Author Topic: Model M Buying Guide Started on Fleabays Guides  (Read 1408 times)

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Offline ezrahilyer

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Model M Buying Guide Started on Fleabays Guides
« on: Sun, 16 November 2014, 12:49:03 »
i started writing a buying guide for restored model Ms on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/gds/How-to-choose-a-good-IBM-Model-M-Keyboard-/10000000191270374/g.html not completely finished yet, what do you think?
Any ideas on what else I should add? There is so much to tell......

-ezra

Offline Puddsy

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Re: Model M Buying Guide Started on Fleabays Guides
« Reply #1 on: Sun, 16 November 2014, 12:51:39 »
You should explain what a bold mod is, why some models have different labels, how to differentiate a model M from a model F, and also maybe give a little history.

Just my $0.02.
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Offline fohat.digs

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Re: Model M Buying Guide Started on Fleabays Guides
« Reply #2 on: Sun, 16 November 2014, 13:26:44 »
The "label color" question is sticky. If I remember correctly, the oval beige plastic label with black printing is called "white", "beige", "gray", and "black" almost randomly and interchangeably.

There is also an actual black label that is used only on industrials, and they should be mentioned somewhere.

It seems that different plants changed components (eg lighter plates, barrel inserts instead of wire stabilizers, label color) at wildly different dates, so it is not true to say that a 1988 is "old-school" and a 1989 is not, or that a 1993 is sure to be a blue label.

I would also recommend that you discuss the cables, and the fact that the original black coiled AT cables work fine with a passive adapter. Naturally, you want to sell your USB conversions, but if you are talking to newbies then you could mention the SDL-PS/2, at least in passing.

Last, make a bigger deal of the bolt-mod and the opportunity to change layouts. That is the single most difficult thing that holds most people back from doing what you do.

You might also offer to activate "secret keys" if someone wanted to commission a special project.
"However, even though I was born in the Mesozoic, I do know what anyone who wants to reach out to young people should say: Billionaires took your money. They took your chance to buy a home. They took your chance at a good education. They stole your opportunities. Billionaires took the things you want in life. If you really want those things, you have to take them back.
That's the message. That's the whole message. Say that every day, not just to reach America's frustrated young white men, but people of every age, race, and gender.
Late-stage capitalism is a wealth-concentration engine, focused on vacuuming up every dollar and putting it in as few hands as possible. Republicans are helping that vacuum suck.
How does a tiny fraction of the population get away with this? They do it by dividing the other 99% of Americans against themselves."
- Marc Sumner 2025-05-30

Offline rowdy

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Re: Model M Buying Guide Started on Fleabays Guides
« Reply #3 on: Sun, 16 November 2014, 22:55:49 »
Is it worth mentioning the two piece keycaps?

And that it is possible to find sellers providing single replacement keycaps, or just to buy two Model M to get a full set of keycaps?
"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

NEC APC-H4100E | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED red | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED green | Link 900243-08 | CM QFR MX black | KeyCool 87 white MX reds | HHKB 2 Pro | Model M 02-Mar-1993 | Model M 29-Nov-1995 | CM Trigger (broken) | CM QFS MX green | Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 TKL Yellow Edition MX black | Lexmark SSK 21-Apr-1994 | IBM SSK 13-Oct-1987 | CODE TKL MX clear | Model M 122 01-Jun-1988

Ị̸͚̯̲́ͤ̃͑̇̑ͯ̊̂͟ͅs̞͚̩͉̝̪̲͗͊ͪ̽̚̚ ̭̦͖͕̑́͌ͬͩ͟t̷̻͔̙̑͟h̹̠̼͋ͤ͋i̤̜̣̦̱̫͈͔̞ͭ͑ͥ̌̔s̬͔͎̍̈ͥͫ̐̾ͣ̔̇͘ͅ ̩̘̼͆̐̕e̞̰͓̲̺̎͐̏ͬ̓̅̾͠͝ͅv̶̰͕̱̞̥̍ͣ̄̕e͕͙͖̬̜͓͎̤̊ͭ͐͝ṇ̰͎̱̤̟̭ͫ͌̌͢͠ͅ ̳̥̦ͮ̐ͤ̎̊ͣ͡͡n̤̜̙̺̪̒͜e̶̻̦̿ͮ̂̀c̝̘̝͖̠̖͐ͨͪ̈̐͌ͩ̀e̷̥͇̋ͦs̢̡̤ͤͤͯ͜s͈̠̉̑͘a̱͕̗͖̳̥̺ͬͦͧ͆̌̑͡r̶̟̖̈͘ỷ̮̦̩͙͔ͫ̾ͬ̔ͬͮ̌?̵̘͇͔͙ͥͪ͞ͅ

