I bought a Model F XT after watching this video and it is my workplace keyboard now. None of my colleagues - not even the one with whom I share this office - has lynched me yet. :p
Started my career in 80s, XT was the first "serious computer" I worked on (Apple IIs and Sinclair clones were for learning), and for me this is still *the one* keyboard layout. Interesting how we get attached to first-time things.
Thomas, I just want to say how much I enjoy your videos, thanks for doing them. Also, after hearing you sing the virtues of the model F, I had to get one of my own. My first thoughts after typing a moment were 'Oh my....this is a whole different ball of wax!' again, many thanks!
Thanks to this video (and many others of yours) I have bought 2 IBM Model M's and a Model F XT, and WOW I have never used a keyboard as good as these. Next up: a beam spring keyboard.....
I love my f xt and its layout. the only bad part about its layout is the vertical enter. I love everything about it. I put wheelwriter caps and a dyed blue esc on mine, and modded it with an internal teensy. it looks, feels, and sounds beautiful.
Chyrosan22, do you know how the IBM badge on these comes off? Is it glued? I just aquired a Model F XT and the badge is scratched quite badly and I want to see if I can find a replacement (if that is even possible).
I have both IBM Model F and IBM Model M, but my model F is AT Version. I found that Model F sound more pingy but quieter compared to the model M. Why in the video its a whole lot louder, my Model M is 2-layered keycaps and the Model F is one-layered; could that be the case? or AT is quieter than XT?
Chyrosran22 XT is slightly more soft, side by side you can notice it,but I did a floss mod on an AT and compared to my other model Fs and my M, and there is a quite noticable difference. Works even better with the inner wire taken out of a wire and just the tubing put in it, squishy speaker wire at Radio Shack. I personally hate the mod, too "quiet", but i lended it out and that's what my friend liked so I let it be.
wish I'd discovered this channel earlier.. they keyboards I've thrown away that I'd love you to review.. I recently had an old wang laboratories keyboard which was pretty big.
How is the extra long reach to the Enter key? I have fond memories of these from my 80s childhood, and I'm curious if it would be practical to own one today. I'm on a Kinesis keyboard now and wish they had a better option than those MX Browns which are nothing like the old IBM keyboards.
Damn! I subbed to this channel a long while ago when you had about 300-400 subs, and I left it for a while. I came back when you had about 900 (maybe a month or two ago) and I checked back and saw that your sub count has doubled! Congrats!
6:30 I had a keyboard with those same Arrow Keys. It came with a Gateway 2000. I remember when new keyboards omitted the middle button and thought it was the weirdest thing ever. Games like "The Phantom Menace" would detect that middle button and the characters would spin uncontrollably.
Search for the computers these came in instead of the keyboard itself, I was able pick one up off of ebay for $40 in good condition just because it didn't have "Model F" anywhere in the listing.
@5:33 100 million keystrokes? That means it is more something to brag about than a good argument for a mechanical keyboard since avid collectors of mechanical keyboards don't even outlast one of them.
Nice man, great find. That's a cool keyboard. I agree with you 100%, if a keyboard can not be heard from another floor its crap lol. Man the 1980's were just to amazing in every way.
The computer wasn't from 1991, it was just still around by that time. In the 80s, a computer cost a small fortune; I was one of the very few kids in school who had one for myself. Hence, hardware, including the keyboards, were made to last an eternity.
I love this keyboard. I have a whole vintage keyboard collection. I have a Apple M0110 a I have a Apple M350 one. I have a IBM blue badge model M and I have an IBM model F xt and a Silitek SK-8801B-1U with rubber dome sliders that actually feel really good. They feel like really smooth. They’re really good honestly for gaming when I used it because it’s probably my smoothest most lightest switch
How do you connect something like this to a modern computer? I don't imagine many have those DIN sockets and I'm assuming you can't get just a passive adaptor? Does any latency from any form of adaptor cancel out the perfect alignment of the key registering with the buckling of the spring?
I got one in original box (I suspect new, since it didn't have barrel plate corrosion) for around $75 a few months ago. This is one of the more affordable Model F boards out there.
Do you know of any XT to AT or PS/2 adapters to use a Model F XT on a PC with either connector? I don't think you can directly use a Model F XT on a computer with an AT connector and I see all sorts of USB adapters, but I'm considering using a Model F XT on my DOS/Windows 98 hybrid PC on which I can't get USB keyboards to work in DOS or even the BIOS, so I would need some XT to AT or PS/2 adapter.
