Slashdot Mirror
Do-It-Yourself Steampunk Keyboard
An anonymous reader writes "Who said there's no use for your old IBM "M Series" keyboards anymore? This creative fellow shows us step by step how to convert the keyboards of yesteryear into keyboards of an even further distant, fictional time. H. G. Wells would be proud."
It reminds me a lot of something you'd see in the movie "Brazil". Pretty cool. I like the "Shift Freedom" key.
I've been looking for one of those for ages, I want to use it standard. Modern keyboards just don't make the right noise...
Matthew Sparkes
keyboard ever?
I still clunk away at my IBM model M keyboard every night...
Only problem is my neighbors complain of the noise
The original generic sig.
Since I already can't get to the site...there's a mirror dot here.
While bastardising an IBM Model M is almost inexcusable, this steampunk mod is quite nice. I have two model M keyboards that I use regularly. One manufactured in 1988 and the other in 1993. The 1988 one is an keyboard for APL programming (with weird symbols on the keys). The only downside is that I have to switch to a quiet keyboard at night so not to disturb my dormmates. Just say no to rubber dome keyswitches!
Looks like the site's on fire....
a 20ca22c50cd9b7e/index.html
Mirrordot: http://www.mirrordot.org/stories/f1642b9514a0a053
But does it still make that super loud clicky noise when you type?
This guy's the limit!
I perked up when I saw the ol' Model M. Got a couple lying around, and I've been using the same one for the last 10 years or so. But this! Drill press?! Band saw?! What is this, shop class? Sounds like a hardware problem, boyo. Not my department.
Haida Manga
While I agree that the whole project was very nicely done, it doesn't look like he even tried to match the type between his 'new' keys and the vintage ones he bought off ebay. Look at the picture with the two green lights for an example--the type used for the 'Page Up' and 'Home' keys looks nothing like that used for the 'Shift Lock' key.
This guy's the limit!
not that I want to be pedantic, but the model M's are about the only old keyboards worth not cutting to bits.
I am one of many. My idea is not unique, nor do I expect my voice alone to sway you. I speak in a chorus of opinion.
G. Ratte'/cDc "I don't know what your problem is, but I bet it's hard to pronounce."
if there was something made for the computer that wasn't disposable?
I know...I know...the world is changing...but I love the idea of buying something for my computer that's not disposable. I guess I'm just tired of the comments I continually hear from people under the age of 17 that say "do people still use x" where x is any technology before 2003. Call me an old codger but I just see a great deal of waste in all these cheap electronics.
I have a couple spares, actually, though I'm not sure if they're all of the removable keycaps variety. I'm not totally satisfied with the result in the article: I think I'd have used a piece of stiff, black plastic instead of felt. Looks pretty nice, though.
Canthros
"Max Headroom"
I got mine from http://www.keyboardco.com/keyboard_details.asp?PRO DUCT=13
30quid, and it arrived looking like new.
Where do you load in the coal?
Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
(I'm not a native english speaker so grammar-nazi-style humor can be send directly to > /dev/null ;)
:)
;)
I've got a few of them, this post typed on a 20+ years old keyboard. In my opinion it's very hard to find today a keyboard with such a high standard of manufacturing. Look at the keyboard you're using and ask you this question: will it still work in 20 years? My IBM Model M's, on the contrary, will still work fine. I'm using them on a Core 2 Duo with 4 Gb or RAM, a setup no doubt quite different than the one they were shipping with 20 years ago
There has been some issues with some motherboard, but nothing that a PS2 to USB converter can't fix (btw, they were amongst the first keyboards to ship with the PS2 connector I think). I'm still using the old PS2 connector on my Asus P5LD2 / Core 2 Duo that said.
It's really hard to describe the feeling and I don't get people complaining about that keyboard being too "tiring". It's not more tiring, on the contrary: you can't actually rest your fingers on the keys when you're not typing: the keys have enough resistance to handle it. In my opinion this helps to reduce RSI, not to aggravate it.
