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Offline mougrim

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Wyse WY85 Gate Array
« on: Sun, 09 March 2014, 05:08:37 »
Well, I continue my rummaging throughout piles of computer detritus at my work. And today my search went successfully.

I've been told that ages ago, before my time, my company was using a lot of Wyse terminals. They were all scrapped, but I managed to salvage sole remaining keyboard.
It's Wyse WY85 Gate Array with Cherry MX Black. Dunno when it was manufactured... It's dirty, of course, but not near as bad as my last find. Aside from that, it almost in pristine condition. Key labels not worn off and there no big scratches on case.

As it is terminal board, it, of course incompatible with regular PC... but maybe I can use the fruits of Soarer's hard work?..
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Offline rowdy

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Re: Wyse WY85 Gate Array
« Reply #1 on: Sun, 09 March 2014, 05:11:53 »
A good chance it has vintage blacks!
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Offline mougrim

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Re: Wyse WY85 Gate Array
« Reply #2 on: Sun, 09 March 2014, 05:25:24 »
Quote from: rowdy on Sun, 09 March 2014, 05:11:53
A good chance it has vintage blacks!
We'll see :) Smaller "Cherry" brand on switches, yes?
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Offline BlueBär

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Re: Wyse WY85 Gate Array
« Reply #3 on: Sun, 09 March 2014, 14:20:24 »
Quote from: mougrim on Sun, 09 March 2014, 05:25:24
We'll see :) Smaller "Cherry" brand on switches, yes?

Nope, bigger one actually. It's subtle, so have a new switch at hand to compare it to if possible. This might help: http://deskthority.net/photos-videos-f8/cherry-mx-old-vs-new-t139-30.html (scroll down a bit), or this http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=38921.0
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Offline mougrim

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Re: Wyse WY85 Gate Array
« Reply #4 on: Sun, 09 March 2014, 15:03:48 »
Quote from: BlueBär on Sun, 09 March 2014, 14:20:24
Quote from: mougrim on Sun, 09 March 2014, 05:25:24
We'll see :) Smaller "Cherry" brand on switches, yes?

Nope, bigger one actually. It's subtle, so have a new switch at hand to compare it to if possible. This might help: http://deskthority.net/photos-videos-f8/cherry-mx-old-vs-new-t139-30.html (scroll down a bit), or this http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=38921.0

Well, I have BlackWidow on hand for that ;) But I'll do it tomorrow, as macro photo with artificial light is no good :)
As for now - I think font on WYSE switches is somewhat smaller than on Razer...
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Offline Daniel Beardsmore

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Re: Wyse WY85 Gate Array
« Reply #5 on: Sun, 09 March 2014, 18:09:20 »
My question is simply this: what on earth is a Gate Array? A WYSE terminal built with FPGAs? A vector of airport terminals?
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Offline mougrim

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Re: Wyse WY85 Gate Array
« Reply #6 on: Sun, 09 March 2014, 18:24:51 »
Quote from: Daniel Beardsmore on Sun, 09 March 2014, 18:09:20
My question is simply this: what on earth is a Gate Array? A WYSE terminal built with FPGAs? A vector of airport terminals?
I dunno. It's written on the label :) You may ask Soarer. He might know if this keyboard somewhat different from regular WY85 :)
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Offline mougrim

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Re: Wyse WY85 Gate Array
« Reply #7 on: Sun, 09 March 2014, 18:34:07 »
Soarer writed: WY85 is not the same as WY85 Gate Array - they're the same outside, but very different inside! I think WY85 Gate Array is the more common, and later, version.

Hmmm... but what the hell Gate Array...
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Offline niubio

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Re: Wyse WY85 Gate Array
« Reply #8 on: Sun, 09 March 2014, 21:45:32 »
Hey mougrim! Very nice find! Are those caps double-shots? We are kind of lucky in post-commie countries, they've used very interesting/unique keyboards and terminals in '80 & '90! :)
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Offline Soarer

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Re: Wyse WY85 Gate Array
« Reply #9 on: Sun, 09 March 2014, 22:28:52 »
My guess is that 'Gate Array' just denotes the 28-pin chip which replaced the four or five standard (off-the-shelf) chips of the original WY85.
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Offline Pacifist

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Re: Wyse WY85 Gate Array
« Reply #10 on: Sun, 09 March 2014, 22:34:46 »
Quote from: mougrim on Sun, 09 March 2014, 05:08:37
Well, I continue my rummaging throughout piles of computer detritus at my work. And today my search went successfully.

