Bought a Cherry G80-3000LQMUS For $2 Today

[inaneframe]

I like to troll around the discount and second-hand stores a lot, I mostly look but then every once in awhile it pays off.  Took a couple finals this morning, stopped by a couple of the various local stores I like to hit up and then ran through a "Savers" (this particular one has an especially musty smell so I try to make my visits quick and to the point).  Slowed down near the books section, grabbed a good copy of an Al Franken book I hadn't read since I was sixteen (for the fair and balanced nature of it).

I scurried toward their electronics corner and my eyes locked onto it before I even came close.  Distinctively a Cherry board, but it was dirty, sticker adhesive etc. on several of the keys, the Alt key, N, M, and across the top of the board above the F-key row (obviously it had had an F-key program codex there).  Immediately, I pop the left arrow key cap and there it is. . . Cherry clear, oh my goodness.  I'd just posted on this very website yesterday that I'd never used Cherry clears.  Sudden rush of happy juice rolls into my brain, like a drug.  My fix.  A wild gorilla could not have wrested this board from my steel-like grip in that moment.  Four dollar price tag, win!

Run for the counter, the purplish-red-haired leopard-print blouse and gauge earringed woman rings me up but lo the keyboard has a particular tag that is 50% off today.  I'd never been so happy to rid myself of two dollars!  Shut up and take my money now!

I got her home and scrubbed her down good, got rid of the muck and she looks so nice now, I think you will agree!

Ecstasy.  So here she is, her name is "Oholah!"

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And the spacebar to show how damned unused it is:

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EDIT
As per Ascaii's request (all keys flipped horizontally, not vertically):

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I can see they say "PBT" etc on the inside. . . the spacebar has a gray cherry switch as you can see.

[kaiserreich]

That's a great find.
Lucky bastard.

[Quarzac]

I second the luck bastard comment. That's such a sweet deal. I'd resell it. You could definitely get something like $50 for it. Heck, I'd probably give you $50 for it.

[pitashen]

too bad the keys are not double shots. but nothing beats a 2bucks G80 board!

[Henry Allen Venture]

Third-ing the "lucky bastard" comment.

Trying to find myself one of those boards with MX Blues so I can start my Portal Keyboard Mod. Its looking like I'm going to have to buy one from Amazon UK. The Australian site I thought had them apparently doesn't, or they're in the wrong key layout... Or something. I couldn't really understand the email I got from their Support guy. All I understood was they didn't have what I wanted.

Good find, anyway, dude.
Have fun with it.

[inaneframe]

All I can tell you is check the thrift stores, you can find some tremendous deals sometimes!  I never find any Filcos, Leopolds, HHKBs, or Topres of course but I have found Alps, Cherry boards, IBMs, et al.

All they see is just another old keyboard, price it, and move on.

[Henry Allen Venture]

What sucks is most of the thrift stores near me don't deal too heavily in computer stuff, particularly keyboards.
I see the odd G15 or G19 around, but apart from that, I think their view is that they won't be able to sell them, especially seeing as how a lot of them have very little display space in-store.
That won't stop me looking, though.

[davkol]

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[Findecanor]

Congratulations! I hope you like it. I love mine.

BTW, the space bar should be PBT. They don't get shiny in the first place.

[N8N]

Wow, a board with clears and a real honest-to-Glub bog standard ANSI layout for $2?  You are living right, my friend!  congratulations!

[weenis]

+lots on the "Lucky" comments.

[inaneframe]

Lucky you. I'm getting just G81-3000 for $5 later this week.

I just love how the rest of the world has no idea the value of a Cherry. . . is it weird that I ask people at registers in various stores if I can play with their keyboards??

Congratulations! I hope you like it. I love mine.

BTW, the space bar should be PBT. They don't get shiny in the first place.

I was guessing that but I have made even a PBT spacebar start to shine before!

Wow, a board with clears and a real honest-to-Glub bog standard ANSI layout for $2?  You are living right, my friend!  congratulations!

+lots on the "Lucky" comments.

Thanks guys!

[jkercado]

Can I hate you? Congrats!

[dreamingftw]

Was inspired by your find so found myself going to my local Goodwill. Sadly nothing

[whiskerBox]

I love the looks that I get at the goodwill when I whip out my pocket knife and pull up keys!

[jkercado]

I love the looks that I get at the goodwill when I whip out my pocket knife and pull up keys!

So I'm not the only weirdo doing that, huh? :becky:

[Ascaii]

What is particularly interesting to me are the very untypical f, j, and numpad 5 keys. Usually the f and j are sculpted differently and the 5 has a round nipple on it, but your has bars. Can you please post a picture of the back of the space, f, and numpad 5 keys? Space should be thick PBT and if im not mistaken, so should the lasered keycaps. Some older L boards used the same PBT blanks as the dye sub caps, yours looks like a canidate.