I'm a touch typist and the thing I really like about this keyboard is hard to explain: you know when you've made a typo. More precisely, when you make an error, you know exactly how many keys you've pressed. No need to wait for your brain to process what's on screen, it's all subconscious. I'm not that a good touch typist: I type at 100 wpm+ and I can do short bursts at 115 wpm (and I'm only at between 98% and 100% accuracy, which is not good for a touch typist who should be closer to 100% all the time).
But now why, oh why did IBM decide at some point to move the CTRL key and to put that crappy CAPS-LOCK there!? Nothing that can't be fixed by software, but still... (It's funny to note that ctrl-c, ctrl-v etc. where choosen at a time when the CTRL key was at the right position and so they more or less made sense [more or less, I've always felt that ctrl-x was hard to do, no matter the position of the ctrl-key... My major gripe with emacs btw, which is why I've remapped ctrl-x to ctrl-,])
Btw, congrats on the mod
http://www.pckeyboard.com/ Unicomp still makes and sells the Model M design for a base price of $50- and it's the same beast. Got one, want to get more.
I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
I actually convinced my boss to order me a brand new Model M keyboard, and in my opinion it's the best damn keyboard there is.
Tactile feedback people, tactile feedback... (of course, my colleagues aren't too intrigued about the clicking of the mecanic keyswitches...). I'd recommend this keyboard for anyone that does a serious amount of coding/writing in their work.
On the other hand, I would DEFINITELY buy what he made, it looks a lot better than most of the plastic crap out there.
excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
I guess that keyboard goes with this case.
"You call it a new way of thinking; I call it regression to ignorance!" -- Operation Ivy
The end result is very beautiful, and I'm seriously considering attempting to duplicate this project, but with a few changes:
This project reminds me of a case mod featured here a long while back, where the entire inside of the case was covered in chromed panels, and all the wiring was redone with chromed flexible shielding and headphone-style connectors. I can't find that article any more, and all I remember was that it was named after some fictional AI computer.
what the hell is a 'junk character', anyway?
Unicomp (the original contractor who made IBM keyboards) still makes them and are for sale at http://www.pckeyboard.com/ . My undiagnosed 'carpal tunnel' pain went away after I started using one.
"I stomp in clown shoes where daemons fear to tread."
I must say, that has to be the most gorgeous keyboards I have ever seen. If I could buy one, I would spend up to $150 on it. Well done Sir, I tip my hat to you.
What the world needs now is the "One STEAMPUNK Laptop Per Child" program.
Give the little blighters some aesthetic sense, I say.
Come on! And that can't possibly be comfortable to type on for long periods of time....
Looks like someone has been browsing Brass Goggles on their free time :-p
Bravo!
That is very very nice. When does mass production start?
You never really know how close to the edge you can go until you fall off.
Does yours have the removable key caps? Someone said that these Unicomp ones have single piece keys.
I wonder if this will go well as external keyboard for my PDA?
my unicomp model m has a) removable keys and b) NO FECKING WINDOWS KEYS.
if the answer isn't violence, neither is your silence / freedom of expression doesn't make it alright
I mean, yeah, it's pretty and all, but he just glued the keycaps on with silicone adhesive. I'd put $10 down that if you actually -used- the keyboard that the keys'd be falling off within a month.
there is no need to sign your posts. this isn't usenet. your username is right there above your post. stop it.
Coral cache mirror: http://www.steampunkworkshop.com.nyud.net:8090/key board.shtml
> OMFG!!!1 the model m is the only keyboard evar!!!
and still, you're typing this post from a shiny apple keyboard... tsk tsk tsk
btw, you disgraced an apple product by praising another one. Go kill your self ritualistically.
I bought a Model M in 2004 and another Model M this week fro $60,h tmll
1 32257&tid=137&tid=4
http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/cus101usenon.
IBM keyboard manufacturing went from IBM to Lexmark to Unicomp,
which now manufactures these.
These keyboards even say "Model M" on the back,
although pckeyboards.com doesn't mention "Model M".
Select the "Buckling spring" option and the "PS2 Mini-din" option.
