Odd old HP switch?

[ander]

Here's a switch type I've never seen:

125 Vintage Hewlett Packard 45500A Desktop Wired Keyboard 100 Series DB Pin








Any idea what it is?

[-pineapple-]

https://deskthority.net/wiki/Hi-Tek_linear

[ander]

Wow, that was fast. Woo, looks like these are pretty rare then. (I have no financial interest in this sale.)

[chyros]

Hi-Tek linear (and Stackpole) aren't really rare, they're often foudn in old Texas Instruments boards. THIS thing though, wow Oo .

BTW these switches are super stiff, not for the light-fingered for sure xD .

[ander]

Hi-Tek linear (and Stackpole) aren't really rare, they're often foudn in old Texas Instruments boards. THIS thing though, wow Oo .

Okay, so the switches aren't so rare—but "this thing"? You mean this particular board? What about it? Can't read your mind, old chap.

BTW these switches are super stiff, not for the light-fingered for sure xD .

I can't speak for everyone, but I like stiff switches—buckling springs, Cherry Greens... Would they be much stiffer than those?

(BTW, I doubt they'd be much stiffer than a Wang. Everyone knows that, under proper conditions, nothing's stiffer than a good Wang.)

[chyros]

Hi-Tek linear (and Stackpole) aren't really rare, they're often foudn in old Texas Instruments boards. THIS thing though, wow Oo .

Okay, so the switches aren't so rare—but "this thing"? You mean this particular board? What about it? Can't read your mind, old chap.

Yeah, I meant the board. It's quite big for a board with these switches .

BTW these switches are super stiff, not for the light-fingered for sure xD .

I can't speak for everyone, but I like stiff switches—buckling springs, Cherry Greens... Would they be much stiffer than those?

(BTW, I doubt they'd be much stiffer than a Wang. Everyone knows that, under proper conditions, nothing's stiffer than a good Wang.)

Oh I'm always up for nice, stiff Wangs .

I haven't tested it myself (which isn't easy with linear switches anyway) but I would conservatively estimate 80 gf.

[ander]

Yeah, I meant the board. It's quite big for a board with these switches :) .

But with a board of this vintage, big is good, isn't it? I love that colossal look. It could have been built into a console, of course; then it'd be really big. (No relation to big Wangs.)

BTW these switches are super stiff, not for the light-fingered...

...I like stiff switches—buckling springs, Cherry Greens... Would they be much stiffer...?

I haven't tested it myself (which isn't easy with linear switches anyway) but I would conservatively estimate 80 gf.

Indeed, like MX Greens then.

Actually, though, while it may be fun to type on, who cares how it feels? What a thing of beauty! I'd keep it propped on a shelf so I could admire it and think of all the people who worked with awesome hardware like this. Well-dressed, conservatively-groomed people, some in lab coats, with picture IDs clipped to their lapels. People who drove cars with fins, had silly novelty BBQ aprons at home, and listened to Pat Boone and Perry Como. Sigh.

[chyros]

Yeah, I meant the board. It's quite big for a board with these switches .

But with a board of this vintage, big is good, isn't it? I love that colossal look. It could have been built into a console, of course; then it'd be really big. (No relation to big Wangs.)

Yeah, that's one of the reasons I love old boards!

Those modern keyboards that have zero rim and no bezel and that have just 104 keys just feel meh. It's like having one of those gargantuan radios from way back. Sure, you can get a very small one that probably actually works better nowadays, but who doesn't like a nice, proper vintage radio?

I hope to find something someday that dwarfs even my IBM battleship (and my enormous Wang ).

[ander]

I hope to find something someday that dwarfs even my IBM battleship (and my enormous Wang 8) ).

Close your eyes, make a wish, and the Magic Wang Fairy will make your dream come true.

[rowdy]

From an old HP 2624B terminal - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HP-HP2624B-Terminal_05.jpg

I've used a few of these back in the day.  Can't quite remember now what the keyboards felt like, but I do have a recollection that they were far better than those on the 2392B terminals that came afterwards.

[ander]

I've used a few of these back in the day.  Can't quite remember now what the keyboards felt like, but I do have a recollection that they were far better than those on the 2392B terminals that came afterwards.

You could very well have had your hands on an enormous Wang instead, then, as amnesia is a commonly reported effect of such encounters. People in your (possible) position are at a disadvantage, of course, as they can't remember much, but few would deny it was a life-changing experience.

[rowdy]

I've used a few of these back in the day.  Can't quite remember now what the keyboards felt like, but I do have a recollection that they were far better than those on the 2392B terminals that came afterwards.

You could very well have had your hands on an enormous Wang instead, then, as amnesia is a commonly reported effect of such encounters. People in your (possible) position are at a disadvantage, of course, as they can't remember much, but few would deny it was a life-changing experience.

They were definitely HP terminals with HP keyboards as I was working for an HP OEM at the time.

[mike52787]

(and my enormous Wang .

Im sure this guy just put the length of the keyboard in the title to say he had a 21" wang http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-NOS-Wang-21-Heavy-Duty-Full-Size-Keyboard-200-1081-US-Wired-/272251421422?hash=item3f637302ee:g:k5YAAOSwZ8ZW5Ihe

[UnFocused]

From an old HP 2624B terminal - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HP-HP2624B-Terminal_05.jpg

That's an amazing looking terminal.

[ander]

They were definitely HP terminals with HP keyboards as I was working for an HP OEM at the time.

Or Wangs, and they just got the better of you and you're not ready to deal with it yet, at least publicly.

(and my enormous Wang 8).

Im sure this guy just put the length of the keyboard in the title to say he had a 21" wang :D http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-NOS-Wang-21-Heavy-Duty-Full-Size-Keyboard-200-1081-US-Wired-/272251421422?hash=item3f637302ee:g:k5YAAOSwZ8ZW5Ihe

Big Wangs played a surprisingly prominent part in computer history. I remember you couldn't go anywhere in Silicon Valley without bumping into them. The least they could've done was buy a girl a drink.

[rowdy]

They were definitely HP terminals with HP keyboards as I was working for an HP OEM at the time.

Or Wangs, and they just got the better of you and you're not ready to deal with it yet, at least publicly.

HP terminals, provided by HP along with an HP3000.  We were about 1 block away from HP in Adelaide back then, and could carry the equipment from HP to the office.

They had an amazing store room - full of terminals and components.  And a huge cannister thing hanging from the ceiling full of little chunks of polystyrene that they used to full in gaps in boxes they packed.

Later we upgraded to HP2392A terminals which looked about a decade more modern, but had horrible keyboards.

[ander]

Notice how that monitor had the dust pre-applied. HP thought of everything in those days.

[rowdy]

Notice how that monitor had the dust pre-applied. HP thought of everything in those days.

I didn't notice that, but the burn-in on these screens was fantastic!