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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: hwood34 on Sun, 27 April 2014, 16:28:15

Title: What in the world?
Post by: hwood34 on Sun, 27 April 2014, 16:28:15
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-COMPUTER-KEYBOARD-IBM-COOL/261462721010?_trksid=p2045573.c100034.m2102&_trkparms=aid%3D555012%26algo%3DPW.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131003150253%26meid%3D6508027413132865055%26pid%3D100034%26prg%3D20131003150253%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D8%26sd%3D251429480703
Anyone have any idea what this thing is or what switches those are?
Title: Re: What in the world?
Post by: Pacifist on Sun, 27 April 2014, 16:29:33
HE?
Title: Re: What in the world?
Post by: fohat.digs on Sun, 27 April 2014, 16:33:00
Rub Out
Flush Left
Flush Right

You gotta love it. Probably doubleshots as well.
Title: Re: What in the world?
Post by: PointyFox on Sun, 27 April 2014, 16:34:39
^ Looks like Hall effect switches.
Title: Re: What in the world?
Post by: hwood34 on Sun, 27 April 2014, 16:38:02
^ Looks like Hall effect switches.
Yeah now that I look that seems right. Almost tempted to get it, but a little pricey I could never use, with no case and in terrible condition, AND missing caps
Title: Re: What in the world?
Post by: dorkvader on Sun, 27 April 2014, 19:40:24
this is a re-list. Several was put on eBay a while ago. I bid on one but got outbid. Haata got three I think.

Switches are the less common microswitch "dual magnet" type hall effect. Stem colours on the other keyboards were (probably) uncommon, but the black stems this seems to have are common.. These are somewhat worn, but are very easy to maintain and lube.

Y'all are lucky I've shut down my eBay searches for now or you'd never get one :p
Title: Re: What in the world?
Post by: Eiríkur on Sun, 27 April 2014, 20:08:48
Looks like a typesetting keyboard.  Probably from a newspaper.   Seeing the circuit board sawed-off at that angle hurts me.
Title: Re: What in the world?
Post by: Pacifist on Sun, 27 April 2014, 21:06:00
Looks like a typesetting keyboard.  Probably from a newspaper.   Seeing the circuit board sawed-off at that angle hurts me.

boeing makes newspapers?
Title: Re: What in the world?
Post by: metalliqaz on Sun, 27 April 2014, 21:07:11
Cool find!
Title: Re: What in the world?
Post by: dorkvader on Sun, 27 April 2014, 22:04:10
Looks like a typesetting keyboard.  Probably from a newspaper.   Seeing the circuit board sawed-off at that angle hurts me.

The burn mark under that power transistor is bad, too.
Looks like a typesetting keyboard.  Probably from a newspaper.   Seeing the circuit board sawed-off at that angle hurts me.

boeing makes newspapers?
Not as far as I know. Why bring Boing into this?

I have at least one other microswitch KB designed for a similar purpose. I agree that it's likely from a newspaper or publisher of some sort.

^ Looks like Hall effect switches.
I could never use
I plan to change that.
Title: Re: What in the world?
Post by: hwood34 on Sun, 27 April 2014, 22:12:17
Looks like a typesetting keyboard.  Probably from a newspaper.   Seeing the circuit board sawed-off at that angle hurts me.

The burn mark under that power transistor is bad, too.
Looks like a typesetting keyboard.  Probably from a newspaper.   Seeing the circuit board sawed-off at that angle hurts me.
Seeing as it looks like someone took a saw to the corner of that pcb have fun building a new one :p
boeing makes newspapers?
Not as far as I know. Why bring Boing into this?

I have at least one other microswitch KB designed for a similar purpose. I agree that it's likely from a newspaper or publisher of some sort.

^ Looks like Hall effect switches.
I could never use
I plan to change that.
Title: Re: What in the world?
Post by: okwchin on Mon, 28 April 2014, 10:51:22
That stabiliser bar for the shift key is pretty impressive.
Title: Re: What in the world?
Post by: Folio on Mon, 28 April 2014, 13:44:19
SUPER SHIFT ENGAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: What in the world?
Post by: brhfl on Tue, 29 April 2014, 10:08:19
It is almost certainly a typesetting keyboard, and while Boeing would likely not have been using it for a newspaper, they would have had plenty of manuals, technical documentation, whitepapers, and the like - all of which would warrant a professional in-house typesetting solution for a company of that scope. The layout reminds me a lot of Compugraphics consoles, with the arrows and other navigation on the left... yet still different than other Compugraphics keyboards that I've seen. Definitely does not resemble other early digital typesetting computers that I'm familiar with - I don't believe it to be a Wang, Toshiba, nor Linotype. And I certainly don't think it's an IBM - far as I know, they didn't have much of a middle era between the Selectrics and their far more modern, compact word processors, instead clinging to their makeshift Selectric-as-interface-to-a-PDP solution.
Title: Re: What in the world?
Post by: Coreda on Tue, 29 April 2014, 10:13:11
Prev Story
Next Story
TLDR key*

Perfect for online reading!

* I might have changed a character  ;)