Author Topic: What switches is these? (Read 3151 times)

spolia optima · « **on:** Sun, 31 January 2010, 15:02:16 »

right here
They don't look like anything that I'm familiar with. Any insights?

didjamatic · « **Reply #1 on:** Sun, 31 January 2010, 15:08:52 »

Oooooh, those are the Ibeam's by Micro Switch, they're...

Just kidding, I've never seen them. The Ibeam shape is very interesting and it looks like a very well made keyboard. The finish and construction on those 2 shots is nice.

EDIT - inserted label photo. Also, I noticed the keys look a little flat.

microsoft windows · « **Reply #2 on:** Sun, 31 January 2010, 15:16:25 »

Can you show us all a picture of the whole keyboard? It seems to have an unusual layout.

JBert · « **Reply #3 on:** Sun, 31 January 2010, 15:19:48 »

Looks like a weird keyboard layout though with the Esc and cursor keys stuffed in the home/insert/delete block.

spolia optima · « **Reply #4 on:** Sun, 31 January 2010, 15:21:24 »

well MSwin, they're right there in the auction- but yeah, I understand, they're pretty hard to see, all tucked away down there in the middle of the page.

<3

didjamatic · « **Reply #5 on:** Sun, 31 January 2010, 15:25:31 »

Just did a little reading and it appears "Micro Switch" was a division of Honeywell. They changed their name in 2000 to Honeywell Sensing and Control.

Since this keyboard appears to be dated 86 that seems consistent.

Auction description says Victor because that is on the cable. Here's an old Victor 9000

spolia optima · « **Reply #6 on:** Sun, 31 January 2010, 15:29:54 »

Quote from: didjamatic;155158

Just did a little reading and it appears "Micro Switch" was a division of Honeywell. They changed their name in 2000 to Honeywell Sensing and Control.

Since this keyboard appears to be dated 86 that seems consistent.

NICE find didja. Still, I don't see any suitable keyswitches in the microswitch gallery, or in the history. Could this be a 3rd party switch?

Also, I've heard much about Honeywell keyboards being some of the best among contemporaries, what kind of switches did they generally use?

ch_123 · « **Reply #7 on:** Sun, 31 January 2010, 15:32:08 »

Microswitch made Hall Effect switches, which were used in some 70s terminal keyboards. However, they also made rubber domes with sliders similar to the one pictured. Some of the "Spacesaver" Model F terminal keyboards have them.

didjamatic · « **Reply #8 on:** Sun, 31 January 2010, 15:35:26 »

That's funny, I was just reading about them making Hall Effect keyboards. If this was a Hall effect, I'd buy it just to satisfy my curiosity.

ch_123 · « **Reply #9 on:** Sun, 31 January 2010, 15:36:40 »

I seriously doubt it. Some of their Hall Effect keyboards pop up on eBay from time to time. In particular, look for old terminal keyboards with Sperry or UNIVAC branding.

didjamatic · « **Reply #10 on:** Sun, 31 January 2010, 15:38:58 »

So... Who's going to buy it and report?

spolia optima · « **Reply #11 on:** Sun, 31 January 2010, 15:41:33 »

dang, that's cool. I'll keep an eye out for them- not that I would be able to afford it.

spolia optima · « **Reply #12 on:** Sun, 31 January 2010, 15:42:54 »

Quote from: didjamatic;155170

So... Who's going to buy it and report?

I would, but not with those molding artifacts. That's a deal breaker right there.

ch_123 · « **Reply #13 on:** Sun, 31 January 2010, 15:45:10 »

Check this out.

Also made by Microswitch.

didjamatic · « **Reply #14 on:** Sun, 31 January 2010, 15:51:33 »

Here's another Victor, different board, similar layout. So it was probably made for Victor by Honeywell/Micro Switch.

didjamatic · « **Reply #15 on:** Sun, 31 January 2010, 15:54:14 »

Quote from: ch_123;155176

Check this out.

Also made by Microswitch.

Hey, now that I see those in color, there are a couple of boards on ebay with the same switch HERE.

spolia optima · « **Reply #16 on:** Sun, 31 January 2010, 16:08:27 »

I hate it when rubber dome sliders masquerade as mechanical switches

msiegel · « **Reply #17 on:** Sun, 31 January 2010, 16:23:51 »

crazy keyboard designers! the tilde is *not* a giant sine wave

JBert · « **Reply #18 on:** Sun, 31 January 2010, 16:48:40 »

Quote from: didjamatic;155178

Here's another Victor, different board, similar layout. So it was probably made for Victor by Honeywell/Micro Switch.
Show Image

Eh? A model F AT clone with 83 keys? They felt creative.

microsoft windows · « **Reply #19 on:** Sun, 31 January 2010, 18:29:11 »

Quote from: msiegel;155188

crazy keyboard designers! the tilde is *not* a giant sine wave

Show Image

What kind of switches are those?

ch_123 · « **Reply #20 on:** Sun, 31 January 2010, 18:31:02 »

They obviously thought the SysRq key useless... Obviously they had no foresight for us Linux users...

microsoft windows · « **Reply #21 on:** Sun, 31 January 2010, 18:34:03 »

That seems strange, as SysRq was used in MS-DOS as well.

ch_123 · « **Reply #22 on:** Sun, 31 January 2010, 18:34:49 »

Quote from: microsoft windows;155208

What kind of switches are those?

See the thread I linked on the previous page. They're rubber domes with sliders.

microsoft windows · « **Reply #23 on:** Sun, 31 January 2010, 18:35:46 »

How well do they feel? I've found some pretty good-feeling rubber dome slider switches in the past. Are they smooth and lightweight?

News:

Author Topic: What switches is these? (Read 3151 times)