Wyse 840358-01 black Cherry w/o cable

[lal]

Link

Cable is *not* included (I've asked the seller). Has a RJ9 type socket, so making a cable should be possible. Has some stickers on the number row.

Mmmh, I'm not entirely sure if this is really a PC keyboard.  May be terminal only... But otherwise this is looking awesome, I'd really like to get my hands on this. I own a Wyse terminal board that looks similar to this one and I love it.  It was my first experience with a Real Keyboard. No tactile click but still an enlightenment.

[Mercen_505]

Wyse makes terminal equipment. Also, check the RJ port in the back  I'd say there's little chance of this working on a PC, although I may be wrong.

[itlnstln]

Other than the stickers on the number keys, I like the appearance of the 'board in the, what looks like, blue printing on the grey keys, the lock lights, and the vintage styling in general.  It sort of looks like the DeLorean of keyboards.  It appears that a lot of work went into creating this keyboard design-wise (I would imagine so if this were a terminal keyboard since, many times, this was the only mode of interaction).

[itlnstln]

I take that back, there is blue printing on all the keys and yellow on the arrows.  I just saw the slideshow at the bottom of the page.

[lal]

Apparently the seller on ebay is right. Wyse *did* manufacture PCs for a short period of time. See here for example: Mikes Computing Museum. Far down on this page is a pic of a Wyse 286 PC (WY-2116i). You can even see a keyboard that looks quite like the one from the auction connected to the PC. Damn, I wish I'd live in the states. I'd take the risk for sure. These boards are really cool.

Usenet link discussing cable connectors.

[sandy55]

Wyse 840358 is not a PC keyboard.  The board is pretty cool. slim but tough and heavy.  If you like that Wyse design, p/n 900840 is the one you have to look for. Same casing, same construction. 900840 comes with either ps/2 plug or AT plug.  no variations for key actions.  Wyse use black /mx linear only.   I believe lowpoly can make a controller board to make 840358 work with usual windows PC.

[zwmalone]

I'm confused.  He says it has black Cherrys (Blacks are linear) and goes on to state that it is clicky??? Maybe fake Cherrys like on Wellington's Macally keypad (which had black fake cherrys that were clicky).

[sandy55]

Hmm..  I need to read usenet link carefully.  I examined the control board to determin +5v and GND lines. after I confirmed +5v and GND, I connected rest 2 lines to DATA and  Clock but any combination didn't work at all back then.   I do not know about Wyse 2112 nor keyboards for 2112.   If time arrows, I may try again that wiring mod. on another 840358 in shelf.

[sandy55]

Wyse use real cherry MX/black/Linear. they don't use fake cherry for their products.

[zwmalone]

VINTAGE WYSE PC CLICKY KEYBOARD BLACK CHERRY SLIDERS

Would you mind explaining this to me then?   It sounds like this.

[sandy55]

Would you mind explaining this to me then?   It sounds like this.

I'm pretty sure that the seller mixed up with clicky and clanky of bottoming.   Wyse use a thick steel made face plate.

[xsphat]

I'm pretty sure that the seller mixed up with clicky and clanky of bottoming.   Wyse use a thick steel made face plate.

Haven't you ever seen the Dell AT101s on eBay as clicky keyboards? All of us have at least one and we all know they aren't clicky. Hell, I've seen membranes listed as clicky. Not everyone has the knowledge base all of us here do, so they list things to get the most views.

[lal]

Wyse 840358 is not a PC keyboard.  The board is pretty cool. slim but tough and heavy.  If you like that Wyse design, p/n 900840 is the one you have to look for.

I tend to believe in whatever you say in your almighty keyboard wisdom (seriously!). Knowing that the 840358 won't work with a PC relieves me from the pain of not being able to bid for it out of financial reasons.

Get the 900840 instead, you say? Okay, thanks for the tip. Are these available in the cool terminal colors dark gray and black, too, or only boring standard PC bright gray?

And the word "clicky" in the auction description did fulfill it's job of making a keyboard junkie like me find and want it, I think.