Offline False_Dmitry_II

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Re: Model M Buying Guide Started on Fleabays Guides
« Reply #4 on: Mon, 17 November 2014, 01:08:32 »
Well, can always just get a set of caps from unicomp.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." - Ben Franklin (11 Nov. 1755)

Offline rowdy

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Re: Model M Buying Guide Started on Fleabays Guides
« Reply #5 on: Mon, 17 November 2014, 02:59:52 »
Well, can always just get a set of caps from unicomp.

If you want a full set, but if only one or two keycaps are missing ...

Edit: Never mind, I keep forgetting that Unicomp sells indiviqdual blanks :))
« Last Edit: Mon, 17 November 2014, 03:03:18 by rowdy »
"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

NEC APC-H4100E | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED red | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED green | Link 900243-08 | CM QFR MX black | KeyCool 87 white MX reds | HHKB 2 Pro | Model M 02-Mar-1993 | Model M 29-Nov-1995 | CM Trigger (broken) | CM QFS MX green | Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 TKL Yellow Edition MX black | Lexmark SSK 21-Apr-1994 | IBM SSK 13-Oct-1987 | CODE TKL MX clear | Model M 122 01-Jun-1988

Ị̸͚̯̲́ͤ̃͑̇̑ͯ̊̂͟ͅs̞͚̩͉̝̪̲͗͊ͪ̽̚̚ ̭̦͖͕̑́͌ͬͩ͟t̷̻͔̙̑͟h̹̠̼͋ͤ͋i̤̜̣̦̱̫͈͔̞ͭ͑ͥ̌̔s̬͔͎̍̈ͥͫ̐̾ͣ̔̇͘ͅ ̩̘̼͆̐̕e̞̰͓̲̺̎͐̏ͬ̓̅̾͠͝ͅv̶̰͕̱̞̥̍ͣ̄̕e͕͙͖̬̜͓͎̤̊ͭ͐͝ṇ̰͎̱̤̟̭ͫ͌̌͢͠ͅ ̳̥̦ͮ̐ͤ̎̊ͣ͡͡n̤̜̙̺̪̒͜e̶̻̦̿ͮ̂̀c̝̘̝͖̠̖͐ͨͪ̈̐͌ͩ̀e̷̥͇̋ͦs̢̡̤ͤͤͯ͜s͈̠̉̑͘a̱͕̗͖̳̥̺ͬͦͧ͆̌̑͡r̶̟̖̈͘ỷ̮̦̩͙͔ͫ̾ͬ̔ͬͮ̌?̵̘͇͔͙ͥͪ͞ͅ

Offline fohat.digs

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Re: Model M Buying Guide Started on Fleabays Guides
« Reply #6 on: Mon, 17 November 2014, 08:15:55 »
I keep forgetting that Unicomp sells individual blanks

Shipping must be prohibitive to those of you in Oz, but in the US we have 2 great choices: Unicomp with a rainbow spectrum of colors and lots (but not enough) of interesting legends, and clickykeyboards selling real vintage IBM gear that will probably match better (although there was wide variation, even "back in the day").
"However, even though I was born in the Mesozoic, I do know what anyone who wants to reach out to young people should say: Billionaires took your money. They took your chance to buy a home. They took your chance at a good education. They stole your opportunities. Billionaires took the things you want in life. If you really want those things, you have to take them back.
That's the message. That's the whole message. Say that every day, not just to reach America's frustrated young white men, but people of every age, race, and gender.
Late-stage capitalism is a wealth-concentration engine, focused on vacuuming up every dollar and putting it in as few hands as possible. Republicans are helping that vacuum suck.
How does a tiny fraction of the population get away with this? They do it by dividing the other 99% of Americans against themselves."
- Marc Sumner 2025-05-30