QKT 6, right? I only saw an XT to USB converter in that video, and it confirms what I thought that directly plugging in a Model F XT into a computer with an AT keyboard connector won't work. Come to think of it, I should probably retest my DOS/Windows 98 hybrid PC with a USB keyboard, both native and adapted from PS/2. From what I remember, though, it didn't work, and I would expect a Model F XT adapted to USB won't work either if that's the case.
In the end, I decided to simply make myself a Soarer converter with a spare AtMega32U4 MCU board I had laying around for other purposes, and I'm now typing this response using an IBM Model F XT I just purchased from a local seller. Radically different feel from the Model Ms I've been used to for many years, especially with the lighter keys and pretty heavy space bar (I actually have to strain my thumb a bit to press on this thing), and the sound it makes is much nicer in person than on camera, I must say. It actually reminds me of when I used to use my old typewriter (I don't remember who made it, but I can guarantee it was not Smith Corona; that keyblock you got was just dreadful), but man, this thing is LOUD, especially when I type really quickly, it makes so much more noise then with the Model M. And is just me, or is the tactility sharper on the Model F than on the Model M?
Coincidentally, I had just dug up my own F XT to toy around with, so I'm typing this response on mine :) . You can modify the tension on the spacebar btw. And yes, it's much louder than an M, and the crisp feeling enhances the tactility as well.
It definitely is very smooth, sometimes making me think of when I tried a Cherry MX Red switch, only not as disgustingly mushy. The Model F almost feels like it's got lubricant in it, and I quite like how it feels despite having a preference for heavier keys like on the Model M. But I will pass on bending the spacebar's stabilizer, I'm sure the extra force will not be an issue in due time. However, I'm not exactly fond of the tiny Enter key and find myself hitting the apostrophe key instead quite often. Really liking this thing more than I thought I would, but when my mother's around, I'm sure she would go nutballs hearing me type on this thing (she already hates the sound of the Model M, imagine this thing. XD).
Did you convert the keyboard to USB? If so, how? I tried using those plug'n'play converters from ebay for mine, but it did not work, planning on ordering another one.
Don't it won't work. It's an XT keyboard ;) . I made a video precisely about how to get old boards like this running, I'm sure you'll find it useful. Have a gander: ruclips.net/video/-BnAVP6Cr6s/видео.html
Using one of them but replaced the "f" and "j" keys from a Model M because of no tactile bumps on the originals (quite annoying for touch typing). Typing on a Model M after the Model F feels like walking on a muddy field. Do you know any resource for one piece model f keys with tactile bumps?
I don't think they ever made those, but Unicomp have switched to one piece keys now so you might have some luck there, though I'd check the dimensions first, the ones they sent for the M122 I restored sit ever so slightly lower than the two piece ones it came with.
The proliferation of stepped keys on this board is a bit jarring at first, simply because such keys are so uncommon. But they do give the keyboard a distinctive look that stands out easily from the average boards most are used to. The build quality of this thing is also quite remarkable. I know they don't build them like they used to, as the old saying goes, but this board is a freaking tank even by the standards of the time it seems. Impressive bit of hardware and another great review.
I spent may years with the larger keyboard there, working with System 38s and AS/400 (now iSeries or System i). I loved them . I wish I still had a couple.
I bought one of these a while ago for $40. Not too bad. I hesitate to game on it due to the odd layout, but it's a dream to type on, and I love the sound and feel. Though mine had a dead spider inside it when I opened it up. Glad it was built like a tank, because that thing went flying across the room.
If you change the control scheme to suit the layout it's awesome for gaming. Maybe even a bit too good, to the point or distracting you from the game 🤣
Hi chyrosran22 I am from the UK and looking for an IBM Model F XT UK layout keyboard. I have looked all over eBay for one but with no luck I would really appreciate it if you could help me to find one with some suggestions and tips on obtaining one Thanks.
