Lexmark Model M with bigass enter?

[Techno Trousers]

Here's an odd one. Supposed to be model 1397771. Anybody ever see one of these before? I was skeptical that it's a buckling spring board, but it looks like one of the caps is missing, showing the underlying stem. Did anyone but IBM use those types of two piece key caps? I wish there was a picture of the underside.

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=321328445533

[dorkvader]

I haven't. It would need a differently programmed controller for the pipe key to work, I think.

Or he just put keycaps from an AT model F on it.

Interesting.

[PRISONER 24601]

what is this demonry?
even the ps/2 cable screams IBM
but it also looks like a Key Tronic, going by that oem rectangle in the corner.

[ed_avis]

Is this what they call a US International keyboard?  Or is that with the tall, backwards-R-shaped Enter key?  Anyway this layout looks close to the older Model F, which I like.

[fohat.digs]

even the ps/2 cable screams IBM

That looks like an AT plug to me, but I have never seen an IBM AT cable that was not black.

It would be easy to mod the keys that way if you were doing a bolt mod, but I am surprised that it came from the factory like that.

[E TwentyNine]

I'm not the buyer, but I asked the seller to send me a pic of the label:



Which is a DELL Model M.

Here's a similar one with a detachable cable:


And an old listing with more pictures: http://www.ebay.com/itm/251430823194

And a web page with one from the same year with a hardwired cable (which this one I believe is): http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~duelist/1369050/index.htm

Note however these all have the standard enter.

The 1397771 Model number seems legit, but I cannot find any other photos of it.

[Pacifist]

I'm not the buyer, but I asked the seller to send me a pic of the label:

Show Image

Which is a DELL Model M.

Here's a similar one with a detachable cable:

Show Image

And an old listing with more pictures: http://www.ebay.com/itm/251430823194

And a web page with one from the same year with a hardwired cable (which this one I believe is): http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~duelist/1369050/index.htm

Note however these all have the standard enter.

The 1397771 Model number seems legit, but I cannot find any other photos of it.

Did somebody say Dell?

I MUST GET MY HANDS ON ONE

[fohat.digs]

Did somebody say Dell?

I MUST GET MY HANDS ON ONE

Aren't we way off-topic here?

Yes, Dell offered a re-branded buckling spring board for a while.

None of these other comments address the bigass Enter and beige AT plug.

[JimByr]

Why do you think that the 1397771 is a Dell? It's is not one of the three Dell Model M variants that I know of.

I actually bought the Dell 1397651 pictured above for considerably less than the price shown in the listing.

 The hardwired Dell linked above is a 1369050.

The parts sites have the 1397771 listed as: "101-Key; Attached Cable w/ AT Style Plug (Lexmark)"

[E TwentyNine]

I think it's a Dell due to the logo cutout on the top case.  The only IBM keyboard with that kind of logo might have been those Aptiva keyboards (think that was it), and they didn't have AT connectors.

But yes, that is a secondary question...

[dorkvader]

I think it's a Dell due to the logo cutout on the top case.  The only IBM keyboard with that kind of logo might have been those Aptiva keyboards (think that was it), and they didn't have AT connectors.

But yes, that is a secondary question...

Don't Ambra model M's have the cutout?

Even the AT&T model M's don't have an enter key like that. It's only the Wheelwriters and AT's that do, as far as I know.

[E TwentyNine]

I think it's a Dell due to the logo cutout on the top case.  The only IBM keyboard with that kind of logo might have been those Aptiva keyboards (think that was it), and they didn't have AT connectors.

But yes, that is a secondary question...

Don't Ambra model M's have the cutout?

Even the AT&T model M's don't have an enter key like that. It's only the Wheelwriters and AT's that do, as far as I know.

Ambra!  That was the name I was looking for!  But Ambras have a trapezoid logo.   The old Dell logo seems to have the same rounded rectangle as this one.

I'm not 100% on it being a Dell, just seems to fit.

I did some searching on wheelwriters too, to see if maybe they offered something like this, no luck....

[Techno Trousers]

Thanks for getting the picture of the back, E TwentyNine. So it seems legit, and is probably much rarer than any other Model M variant. It should make a nice collector's item for someone.

[dorkvader]

I did some searching on wheelwriters too, to see if maybe they offered something like this, no luck....

I have a few (4 at least) wheelwriter keyboards, and I did some poking around on them a while ago. From what I was able to determine, they didn't make anything like this for the wheelwriters, actionwriters, or any typewriter.

The big thing to note is if the key next to backspace sends a proper scancode or not. It "could" in theory just be an M with some aftermarket replacement keycaps.

[REVENGE]

Or he just put keycaps from an AT model F on it.

[HAL9000]

Thanks for getting the picture of the back, E TwentyNine. So it seems legit, and is probably much rarer than any other Model M variant. It should make a nice collector's item for someone.

Thats what I thought when I bought it. Thanks for the find Techno Trousers

[E TwentyNine]

The big thing to note is if the key next to backspace sends a proper scancode or not. It "could" in theory just be an M with some aftermarket replacement keycaps.

On a standard M the extra location under the backspace sends 0x7D scan code.  Which is not the same code as the backslash key (0x2B).

