NIB Model F, Buy it Now for $45

[microsoft windows]

Please note: This is an XT Model F with the original box, not the AT version.

This is a neat find. A NIB Model F XT at a good price.

[Phaedrus2129]

You almost gave me a heart attack as I rushed to read... then you disappointed me with XT.

[TexasFlood]

You almost gave me a heart attack as I rushed to read... then you disappointed me with XT.

Hah, me to.  Even though I'd already seen it and asked the seller about it to confirm what it was.  I didn't realize this was the same board at first glance, :sad:.

[microsoft windows]

You almost gave me a heart attack as I rushed to read... then you disappointed me with XT.

Hey. It's still not a bad deal. I thought some of you guys might be interested in it.

[elbowglue]

I think it's fair to say the post title here is very misleading.  At least it "made you look!"

EDIT: Does anyone here actually think MW's intention here was actually to inform us about what he thought was a good deal, or was it just to get everyone to "madeyalook" and get a good laugh out of it?  Any other geekhacker I might give them the benefit of the doubt, but MW, usually does the latter.

Damn troll. Ya made me look and ya made me angry.

[TexasFlood]

Hey. It's still not a bad deal. I thought some of you guys might be interested in it.

If I still had an XT around maybe.  Actually maybe I do, hah, who knows what's in my basement?

[microsoft windows]

I think it's fair to say the post title here is very misleading.  At least it "made you look!"

EDIT: Does anyone here actually think MW's intention here was actually to inform us about what he thought was a good deal, or was it just to get everyone to "madeyalook" and get a good laugh out of it?  Any other geekhacker I might give them the benefit of the doubt, but MW, usually does the latter.

Damn troll. Ya made me look and ya made me angry.

It wasn't that often that I saw a Model F with its original box so I thought somebody here might be interested when this one popped up. There was no harm/trolling intended.

[Sam]

There is no place in the listing where it claims the keyboard is "NIB"!  Thus your title is very misleading.  It specifically says the keyboard looks used.  Unless the listing was changed since you made your post, I would say it was either a troll post, or else you didn't read the listing carefully and jumped to that conclusion.

[Phaedrus2129]

There is no place in the listing where it claims the keyboard is "NIB"!  Thus your title is very misleading.  It specifically says the keyboard looks used.  Unless the listing was changed since you made your post, I would say it was either a troll post, or else you didn't read the listing carefully and jumped to that conclusion.

The listing actually did have "NIB" in the title when I read it. I guess someone complained and he took it off.

[Daniel Beaver]

They age well, in any case. I would be willing to bet that a NIB model F feels exactly the same as a used model F.

But the XT layout... ugh. Though I suppose that if you're going through all the trouble of making it work on a modern PC, it isn't too hard to just re-arrange to hammers and put new keys in (I think you can do an ANSI layout on it). The XT is better built than the AT, so it could potentially be a better board. Though superficially similar, they are somewhat different boards internally, the main difference being that the XT has a metal back plate.

[Sam]

But the XT layout... ugh.

Back when they first came out (actually it was the original PC, not even an XT), I fell in love with the keyboard and it didn't even bother me much about the layout.  The feel of the keys when typing was simply the best I'd experienced in the computer world, and the closest experience to typing on a Selectric.

When the AT keyboard came out, I switched and it took a bit of getting used to, but after that I wouldn't really want to go back to an XT.  I think though that my biggest complaint with the XT layout was the Printscreen key's location.  I recall I frequently accidentally pressed it when aiming for the Enter or Right Shift, sometimes sending my computer off into Never Never Land for several seconds while it tried to print the screen to a non-existent printer.  Of course I was using PC-DOS, and the cursor would do a left/right, up/down scan of the screen as it attempted to print each character on the screen.  As you say though, not a big deal these days as it could easily be remapped elsewhere, and that key be made to be a dead key.  Better yet if a longer shift key could be swapped in to cover both the present Right Shift and Printscreen keys.  Likewise a longer shift key on the left would be good, but then where to put the Backslash?  I use the Backslash all the time so wouldn't want it out of reach where I had to move my hand off the home row position.

One of these days I'll have to look inside the XT keyboard and see how difficult it would be to make a new controller for it so it could be used with modern computers.

[jpc]

Oh it's linxyo, that's the seller who was selling a warped Model M SSK a couple months back. It looked like it had been cooked in an oven.

Then he pulled that listing and the next day, sold me an SSK that I call Godzilla which badly needed a bolt mod. What few rivets remained let go with hardly any provocation; the barrel plate cracked very easily; and the membrane sheets showed some discoloration.

I suspect that Godzilla is the warped (oven-baked?) SSK with a different case bottom.

I would not buy from linxyo again.

Godzilla's bolt mod came out great with a new barrel plate. The only questionable part remaining is the discolored membranes. They work. Maybe some day I'll replace them.

[Sam]

BTW, looks like this is just a relisted item:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-IBM-Keyboard-Orginal-Box-Rare-/150481363711?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0#ht_843wt_1137

Is anyone actually buying any of these XT keyboards for these crazy prices?  Lately I've seen plenty of listings for $70, $80, even over $100.  For an AT board, I understand, but not for an XT.

[maxlugar]

They age well, in any case. I would be willing to bet that a NIB model F feels exactly the same as a used model F.
QUOTE]

No, not necessarily true.

The single most important determinant of how a Model F (XT or AT) ages is not the amount of use, but rather the storage environment.

I've acquired a dozen 84-key PC AT Model Fs and a few 83-key PC/XT Model Fs.  Although they have all been functional, the ones that have been stored in climate controlled environments (i.e. indoor storage with controlled temperatue and humidity) feel signficantly different than those I've acquired from surplus lots.  Well kept Model Fs exhibit virtually no corrosion and have much smoother typing action (less ping) than those that are stored with less care.  I've sold off the rougher Model Fs and retained the nicer ones for my collection.

83-key PC/XT Model Fs have a very slight edge in terms of overall smoothness and preciseness of the key presses.  However, the 83-key layout is completely worthless and unusable to US touch typists (not to mention the worthless one-directional XT interface).

It looks like my custom made XT to AT protocol converter is becomming more valuable.  I've observed a lot of people talking about their desire and intent to build one from scratch but have yet to see one materialize  

[microsoft windows]

It would be interesting to hook up one of those XT's to a newer computer with a converter like that. I bet a lot of people who used the old IBM PC's will have a certain appreciation for it.