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Author Topic: [de] Robotron  (Read 4095 times)

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Offline Mental Hobbit

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[de] Robotron
« on: Wed, 20 January 2010, 13:29:36 »
Robotron keyboard for an old evil East-German commie computer. My understanding is it has foil contact switches and there's probably no way to get it to communicate with a modern capitalist PC anyway. Might still be a nice collectible. Not for me though.
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Offline itlnstln

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[de] Robotron
« Reply #1 on: Wed, 20 January 2010, 13:39:04 »
Sweet.  Their website still uses frames.
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Offline elservo

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[de] Robotron
« Reply #2 on: Wed, 20 January 2010, 13:45:10 »
I always enjoyed frames.  Frames always made it easier for me to get around MST3K webrings.
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Offline Mental Hobbit

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[de] Robotron
« Reply #3 on: Wed, 20 January 2010, 13:48:03 »
I don't think it's "their" website, to my knowledge Robotron hasn't survived '89. It's a fan site.
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Offline itlnstln

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[de] Robotron
« Reply #4 on: Wed, 20 January 2010, 14:02:10 »
Quote from: elservo;152359
I always enjoyed frames. Frames always made it easier for me to get around MST3K webrings.

Webrings were the best.  So was MST3K; I loved that show.  Obvously, you do, too.  I need to get some of those on DVD.  I haven't seen MST3K in, like, 10 years, or something.
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Offline sixty

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[de] Robotron
« Reply #5 on: Wed, 20 January 2010, 15:17:52 »
Made in Auerbach :eek:
Did Robotron become Cherry?
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Offline itlnstln

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[de] Robotron
« Reply #6 on: Wed, 20 January 2010, 15:20:35 »
No.  Cherry was a US company before being sold to ZF.
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Offline sixty

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[de] Robotron
« Reply #7 on: Wed, 20 January 2010, 15:30:58 »
Quote from: itlnstln;152382
No.  Cherry was a US company before being sold to ZF.


However, Cherry has been producing switches and keyboards under the name of "Cherry Mikroschalter GmBH" since the 80s in Auerbach. The ZF Electronics deal did not happen until mid 2008.

This keyboard from Robotron also has "Robotron Elektroschaltgeräte Auerbach" on the label.

Two companies producing microswitches and keyboards in the same town? I find it very unlikely to not be related.

Ontopic
According to the page linked in the OP this is a rubberdome:
Quote
Elastomer-Tastaturen: Bei diesen Tastaturen waren die Schaltkontakte in Form versilberter Leiterbahnen auf einer Leiterplatte angeordnet. In geringem Abstand über jeder Taste befand sich ein Stempel aus leitfähigen Material (meist Leitgummi), der beim Herunterdrücken den Kontakt herstellte. Vorteil dieser Tastaturart, die auch heute bei allen PCs angewendet wird, ist der preiswerte Aufbau. Nachteilig ist die große Empfindlichkeit gegenüber Verschmutzung und Korrosion.
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Offline Mental Hobbit

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[de] Robotron
« Reply #8 on: Wed, 20 January 2010, 15:41:25 »
Sixty scared me. :suspicious:

My conclusion after a short Google search: Two Auerbachs.
Auerbach in Bavaria, which is home to Cherry/ZF Electronics.
Auerbach in Saxony, which used to host a Robotron factory.
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Offline 42.tar.gz

  • Posts: 33
[de] Robotron
« Reply #9 on: Wed, 20 January 2010, 15:41:28 »
There's more than one Auerbach in Germany. Robotron was located in Auerbach/Vogtland (Saxony), Cherry in Auerbach in der Oberpfalz (Bavaria).
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Offline sixty

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[de] Robotron
« Reply #10 on: Wed, 20 January 2010, 15:41:41 »
Quote from: webwit;152389
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/VEB_Kombinat_Robotron
Also mentions Auerbach.


Good information. Different Auerbach after all. How very confusing. I was thinking it was for them to import their keyboards from the west to begin with. This explains it, case solved.

Also, looked at the page some more: It seems that only one of the "DDR Terminals" used actual mechanical keyboards. The rest appears to be rubber domes or foil contact models.
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Offline Mental Hobbit

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[de] Robotron
« Reply #11 on: Wed, 20 January 2010, 15:52:51 »
Strange that keys on all these boards are marked with the common english terms: Shift, Escape, Caps Lock...
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Offline lal

  • Posts: 360
[de] Robotron
« Reply #12 on: Wed, 20 January 2010, 17:43:00 »
Quote from: itlnstln;152357
Sweet.  Their website still uses frames.


Yeah, it's nostalgic in every way :)
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BS: Customizer, Model Ms; Alps: CSK-2101, FK-2002, AT-101 (SGI & Dell), MCK-860, FKBN87Z/EB; Cherry: Poker X, FKBN87MC/EB, WY60, G80-3000, G84-4100, TDV 5010

Offline elservo

  • Posts: 201
[de] Robotron
« Reply #13 on: Wed, 20 January 2010, 20:23:31 »
The good thing about MST3K is the jokes usually aren't dated, so the show never feels old.  You should definitely pick up the DVD set with "Hobgoblins" on it, or the one with "Space Mutiny."  Those are good episodes to pick up.
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Offline rdjack21

  • Posts: 896
[de] Robotron
« Reply #14 on: Wed, 20 January 2010, 20:33:10 »
The first thing I thought when I read the title of this thread was:




I dumped way to many quarters into that game back in the day :)
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Keyboards
Topre Capacitive: Realforce 87U, Realforce 86U, HHKB Pro 2, Topre MD01B0, Topre HE0100, Sun Short Type, OEM NEO CS (x2), NISSHO Electronics KB106DE
Buckling Spring: IBM Model M Space Saver (1291472), Unicomp Customizer x 2
Cherry Brown: Filco FKBN87M/EB, Compaq MX11800
Black Alps: ABS M1
Not so great boards Rare Spring over dome OKI, Sun rack keyboard
Trackballs - Trackman Wheel (3), Trackman marble (2)
Keyboards I still want to get - Happy Hacking Keyboard Pro 2 the White version, Realforce 23U number pad in black and maybe white, μTRON ergo board with Topre switches.
Previously owned - [size=0]SiiG MiniTouch (White Alps), Scorpius M10 (Blue Cherry), IBM Model M13[/size]

Offline itlnstln

  • Posts: 7048
[de] Robotron
« Reply #15 on: Thu, 21 January 2010, 07:55:11 »
Quote from: elservo;152528
The good thing about MST3K is the jokes usually aren't dated, so the show never feels old. You should definitely pick up the DVD set with "Hobgoblins" on it, or the one with "Space Mutiny." Those are good episodes to pick up.

"Space Mutiny" was good.  I definitely want to pick up the set.  I'll, then, have to figure out how to get the GF to watch it.
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Offline keyb_gr

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[de] Robotron
« Reply #16 on: Thu, 21 January 2010, 18:28:05 »
Quote from: Mental Hobbit;152403
Strange that keys on all these boards are marked with the common english terms: Shift, Escape, Caps Lock...

Same applied to the lettering on consumer electronics devices, actually. Maybe it was supposed to demonstrate "hey, we're up to par with the others". Reality was that things from the West were usually copied with several years of delay and had to make do with a somewhat meagre choice of semiconductor components (hardly anything fancy, mostly licensed or unlicensed copies of older or low-end ICs for example).
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Hardware in signatures clutters Google search results. There should be a field in the profile for that (again).

This message was probably typed on a vintage G80-3000 with blues. Double-shots, baby. :D
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