122 key terminal keyboard, with PS/2 and LEDs

[Specter_57]

For the interest of those here....an EBay item.

No connection to any vendors, info only.

Terminal type keyboard, 122 keys, ps/2 interface and LEDs for the lock keys.

Apparantly 3 available, and US $21.21 before shipping etc.

Look here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Affirmative-Model-M-YESboard-122-Key-Keyboard-1227T_W0QQitemZ150393584846QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPCA_Mice_Trackballs?hash=item230427fcce#shId

More info here:

http://www.twindata.com/affirmative/5250keyboard.htm

Tempting...

.....

Spec 57

[ch_123]

I thought some of those non-PS/2 ones had... issues, whereas the PS/2 ones are designed to work properly.

[Specter_57]

Kishy:

I do believe that some 'M' type keyboards did have a split cable at the PC end (PS/2 mouse, keyboard) and a PS/2 connector on the keyboard for plugging in a mouse or trackball device into the keyboard itself, actually a 'PS/2 pass-through'.

That in itself is a pretty good idea...too bad that never became standard in keyboards.

Closest thing nowadays is in USB keyboards with built-in hubs.

and CH_123.....

from what I have read off and on about the sort of device in the auction...they are actually apparantly mostly useable on PCs...with a driver that is available...

...

But the drop-in controller projects being discussed in various threads here on GH are far more universal in possible use...basically if you can get the matrix into the device, it can be mapped to be useful...and I know a source where I can get a rather large number of the 122 key terminal boards...cheaply....so.....   :-)
 
Of course, what I"d *really* like to get my hands on would be one of them programmable MCK-142 boards....sighhhh....

.....

Spec 57

[ch_123]

I dunno - the 5250 PC emulation one (Boscom) would have been better.  The tactile thing bothers me a bit as well.  Still could be rubber dome - Unicomp doesn't appear to change model numbers for them.

Unicomp does have different Part Numbers for their rubber dome stuff as they do for the buckling spring keyboards (assuming we're talking about the same keyboard otherwise)

[ch_123]

I see nothing about part numbers there.

[ch_123]

That guy will always be Mr. Phelps to me...

[ak_nala]

1.  The item pictured is buckling spring. Two front keys on left bank are two-piece keys with the caps missing.

2.  Item pictured and described is a PC Emulator Board, so the normal 101 keys work as they should on a PC using normal drivers. Don't expect any of the additional keys to do anything if using a Blue Cube - would probably need a new controller for that. Don't know if the non-pictured ones are actually the same.

3.  The one pictured has barely discernible (in the picture, that is) damage visible along the left upper edge (scrape/gouge/dent) and cracks/damage in the left front corner to both top and bottom plastics. Don't know if the others in the listing sport similar damage.

[Mental Hobbit]

Two front keys on left bank are two-piece keys with the caps missing.

I don't think so. On all 122 key IBMs I've seen on photos these two keys are blank. The 1397003 I own actually has two-piece keys with blank caps there.

[ak_nala]

Trust me. Those two particular keys in that particular pic are missing their caps.

You can see the little tab notches on the sides (which are only visible when the caps are off) if you look closely. Plus they look slightly smaller with more space around them when compared with the other keys.

[ak_nala]

OK, now that my problems seem to be resolved, I will confess - I have good reason to know all of the above.

You see, I received one of these a few days ago from this seller. All my descriptive elements are quite accurate based on the unit I received - turns out it is the one actually pictured in the item description (reason I know about the cracks and scrapes, which in retrospect are just barely visible in the pics).

Anyway, Seller has been great. Was a little slow to ship (admittedly New Years weekend kinda delayed things to start with), but very, very communicative and willing to work with the damage claims even before I sent him pics of the problems.

I was going to post on this auction myself once I had all issues resolved so I would know more about what to tell everybody.

As to the boards - the one I received is indeed buckling spring and a full emulator board. Works great, but extra keys not recognized by Blue Cube in OS X, at least as far as I can tell so far using the OS's tools. Full drainage channels (with holes) construction. Extra bonus of no ugly Unicomp logo above the status lights!

Condition of board I received, despite the case problems, was very good. Even though it obviously took a spill on its left end at some point, none, zero, nada rivets were popped and the whole plate feels as tight as new. Very clean inside - no hair carpets; only a couple tiny dust bunnies UNDER the plate; perhaps one crumb of something or other; a dead spider, and a bit of static-clung (fairly dark) dust (+ soot?) on the inside plastic parts. Didn't look to have been cleaned up, but might be a trace of detergent residue on the caps so they might have been taken off and put in the dish washer. Keys very tight with no ping - obviously very, very little used despite being nearly 10 years old. Newest feeling M I've got (save the one in the still-sealed box I haven't opened yet . Very pleasant to type on!

Can't vouch for the remainders in the listing as always possible it was a mixed batch, but mine was in very good, surprisingly clean condition save for the case problems (exacerbated by the shoddy Unicomp case design - who said quality didn't decline?!?).  Seller appears to be conscientious and communicative.

Obviously, YMMV.

