« previous next »
Pages:  [1]     Go Down

Author Topic: Oh boy, this is an interesting one...  (Read 2248 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline ch_123

  • * Exalted Elder
  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 5860
Oh boy, this is an interesting one...
« on: Sun, 11 April 2010, 15:46:36 »
Anyone see this?





Whatever that is, it's not Buckling Springs - the keycaps and the backplate are definitely not from either a Model F or a Model M. The ribbon cables suggest that it's not an F either. I think I'm going to send Brandon an email and find out more...

EDIT: Turns out that Oak Switch Systems was a company that made... that's right - switches. I'm guessing that someone wanted a linear keyboard and IBM obliged. Or maybe it was rubber dome/foam'n'foil? Seems unlikely. Again, an email is needed.
« Last Edit: Sun, 11 April 2010, 16:06:47 by ch_123 »
Logged

Offline ch_123

  • * Exalted Elder
  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 5860
Oh boy, this is an interesting one...
« Reply #1 on: Sun, 11 April 2010, 16:12:03 »
The more I look at it, the weirder it is. The cable is far shorter than other Model Fs. Unlike the buckling spring Model F industrials I've seen, it has feet and no drainage channels/openings near the bottom. Two theories -

A) This thing was just a different revision of the Industrial Model F that was damaged, and some third party vendor retrofitted it with their own keyboard assembly/controller.

B) IBM, for whatever reason, needed to subcontract the manufacturing of these keyboards to a third party. It would explain why the case is completely different to IBM-made industrials, but it would seem unlikely that IBM had such a huge demand for them that they'd need to subcontract them out...

I dunno.
Logged

Offline Rajagra

  • Posts: 1930
Oh boy, this is an interesting one...
« Reply #2 on: Sun, 11 April 2010, 16:45:58 »
The tilde key looks weird, like it was taken from the top row.
Logged

Offline ch_123

  • * Exalted Elder
  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 5860
Oh boy, this is an interesting one...
« Reply #3 on: Sun, 11 April 2010, 16:51:08 »
The Numpad minus looks very out of place also.

The keycaps remind me of some foam'n'foil keyboards I've seen. My money is on a retrofit...
Logged

Offline ch_123

  • * Exalted Elder
  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 5860
Oh boy, this is an interesting one...
« Reply #4 on: Sun, 11 April 2010, 16:57:15 »
The ones in the Industrial are definitely not normal... too flat and short
Logged

Offline D-EJ915

  • Posts: 489
  • Location: USA
Oh boy, this is an interesting one...
« Reply #5 on: Sun, 11 April 2010, 17:44:53 »
looks pretty cool to me, I like those shorter keys like on the type6/7 and hhkb
Logged

Offline ch_123

  • * Exalted Elder
  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 5860
Oh boy, this is an interesting one...
« Reply #6 on: Fri, 16 April 2010, 04:21:03 »
Oh yeah, I got an email from Brandon a few days back, apparently they had linear switches. I'm still thinking it was a third party refurb.
Logged
Pages:  [1]     Go Up
« previous next »