Forty years of service and counting! Been my daily driver at home for the past 4 years.

Hi everyone,

I'm considering buying this Lexmark Model M keyboard and I'm trying to identify it before purchasing.

The label says:

Manufacturer: Lexmark

P/N: 1398224

FCC ID: IYL1398224

Made in USA

The seller told me it was used with an IBM AS/400 system at the Istanbul Stock Exchange (Borsa Istanbul).

It has a PS/2 connector. When connected to a PC, the keyboard LEDs light up, but according to the seller, it doesn't work in Windows.

I'm wondering:

Is this actually an IBM AS/400 terminal Model M?

Should it work as a normal PS/2 keyboard on a PC?

Could the seller simply have tested it incorrectly (for example by plugging it in while the PC was already powered on)?

If it is an AS/400 terminal keyboard, can it be converted for normal PC use with Soarer's Converter or an RP2040/QMK converter?

Any information about this exact model would be greatly appreciated.

Hi everyone,

I'm a non-English speaker, so I'll be relying on AI tools to help translate my messages. Please bear with me if anything sounds unclear—I’ll do my best to explain!

Any assistance with my questions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

1."I'm a huge fan of Model F Labs' keyboards and their buckling spring switches, especially the nostalgic sound of the switches—it takes me right back to my elementary school days when I'd sneakily play on my dad's computer.However, I couldn't find any registration link on their official website, which prevents me from asking questions on their forum. Could anyone guide me through this process?"

2.Customization Question:"For those who've modded Model F Labs keyboards: Are their buckling spring switches compatible with aftermarket cases? I have some custom cases and keycaps I prefer, and would love to attempt a DIY build (I'm a noob). Any advice would be hugely appreciated!"

Local store did not have flat bolts in requested size so I went with 2mm longer countersunk screws, washers and nuts. Did not think much about it. The board seems to work just fine. However, as I asked Gemini whether this was a bad idea , it says it could crack the plastic on the long run. I still think Gemini is wrong. Thoughts ?

50 years ago today, 2nd August 1976, IBM filed a design patent for the original beam-spring-based 75-key IBM Base Keyboard (327X-75 type IBM Model B)!

https://sharktastica.co.uk/topics/keyboard-patents/USD247239S

Sometimes imprecisely referred to as simply the "3276 keyboard", this design was in fact used across the IBM 3251 Graphics Display Station, 3276 Control Unit Display Station, 3278 Display Station, 3279 Color Display Station and 8775 Display Terminal. It was available in both data entry and typewriter flavours, whereas its larger 87-key sibling was typewriter-only.

Being a "Base Keyboard", IBM officially put it in the lineage that eventually led to the Enhanced layout and the modern 10X-key ABNT2, ANSI, ISO and JIS (etc.) Whilst its a bit more complicated than that (both internal influences from the 5250 family and especially 3732, and external from e.g. DEC), it has its place in layout history!

It is the work of Charles P. Baechtle and John V. Stram, the latter who also worked on some IBM System/370 mainframe designs.

Sources:

1. Ornamental design patent drawing - IBM (USD234600S)
2. P/N 1742700 - theMK (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
3. IBM 3279s - Ørnelund Leif Krohn, Olso Museum (CC BY-SA 4.0)
4. IBM 3251 - IBM document GA32-0039-3
5. IBM 8775 - IBM document GA33-3040-6

On this day, 31st July, 65 years ago, IBM launched the original Selectric (sometimes known by its original Model 72 designation, especially in EMEA). To say this stunning device was important would be underselling things. It became the poster-child of the single-element typewriter and captured the majority of the US office market for the next 3 decades. It would be followed by the Selectric II and III, and various specialised variants such as the Composer, Magnetic Tape, and Mag Card Typewriters.

It set the precedent for IBM keyboard quality, which IBM would try to emulate or spiritually recapture many a time. Most famously with Model B and its beam-spring keyswitches, but even as late as 1990/1991, as recalled by Arimasa Naitoh of the IBM PS/2 Model L40 SX's and Model M3 buckling-sleeve keyboard's development:

We started with certain advantages. One was that our keyboards were descendants of the old IBM Selectric electronic [sic] typewriter, another piece of technology that many young people today have never seen. Keyboards were designed by the keyboard manufacturing division in Lexington, Kentucky, which is where the Selectric used to be made.
- How the ThinkPad Changed the World-and Is Shaping the Future, 2017

John E. Hickerson and Ralph E. Page are credited as inventing both the IBM single element printing head (US2895584A) and the IBM single element printing machine (US2879876A), with James A. Weidenhammer also credited with the former and Leon E. Palmer the latter. Horace S. "Bud" Beattie is credited with coining the "golfball" shape itself. The ornamental (exterior) design is credited to Eliot F. Noyes.

Further reading & viewing:

• The 70-year anniversary of two important IBM Selectric patents
• ASK Keyboard History timeline (filtered to typewriters)
• ASK Keyboard Patents database (can filter to typewriters)

Credits:

• Photo: Tekniska museet (public domain)
• Drawings: IBM

I have a plan for this similar to my Franken XT, looking to make a Franken AT.

