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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: 127001 on Sat, 28 December 2013, 19:05:23

Title: What did I just buy?
Post by: 127001 on Sat, 28 December 2013, 19:05:23
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-IBM-Chinese-Japanese-102-Key-Keyboard-Part-6341739-RARE-FIND-Look-/141151813091

Is this a Model F? I have no idea I just saw it an bought it instantly.
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: regack on Sat, 28 December 2013, 19:07:06
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-IBM-Chinese-Japanese-102-Key-Keyboard-Part-6341739-RARE-FIND-Look-/141151813091

Is this a Model F? I have no idea I just saw it an bought it instantly.

hah, it's a tiny picture... can't click on it anymore, takes me to the page that says it ended... looks interesting either way... let us know when it gets there!
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: 127001 on Sat, 28 December 2013, 19:08:32
Part 6341739

Also, I'll be sure to let everyone know all about it that's for sure.
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: BlindxLegacy on Sat, 28 December 2013, 19:10:10
Thats just a bit sketchy :p
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: 127001 on Sat, 28 December 2013, 19:11:15
Thats just a bit sketchy :p

Eh. I've bought sketchier things from sketchier people :P.
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: JPG on Sat, 28 December 2013, 19:17:55
If it's an F, then it's damn awesome.
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: 127001 on Sat, 28 December 2013, 19:20:00
If it's an F, then it's damn awesome.

It has the same style designs as the Kishsaver so...

I've just never seen/heard of a Japanese or Chinese IBM Model F
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: HPE1000 on Sat, 28 December 2013, 19:28:07
If it's an F, then it's damn awesome.

It has the same style designs as the Kishsaver so...

I've just never seen/heard of a Japanese or Chinese IBM Model F
Awesome find, I would love to know what it is as well, I checked the kishsaver spreadsheet and it wasn't listed on there but it could be an odd model of it.
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: 127001 on Sat, 28 December 2013, 19:30:45
If it's an F, then it's damn awesome.

It has the same style designs as the Kishsaver so...

I've just never seen/heard of a Japanese or Chinese IBM Model F
Awesome find, I would love to know what it is as well, I checked the kishsaver spreadsheet and it wasn't listed on there but it could be an odd model of it.

Good to know, I was looking for that spread sheet but couldn't remember where it was posted. My suppusition is that it's a Chinese knock off (though it does sport the IBM logo...). Either way I think I'm pretty happy with the purchase.
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: HPE1000 on Sat, 28 December 2013, 19:32:09
If it's an F, then it's damn awesome.

It has the same style designs as the Kishsaver so...

I've just never seen/heard of a Japanese or Chinese IBM Model F
Awesome find, I would love to know what it is as well, I checked the kishsaver spreadsheet and it wasn't listed on there but it could be an odd model of it.

Good to know, I was looking for that spread sheet but couldn't remember where it was posted. I suppusion is that it's a Chinese knock off (though it does sport the IBM logo...). Either way I think I'm pretty happy with the purchase.
Here it is :)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmX2RHh7e1HxdEFkc29RRjU1RUdDVGdFc1pEdU1kTFE&usp=sharing#gid=2
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: tuxsavvy on Sat, 28 December 2013, 20:03:46
Here is the link for a better picture of the said item (http://www.auctiva.com/hostedimages/showimage.aspx?gid=246317&image=626656780&images=626656780,626656793,626656816,626656835,626656849,626656876,626656887,626656904,626656925,626657157,626657175,626656859&formats=0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0&format=0) (let me know if the link still does not work):

Initially I was convinced it was not a Chinese/Japanese keyboard because a more modern Chinese/Japanese keyboard would not have those key legends. Upon closer inspection (from the link above) it seems like the legends do have portions of Chinese characters printed on them. Again there weren't much layouts that I could compare against.

