Jack Pot!! Found an SSK!!

[silas1128]

So I am typing on this right now in place of my Blackwidow Ultimate. Se here's the story.

So my father does some electronics recycling on the side and a while back he was given a box of old keyboard, all junk, or so I thought. I pawed through them and found a model m. I knew they were kind of popular and checked eBay real quick for "IBM Model M". I saw them going for like $50 and thought "oh, cool. I'll set that aside".

Move forward a few months to a couple days ago and I decided to look a bit more and did an eBay search on "IBM 1391472". There was nothing. So I checked completed listing and couldn't believe it. The lowest one had sold for was $215!

Now I can't make up my mind... Sell it and pay rent, or rock it? I have a black widow ultimate with mx cherry blue switches and I am completely satisfied with it. But I still think I am at least going to have phosphorglow refurb it. I'm thinking just some RGB keys, maybe a panic button (I know, real original...). Then I'll either rock it, it sell it, but it's an investment either way. Now on to some pictures! (nothing too pretty though)

ADD: Any suggestions with what I can do with this thing besides bolt and stuff?

[rowdy]

Welcome to Geekhack!

Nice first post

You could lovingly restore it, and then enjoy using it for many years to come!

PS. Or give it to me

[dustinhxc]

Welcome! Wow definitely restore it and keep it! I'm jelly! 

[Noko]

Honestly, I had a Black Widow a long time ago and thought I was satisfied.. but it's been gathering dust for years now since I discovered better options
I think most people go the same way so I would give the SSK a try!  If you don't like it, you could trade it for an amazing board.

[berserkfan]

So I am typing on this right now in place of my Blackwidow Ultimate. Se here's the story.

So my father does some electronics recycling on the side and a while back he was given a box of old keyboard, all junk, or so I thought. I pawed through them and found a model m. I knew they were kind of popular and checked eBay real quick for "IBM Model M". I saw them going for like $50 and thought "oh, cool. I'll set that aside".

Move forward a few months to a couple days ago and I decided to look a bit more and did an eBay search on "IBM 1391472". There was nothing. So I checked completed listing and couldn't believe it. The lowest one had sold for was $215!

Now I can't make up my mind... Sell it and pay rent, or rock it? I have a black widow ultimate with mx cherry blue switches and I am completely satisfied with it. But I still think I am at least going to have phosphorglow refurb it. I'm thinking just some RGB keys, maybe a panic button (I know, real original...). Then I'll either rock it, it sell it, but it's an investment either way. Now on to some pictures! (nothing too pretty though)

ADD: Any suggestions with what I can do with this thing besides bolt and stuff?

If you are noob, let me suggest you take a victim board (another elderly Model M) and try bolt modding that first as a practice.

Don't do anything to this SSK until you're absolutely sure you know what you're doing. SSK's worth quite a bit on its own, unmodded. Once you drill that first hole, however, you have to keep going.

[ShawnMeg]

Congrats.  Great find.  I wish I had that kind of luck.

[silas1128]

Thanks everyone! I am leaning heavily to the keeping it side of things. I am loving typing on this thing. Its seems to have very little use compared to most. None of the keys are shiny or worn out, they all seem quite crisp. There is also no real damage or wear, just one nick on the top. It has what I assume is the original cable and it's not stretched or frayed. I think only a couple rivets may be broken as I only hear one or two pieces moving around in it.

I don't know if I will try the bolt mod myself. I have been working with electronics for years. My father owns a small business that specializes in fixing and refurbing older business telephones and systems. So I have spent years working on electronics from this era. But but he does have a full size model M at the shop that I would likely mod first.

But honestly, if he's still doing them/offering the service, I will probably just send it to phosphorglow to have him do a full resto and bolt mod.

[ebacho]

I'm going to recommend keeping it as well.  Many people have sold theirs here only to buy another one a bit later.  They hold up really well if you put a bit of time into them.

[dorkvader]

Thanks everyone! I am leaning heavily to the keeping it side of things. I am loving typing on this thing. Its seems to have very little use compared to most. None of the keys are shiny or worn out, they all seem quite crisp. There is also no real damage or wear, just one nick on the top. It has what I assume is the original cable and it's not stretched or frayed. I think only a couple rivets may be broken as I only hear one or two pieces moving around in it.

I don't know if I will try the bolt mod myself. I have been working with electronics for years. My father owns a small business that specializes in fixing and refurbing older business telephones and systems. So I have spent years working on electronics from this era. But but he does have a full size model M at the shop that I would likely mod first.

But honestly, if he's still doing them/offering the service, I will probably just send it to phosphorglow to have him do a full resto and bolt mod.

The keys are PBT, so it's only rarely that you see them worn. I only have two that show any wear on the keycaps at all.

Having a few broken rivets is normal and nothing to be worried about.

[silas1128]

The keys are PBT, so it's only rarely that you see them worn. I only have two that show any wear on the keycaps at all.