I don't think the UK layout existed back then, the difference from US is quite minor though, so I think you'll get away with swapping a couple of key caps. If push comes to shove, she'll accept model M caps and stems. That's also how you can get homing bumps on F and J. But key feel *may* be compromised (tbh I haven't done that to my F XT, it's all original, pristine, and I want to keep it that way, so I'm not sure if it will feel different or not)
Funny that I did not remember very well how pingy the keys in the Model F are, yet the space bar sound is much more recongnizable and familiar to me. (Used IBM PC XT computers back in the day at work, also many other IBM PCs with Model M keyboards.) It would be quite wonderful if Model Fs keys sounded not so pingy but in general much closer to the sound of that space bar. In a way I think that is at least partially one thing IBM accomplished with the Model M
@@ahmeddaou8369 first I found was 100 euros, the second was 80 euros, they where pretty dirty though and needed restoration (new foam / de-rusting and new paint on the barrel plate). Both are finished now and coverted to usb with internal Teensy 2.0 flashed with Soarers converter.
Be careful if you're considering buying one of these. The IBM Model F is the diminishing returns tipping point before full logarithmic decay sets in. Tread no further. It's the last secure foothold before you go reeling down the slippery slope to keyboard madness. You will be tempted by the call sooner or later. The F feels great to type on, to the point of being almost addicting. You'll make up excuses to type things, like really long and pointless youtube comments. It'll make you wonder if the clickiness can get even better, and indeed you'll learn about fabled beasts like the *Beam Spring* that preceded it. Don't be fooled. Ignore the voices and stick with your trusty F. You'll be pawning grandma's urn to get just one more vintage Olympia typewriter to harvest Marquardt Butterflies from. You'll saw giant holes in dad's antique desk, just so you can get your beam springs to sit flush with the writing surface and be enjoyed "as the engineers intended." The keyboard will be worth more than the desk. That's how you justify ruining it. You'll swear that this is the last board you buy but you'll be lying to yourself, your family and your therapist as you say it. All you'll hear, and all you'll crave, is the clicking. If you get a Model F, enjoy it. Savor it. But don't take one step further into these dark woods, because you won't come back out the same person.
I recently got my hands on a IBM 3178 terminal keyboard, very similar to the model F, and was wondering if there was a way to convert it to ps/2 or USB. I know there is a way but I have no idea how to convert it due to scarce documentation.
I found some info! If you use a special adapter for the IBM 3178 it will work with xwhatsit's controller board. Just its a bit of a soldering nightmare. If it does speak set 3 where could I get such a terminal converter? The connector looks kind of like a parallel or serial connector.
Orihalcon sells them on eBay: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-RJ45-to-USB-Soarers-Converter-Model-M-Terminal-Keyboard-Remapping-Macros-/272766407339?epid=1561571966&hash=item3f822512ab:g:wwYAAOSwF1dUSZVm
It's an F terminal with this connector: www.elecshopper.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/img_6146.jpg Thanks for your response
Do you have any plans to get and review Ellipse's new production Model F 62 and 77 key keyboards? I'm sure you know of them but in case you don't, go check them out! They are replicas of the 4704 series of keyboards and have solid metal cases like the originals. As an owner of both an F62 and a F107, I highly recommend you at least try one and maybe buy one (although I'm not sure what your price range is. The F107 is currently the most affordable (depending on your definition of affordable), even over Ellipse's new production models. None of them are cheap right now...). In addition, they have a layout close to ANSI.
Completely understandable. I've been saving up for months (ever since it was announced) to get an F77 from Ellipse's new stock. The F62 Kishsaver and F107 on the other hand were very fortunately timed so I didn't have to pay what they sell for nowadays. Still more than I was comfortable paying at the time, but definitely worth it looking back. And I had done a ludicrous amount of research to find an F62 to buy, so when the opportunity finally arose, it was much too tempting to pass up.
Thanks to this keyboard I'm now VERY critical of just about everything else I type on. This includes finding the Cherry MX blacks on my Roccat (that I've had since 20-fucking13!!!) annoyingly scratchy all of a sudden! Pretty much everything else feels quite inferior now that I'm used to my F XT and I've only had it about a month...
0:31 For colonial reasons, I also have a pound sign on the "3" key of my French-Canadian Model M. It coexists with the $ and ¢ found next door on the "4" key.
I lucked out and got one off of eBay in solid shape just recently. Anticipating its arrival in the mail any day now, will probably have to clean it up and of course convert it for USB use. I haven't used one of these since I was probably nine or ten. Yikes. :-)
I already have a genuine industrial, and Unicomp shipping, especially overseas, is incredible. But thanks anyway :) . I only have Unicomp rubber dome Ms (ten or so of them) but not a BS one yet.