[inaneframe]

What is particularly interesting to me are the very untypical f, j, and numpad 5 keys. Usually the f and j are sculpted differently and the 5 has a round nipple on it, but your has bars. Can you please post a picture of the back of the space, f, and numpad 5 keys? Space should be thick PBT and if im not mistaken, so should the lasered keycaps. Some older L boards used the same PBT blanks as the dye sub caps, yours looks like a canidate.

Updated the first post with those pictures.

[CyberDave]

Dang, and I thought I was cool for finding a Das Keyboard II for $10 at Goodwill today.

I'm not sure I like the idea of blank keycaps, though. I'll have to take it to work and try to use it for a few days before deciding if I want to try to find replacement caps.

[Tony]

Once I got a Compaq MX 11800 for 15 USD and I thought it is still a bargain.

[inaneframe]

Dang, and I thought I was cool for finding a Das Keyboard II for $10 at Goodwill today.

I'm not sure I like the idea of blank keycaps, though. I'll have to take it to work and try to use it for a few days before deciding if I want to try to find replacement caps.

Man, that is a deal!  Especially from goodwill, they tend to be better at spotting things.  I've noticed they can be spot on with the price with electronics.

Here's a funny thought. . . they probably thought that the labels had been worn off of it because it was used so much!  :becky:

[Ascaii]

Updated the first post with those pictures.

O_o thin cherry PBT keycaps, thats the first time ive seen that. The caps alone should be worth 30 bucks to a PBT fetishist.

[javifast]

That sensation is incredible. Find a treasure like those for free or a few bucks.

[Ascaii]

That sensation is incredible. Find a treasure like those for free or a few bucks.

Yes. It is.
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@ OP great find! Hold on to those caps. You might also want to try out ergo clears, since the 3000 is so simple to do the switch mod on.

[inaneframe]

@ OP great find! Hold on to those caps. You might also want to try out ergo clears, since the 3000 is so simple to do the switch mod on.

Thanks, that's exactly that I was thinking but I'm going to need to find a good donor board, unfortunately I have no other Cherry boards that I'm willing to disassemble for the purpose of experiment at the moment.  I'll have to keep my eyes on the classifieds here or for another find like this (I'm not holding my breath though).

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I showed this to my wife and she said "Here and I thought you were the only one!"

[Ascaii]

Haha, my girlfriend at the time was on vacation when I bought them, I wish I could have seen her face when I called her in the states and told her I brought home 80 keyboards that day.
My last grab was a pallet of 120 MY keyboards with Cherry doubleshots ive been distributing over at DT. I love treasure hunting.

[inaneframe]

Haha, my girlfriend at the time was on vacation when I bought them, I wish I could have seen her face when I called her in the states and told her I brought home 80 keyboards that day.
My last grab was a pallet of 120 MY keyboards with Cherry doubleshots ive been distributing over at DT. I love treasure hunting.

You are on a whole other level. . . I will get there!

[Ascaii]

My problem with hobbies is that I tend to go off the deep end without noticing.
Well...wish me luck, im hoping to grab another 50 or so boards this weekend from a recylcing place im raiding.

[Henry Allen Venture]

My problem with hobbies is that I tend to go off the deep end without noticing.
Well...wish me luck, im hoping to grab another 50 or so boards this weekend from a recylcing place im raiding.

You, sir, are a wizard.
How many keyboards must you actually have?

[Ascaii]

I try to keep the number low by selling them all to you folks for decent prices. As for my weekend keyboards, so far Ive grabbed 8, should get about 80 tomorrow including one VERY dusty 1986 1390133.

[CyberDave]

So I'm not the only weirdo doing that, huh? :becky:

I brought my Filco keycap puller with me to the Goodwills and PC recycling place I hit today

[Encryptor]

Last time I went to a Goodwill in my area, last year, they were selling a 9600 baud modem for $20.  I think sometimes they have no idea what they're selling.

Ever hit up hamfests?  I haven't been to one in like a decade, but I imagine they might be a good source of keyboards.

[CyberDave]

My Goodwills are hit-and-miss with electronics pricing. Sometimes they're way underpriced (my Das II for $10), sometimes they're way overpriced (I've seen old 802.11b wireless routers for $20). Same thing goes for the computer recycling places I check out on occasion (sometimes they want outrageous prices for old networking gear, sometimes they sell me a Compaq MX-1800 with Cherry MX Browns for $2 like they did today:)

[javifast]

A compaq 1800 for $2....That's a good deal

[CyberDave]

A compaq 1800 for $2....That's a good deal

Two pins in the PS/2 connector are broken off, but that should be an easy fix. I would really like to give it a try, actually, because it's my first 'board with the Cherry MX browns...