But since there's no used to sell, i wantes to look for IBM Models M orginals. My question is:
Which model to avoid? Are there any? Would connect it to a PS/2 adapter.
I don't like the normal mechanical keeb market, because they're loud.
[1]: https://www.pckeyboard.com/page/category/UKBD
Happy owner of 5 original IBM Model Ms here, plus Das Keyboard, Apple Extended, 2 x Apple Extended II and others.
If you don't like "normal mechanical" K/Bs because they're loud, you will not like a Model M. They are much, much louder. I don't know any 21st century keyboard that's as loud as the real IBM deal.
When I moved to Czechia in 2014, I took a Model M in my suitcase, in the spirit of "accept nothing less than the best."
People crossed the floor of my open-plan office with 40-50 co-workers to ask what I was typing on. People multiple rooms away asked what the noise was. My boss' boss, in his own private separate room, said my "typing sounded like rain." Heavy rain, outside, he clarified.
I treated myself to one about four years ago. After many years of telling myself it was too expensive.
It was complete crap. I mostly kept it in its original box except for fooling around with it on an rPi. It failed in less than two years.
I sent it back for repair under warranty. The warranty required I pay for shipping it back. Another twenty-five bucks down the drain.
A few weeks later its back. In the interim, I am poking around on the Unicomp website and notice that it lists the weight as...I don't remember, but like five or six pounds.
The one I bought from Unicomp weighed in at just under three. I remembered when the Unicomp arrived and thinking it felt light and flimsy compared to my memory of the original Model M I'd had back in the 1990's (salvaged from a 8580 headed to the dumpster).
I got the replacement back and sell it on eBay to cut my losses.
I bought the Unicomp before the pandemic, so it wasn't a supply chain issue. Just a company maximizing profits. Requiring customers to pay for shipping under warranty is probably a sign that the company knows it will have a lot of warranty repairs.
My advice is don't buy a Unicomp. But YMMV.
Buckling springs are way louder than almost all mechanical switches on the market.
I don't see any rational argument for a Model M in 2023. There are so many options in keyboards that are more modern, quiet, well built, compact and yet feel nicer to type on.
A known refurbisher of M models is:
https://www.clickykeyboards.com/
the name should tell something.
There is a thread on HN revolving on M keyboards talking also of PS/2 to USB adapters:
If you don't want a loud keyboard, then you do not want a Model M. They're probably the loudest keyboard you can buy today (excepting something bespoke that's intentionally louder than a Model M).
That being said, any of the 1980/90s PS/2 models will probably be perfectly fine, as long as you find a reputable seller. I bought mine (early 1990s) from eBay for about $50 in 2012, and haven't had any problems since.
I have the OG model M from 1993 or so, the Unicomp Model M, and a Model F keyboard from modelfkeyboards.com.
Of the 3 my favorite is the New Model F. It has a satisfying ping-y The Model M is good too, but the cable is fraying and I'm afraid to use it and accelerate its demise. Probably I can send it to someone for fixing or fix it myself somehow but haven't gotten around to it.
Nothing is wrong with the Unicomp technically but it is my least used... not sure why.
If your complaint about mechanical keyboards is that they are loud, be prepared that the buckling spring keyboards are several times louder than anything Cherry-like.
On the other end of the spectrum I have a Realforce R2 PFU edition. It has silenced topre switches which are sort of a fancy rubber dome. This is the keyboard I use 90% of the time and for this comment.
> I don't like the normal mechanical keeb market, because they're loud.
So it sounds like you heard about the mythical model M and now want to own one for geek cred. Only problem is it seems like you never heard one in action. To give you an idea listen to an audio recording from a WW1 front-line.
I own a 1986 Model M and bought a USB cable for it off eBay. It's FUCKING LOUD. The buckling springs not only emit a loud report but also a twang that vibrates through the steel backing plate. Very unique sound but not everyone within a kilometer will agree. Its also HUGE with a very deep profile. I love it but it took up too much room on my little desk.
On a whim I bought a Happy Hacking 2 (HHK2) since I've always wanted one and wound up falling in love with the Topre switches. They are quiet while having a really soft and comfortable feel. The HHK's lack of keys was a bit annoying in some situations so I purchased an 80% Realforce RGB. Initially I did not want illuminated keys but you can turn them off or change the colors using the keys directly - no driver or software needed.
I used one of some variety or another at my job about 10 years ago working at a helpdesk. It made a good conversation piece, but eventually I got tired of the conversations and users on the phone could hear it too.. sometimes not for the best.
I went into this rabbit hole for a bit, I had bought I think four or five vintage Ms varying from the 80s to early 90s when Lexmark took over (Blue IBM logo, drain channels on the bottom), three Unicomps (two full size models, 104 keys, one USB one PS/2), one space saver model. The space saver model I bought for my mother that was teleworking; it randomly failed at some point after a couple of years and I was never able to figure out why, there wasn't a spill or anything that I could find evidence of.. I never looked into repairing it, just got rid of it.
The Unicomps were okay. You can tell that the molds and tooling they bought from Lexmark are pretty worn now, and the weight has been reduced even further no doubt in an attempt to be price competitive with the current market which isn't easy. I still have one of them and it still works, the other I lost due to damage that can't be levied against the keyboard.
At some point though I just got sick of the noise. At this point for old mechanical keyboards I'd sooner seek out a Dell AT101 than using another buckling spring board. It uses Black ALPS switches, they are tactile with a much fainter sound that I enjoy, and they're equipped with Windows keys. I have one Model M connected to a file server at a remote site that I touch maybe once or twice a year, I'm reminded at these times of why people love and why I no longer care for them.
My current keyboard is a Ducky Shine 7 with Cherry MX Blacks. Blacks and Browns (or comparable from the many other suppliers that have cropped up in recent years) are the only ones that interest me.
If you really want a model M look around on the used market and don't obsess over which model you are getting. They're all variations of one another with some cost cutting added here and there but imo they never compromised the solid feel of the keyboard or the fantastic tactile click of the keys.
If you have money, these people have been on HN a few times:
So, you either get one whose keys have all been tested to work, or you should be ready to do some manual work.
As far as I know, internally all models (M122 terminal, standard Enhanced Keyboard, and Space Savers/TKL) are internally the same w.r.t. reliability, noise, and feel.
Yes and no. Some PS/2 adapters can be flaky with original Model M's because of the heavier power draw from the older chips compared to modern IC's.
https://www.swvincent.com/articles/ibm-model-m-power-consump...
>I don't like the normal mechanical keeb market, because they're loud.
Buckling springs are about the same volume as the Cherry Blue's I've tested.
Edit: am Emacs user.
I think a concave ferris with 3 thumb keys or an extra outside column would be the sweet spot, or a more staggered corne.
Try non-blue switch options; I love my Logitech G915 Pro for example, although its the midway brown switch and a very different profile; but there are plenty of others that will be more like the classic style and (relatively) quiet.
Then install dampeners and use silent/non-clicky switches? This seems a very bad reason not to use a mechanical keyboard.
There are also other options, e.g. for modern rubber dome keyboard (like the HHKB).
I’ve had crappy Logitechs and no-names that lasted longer. Kinda disappointing considering how well built it is.
Unfortunately I can’t recommend that trash.
Have a look at RealForce Topre keyboards tho. Feel real nice.