Chyrosran22 May be worth picking one up as they are so damn rare now. And yeh I get what you mean, being a Brit sucks. The case itself is 30, including shipping it's 90 total.
Speaking of keyboard that are heavier than bricks, you should try to find a Model F 107 from the IBM 4704 Terminal. I absolutely love mine and last I checked it weighs 13 pounds.
The F107 has metal upper and lower cases, in that aspect being more similar to beam spring keyboards than other Model F keyboards. On the other hand, there were also beam springs with plastic upper cases, like the Displaywriter or the 5250 twinax terminals. The 5251 beam spring in particular looks disturbingly similar to the eventual XT keyboard.
lol i got one of these from a neighbor practically new in box i paid 40 bucks for an adaptor but i use it as mt daily keyboard because i hate rubber domes i cut mine up and burnt it that's how much better the model f is compaird to a dome
"I can't actually use it at work."
Nonsense! Take it to work and assert your dominance!
I'd get lynched within the hour :p .
I bought a Model F XT after watching this video and it is my workplace keyboard now. None of my colleagues - not even the one with whom I share this office - has lynched me yet. :p
@@TuxmanXP They are scared that you would use it to defend yourself
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I just found one of these for $2 in a thrift store, in impeccable quality. Was wondering about getting it up and running on my comp.
Two bucks is a steal!
Soarer's converter for xt to usb. Will run you about $30
wire a soarers converter with a teensy 2.0 or teensy2.0++ or a pro micro or a pro micro clone
Ok I got it working and the answer is that any other of these 3 will work
2$ and it sells for thousands on ebay you lucky son of a bitch
Started my career in 80s, XT was the first "serious computer" I worked on (Apple IIs and Sinclair clones were for learning), and for me this is still *the one* keyboard layout. Interesting how we get attached to first-time things.
Thomas, I just want to say how much I enjoy your videos, thanks for doing them. Also, after hearing you sing the virtues of the model F, I had to get one of my own. My first thoughts after typing a moment were 'Oh my....this is a whole different ball of wax!'
again, many thanks!
Nice review! I love all of your videos.
I'm using a Model F XT right now. It's the best keyboard I've ever used.
these videos are just awesome. the old keyboards are just fascinating
Thanks to this video (and many others of yours) I have bought 2 IBM Model M's and a Model F XT, and WOW I have never used a keyboard as good as these. Next up: a beam spring keyboard.....
I love my f xt and its layout. the only bad part about its layout is the vertical enter. I love everything about it. I put wheelwriter caps and a dyed blue esc on mine, and modded it with an internal teensy. it looks, feels, and sounds beautiful.
Chyrosan22, do you know how the IBM badge on these comes off? Is it glued? I just aquired a Model F XT and the badge is scratched quite badly and I want to see if I can find a replacement (if that is even possible).
I have both IBM Model F and IBM Model M, but my model F is AT Version. I found that Model F sound more pingy but quieter compared to the model M. Why in the video its a whole lot louder, my Model M is 2-layered keycaps and the Model F is one-layered; could that be the case? or AT is quieter than XT?
The AT and XT should make somewhat similar levels of noise. I have no idea how an F could possibly be softer than an M Oo .
Chyrosran22 XT is slightly more soft, side by side you can notice it,but I did a floss mod on an AT and compared to my other model Fs and my M, and there is a quite noticable difference.
Works even better with the inner wire taken out of a wire and just the tubing put in it, squishy speaker wire at Radio Shack. I personally hate the mod, too "quiet", but i lended it out and that's what my friend liked so I let it be.
Love the sound it makes
We need a Collab between you two, all the bass would destroy headphones and eardrums.
I'm with you on wanting to hear the keyboard from the other side of the room. Great video.
wish I'd discovered this channel earlier.. they keyboards I've thrown away that I'd love you to review.. I recently had an old wang laboratories keyboard which was pretty big.
a dream for every mechanical keyboard user
How is the extra long reach to the Enter key? I have fond memories of these from my 80s childhood, and I'm curious if it would be practical to own one today. I'm on a Kinesis keyboard now and wish they had a better option than those MX Browns which are nothing like the old IBM keyboards.
