geekhack
geekhack Marketplace => Great Finds => Topic started by: ander on Wed, 17 May 2017, 21:06:23
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Vintage 1992 IBM "Model M" Clicky Keyboard 51G8572 w/ Speaker (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1992-IBM-Model-M-Clicky-Keyboard-51G8572-w-Speaker-/192190260255)
"Buy It Now" price: $45.00 + $18.65 U.S. shipping
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/BnwAAOSwYlRZHPNK/s-l1600.jpg)
This IBM Model M, made for the RS/6000 system, is one of the few M's that actually has a speaker behind its bottom grille (for system "beeps").
These are often overlooked, as most M's whose p/n's start with numbers other than 1 are usually the later, more lightly-built variants made by Lexmark.
The key caps are somewhat dirty (that's why I'm showing only the back here, which is pretty clean, LOL), but it's nothing a bath in warm water with a bit of liquid laundry soap wouldn't fix.
This is a good price for any IBM-made M in good cleanable condition, not to mention a distinctive one like this.
It's being sold by a non-profit group, BTW... They even have a 30-day money-back guarantee.
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I have one of these, including speaker, and about 1 missing rivet.
It is by far the nicest Model M to type on that I have ever used.
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Does Soarer's converter allow the keyboard speaker to appear as a USB audio device? Is that even possible?
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Good find. I've never owned an M which actually had a speaker.
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I have one of these, including speaker, and about 1 missing rivet... It is by far the nicest Model M to type on that I have ever used.
Indeed, it's remarkable how much something as simple as adding a 2" speaker to a keyboard can improve its typing feel!
Does Soarer's converter allow the keyboard speaker to appear as a USB audio device? Is that even possible?
A fun idea, but I doubt it'd be worth the trouble. You wouldn't want to play music, or much of anything else, over such a tiny, low-fidelity speaker. It was made for one thing only: to beep, when a message spent a certain amount of time in a network loop without being received by its intended station. (That's my understanding, anyway.) Using it for anything else would probably be like trying to play Mozart on a kazoo.
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I have one of these, including speaker, and about 1 missing rivet... It is by far the nicest Model M to type on that I have ever used.
Indeed, it's remarkable how much something as simple as adding a 2" speaker to a keyboard can improve its typing feel!
Ahahaha.
I could remove the speaker and try again, but I suspect the typing joy would not diminish.