Slashdot Mirror

...weighs almost 6 pounds and has steel parts and removable key caps. http://www.clickykeyboards.com/

Unicomp has since simplified and reduced the design and changed quality of materials so that the pckeyboard.com units no longer have two-piece removable keys, aluminum instead of steel plate, and reduced weight to 4 pounds.

My guess is it's your motherboard, not the keyboard. Some later motherboards don't adhere to the original standards - kinda like the "lame serial port" problem in some laptops.

Drop the guy at http://www.clickykeyboards.com/ a line - he's quite helpful. They also have an adapter that will convert the PS/2 plug to USB, which might be a way around your problem.

... hot coffee out of my nose and all over my keyboard.

You hopefully use one of those :)

CC.

Actually the supreme keyswitch technology is electric capacitance such as that found on the Happy Hacking Professional keyboard from Fujitsu. The keyswitch passes between two metal plates to discharge an electic current that signals a key press. No physical contact takes place nor is necessary so you will have the longest, most consistent life and best responsiveness. This is usually backed up by a metal spring technology (such as the IBM Model M) to give tactile feedback.

If the Optimus doesn't use electic capatitance then it hardly deserves to be the "premium" keyboard. Then again I think the whole OLED thing is stupid and keycaps should be blank except for the bumps on F and J (on QWERTY). Print on keycaps is a crutch and the solution isn't to make better print! People just need to learn how to type. Computers should come with blank keycaps and an on-screen keyboard map so people don't get in the habit of looking at the keyboard and instead learn to look at the screen.

If your system still supports PS/2 and you want The Original then I advise looking into getting an older Model M from Clicky Keyboards. I got one of these for about $50. I would get a Customizer from Unicomp if my system only supported USB or I wanted to future proof myself against buying another keyboard in the future. Even then the Happy Hacking Professional is just too tempting.

Death to all Windows-key-including keyboards!

Seriously, I love my old-school, IBM Model M, battle-ship tough, obnoxiously loud, buckling spring clicky keyboard. No Windows key, a proper layout, and very nice tactile feedback.

After much research I bought an IBM Model M (from the silver logo era) from http://www.clickykeyboards.com/. I liked it so much I bought a second one for the office. The only problem I had was when I upgraded to a modern USB KVM. I even performed a simple mod on the PCB to allow it to work with the KVM and I've been cruising ever since. The info for the mod is at http://www.geocities.com/jszybowski/keyboard/.

Many of them have trouble with the Model M keyboard though.

No affiliation with the site, but I bought one for my stable of Model M keyboards and this PS/2->USB adapter works wonderfully.
http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/items. main/parentcat/11298/subcatid/0/id/124184

(www.clickkeyboards.com bought the rights to make the keyboards from Lexmark, so if you want a new one made to original specs...)

Here's what dansdata had to say:
Why, you use a PS/2-to-USB adapter, of course. They're commonly available. Easy as pie.

Or... not.

Model Ms aren't quite within the, um, popularly agreed envelope of the PS/2 specification. Most modern PS/2-ported motherboards will work with most old keyboards, but some 'boards need modifications. And some modern computers (coughDellcough) have out-of-spec USB ports that're well known to misbehave with all kinds of peripherals. And some PS/2-to-USB adapters combine the worst qualities of the most half-assed implementations of each interface.

Fortunately, Clicky Keyboards have sorted through several converters to find a couple that actually work with Model Ms. One keyboard-only, one keyboard-plus-mouse; $US15 and $US20 respectively.

(There are various other adapters on that page, including a $US8 metal-cased AT-to-PS/2 converter that not only looks better than the usual plastic ones, but ought to work better too, because it's shorter and should thus subject the little PS/2 socket to less leverage stress.)

http://www.dansdata.com/clickykeyboards.htm

I never got why the Daskeyboard was so "popular". One could pay slightly less for a proper IBM Model M buckling spring keyboard (or a clone of one), like they sell here or here.

84-key IBM hacker space saver keyboard True IBM steel and mechanical buckling springs in short form factor http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/catego ries.main/parentcat/9242

If what you want is The Perfect Keyboard for Computer Geeks, then you'll want an Avant Stellar.

