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Author Topic: First mechanical keyboard - decided to be an old one , HELP!  (Read 7756 times)

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Offline BulgarianFeeder

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First mechanical keyboard - decided to be an old one , HELP!
« on: Sun, 01 March 2015, 10:20:44 »
Hello dear clicky fans,

It can be said that im a gamer - therefore , i am interested in mechanical keyboards but i have some problems. The first problem is that i know absolutely nothing about mechanical keyboards except how they work . And i dont have money to buy a keyboard that costs more than 25 dollars. ( Yup , we bulgarians are fairly poor and the fact that i myself have no income makes it hard for me to save money to buy stuff ) You may think that it is impossible to find a mech keyboard for under 25 $ but they arent popular here and people who have mech keyboards laying in their basements or attics , sell them fairly cheaply - around 10-15$.If its something fancy i guess i can try and save no more than 40$ but depends on the keyboard and if it is new for 40$ its probably going to be sh*t anyway so why not buy an old one.

These are the models that i found that are being selled currently on a native site similar to ebay -
- Dell AT-101 , white , 12$
-TurboPlus , i dont know the models PIC
-This keyboard that apparently is also unknown - 1,2,3
-IBM Model Ms with defects,uncleaned,missing keys etc for about 12$ , no pics sorry :( (i can ask for some pics tho)
-This KeyTronic replica - Front,Back,Sticker

I think these are all that are available , second hand. Which of this is comparable to feel to the newer ones and suitable for games? Which one should i get , please lend me some of your advice and guide me.Ask any questions that might anwser what i should get.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!
-Svetozar
« Last Edit: Sun, 01 March 2015, 10:25:16 by BulgarianFeeder »
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Offline fohat.digs

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Re: First mechanical keyboard - decided to be an old one , HELP!
« Reply #1 on: Sun, 01 March 2015, 10:43:54 »
Buy 2 Model Ms for $12 each and you will be under your budget total.

Between them, you should be able to get enough parts to complete one of them. Make sure to get 1 cable!

And you do not need to have caps ("tops") for all the keys as long as you have the stems.
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Offline BulgarianFeeder

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Re: First mechanical keyboard - decided to be an old one , HELP!
« Reply #2 on: Sun, 01 March 2015, 10:54:13 »
Thanks , I will actually ask for more information about them because the seller had some keyboards listed and i asked him if he had any other mechs and he mentioned he had some clicky model Ms that arent quite "refurbished" or need to be repaired. He told me that he had some clicky ones but he sold them. I will ask for some more info and post back here !
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Offline chyros

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Re: First mechanical keyboard - decided to be an old one , HELP!
« Reply #3 on: Sun, 01 March 2015, 11:34:08 »
I picked up four keyboards today from the recycling centre for 50 p apiece, including an ancient one with space invader switches and an old-logo Dell AT101.

If you want cheap, just scavenge around and see what comes to you. You'd be surprised at how much stuff is lying around if you're just willing to look.
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Offline Snowdog993

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Re: First mechanical keyboard - decided to be an old one , HELP!
« Reply #4 on: Sun, 01 March 2015, 12:50:17 »
Definitely get a model M.  Fohat was dead-on with his suggestion.  They can be cleaned up nicely, and last for years with no trouble.
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Offline BulgarianFeeder

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Re: First mechanical keyboard - decided to be an old one , HELP!
« Reply #5 on: Sun, 01 March 2015, 14:05:05 »
Well he actually has an IBM Model M in a very good condition but its not clicky. I will see what i can do about their repairs.

What about gaming though , is the IBM Model M the best one of them? And how does the Model M compare to modern MX switches feel-wise?

Thanks again!
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Offline Snowdog993

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Re: First mechanical keyboard - decided to be an old one , HELP!
« Reply #6 on: Sun, 01 March 2015, 14:29:24 »
Quote from: BulgarianFeeder on Sun, 01 March 2015, 14:05:05
Well he actually has an IBM Model M in a very good condition but its not clicky. I will see what i can do about their repairs.

What about gaming though , is the IBM Model M the best one of them? And how does the Model M compare to modern MX switches feel-wise?

Thanks again!

If it is not a clicky, it is the Q/T (Quiet Touch) model.  That is just a rubberdome.  You should not get it.  Keep looking around and you will find a true buckling spring IBM model M.
If you need a guide, you can look around here, or even go to the Wiki.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_M_keyboard

Find the section in the picture and click the blue [show] where it says Part Number.
You can easily determine which models are buckling spring from there.


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Offline BulgarianFeeder

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Re: First mechanical keyboard - decided to be an old one , HELP!
« Reply #7 on: Sun, 01 March 2015, 15:37:23 »
Quote from: Snowdog993 on Sun, 01 March 2015, 14:29:24
Quote from: BulgarianFeeder on Sun, 01 March 2015, 14:05:05
Well he actually has an IBM Model M in a very good condition but its not clicky. I will see what i can do about their repairs.

What about gaming though , is the IBM Model M the best one of them? And how does the Model M compare to modern MX switches feel-wise?

Thanks again!