Damn! I subbed to this channel a long while ago when you had about 300-400 subs, and I left it for a while. I came back when you had about 900 (maybe a month or two ago) and I checked back and saw that your sub count has doubled! Congrats!
Thanks! :D Here's to hoping more will follow! :)
Hi:D. I'm really jealous about the model F
I found this, along with the entire PC set in my Aunt's house today. score!!
6:30 I had a keyboard with those same Arrow Keys. It came with a Gateway 2000. I remember when new keyboards omitted the middle button and thought it was the weirdest thing ever.
Games like "The Phantom Menace" would detect that middle button and the characters would spin uncontrollably.
Goes to ebay to check pricing. Turn off computer and weep in a corner.
It's the cheapest type of Model F on the market, too! xD
Any tips on finding keyboards?Recycling centers is a no. Its illigal to take stuff from them .
Search for the computers these came in instead of the keyboard itself, I was able pick one up off of ebay for $40 in good condition just because it didn't have "Model F" anywhere in the listing.
@5:33 100 million keystrokes? That means it is more something to brag about than a good argument for a mechanical keyboard since avid collectors of mechanical keyboards don't even outlast one of them.
Get it off taobao
1:24 that isn't a fully solid brick.
disliked, unsubbed, reported now wait nicely for NSA
Hahaha, I do not own a proper brick xD .
You could have flipped the brick over so we see the solid side xD
y11971alex This is just what British bricks are like xD .
which one would you prefer? The Model M or the Model F?
F, definitely.
Nice man, great find. That's a cool keyboard. I agree with you 100%, if a keyboard can not be heard from another floor its crap lol. Man the 1980's were just to amazing in every way.
Indeed, I was born in them 8) .
(:p)
Me to man, and boy do I remember them. I miss arcades :(
Man, those coin pusher cabinet things were the best!
Alec Wilson That's the year I got my first keyboard, an F XT as it happens xD .
The computer wasn't from 1991, it was just still around by that time. In the 80s, a computer cost a small fortune; I was one of the very few kids in school who had one for myself. Hence, hardware, including the keyboards, were made to last an eternity.
At the risk of sounding stupid, does the foam do anything other than act as a spacer? Could you use a more sturdy material instead?
I just bought one of these today based on your review. They are great.
I love this keyboard. I have a whole vintage keyboard collection. I have a Apple M0110 a I have a Apple M350 one. I have a IBM blue badge model M and I have an IBM model F xt and a Silitek SK-8801B-1U with rubber dome sliders that actually feel really good. They feel like really smooth. They’re really good honestly for gaming when I used it because it’s probably my smoothest most lightest switch
How do you connect something like this to a modern computer? I don't imagine many have those DIN sockets and I'm assuming you can't get just a passive adaptor?
Does any latency from any form of adaptor cancel out the perfect alignment of the key registering with the buckling of the spring?
I made a video about how to convert old keyboards like this recently, check it out :) . ruclips.net/video/-BnAVP6Cr6s/видео.html
Ah, I missed that one. Thanks! Great channel by the way.
I got one in original box (I suspect new, since it didn't have barrel plate corrosion) for around $75 a few months ago. This is one of the more affordable Model F boards out there.
it has been 7 years and I am incredibly jealous of you lot who got in on this early 😂
Do you know of any XT to AT or PS/2 adapters to use a Model F XT on a PC with either connector? I don't think you can directly use a Model F XT on a computer with an AT connector and I see all sorts of USB adapters, but I'm considering using a Model F XT on my DOS/Windows 98 hybrid PC on which I can't get USB keyboards to work in DOS or even the BIOS, so I would need some XT to AT or PS/2 adapter.
Check my QKT video on plugs and connectors, I show how to use these boards on modern computers ;) .
QKT 6, right? I only saw an XT to USB converter in that video, and it confirms what I thought that directly plugging in a Model F XT into a computer with an AT keyboard connector won't work.
Come to think of it, I should probably retest my DOS/Windows 98 hybrid PC with a USB keyboard, both native and adapted from PS/2. From what I remember, though, it didn't work, and I would expect a Model F XT adapted to USB won't work either if that's the case.
