Author Topic: How do you determine build date of an AT Model F?  (Read 1045 times)

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Offline E TwentyNine

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How do you determine build date of an AT Model F?
« on: Sat, 11 January 2014, 13:41:52 »
Tried searching for '"model f" date' which doesn't reveal much, so...

How do you determine the build date of an AT Model F?
Daily driver: SSK or Tenkeyless IBM AT
1984 Model M Industrial Prototype ⌨ 1992 Black Oval Industrial SSK ⌨ 1982 5251 Beam Spring ⌨ 89 Key "SSK" ⌨ M13 triplets

Offline dorkvader

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Re: How do you determine build date of an AT Model F?
« Reply #1 on: Sat, 11 January 2014, 13:55:06 »
I thought they might use IBM internal date codes, but was unable to find some example AT model F kb codes to examine.

I had a page on them once, let me see if I can find it again.

These codes are also used to date other IBM items such as the vintage and well-liked IBM wall clocks.

here's a page on IBM's modern dates
http://www.cpu-world.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12736

Hmm, looks like the IBM clock dates only go up through the late 1960's
http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/cc/pdf/cc_2407EVL2.pdf

The only other way to get an estimate that I know of is to read the date codes from the chips.

This is why I like hall effect kbs: they have a date code sticker on the frame of all of them.
« Last Edit: Sat, 11 January 2014, 14:00:25 by dorkvader »

Offline E TwentyNine

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Re: How do you determine build date of an AT Model F?
« Reply #2 on: Mon, 13 January 2014, 19:27:13 »
Damn.  I thought this would be a slam dunk and someone would point out an easy decode of the mishmash of numbers on the case and plate.

Next time I open it up I'll grab the chip numbers.
Daily driver: SSK or Tenkeyless IBM AT
1984 Model M Industrial Prototype ⌨ 1992 Black Oval Industrial SSK ⌨ 1982 5251 Beam Spring ⌨ 89 Key "SSK" ⌨ M13 triplets