If it is not a clicky, it is the Q/T (Quiet Touch) model.  That is just a rubberdome.  You should not get it.  Keep looking around and you will find a true buckling spring IBM model M.
If you need a guide, you can look around here, or even go to the Wiki.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_M_keyboard

Find the section in the picture and click the blue [show] where it says Part Number.
You can easily determine which models are buckling spring from there.

I read some info and yes, not being clicky meant that it was a rubber dome ( not mechanical ) - not something i want , because i already have one like it. I visited the wiki earlier and checked it.Thanks for the info but i didnt just come here and make you guys do all the work for me , i did some reading too! :D
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Offline Snowdog993

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Re: First mechanical keyboard - decided to be an old one , HELP!
« Reply #8 on: Sun, 01 March 2015, 18:15:40 »
Quote from: BulgarianFeeder on Sun, 01 March 2015, 15:37:23

I read some info and yes, not being clicky meant that it was a rubber dome ( not mechanical ) - not something i want , because i already have one like it. I visited the wiki earlier and checked it.Thanks for the info but i didnt just come here and make you guys do all the work for me , i did some reading too! :D

Reading is something some people consider an option.  Good to know!  Look around and you can find a lot of information you need right here.  Welcome to GH!
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Offline Ludovician

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Re: First mechanical keyboard - decided to be an old one , HELP!
« Reply #9 on: Sun, 01 March 2015, 18:33:23 »
A Model M might not work too well for you anyway, considering your gaming interest. It's 2KRO, and that can be problematic for gaming. I'm not very familiar with the other options you've got there, though.

At that price, though...
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HHKB Pro 2 (Blank, white) | HHKB Pro 2 Type-S (Blank, white) | Topre Realforce 87UB silent-modded (not currently functional) | Das Keyboard Model S Professional Silent (MX Brown) | IBM Model M 1391401 - 9th January 1991 (Bolt+Floss-modded) | Apple keyboard m0116 (Orange Alps) | Unidentified DIN Keyboard (White Alps) | ADDS 1010 (Green Alps) | AEK II (Linear-modded, USB-converted) | IBM PC-AT Model F | Noppoo Choc Mini (MX Black) | Amstrad PC2286 | BigKeys LX | IBM Model M 1391401 - 6th September 1990 | IBM Model M2 1395300 - 28th February 1991 | Leopold FC660C | Cherry G80-11802 (MX Brown) | Matias Tactile Pro (Simplfied grey Alps) | Razer Blackwidow (MX Blue) | Novatouch 55g | Focus FK-2001 (White alps) | DSE Multitech (Blue alps) | Dell AT101W (Matias quiet) | Pok3r (White w/Clears) | KBP V80 (Blue Alps)

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Offline rowdy

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Re: First mechanical keyboard - decided to be an old one , HELP!
« Reply #10 on: Mon, 02 March 2015, 03:54:41 »
Welcome to Geekhack!

I game a bit with my Model M - works very well :)

Although as mentioned above the 2KRO means you can only have 2 keys registering at once.  When you press a third key, the first one stops registering.  That might be a problem if you need to keep lots of keys pressed down at the same time.

As far as switches, buckling spring is quite close to Cherry MX green, but without the actuation/release point problem that MX greens/blues have (where you need to let the key up above the actuation point before you can press it again).
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Offline BulgarianFeeder

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Re: First mechanical keyboard - decided to be an old one , HELP!
« Reply #11 on: Mon, 02 March 2015, 04:22:59 »
Well how does one open the task manager if it supports 2 simultaneous button presses? I can bind it on my mouse but still..

I can see that playing cs go on that keyboard might be frustrating as you would not be able to run diagonally and crouch or walk or do anything else...
I guess there arent fixes to this.

One of the IBM Model M's is perfectly fine and is cleaned but i think there is some plastic kinda holding the keyboard together and i think he said that they were broken , not sure though because he used a word that i did not kind of understand.
The other one is actually in a good condition too but he said that the ctrl's/alt's didnt work very properly and there was no cable.
The third one is above my budget but its all right. He said he sold it at a very high price because he wanted it for him.

Any opinions on the other keyboards? I was really hyped for the model m but i see gaming isnt a thing on it..

Edit :