Somehow the characters are more like Chinese than Japanese. I don't think Japanese would be using full on Chinese characters. I dug out an old ebay transaction which revealed there was another owner to this. The original ebay transaction number was 150980584261 and the previous seller (before selling it to  ronneher62xf) was mikehalverson. Google (https://www.google.com/search?q=150980584261) reveals bit of information. At the time it was marked as New according to mikehalverson so you might want to ask mike to see if he has any more information about it.
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: 127001 on Sat, 28 December 2013, 20:31:30
This just got a lot more interesting... I'll update later...
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: 127001 on Sat, 28 December 2013, 20:53:00
Okay,
So it looks like this guy had several boards: one in Chinese and a couple in Japanese (different part numbers only). I purchase the Chinese and one of the Japanese boards from him just now. I would imagine that he will put the remaining Japanese board up on ebay at some point in the future.
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: terran5992 on Sat, 28 December 2013, 21:25:15
But did you find out what switches this board uses?
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: 127001 on Sat, 28 December 2013, 21:26:33
No idea :P

EDIT:
Just some drunk purchasing on a Saturday. It's worked out so far so I'm gonna let it ride
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: terran5992 on Sat, 28 December 2013, 21:32:16
LOL

Hopefully its not a rubber dome keyboard
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: 127001 on Sat, 28 December 2013, 21:36:50
Could very well be... Though it looks too old stylistically to me.
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: Aer Fixus on Sat, 28 December 2013, 21:42:56
It looks odd. We can't identify what it is by date (There's no date! I've never seen IBM do that!). However, it has drainage holes, so it could be from the 90s... But the connector is identical to the 4704 style boards. The case almost looks like plastic, but it also comes with it's box, so it could just be kept VERY well.

The keys are molded to their respective rows, another hint that it's not buckling spring (although it could be very early buckling spring with a flat capacitive PCB). It has a combination of spherical caps and caps like what would be found on a buckling spring board...

And now for crazy hypothesis time! I'm betting on pre 4704, so pre 1983. It's a transition between beam spring and buckling spring (flat capacitive PCB, but with buckling spring and spherical keycaps for the main molded). It set the case design for the 4704 boards, but not yet the built in curve that IBM put into their keyboards later on. Let's go all the way and guess for double shot PBT caps (they are more likely dyed).
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: Soarer on Sat, 28 December 2013, 21:49:14
Old-style linear green Alps (http://deskthority.net/post84860.html#p84860).
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: Aer Fixus on Sat, 28 December 2013, 21:52:29
Old-style linear green Alps (http://deskthority.net/post84860.html#p84860).

Whelp. Out go the window on my crazy ideas. What's the date range on it?
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: 127001 on Sat, 28 December 2013, 21:53:18
Wow... this is getting interesting...
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: HongKongFui on Sun, 29 December 2013, 09:52:51
hah, it's a tiny picture... can't click on it anymore, takes me to the page that says it ended... looks interesting either way... let us know when it gets there!

click on: see original listing...
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: RESPRiT on Sun, 29 December 2013, 10:12:11
Interesting find... there's another listing for the same board, maybe if it's some Godly steal you can let us know :)
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: 127001 on Sun, 29 December 2013, 10:15:52
Interesting find... there's another listing for the same board, maybe if it's some Godly steal you can let us know :)

Yeah, it's the same guy. I think he had three of them and I bought two of them. I don't know if it's a great deal but some signs are pointing to these being super rare...
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: RESPRiT on Sun, 29 December 2013, 10:18:43
It looks pretty cool, I love the legends on them, maybe I'll try and snag the third one haha
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: 127001 on Mon, 30 December 2013, 21:50:21
Please see:
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=52888.0
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: Canious on Mon, 30 December 2013, 22:44:40
That impulse buy... haha +1 prop
Title: Re: What did I just buy?
Post by: minium on Tue, 14 January 2014, 23:39:13
Mine just showed today. This is a cool keyboard. NIB and smells it. The keycaps are angled bowls. Now I need another teensy to make it work with usb.