Displaywriter Keyboard

[Firebolt1914]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-IBM-DISPLAYWRITER-KEYBOARD-/172290527856?hash=item281d50d270:g:Va4AAOSwARZXnpZA

[HMS Roebuck]

The $32 shipping is brutal

[chyros]

$96 for me .

[algernon]

The $32 shipping is brutal

$112 to Hungary. Ouch.

[Elrick]

The $32 shipping is brutal

$112 to Hungary. Ouch.

Damn, you beat me here because my shipping cost would only be $110.85USD.

[Vanilla]

The $32 shipping is brutal

I laughed hysterically at this.

I have one of these white whales and you need to lift one of these in person to understand. The monkier is not unjustified with bombproof all-metal construction.

[y11971alex]

The $32 shipping is brutal

I laughed hysterically at this.

I have one of these white whales and you need to lift one of these in person to understand. The monkier is not unjustified with bombproof all-metal construction.

It's $64 for me, from NY to Toronto. 

You should shell out. 
$96 for me .

[ThoughtArtist]

Damn, only $18 for me. I guess it's mine!

[y11971alex]

There're close to six days left, so it's not exactly in the bag yet.

[ThoughtArtist]

I'm going to sell my soul for this. Satan's got my back. We go back a long way.

[ThoughtArtist]

I dunno guys, look at all that **** underneath the keys. Seems like a bad deal to me.

[Findecanor]

I have had several keyboards that looked worse but cleaned up nicely. None of them were as old as this one, though.

If I'm not mistaken, the Beam Spring switches should have some kind of plastic-bag material around the stems that should protect the switches even though the mounting plate could be dirty and rusty.

[y11971alex]

I have had several keyboards that looked worse but cleaned up nicely. None of them were as old as this one, though.

If I'm not mistaken, the Beam Spring switches should have some kind of plastic-bag material around the stems that should protect the switches even though the mounting plate could be dirty and rusty.

The switches themselves have surprisingly longevity.  On DT, there's a source known as the "Rustmaster", and apparently these keyboards even improperly stored for decades spring back to life with just a replacement controller. 

[rowdy]

The $32 shipping is brutal

$112 to Hungary. Ouch.

Damn, you beat me here because my shipping cost would only be $110.85USD.

Don't forget to convert that to Aussie dollars, which would be about AUD$146.75.

[E TwentyNine]

I have had several keyboards that looked worse but cleaned up nicely. None of them were as old as this one, though.

If I'm not mistaken, the Beam Spring switches should have some kind of plastic-bag material around the stems that should protect the switches even though the mounting plate could be dirty and rusty.

It's more of a thin rubber than plastic, and it's usually degraded to bits.   I think it's overkill and a beam spring will be fine and stay clean without it in a home environment, others recreate the material using something like cellophane wrap when installing the caps.

[Firebolt1914]

Does this come with a cable, or does an xwhatsit eliminate the need for that?

[y11971alex]

Does this come with a cable, or does an xwhatsit eliminate the need for that?

xwhatsit's replacement controller is just a controller that plugs into the keyboard.  You will still need a spare USB cable (micro on the end connected to the controller) coming out of the keyboard; I don't think bluetooth on beam spring exists yet.   

[alienman82]

removed.

[y11971alex]

Does this come with a cable, or does an xwhatsit eliminate the need for that?

xwhatsit's replacement controller is just a controller that plugs into the keyboard.  You will still need a spare USB cable (micro on the end connected to the controller) coming out of the keyboard; I don't think bluetooth on beam spring exists yet.   

LOL.  it's not portable by any means

But it could have been done, I think.  The 3101 I own was manufactured on Jun. 15th, 1984, making it possibly one of the last beam spring boards manufactured.  The PC Jr.'s infamous infrared keyboard actually precedes my beam spring, so they could have manufactured a infrared wireless beam spring that's portable (although I found out that if you rest it on your lap too long, it cuts off circulation to your legs).

[Touch_It]

Damn, only $18 for me. I guess it's mine!

$18 for me as well......

Fight!

[mike52787]

I thought long and hard about this, and no, I wont be bidding on this. Im sure beam springs are great and all, but I have no room on my desk for this monster, let alone time to get it up and running. Good luck guys!

[E TwentyNine]

Yes, yes, none of us have room.  Let's ALL agree not to bid on it.

 

[alienman82]

removed.

[y11971alex]

Well... $139.50.  Who got it? 

[E TwentyNine]

Not I.  I reread the description noting the phrase "SEVERE CONDITION", and looked closer.  You can see the shine between the keys which shouldn't be visible if the protective layer is intact, as well as the filth, and the rust on the screws on the bottom.  Wondered how bad it is inside so I tossed in a low bid but expected to be outbid (and was). If I didn't have one already I would've went higher.

Do hope someone here got it though so we can see the internals.

[ThoughtArtist]

Well... $139.50.  Who got it?

Looks like some big seller with 8156 feedbacks. Probably going to clean it up then upsell it for $400 like the computer museum.

[y11971alex]

*sigh*

I'm $2.50 away from the final bid.

