geekhack
geekhack Marketplace => Great Finds => Topic started by: SamirD on Fri, 23 October 2015, 18:16:59
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http://www.ebay.com/itm/NIB-IBM-Japanese-Lettering-Typing-Computer-102-Keyboard-Letter-Type-6112884/380994210683?_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982&_trkparms=aid%3D777000%26algo%3DABA.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D33430%26meid%3D469e7c02baa14c078d79f4db588e0970%26pid%3D100009%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26sd%3D171950989010
Not a bad deal if these can fit on something else. They look doubleshot, but I can't judge these things:
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Hmmm, IBM usually went for dyesub PBT, but who knows. Is this a pingmaster or pingsaver or whatever it's called?
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Those have been posted a few times. I forget the email, but you can buy them a little cheaper direct from him. They're T-Alps with doubleshots. He used to have Japanese and Chinese, not sure if he still has both.
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Neat! It seemed like they were quite popular with so many sold and so many people watching.
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These are indeed what Dorkvader has dubbed "Pingmasters", because of the (wonderful, IMHO) resonant sound their vintage T-mount Alps switches and heavy, resonant construction produce.
This is a very rare opportunity to get a real, new-in-box IBM keyboard cheap—and while they don't have buckling springs, I assure you they're very responsive and fun to type on. You'll never see anything else like them. Get yourself a Teensy and you're ready to go. Here's our existing thread (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=62628.0) with more details, reviews, and at least one link to how to convert them to USB.
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These are indeed what Dorkvader has dubbed "Pingmasters", because of the (wonderful, IMHO) resonant sound their vintage T-mount Alps switches and heavy, resonant construction produce.
This is a very rare opportunity to get a real, new-in-box IBM keyboard cheap—and while they don't have buckling springs, I assure you they're very responsive and fun to type on. You'll never see anything else like them. Get yourself a Teensy and you're ready to go. Here's our existing thread (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=62628.0) with more details, reviews, and at least one link to how to convert them to USB.
must...not...tempt...me...lol...
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must...not...tempt...me...lol...
(http://cdn1.theodysseyonline.com/files/2015/07/14/635724762566972152204888567_L5KKlZq.gif)
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My wife would absolutely positively kill me. I've got waaaaaaay too much other stuff on my plate right now to be playing with keyboards.
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My wife would absolutely positively kill me. I've got waaaaaaay too much other stuff...
Before you say no, realize that the eBay seller has, for some reason, selected Expedited Shipping by default. If you scroll down the page and click "Shipping and Payments", you'll see Economy Shipping is available for about half as much.
And now let's do a little imagining:
Your doorbell rings. You open the door and a UPS delivery person is standing there holding a box for you. It's 22" long, 9" wide and 4" high, and each side is printed with a blue IBM logo and some international "fragile" symbols.
You sign for the box, take it inside, open it, and slide out a styrofoam casing with a multilingual instruction pamphlet fitted neatly into an indentation on the top. You crack open the casing—and behold, sealed in a transparent bag, a pristine IBM keyboard very similar to the legendary, super-rare IBM 4707 banking keyboard (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=61974.msg1443973#msg1443973). Except this one also has secondary legends with Japanese or Chinese characters. And instead of $1000, it cost you, like, $40.
You order a Teensy board and follow Soarer's clear instructions (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=50437.msg1193047#msg1193047)to replace the board's existing CPU with it, converting it to USB. Congratulations—you now own the coolest vintage mechanical keyboard in your neighborhood, maybe your whole town!
I personally recommend the Japanese version (http://www.ebay.com/itm/NIB-IBM-Japanese-Lettering-Typing-Computer-102-Keyboard-Letter-Type-6112884-/380994210683), as its legends are a bit more interesting, including some English terms and a unique 000 numpad key.
[attach=1]
As I write this, there are 10 left. You won't see any new, unopened IBM keyboards of any kind for a price like this. A year from now a speculator may return with some, asking 5 or 6 times as much—and you'll slap your forehead and think, "Why didn't I get one when they were so ridiculously cheap?"
