By Ruben(nerd) Schade, a UTS university student and IT guy in Sydney and Singapore. c.2004
Beautiful photo of a beautiful piece of classic hardware, John Gruber's Apple Extended Keyboard. I've been using an IBM Model M clone Unicomp SpaceSaver with my desktops and a ThinkPad as my primary portable computer since 2009; regular keyboards make me feel like I'm typing on a thawed fish.
If you type a lot, you owe it to yourself to use wonderful keyboards. They'll do more for your productivity than any other upgrade, and I'd hazard a guess most people don't give theirs a second thought.
The footy buckling spring keyboard episode!
Getting hate messages a sign of honour; maturity by being able to laugh at yourself; news still being news if its not new; IRC and Twitter mudslinging whatnot; people getting snippy at me quoting David Letterman's comments on Aussie Rules football; scoring points if you miss; making fun sounds with buckling spring keyboards; the awesomeness of Unicomp in the US of A and this thing called a sense of humour!
Download MP3 to listen 21:16 9.9MiB
You can also view previous episodes, subscribe via iTunes or another client, stream this episode and view its Internet Archive page.
You remember just in passing here I mentioned that I got a Unicomp buckling spring keyboard? I certainly didn't talk about it too much, only in... seven separate posts, eight including this one. I ended up getting the USB SpaceSaver buckling spring model and its been a real pleasure to use.
The problem with using said keyboard with my MacBook Pro though is IBM and Mac keyboards have their Alt/Option and Windows/Command keys in opposite places. Fortunately as of this morning I've got this all sorted out with software and some new keycaps from Unicomp.
Firstly, one of the great think about these robust keyboards is their keys can be easily popped off and rearranged, so it took no effort at all to take off the Alt and Windows keys on both sides of the spacebar and swap their positions. Of course all this does is change the lettering on the keys not the keystroke signals, but if you go to System Preferences, Keyboard and Mouse, Keyboard and click Modifier Keys, you can swap the Alt/Option and Windows/Command keys to match your new layout.
The second piece of the puzzle is purely cosmetic but as a guy like me with a restraining order against Microsoft Windows it felt a bit creepy using a Windows logo key instead of a Mac Command key. Fortunately I was able to contact the Unicomp sales department and for a few bucks they sent me some Option and Command keys to replace the Alt and Windows keys. They arrived this morning and I popped them into position, they look great!
They're not offered on their online store as an option so if you want them too you need to contact sales at pckeyboard dot com and quote them which model and colour keyboard you have so they can match the appropriate keys. Ask for their optional Mac keycaps.
Now I have quite possibly the best Mac keyboard you can possibly buy! I implore you, if you're a Mac user to contact Unicomp and get your hands on a keyboard of theirs with optional Mac keys. As I said before, it's akin to upgrading your bed from a sheet on the floor to a mattress, it makes that much of a difference.
It also makes it an even easier decision to pick up one of their keyboards because the Unicomp people themselves are down to earth, friendly and honest and as an international purchaser they went out of their way to find the cheapest and fastest shipping options and asked me what I wanted to do. They're good people who make great products, simple as that. And I wasn't even paid to say so, though I would gladly accept a discount on their future products if they felt so inclined :).
Speaking of latest photos on Flickr, I recently uploaded another comparison photo of my Commodore 16 (Wikipedia) and my new Unicomp SpaceSaver which you can see above.
A photo of my Commodore 16 home computer from the 1980s above my new Unicomp SpaceSaver buckling spring keyboard made to the same specifications as the venerable IBM Model M keyboard which came out around the same time.
They're uncannily similar, right down to the texture of the plastic! Perhaps I need to get a Commodore 16 sticker to put on this :)
In this photo their similarities are less striking than this photo I took which really shows the colour and texture of the plastic to be similar, if not exactly the same.
I love tech nostalgia from a bygone era. If as I said in the photo comment above I could get a Commodore 16 sticker to place on my Unicomp SpaceSaver that'd just be... what was it the kids were saying in the 1980s? It'd be... radical!
The colour scheme, the texture of the keys and the plastic bezel... it's uncanny isn't it?
I guess the Commodore 16 and IBM's buckling spring keyboard came out around the same time, all they need is to be the same colours and it makes me feel like I'm using the C16 to type up blog posts. I guess I'm silly and nostaligic in that way.