In the end, I decided to simply make myself a Soarer converter with a spare AtMega32U4 MCU board I had laying around for other purposes, and I'm now typing this response using an IBM Model F XT I just purchased from a local seller. Radically different feel from the Model Ms I've been used to for many years, especially with the lighter keys and pretty heavy space bar (I actually have to strain my thumb a bit to press on this thing), and the sound it makes is much nicer in person than on camera, I must say. It actually reminds me of when I used to use my old typewriter (I don't remember who made it, but I can guarantee it was not Smith Corona; that keyblock you got was just dreadful), but man, this thing is LOUD, especially when I type really quickly, it makes so much more noise then with the Model M.
And is just me, or is the tactility sharper on the Model F than on the Model M?
Coincidentally, I had just dug up my own F XT to toy around with, so I'm typing this response on mine :) . You can modify the tension on the spacebar btw. And yes, it's much louder than an M, and the crisp feeling enhances the tactility as well.
It definitely is very smooth, sometimes making me think of when I tried a Cherry MX Red switch, only not as disgustingly mushy. The Model F almost feels like it's got lubricant in it, and I quite like how it feels despite having a preference for heavier keys like on the Model M.
But I will pass on bending the spacebar's stabilizer, I'm sure the extra force will not be an issue in due time. However, I'm not exactly fond of the tiny Enter key and find myself hitting the apostrophe key instead quite often.
Really liking this thing more than I thought I would, but when my mother's around, I'm sure she would go nutballs hearing me type on this thing (she already hates the sound of the Model M, imagine this thing. XD).
Did you convert the keyboard to USB? If so, how? I tried using those plug'n'play converters from ebay for mine, but it did not work, planning on ordering another one.
Don't it won't work. It's an XT keyboard ;) . I made a video precisely about how to get old boards like this running, I'm sure you'll find it useful. Have a gander: ruclips.net/video/-BnAVP6Cr6s/видео.html
Using one of them but replaced the "f" and "j" keys from a Model M because of no tactile bumps on the originals (quite annoying for touch typing). Typing on a Model M after the Model F feels like walking on a muddy field.
Do you know any resource for one piece model f keys with tactile bumps?
I don't think they ever made those, but Unicomp have switched to one piece keys now so you might have some luck there, though I'd check the dimensions first, the ones they sent for the M122 I restored sit ever so slightly lower than the two piece ones it came with.
Loud clacky is most satisfying clacky.
Box Navies :)
The proliferation of stepped keys on this board is a bit jarring at first, simply because such keys are so uncommon. But they do give the keyboard a distinctive look that stands out easily from the average boards most are used to. The build quality of this thing is also quite remarkable. I know they don't build them like they used to, as the old saying goes, but this board is a freaking tank even by the standards of the time it seems. Impressive bit of hardware and another great review.
I've got one on the way! The hype is real.
Heh, if you haven't tried an F before, you're in for a pleasant surprise ;) .
Chyrosran22 Yeah, my only buckling springs experience is a Unicomp 122 key.
I spent may years with the larger keyboard there, working with System 38s and AS/400 (now iSeries or System i). I loved them . I wish I still had a couple.
how easy are they to restore? I may have found one sitting in a shed for years and years
I think he has a video on how to clean these up. It should be fairly straightforward with the right tools, but you will have to replace the foam
The grand daddy of model fs is the 4704 107 key with the painted die cast zinc shell.
I mean graddaddy as in age ;) .
One of those came up on the flea bay a couple months ago and if I'd had the cash to spare I'd be typing on one of those instead.
Wow, I did not expect the spacebar to sound that good! A lot better than the 'harsh' Model M spacebar.
What's the keyswitch at the very beginning of the video? Is it Blue ALPS?
You mean in the intro? No idea, it's some kind of stock sound effect.
It sounds exquisite, so I was wondering what kind of switch it was haha
I owned this keyboard for awhile. Its actually very bearable for gaming.
NKRO probably makes it bearable.
I bought one of these a while ago for $40. Not too bad. I hesitate to game on it due to the odd layout, but it's a dream to type on, and I love the sound and feel. Though mine had a dead spider inside it when I opened it up. Glad it was built like a tank, because that thing went flying across the room.
If you change the control scheme to suit the layout it's awesome for gaming. Maybe even a bit too good, to the point or distracting you from the game 🤣
Do you have a link for a pre-built F to PS/2 or USB converter?
Thanks!
Amazing review as always.