Believe me, dude, it's far better to risk a minor argument with your wife than to miss something this special. Your wife will forgive you—but will you forgive yourself if you let these slip away?
Buh ha ha. Anyway, I love mine.
Enticingly, A.
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My wife would absolutely positively kill me. I've got waaaaaaay too much other stuff...
Before you say no, realize that the eBay seller has, for some reason, selected Expedited Shipping by default. If you scroll down the page and click "Shipping and Payments", you'll see Economy Shipping is available for about half as much.
And now let's do a little imagining:
Your doorbell rings. You open the door and a UPS delivery person is standing there holding a box for you. It's 22" long, 9" wide and 4" high, and each side is printed with a blue IBM logo and some international "fragile" symbols.
You sign for the box, take it inside, open it, and slide out a styrofoam casing with a multilingual instruction pamphlet fitted neatly into an indentation on the top. You crack open the casing—and behold, sealed in a transparent bag, a pristine IBM keyboard very similar to the legendary, super-rare IBM 4707 banking keyboard (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=61974.msg1443973#msg1443973). Except this one also has secondary legends with Japanese or Chinese characters. And instead of $1000, it cost you, like, $40.
You order a Teensy board and follow Soarer's clear instructions (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=50437.msg1193047#msg1193047)to replace the board's existing CPU with it, converting it to USB. Congratulations—you now own the coolest vintage mechanical keyboard in your neighborhood, maybe your whole town!
I personally recommend the Japanese version (http://www.ebay.com/itm/NIB-IBM-Japanese-Lettering-Typing-Computer-102-Keyboard-Letter-Type-6112884-/380994210683), as its legends are a bit more interesting, including some English terms and a unique 000 numpad key.
(Attachment Link)
As I write this, there are 10 left. You won't see any new, unopened IBM keyboards of any kind for a price like this. A year from now a speculator may return with some, asking 5 or 6 times as much—and you'll slap your forehead and think, "Why didn't I get one when they were so ridiculously cheap?"
Believe me, dude, it's far better to risk a minor argument with your wife than to miss something this special. Your wife will forgive you—but will you forgive yourself if you let these slip away?
Buh ha ha. Anyway, I love mine.
Enticingly, A.
Dude you are evil!
I wonder if they make 22" long PO boxes.
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IBMs HOOOOO
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Okay, so you've convinced me on this much--it is indeed a very rare board to find NIB. I'm more a keyboard user than a collector, so if I can't use it, then it's not really worth anything to me. However, I'm never opposed to a good investment, and if I never convert this board for my own use, I will surely be able to recoup my original investment a few years from now selling them NIB again.
I got one of each. :-[ ;D :thumb:
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Very nice find :)
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Okay, so you've convinced me on this much--it is indeed a very rare board to find NIB. I'm more a keyboard user than a collector, so if I can't use it, then it's not really worth anything to me. However, I'm never opposed to a good investment, and if I never convert this board for my own use, I will surely be able to recoup my original investment a few years from now selling them NIB again.
I got one of each. :-[ ;D :thumb:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=54706.0
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Okay, so you've convinced me on this much--it is indeed a very rare board to find NIB. I'm more a keyboard user than a collector, so if I can't use it, then it's not really worth anything to me. However, I'm never opposed to a good investment, and if I never convert this board for my own use, I will surely be able to recoup my original investment a few years from now selling them NIB again.
I got one of each. :-[ ;D :thumb:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=54706.0
Yep. I'll see if I like the feel first. And research the original equipment as that's probably going to be pretty cool too.
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My wife would absolutely positively kill me. I've got waaaaaaay too much other stuff...
Before you say no, realize that the eBay seller has, for some reason, selected Expedited Shipping by default. If you scroll down the page and click "Shipping and Payments", you'll see Economy Shipping is available for about half as much.
I'd really like one of these, but the shipping is huge ($70) and I can't seem to select a cheaper option like you mentioned. Also, I contacted the seller and they mentioned they have no cheaper option available :( .
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My wife would absolutely positively kill me. I've got waaaaaaay too much other stuff...
