Old Memorex Telex AT

[ander]

An interesting KB came in at the nonprofit PC recyclers where I volunteer now and then. It's a Memorex Telex 205946-001 with an AT connector. I did some research and found there was a M/T computer with that number too, but I couldn't find any details about it.

I don't know if this is anything special, but here are some photos just to be geeky. It looks unused. The base and black back plate are steel, so even though it's a relatively compact board it's pretty heavy.

Anyone know what these switches are? They're linear, very smooth, quiet and even, rather like Topres with a shorter travel.

Rather than ridges, the F and J have a small flat area in the middle, which is kind of cool.

I tried it on a PC with an active USB convertor and on PS/2, but no dice. Can the DIP switches be set differently? Or would it require a controller replacement, midnight sacrifices of farm animals, etc., to get it working? – A.

[SamirD]

I think a clue to if it can be made compatible is the honeywell sticker in the last picture.  Sounds like it was for a terminal made by them. 

Have any of the other numbers on the stickers lead you anywhere via Internet searches?  I remember the name Memorex-Telex and recall it was some sort of terminal.

[jacobolus]

These are Honeywell rubber domes, similar to the Honeywell rubber dome IBM unsavers:

[ander]

I think a clue to if it can be made compatible is the honeywell sticker in the last picture.  Sounds like it was for a terminal made by them... Have any of the other numbers on the stickers lead you anywhere via Internet searches?  I remember the name Memorex-Telex and recall it was some sort of terminal.

I couldn't find anything myself. I did find some photos of another of this model, but with no technical details. Even if I did find details, I wouldn't be advanced enough to understand or use them... I just wondered if some of you gurus might have a clue about it.

So, assuming it's a terminal board, I assume that means controller code would have to be written specifically for this model—which seems unlikely, as it's neither mechanical nor a type many people are likely to have.

Despite it being RD, do you you think it's unusual enough that anyone might be interested in it for their collection? Or is everyone here pretty well just into MKs?

These are Honeywell rubber domes, similar to the Honeywell rubber dome IBM unsavers...

Dang, so it's not a Hall Effect board, LOL... The switches are so crisp and regular, I thought they might be something more interesting. But it's probably just because they were never used.

Oh well, I didn't think most of you mind looking at another set of KB photos.  :?)

[shawkes]

Hello,

I recently made a pilgrimage out to Computer Reset in Texas. I found this same keyboard there and it was connected to a terminal. I have been searching for info on the terminal and found this thread. Thought I might necro the thread a bit

[SamirD]

Nice!  I think you have an original of one of the terminal 'standards' that were in that era like the wyse vt100.   From what I recall, these were typically serially connected and pretty much acted like the console for a linux session, except remotely.  But my memory on this is foggy at best, so someone please chime in with better info.

[shawkes]

So, I've since learned some more about the terminal. It is the '5250' IBM terminal/mainframe standard. So now I'm ordering components to make a usb adapter so I can use a raspberry pi or whatever as a host.

https://github.com/inmbolmie/5250_usb_converter

Looking forward to building that