Approaching their main website becomes difficult to identify this keyboard amongst other similar keyboards,
http://www.pckeyboard.com/customizer.html
from which I chose the "Customizer 101" in
http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/keyboards.htm
They also have "Buckling spring" versions with 104 keys and USB connections.
This was discussed on Slashdot a couple years ago,
http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/10/09/2
and "find" "pckeyboard".
I originally bought this keyboard because, as a Linux user,
I have no need for the Microsoft buttons, which become like graffiti on the keyboard.
I like this particular Model M's lack of Microsoft icons,
its heft, and of course its buckling springs.
Go rent it, then you won't have any trouble remembering the name.
I'm dead serious - I absolutely love this keyboard, but lack the skills to be able to build it myself. Is there anywhere that a person can go to actually buy things like this? I want one!
What's with the felt? Any one with a sense of aesthectics would use mirror matched burl maple veneer panels or engine turned brass plate instead of felt. Very nice as far as it goes though. "Me too" on the Model M. Mine's gotta be over 20 years old now. Amazing piece of hardware.
There is a project dedicated to keyboard modding, repairing and cleaning, which lists many more guides for keyboard hackers.
I used to have one of those manual typewriters and the action on them was cool. The action on them allowed for a certain rhythm while typing (of course error correction was a chore).
I would love to have the mechanical action of that typewriter and the error correction of a computer.
Of course, I doubt he would sell it. If he did, I doubt I could afford it.
The truth is an offense, but not a sin.------R. N. Marley
Another thing a coworker and I did once. Which is basically the "poor mans" version of this. Was to use a rotary saw to cut off the sides of the keys on a normal keyboard. We did this at work of course, 1 by 1. Not the same but it did look cool, kinda like old typewriter keys.
someone was wrong
unless they have changed in the past year they still use removable keycaps, i just pulled off my F5 key to verify this
Snowden and Manning are heroes.
they come in black!
Not really - if you'll look at the picture you linked to, the keys are not black, thus making this only 'mostly black.' 'Mostly black' also means 'slightly white,' which is a real problem. Yuck.
I'd like to have a *real* black Model M, but the short kind - with no numeric keypad. That would be awesome.
This is a nice little bit of crafting. Although it's not entirely a "hack", it's not like he breadboarded the keyboard controller or something, it's still a nice piece of work. I certainly wouldn't be above having one on my desk (though I'd have to make it ergo).
Of course, he DID desecrate a Model M to do it. So he's going to hell. But it's still a nice bit of work.
If I knew the wedgies I gave you back in 6th grade would have resulted in this . . . I might have taken a moments pause.
While bastardising an IBM Model M is almost inexcusable, this steampunk mod is quite nice. I have two model M keyboards that I use regularly.
Agreed. Typing on one (1984) right now, also have an '87 model with its original stuck-on-when-new WordPerfect cheat sheet. My third PC/AT keyboard is a 1983 Compaq Deskpro 286 keyboard; it's two-tone brown and looks utterly ridiculous sitting in front of an LCD monitor and beside an optical mouse. It's just as comfortable as a Model M for just the exact opposite reasons.
BTW, M users - cleaning tip, one keyboard at a time, and don't try this unless you actually OWN your washing machine. Take off all the keycaps, or, better still, all the keys leaving simply the springs in place. Put them into the washing machine along with a dirty sweater or something. Do not use a full load of laundry, a cap will get lost in the bottom of a sock or a pocket or something, and it will take you weeks to find it. Wash as a small load on warm water. Remove all the caps, blot them on a towel, and leave to dry. Carefully shake out the sweater (watching for caps!) and hang it to dry. Vacuum the keyboard, watching to ensure all the springs remain where they belong. Once the caps are all dry, stick 'em back on and enjoy the fact that your M looks brand new again. The article of clothing is essential, as it scrubs them during the washing cycle. Doing this on your own washer is essential, if a key or cap goes missing, you'll want to know it didn't end up in someone else's laundry. I have done this every couple of years on each of my Ms, using an ancient Maytag top-loader, and they always come out perfectly. It beats the hell out of scrubbing each key with a toothbrush.