[lal]

Haven't you ever seen the Dell AT101s on eBay as clicky keyboards? All of us have at least one and we all know they aren't clicky.

They're not? Oops.

Not everyone has the knowledge base all of us here do,

Mine has just been extended, it seems

[itlnstln]

They're not? Oops.



Mine has just been extended, it seems

The black Alps are sort of like brown Cherries in that they are somewhat linear with a slight bump about a third of the way down.  I love them.

[sandy55]

lal,  I'd like to send you this song.
Don't believe a word.......by Thin Lizzy
sandy makes mistake frequently.

But this is true that 900840s WORK perfect with Wintel PCs.
And, I may tell a lie, they are available only in standard PC bright beige.
But in case you can get 900840, get a 840358 in your favorite color. then put inner assembly of 900840 whole togeher to 840358 casing.
With a little help from your friend to fix a cable outlet, you'll get your own Wyse 'board.  If you are lucky enough, you may happen to have a 840358 with thick double injection molded keycaps.

I believe construction of Wyse PCE keyboard is the second to none among all boards with cherry mx switches.  downside of this keyboard is that we don't have any choice other than black/linear.
But you can change switches if you really want.  
I have good words to close this comment but political phrase won't fit this forum.

[lal]

lal,  I'd like to send you this song.
Don't believe a word.......by Thin Lizzy
sandy makes mistake frequently.

You have yet to prove that, Sandy

I believe construction of Wyse PCE keyboard is the second to none among all boards with cherry mx switches.

Yeah, and because of that I'll try the mod when I have a bit more time and money left. Sounds like a very good idea. I just took out my Wyse terminal and hooked it up to the server machine to see if I still like it that much (I do). Here's a pic, or 2:




The built quality is really superb.  Heavy and doesn't bend a bit.  Some keys are giving me trouble though.  Have to take it apart and give it a good cleaning soon.

I have good words to close this comment but political phrase won't fit this forum.

Why not? I think we're all very tolerant and open minded. And some off topic never hurts

[lal]

The black Alps are sort of like brown Cherries in that they are somewhat linear with a slight bump about a third of the way down.  I love them.

Slight bump is good, I like bumps. I'll get a Dell in a few days (thanks again, lowpoly!).

[xyzzy]

Show Image

The built quality is really superb.  Heavy and doesn't bend a bit.  Some keys are giving me trouble though.  Have to take it apart and give it a good cleaning soon.

THAT's a spacebar! :eek:

[itlnstln]

No joke.  That's a takes-up-spacebar.

[sandy55]

I just took out my Wyse terminal and hooked it up to the server machine to see if I still like it that much (I do).

Wow! You DO have a Wyse terminal!  Does it need a Wyse system server?  Or you just connect it to your Linux system through Ethernet LAN? I Do not know terminal thingy at all.

The space saving keyboard is cool.  Could you reload larger pic so that I can confirm key layout?

[lal]

Wow! You DO have a Wyse terminal!  Does it need a Wyse system server?  Or you just connect it to your Linux system through Ethernet LAN? I Do not know terminal thingy at all.

The space saving keyboard is cool.  Could you reload larger pic so that I can confirm key layout?

Of course, it's a pleasure! See here.

[sandy55]

And, I may tell a lie, they are available only in standard PC bright beige.

lie la lie, lie la lie lei lei la lie la la lie lie.

color of outer case is rather grayish than beige. bit closer to keycaps of AEK/AEKII.

Shift key of AEK( not sure if it is either AEK or AEKII) is on the board for comparison.

I'm expecting correction #2 though my mod. may have been concluded as a Faulty Relic in the Past

[lam47]

THAT's a spacebar!

I'll see your space bar, and raise you an internal beeping speaker.

[lal]

Lam, you've won. Yours is longer than mine. He he.

[sandy55]

It will be mine in few days.  hence I will win....... unless it strays into some vanishing point during international delivery.

[bhtooefr]

sandy55: lal's terminal is a bit older than that.