The keyswitches themselves seem lower quality than on IBM's old Model M's, though. But this may be a personal preference thing. Avant's keyboards have a lighter touch - some people may like that, but then some people actually prefer rubber domes. I still think if you're a real keyboard snob, you go for a Model M.

It's good to keep in mind, though, that "Model M", despite its name, is not one model of keyboard. It's basically what IBM called all of its standard 101 key keyboards for a while. IBM even made a Model M with rubber dome keys. You need to be a little bit careful in which Model M you get, though all you really need to do is just look at the pictures and read the description carefully. If it says "clicky" or "buckling spring" or "keyswitch", it's the good kind. Then it's mainly a question of cable type - PS/2, the old AT style, coiled, straight, detachable or not. Also, some Model M's had detachable key caps - so you could a) remap the keyboard to a Dvorak layout very easily, and b) clean the key caps a lot more easily than with most keyboards.

IBM did make a Model M in black as well. Check it out. They are harder to find than the standard ones, though, and definitely more expensive. Still a bargain when you consider how much you'll use it, though. But not so much when you consider that you pay basically about an 80% premium for the color.

This keyboard is exactly the way to go. The spacing is wide and old-style, but without the keypad, allowing control of the mouse in the space where the keypad would have been. This has reduced my arm motion from keyboard to mouse and back drastically. Over the course of a 10hr programming day, that's a lot less stress on one's elbow.

I bought mine off eBay, but they can also be found sometimes at clickykeyboards.com, for something of a premium price (~$85).

They are not quiet.

In response to all of the above posts, I found one! These guys

http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/items. main/parentcat/11298/subcatid/0/id/131781

have gen-u-ine original model Ms, as well as a special sort of USB adapter (to address the power draw issues/etc.) that even works with Macs!

Looks like I'm gonna have to get me one.

http://www.clickykeyboards.com/

http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/catego ries.main/parentcat/9229

$49 for a generic model M by uh.. Unicomp

http://store.yahoo.com/pckeyboards/cus101usenon.ht ml

slightly dusty and I didn't come looking for keyboards, so I almost didn't buy it. :P

has a PS2 port, too.. funny those are around 21 years later. just noticed I have 1) a $400 IBM keyboard 2) hooked up to a $350 Dell 3) running an Apple OS :(

And just for the record, there are several other places to get that unmistakable buckling-spring feel:

http://www.cvtinc.com/products/keyboards/menu.htm CVT's Avant models (I'm typing this on an Avant Prime and it feels just like the Model M I use at home)

http://www.pckeyboard.com/customizer.html PC Keyboard, already mentioned in parent of this

http://www.mck142.com/ The Ortek MCK-142 monster with programmable function keys

http://www.cherrycorp.com/english/classic-line/key board-standard-g80-3000.htm Cherry G80, mechnical, but I'm not sure how close to the Model M feel it has...

http://www.ergocanada.com/products/keyboards/dsi_s mk85_compact.html A compact model using ALPS keyswitches. Similar to the Model M style switches.

http://www.ergo-2000.com/ergo2000/showdetl.cfm?&DI D=6&Product_ID=624&CATID=36 Northgate Omnikey models are largely discontinued, but here's an ergo one still being sold using Alps keyswitches. You can also try ebay http://search-desc.ebay.com/omnikey_W0QQftsZ2 for used or remaindered Omnikeys.

Finally, just for learning about the buckling spring/clicky keyboards, here are some great sites for details:
http://www.clickykeyboards.com/
http://www.dansdata.com/ibmkeyboard.htm
http://thesiliconunderground.editthispage.com/2001 /02/08

And for those of you wondering why several of us are going on and on about decades-old keyboards from IBM, you owe it to yourself to at least try one of these and see what you think. Yes, they are noisier than those squishy membrane ones, but the feedback from them is amazing and you get to the point of blazing over them and often catching many typos by sound alone...

7. Good keyboards

http://clickykeyboard.com/
http://clickykeyboards.com/ :D

It may look like a Model M, but it won't type like one. This one uses membrane keyswitches. Model M keyboards used buckling springs. See http://www.clickykeyboards.com/ for real Model M keyboards, or CVT and PCKeyboard.com for modern equivalents...

