Today's Lewt

[bladamson]

Scrounged out of a local junk pile on the way to a client site.

 

 

The AT101 is probably going to go up for trade after I refurb it.  It's way yellowed. :3

The F is going to get hacked upon. :3

[PRISONER 24601]

NICE! How worn down are the switches in that AT101? are the keys shiny?
And, w/r/t the Model F, do you plan on making it AT compatible or what?

[bladamson]

Aside from being super yellow and full of dust, the AT101 is in excellent condition.  I do not see any key shine, but I expect if there is any, it will come out more clearly after I wash and de-yellow the caps.

For the moment, I have disassembled the F/PC and plan to compare spring/hammer assemblies and barrels when my F/AT stuff gets here.  I am curious to try to get it working with the AT or USB port, if I can get it hacked into a sane layout.

If I can find a way to do it cheaply, I think an F/PC/XT to USB + ANSI-ish layout would be a pretty cool mod for these useless old things.

Barring that, I may try drilling the barrels out of a broken Model M, mounting the F/PC barrels to the drilled front plate, etching a capacitive matrix PCB for it, and trying to build something on stripboard to make the keys register with the M's controller.  That'd be like, the most ultimate keyboard ever.

[Soarer]

Get a Teensy! ;-)

[bladamson]

Aren't they expensive? :3

[Soarer]

Only $18, but they're out of stock :-( They say they'll have more in Feb, but that could be pessimistic. They do have the Teensy++ in stock, at $24. :-)

[bladamson]

Cool, I was just looking at those.  Neat little chip, that. :3

I think I want to make something awesome out of one, but I don't know what....

Hmmmm...  I wonder if I could stuff both a teensy and a pico-itx motherboard inside a model F/XT....

Guh, that sounds like a lot of work. >_>

[Soarer]

LOL! I know the XT has a bit of a forehead, but it's not that big!

[bladamson]

Lol.

Maybe I could plug a USB flash stick into the teensy and write a z-code 'terp on it.  I wonder how I'd get video out of it though....

[kriminal]

a PICO ITX board? lolz interesting idea

[bladamson]

Maybe I could just stick it to the outside with bubblegum and it'd look all leet, like the clear computer cases, except without the case.

Would need Blinkenlights though!

Hmmmm, Watercooled Pico ITX in a Model F (with blinkenlights)!  There we go.

I ought to go to bed.  I think I'm getting silly... >_>

[bladamson]

OHAI

MY NAEM IZ GRAY KITTY AND I GOT DIS PACKAGE JUST NAO FOR LEE BUT HE'Z NUT HOEM SO I'MA OPEN IT NAO!


OMGWTF, IZ ALL PACKING PEANUTZ?!?!?!!11oneone1?


NOMNOMNOM BURP.  ALL EATED BUT DEZE TWO.  NAO I CAN OPEN DIS BUBBLEWRAP AN CHEW ON IT AN DEN SPIT IT UP ON TEH CARPET LATOR.


OMG GIT OFF DEH KEYBOARD GRAY KITTY!

OHAI ORANGE KITTY. I ALREEDY EATED ALL TEH PACKING PEANUTS.



Hey!  What are you guys doing unpacking my stuff!  Scram!!

Oh hey Geekhackers, sorry about that.  They like to use my computer to surf furry pr0n when I'm not home. :/

Anyhoo, yea!  It's an AT/F from ClickeyKeyboards.







It's in better shape than I expected from the pictures.  However for a "verified working" board, it's a bummer that the tab key isn't working!!!

I'll give the guy the benefit of a doubt and assume that the hammer popped out during shipping or something.  But still it's a supposedly indestructable Model F, and after paying $120 for a "verified working" board, I'm a shade peeved.  >_>

Hopefully it's an easy fix.  Waiting for the guy to email me back about it.  I figured I'd ask if he'd still take it back if I try to open it up and fix it myself and find that something is terribly wrong with it. :3

[bladamson]

Yea, I figured if anyone was at fault, it was the USPS kicking it around.  Clicky seems to have a pretty good rep, and I wasn't intending to impugn upon it in any way with the previous post.  I ordered the thing after dinner, as I recall, and apparently he shipped it out the same night.  Very prompt and excellent service.

Edit: Yep, That appears to have fixed it!  Weird, I guess tilting it is the magic trick.  Tab and comma are both pretty weak, though.  I think I'll swap the spring/hammers with some of the F-keys.