RS232, not ethernet.

[lowpoly]

It will be mine in few days.  hence I will win....... unless it strays into some vanishing point during international delivery.

That means I'm the only one with that board right now.

my mod

That's crazy.

[xsphat]

Show Image

I'll see your space bar, and raise you an internal beeping speaker.

That Baby don't got Back(space) though. I need a thick and juicy backspace key for my fat American fingers.

[sandy55]

sandy55: lal's terminal is a bit older than that.

RS232, not ethernet.

lal can prove if it is older than NMB board or not. it has a sticker showing mfg date inside it's loswer case.  I vaguely imagine it was made around '87 to '89.  I suppose NMB is ’86 made.

That means I'm the only one with that board right now.

so,  I'm a looser, at this moment.

That's crazy.

I know I am.
http://sandy55.fc2web.com/index.html
You can see five entries, moicrochannel  computer, keyboards, 2 BBSs, and ......( better to keep away from the contents. all written in bad Japanese for which auto-translation won't work properly )  
BTW, while I was reading scripts in the rest last night, I found that I already examined Black on Brown in Dec.10.2004.  though actually it was Black on Fake white click.  I wrote that I did the mod because I felt black too stiff and hard. I evaluated the mod was good so far.  I didn't imagine to use genuine springs from cherry blues or browns back then. I didn't have enough spares of real blues and browns.

[lowpoly]

Ah, microchannel. I still want one of these. Love the tower models. Back in the day I worked on these. It was a Model 50 I think. I actually ordered a Model 70 desktop with a 386/25 processor (not sure about the numbers). It was quite expensive. IBM couldn't deliver and during the waiting time the Toshiba T5200 came out. So I cancelled the IBM and got the Toshiba. Which turned out to be the better choice for me. Still want a PS/2. Got to revive the equipment fetishism of the past.

Sandy, your website is huge. Since when do you collect keyboards?

[sandy55]

I don't know about model 50 much.  Model 70/25MHz you ordered might be 8570Axx.  First tower model is model 60 then changed to model 80 ( same outer case ). If you held one more year, you could have another choice for luggable model,P70 or P75.

Since when do you collect keyboards?

According to scripts in that crazy page, keyboard bug bit me around mid of 2003. I looked for information about PS/55 associated keyboards to complete my MCA page. In order to evaluate my beloved A01 and 002 keyboards objectively, I tought I had to test some boards with so called Biigfoot alps switches. that's the beginning of my madness.

[lowpoly]

I think it was a 8570x. Today I'd go for a Model 80 mostly for design reasons.

I tought I had to test some boards ...

[lal]

lal can prove if it is older than NMB board or not. it has a sticker showing mfg date inside it's loswer case.

I've lost again. D'oh!

[sandy55]

Show Image

I've lost again. D'oh! :(

Wow!. it's relatively new. So Wyse supplied Wyse style keyboard in '94 along with PCE keyboard.

[sandy55]

Usenet link explains how to use AT keyboard with AT clone Wyse PC. and the arthur DID.
it means either
1) Wyse PC has added feature in it's BIOS that it can accept Wyse proprietary keyboard, XT keyboard and AT keyboard..  or
2) Wyse PCE keyboard is essentially same with AT keyboard except RJ9 modular connector.  

I examined the PCB and determined pin assignment as attached jpg.
made an RJ9 to PS/2 cable and then hooked the board to my main system.
 
Result; LEDs all came on upon powering up PC, no blinking but just stayed there lighting.
unable to type p/w to log in windows like I couldn't before.

Conclusion; 840358 might be incompatible with usual windows PCs if my pin assignment is correct.  Wyse PC is something special like late PC XT which accepts both XT and AT keyboard.

Hope somebody can make it work with usual PC.

[lal]

Thank you very much for your investigations. I'm a bit sad that we can not use this fine k/b with PCs. But at least I'm no longer hoping, doubting, etc.. But there's still the option of putting the innards of a 900840 into the case of the 840358 Thank you *very* much, Sandy!