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geekhack Marketplace => Great Finds => Topic started by: nubbinator on Sun, 18 January 2015, 01:50:28

Title: Executone Wyse Keyboard $30 shipped
Post by: nubbinator on Sun, 18 January 2015, 01:50:28
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Executone-Keyboard-Headset-for-Integrated-Operator-Terminal-Isotec-DS-/181638913779?pt=Business_Phone_Sets_Handsets&hash=item2a4a85def3
Title: Re: Executone Wyse Keyboard $30 shipped
Post by: jacobolus on Sun, 18 January 2015, 01:56:19
Too bad the caps are so yellowed. I really wanna see someone put together a telephone project with an old-school Bell handset and Executone keycaps over some kind of mechanical switches.
Title: Re: Executone Wyse Keyboard $30 shipped
Post by: Touch_It on Sun, 18 January 2015, 10:08:53
Ooooo keyboard with phone.  Any idea of the switch type and if it can be converted to work with modern computers?
Title: Re: Executone Wyse Keyboard $30 shipped
Post by: nubbinator on Sun, 18 January 2015, 12:19:02
Should be Blacks like every Wyse board from that era that I know of.
Title: Re: Executone Wyse Keyboard $30 shipped
Post by: jdcarpe on Sun, 18 January 2015, 13:50:56
Yes, they are blacks. I had one of these I salvaged when I was working in telecom. I harvested the caps and switches, and tossed the keyboard. Now that there are converters for WYSE boards, it's possible to save some from the trash bin, but for this particular one, that may not be possible. It is designed to attached to a console terminal on a phone system, so I don't know if the controller is the same as a WY-50 or WY-60 or whatever.
Title: Re: Executone Wyse Keyboard $30 shipped
Post by: nubbinator on Sun, 18 January 2015, 13:56:40
I'm kind of surprised no one has grabbed it yet with all the "vintage" Blacks hype.
Title: Re: Executone Wyse Keyboard $30 shipped
Post by: byker on Sun, 18 January 2015, 13:58:33
I am tempted to get it as I want some vintage blacks for my RSIII, but shipping kinda kills it.
Title: Re: Executone Wyse Keyboard $30 shipped
Post by: nubbinator on Sun, 18 January 2015, 14:00:15
Well, if you want it, I can buy it, desolder the switches, and send them (and the caps if you want) up to Canada.  You'd just have to pay for the board and shipping to Canada.  No guarantee it's "vintage" Blacks, but that era and Wyse is a better bet than others.
Title: Re: Executone Wyse Keyboard $30 shipped
Post by: byker on Sun, 18 January 2015, 14:13:40
Very tempting thanks nubbinator! What do you think the caps are like on this? Worth using? I am not very knowledgeable on the older boards..
Title: Re: Executone Wyse Keyboard $30 shipped
Post by: nubbinator on Sun, 18 January 2015, 14:15:59
They could be thick or thin ABS.  Thick is nice, thin is basically SP DCS.  You'd need a moogle to make it work.  I'm guessing thin based on the mods and my experience with Wyse, but you never know.
Title: Re: Executone Wyse Keyboard $30 shipped
Post by: byker on Sun, 18 January 2015, 14:18:07
PM'd  :)
Title: Re: Executone Wyse Keyboard $30 shipped
Post by: jdcarpe on Sun, 18 January 2015, 14:26:56
They will be thin caps, not thick. And these look very yellowed, but that may just be the lighting of the photo.

Probably a mix of vintage and older modern blacks, as in every WYSE I've seen.
Title: Re: Executone Wyse Keyboard $30 shipped
Post by: byker on Sun, 18 January 2015, 14:28:53
They will be thin caps, not thick. And these look very yellowed, but that may just be the lighting of the photo.

Probably a mix of vintage and older modern blacks, as in every WYSE I've seen.


Switches are expensive here in Canada, so even if they are all modern blacks it is definitely still cheaper. Having some vintage switches and some caps is just a bonus.  :) Thanks for the info though jd!
Title: Re: Executone Wyse Keyboard $30 shipped
Post by: nubbinator on Sun, 18 January 2015, 14:29:24
They will be thin caps, not thick. And these look very yellowed, but that may just be the lighting of the photo.

Probably a mix of vintage and older modern blacks, as in every WYSE I've seen.

That's my thought too.  Every Wyse I've seen with those mods are thin ABS, but sometimes Wyse boards surprise you.

The switches might be "vintage", old, and modern Blacks.  Who knows the combo.  With the handful of Wyse boards I got a while back I saw 3-4 different switch housings.