Comments on: Inside the World's Greatest Keyboard

Comment on Inside the World's Greatest Keyboard by: Anonymous

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 15:51:41 +0000

I'd been wanting a Model M since working as an intern at IBM in the 80s. Our default mushy keyboards at work just don't cut it. Thanks to the Internet, 25 years later I found out about the Unicomps & bought a Spacesaver last summer. To me it's the best blend of old-world & new. It is USB & has a Windows key, yet feels and sounds the same (and is made with the same tooling) as the Model Ms.

Comment on Inside the World's Greatest Keyboard by: Nash

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 09:45:26 +0000

Hahaha! it's funny, i'm typing on one right now. ive been browsing this blog, seeing peripherals i wish i had to add to my computer, not even thinking this whole time i've been typing on a 25 year old keyboard.

the thing is a tank though! easily the best keyboard i've ever had (if not the loudest!)

Comment on Inside the World's Greatest Keyboard by: Eric

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:57:44 +0000

PS. picked it up at my local computer shop for a buck in the bargain bin;D

Comment on Inside the World's Greatest Keyboard by: Eric

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:56:00 +0000

Haha, that's my keyboard. I had no idea it was the greatest one ever made. I do know it's the greatest one I've ever owned though:D

It'd be handy to have a windows key, but it's worth not having one for a great keyboard.

Comment on Inside the World's Greatest Keyboard by: Captain Angry

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:54:22 +0000

Believe it or not, my company (warehousing) still uses a terminal variant of the Model M on coax-networked IBM Infowindow green tube terminals. Here are some pictures of Model M technology I deal with every day:

http://img370.imageshack.us/img370/6176/modelm1pw9.jpg
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/8373/modelm2fg8.jpg
http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/4549/modelm3rm1.jpg

I never really considered these to be a great keyboards, but now that I think about it, in jobs past when I had to swipe a keyboard to borrow in the dust covered rack room in the bowels of some rural Safeway, I usually went for the Model M on the old server, because it would still work no matter how much dirt was on it. This is a KB with true grit!

Comment on Inside the World's Greatest Keyboard by: Giovani Zancan

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:56:35 +0000

Thanks Benj, I'll probably try to make a cable on my own, I just hope not to break this wonderful keyboard ^^"

And Kitsunexus, since I live in Brazil, it would be kinda expensive for the shiping XD

Comment on Inside the World's Greatest Keyboard by: Kitsunexus

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 02:50:52 +0000

dude Benj you should make Giovani a cable and charge $25+shipping.

Comment on Inside the World's Greatest Keyboard by: SB

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 01:08:08 +0000

Oh, I should point out that the Unicomp keyboards are more like the blue labels created by Lexmark. They have the drain holes along the bottom, the keys are one piece (they don't have a separate cap), the plastic doesn't seem as hard as the older models (of course, it's all relative- you can still kill a man with it), the cord is not detachable, etc. So it's not exactly like the silver/grey label model M seen in this article, but for all intents and purposes, it's essentially the same thing. Unless you are a Model M nerd, like me

Comment on Inside the World's Greatest Keyboard by: SB

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:56:38 +0000

Model M's are still being produced by a company named Unicomp. Their website can be found here: http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/

It's the same factory that originally made the keyboards when the IBM factory moved to Kentucky. The Customizer 101 is exactly the same as a Model M. The Customizer 104 is a newer version, with the only differences being that the Customizer 104 comes in black, has a USB connector, and features a Windows key. I have numerous White/Grey/Blue label Model M's and I can attest to the fact that the Unicomp ones have the same feel and quality as the originals- Because they ARE Model M's

The USB connector on the Unicomp keyboards come in handy, too. There are adapters for computers without a PS/2 ports, of course, but if they are not powered adapters, they sometimes do not work because the Model M draws too much power (see Newegg reviews, for examples).

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicomp

Comment on Inside the World's Greatest Keyboard by: Benj Edwards

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:36:21 +0000

I believe so, Giovani. If you find a Model M cable with a DIN or PS/2 plug, then it should work on your keyboard. There are some exceptions, where certain IBM terminals had proprietary keyboard standards that might be incompatible with the Model M. But in general, if the keyboard looks like a 101-key extended AT keyboard (like the Model M), it's probably compatible.

That being said, getting a DIN or PS/2 cable for the Model M might be difficult. It will likely be easier to buy another Model M with the cable, or use a cable from a broken model M than to find a cable by itself.. Another option is to wire up a cable yourself, which should be relatively simple, but it's not really an option for people unfamiliar with electronics work.

Good luck.