Author Topic: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard  (Read 4317 times)

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Offline Halverson

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #1 on: Thu, 11 April 2013, 03:09:33 »
I was actually looking at that one, no one else bid on it!!!

Offline sleepy916

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #2 on: Thu, 11 April 2013, 03:13:16 »
He is offering free shipping....what a brave person!

Offline Halverson

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Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #3 on: Thu, 11 April 2013, 04:01:28 »
He is offering free shipping....what a brave person!
[/quote

Hush! :p

Offline Aer Fixus

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #4 on: Thu, 11 April 2013, 07:41:16 »
I would have jumped on this one if I hadn't already bought two of them for $35 (each, shipped) a couple weeks ago. The unlabeled PF keys do look attractive though and I would like some donor keys for experimenting (and fixing the ONE broken key on this keyboard)...

I'm pretty sure that the other person bidding on this keyboard is willing to go over $30 though, so no sense in making him (or her) pay MORE for it because I want to get a cheap donor board...
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Offline ed_avis

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #5 on: Thu, 11 April 2013, 08:17:39 »
I have an almost complete set of donor keys from my F122 - with the funky 'data entry' layout http://www.flickr.com/photos/7500206@N08/sets/72157629730273251/

The only keys I've kept are the left shift, right shift (with the arrow pointing the wrong way), and Enter.  All the others I have replaced with Model M keycaps.  Do these keys suit your purposes?

Offline Aer Fixus

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #6 on: Thu, 11 April 2013, 08:30:04 »
Those would do just fine. Now, the only question is of price...

Or if you just want me to cover the shipping costs, that would be cool, too!
« Last Edit: Thu, 11 April 2013, 08:35:17 by Aer Fixus »
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Offline Rare

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #7 on: Thu, 11 April 2013, 08:33:20 »
Hopefully the bid doesn't go up crazy high. There are numerous model m's on ebay though.
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Offline ed_avis

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #8 on: Thu, 11 April 2013, 08:36:20 »
I'm happy to send you the keys in exchange for postage costs and one spacebar (with stabilizer) from your F122s.  Mine had a Model M spacebar instead, which doesn't fit quite right.  (I also seek black ISO-layout shift and enter keys, but I don't think those exist anywhere unless you use vinyl dye or something.)

Offline Aer Fixus

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #9 on: Thu, 11 April 2013, 08:41:10 »
I would like to keep my F spacebars if I could. I know I have two, but I would like to consider the option of resale a possibility for both of them.

Edit: If all you need is a stabilizer, I'm sure I could fabricate one to a very similar spec and send it to you. It is just wire, after all. I could test it to make sure that it works, too. (This isn't a guarantee, though. I'll have to find someone with the right gauge wire, first. Being in a college filled with weirdos like me, I'm sure there's someone out there with the right wire)
« Last Edit: Thu, 11 April 2013, 08:53:51 by Aer Fixus »
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Offline ed_avis

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #10 on: Thu, 11 April 2013, 08:59:26 »
Yes, I just want the stabilizer really.  I'd prefer to get one of the original ones and if you are able to make new ones, you could replace your missing one that way; also that means we can do the swap without waiting.  (I believe there are other F122s out there without the stabilizer so it might be worth making a small batch of them.)

Offline Aer Fixus

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #11 on: Thu, 11 April 2013, 09:10:36 »
I would like to first find out if I can get the materials to make one (If I can, then I'd be willing to ship one of these out). I can probably find out later today whether or not I can get the supplies for it (I just need to ask around).

Edit: On that, I will be heading off to class for the day (I have classes until 18:00 EST). I'll come back with the news.
« Last Edit: Thu, 11 April 2013, 09:15:08 by Aer Fixus »
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Offline Aer Fixus

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #12 on: Thu, 11 April 2013, 18:51:02 »
So I couldn't find anything today. I can check some hardware stores in the area, but checking all of them will take some time. Would you take a small payment on top of shipping for the keys instead? Also, do the keys include the keystems as well?

I will still look for the right wire and could send you one for free if I ever make a few for the other members of geekhack (and I will if I ever find the right wire).
I also noticed that the Model M's spacebar has a notch that holds the wire in. This might not properly hold an F stabilizer, but it's still worth a try unless someone has already tried it.
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Offline ed_avis

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #13 on: Fri, 12 April 2013, 04:23:45 »
Yes these are two-piece keys including the tops and stems.  But what I'm looking for in exchange is a spacebar.

Offline fohat.digs

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #14 on: Fri, 12 April 2013, 08:22:56 »
So I couldn't find anything today. I can check some hardware stores in the area, but checking all of them will take some time. Would you take a small payment on top of shipping for the keys instead? Also, do the keys include the keystems as well?