Hey! I Digged out some more keyboards for something like 3-4 bucks! Not tested tho! :C
More
1.SK-710, FCC: GYUR12SK, AT                                                                                  -probably not mechanical as i resarched a bit
2. Cherry RS6000M, P/N: G83-6300LRNBB-0/00, PS/2                                                        -rubber dome sadly :C
3. BEST KEYBOARD, FCC: HQK BITS6001, AT                                                                      -?
4. FCC: LFC-AKB-2000, AT                                                                                                     -found some info on this site , rubber dome possibly
5. Zenith Data Systems, FCC:E8Hkb-5923, KB-5923, P/N:163-121-00, PS/2                      -Ugh , these keyboards are pretty expensive but i dont know what are the switches...
6. Mitsumi KFK-EA4SA, FCC:CMYKFK7835, PS/2                                                                  -Could be mechanical?
7. FCC: KU6-SG-1000, SG-1000 series, PS/2                                                                        -I guess that one is rubber dome
8. Dell QuietKey, SK-8000, PS/2                                                                                             -Ugh.. the QuietKey says it all..
9. IBM KB-8926, P/N: 07H0701, FCC:E8HKB-5923, PS/2                                                      -rubber...
10. HP SK-2502C, P/N: C4739-60101, PS/2                                                                          -rubber
11. KB-5001, FCC: HQK RB-2001, AT                                                                                    -rubber because of the "RB"?
12. Chicony KB-2966, FCC: E8HKB-2961, PS/2                                                                     - MAYBE a mechanical?
14. FCC: E2XSEM-DC8H, SEM-DC8H, P/N KBHR20D, PS/2                                                   -Wtf is this even?
15. IBM KB-9910, CEK0046, B01, 37L2524, PS/2                                                                  -rubber
16. KB-4001, FCC: HQK RB-2001, AT                                                                                     -rubber
17. AppleDesign Keyboard, M2980                                                                                          -rubber
19. HP, P/N: C4735-60301, D/M: 3848, M/N: E06333KUS201-C, PS/2                                 - ?
20. Unisys, style id: PCK104-SKB, P/N: 46148342-000, KB-6926, FCC: E8HKB-5923, PS/2 -probably a rubber dome too?

Are the any mechanical ones in this list? Don't take your time and check all of them , just tell me if you know. What keyboards should i look out for? I got interested by most of them ( they seem to mostly have big keycaps which is typical for mechanical keyboards and that is why im interested and i posted so many ) but № 2 and 19 look promising.
If you know anything about these , please kindly inform me if you have the time!
Thanks for the help again!

Edit 2 :
Went ahead and looked them up , seems like there isnt much hope but maybe im wrong?
« Last Edit: Mon, 02 March 2015, 06:52:49 by BulgarianFeeder »
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Offline Ludovician

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Re: First mechanical keyboard - decided to be an old one , HELP!
« Reply #12 on: Mon, 02 March 2015, 05:30:11 »
My understanding is that it depends which combination of 3 keys is pressed, whether it works or not. I can confirm that at least on my Model M, Ctrl+shift+esc works fine. Also important to make sure you don't get one of the 7G (rubber dome) ones.

I have no experience with the others.
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Offline BulgarianFeeder

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Re: First mechanical keyboard - decided to be an old one , HELP!
« Reply #13 on: Mon, 02 March 2015, 05:41:46 »
I updated my previous post with some more info because it was the last post , but now it isnt. Just want to make sure someone sees it!
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Offline chyros

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Re: First mechanical keyboard - decided to be an old one , HELP!
« Reply #14 on: Mon, 02 March 2015, 06:53:01 »
What's a KB-5001?  That's not an FK-5001, is it? If it is, I'd definitely be interested :D . Been looking out for one of those calculator boards for a while now...
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Offline BulgarianFeeder

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Re: First mechanical keyboard - decided to be an old one , HELP!
« Reply #15 on: Mon, 02 March 2015, 06:56:09 »
Nah , it isnt an FK-5001
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Offline IvanIvanovich

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Re: First mechanical keyboard - decided to be an old one , HELP!
« Reply #16 on: Mon, 02 March 2015, 09:34:02 »
Want something cheap with Cherry MX... here you go! You might need to find a German that will remail it to you though.
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Offline BulgarianFeeder

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Re: First mechanical keyboard - decided to be an old one , HELP!
« Reply #17 on: Mon, 02 March 2015, 11:48:44 »
I was just about to buy it but the power went out... :C:C:C:C

Edit : Lol , the offer is over but in similar offers the same keyboard is sold lol wut? What switches does this kb actually use?

Edit 2 : I bought it , now i wait... ( Not sure if i want the black switches , more like brown ones , but i do want a mech keyboard and for 10$ thats probably the best option! I just think that i wont feel the difference while using black switches )
« Last Edit: Mon, 02 March 2015, 14:39:59 by BulgarianFeeder »
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Offline BulgarianFeeder

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Re: First mechanical keyboard - decided to be an old one , HELP!
« Reply #18 on: Fri, 20 March 2015, 13:05:12 »
Okay guys , i bought the keyboards that IvanIvanovich suggested and they just came! They are fitted with Cherry MX Blacks , i think you know that already BUUT , the point is that they are mechanical! That is my first mech keyboard and the difference between membrane and mechanical isnt that big but it defenitely IS there! ( definitely not worth spending hundreds of dollars on them IMO but thats just my opinion ) Now its time to mod it! Any suggestions? Here are some pictures of it right out of the package ( i just removed the caps ) Boom , Kaboom
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Offline fohat.digs

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Re: First mechanical keyboard - decided to be an old one , HELP!
« Reply #19 on: Fri, 20 March 2015, 14:24:52 »
Quote from: BulgarianFeeder on Fri, 20 March 2015, 13:05:12
the difference between membrane and mechanical isnt that big but it defenitely IS there!

Tactile switches are far more satisfying, in my opinion, and you can really feel it.
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