I have no idea what that keyboard is, but it's one weird keyboard, and it was apparently a TKL version of the full IMSAI 8080.Show Image(http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/04/shall-we-play-a-game-original-prop-wargames-for-sale.jpg)
If you look closely at the one in the movie, it has blank keycaps to the right of the alpha keys (there are like 6 blank keys). And it has no pipe bar \| key. Which is weird, and which means to me that it was either non-IBM based technology (which would be very weird for 1983), or it was just a fake keyboard/ movie prop.
Here is pic of David Lightman's computer and WOPR in the background. This is pic of the movie props.Show Image(http://www.itworld.com/sites/default/files/wargames_computer-600x450.jpg)
I hope that it's not just a movie prop, and turns out to be a real keyboard, since it would be a cool one. This needs some serious detective work. Maybe start here:
http://www.imsai.net/movies/wargames.htm
The IMSAI 8080 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMSAI_8080 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMSAI_8080) was an early (1970s) S100 bus 8080 (8bit) processor computer probably running CP/M or the precursor to CP/M. Nothing IBM about it. The keyboard is probably part of a serial terminal (not manufacture by IMSAI) attached to the computer. Definitely mechanical switches on that keyboard. Start looking at 70s terminals.
Michael
I'd guess Hall Effect.An IKB 1 showed up on eBay a while ago, went for like $300 I think.
Love to hear what you guys and gals think. Haven't seen one of those key switches before personally .
Edit: Added last picture
I hope that it's not just a movie prop, and turns out to be a real keyboard, since it would be a cool one. This needs some serious detective work. Maybe start here:
http://www.imsai.net/movies/wargames.htm
Mike, with his cohort in programming, Steve Grummette, had written some code to provide the illusion that Matthew Broderick was actually entering data and getting output on the monitor. In fact, the IKB-1 keyboard could be programmed with a few keystrokes to output an ASCII sequence whenever any key was subsequently pressed. This feature was employed to generate an interrupt in the off-screen CompuPro 8086-based system that Mike had used to develop much of the required output. It is that CompuPro that actually controlled the Electrohome monitor in the movie, but cued by Matthew Broderick's keystrokes on-camera!This is why he can type so smoothly in the film.
In taking a quick look at my other systems, I have a Heathkit H88 and H19 that use similar key switches to the IMSAI IKB-1. It came out in 1978. These are slightly different in that they look the same (fingers on one side) as the IKB-1 but these key switches look like they are individual and put together, they make up the "waffle". The IKB-1 looks to be one solid piece. Maybe there was more than one manufacturer?
I have this bad boy and have been contemplating what to do with it.Those keycaps look wonderful. I wonder if they're thick PBT or whatever...
My thought was to find a really nice piece of wood for a base, but I have too many projects ahead of it.
PM me if anybody is interested in a sale or trade.
I wonder if they're thick PBT or whatever...
That's amazing. Some day, I would like some amazing thick PBT keycaps on my Model F like some of the Cherry and Topre boards have.
I wonder if they're thick PBT or whatever...
They are super-thick doubleshots.
They are so old that they may be some obsolete plastic. I think I remember seeing a 1978 date on it.
As far as I know, not too many companies were using PBT back in the day. You get IBM, ALPS, OKI and maybe OAK (plus a few others that are even less common like cherry). I think they were all using it for the dyesub aspect.That's amazing. Some day, I would like some amazing thick PBT keycaps on my Model F like some of the Cherry and Topre boards have.
I wonder if they're thick PBT or whatever...
They are super-thick doubleshots.
They are so old that they may be some obsolete plastic. I think I remember seeing a 1978 date on it.
I have this bad boy and have been contemplating what to do with it.
The Stackpole version of the Atari 600XL has “stackpole” written on the inside/underside of the spacebar.I have this bad boy and have been contemplating what to do with it.You say "Stackpole" — does it actually say Stackpole anywhere on it? Or are you just going by the design of the contacts and sliders?
Likewise we don't yet know if the IMSAI IKB-1 has "Hi-Tek Corporation" written under the space bar. I imagine it won't; though.
Likewise we don't yet know if the IMSAI IKB-1 has "Hi-Tek Corporation" written under the space bar. I imagine it won't; though.
No: literally the underside of the spacebar keycap.Likewise we don't yet know if the IMSAI IKB-1 has "Hi-Tek Corporation" written under the space bar. I imagine it won't; though.
When you say "under the space bar", I am assuming it's on the waffle portion in the vicinity of the space bar and not actually on the underside of the space bar?
I don't know... I'm thinking about something like this:As far as I know, not too many companies were using PBT back in the day. You get IBM, ALPS, OKI and maybe OAK (plus a few others that are even less common like cherry). I think they were all using it for the dyesub aspect.That's amazing. Some day, I would like some amazing thick PBT keycaps on my Model F like some of the Cherry and Topre boards have.
I wonder if they're thick PBT or whatever...
They are super-thick doubleshots.
They are so old that they may be some obsolete plastic. I think I remember seeing a 1978 date on it.
So on a vintage KB it's usually only PBT if it's also dyesub.
also, the model F already has thick PBT on it, so I don't even know what you're after.
I don't know... I'm thinking about something like this:
I have this bad boy and have been contemplating what to do with it.
You say "Stackpole" — does it actually say Stackpole anywhere on it? Or are you just going by the design of the contacts and sliders?
Likewise we don't yet know if the IMSAI IKB-1 has "Hi-Tek Corporation" written under the space bar. I imagine it won't; though.
I was going by his image filenames, which all say "Stackpole" in them.Oh I see now. I skipped over the file names when I read.
However, the contact fingers are the design I was associating with Stackpole. What do the sliders look like from the top?
In fact, your seems to be essentially the same as HaaTa's CASI KB-2 S: