Author Topic: Vintage Loot (Read 8871 times)

didjamatic · « **on:** Mon, 07 December 2009, 12:00:06 »

Found this on some pallets headed for the recycler this morning...

3x Alps boards: Focus 2001 w/white real Alps, Acer with Blue Monterey Click Tactile, Elite with white real Alps

1989 Fontex Laptop - Working 286 with 1MB RAM and DOS 4.1, Cherry Blues and 2 Shot keys.

It's going to be a good week.

timw4mail · « **Reply #1 on:** Mon, 07 December 2009, 12:02:29 »

A laptop keyboard with double-shot Cherrys? Wow. Too bad the computer is really worth using despite having such a nice keyboard.

erricrice · « **Reply #2 on:** Mon, 07 December 2009, 12:02:39 »

That's ridiculous!
A 1989 laptop with cherry blues? Now that's a collector's item!

didjamatic · « **Reply #3 on:** Mon, 07 December 2009, 12:10:29 »

Added a photo of key removed w/blue cherry + label on back.

It's funny to type "dir" and watch the list slowly scroll down the screen rather than blink past. I forgot what that was like.

ricercar · « **Reply #4 on:** Mon, 07 December 2009, 12:33:20 »

I would love to put a Core2 Duo motherboard in there with a touchscreen. You thinking of selling or keeping that lappy?

timw4mail · « **Reply #5 on:** Mon, 07 December 2009, 12:38:37 »

Quote from: didjamatic;139785

Added a photo of key removed w/blue cherry + label on back.

It's funny to type "dir" and watch the list slowly scroll down the screen rather than blink past. I forgot what that was like.

Wow...that's a slow computer.

didjamatic · « **Reply #6 on:** Mon, 07 December 2009, 13:40:44 »

I will probably sell it due to lack of space, but I'm not sure. It's really cool looking and I love the keyboard on this thing. The caps could look good on a Filco too.

ch_123 · « **Reply #7 on:** Mon, 07 December 2009, 13:51:42 »

Quote from: didjamatic;139775

Found this on some pallets headed for the recycler this morning...

3x Alps boards: Focus 2001 w/aqua,

Aqua? That's a new one. I assume you mean Blue Alps? What do you think of them?

Quote

Acer with white, Elite with white.

Acer had their own switches. Does the Elite also have the same ones, or are they White Alps?

keyb_gr · « **Reply #8 on:** Mon, 07 December 2009, 13:53:32 »

That Acer board prolly is a 6311, a mechanics-over-membrane job with Alps-ish feel (someone here called it "Alps gone wrong").

Nice shleptop, with blues and plasma screen and all, but honestly a slow 386 is bad enough fo my taste.

ch_123 · « **Reply #9 on:** Mon, 07 December 2009, 13:59:53 »

Actually, speaking of aqua, some of the Focus keyboards had fake Alps that appeared to be a brighter shade of blue than the real blue Alps -

(Real)

(Fake)

didjamatic · « **Reply #10 on:** Mon, 07 December 2009, 14:03:39 »

Acer 6011 Manufactured in 1991 Blue Alps. Definitely not a membrane board, but Alps is not visible on switch. They are very light blue, more so in person than in photo so I referred to them as an Aqua color.

Focus 2001 White Alps - Alps is visible on switch

Acer White Alps - Alps is visible on switch

ch_123 · « **Reply #11 on:** Mon, 07 December 2009, 14:09:54 »

Quote from: didjamatic;139830

Acer 6011 Manufactured in 1991 Blue Alps. Definitely not a membrane board, but Alps is not visible on switch. They are very light blue, more so in person than in photo so I referred to them as an Aqua color.

I thought you said the Aqua in relation to the Focus, my bad.

The Acers are half-membrane, half-mechanical. If you disassembled it further, you'd find the the switches rest over membrane contacts, unless you found something really rare. Those are definitely not Alps switches.

Quote

Acer White Alps - Alps is visible on switch

Interesting, there were some Acer boards with Alps, but they are not entirely common as far as I know.

alpslover · « **Reply #12 on:** Mon, 07 December 2009, 14:19:56 »

Quote from: didjamatic;139830

Acer 6011 Manufactured in 1991 Blue Alps. Definitely not a membrane board, but Alps is not visible on switch. They are very light blue, more so in person than in photo so I referred to them as an Aqua color.
Show Image

those are not alps switches, they're the 'monterey' click tactiles.

didjamatic · « **Reply #13 on:** Mon, 07 December 2009, 14:30:56 »

I did say Aqua on Focus so it was my bad. Updated original post.

Thanks for the info Alpslover.
Here's the Acer opened up, it's really clean and has a PS/2 connector instead of AT.
Other than a little dust it's very clean.

microsoft windows · « **Reply #14 on:** Mon, 07 December 2009, 14:32:17 »

Quote from: didjamatic;139775

Found this on some pallets headed for the recycler this morning...

3x Alps boards: Focus 2001 w/white real Alps, Acer with Blue Monterey Click Tactile, Elite with white real Alps
Show Image

1989 Fontex Laptop - Working 286 with 1MB RAM and DOS 4.1, Cherry Blues and 2 Shot keys.
Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

It's going to be a good week.

I really like that old laptop! Great find!

ch_123 · « **Reply #15 on:** Mon, 07 December 2009, 14:33:44 »

Quote from: alpslover;139833

those are not alps switches, they're the 'monterey' click tactiles.

Scratch the Acer thing, those are the SMK "Monterey" switches alright.

keyb_gr · « **Reply #16 on:** Mon, 07 December 2009, 14:37:09 »

Never seen one of these (6011) before. I guess they're a lot less common than the 6311... then again, they look quite the same.

didjamatic · « **Reply #17 on:** Mon, 07 December 2009, 14:38:28 »

Thanks for the info Alpslover.

Here is the Acer opened up:
Other than a little dust it's very clean and to my surprise has a PS/2 connector.

lowpoly · « **Reply #18 on:** Mon, 07 December 2009, 15:55:40 »

Quote from: didjamatic;139775

1989 Fontex Laptop - Working 286 with 1MB RAM and DOS 4.1, Cherry Blues and 2 Shot keys.

Looks very similar to my Toshiba, even up to the keycap colors. Very nice set of Cherry caps.

didjamatic · « **Reply #19 on:** Mon, 07 December 2009, 15:56:28 »

Yeah, I got them for my kids who were 3 at the time and then the warnings all came out about them being ingested and the magnets stick together and mess up your insides, sometimes causing death. So they are safely kept at work until they are older. Once again, I reap the benefits of a children's toy purchase.

Computer-Lab in Basement · « **Reply #20 on:** Mon, 07 December 2009, 17:16:58 »

One man's trash is another man's new collection of old computer hardware.

InSanCen · « **Reply #21 on:** Tue, 08 December 2009, 02:41:17 »

Quote from: alpslover;139833

those are not alps switches, they're the 'monterey' click tactiles.

Hmmm.... I *think* I have similar switches in one of my boards.

Linkage

The board is lent out to someone at the moment, will get better pictures when it's back.

quadibloc · « **Reply #22 on:** Tue, 08 December 2009, 07:45:23 »

Quote from: ripster;139777

The Sears repairman showed up at my house with a laptop that looked remarkably similar to that one.

I have an old Toshiba laptop that looks a lot like that one. Also rescued from trash.

sandy55 · « **Reply #23 on:** Tue, 08 December 2009, 08:06:32 »

Quote from: ripster;139784

Maybe Cherrys were used in some industrial type laptops?

linky
Pac64 network sniffer has Blue Cherrys. Not sure about newer Doch system.

itlnstln · « **Reply #24 on:** Tue, 08 December 2009, 08:27:19 »

Hmm. That Pac64 keyboard has the same layout as the G80-1800. I wonder if it was a direct OEM for Doch.

sethstorm · « **Reply #25 on:** Tue, 08 December 2009, 11:02:05 »

Quote from: webwit;140072

That's a nice hard case to carry the Pac64 around! Even comes with a built-in keyboard status apparatus I see! It even says "Dutch" in the top right. Looks a bit heavy..

I'd believe the correct spelling is Dolch, after looking closer at it.

Google:
http://www.google.com/search?q=Dolch+Pac+64

lowpoly · « **Reply #26 on:** Tue, 08 December 2009, 11:21:50 »

Quote from: quadibloc;140059

I have an old Toshiba laptop that looks a lot like that one. Also rescued from trash.

Should have Alps switches.

sixty · « **Reply #27 on:** Tue, 08 December 2009, 11:23:23 »

Quote from: itlnstln;140070

Hmm. That Pac64 keyboard has the same layout as the G80-1800. I wonder if it was a direct OEM for Doch.

Its a G80-1813 yes, made by Cherry for Dolch.

itlnstln · « **Reply #28 on:** Tue, 08 December 2009, 11:39:04 »

Quote from: sixty;140125

Its a G80-1813 yes, made by Cherry for Dolch.

Mmm... Tasty

sethstorm · « **Reply #29 on:** Tue, 08 December 2009, 11:57:09 »

Quote from: itlnstln;140134

Mmm... Tasty

Show Image

That's asking for a conversion if that's not standard. I'd hate to admit, but it looks a bit nicer than my NCR OEM'd G81.

itlnstln · « **Reply #30 on:** Tue, 08 December 2009, 12:00:51 »

Quote from: sethstorm;140145

That's asking for a conversion if that's not standard. I'd hate to admit, but it looks a bit nicer than my NCR OEM'd G81.

I know I would. I don't think I would spend $200+ for it like the one in the auction above (it's for the whole unit, though), but if I did, I would certainly spend the time to get it working.

PRISONER 24601 · « **Reply #31 on:** Tue, 08 December 2009, 12:17:16 »

that looks like some nice lewt. congrats.

keyb_gr · « **Reply #32 on:** Tue, 08 December 2009, 12:34:36 »

I'd think that a cable swap (from a regular Cherry G80/G81 with old-style case) would be the most one would have to do.

itlnstln · « **Reply #33 on:** Tue, 08 December 2009, 12:37:35 »

Quote from: keyb_gr;140156

I'd think that a cable swap (from a regular Cherry G80/G81 with old-style case) would be the most one would have to do.

Damn. Now I want one of these to come up. I like the grey of the Dolch, though, so I might take parts from a regular 1800 to modify the Dolch instead of the other way around.

Computer-Lab in Basement · « **Reply #34 on:** Tue, 08 December 2009, 14:44:55 »

I'm not even that knowledgeable with the keyboards yet and I can see that those aren't alps.

microsoft windows · « **Reply #35 on:** Tue, 08 December 2009, 16:07:21 »

I've seen a lot of Cherries with that layout. Guess it's their standard layout for compact keyboards.

itlnstln · « **Reply #36 on:** Tue, 08 December 2009, 16:19:02 »

Unfortunately, they're damn near impossible to find with MX switches.

microsoft windows · « **Reply #37 on:** Tue, 08 December 2009, 16:42:01 »

Don't the Compaq ones have them?

itlnstln · « **Reply #38 on:** Tue, 08 December 2009, 16:50:43 »

Quote from: microsoft windows;140236

Don't the Compaq ones have them?

Yes, but that trackball gets in the way. I want the keyboard only.

microsoft windows · « **Reply #39 on:** Tue, 08 December 2009, 16:53:20 »

I like tracking balls in keyboards.

maxlugar · « **Reply #40 on:** Tue, 08 December 2009, 18:48:39 »

[/QUOTE=ch_123;139841]Scratch the Acer thing, those are the SMK "Monterey" switches alright.[/QUOTE]

Blue SMK Monterey key switches kick ass. They seem to have been considered a poor man's ALPS key switch and were common in early 1990's keyboards like the Chicony KB-5181.

They don't feel like real ALPS to me...much sharper tactile bump, higher up on the key stroke. Somone (manyac maybe?) described them as a cross between Blue Cherries and buckling springs.

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Author Topic: Vintage Loot (Read 8871 times)