[ThoughtArtist]

*sigh*

I'm $2.50 away from the final bid.

Maybe we'll see it for sale again. Hopefully not at $400 though! Hell, I'd pay extra to have an already refurbished one.

[E TwentyNine]

*sigh*

I'm $2.50 away from the final bid.

You're not.  The autobid step is $2.50 at that price range.  It's likely the winning bidder bid quite a bit higher.  As long as you were under their bid, they'd always beat you by $2.50.

[E TwentyNine]

*sigh*

I'm $2.50 away from the final bid.

Maybe we'll see it for sale again. Hopefully not at $400 though! Hell, I'd pay extra to have an already refurbished one.

If he's going to resell he may just pop the caps and clean them and put it back up without such a dismal description.  "Unknown condition" works a lot better than "SEVERE CONDITION" to attract buyers.

[y11971alex]

*sigh*

I'm $2.50 away from the final bid.

You're not.  The autobid step is $2.50 at that price range.  It's likely the winning bidder bid quite a bit higher.  As long as you were under their bid, they'd always beat you by $2.50.

I was tempted to go $150 on this one, but that shipping charge really put me off.  It's $69 from where I am now. 

[orihalcon]

I had the winning bid.  Will post pics once received.  Shipping was quite the turnoff, but I am interested to see if this can be converted to an ANSI layout somehow.  I agree that it is likely in rough condition given how the spaces in between the keys look.  Dust shield is probably long gone and I'd imagine there's quite a bit of rust.  I am picturing something like this:

[y11971alex]

I had the winning bid. 

I am so mad at you right now. 

On the other hand, it would probably be beyond my ability to restore effectively, so from a communal point of view, I'm glad that you got it. 

[Touch_It]

I had the winning bid.  Will post pics once received.  Shipping was quite the turnoff, but I am interested to see if this can be converted to an ANSI layout somehow.  I agree that it is likely in rough condition given how the spaces in between the keys look.  Dust shield is probably long gone and I'd imagine there's quite a bit of rust.  I am picturing something like this:

(Attachment Link)

Glad someone here got it.  No way I could have paid that much, though i think that it is a pretty reasonable price.

[Ir0n]

Didn't know there was a post on this board..I threw a 100 at it Lol
hopefully you get it working!

[alh84001]

I'm only seeing this post now. I threw a $100 at it too 

@orihalcon did you manage to do some work on it?

[orihalcon]

This ended probably being one of the poorest condition beamsprings in existence. I think if one had been burried underground for 30 years, this is about what it would have looked like. When I opened the box, tons of rust fragments came out, and 90% of the keys would not depress.  All of the springs were completely rusted through.  The PCB doesn't look great, but it might still work.  If I can find some replacement springs, I might be able to restore it, but not sure if it's worth it at this point given how bad things are. 

You can all thank me for winning this one and saving you the hassle!    It was a gamble, I just never have seen one this bad documented anywhere, so it  was still a shock.

[emdude]

Whoa, that takes the cake, looks even worse than the beam springs from the Rustmaster!

If you attempt a restoration, I would be very interested in seeing your process.  Wodan on DT has been doing a spectacular job himself on a beam spring that was in very bad shape too.

[E TwentyNine]

Mother of god.

[Ir0n]

Damn..that's sad..hope you can give it a second life

[chyros]

This needs some chemistry magic. To de-rust the springs, let them sit in a 10 v% solution of H₃PO₄ in water. Passivates them without removing any material.

[alh84001]

Woah. And I thought some of my stuff came in bad shape 

If this could be saved that would be awesome. Otherwise it could be used for switches. Get lot_lizards alternative shell once its done, and custom capacitive PCBs are not out of the question these days as well, and it could be a cool project.

And it's funny how those 16 switches on the right look unscathed.

[orihalcon]

Nah, the springs are completely rusted through and consistently break in two or more pieces when disassembling, there's no saving those.  Would need to find replacements, but they are an odd size.  Most of the rest of the parts, (while some are still rust stained) should work fine.

[Parak]

One of my beam springs is as bad but likely worse. Was in a barn with a bunch of other rare boards that were obtained in the same lot, exposed to years of uninsulated weather conditions. Only derusted the back plate (heavily pitted) a while back but haven't had the time to derust anything else, especially with the springs in similar shape.

Was barely able to get the keycaps off due to expansion of rust in the stems, and dented the edges of a few as result, too

[1391406]

The key caps look to be in good condition at least.

[alh84001]

I just stumbled across this in manual for the displaywriter system
"Key forces ranging from 40 to 75 grams with key displacements of 1.5 to 3 mm (1/16 to 1/8 inch) for accurate typing with minimal effort"

Does it mean that it has variable key weights, or that there are different versions of the keyboard?

[1391406]

I just stumbled across this in manual for the displaywriter system
"Key forces ranging from 40 to 75 grams with key displacements of 1.5 to 3 mm (1/16 to 1/8 inch) for accurate typing with minimal effort"

Does it mean that it has variable key weights, or that there are different versions of the keyboard?

I'm fairly certain it's a reference to variable weighted keys.