I've been told that ages ago, before my time, my company was using a lot of Wyse terminals. They were all scrapped, but I managed to salvage sole remaining keyboard.
It's Wyse WY85 Gate Array with Cherry MX Black. Dunno when it was manufactured... It's dirty, of course, but not near as bad as my last find. Aside from that, it almost in pristine condition. Key labels not worn off and there no big scratches on case.

As it is terminal board, it, of course incompatible with regular PC... but maybe I can use the fruits of Soarer's hard work?..

Whoa the layout is just like this cherry board:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-IN-BOX-TRIAD-CHERRY-Keyboard-G80-3314-HAU-Type-AT-/360855544453?pt=PCA_Mice_Trackballs&hash=item5404aaa285&nma=true&si=NLJFI0ZKl1AFDOUjpd76Bgw2PJs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
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Offline dorkvader

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Re: Wyse WY85 Gate Array
« Reply #11 on: Mon, 10 March 2014, 00:06:50 »
Quote from: Pacifist on Sun, 09 March 2014, 22:34:46
Quote from: mougrim on Sun, 09 March 2014, 05:08:37
Well, I continue my rummaging throughout piles of computer detritus at my work. And today my search went successfully.

I've been told that ages ago, before my time, my company was using a lot of Wyse terminals. They were all scrapped, but I managed to salvage sole remaining keyboard.
It's Wyse WY85 Gate Array with Cherry MX Black. Dunno when it was manufactured... It's dirty, of course, but not near as bad as my last find. Aside from that, it almost in pristine condition. Key labels not worn off and there no big scratches on case.

As it is terminal board, it, of course incompatible with regular PC... but maybe I can use the fruits of Soarer's hard work?..

Whoa the layout is just like this cherry board:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-IN-BOX-TRIAD-CHERRY-Keyboard-G80-3314-HAU-Type-AT-/360855544453?pt=PCA_Mice_Trackballs&hash=item5404aaa285&nma=true&si=NLJFI0ZKl1AFDOUjpd76Bgw2PJs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Its the same as the DEC keyboards too.

You see lots of people who copied IBM's PC layout and AT layout (and ESPECIALLY their enhanced layout), DEC was big enough that lots of people copied their layout, especially while making compatible keyboards for their terminals.
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Offline whiskytango

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Re: Wyse WY85 Gate Array
« Reply #12 on: Mon, 10 March 2014, 00:19:07 »
Interesting find. I got my start on GH when I found a cache of NIB WY-85 gate arrays just like that. My bro-in-law told me they were mechanical, and it led me to this site.

Sadly, that was before Soarer shared his lovely WYSE converter with us, and I dismantled them all for parts. Soarer's converter will indeed work on this board.

I am now a reformed WYSE dismantler. I take Cherry boards apart instead  :p

Edit: And this was apparently post #500 for me. Small milestone. Appropriate that it was a post about how I got into geekhack I suppose.
« Last Edit: Mon, 10 March 2014, 00:22:17 by whiskytango »
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Offline Pacifist

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Re: Wyse WY85 Gate Array
« Reply #13 on: Mon, 10 March 2014, 00:48:24 »
Quote from: whiskytango on Mon, 10 March 2014, 00:19:07
Interesting find. I got my start on GH when I found a cache of NIB WY-85 gate arrays just like that. My bro-in-law told me they were mechanical, and it led me to this site.

Sadly, that was before Soarer shared his lovely WYSE converter with us, and I dismantled them all for parts. Soarer's converter will indeed work on this board.

I am now a reformed WYSE dismantler. I take Cherry boards apart instead  :p

Edit: And this was apparently post #500 for me. Small milestone. Appropriate that it was a post about how I got into geekhack I suppose.

So that's how you had that huge pile of WYSE and vintage blacks :p Congrats on .5K!
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Offline mougrim

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Re: Wyse WY85 Gate Array
« Reply #14 on: Mon, 10 March 2014, 05:29:13 »
Quote from: whiskytango on Mon, 10 March 2014, 00:19:07
Interesting find. I got my start on GH when I found a cache of NIB WY-85 gate arrays just like that. My bro-in-law told me they were mechanical, and it led me to this site.

Sadly, that was before Soarer shared his lovely WYSE converter with us, and I dismantled them all for parts. Soarer's converter will indeed work on this board.

I am now a reformed WYSE dismantler. I take Cherry boards apart instead  :p

Edit: And this was apparently post #500 for me. Small milestone. Appropriate that it was a post about how I got into geekhack I suppose.

Ohh, we have a blasphemer and a vivisector here  ;D

But it's good that you reformed :) And I found Soarer's instruction on WYSE converter. Looks not very difficult. But I need to order that sinful Teensy 2.0 first :)
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