IBM Unsaver 3290-1 Keypad mystery: (FOUND IT!)

[jacethesaltsculptor]

So I've had a mystery I've been attempting to research myself but to little avail,

I'm trying to find more out about this keypad next to the IBM unsaver in these pictures.



There is an old thread on deskthority that lists this keypad out as possible part numbers: Part Number 6018100 and 6018109

However I can't find a single picture of it by itself anywhere on the net, nor any proof other than these pictures that it exists.



If anyone would know, I'd love to get ahold of one, or even just learn about it at a minimum.

Being that the unsaver goes for around 2K, I may only be able to afford knowing.

Thanks anyone for the help.

edit:

I've found a site with the announcement of this keypad and computer from that same thread on Deskthority, I'd put more of it here, but they talked about this about a half decade ago, and nothing more substantial was in it.
https://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/rep_ca/3/897/ENUS183-033/index.html

[ErgoMacros]

Looks a little, but not exactly like this (with photos):
  https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=31779.msg2304506#msg2304506
  https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=43505.0

[fohat.digs]

What is it about the operator in that picture?

[jacethesaltsculptor]

Looks a little, but not exactly like this (with photos):
  https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=31779.msg2304506#msg2304506
  https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=43505.0

I feel like though that there is a lineage there somewhere, because I have read around and seen that Model F versions of that pad exist, I don't imagine it would be a stretch to find out that there is the BIG model F one as a sort of "Keypad Battleship".

[jacethesaltsculptor]

What is it about the operator in that picture?

I was thinking after you posted that, that he looks like he could be from today, Flannel shirts like that are in, and the picture is of high quality,
I work with a guy who looks just like him, nevermind that they have probably around 20-30 years difference between them.

[jacethesaltsculptor]

Am currently finding more out about the unit, and have found a sort of IBM old catalogue that mentions it's existence, but little else:

3290 Information Panel

The IBM 3290 Information Panel (shown in Figure 3-4) is a display station that
features a large , flat plasma panel as its visual display medium. The
smudge-resistant screen can display as many as 9920 characters (62 rows by 160
columns). The panel can be tilted forward or backward , and the slope of the
keyboard and optional keypad can be adjusted .
Multiple-screen viewing capability means that the 3290 wi" operate as many as
four display stations ( logical terminals) simultaneously at the one physical
terminal . A" four screens can appear together , and each can interact
independently with its own host program. The operator uses the keyboard to work
with each of the displayed terminals, one at a time . The viewing area can display
concurrently four 3278 Model 2 screens , or two 3278 Model 3 screens , or two 3278
Model 4 screens , or one 3278 Model 5 screen . The 3290 can also display a full
page of 132-column computer printout or two pages of 80-column text.

Here is that pdf:

[jacethesaltsculptor]

So I've found the IBM Lighted Program Function Keyboard, this one is interesting because it came with later versions of the F122, and in this picture the Second version of the M122

the LPFK even has a wiki page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_LPFK

and I found a webpage that has information on connecting it to a modern machine and getting it to react I've printed the page as PDF for future generations in case it goes away.

The thing that is interesting here is that since there is a Lighted version I wonder if there is an unlighted variant? perhaps ours we are looking for?

Looking at the pad I'm counting 25 keys on the mystery keypad, and 32 on this one. It would look like an upgrade in comparison. This is getting interesting.

[jacethesaltsculptor]

Ah! So I thought right, here's at least some sort of evidence of this keypad:

In the attachment on page 3-11 we see this information on how to setup the various keypads with the terminal.

This seems to imply that there are ONLY these keypads supported, which narrows down the names a lot.

Interestingly it labels a 25 key (25!) numpad. As it's impossible to make out the legends in the original photo of the thread it could very well be a numpad, which strangely has no more than single unit keys in either the horizontal or vertical.

[jacethesaltsculptor]

Here we are, some definitions, interestingly none of these are 25 key.

The PDF included is also aware of the 3290 information display, and has ALOT of information about keyboard layouts from that time period. 80's. So that will be uploaded, it's an interesting read.

[jacethesaltsculptor]

FOUND IT!

Here is the beast! I'm including the unsaver and its possible variants as well:

This wonderful PDF also has tons of information on the variants possible for the IBM unsaver:

The two attached PDFs will be:

1. The whole PDF that this came from.
2. Just the relevant pages, compressed to save space.

It's worth mentioning that the attached big PDF, has a list and lots of information of all the functionality of any terminal that can be connected to an IBM 3270 (like the 3290 Information display, which is only a dumb terminal that connects to the 3270) It is legitimately the most keyboard centric IBM manual I've ever read, and may provide tons of info to others who wish to learn more about that system as well.

TLDR: The unsaver side keyboard comes in a few form factors, including programmable function keys as well as varying numpads for different countries of the world, as well as one for the US market that does have a single double wide key. Realistically we are looking at the Programmable function keyboard on the picture in the Opening Post. I'm so happy I found this, I hope it helps someone down the line. In addition I found a ton of information about what different layouts an IBM Unsaver 104-key Model F can have, some of these may have never been seen in the wild, but now we have documentation that they were at least written about, if not manufactured.

The 3290 station that this was made with was very expensive and had tons of features, so many that IBM STILL has manuals from 2013 at the latest that I've found that explain how to connect that station to a Z/OS Mainframe. It seems that somewhere there is still some guy burning his retinas with the wonderful IBM orange plasma glow.

Let's hope he's not sitting on one of these cool keypads and keyboards.

[E TwentyNine]

Nice find, backed up with info!   Haven't seen one of these in the wild.

[pr0ximity]

Awesome research! Some of those pictures, the terminals they have, that collection of beamsprings... hubba hubba

Really crazy to think there are still these keyboards potentially out there somewhere that collectors haven't come across yet. Quite a wild time in computing.

[pr0ximity]

And that beamspring standing desk! I've never seen that before