geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: willmurray461 on Sat, 26 August 2017, 10:35:30
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Has anyone here bought an untested IBM keyboard? Moreover, did it work or not? Sources like clickykeyboards.com say to never buy them because they're probably broken, but I was wondering if anyone bought one and the seller just doesn't have an adapter to test it. Also, if they're broken what are the main points of failure and how can they be repaired?
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I've had pretty good luck buying untested IBM boards, but I don't do it very often and I'm a lot more critical about listing details. If it seems to me that a seller genuinely doesn't have a way to test the keyboard, I'm more inclined to buy it. IBM Model M's are extremely durable.
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Model M's are pretty durable. If you find one chances are it's functional. Even ones missing some rivets.
Ripster did drop tests awhile back and found that the rivet loss is mostly on the edges so sometimes keys on the very edges like Numpad "-" might be temperamental.
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I have bought at least 2 dozen used Model Ms and all worked properly except for 2 late-1990s 42Hs built at Greenock.
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"Untested" usually means the seller doesn't have a PS/2 connection and literally can't test the board. (Relatively few peeps still use desktop PCs, and they'd need a pretty old laptop to still have PS/2.) It's a good reason for selling the board, too, right—a board they can't use?
Model F's and M's are legendary for their durability. They cost hundreds of bucks back in the '80s/'90s (in '80s/'90s dollars), and that's because they were built like nothing else. Even a board that's been used every day in a business environment for over 20 years is usually still perfectly usable—just dirty, but due to IBM's superior materials, they're easy to clean up, too.
I'm sure there's the occasional shady seller who uses "untested" as an excuse to dump a borked board. But that must be rare, for I've bought many an "untested" IBM board and found it was fine. And if you have any problems with one at all, the swell guys here will be happy to help you get it working again.
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My first two were untested, both missing a few keycaps, and both missing cables. They were also both fairly grubby, although not as bad as some I've seen.
One had a fixed cable and I fabricated a replacement out of an old PS/2 keyboard I have. It works fine.
The other was missing an SDL cable. I eventually got an orihalcon cable, and that keyboard works fine too. In fact that one is the nicest Model M I have used. I had occasion to open it up recently, and discovered that maybe one rivet was missing.