My 3 Week 1987 IBM Silver Label Terminal Model M Project

[six_chains]

I just finished my IBM Model M project last night. I picked up this guy off the electronic Bay dot com for $25; it arrived in pretty decent condition!
Working in my free time, it took me about 3 weeks, and plenty of frustrations. I didn't have access to power tools, so I was hand tightening screws (the blisters  ).

Deep cleaning, Bolt & Nut mod, & Soarer's hex mod w/ remapped media keys.

I also mistakenly had the screws come in from the top. I thought it would look better, with my flat top screws. HUGE MISTAKE!
It turned out perfectly though, with patience. Best & most personal keyboard I own.

here is a full high-res album w/ descriptions: http://imgur.com/a/tu4Me
enjoy.

Highlight photos are hidden below!

More

Custom "HELP" legends










Oo, shiny.




In all my research before hand, I'd never come across a steel plate like this.


Silver sharpie works just as well as a paint marker.




Teensy joints


LAB




Silver Label 

_______
Full High-Res Album
thanks for looking :]

[Mandolin]

Mandolin crystal on the original PCB.

[six_chains]

Mandolin crystal on the original PCB.

I am ignorant to this statement.  heh./ what's that.

[Puddsy]

Mandolin crystal on the original PCB.

I am ignorant to this statement.  heh./ what's that.

Mandolin sold some old model ms at huge markup because they had "mandolin crystals" which he made up to mark his $50 keyboards to $1000.

[ComradeSniper]

Very nice photos, and good work with the restoration! That's a great looking board 

[Mandolin]

Regardless of it's price, cultural and comic value, it's a 4 Mhz square quartz crystal oscillator with transparent casing (uncanned) in the Y1 location on the PCB with 4 pins. It's found on early 1986 and 1985 models.

[fohat.digs]

Is this a 1390120 with first-generation label?

[six_chains]

Mandolin sold some old model ms at huge markup because they had "mandolin crystals" which he made up to mark his $50 keyboards to $1000.

Regardless of it's price, cultural and comic value, it's a canned quartz crystal oscillator in the Y1 location on the PCB with 4 pins. It's found on early 1986 and 1985 models.

Lol. true or not, at the very least I own & restored a board with a tiny time-specific component? cool enough for me.

Very nice photos, and good work with the restoration! That's a great looking board 

Thank You; it's my first buckling spring experience.

Is this a 1390120 with first-generation label?

The part No. on this is 1390766  (non-standard? I could not tag this in the Model M Archive)
It's definitely an OG silver label though.. & apparently... crystals

[fohat.digs]

It's definitely an OG silver label though.. & apparently... crystals

The "label" I was referring to is the paper on the back, sometimes called the "birth certificate"

Early Ms have a square metal "badge" on the right side, later models have oval plastic "labels" on the left.

[six_chains]

The "label" I was referring to is the paper on the back, sometimes called the "birth certificate"

Early Ms have a square metal "badge" on the right side, later models have oval plastic "labels" on the left.

Ah I see.
detail shots of the Outside label & Inside label

One thing I did notice before I picked up the board was that it doesn't say "Made In The USA" like I've seen on other Model Ms.
Is that because it's an older model as well?

[E TwentyNine]

Is this a 1390120 with first-generation label?

Not a barcode label.  Pic is in his images.

[fohat.digs]

it doesn't say "Made In The USA" like I've seen on other Model Ms.

There was a big plant in Mexico. I would have expected that many of the South American units were made there. Usually it would have "Hecho en Mexico" or something to that effect, I thought that goods were always supposed to be marked for origin.

[0100010]

Nice job.  I like the dual legend function keys.  It is also interesting that the left bracket key has a 'not' symbol instead it being located on shift 6.  This one has a cent symbol for shift 6 like a wheelwriter.

[six_chains]

It is also interesting that the left bracket key has a 'not' symbol instead it being located on shift 6.  This one has a cent symbol for shift 6 like a wheelwriter.

the cent symbol on 6 is probably my favorite key on this board. subtle.

[six_chains]

It is also interesting that the left bracket key has a 'not' symbol instead it being located on shift 6.  This one has a cent symbol for shift 6 like a wheelwriter.

the cent symbol on 6 is probably my favorite key on this board. subtle.

[E TwentyNine]

it doesn't say "Made In The USA" like I've seen on other Model Ms.

There was a big plant in Mexico. I would have expected that many of the South American units were made there. Usually it would have "Hecho en Mexico" or something to that effect, I thought that goods were always supposed to be marked for origin.

It was pretty common for the earlier IBM keyboards manufactured in Mexico to not have any "Made in Mexico" marking on it except for the box.   

Example: http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/items.main/parentcat/9231/subcatid/0/id/143644

The later ones did get such labels: http://www.clickeykeyboards.com/model-m-gallery/the-1391401-made-in-mexico-1994/

[six_chains]

It was pretty common for the earlier IBM keyboards manufactured in Mexico to not have any "Made in Mexico" marking on it except for the box.   

Example: http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/items.main/parentcat/9231/subcatid/0/id/143644

The later ones did get such labels: http://www.clickeykeyboards.com/model-m-gallery/the-1391401-made-in-mexico-1994/

That first one looks to have the same thermal steel plate, & it's the same year, so I think you're probably spot on there.

ps. thanks again for the help with my Soarer's issue this morning!

[E TwentyNine]

Does your enter key on the numpad have a stabilizer wire?

(and you're welcome on the soarer thing)

[six_chains]

Does your enter key on the numpad have a stabilizer wire?

It does. Though, I accidently drilled a hole through one of the plastic clips.
Or, it might be the nut/bolt that's right there, but it's the only key that is very sticky (still works).

[0100010]

Get an offset barrel insert and lose the stab wire.

[fohat.digs]

Get an offset barrel insert and lose the stab wire.

Or take out the bolt and clean up the wound. Wcass showed how to make a washer work on those wires, too.

[0100010]

Yeah - just took another look at that enter key - it is the old style where a barrel insert wouldn't work anyway.

[arakula]

To cure the "sticky Plus and Enter" problem, I filed the screw heads down to the minimum after having completed the bolt mod on 2 or 3 of my old Model Ms.

Some 10 minues of work, but the wire stabilizers worked nicely afterwards.

[six_chains]

To cure the "sticky Plus and Enter" problem, I filed the screw heads down to the minimum after having completed the bolt mod on 2 or 3 of my old Model Ms.

Some 10 minues of work, but the wire stabilizers worked nicely afterwards.

cool. thanks for the tip. I'll look into trying this.

[rowdy]

Very nicely done

I like the preservation of old classics like this.

[hwood34]

This is really cool that plate really is something else

[fohat.digs]

the electronic Bay dot com

I am pretty sure that the "e" in ebay stands for "East" bay.

And those early edition plates, I always called them "yellow/gold" none of mine ever had greenishness to them.

[six_chains]

the electronic Bay dot com

I am pretty sure that the "e" in ebay stands for "East" bay.

parks & rec joke lol.