Looking for an original IBM keyboard?

[Taz]

Someone a while back was trying to find a supplier for original IBM keyboards, well I've located someone, here's the link :-

http://www.keyboardco.com/

[RichL]

That was me actually, thanks for the link!
In the meantime I found a decent IBM-esque keyboard at Maplins for a tenner.

[Taz]

I came accross them whilst trying to find a UK supplier who sell's black keyboards, they have one but it's £ 39.00

If someone knows where I can get a black keyboard at a reasonable price please let me know.

[Paddy]

I painted mine for under a fiver.

Looks pretty nice too I might add

[EdSki]

You mean the heavy, big gray indestructible kind with the annoying klik and and the thick curled wire? At my work they get thrown away by the dozens..

...Great keyboard for gaming though, you can bang on it as much as you like without it taking any damage..Also great for hitting stress balls and other objects across the room

Grtz,
Ed

[Indiana]

Originally posted by EdSki
You mean the heavy, big gray indestructible kind with the annoying klik and and the thick curled wire? At my work they get thrown away by the dozens..

Hey! This "click" is not annoying but wonderful

And if you happen to have one that you want to throw away, please feel free to send it to me...

[TnT]

Man I love my old NEC 101 key keyboard. If anyone has any of them lying around send me a few too. These things take one hell of a beating. I can't tell how many times I've dropped mine and spilled food in it, but it still works perfectly. Oh yeah and it also comes with a nifty groove for pencils and pens.

[Tempest]

Originally stated by EdSki:
You mean the heavy, big gray indestructible kind with the annoying klik and and the thick curled wire? At my work they get thrown away by the dozens..

NOOoooo! That's blasphemy!

I've got two PS/2 model 30 keyboards, I'm typing on one right now *click click* these things are just great! The "good old" hardware... They really appear indestructible, these suckers are 12 years old and show no signs of failure whatsoever... And no Windows keys either I really don't know what to do when these babies give up, maybe I'd better hunt down some more of these (then again, they probably dump the PS/2 and USB ports before my keyboards fail )...

[Taz]

Originally posted by Tempest
I've got two PS/2 model 30 keyboards.... these suckers are 12 years old and show no signs of failure whatsoever...

My ones even older than that, it came from an IBM XT-286 which makes it >14 years old and still going strong.

[TnT]

Here's a question to all of you guys that use these then: should I attempt to clean mine out since it is pretty dirty or should there be no problem with some minor food spillage and not risk fooking anything up when I open the keyboard?

[EdSki]

There is probably no need to open it up. its unlikey that dirt will get into one of these babies. Thats why they last so long.
-BTW- The keys are 'caps' you can take off, makes it easy to clean

[Tempest]

Originally posted by Taz
My ones even older than that, it came from an IBM XT-286 which makes it >14 years old and still going strong.

Yep Besides those two keyboards from 8086 PS/2's I've also got an original IBM PC/XT keyboard, but it's got that pesky layout where the function keys are on the left edge of the keyboard... It's got some kind of DIN connector (it can't have a PS/2 connector ofcoz) and it's even heavier than the PS/2 keyboards.

[Taz]

Luckily the XT-286 keyboard is a standard AT layout and the cable is socketed at the keyboard end so can be replaced with one using a PS/2 connector.