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geekhack Marketplace => Great Finds => Topic started by: rdjack21 on Mon, 27 April 2009, 23:48:46

Title: IBM AT Model M2 M Clicky Space Saver Keyboard
Post by: rdjack21 on Mon, 27 April 2009, 23:48:46
This is the first time I've seen one of these. It is rather tempting to bid on this one but I really need to save up for a HHKB Pro so thought I would pass it on and see if anyone is interested.

(http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/7/2/5/4/9/6/webimg/257721510_o.jpg)

(http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/7/2/5/4/9/6/webimg/257721585_o.jpg)

(http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/7/2/5/4/9/6/webimg/257721649_o.jpg)
Title: IBM AT Model M2 M Clicky Space Saver Keyboard
Post by: Manyak on Mon, 27 April 2009, 23:52:35
Damn, I was hoping noone would see this one :eyebrows:
Title: IBM AT Model M2 M Clicky Space Saver Keyboard
Post by: rdjack21 on Tue, 28 April 2009, 00:38:04
Quote from: Manyak;87672
Damn, I was hoping noone would see this one :eyebrows:

LOL.. Sorry. I was going to make a joke about you wanting to bang your head on it like in your avatar but decided if you really wanted to do that you would be getting one of the bigger boards...
Title: IBM AT Model M2 M Clicky Space Saver Keyboard
Post by: xsphat on Tue, 28 April 2009, 00:53:21
My son has one of those and loves it, too bad he's only a year old and mostly pounds on it or stands on it.

A lot of people around here have had those and a lot of them don't work. I had one die on me after a very short while and one was DOA. Careful. But I hear there is a fix, I think lowpoly switched out some ... things ... on the circuit board and fixed his.
Title: IBM AT Model M2 M Clicky Space Saver Keyboard
Post by: Manyak on Tue, 28 April 2009, 01:11:49
Quote from: rdjack21;87676
LOL.. Sorry. I was going to make a joke about you wanting to bang your head on it like in your avatar but decided if you really wanted to do that you would be getting one of the bigger boards...

HAHA, already got one of those! :smash:

But nah in all honesty I don't think I'll be getting this board unless it goes for real cheap, I prefer the..um..curvedness of the big ones.

Quote from: xsphat;87680
My son has one of those and loves it, too bad he's only a year old and mostly pounds on it or stands on it.

A lot of people around here have had those and a lot of them don't work. I had one die on me after a very short while and one was DOA. Careful. But I hear there is a fix, I think lowpoly switched out some ... things ... on the circuit board and fixed his.

If its a problem with the circuitboard that can be fixed that easily, I'd bet its the capacitors. Those have a tendency to dry up over time.
Title: IBM AT Model M2 M Clicky Space Saver Keyboard
Post by: Mercen_505 on Tue, 28 April 2009, 09:58:04
If you watch Ebay carefully you can pick up M2s insanely cheap (~$5). I have several M2s that are all non functional, and a perfectly working M-2 (http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/items.main/parentcat/9608/subcatid/0/id/109758) that I'm typing on now.
Title: IBM AT Model M2 M Clicky Space Saver Keyboard
Post by: keyb_gr on Tue, 28 April 2009, 16:08:26
Quote from: ripster;87688
I'm surprised that people don't report their IBM Model Ms dropping dead every day.
No surprise there actually - through-hole 'lytics as in the M pretty much were mature technology by the '80s, as opposed to the cutting-edge surface mount stuff the M2 uses (along with a number of other consumer electronics devices which in general are equally affected). And then I think those in the M neither see significant ripple currents nor high temperatures, so it would take a bad batch/series for them to fail (or plain bad luck - statistics).

It is not uncommon to see 25 or 30 year old 'lytics still holding up reasonably well, though beyond that it becomes very much hit and miss (like I said, statistics).
Title: IBM AT Model M2 M Clicky Space Saver Keyboard
Post by: Hak Foo on Tue, 28 April 2009, 23:17:21
It could also be a time-frame thing.  Remember there were those few years when everything with an electrolytic capacitor in it was suspect.

Is there a timeline of the different models?  Didn't the M outlast the M2?  I'm not sure if it really reached that era.