Keyboards from my collection (2023)

https://aresluna.org/50-keyboards-from-my-collection/

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The Elka Panther Combo Organ is still like a magic wand, it can change everything.

https://www.martinic.com/elka-panther

#ElkaPanther #Elka #Panther #Capri #VintageKeys #ComboOrgan #RetroSynth #AnalogKeys #MusicGear #VintageKeyboards #MusicProduction #StudioGear #OrganSound #Martinic

I don't know if I mentioned it already or not, but I got a new keyboard today - it's pretty old, but it's new-old stock! The guy who I got it from still has some left here, if anyone is interested - a few Swedish keyboards and one Spanish keyboard left.

It's a Televideo DEC-style keyboard with Space Invader/Angry Bear switches - they are the two-eyed white slider linear variants. They are pretty nice linear switches with a stiff weighting (think of Cherry MX Black for a modern comparison). Nice and smooth, with a REALLY nice sound. I'm not the biggest fan of linear switches, though; let alone stiff linear switches. Plus pulling keycaps off of this keyboard is an exercise in caution - one wrong move with a wire puller and you pull off both the cap AND the slider - and risk damaging the very fragile contacts (DO NOT ASK ME HOW I KNOW , thank god I got off pretty lucky and could re-bend the contacts with tweezers)

The layout might look both familiar and also weird (even ignoring the Spanish layout) - it's a terminal keyboard from what I understand, but the DEC layout is what popularized the modern "inverted T" shape for the arrow keys on today's keyboards, before the Model M made it widespread.

Furthermore, this being a terminal keyboard means I need to get a special converter for this keyboard (it has a PS/2 plug, but it DOES NOT work via a regular PS/2 port on a computer). I ordered a custom converter that might work off of eBay; I'll probably make a sequel post with my results. It was hard to find decent information about it - I had to dive through Github, as well as a Discord server for a forum (make of that what you will) for info; but there are firmwares of TMK/QMK/VIA/Vial out there that should work with this keyboard for the people who know how to make it themselves.

#MechanicalKeyboards #VintageKeyboards

> get bitten by the mechanical keyboard bug again
> looking around to consider various projects for keyboards that I could work on
> find this NOS NMB Space Invaders keyboard
> cool layout that's not too alien from modern layout
> realize it's a PS/2 keyboard but uses a terminal Protocol
> have to use google-fu along with go on a dedicated vintage keyboard forum's discord server (not even the forum itself) to find useful info
> be a non-programmer with minimal QMK experience
> conflicting information on whether or not a "soarer's converter" or a tinkerboy converter with QMK/VIAL firmware will work with this keyboard
> combing through various github repos and see that the keymap is in TMK
> will have to hope that the Tinkerboy converter that I plan on getting will work with this keyboard.
> YOLO, if I can't get this to work at least it'll be cool to say "I own a NOS Space Invaders board" that I bought for a decent price, totally worth it 😭

#MechanicalKeyboards #VintageKeyboards