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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Imperator on Mon, 18 August 2014, 23:15:12

Title: Newest thrift store find.
Post by: Imperator on Mon, 18 August 2014, 23:15:12
This is one huge piece of ****ing metal. The white mount at the back is plywood if you can believe it. Shame it's horrific to type on, though - laptop style membranes without any stabilization. The trackball + mouse makes me think it came from some sort of retail environment - I've seen similar keyboards mounted at various shopping centers.

[attach=1][attach=2]
Title: Re: Newest thrift store find.
Post by: Oobly on Tue, 19 August 2014, 00:42:32
I wonder if those keycaps could be adapted to fit on Cherry stems...  :)

I like the look of the trackball.
Title: Re: Newest thrift store find.
Post by: blackbox on Tue, 19 August 2014, 00:54:14
cool find, looks like it uses ps/2. Ive also seen many similar styled keyboards at shoppingcenters. 
Title: Re: Newest thrift store find.
Post by: exitfire401 on Tue, 19 August 2014, 00:55:34
Quote from: Imperator on Mon, 18 August 2014, 23:15:12
This is one huge piece of ****ing metal. The white mount at the back is plywood if you can believe it. Shame it's horrific to type on, though - laptop style membranes without any stabilization. The trackball + mouse makes me think it came from some sort of retail environment - I've seen similar keyboards mounted at various shopping centers.

(Attachment Link) (Attachment Link)

Only place I've ever seen one is on an airport internet kiosk...Had to be about 11-12 years ago.
Title: Re: Newest thrift store find.
Post by: Imperator on Tue, 19 August 2014, 01:38:43
Quote from: blackbox on Tue, 19 August 2014, 00:54:14
cool find, looks like it uses ps/2. Ive also seen many similar styled keyboards at shoppingcenters.

It uses both PS/2 and USB, surprisingly. The keyboard can work entirely off of PS/2 or there's a separate USB dongle if you want to plug it in that way, and there's another USB for the trackball.

Quote from: Oobly on Tue, 19 August 2014, 00:42:32
I wonder if those keycaps could be adapted to fit on Cherry stems...  :)

I like the look of the trackball.

I would love modding this to something Cherry. The trackball actually works quite nice.

Title: Re: Newest thrift store find.
Post by: dorkvader on Tue, 19 August 2014, 13:22:56
Looks like a KEYU (http://www.szkeyu.com/products/metal-keyboards-keypads/metal-keyboards/) to me

USmicroproducts (http://www.usmicroproducts.com/related-products/keyboard-products) already make a similar keyboard with cherry switches. When I asked them they said they were MX black.
These are usually pretty heavy to type on.
Title: Re: Newest thrift store find.
Post by: Quardah on Tue, 19 August 2014, 13:23:09
Those exist here in MTL. Our commute company (STM for Société de Transport de Montréal aka super awesome at 3AM completly drunk) have these mounted to shared computers for their employees to access their portal profil and print out some legal documents and stuff.

It's really cool it's built like a tank

It works nice cause it's litterally unbreakable.

I also believe they are manufactured here downtown but that needs confirmation.
Title: Re: Newest thrift store find.
Post by: paicrai on Wed, 20 August 2014, 00:49:56
that's one of those wall mounted pieces of **** built like tanks they put in public places, I've seen tons of them
Title: Re: Newest thrift store find.
Post by: johndavis33 on Wed, 20 August 2014, 15:27:19
Saw one at an airport the last time I was there. Surprised to say when I started typing on it they felt exactly MX blacks!
Title: Re: Newest thrift store find.
Post by: dorkvader on Wed, 20 August 2014, 15:46:10
Quote from: johndavis33 on Wed, 20 August 2014, 15:27:19
Saw one at an airport the last time I was there. Surprised to say when I started typing on it they felt exactly MX blacks!

They probably were.
Title: Re: Newest thrift store find.
Post by: Altis on Thu, 21 August 2014, 17:49:45
Looks like the kind of thing you'd find in a public library or something. Quite interesting.