Hi chyrosran22 I am from the UK and looking for an IBM Model F XT UK layout keyboard. I have looked all over eBay for one but with no luck I would really appreciate it if you could help me to find one with some suggestions and tips on obtaining one Thanks.
I don't think the UK layout existed back then, the difference from US is quite minor though, so I think you'll get away with swapping a couple of key caps. If push comes to shove, she'll accept model M caps and stems. That's also how you can get homing bumps on F and J. But key feel *may* be compromised (tbh I haven't done that to my F XT, it's all original, pristine, and I want to keep it that way, so I'm not sure if it will feel different or not)
Is there a modern keyboard switch equivalent to this?
No
Funny that I did not remember very well how pingy the keys in the Model F are, yet the space bar sound is much more recongnizable and familiar to me. (Used IBM PC XT computers back in the day at work, also many other IBM PCs with Model M keyboards.) It would be quite wonderful if Model Fs keys sounded not so pingy but in general much closer to the sound of that space bar. In a way I think that is at least partially one thing IBM accomplished with the Model M
I also own 1 now:D Just got it 30 minutes ago and its the toppiece of my collection by now haha.
have 2 now lol
@@robbinhasseltof4428 how much they go for, I need one too lol
@@ahmeddaou8369 first I found was 100 euros, the second was 80 euros, they where pretty dirty though and needed restoration (new foam / de-rusting and new paint on the barrel plate). Both are finished now and coverted to usb with internal Teensy 2.0 flashed with Soarers converter.
Be careful if you're considering buying one of these.
The IBM Model F is the diminishing returns tipping point before full logarithmic decay sets in. Tread no further. It's the last secure foothold before you go reeling down the slippery slope to keyboard madness. You will be tempted by the call sooner or later. The F feels great to type on, to the point of being almost addicting. You'll make up excuses to type things, like really long and pointless youtube comments. It'll make you wonder if the clickiness can get even better, and indeed you'll learn about fabled beasts like the *Beam Spring* that preceded it.
Don't be fooled. Ignore the voices and stick with your trusty F. You'll be pawning grandma's urn to get just one more vintage Olympia typewriter to harvest Marquardt Butterflies from. You'll saw giant holes in dad's antique desk, just so you can get your beam springs to sit flush with the writing surface and be enjoyed "as the engineers intended." The keyboard will be worth more than the desk. That's how you justify ruining it. You'll swear that this is the last board you buy but you'll be lying to yourself, your family and your therapist as you say it. All you'll hear, and all you'll crave, is the clicking.
If you get a Model F, enjoy it. Savor it. But don't take one step further into these dark woods, because you won't come back out the same person.
I threw an IBM 5150 PC in the trash yesterday not knowing what it was. But I did keep this keyboard
Currently using a converted model f xt keyboard. The layout is pretty weird but it's usable, more usable then hhkb's layout imo
thanks so much for this review I just found one for 45 and decided it was worth the price even if it means relearning
Appa that's a pretty good deal, I'm sure you'll like it :)
i actually prefer the control button where caps lock usually is it and now i keep a old keyboard for conference calls because of the noise lol
I recently got my hands on a IBM 3178 terminal keyboard, very similar to the model F, and was wondering if there was a way to convert it to ps/2 or USB. I know there is a way but I have no idea how to convert it due to scarce documentation.
It might speak set 3, in which case a terminal converter will work.
I found some info! If you use a special adapter for the IBM 3178 it will work with xwhatsit's controller board. Just its a bit of a soldering nightmare. If it does speak set 3 where could I get such a terminal converter? The connector looks kind of like a parallel or serial connector.
Orihalcon sells them on eBay: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-RJ45-to-USB-Soarers-Converter-Model-M-Terminal-Keyboard-Remapping-Macros-/272766407339?epid=1561571966&hash=item3f822512ab:g:wwYAAOSwF1dUSZVm
It's an F terminal with this connector:
www.elecshopper.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/img_6146.jpg
Thanks for your response
Feck, I don't know, you might have to wire up an adapter and THEN convert it. It's going to take a bit of work regardless.
Do you have any plans to get and review Ellipse's new production Model F 62 and 77 key keyboards?
I'm sure you know of them but in case you don't, go check them out! They are replicas of the 4704 series of keyboards and have solid metal cases like the originals. As an owner of both an F62 and a F107, I highly recommend you at least try one and maybe buy one (although I'm not sure what your price range is. The F107 is currently the most affordable (depending on your definition of affordable), even over Ellipse's new production models. None of them are cheap right now...).
