I had to get a new keyboard, and I just wanted a basic black or beige one. The internet really wanted to sell me one that lights up and has a bunch of extra keys. I don’t need or want that. Just a basic tool with all the keys, thank you.
I always love seeing old keyboards with the pen groove along the top.
It’s what I miss the most
Looks like it’s based on the IBM Model M. Used ones go for a couple hundred on ebay. The key feel, click and travel are very satisfying if noisy to type on.
Wow, I’d totally forgotten about PB. I seem to recall they were on the low end of the PC clone market but I could be misremembering. I can’t seem to find my Computer Shopper catalog right now to check. I dig that huge Enter key but it’s a shame this came with the utterly useless Windows keys and what I guess is a “menu” key. I’ve never used either but then I’ve used Linux exclusively since the aughts and OS/2 before that. My M$ “Natural” keyboard wastes space on these keys too. This specimen is going to look great when it’s cleaned up. Hope you can find a pen or a pencil to put in that little trench just for show.
mechanical keyboard communities on lemmy may help here. There are loads of really old, forgotten keyboards that are early or pre rubber dome where the quality is vastly superior.
I have the same one its great.
I’m pretty certain the family computer used this keyboard, in my youth; you’re definitely right that it’s great.
Does it weigh a ton and have mighty ClIcKs that wake up the dead? If so, good find!
Weight and dopamine releasing clicks are the best.
L-shaped Enter key master race.
We always called them a BAE (Big Ass Enter)
Nah, fuck that shape. Look what they did to my boy Right Shift. I’m glad L-shaped Enter keys died out in the mid 90s.
I usually disable right shift because I accidentally keep pressing it while hitting enter making it shift enter
Yeah that’s dirty and messed up, but l-shaped enter key is ughhshahhhhhhdhhshhhhdhhfh mmmmmmm yesss
More of a J shape tho
Ewwww
How do you connect it to your computer? I have a big old keyboard but it’s from before there were PS2 ports so I don’t know what to do with it.
I’m dirt poor so all of my tech is ancient.
Damn, I see a firewire port on there too!
There’s a couple options from before the ps2 standard, but I’d guess it’s a 5-pin DIN connector on an AT keyboard (e.g. IBM model M). You’ll need to know more about the keyboard to make a determination, but you might get lucky with a passive adapter to PS2 and chain to USB. Before the ps2 standard, there was more variety between manufacturers in both signaling and connectors.
Many/most of them can just use a DIN to PS/2 and then if needed a PS/2 to USB adapter. Unless you have one of the more exotic old connectors (SDL, ADB, etc), that is usually all it takes.
I have a few ADB-> USB adapters in a drawer somewhere if anyone needs one
It’s probably a DIN plug. They made DIN to PS2 adapters
Pretty sure there’s also DIN to USB
My newest computer (custom mini-ITX with an AMD 5700X3D, 64 GB RAM, Radeon 9070XT, 4 TB NVME, etc.) is still compatible with the keyboard from my first computer (a Tandy 1000 RLX HD with an Intel 80286, 1 MB RAM, VGA graphics, 20 MB HDD). Manufactured three decades apart, but they both have PS/2 ports!
I still have that Tandy keyboard; I should dust it off and plug it in.
If it’s a model M there’s a guy on eBay that sells a model M USB cable.
I believe Packard Bell boards of that era are BTC-made rubber dome.
And the person I replied to said he had an old keyboard that predates the PS2 keyboard port. Hence me mentioning that there’s an adapter cable for the model m, just in case that’s what the person I replied to has.
Well, you could get this to go to PS/2: https://www.cableleader.com/6-din5-female-to-mini-din6-male-at-to-ps-2-keyboard-adapter-cable.html
Then this to get from PS/2 to USB if you need to: https://www.cableleader.com/usb-type-a-male-to-ps2-6-pin-female-converter-for-logitech.html
Absolute worst case, open it up, rip out its guts and replace with an Arduino set up for HID mode.
I don’t speak from personal experience, but it’s my understanding you can do this with an active (as opposed to passive) ps2 to USB adapter. Should be compatible with pretty much any ps2 keyboard.
Parallel port ftw
Ah, the beige years.
The early naughts were a little more aesthetic.
Not an apple fan but this is the only aesthetic tech should have. Transparent plastic everything. I yearned for the clamshell PowerBook g3 as a kid. Still do.
The adverts were just as cool.
A Packard Bell mechanical? Well done. Impressive even
Nice, but definitely needs a cleaning
Everything does honestly. I have unmedicated adhd I think. Been meaning to take some wipes to it.
I grew up with that keyboard lol
Edit:actually not quite. Mine was older. Didn’t have a windows key etc
I’d say that’s a weird spot for the \ | key, but looking around, I think that’s one of the last keys on a 104 key keyboard to get standardized.
I dunno man. It’s no Northgate Omnikey.
I have an Omnikey, but I never use it because the keys have stiction issues. I use my Dell AT-101 now after my Model F died.
That’s sadly common with SKCM Alps switches. You can clean them out, but it suuuucks to do a full keyboard of them.
Yeah. I also heard of waxing Alps switches to decrease stiction. Sucks, because otherwise, I think the switches feel really nice.
Still, though, nothing beats a Model F, although I haven’t used a beamspring, so maybe one of those with a solenoid.
While I mostly agree with the Model F statement (I own four for a reason), I think that a clean set of SKCM Blue Alps are probably the next best clicky switch. I’d pick it over a Model M any day.
