geekhack
geekhack Marketplace => Great Finds => Topic started by: fohat.digs on Sat, 21 February 2015, 16:05:36
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Somebody really needs to buy this now. I would be all over it if I weren't broke.
And please don't be an ******* and lowball bid on it to kill the buy it now opportunity.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Northgate-OmniKey-101-Mechanical-Keyboard-White-Keycaps-with-Cable-/111603725692?ssPageName=ADME:SS:SS:US:3160 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Northgate-OmniKey-101-Mechanical-Keyboard-White-Keycaps-with-Cable-/111603725692?ssPageName=ADME:SS:SS:US:3160)
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Northgate, the other Model M :)
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Northgate, the other Model M F
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Thank you, sir!
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OK,
I saw that this morning but didn't bid on it/buy it because:
1. The seller said they hadn't even tested the board to make sure it works
2. You can't really see much from the photos - nothing of the back of the board or the cable, and not even a clear, in focus shot of the front of the board.
3. I bought a board one time that had dots of rust all over the backplate underneath the switches; the keyboard was simply advertised as "used" with no mention of the rust. Personally as a buyer I would like to know if the keyboard has any damage that can't be simply cleaned off, and now make it a point to ask the seller about rust if it isn't clear from the photos.
Yet the board sold anyway in less than a day after listing.
Am I being too picky for wanting to see these things before buying? The auction said no returns so I'd feel like an idiot if I bought it and it didn't work or there was some major defect that wasn't visible from the limited photos, yet I don't want to keep missing out on auctions because I'm waiting on the seller for more information. Some keyboard sellers know what they have and include all relevant photos and information, but many like this one apparently do not.
I'm kind of a n00b when it comes to buying used keyboards on ebay and just wonder what other do. I might just make this a separate thread as it is worth a discussion.
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I bought an Omnikey 101 like this one a while ago for a few bucks more. It was definitely dirty in person.
The one in this listing clearly has some crud on the Q key. The Omnikeys usually got a lot of use so they often require some loving before you can use them. You can still find NIB or like new, but they are twice as much. As far as working/non working, I'd bet its working, the biggest risk is funky switches. Mine had one and I had to buy one of those alps 4-packs to fix it.
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I have bought at least 3 of these in the $35-85 range and only 1 of them was "nice"
There were rust spots on all the plates and I would take that as a given on just about any decades-old Alps board.
I looked at the box and styrofoam and assumed that this one was very good + but perhaps not.
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There were rust spots on all the plates and I would take that as a given on just about any decades-old Alps board.
Really? Oo Most of mine are quite rust-free.... Maybe I'm just lucky though :) .
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I would have bit on this if I hadn't just picked up my 3rd last week. I'm always looking for spares for my original Omnikey that I bought new in 1989 with a Northgate 386, complete with turbo button for backwards compatability.
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I would have bit on this if I hadn't just picked up my 3rd last week. I'm always looking for spares for my original Omnikey that I bought new in 1989 with a Northgate 386, complete with turbo button for backwards compatability.
Heh, awesome