single piece keycaps on a 52G9658 Model M ?

[platon]

It's been a few days since i received my '94 Model M keyboard. This is my first Model M and so far i am a very pleased with it. Seller said this was brand new but with no original box. Indeed the kb looks completely unused.

One thing that worries me though is that the key caps are one piece (integrated key cap and key stem). This is a 52G9658 Model M made by Lexmark for IBM. In the keyboard reference here i saw that this part no. should have 2 piece key caps. The sellers site stated the same. I emailed the seller 2-3 days ago but he did not answer. Any thoughts on the matter ? Somebody switched them? Am i being paranoid ?

[ch_123]

Hi,

I wrote that entry on the keyboard reference and it's out of date. There are a lot of 52G9658s that only have the single piece keycaps.

With the exception of their 1391401s and the 52G7000 (the former always had the double piece keycaps, the latter single pieces ones as far as I can see) the type of keycaps you get with a Lexmark keyboard is down to pot luck.

[platon]

I wrote that entry on the keyboard reference and it's out of date. There are a lot of 52G9658s that only have the single piece keycaps.

Ah, some piece of mind ... Thank you ch_123, i'll go back to enjoying my new board.

[microsoft windows]

For regular use, the single-piece key caps are better since the caps don't fall off the keys nearly as easily as the two-piece ones.

[ch_123]

If your keycaps fall off during typing, you're doing something wrong.

[kishy]

If your keycaps fall off during typing, you're doing something wrong.

Normally I'd agree, but I was shocked one day when a couple of keycaps flew off while I was typing. I'm guessing I must have hit one at an angle it didn't like.

That would have been my '93 Lexmark 1391401 whose keycaps little "locking tabs" are quite worn down, though.

[Specter_57]

Solutions:

1/ Water-based non-toxic glue stick

2/ Small daub of rubber cement

3/ Double-sided adhesive tape

Keeps the cap in place, and removeable when needed.

Just some thoughts...

.....

Spec 57

[microsoft windows]

I guess you guys mis-understood. The single-piece keys do better in the long run since the key caps don't come off with wear and tear. When you see the 2-piece ones on ebay, they're missing some key caps after 20-some-odd years of God-only-knows-what (anything from sitting around to use as weapons).

If you don't plan to customize your Model M, I would go with single-piece key caps.

[ch_123]

Depends on how well you treat them. I've seen them come off during storage myself, but if you store them properly and treat them well, there's no problems.

[kishy]

Storage is an issue, particularly if you do something dumb and put them keys-to-keys like I did once. Caps definitely come off when you slide them against each other like that.

[maxlugar]

Depends on how well you treat them. I've seen them come off during storage myself, but if you store them properly and treat them well, there's no problems.

Model Ms with single piece keycaps have a different feel than Model Ms with 2  piece key caps.  The two piece key caps don't necessarily feel better, just different.  The difference is most noticeable after I've been using a classic 1989 1391401 Model M for a while and then switch to a 1993 52G9658 Model M.

[skcheng]

Is there any consensus as to what people prefer?  One piece vs two piece??  My two current Model Ms, a 1992 Space Saving and a 1993 Black M13 both have the one piece caps.

I just ordered some blank keys from Unicomp as well as a full set for a Model M and they asked me whether I wanted one piece or two piece??

Or does it even matter??  The one piece keycaps on my Space Saving model are very nice, thick and have a great feel to them.

Thx.

[skcheng]

The two pieces are going to be heavier but also since it's two pieces clipped together they sometimes pop off.  Some people swear they can feel a difference but people around here say they can feel LOTs of things.

Personally I don't think it makes a rat's ass of difference on a heavy switch like the Model M but does on the lighter Cherrys/Topres.  So I wouldn't go out my way to get a vintage IBM with one or the other unless you had some need for quickly swapping keycaps.

Okay.   Thanks.   That answers my questions.    Unicomp is getting back to me on whether they can print me a set of Model M Space Saving keys???  Possibly in black......  And I ordered some blank keys for an Otaku Mini.  I need to relearn the top row above the numbers and that shouldn't take too long.  

Blank white keys might look nice on the Mini also.   Getting some of those too!!

[Half-Saint]

Which reminds me, ripster, where did you get blank black key caps for that mini?

Cheers

[skcheng]

Same place. Unicomp.

SK - if Unicomp DOES say they'll ship white letter on black keys be sure to post.    Maybe they really are working on a tenkeyless Model M.  

Maybe. :flypig:

Nope.  I was wrong.   They can't print white on black keys.   But they can print the numbers for a SpaceSaver on the sides of the keys, which I'm having done.

So a new set of keys  (2 piece for Model M) and one piece on the blank black keys and I'm not sure what I'm getting for the blank beige set??  

I asked if they were looking at producing the Model M SpaceSaver again and the response was, "if the demand becomes 100x greater than it is now"  LOL.  

skc

[Mental Hobbit]

Sigh. Unicomp has to be the world's only company that might actually benefit of a corporate consultant.

[skcheng]

What makes you think there is a big demand beyond the realms of this forum?

Basically what I was told.   A few zealots when the rest of the world is fully content with a "throw-in" freebie POS keyboard.