geekhack
geekhack Projects => Making Stuff Together! => Topic started by: OldIsNew on Fri, 13 October 2017, 23:22:15
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I recently obtained a Kaypro II keyboard - I just really like the look of these old boards.
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I have a Kaypro 4 board with SMK J-M0404 switches - I was hoping this one might have Key Tronic foam and foil and it did.
[attach=2] [attach=3] [attach=4]
The foam and foil were in even worse shape than usual - much of the foam had literally turned to dust:
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The board came with a bonus spider egg sac:
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I'm getting faster at replacing the foam and foil so it's not too bad to do now, then traced out the matrix and wired up the xwhatsit:
[attach=7] [attach=8]
Retrobrighted the blue keys then reassembled the case and it's up and running.
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I'm learning to do with out Alt, F keys, nav clusters and all that newfangled stuff!
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Bloody awesome! I love seeing these projects where old classic boards are restored to function with modern computers. I saw "Kaypro II" in the thread title and thought "Far out!" :thumb:
Great job. Don't worry too much about the newfangled stuff :))
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It's shocking to learn the switches aren't some kind of mechanical 'cause I remember those keyboards ringing like the bells of St Mary as you typed on them.
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Bloody awesome! I love seeing these projects where old classic boards are restored to function with modern computers.
Thanks! I do love the old boards - they seem to have some character to them.
It's shocking to learn the switches aren't some kind of mechanical 'cause I remember those keyboards ringing like the bells of St Mary as you typed on them.
I guess it depends if you consider capacitive switches mechanical - which raises the question, are Model Fs mechanical? And yes, the board does have something of a ring to it. The metal case tends to reverberate a bit - its kind of nice I think.
[attach=1]