Vintage Keyboard

[qubitz]

I'm looking for a vintage keyboard for a project. I need it to be something from the 1970s. Ideally it would be a bare keyboard component, and not part of a machine.

[donutty]

Any more specfics? What type of keyswitch? Keycaps? Colour? Interface?

Can you post a link to a picture of something similar to what you want?

[JAC]

What kind of project?

[Neon]

Here is my only vintage keyboard. It is from 1978.

[qubitz]

I'd love to find something that outputs ASCII, preferably made by Datanetics or SWTPC. Here are a couple images of what it may look like.

[johnorun]

Are you looking to buy or borrow?

I have this 1970's keyboard rescued from an old Texas Instruments terminal.
Yea, it is dirty...lol

I would lend it to you, if that will help.

[Fred Jodry]

Just to remind you guys what qubitz had might as well get, here are some keyboards I`ve typed on:
1.In days when IBM`s small computer had gone from 69 keys to 89 keys, the keyboards many of us first knew, IBM made keyboards with the regular Texas Instruments- style keys that had a hysteresis spring that made a "ping" sound underneath each key. The case was made to look like cream- white crackle paint. F- keys only went up to F10. Just to beat IBM it seemed, Many keyboards were sold by other makers like "Blue Dot" that actually had crackle (tung-oil) or mere hammertone paint on their steel not plastic case. Most didn`t have the "ping" keys" but sounded and worked little different or worse because of plenty of sensible quality, and the steel case put back some of the nice sound and feel that the rubber- style key springing lost. A few IBMs might have had crackle or hammertone steel cases.
2.I had an IBM Keyboard that had F Keys that went up to F24 and it`s plug was instead of the usual 5- pin (circular dim?) was a 15- contact Cinch-Jones plug.
3. I typed on an Intel 8080 machine that had lots of exposed ultraviolet c-mos and gold topped white rectangular chips.
4. The point is, that on the keyboard of "3." it was probably that keyboard that had separate "Enter" and "Return" keys I had to type with.
5. I had a Wang keyboard that was a regular modern "101" or similar but Wang`s yellow markings on the gray background and a few other nice things were easy on the eyes and hands. An AST keyboard has shortcuts inside celluloid. A Bloomberg Investing keyboard has permanent shortcuts for how you gamble your thousands in gay colors in between two speakers.
6. Needless to say it`s nice to have a big stone ball trackball mouse next to it, clamped on the desk. You sometimes find ancient keyboards that don`t have "Escape" keys, not the best. Put a nice code book next to it.
7. That`s enough, get looking, make him happy.

[donutty]

Does it have to be standard QWERTY and a few symbols or can it have some custom keys?

[qubitz]

I wouldn't rule anything out...Depends on what custom keys it has.

[donutty]

OK, well I might have one for you... watch this space.

[donutty]

http://www.nitrate.plus.com/Files/Pics/keytronic_1.JPG

http://www.nitrate.plus.com/Files/Pics/keytronic_2.JPG

http://www.nitrate.plus.com/Files/Pics/keytronic_3.JPG

Any good to you?
Very similar keyboard is used on an Apple I replica:

http://www.cpmuseum.com/Exhibit.aspx?address=7603-0001

and

http://www.cpmuseum.com/Exhibit.aspx?address=7603-0005

[qubitz]

Looks cool...Do you know what this came out of? PM me details if you're interested in giving it up.

[donutty]

PM sent

[johnorun]

[hemione]

This keyboard from 1970, while using just a printer. very rare nowadays for people to keep it, Look cool,hjhj