[ak_nala]

No yellowing at all - at least none that I can tell. And the only thing that was noticeably dirty on the exterior was the cable, whose slightly loose coils attest that this board was actually used for awhile. Just not much work done with it, apparently, and in a fairly clean environment.

As I edited in my last post, the keycaps may have been cleaned, but the plate didn't look like it had been despite being fairly clean (it was too clean in the corners, nooks and crannies for it to have been selectively dusted unless completely taken apart, yet the case screws felt like they had never been unscrewed).

BTW - to make all who care a bit jealous, I have a couple AEK IIs that aren't yellow at all either. No ring-around-the-function-key-template syndrome. Really helps to be the original owner and keep them out of the sun. The latter a good idea for anything plastic, actually.

[ak_nala]

Come to think of it, my guess is these were used as terminal keyboards in a server room somewhere. Would explain the light dust (environmentally controlled) and light use despite their age (assuming others are in the same condition, of course).

[ak_nala]

Only PC in the house is my wife's Netbook. I'll have to see if it has a PS/2 connection and ask her if she'll let me borrow it.

[ak_nala]

Nope, just checked - no PS/2 equipped machine in the house.

You know, somebody really should make a more universal PS/2 to USB adapter. Usual PS/2 104-key scan codes get converted to USB equivalents, with everything else being sent through as-is to let software take care of.

[ak_nala]

Only a little OT - I got another Affirmative board  (also a buckling spring built by Unicomp) off eBay about a month ago - black, also PS/2, but a 104-key POS board with card scanner.

Not sure what's up with the 104, whether it is strictly a Terminal board or if something is wrong with it, but when hooked through the Cube most of it doesn't respond. Status lights blink on when connected and scanner light remains lit, but most of the alpha keys don't work, while most of the numpad, number and function keys do, though some of them result in unexpected scancodes instead of the marked ones (numpad 2 results in F12, IIRC, etc.). Decidedly odd.

I opened it up and couldn't see any obvious signs of damage or spillage. I reset all the cable and membrane connections, but to no avail. I suspect it is strictly a terminal board, but is it instead possible there is something wrong with the controller or membrane (shorts from a liquid spill of some sort that just didn't leave many traces on the outside)?

Cool thing about it, though, is that the card scanner (which does work fine) decodes in hardware, so anything you slide pops up in a text app as simple text characters without any drivers being necessary at all.

[ak_nala]

Yeah, I'll have to try to find a PC that will work so I can check out both of these Affirmative boards, one for the additional scan codes, other for basic functionality and/or its scan codes.

Sigh. The joys of growing up Mac in a PC world.

[ak_nala]

Update: Seller sent me a second board due to first having cracks in it. No extra charge and didn't have to return the old one. I didn't ask for this, he just did it on his own when he saw my photographs of the damage, thinking he'd just take a few dollars off the price to cover the superglue and trouble. Obviously I highly recommend this Seller (dotcomequip) - he was great.

Bit moot as they all seem to have been sold, but the replacement board was also BS with two-piece keys. If anything, this one is even cleaner than the first one. If it weren't for a few scrapes on edges and a little dust you would think it had just come out of the box. Very, very tight and smooth action.

Had to reseat the space bar due to usual shipping jostling and it appeared to have original lithium grease on the stabilizer that hadn't even been worked in. A couple of the other larger keys were almost too tight - had to actuate a few times to get them so they wouldn't stick from plastic-on-plastic friction (possibly exacerbated by the rigors of UPS). I swear this thing has seen little-to-no use at all.

Note on key weight - Ripometer shows it as right at about 16 Nickels / 80 grams. Pretty stiff. Don't know if this is due to low usage (not even broken in) or typical of Unicomp-made 122-key Terminal Emulator boards, circa mid-2000.

This one also tests as being just fine with normal OS X drivers in the regular keyboard sections. Using a Blue Cube (as I don't have a PS/2 cpu), put it through a scan-code detector and nothing at all was showing up for the top row of F-keys or most of the left-hand special function keys. Everything else was normal.

None left at the moment, but should he put any more up, these were a pretty darn good deal for a very lightly used Emulator board, even at his original asking price of $25 plus very reasonable shipping.

[JohnElliott]

I bought one of these (and am typing this post on it) -- it's taken till now to wend its way through Customs.

My writeup on all the various scancodes it produces is here. The keycaps look identical to Ripster's 1397000 terminal emulation board, with terminal legends in black and PC legends in blue.

What's tripping me up at the moment is the layout of the right-hand half, where the 3x2 block above the cursor keys have been moved round (so Del is on the right, PgDn where PgUp normally is and so on). That and Esc being on the right, like on an AT.

And I wonder why, with 122 keys to play with, they decided to put Num Lock and Scroll Lock on the same key?

[JohnElliott]

I've updated my page on this keyboard with scripts to make the extra keys operate under Linux (and return their proper keycodes).

[JohnElliott]

Nice work and great documentation!

Did your LEDs work?   Mine never did (under Windows but I don't think that matters). Also a few keys of mine (F16 to F20) mysteriously only sent scancodes for the MAKE but not the BREAK.

Yes; both worked fine when I tested them with my homebrew keyboard tester program under DOS.