has a second port where the IBM detachable cable might fit.
I will get a model m this week with a detachable cable so will let you know if it works!
I think chances are low that this will work but you might destroy something. I killed a ps/2 to usb converter a few weeks ago by putting power on a data line.
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Nice pic of the switches. Now I see why they're called space invaders, the green one is quite cute. :)
what type of switches are these, I have an old ps2 board with them and have no clue what they are?
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Ah, I missed that... sorry... :o
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They are nmb switches.
I dont see why the cable would not be hard soldered to the board if it was not supposed to be removed for some reason.
I bet the dips are for re routing data to the other port too.
I could be completely wrong but will give it a go when I get the model M.
The cable WILL fit, just had a look at some pictures.
(http://www.rushretro.com/images/kb/4a.jpg)
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Actually, that's an RJ45 connector, not an SDL connector... I wouldn't try it.
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Balls. It looked the same to me :P
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I dont see why the cable would not be hard soldered to the board if it was not supposed to be removed for some reason.
The cables are rarely hard soldered, probably for production purposes. Like, the parts are all attached to the pcb, then the whole pcb is driven through the solder bath. Wouldn't really work with a long cable hanging around.
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The cables are rarely hard soldered, probably for production purposes. Like, the parts are all attached to the pcb, then the whole pcb is driven through the solder bath. Wouldn't really work with a long cable hanging around.
Thats a fair point.
I thought I was onto something there :(
How the mighty have fallen.
I have seen a signal converter but at $100 its just not worth it.
Would this keyboard be of interest to anyone?
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I guess the Hi-Tek NME is your Enemy... *rimshot*
Thank you, everybody, I'll be here all week!
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Your keyboard with same label and situation right. Did you sold it to Sandy?
http://sandy55.fc2web.com/keyboard/nmb_at84.html
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That's quite some necro.
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That's quite some necro.
At nearly 7 years, I think this is a record!
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(http://i.imgur.com/khH9mjO.jpg)
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And as first post too, wooo! :P