I have been unable to confirm it as such, but I’m reasonably confident that this is the PS/2-compatible 4704 emulation keyboard used on various period IBM personal computers when acting as a 4704. Continue reading
In late 2012 I noticed some “parts” for an IBM AT keyboard being sold and upon further investigation found it was a whole keyboard, but in non-operational condition (poor condition cord and at least one stuck key). I bought it and had it shipped halfway across the globe for less than half what it could have cost to buy one without those issues, and was able to fix it with less than an hour of work and replacing two capacitive key switch components that I already had spares of. Continue reading
This is a 122-key IBM 3180 terminal keyboard.
I obtained this keyboard in March of 2012 as part of a trade. Continue reading
What do you get when you cross a 122-key terminal keyboard with a ‘tenkeyless’ space saver? Continue reading
This is the keyboard which came with the IBM 5150: the original IBM PC. Continue reading
This is an “industrial” IBM keyboard. That means nothing about its construction; it is very much the same thing as a 1391401 or other 101-key Model M, but has unique colouring to match IBM industrial computers. Continue reading
This is an “IBM Enhanced Trackpoint II Keyboard”, or something to that effect. It is the only “old” buckling spring board that was available in black as far as I am aware, and has a real IBM TrackPoint II pointing stick embedded within it. Continue reading
1386887 is a 122-key membrane buckling spring (Model M) keyboard, for the IBM 3179 display station (a type of dumb terminal). Continue reading
The IBM 4704 (further details here) uses application-specific buckling spring keyboards of relatively unique layouts. This page details the examples that I’ve come across personally. Continue reading
When someone says ‘Model M’ without further details, this is the keyboard they are talking about: the 1391401. This was my first buckling spring keyboard and it has served well since. It was definitely responsible for a lot of my interest in buckling spring keyboards. Continue reading
In 2011, while consulting with fellow enthusiasts of IBM keyboards, I was introduced to the keyboards for the IBM 4704 display terminal. This is the terminal for the IBM 4700 Finance Communication System, introduced at the beginning of the 1980s. This page details the information and resources I have been able to find about this system, notably surrounding 4704 terminals for this system and repurposing 4704 input peripherals for modern computers. Continue reading