Having a few broken rivets is normal and nothing to be worried about.

Ahh, ok. Well who knows then! I'm very happy with its condition either way.

And thats what I've gathered about the rivets. Almost guaranteed to have at least a couple broken ones. I don't have a deep 7/32 or 5.5mm socket, so I haven't had it apart myself. I even stopped by sears on my way into work today, and they were all out. But it seems to be functioning 100%.

[nameistaken1]

SSK's are beautiful.

The fullsize M's are just obnoxiously large.

[ComradeSniper]

I work at a place that does some electronics scrapping, and I dream of that scenario every time we get stuff in  )

[ShawnMeg]

The keys are PBT, so it's only rarely that you see them worn. I only have two that show any wear on the keycaps at all.

Having a few broken rivets is normal and nothing to be worried about.

Ahh, ok. Well who knows then! I'm very happy with its condition either way.

And thats what I've gathered about the rivets. Almost guaranteed to have at least a couple broken ones. I don't have a deep 7/32 or 5.5mm socket, so I haven't had it apart myself. I even stopped by sears on my way into work today, and they were all out. But it seems to be functioning 100%.

You can make a ghetto socket by heating up the end of a Bic pen (with the plug removed) and while soft, pressing it on the nut.  Let cool and you may be able to loosen the nut.

[berserkfan]

The keys are PBT, so it's only rarely that you see them worn. I only have two that show any wear on the keycaps at all.

Having a few broken rivets is normal and nothing to be worried about.

Ahh, ok. Well who knows then! I'm very happy with its condition either way.

And thats what I've gathered about the rivets. Almost guaranteed to have at least a couple broken ones. I don't have a deep 7/32 or 5.5mm socket, so I haven't had it apart myself. I even stopped by sears on my way into work today, and they were all out. But it seems to be functioning 100%.

You can make a ghetto socket by heating up the end of a Bic pen (with the plug removed) and while soft, pressing it on the nut.  Let cool and you may be able to loosen the nut.

Darn! What a cool ghetto idea! You can't be living in a MacMansion in a gated community as your byline says.

If I'd known of this fix I wouldn't have needed Wcass to send me a socket at his expense. TX TX TX Wcass once again!

[fohat.digs]

If you anticipate working on Model Ms very much, it is very neat and convenient to just order something like this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PROTO-577-9207-9207-7-32-HEX-NUT-DRIVER-CHROME-NEW-BRWN-ORG-HANDLE-MADE-IN-USA-/321119841757?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ac43beddd

[absyrd]

I'm going to agree with most of these guys and say you should take the time to restore it. At the very least give it a good cleaning, inside and out, and use it for a couple weeks to see if you enjoy it.

Nice find!

[user 18]

If you happen to have a socket wrench set, take a look and see if you have a 7/32 long socket. They do exist in the larger kits, and that's how I opened my M.

[nameistaken1]

I used a bic pen and a lighter to unscrew the bolts on mine. Worked perfectly.

[absyrd]

I used a bic pen and a lighter to unscrew the bolts on mine. Worked perfectly.

[ComradeSniper]

The keys are PBT, so it's only rarely that you see them worn. I only have two that show any wear on the keycaps at all.

Having a few broken rivets is normal and nothing to be worried about.

Ahh, ok. Well who knows then! I'm very happy with its condition either way.

And thats what I've gathered about the rivets. Almost guaranteed to have at least a couple broken ones. I don't have a deep 7/32 or 5.5mm socket, so I haven't had it apart myself. I even stopped by sears on my way into work today, and they were all out. But it seems to be functioning 100%.

You can make a ghetto socket by heating up the end of a Bic pen (with the plug removed) and while soft, pressing it on the nut.  Let cool and you may be able to loosen the nut.

That's totally awesome. I don't even need to crack my Model M open but I'm gonna try this.

[Doyniish]

Awesome find dude. Like everyone else here, I'm super jealous. And for the love of god, keep it and don't sell it! Rock it until she can't rock no more.

[ShawnMeg]

The keys are PBT, so it's only rarely that you see them worn. I only have two that show any wear on the keycaps at all.

Having a few broken rivets is normal and nothing to be worried about.

Ahh, ok. Well who knows then! I'm very happy with its condition either way.

And thats what I've gathered about the rivets. Almost guaranteed to have at least a couple broken ones. I don't have a deep 7/32 or 5.5mm socket, so I haven't had it apart myself. I even stopped by sears on my way into work today, and they were all out. But it seems to be functioning 100%.

You can make a ghetto socket by heating up the end of a Bic pen (with the plug removed) and while soft, pressing it on the nut.  Let cool and you may be able to loosen the nut.

That's totally awesome. I don't even need to crack my Model M open but I'm gonna try this.

Forgot to include, use a lighter to heat the end of a Bic pen.

[silas1128]

Now I just need to hear back from phosphorglow to get this baby brought back to it's former glory.

[pcandkbguy]

rock it, will only increase in value