In addition, they have a layout close to ANSI.
I just watched your 2k sub video. I'll continue watching but I won't be expecting any specific boards :P I'll just let each new one be a surprise!
I've review one if I get one donated xD . I'm way too poor to buy one of them xD .
Completely understandable. I've been saving up for months (ever since it was announced) to get an F77 from Ellipse's new stock.
The F62 Kishsaver and F107 on the other hand were very fortunately timed so I didn't have to pay what they sell for nowadays. Still more than I was comfortable paying at the time, but definitely worth it looking back. And I had done a ludicrous amount of research to find an F62 to buy, so when the opportunity finally arose, it was much too tempting to pass up.
I really just hate the enter key missing on the num pad especially using it with the 5150
Thanks to this keyboard I'm now VERY critical of just about everything else I type on. This includes finding the Cherry MX blacks on my Roccat (that I've had since 20-fucking13!!!) annoyingly scratchy all of a sudden!
Pretty much everything else feels quite inferior now that I'm used to my F XT and I've only had it about a month...
your voice is amazing btw
Thanks :) .
I think the your voice suits so well with this 80s keyboard
0:31 For colonial reasons, I also have a pound sign on the "3" key of my French-Canadian Model M. It coexists with the $ and ¢ found next door on the "4" key.
I lucked out and got one off of eBay in solid shape just recently. Anticipating its arrival in the mail any day now, will probably have to clean it up and of course convert it for USB use. I haven't used one of these since I was probably nine or ten. Yikes. :-)
So, did you like the keyboard
I wonder if this feels any different to my 4704 or 84 key AT? They certainly sound similar.
From what I can tell the difference will be minimal, if any. This genuinely appears to be a community myth.
Chyrosran22 Yeh that's what I was thinking. Have you checked out Unicomp lately btw? They are selling some Industrial cases for a decent price!
I already have a genuine industrial, and Unicomp shipping, especially overseas, is incredible. But thanks anyway :) . I only have Unicomp rubber dome Ms (ten or so of them) but not a BS one yet.
Chyrosran22 May be worth picking one up as they are so damn rare now. And yeh I get what you mean, being a Brit sucks. The case itself is 30, including shipping it's 90 total.
According to my limited experience, the XT has a pitch higher by two full tones than the AT. I don't own any other F though.
Can you do a redux of this?
In fact I'm not even exaggerating its even HEAVIER than a brick!
Me: omg what the heck man that's what you call BIGLY
I still use a rubber dome (wonder if this is actually gonna make a massive difference in typing)
Try one of these. Even the Unicomp I have at work feels infinitely better to type on!
The most sexy voice of the WTF word in the universe
Speaking of keyboard that are heavier than bricks, you should try to find a Model F 107 from the IBM 4704 Terminal. I absolutely love mine and last I checked it weighs 13 pounds.
Wait, that's heavier than an F122. Why would an F107 be so much heavier than an F122? Oo
The F107 has a full metal case. The case itself weighs something like 7-8 pounds.
The F107 has metal upper and lower cases, in that aspect being more similar to beam spring keyboards than other Model F keyboards. On the other hand, there were also beam springs with plastic upper cases, like the Displaywriter or the 5250 twinax terminals. The 5251 beam spring in particular looks disturbingly similar to the eventual XT keyboard.
Hahaha your voice is golden. What the fuck! :-)
Oh, I have this keyboard
Nah, that layout is pretty common in my country. PT-PT layoyt.
Might I ask, what country are you in?
Crazy Canadian PT-PT = Portuguese-Portugal.
#NotificationSquad
Wise people say that when amount of dirt inside a person is bigger than in the world outside, he begins to feel an urge to swear a lot to level up.
do one with a Razer switch in it
Never trust a man who has used said keyboard for 30+ years and still hits the spacebar with his index finger.
How old do you think I am? xD
I have all the keys, just not necessarily in the right place :D
An XT layout is way batter than model m especially for unix machines
1:20
lol i got one of these from a neighbor practically new in box i paid 40 bucks for an adaptor but i use it as mt daily keyboard because i hate rubber domes i cut mine up and burnt it that's how much better the model f is compaird to a dome