GE/Marquette (Unicomp) Model M's w-fun caps

[ander]

If you like unorthodox Model M's but don't want to bust the bank on a Space Saving Keyboard or Industrial, here's something that may interest you:

UNICOMP Model M Keyboard 2003809-003 REV-B (eBay)





These buckling-spring M's were made for GE/Marquette medical imaging systems. Zoom in to see the fun secondary and replacement legends... And of course those colored keys!

The seller's asking $80 w/free shipping. The still have 5 to sell, though, and you can Make an Offer. So if you can get one in the $60s shipped, that's a sweet deal.

[rowdy]

Costs heaps to get one sent to Australia, and such pretty yellow keycaps too.

[chyros]

I wonder what the hell all those two-letter legends are on the yellow caps xD . It's got Torr legends too, never seen that before xD .

[fohat.digs]

I wonder what the hell all those two-letter legends are on the yellow caps

Those medical specialty caps are wild. As I recall, there was even one with a "urine" key!

[CPTBadAss]

UGH This one is different from the one I have. Do I need them both?! Such a cool board.

[jdcarpe]

UGH This one is different from the one I have. Do I need them both?! Such a cool board.

I wonder if you give Unicomp the model number, would they make you a set of those caps?

[SamirD]

UGH This one is different from the one I have. Do I need them both?! Such a cool board.

I wonder if you give Unicomp the model number, would they make you a set of those caps?

I bet they would.  I've had them send me a large print cap set before even though such a thing isn't listed on their web site.

[chyros]

I wonder what the hell all those two-letter legends are on the yellow caps

Those medical specialty caps are wild. As I recall, there was even one with a "urine" key!

Yeah I remember that one, classy as **** xD .

[SamirD]

The best ones on this is the 'wave' and 'art' keys, lol.  Although 'emergency save' in red also gets your attention.

[FreeCopy]

I found one of these in a hospital storage area where I was working a couple months ago and posted about it. Unfortunately it's still an in use system so my keyboard inquiry was a dead end. They look great in person. One thing for me was it didn't carry the same rugged feeling of a typical old IBM-M. It had a lighter feeling to it.

Here's the link: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=75802.msg1885835

[SamirD]

I remember when you posted that.   I thought it was really neat and was tempted to call the GE support hotline, lol.

[ander]

Those medical specialty caps are wild. As I recall, there was even one with a "urine" key!

I like the Fick on the H key. "Oh Fick, I pushed the wrong button."

UGH This one is different from the one I have. Do I need them both?!...

Yes, there is some variety. Unicomp made Marquette boards in 2002 as p/n UNZ2416, then again in 2006-07 as 2003809. The early ones don't have any of the secondary legends on the Q through P keys. The red F12 isn't always present, and the support-number panel is sometimes centered over the F-keys rather than the lock lights. (Thank you, thank you... Okay, I have left the building.)

I wonder if you give Unicomp the model number, would they make you a set of those caps?

Good question. Someone should try!

I found one of these in a hospital storage area where I was working a couple months ago and posted about it. Unfortunately it's still an in use...

Isn't that annoying? What's wrong with people? Don't they realize that collecting these things is much more important than using them for boring stuff like medical care?  :?D

[SamirD]

This is a pretty cool board to have with some interesting notes on the button assemblies and key caps.

First, not all the buttons are 2-piece (at least on mine).  Many are one piece so the key cap isn't removable.

[sandybang]

I came across this thread on google and I could not help but to reply. I just wanted to give you guys an insight as to what we use them for. 

We use this keyboard everyday in our Cardiology unit at a Hospital. These keyboards are part of a wider haemodynamic (ECGs, Arterial Blood Pressure) system called PRUCA where I work. We specifically use them in Cath lab (Coronary Artery stenting and Electrophysiology studies).

Those yellow keys are used to change a Label on our screen. They represent where the catheter is going in the heart as it moves around and the different blood pressure morphologies. For example: Aorta, Right Atrium, Left Atrium, Pulmonary Artery etc. All these pressures are show in a wave format and can be hard to decipher, which is why we change the label as we go along in a procedure. 

The big red emergency button is used to instantly start saving a study whenever a dangerous/irregular/no heart rhythm or pressure can be seen. It will save everything from the live screen and display it on our second review screen.

I'm not really a keyboard enthusiast and I do not know much about them. However, I do love typing on this keyboard and the firm clicks. I find it easier to type on this keyboard when I am recording information quickly in an emergency situation as compared to a membrane based keyboard.

A replacement keyboard may or may not cost somewhere along the lines of $1000 AUD brand new.

[rowdy]

I came across this thread on google and I could not help but to reply. I just wanted to give you guys an insight as to what we use them for. 

We use this keyboard everyday in our Cardiology unit at a Hospital. These keyboards are part of a wider haemodynamic (ECGs, Arterial Blood Pressure) system called PRUCA where I work. We specifically use them in Cath lab (Coronary Artery stenting and Electrophysiology studies).

Those yellow keys are used to change a Label on our screen. They represent where the catheter is going in the heart as it moves around and the different blood pressure morphologies. For example: Aorta, Right Atrium, Left Atrium, Pulmonary Artery etc. All these pressures are show in a wave format and can be hard to decipher, which is why we change the label as we go along in a procedure. 

The big red emergency button is used to instantly start saving a study whenever a dangerous/irregular/no heart rhythm or pressure can be seen. It will save everything from the live screen and display it on our second review screen.

I'm not really a keyboard enthusiast and I do not know much about them. However, I do love typing on this keyboard and the firm clicks. I find it easier to type on this keyboard when I am recording information quickly in an emergency situation as compared to a membrane based keyboard.

A replacement keyboard may or may not cost somewhere along the lines of $1000 AUD brand new.

Welcome to Geekhack!

Thank you for that technical and straight-forward explanation.  I was wondering about the abbreviations on the yellow keys )

By the way, if this is just a standard Model M with custom keycaps, you could pick up a new Model M (more or less) from Unicomp and a few custom keycaps for way less than $1000.

Although getting those specific custom legends might be difficult.

[E3E]

Yeah, makes me think of how ludicrous it is for an industrial grey case and blue key caps to make a certain SSK worth over $1000 USD.

[alh84001]

I came across this thread on google and I could not help but to reply. I just wanted to give you guys an insight as to what we use them for. 

That was an interesting read, thanks for taking the time to register and share this with us. It's always fun to learn how people actually use some of these rarer boards in the wild. I guess that price point of AUD$1000 is probably down to those dealers in obsolete equipment. I imagine when a hospital needs replacement they need it quite quickly, so they can't be picky about it. I am even more surprised then that a seller on ebay recently let ~10 of these for $40-50.

[ander]

I came across this thread on google and I could not help but to reply. I just wanted to give you guys an insight as to what we use them for...

After admiring these unique keyboards for some time, it's delightful to learn more about how they were used. Thanks for your trouble, mate!

BTW, do you happen to know what the legendary Fick key was for?

[alh84001]

It has to do something with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fick_principle in one way or other.

[ander]

It has to do something with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fick_principle in one way or other.

Wow, the mystery of Fick revealed! This is a landmark moment in KB-collecting history.  :?)

How did you know about that? Are you a medical person too? Or did you just do some logical research?

[alh84001]

I think there was a post over on DT and someone was knowledgeable of these things

[ander]

I'm sure you'll agree—it's Fickin' remarkable. (Okay, somebody had to say it.)