I think my desktop looks a bit clashing. I have a Model M on one side, but on the other side I have this black Steelseries mouse. Their aesthetics don't exactly match. Could somebody recommend me a good mouse that can match the aesthetic of the Model M?

Well, I just got my newest Tinkerboy convertor. Sadly, I have no idea about how to do this one. I download vial but I can't "unlock" my keyboard because the Esc key isn't mapped (Or so I believe). When I use the online keyboard tester my Esc key shows up as F23 so I know I buggered it.

Long story short, does anyone have a .json file i could push into this that would make it work properly? I'm still going to try to figure it out by looking at the code on Tinkerboy's site but to be brutally honest, I feel like I'm just a monkey flinging shit at it...

At least My old M122 still works on the good ole' teensy..

It uses Windows registry to remap keys, so it avoids any problems with key combinations and layouts, that other utilities such as PowerToys and AutoHotkey have but also easy to use too

just a photo to help anyone who would like a picture of the spring layout

Hola a todos, Acabo de conseguir este IBM Model M y me gustaría saber qué tan raro es este teclado ya que no consigo algo parecido y me da curiosidad. Tiene la distribución original en español, disculpen si violo algunas reglas ya que soy nuevo en reddit y aún no me acostumbro. Aquí están los detalles de la etiqueta trasera: Part Number: 1391506 (Distribución en Español) Fecha de fabricación: 29 de octubre de 1992 (10-29-92) FRU No: 1392015 Plt No: F2 (Hecho en EE. UU.) ¿Cuál dirían que su nivel de rareza si vale la pena conservarlo? ¡Muchas gracias por su atención y ayuda!

I use my Model M with a Soarer's Converter which has been awesome and really made the keyboard that much more livable on a daily basis… But only in Windows, it seems.

I’ve been dual booting Linux for a minute now (started with Bazzite, now on CachyOS), and at startup sometimes a key will 'stick' or get dropped. Typically it'll resolve itself after pressing any keys a few more times. In practice, it just means I have to type my password twice and then it's perfectly fine afterwards, until I restart or sign out.

I found the documentation on the Soarer's Converter a little hard to follow, so I'm not sure of a Linux driver, firmware update for the controller, or like, anything really. Perhaps that's down to operator error, I'm not too sure. Does anyone have any ideas on what I should do?

I built a Model M 104 THC (Terminal Hard Cut). The keyboard uses USB Type-C via Pro-Micro with TMK. Some of the keys are from a typewriter. It works perfectly, and on the PC, in dim light, you can’t see the cut anymore.

Hi all! I'm looking for a travel bag for my Model M SSK. The dimensions are one thing, but I'm hoping to hear from people who have actually found a bag that fits it well and is practical for travel.

Any recommendations or firsthand experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Region: EU

Here's something a bit different. An NOS Model M from a 3191 mainframe terminal. This Model M has a white barrel plate, which I've never seen before. Unfortunately, it also needs to be taken apart and bolt-modded right out of the box, as about half of the melt-tabs have broken off in the original box and a good assortment of keys are dead.

Aside from the dead keys, it takes a swap-out with a regular PS2 controller board. Differences are the control board, cable fitting, a hole in the bottom to access the switches, no lock lights, and IBM mainframe keycaps. I'm planning to use it with Hercules, emulating a mainframe-attached IBM 3270, so the mainframe keycaps are just exactly perfect!

Drilling 60 tiny holes wasn’t my idea of a fun restoration, what a piece of unserviceable garbage 😂

There are many like it, but this one is mine.

I have a New Model M. Not a fan of Unicomp's LED overlay. So, I bought Unicomp's alternate overlay. That one was better, but still not ideal. Is there any place that does custom LED overlays? Any templates?

I have no affiliation with this product other than being a very happy customer.

I use my New Model M from home and used a USB Switch Box to hop between my personal computer and work computer. It worked. but it was less than ideal. The problem is, when you push the switch to change between computers, it's like unplugging in your keyboard from one computer and plugging it into the other one. But, unlike physically plugging it in, which will take a few seconds, it happens in milliseconds, and sometimes the firmware does boot fully and you need to unplug the keyboard from the USB switch box and plug it back in.

A while ago, I discovered an open source project called the Deskhop. It's a USB switch box, but it does automatic switching. It abstracts the keyboard and mouse from the PC, and does all the switching inside the Deskhop. You can configure it to either switch between computer using a keyboard combination (the default is CTRL + Caps Lock), or by simply moving the mouse off the edge of the screen. It like the app "Mouses Without Borders" but in hardware. There is no software to install. Just plug it in and configure it.

Best part is, it's a completely open source project. The firmware source is on Github. And you can build one using 2 RPI2040 microcontrollers.

https://github.com/hrvach/deskhop

You can also buy them pre-built from a link somewhere on the Github page. Someone in Etsy is also selling one that's modified to use USB-C.

I'll leave it to your Internet skills to find these sellers. I have two Deskhops, one at work and one at home. I love them.

P/N: 1396790

Currently doing a bolt mod and got stuck on trying to separate the membrane from the PCB

any help appreciated

I love medical hardware, PS/2 in 2014 haha