And in case you're wondering, the Unicomp keyboard is still much louder when typing than the Commodore 16.
Well ladies and gentleman I am typing this blog post from my brand new custom Unicomp SpaceSaver buckling spring computer keyboard! Though it may look like a regular keyboard, it's as far from a modern keyboard inside as you could possibly get. From Wikipedia's article on the IBM Model M which this keyboard traces it's ancestry to:
[...] Model M keyboards have been prized by computer enthusiasts and heavy typists because of the tactile and auditory feedback resulting from a keystroke.
The Model M is also regarded as an extremely durable piece of hardware. Many units manufactured since the mid 1980s are still in use today, while the computers and monitors of the day are obsolete. Unicomp, which now owns the rights to the design, now sells the keyboards. Recently, the keyboards have made a comeback amongst writers and computer techs.
Let me just say right up front this keyboard feels absolutely amazing! It's almost impossible to describe, but typing on regular keyboards now makes me feeling like I'm pressing on a squishy pizza. It's so responsive; each key is registered and makes a clicking sound when a button is pressed down, not when the key snaps back up again. It doesn't sound like that would make a big difference, but it does. It's like the difference between sleeping on a hardwood floor or a mattress.
The other benefit being a bucking spring type keyboard is it makes such a satisfyingly loud noise! What I type on this thing may not have been any different to what I was entering on my MacBook Pro's internal keyboard, but it sounds like real work is being done. This thing is louder than all outdoors; might need to start closing my bedroom door here while I work or using the study in our house in Adelaide instead of the dining room to prevent my dad and sister going absolutely crazy!
I got the SpaceSaver model instead of the full sized Customizer which means the keys are full size but the bezel around the case is much thinner. This means I'll be able to put it more easily in luggage when I'm flying from Adelaide to Singapore and back.
I was tempted to get the retro beige colour like our IBM machine from the late 1980s at home, but ended up getting the grey and black model so it matched my other computer hardware better. According to the pictures the colour and style looked just like a Commodore 16, and looking at them side by side now here I can confirm it's true! It's like I'm using a slimmer, buckling spring Commodore 16 with a numeric keypad to code into my MacBook Pro, brilliant!
Another great feature is just how easy it is to remove the keys and place them back again. One of the first things I did was to swap the Windows (Command key on the Mac) and Alt keys around then change my keyboard mappings in System Preferences to match the layout of a regular Mac keyboard. According to this reviewer it's possible to remove the offensive Windows logo entirely and order some custom Mac keys from Unicomp you can stick in their place. Might look into that.
I just don't know how to articulate what a sheer delight it is to type on this keyboard, it is absolutely amazing. The only scary thing now is, I may never want to type on anything else ever again! And I may be killed for making too much noise. What's the point of having a buckling spring keyboard without making noise though I ask you?
If you want to grab a Unicomp bucking spring keyboard made to the same specifications as the original IBM Model M, rush over to their website and place and order. I am satisfied beyond words with their sales support and their products!
I will be taking more photos of it and putting them in my Flickr Unicomp SpaceSaver gallery you can check out if you're interested.
What's worse than waiting for a parcel to arrive in the mail? Not being able to hastily take a sharp picture with your non-3GS iTelephone because there's insufficient light and it doesn't have proper focusing! Wait, let me try that again.
What's worse than waiting for a parcel to arrive in the mail? Having it arrive when you're not home! Somewhere out there in the warehouse districts of Singapore is a custom Unicomp SpaceSaver...
ASIDE: As I type this at this Starbucks in Singapore that's still hecticly busy at 21:34, a women just walked past dressed as Shana from Shakugan no Shana. Wha...?
Sorry I was distracted. Somewhere out there in the warehouse districts of Singapore is a custom Unicomp SpaceSaver bucking spring IBM Model M replica keyboard with my name on it! Well not literally; Unicomp is a great business that produces quality products, but as far as I know they don't go as far as etching your name on the devices you order.
Perhaps they should. Then if someone was walking out of our apartment wearing a balaclava and had a custom Unicomp SpaceSaver bucking spring IBM Model M replica keyboard under his arm I could quickly ascertain whether the keyboard was mine or whether he takes his own custom Unicomp SpaceSaver bucking spring IBM Model M replica keyboard with him when he robs apartment buildings in Singapore.
