[de] rugged military keyboard by Marquardt

[bsvP585hUO2Y6]

Just stumbled about this auction:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220516046550

Essentials translated: Metal casing, made by Marquardt, like new,
originally part of a command post computing system called HEROS by
DEC. 17 left, so there's no need to hurry... The board looks very
pc-ish, so I /suppose/ the 15-pin d-sub plug is used to carry the
electrical equivalent of two PS/2 ports, and it /might/ be trivial to
wire some adapter.

I wonder if I should get one... Are marquardt switches any good?
I like how the capslock key isn't staggered, making it more convenient
to use as a control key. OTOH the cursor keys instead of the second
alt/control seem rather unorthodox...

regards,
andreas

[msiegel]

interesting change to the arrow keys...
it's an unusual color
i wonder what kind of switches it has.

[Necroleachate]

About Marquadt switches:
http://geekhack.org/showpost.php?p=77902&postcount=366

http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:6440

[msiegel]

beautiful switch housings

[sixty]

Almost tempted to grab one of these. Not sure.

PS: The auction description is actually pretty funny.. "from the metal used on this keyboard case alone Chinese would manage to build a full car"

[Rajagra]

Now wouldn't that just set the mood for playing a military FPS?
I have a feeling the connection is some weird serial format though.

[PRISONER 24601]

that. is. awesome.

[lowpoly]

I may get one. Description says 'like new' which is good for Marquardt switches.

Edit: 'like new' was the original listing. Now it's 'slightly used'.

[bsvP585hUO2Y6]

I have a feeling the connection is some weird serial format though.

We'll know what it is in a couple of days. After reading
lowpoly's reviews on marquardt boards, I could no longer resist
the urge... I guess this is a good chance to extend my collection
beyond non-linear cherry switches and rubber dome boards.

[lowpoly]

The metal case is made from solid metal.

Looks like he lives in the village next to my mom's. Before I pick it up locally I should upgrade my Jeep with heavy duty springs.

[lowpoly]

Here is the keyboard in its natural habitat:

http://cgi.ebay.de/Bundeswehr-PC-Datenendgeraet-BAP-HEROS-2-Mann-Schlepptop_W0QQitemZ220518440608QQcmdZViewItemQQptZKlassische_Computer?hash=item3357ec5ea0

[keyb_gr]

43 kg for the whole box... :shocked: Heavy duty, eh?

[bsvP585hUO2Y6]

First impressions:

- 3.5 kg

- Switches look the same as the Reflotron/Ergo boards reviewed on
  geekhack and feel as described there, plate mounted as well.

- In contrast to the reflotron board, the keycaps are double shot.

- The case does actually appear to be cast on first sight, but I have to
  open her to be definte that it's not made of metal sheet with a very
  good finishing and cast/stamped side parts.

- There is a slight but noticeable tobacco smell on mine. I'll just
  pretend it's the smell of napalm.

- There was some biomass under the keys, so it's definately used.

[lowpoly]

Does it have NKRO? The MiniErgo has it, the Reflotron not.

[bsvP585hUO2Y6]

Ill test for NKRO as soon as I figured the mysterious 15-pin d-sub plug out.
Meanwhile some pictures...

[bsvP585hUO2Y6]

After undoing 22 screws...



Looks like it's neither sheet metal nor cast. It's made out of machined bits...



6 wires. /Hopefully/ power, gnd, 2 x ps2 data and 2 x ps2 clock

[lowpoly]

Ill test for NKRO as soon as I figured the mysterious 15-pin d-sub plug out.
Meanwhile some pictures...

I forgot about the connector. With four soldered pins for a switch NKRO becomes likely.

How do the switches work when hit off-center?

[rdjack21]

That is a cool board I'm jealous.

[bsvP585hUO2Y6]

lowpoly wrote on 5945 September 1993:

> Quote:
>
>     Originally Posted by bsvP585hUO2Y6 View Pos
>     Ill test for NKRO as soon as I figured the mysterious 15-pin d-sub plug out.
>     Meanwhile some pictures...
>
> I forgot about the connector.

Turns out it is a ps/2 keyboard, electrically that is.  Here's the
pinout:

Code: [Select]


|   d-sub | func        | pcb plug |
|---------+-------------+----------|
|      15 | 5V          |        1 |
| 7,11,14 | gnd         |        2 |
|      13 | kbd clk     |        3 |
|      12 | kbd data    |        4 |
|       2 | rs232 mouse |        5 |
|       4 | ?           |        6 |


I'm not yet sure about the trackball.  I'm afraid I'll have to hook up
my scope to see if it is outputting anything at all.  My USB-ps/2
converters refused to move the pointer even a single pixel.  Its
mechanical parts are in rather bad shape too. A plastic part connecting
one of the bearings with a spring is broken...

> With four soldered pins for a switch NKRO becomes likely.

Poking around with a multimeter confirmed that there's a diode in every
switch.  I didn't manage to get the board to drop a single key when
pressing over 20 simultaneously.

> How do the switches work when hit off-center?

Still waiting for the keys to dry from the ultrasonic bath.

[lowpoly]

Thanks for answering my questions.

A plastic part connecting one of the bearings with a spring is broken...