Myself, I can't live without that clicky feel, so I've got one of the Avant Primes at work (from CVT) and an old Model M at home... My quest now is for a split/ergo buckling spring model. I've only found 2 so far: the uber-rare IBM M15 and the overpriced Northgate Evolution. If anyone knows of others, please point me toward them. Thanks!

and with these clear key caps.. you could either have a "blank keyboard" or design your own custom alphabet for typing http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/items. main/parentcat/12151/subcatid/0/id/135529

You could also just get a proven $15 ps/2 to USB adapter that works well with these power-hungry true blue vintage IBM model M keyboards http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/items. main/parentcat/11298/subcatid/0/id/124184

http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/items. main/parentcat/9229/subcatid/0/id/143557

look at that, i just saved people 40 bucks AND there's no windows key!

Get an IBM Model M.

You can find them on eBay for under $30 (although, since they weigh in at six pounds, the shipping is usually about $10) or you can buy them new.

The only negative thing about these keyboards is that they are definitely loud; I consider it a plus, but I don't have to worry about waking other people up in the middle of the night with my typing. But these things are pretty much impervious to the usual keyboard mishaps - beer, soda, candy, etc. Highly recommended. (I have a few - one for work, one for home, and a couple to experiment with and use for backup parts, like the keycaps and the detachable cables.)

I share your enthusiasm for the Model M, however, there is one, and only one, thing about it that drives me nuts.

Size.

That keyboard is freakin' huge. Useful if you need a weapon and bulletproof shield to beat back a gang of muggers, sure, but not so good if you want a lot of desk space.

That's why my favorite is the silm-design version of the IBM Model M2. Same internal engineering, same key action, and same longevity (the one I'm typing this on came with my first computer, an IBM PS/2 circa 1993). Here are some images of it. I've only ever seen one other, at a salvation army store, for $5. That one is sitting in a closet waiting for this one to fail. I think by the time it finally fails, computers won't have PS/2 interface connectors anymore. I will use a soldering iron and rebuilt the keyboard controller by hand before I give up this keyboard for any newer models. Also, to hell with Windows keys. They interfere with my gaming.

There are companies on the web that will sell you a remanufactured version of this keyboard (or any IBM series, for that matter), but so far I've yet to have one fail and need replacement. For the record, it's been through the dishwasher for a thorough cleaning seven times (little more than once a year). It has also survived dozens of meals (and spills) at the keyboard. I lost an entire can of Mt. Dew in it once, which sat overnight (damn cats). That'll kill any keyboard but these Model M types... one quick trip through the dishwasher and it's good as new.

Or you can buy the real thing here. They even have IBM AT keyboards sometimes, although those are REALLY expensive. What few Model M fans know is that the original IBM PC/XT/AT keyboards have even better mechanisms then the Model M (but only the AT keyboards can be converted to work with modern PCs). The Model M used a membrane underneath the key switches, but the older XT and AT keyboards used capacitance switches, which are more expensive.

"Where else are you going to plug in your vintage IBM Model M clicky-keyboard?"

Rejoice! Thanks to the miracle of modern technology, now you can use that Model M with a USB only computer!

IBM model M ps/2 cable to USB adapter converter

Warning, link contains pictures of a Mac Mini using a genuine IBM Model M.

I am currently typing this post from what is IMHO the best keyboard ever made. It is a Lexmark/IBM model M15 circa 1995. It has the wonderful "clicky" IBM keyboard feel with the positive feedback keystroke. It is a full split KB that can be positioned in just about any way you can imagine, and as an added bonus the 10-key is a separate unit connected by a cable so that you can move it out of the way and put your mouse/trackball closer to the center of your body so that your arm isn't angled out away from your centerline. This reduces stress on your mouse arm quite substantially if you are right-handed. I have used this keyboard as my primary 'board since 1995 and it is still as good as new - armored tanks should be put together this well. If you like the feel of the "Old School" IBM workhorse keyboards but desire an ergonomic split model, you will think you've died and gone to heaven when you try this 'board.

I just found a link to a place that has some pictures and information on one that they 'had' for sale.

Good luck finding one! This thing has been a lifesaver for me - I was starting to have carpal tunnel symptoms when I got it and all problems have COMPLETELY VANISHED using this keyboard. I just wish that some enterprising company would buy the rights to start reproducing them...