Another itch scratched...

[Gazjam]

As a liker of old tech and a general IT geek,
I'd always paid attention to the stuff Id used on my computers over the years?

Doing more freelance work nowadays so set about looking to get my home setup rejigged in a better way that worked for me.
Do a lot of typing, so a good keyboard was important.

Spongy feeling plastic crap you can get for a tenner didnt cut it, really frustrating to use, so this was an area worth getting right.

Have several keyboards lying about but never really satisfied with any of them.
A while back inherited a gaming mechanical keyboard which had all the hateful RGB lighting nonsense, but more importantly Cherry MX "clicky" mechanical switches.
Very positive "feel" when typing and happily the RGB gaming stuff could be switched off.

Unfortunately I killed that with a spilled cup of coffee a while back, so went back to one I had kicking around.
Ok... but not great.
Few years back I bought an "old school" mechanical keyboard that I set about restoring, it was over 30 years old, but never really worked right so sold it on as an unfinished project.
Short time with that made me realise what I was missing.

Recently went looking online for a better keyboard,
who'd have thought Mechanical Keyboards was a "thing" that people invested in, revered and had active online communities about?
As a tech geek, I could totally relate.

Through this I found something a lot better....like WOW better.

Restored IBM Model F XT keyboard, 1981 manufacture.




Time warp condition, this thing looks and feels brand new.
Weighs over 5Kg, metal construction and would be an outstanding melee weapon come the zombie apocalypse.
The guy I bought it from was a real enthusiast, and restored it to literally like new.

This thing was supplied with the first IBM PC in 1981




The one I tried restoring before was an IBM model M, which is the later keyboard from IBM, the one where the modern keyboard layout came from.
The M was a cost saving version of the F, less metal more plastic, cheaper buckling spring key switch tech, but in its favour it had a revised layout which a lot of folk think is better.

I remember typing on an F back in the day in my first Job, so nostalga is kicking in and I have no issue with the layout.
In fact I have remapped a lot of the keys in software to better suit how I work.

Like obviously it has no windows key?
No problem, just remap another button.
Theres software where you map which function to which key and flash the Firmware of the XT to USB converter it needs to work with modern PCs.

In the Keyboard forums the F is the one to get for its better typing and feel, but it's old layout lets it down - if you cant get on with it.
No problem just change it.

As tech purchases go, this ones a Doozy.
Love working on it, and its a piece of computing history, which totally appeals to the Tech Geek in me.

[Macca]

They are great keyboards, I don't understand why computer keyboards went so crap. And why so few people seem to care.

TRS80 had a great keyboard as did the Apple II and those old IBMs, like you say.

I was going to buy one of those mechanical keyboards a couple of years back but switched to a laptop instead. The cheapest decent one I could find was about £150 new. The vintage were crazy money.

[Gazjam]

They are great keyboards, I don't understand why computer keyboards went so crap. And why so few people seem to care.

TRS80 had a great keyboard as did the Apple II and those old IBMs, like you say.

I was going to buy one of those mechanical keyboards a couple of years back but switched to a laptop instead. The cheapest decent one I could find was about £150 new. The vintage were crazy money.

Unfortunately...
(shudder)

Done now, really happy to have one now, especially in this condition.


TRS80 was awesome,
Remember plinka plonking them in Tandy Glasgow back in the day...

10 PRINT "I've just farted";
20 GOTO 10