Anyway, at least this schmuck did something interesting and apparently well-executed, even though he destroyed two antique typewriters and one M to do it.
Fire and Meat. Yummy.
I concur. I took keyboarding the last year it was offered in my district. (Now the government assumes that everyone can type properly upon entering grade 9 -- which is complete BS). High school keyboarding saves students thousands of hours of time if their subsequent education or career involves typing. It's a shame that it is largely no longer offered.
Mind you, per (utilized) finger efficiency went way down. 2 fingers @ 20 WPM -> 10 digits @ 80 WPM at the end of the course.
From the article: 'The skirt removal was kind of tricky,'. Well, you could of course get out of your basement, get a girlfriend (or if desparate, hire one) and practice. Remember to whisper sweet nothings into her ear first though.
Seriously, bro, thanks for the post. I got a good chuckle. Well done.
\\//_
Live long and prosper.
BioTec, So i can get myself a Clark Nova
NeXT Workstation Brochure
http://www.multipledigression.com/type/
I've been working on converting an old smith-corona for a while now, based on the above site. Day to day use would be difficult, due to the lack of a numeral 1 (you used to just use a lower case l), an exclamation point (period, move back a space, apostrophe), arrow keys, escape, etc. But you can hit enter by slapping the carriage return, and it has some extra keys that could be wired to act like the missing ones, at least enough for it to work for simple emails/web browsing. Plus it would look far better in my living room than my current keyboard.
Joining the word "literally" as one that is used incorrectly 90% of the time.
How about as a regular keyboard? I still have one i use daily.. and 2 spares in the closet.
The new mushy garbage you get now is awful.
And no i dont need a 'windows' key, so being 'up to date' means nothing to me.
---- Booth was a patriot ----
I used to hate the windows key for a long time, but over time I've actually become quite fond of it. I now use it several times a day (doing various hotkeys).
For example:
Winkey + E - Opens Windows Explorer (I use this one the most)
Winkey + D - Show the desktop (quickly minimizes all windows)
Winkey + R - Opens the Run dialog (same as clicking Start->Run, but much faster)
Winkey + L - Lock the computer
I'm sure there are more, but those are the main ones I use.
Well, while that keyboard does look rather nice, I find that these IBM keyboards are - to this day - the only ones I use. I couldn't damage one like this...
;)
Yeeees, okay, I'm an Old Fart.
But since about '82, this is the keyboard I've been working with. The quality is amazing, spilling coffee over it will not damage it, it always, always, always works, it has a very pleasant hard feel to it, very definite feedback, and a lack of these moronic Windows-Keys which are always in my way.
I take the keys off once a year to clean the whole thing (no big effort at all), and it looks like new afterwards. This is also the opportunity to see the very high quality: the bending springs design was an excellent idea.
My keyboard at work (I have several, one for each PC, and several backups - none have failed yet, but just to be sure...) is from 1989. No print fading at all, works perfectly - still looks brand new. Compare that to whatever other keyboards you've been using. Modern keyboards apparently only need to last a few years, and they're a lot cheaper to build.
Yes, it's noisier than a modern keyboard. I don't mind, and my cow-workers get used to it
Oh, and if you're interested: some shops have old versions, and eBay has them as well. No need to spend $100 on a new one (still being built by another company) - I paid about $10 for each of mine.
Free PC version of ChipWits at http://www.breueronline.de/klaus/chipwits/
It would have been even more "steampunk" if numerical keypad was replaced with an old telephone rotary encoder (ah, the sound) and various "lock" keys replaced with pole switches. That would require some additional electronics hacking, though.
Oh, and... LEDs should be replaced with little light bulbs from torches or, even better, wavelength scale backlight bulbs from antique radios (perhaps bulbs from Christmas tree lights would do fine), in nice little light "towers".
Of course, an old 4-circuit woven fabric tube enclosed telephone cable is in order to connect it to the motherboard. Although PC keyboard connector has 5 pins, one of them is not connected.
The keyboard itself is pretty incredible, though far more involved a project than I would take, but the Tardis on the desk... That makes my day complete.