Something like that makes me wonder if the overkill case really makes sense.

[bsvP585hUO2Y6]

lowpoly wrote on 5945 September 1993:

> How do the switches work when hit off-center?

As long as I push downwards, I can't tell a difference from hitting them
in the center.  If I hit them in a corner and pathologically push them
outwards as well, the friction increases rapidly.  It's a bit like
Cherry ML switches, but not as prominent.

[bsvP585hUO2Y6]

lowpoly wrote on 5945 September 1993:

> Quote:
>
>     A plastic part connecting one of the bearings with a spring is broken...
>
> Something like that makes me wonder if the overkill case really makes sense.

Not sure what to think of the trackball.  They use serious looking ball
bearings at places where logitech just sticks a shaft through nylon.  I
also like the fact that they used marquardt switches for the mouse
buttons.

I'm a bit concerned about keeping it clean.  With the Compaq MX11800 it
is a matter of seconds: twist ring, pop ball, wipe.  With this board,
you would have to unscrew the 22 case screws plus 6 screws around the
trackball mechanism to get to the parts where dirt accummulates...

[microsoft windows]

I want that military keyboard. But, I couldn't get it since I live in the US!

[bsvP585hUO2Y6]

microsoft windows wrote on 5945 September 1993:

> I want that military keyboard. But, I couldn't get it since I live in
> the US!

The seller has some smaller items listed for worldwide shipping.  Maybe
it is just a matter of asking him for a shipping quote?

Here's his current listing:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220523186094

[ricercar]

Maybe we should group together and buy half his 10. I'd pay $50 or so for one of those military keyboards.

[PRISONER 24601]

i would sell my soul for that keyboard.

[mtl]

Another military keyboard for sale:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Military-Digital-LK201-Keyboard-Heavy-Duty-NEW_W0QQitemZ350235914449QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPCA_Mice_Trackballs?hash=item518baff0d1

[ricercar]

Am I the only one who thinks it is extremely ugly?

Ugly and blocky and fun.

it's the wrong kind of green (the ugly kind), the yellow clashes badly

That's why God invented paint.

[lowpoly]

The body could be sandblasted and clear coated.

[bsvP585hUO2Y6]

> I'm not yet sure about the trackball.  I'm afraid I'll have to hook up
> my scope to see if it is outputting anything at all.  My USB-ps/2
> converters refused to move the pointer even a single pixel.

No wonder the trackball wasn't working with my ps/2 adapters...



Pin 2 carries a rs232 signal at 1200 baud, and I got it to work under X
with the following settings:

,----[ xorg.conf ]
| Section "InputDevice"
|    Identifier   "heros ball"
|    Driver      "mouse"
|    Option      "CorePointer"
|    Option      "Sensitivity" "2.0"
|    Option      "Device"      "/dev/ttyUSB1"
|    Option      "Protocol"      "mouse systems"
| EndSection
`----

This is getting a bit complicated now that the adapter also needs a
rs232 port...



Apart from the anachronistic resolution of 400 dpi, the trackball is
very convenient to use.  With the mouse button placement in the numpad,
it feels very similar to the better thumb operated ones by logitech.
Much better than the arrangement on the MX11800, IMHO.  There's more
friction than in optical ones, but it is not excessive.

Here's a shot of the trackball's innards.  Those silver discs are
actually ball bearings.  I didn't realize it at first, and threw the
entire assembly in the ultrasonic cleaner, as I always do with the
mechanical logitech pickups.  I only realised the mistake when I saw
huge grease clouds coming out of the bearings :-/.



I turned the broken springed bearing into a rigid one using a screw.
Without this fix, the ball would rub against the plastic, making it
pretty much unusable.

[bsvP585hUO2Y6]

webwit wrote on 5946 September 1993:

> Bearings are bad. Was it originally a white ball?

Probably :-).  Unfortunately, I forgot to use the caliper while the ball
was out.  It's slightly larger than the logitech balls though, so
swapping it for baby blue or red is not an easy option.

[bsvP585hUO2Y6]

There's another seller now that offers them 4 EUR cheaper:
http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260578901144

The original seller still has them too:
http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220563864497

It doesn't look like he sold much beyond mine since december though.
I wonder why their price isn't pummeling...

[Mental Hobbit]

Did you actually use the board in the meantime?

[bsvP585hUO2Y6]

Mental Hobbit wrote on 6075 September 1993:

> Did you actually use the board in the meantime?

I use it for a day or two intermittently.  About as often as I use my
clear and blue G80-3000s.  I always come back to my MX11800 though.
It's refreshing how effortless typing on brown switches is after using
anything else in my collection.

Almost forgot: If I succumb to a Go[1] binge, the Heros is on my desk as
well because of the gorgeous trackball.  There aren't many pointing
devices around that have proper keyswitches for bottons.

Footnotes:
[1]  http://www.gokgs.com/

[keyb_gr]

There aren't many pointing
devices around that have proper keyswitches for bottons.

Funny that you should mention that. I prefer clicking via the numpad mouse emulation to the real deal because it seems so much nicer - and my Logitech pointing rodent isn't too heavy on the buttons to begin with.