I will still look for the right wire and could send you one for free if I ever make a few for the other members of geekhack (and I will if I ever find the right wire).
I also noticed that the Model M's spacebar has a notch that holds the wire in. This might not properly hold an F stabilizer, but it's still worth a try unless someone has already tried it.

Without taking mine apart, I think that the Model M stabilizer goes into a notch on the spacebar, but the smaller F wire goes into holes.

I really think that fabricating brackets to accommodate an M spacebar and wire would be easier and less problematic than trying to bend exactly the right wire into exactly the right configuration to fit the F, if for no other reason than F spacebars are going to be as hard to find as F wires, while the M is plentiful and cheap.
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To declare War,  grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
To provide for calling forth the Militia  to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

Offline ed_avis

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #15 on: Fri, 12 April 2013, 09:58:35 »
You're right, except that changing the brackets is a permanent modification to the keyboard, while bending a bit of wire can be done safely without any chance of damaging the keyboard if you do it wrong.

Offline Aer Fixus

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #16 on: Fri, 12 April 2013, 16:47:25 »
I guess I won't be getting that set of keys right now, then.

If I ever get the right size wire, I'll chime back in. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to make a stabilizer specifically for M spacebars on an F 122 (I have the plans in my head. All it takes are the right supplies). I think that would make a few people's days.
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Offline fohat.digs

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #17 on: Fri, 12 April 2013, 17:22:34 »
That would be nice.

I think that the problem is getting a wire that is springy enough will prove to be hard to bend properly and permanently, and a softer malleable wire will be too dead.

My suggestion is to build it out of a thin wire, and sleeve the inside end corners where it goes into the slots in the plastic on the underside of the spacebar.

Presumably you have both an M and an F spacebar to work with, you could hardly do it otherwise.
From the US Constitution, Article 1, Section 8 :

The   Congress   shall have Power
To declare War,  grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
To provide for calling forth the Militia  to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

Offline Aer Fixus

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #18 on: Fri, 12 April 2013, 18:24:23 »
The wire is tempered, giving it its springiness.

Sleeving the wire might cause a bit of friction and make the press hard or mushy, although that would still be an option if nothing else works.

My plan was to get two thicknesses of wire (one for the M bit, the other for the F bit). The two would be held together with something (brazed, soldered, or JB Weld would most likely all work fine). Each piece of wire would fit the required part without permanent modification to the spacebar or the keyboard.

I will have an M soon, so I will have the right reference for the wire. This might take the summer, but I will hopefully find some supply of wire that works for the project.
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Offline fohat.digs

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #19 on: Fri, 12 April 2013, 18:35:42 »
In that scenario, I think that a strong "C" or "U" shape at each end, with the thick wire, connected to a thin straight center section, would be best.

Epoxy would probably not hold up long-term.
From the US Constitution, Article 1, Section 8 :

The   Congress   shall have Power
To declare War,  grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
To provide for calling forth the Militia  to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

Offline Aer Fixus

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #20 on: Fri, 12 April 2013, 18:47:00 »
I'll consider that when I actually get the supplies to make it. Once I get the wire, I'll try to get enough to make a few different iterations (and a few failures, too).
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Offline Halverson

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Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #21 on: Sat, 13 April 2013, 18:21:04 »
Anyone here win? My Paypal is a little messed and I didn't bother trying to snipe.
If this things works, $56 shipped is a great deal!

Offline fohat.digs

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #22 on: Sat, 13 April 2013, 18:25:04 »
I had in a somewhat lower snipe - I really don't need another one but it looked pretty nice and I would hate to have let it go too cheap.

I was expecting it to hit the $100-125 range.

In the last couple of months there were at least a couple of people here crowing about stashes of multiples that they had found, but, as far as I know, nobody has reported on sales or buys from them.

What's up with that, anyway?
From the US Constitution, Article 1, Section 8 :

The   Congress   shall have Power
To declare War,  grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
To provide for calling forth the Militia  to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

Offline sleepy916

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #23 on: Sat, 13 April 2013, 20:15:47 »
I think one of them ended up selling on ebay from what I saw.

Offline Aer Fixus

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #24 on: Sun, 14 April 2013, 21:51:19 »
There is another Model F 122 key on eBay, but this one is really beat up. It's pricey for how damaged it is ($40 plus shipping. $20 US). Plus it is missing the spacebar and its stabilizer. From the previous threads and conversations on the topic, that's the kicker here.

Keycaps can be replaced, that broken spring can also be replaced, the case can be repaired, but that spacebar...