Before you say no, realize that the eBay seller has, for some reason, selected Expedited Shipping by default. If you scroll down the page and click "Shipping and Payments", you'll see Economy Shipping is available for about half as much.
I'd really like one of these, but the shipping is huge ($70) and I can't seem to select a cheaper option like you mentioned. Also, I contacted the seller and they mentioned they have no cheaper option available :( .
I can see how much mine weighs and how big it is to get an idea of what the cheapest shipping would be.
You also might check on deskthority I do believe they had a buy a while ago for a bunch of these, or at least I know it was discussed at one point, so there could be some on your side of the pond.
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My wife would absolutely positively kill me. I've got waaaaaaay too much other stuff...
Before you say no, realize that the eBay seller has, for some reason, selected Expedited Shipping by default. If you scroll down the page and click "Shipping and Payments", you'll see Economy Shipping is available for about half as much.
I'd really like one of these, but the shipping is huge ($70) and I can't seem to select a cheaper option like you mentioned. Also, I contacted the seller and they mentioned they have no cheaper option available :( .
I can see how much mine weighs and how big it is to get an idea of what the cheapest shipping would be.
You also might check on deskthority I do believe they had a buy a while ago for a bunch of these, or at least I know it was discussed at one point, so there could be some on your side of the pond.
That DT group buy appears to have ended in 2013 xD . There's none on eBay other than those, or at least not right now :( .
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I tried the one that dork brought to Montreal and damn was it interesting to type on. I actually considered just harvesting the caps and switches and using them for an alps build
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pulled the trigger for 1. for this price its a no brainer!
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My wife would absolutely positively kill me. I've got waaaaaaay too much other stuff...
Before you say no, realize that the eBay seller has, for some reason, selected Expedited Shipping by default. If you scroll down the page and click "Shipping and Payments", you'll see Economy Shipping is available for about half as much.
I'd really like one of these, but the shipping is huge ($70) and I can't seem to select a cheaper option like you mentioned. Also, I contacted the seller and they mentioned they have no cheaper option available :( .
I can see how much mine weighs and how big it is to get an idea of what the cheapest shipping would be.
You also might check on deskthority I do believe they had a buy a while ago for a bunch of these, or at least I know it was discussed at one point, so there could be some on your side of the pond.
That DT group buy appears to have ended in 2013 xD . There's none on eBay other than those, or at least not right now :( .
they were in 2014 (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=63834.0) (1 (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=62628.0)), and again in may/june 2015 (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=62628.msg1745794#msg1745794).
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My wife would absolutely positively kill me. I've got waaaaaaay too much other stuff...
Before you say no, realize that the eBay seller has, for some reason, selected Expedited Shipping by default. If you scroll down the page and click "Shipping and Payments", you'll see Economy Shipping is available for about half as much.
I'd really like one of these, but the shipping is huge ($70) and I can't seem to select a cheaper option like you mentioned. Also, I contacted the seller and they mentioned they have no cheaper option available :( .
I can see how much mine weighs and how big it is to get an idea of what the cheapest shipping would be.
You also might check on deskthority I do believe they had a buy a while ago for a bunch of these, or at least I know it was discussed at one point, so there could be some on your side of the pond.
That DT group buy appears to have ended in 2013 xD . There's none on eBay other than those, or at least not right now :( .
I couldn't get to my board to check last night to get a better idea of getting cheaper shipping but the reason that seller shows ~$70 shipping is they are going with the large box flat rate priority international pricing.
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After seeing the switches in other posts, are these compatible with Matias switches? They seemed to be some sort of t shape so I'm not sure
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My wife would absolutely positively kill me. I've got waaaaaaay too much other stuff...
Before you say no, realize that the eBay seller has, for some reason, selected Expedited Shipping by default. If you scroll down the page and click "Shipping and Payments", you'll see Economy Shipping is available for about half as much.
I'd really like one of these, but the shipping is huge ($70) and I can't seem to select a cheaper option like you mentioned. Also, I contacted the seller and they mentioned they have no cheaper option available :( .
I can see how much mine weighs and how big it is to get an idea of what the cheapest shipping would be.