I think I've had too much [coffee] to drink.
Did I mention I came very close today to getting a custom Unicomp SpaceSaver bucking spring IBM Model M replica keyboard?
It's often the case people are quick to report negative experiences with products and companies, but they don't talk when something goes well.
Yesterday I ordered a Unicomp SpaceSaver bucking spring keyboard and paid in full as talked about here. A few hours later I received an email:
Thank you very much for your recent keyboard order. As you are aware, shipping costs today are considerable and an important part of your buying decision. We want you to understand that we do not add handling costs and we pass along discounts we receive from our carriers so our shipping rates are among the lowest in the industry.
[LIST OF QUOTES]
The shipping costs do not include any duties or taxes which your country may impose. [...] Please give us your approval and tell us how we should ship your order. An email note with the appropriate tracking information will be sent when the order ships.
--
Jim Owens
So by being an international customer I received an email shortly afterwards with a list of shipping options to Singapore including prices and estimated arrival times, and I was given the option to choose on the proviso that if they can get them shipped cheaper they'll refund me the difference.
I haven't even received said keyboard yet, but my email exchanges with Unicomp including this recent message have really impressed me. The people who run this company are friendly, honest and sincere. Other online retailers could really! learn from these people.
If I love this keyboard as I suspect I will, I'll be recommending Unicomp to everyone I know.
Enough talk already! After weighing up all the options, I finally plonked down the dough and ordered a Unicomp SpaceSaver buckling spring keyboard. While I was drawn to the retro beige and light grey key colour scheme I ended up getting the black and grey version so it would match my Apple hardware, Samsung monitors and whatnot. Plus it looks just like my Commodore 16 :-D.
Despite having some older machines that only recognise PS/2 and that I could only configure an alternative key layout if I used the PS/2 version, I opted for USB. I already carry far too many adaptors, dongles and other riff raff between Singapore and Adelaide as it is, and I worry a PS/2 to USB adaptor would just be another thing to lose. Plus, I've read the IBM Model M series keyboards draw far more power than regular keyboards and that you need an active converter rather than just an adaptor to change the signals. Not sure if that's true for the Unicomp keyboards too, but I figured I may as well play it safe.
If you skipped my obsessive coverage of keyboards of late (IBM Model M and Northgate Omnikey keyboards and Unicomp and CVT keyboards), Unicomp manufacture keyboards to the same specifications as the original IBM Model M keyboards from the 1980s that use buckling springs which feel much nicer to type on and give a classic audible click with each keystroke. I was able to use a classic IBM keyboard back in Adelaide at my university and it really does make a huge difference.
While I do love the svelte keyboards Apple are currently producing and will continue to use them on my other machines (even my non-Macs!) I'm looking forward to using this IBM/Unicomp keyboard for programming and writing blog posts.
10-15 business days... I might explode waiting that long! Yes, I get excited about computer keyboards, shaddup.
Yesterday I talked about the IBM Model M and the Nortgate Omnikey series of keyboards which were manufactured from the 80s to early 90s and that many people claim provided superior tactile and audible feedback with their buckling spring designs compared to modern, cheap membrane keyboards. Not only that, but because they were built like battleships many people are still using these keyboards with their latest machines!
There's both good news and bad news for people of my age who were too young to have used such keyboards when they were being produced. The bad news first: because these keyboards were so well built and are no longer being produced by their original manufacturers, second hand examples routinely go for hundreds of dollars on eBay and other online merchants. I saw an original Northgate OmniKey 102 fetch over AU$240.00!
The good news is, grilled cheese sandwiches are tasty. Wait, what? Not only that, but in doing research I came across two current companies that manufacture these keyboards to the original specifications of both IBM and Northgate, and while they're prices are higher than a typical 104 key Logitech you could pick up for a couple of bucks, they're far cheaper than buying originals:
[CTRL] and [CAPS LOCK] keys swapped which would be fantastic.
I remember back to when we first moved to Singapore and we threw away out first IBM desktop because it got damaged (to put it mildly!) in the move from Brisbane. I was too little to remember many of the details, but when I saw photos of the Model M keyboards I'm fairly sure that's the loud, fun keyboard it had, right down to the springy telephone-like data cable! Wish we still had that machine.
I find all this stuff fascinating. You can take that however you want.