[Edit: I forgot the link!]
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-IBM-MODEL-F-KEYBOARD-1984-PT-6110345-5-PIN-/271190106592?pt=US_Vintage_Computing_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f2430a1e0
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Offline fohat.digs

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #26 on: Mon, 15 April 2013, 06:44:29 »
There is another Model F 122 key on eBay, but this one is really beat up. It's pricey for how damaged it is ($40 plus shipping. $20 US). Plus it is missing the spacebar and its stabilizer. From the previous threads and conversations on the topic, that's the kicker here.

Keycaps can be replaced, that broken spring can also be replaced, the case can be repaired, but that spacebar...

[Edit: I forgot the link!]
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-IBM-MODEL-F-KEYBOARD-1984-PT-6110345-5-PIN-/271190106592?pt=US_Vintage_Computing_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f2430a1e0

I saw that piece of junk. I have bought several bad F-122s for parts, but that one is even worse than the ones I bought.

Still, a set of internal plates would be worth something, if you had other parts laying around.

And, nobody has discussed what an absolutely awesome steampunk project you could build around an F-122 chassis.
From the US Constitution, Article 1, Section 8 :

The   Congress   shall have Power
To declare War,  grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
To provide for calling forth the Militia  to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

Offline Aer Fixus

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #27 on: Tue, 16 April 2013, 20:23:45 »
Here is a another F 122. It looks to be complete and undamaged (Although the cord is slightly stretched and it is a bit dirty).
Buy it now: $100 (+$21 US Shipping). I'm not sure if this is a "good" deal, but it's here.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-IBM-MODEL-F-KEYBOARD-1985-PT-6110345-5-PIN-/271191111575?pt=US_Vintage_Computing_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f243ff797

There seem to be a lot of F 122s going around eBay recently. I've seen at least four of them in the past month or two. And I got both of mine from an eBay seller who had one posted with a few terminals and M 122 keyboards...
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Offline fohat.digs

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #28 on: Tue, 16 April 2013, 20:41:22 »
I don't know if I would say "a lot" but there have been times recently when none went up for a month or more (a few months sometimes).

That last one people were watching here looked very nice and went for something like $60 shipped, so maybe the demand is cooling off just when the supply is turning out.
From the US Constitution, Article 1, Section 8 :

The   Congress   shall have Power
To declare War,  grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
To provide for calling forth the Militia  to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

Offline bitslasher

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #29 on: Tue, 13 August 2013, 02:00:49 »
Late post-- the two F-122s mentioned at the end of this thread were being sold by the same person.  I ended up cutting a deal with him for both.  I had an AT F-84 that I wanted to mod to have ALT keys and a more ANSI layout, so I needed the barrels and springs from the beat up board for that.  Then I thought cleaning up the F-122 would be fun. 

So many months later, I succeeded in my F-84 modification.  Thanks to the thread I saw elsewhere here about the modification, I was able to replicate the results.  Combined with a Teensy the board is first rate and after flossing it is actually very quiet, and smooth.

Now about the F-122 boards...things got interesting when I got those beasts.  So you know the really beat-up one mentioned before?  Well the expression don't judge a book by it's cover applies here.  I have a theory that this board's case got broken early in its life and was put aside, while the other board (Nov '85) was in constant use.  I say this because the broken one was an Oct '84 model, and was in pristine condition inside.  There was dust on the front surface but inside it was immaculate (but missing a few key caps).  The padding was perfect and no rust on the plates.  The '85 one however was in pretty bad shape.  It's padding was totally deteriorated and there was a fair amount of rust inside.  So in the end, I made a really nice board from the two, mostly from the "broken" '84 model.  That terminal board, while large is super nice to type on.

So now I would like to try to rebuild the '85 model.  I have successfully repaired the cracked case.  I've seen where the plate's pad can be "re-manufactured" with some thin padding and a leather punch...have to do that now.  What I'm missing are some extra barrels, springs, and hammers.  I probably need around 10 or so.  Does anyone have any of these laying around for sale?  Do parts (springs, barrels, etc) from an XT F-83 work?  I thought I'd read somewhere that they were not compatible.

Offline fohat.digs

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #30 on: Tue, 13 August 2013, 07:31:22 »
I sent you a PM.
From the US Constitution, Article 1, Section 8 :

The   Congress   shall have Power
To declare War,  grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
To provide for calling forth the Militia  to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

Offline h2gofast

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Re: Ebay: IBM Model F 122 Keyboard
« Reply #31 on: Tue, 20 August 2013, 18:19:15 »
Model F 122 keys have been selling, just slowly.  Even with a cracked case as long as they're functional.