You also might check on deskthority I do believe they had a buy a while ago for a bunch of these, or at least I know it was discussed at one point, so there could be some on your side of the pond.
That DT group buy appears to have ended in 2013 xD . There's none on eBay other than those, or at least not right now :( .
I couldn't get to my board to check last night to get a better idea of getting cheaper shipping but the reason that seller shows ~$70 shipping is they are going with the large box flat rate priority international pricing.
I see... I can't seem to get the option for economy delivery like A mentioned, don't know if it works differently for international shipping.
After seeing the switches in other posts, are these compatible with Matias switches? They seemed to be some sort of t shape so I'm not sure
They are tee mount and will not take Matias caps. I don't know if the pinout is Alps compatible or not but they might be (they're related to the SKCL series).
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Massdrop has Japanese keys now.
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UPS man brought me a present today!
They were well packaged with the original boxes inside the shipping boxes with some packing material. :thumb:
The original IBM tape is still on them! Never been opened! *goes to open them*
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I think I just bought the first two keyboards for my collection. :eek:
Such a satisfying 'thock' and old school feel that brings me back to bank tellers and machines that looked purposeful. Stellar build by IBM the way IBM could only do. Packing was cool too with an instruction manual on how to unpack it. They even had that new keyboard smell! And Asian new keyboard smell at that!
I've put them back in the boxes (I didn't even remove them from the bags). Some day I'll play with them or they'll end up here in the exact same condition they are now for someone else to love. :thumb:
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Okay, so you've convinced me on this much--it is indeed a very rare board to find NIB. I'm more a keyboard user than a collector, so if I can't use it, then it's not really worth anything to me. However, I'm never opposed to a good investment, and if I never convert this board for my own use, I will surely be able to recoup my original investment a few years from now selling them NIB again... I got one of each. :-[ ;D :thumb:
That's great—congratulations! And I agree, even if you don't mod and use them, it's hard to go wrong by putting a NIB IBM keyboard in the closet for a few years.
[re Teensy mod] I'll see if I like the feel first. And research the original equipment as that's probably going to be pretty cool too.
I'm looking forward to your "review" when you get them!
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Ahh, I saw these when I was looking for an IBM 5556! Oh man, they are really cool, but like Sam, I really don't know. I've mainly stayed away from most IBM things since I know what kind of a rabbit hole that is, but these are seriously cool.
Do you really think that their price could be that much in a few years time? What would drive up the demand for one of these? I definitely agree with you that this is likely one of the last ways to get something like this NIB, but I dunno. :-\
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Okay, so you've convinced me on this much--it is indeed a very rare board to find NIB. I'm more a keyboard user than a collector, so if I can't use it, then it's not really worth anything to me. However, I'm never opposed to a good investment, and if I never convert this board for my own use, I will surely be able to recoup my original investment a few years from now selling them NIB again... I got one of each. :-[ ;D :thumb:
That's great—congratulations! And I agree, even if you don't mod and use them, it's hard to go wrong by putting a NIB IBM keyboard in the closet for a few years.
[re Teensy mod] I'll see if I like the feel first. And research the original equipment as that's probably going to be pretty cool too.
I'm looking forward to your "review" when you get them!
The keypress is actually very smooth and actually linear (don't hear any pinging) with a satisfying 'thock' when it hits the plate. The construction is IBM quality oozing everywhere--from the foam, the bag the keyboard is in and everything about it. I haven't even taken them out of the bags, so the keys don't even have fingerprints on them moreless use, haha.
Hopefully I'll have time to play with this soon, but otherwise, they sit in their original condition in the original boxes with all my other computer equipment I plan to go through.
Do you really think that their price could be that much in a few years time? What would drive up the demand for one of these? I definitely agree with you that this is likely one of the last ways to get something like this NIB, but I dunno. :-\
I don't think any keyboard can appreciate unless it has a driving factor. I think what these have going for them is that they're cool, able to be used when modified, and are literally NIB. I don't think they'll appreciate in value, but if I plan on not doing anything with them, I can easily see myself getting my money back out of them. :thumb:
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Interesting