It could be the controller is different or maybe there's a defined keyboard that will take that as backslash (just like AZERTY/QWERTY use the same codes for different letters).

[E TwentyNine]

Thanks for getting the picture of the back, E TwentyNine. So it seems legit, and is probably much rarer than any other Model M variant. It should make a nice collector's item for someone.

Thats what I thought when I bought it. Thanks for the find Techno Trousers

You do realize we're going to expect an analysis of this thing once you get it? 

[HAL9000]

Thanks for getting the picture of the back, E TwentyNine. So it seems legit, and is probably much rarer than any other Model M variant. It should make a nice collector's item for someone.

Thats what I thought when I bought it. Thanks for the find Techno Trousers

You do realize we're going to expect an analysis of this thing once you get it? 

Yes. I will provide some info once I get the keyboard.

[Techno Trousers]

Yes. I will provide some info once I get the keyboard.

Great, I'm looking forward to it.

[JimByr]

Note that the Model M boards (1399261) made by Lexmark for CompuAdd had the rectangular logo recess and a fixed cable with a DIN-5 connector... and the ones that I've found were made in 1994.

[E TwentyNine]

Also important to note is CompuAdd had the big enter key on their RT101, which is the model-M looking keyboard made by NMB (not buckling spring).

[HAL9000]

Thanks for getting the picture of the back, E TwentyNine. So it seems legit, and is probably much rarer than any other Model M variant. It should make a nice collector's item for someone.

Thats what I thought when I bought it. Thanks for the find Techno Trousers

You do realize we're going to expect an analysis of this thing once you get it? 

Yesterday I got the Model M 1397771 that I recently acquired from the post office. Upon initial inspection I am quite sure that the fat-ass ENTER-key is genuine and the keyboard has not been tampered with:
 - the keyboard sandwich has not been opened i.e.: not bolt modded, all (most of them anyway) rivets are intact
 - the barrel where the \ and | key on the US-ANSI layout would be has no spring
 - the barrel where the # key on the German-ISO layout would be has no spring
The fat-ass ENTER-key looks like a combination of ANSI and ISO Model M ENTER-key

[E TwentyNine]

Thanks for getting the picture of the back, E TwentyNine. So it seems legit, and is probably much rarer than any other Model M variant. It should make a nice collector's item for someone.

Thats what I thought when I bought it. Thanks for the find Techno Trousers

You do realize we're going to expect an analysis of this thing once you get it? 

Yesterday I got the Model M 1397771 that I recently acquired from the post office. Upon initial inspection I am quite sure that the fat-ass ENTER-key is genuine and the keyboard has not been tampered with:
 - the keyboard sandwich has not been opened i.e.: not bolt modded, all (most of them anyway) rivets are intact
 - the barrel where the \ and | key on the US-ANSI layout would be has no spring
 - the barrel where the # key on the German-ISO layout would be has no spring
The fat-ass ENTER-key looks like a combination of ANSI and ISO Model M ENTER-key

Awesome.  If you peek down the empty barrels - are there pivot plates there (without the spring) or just an empty spot?

Any labelling inside?  I think the CompuAdd idea may be the right one...

[E TwentyNine]

Do all the keys register properly?   Can we get some pictures of the internals include the controller board?

[fohat.digs]

If you peek down the empty barrels - are there pivot plates there (without the spring) or just an empty spot?

Unless this is wildly out of character, they will be empty.

IBM made all the components (all the ones that I have seen, anyway) the same, so that alternate layouts were achieved by merely populating different barrels with springs and hammers. I would even be surprised if controllers were different, an empty barrel would simply never send a signal. But I may be wrong, that is empirical observation, not electronic knowledge.

[E TwentyNine]

If you peek down the empty barrels - are there pivot plates there (without the spring) or just an empty spot?

Unless this is wildly out of character, they will be empty.

This whole keyboard is wildly out of character, that's why I asked.

IBM made all the components (all the ones that I have seen, anyway) the same, so that alternate layouts were achieved by merely populating different barrels with springs and hammers. I would even be surprised if controllers were different, an empty barrel would simply never send a signal. But I may be wrong, that is empirical observation, not electronic knowledge.

As noted previously the scancode sent for the hidden barrel under the standard backspace which is replaced here with a small backslash key is not the same as the one sent for the standard backslash key, so the keyboard would need to do something different or be set up differently in the OS (like AZERTY/QWERTY).

[JimByr]

btw... The seller has come across a trove of CompuAdd boards. She sold the 1397771. Then two CompuAdd 1399261 Model Ms and now she has a CompuAdd NMB for sale.

[dorkvader]

btw... The seller has come across a trove of CompuAdd boards. She sold the 1397771. Then two CompuAdd 1399261 Model Ms and now she has a CompuAdd NMB for sale.

link to the seller's store:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/molly867928-2009/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=

I'm eyeing that trackball, but it's looking more "consumer" than "industrial" to me.

[Techno Trousers]

Does putting "RARE!!" At the front of all your descriptions do anything besides look very annoying?

I do like how some are VERY RARE!! though. I'll take one of those and leave the mere RARE!! items to the unsophisticated mass market buyers.