IBM mechanical keybaord

[radbasa]

Just bought myself one of those old IBM by Lexmark mechanical keyboards for US$4. I've been going from one membrane keyboard to another and have long been looking for an old mechanical keyboard. Incredibly, it's actually in mint condition. Now my carpal tunnel nerves are happy.

I'm now looking at US$3.50 Panaflo Orb. There's a whole bunch of them, about 200 I think, lying in a dusty corner of a second hands store. They also come in 3 sizes. I think I can mount the smalles on a graphics card or the motherboard chipset. If I can figure out a way to mount them of course.

[club_med]

whats a mechanical keyboard ?, have any pics you could share ?

cm

[DanU]

The old IBMs will last nearly forever, unlike the weak membrane type keyboards that will die after a few months of heavy usage.

You'll have to pry my IBM keyboard from my cold dead fingers if you want it. It's been going strong since 1993.

[engracio]

Know what you mean, use it at work. Like the click clack of the keyboard keys. Being a two finger pecker typist that I am.

[Brangwen]

I've been using one since my first Pentium days!

I like the coiled cable (like phoneline) and removable keys for cleaning. Thing must weigh 45 lbs! Well, maybe 3?

Brangwen

[radbasa]

club meb,
mechanical keyboards have real switches for each key. the membrane keyboards rampant today work similarly to a tv remote, a rubber dome with a little conductor underneath which shorts a circuit trace on a pcb. those conductors easily get rubbed off after some time, like remotes.

Now my whole family wants one.

Yeah, I figure I could swing it at some goon (of course I wouldn't) and knock him out cold. I think it has a steel chassis inside it.

[club_med]

thanks for the info radbasa.

cm

[RustyGT]

The trick to those old K/Brds is that the switch is tripped before the bottom of the keystroke.
Meaning that it is not reliant on downward pressure to make it work, and as follows, downward force won't wear it out.
Your right though, older K/B's were heavy, they put steel in them, so you could "feel the quality" Cheers R.