IBM Model F 122 Keyboard 6110345, ANSI Converted, New Foam, Soarer\'s USB :-) For Sale

IBM Model F 122 Keyboard 6110345 with Soarer\'s Converter, ANSI Conversion, and New Foam!

*** FREE Shipping to the lower 48 USA! (Please contact me before offerding for shipping costs outside this area) ***

This is a veryrare vintage IBM Model F122-Key keyboard, built on January 15th, 1986! It\'s in good overall condition for its age,showing some minor marksand wear here and there from previous use,butit works fantastic. All of the keys have been fully tested, andfunction smoothly with a beautiful, tight click and clack. The original cloth tag is inside showing the date that the inner keyboard assembly was made, and the dual level feetextend and work as designed.

If you\'ve used a Model M before, then no doubt you are aware of how nice the typing experience is on IBM buckling spring keyboards. However,mostfolks agree that the Model F is in a league of its own.Once you\'ve typed on one, the Model M feelscheapby comparison. The solid metal backplate, and thick metal top and bottom plates make this one of the heaviest built IBM keyboards around.

Everything about the Model F is heavier duty when compared to the Model M. In addition, because the Model F uses capacitive sensing for the keys, it has inherent N-Key rollover. This means that you can hold any number of keys down at once and all of them will register.

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Thiskeyboard has had alot oftimeand effort put into it to improve it\'s usability by making several major upgrades/modifications.

First, the keys and barrels were removed and cleaned. The barrels were then given a coat of teflon dry lube and the rest of the keyboard internals were cleaned up.

Second,thiskeyboard has had a micro-controller installed and programmed towork with any modern PC with a USB port. The installed micro-controller is running Soarer\'s Converter software, so you can reprogram any and all keys on this keyboard, including adding function layers and macros.

Third, while I had this keyboard disassembled, I found that the existing foam had lost all of its thickness and was in rough shape, so while the barrels were out, I got rid of the oldfoam, and installedanewcustom-made layer of foam over the entire keyboard. The keyboardfelt pretty good even before doing this, but I wanted it to be as good as possible, so now ittypes like a dream! :-)

Finally, while the keyboardwas completely disassembled, and the keys were carefully re-arranged and programmedinto as close to a standardANSI configuration as possible, including the following:

• The Enter key has been replaced withnormal ANSI sized key, and the ANSI bracket/braces keys were added in their usual position above and to the left of the Enter key.
  
• Backslash has been moved to it\'s usual location above the Enter key and the original 1W key was replaced with a standard ANSI 1.5W sized key.
  
• The left shift key and \"< >\" keys were replaced with a standard ANSI left shift, and the double comma / double periodkeys were replaced with the standard \"<,\" and \">.\"
  
• The Enter and Reset keys in the bottom row were replaced with Ctrl keys from a Model M to match the standard ANSI layout.
  
• The nav cluster above the arrow block has been replaced and programmed with the standard Insert, Home, Page Up, Delete, End, Page Down keys
  
• The center key in the arrow nav cluster has been re-mapped to a down arrow for those that prefer upside-down T navigation.
  
• The keypad is a big change from the stockF122 setup and has beenadjusted and programmedto match the standard ANSIlayout with/,*,- keys in the usual spots along with the large + and Enter keys. The Escape key was relocated from the numpad toa place nearer itsusualpositionatthe left side of the keyboard.
  
• The F and J keys wereswapped out with Model M ones that havethe home-key nibs on them. This makes it much easier for touch typists to position their fingers on these home keys without having to look at the keyboard.
  
• A couple of additionalkeys with non-standard sub-legends such as the 1 and 6 keys on the upper row were swapped out for the ANSI equivalents.
  
• The SysRq / Attn key in the lower left was remapped as the Windows key for quick access to Windows functions.

With some simple programming, you can swap keys around, add additonal keys that you maywant, create macros,or even installdifferent keys from a Model M in order to customize the layout and appearance as you prefer it.

If you decide tochange the programming you can download the freely availableSoarer\'s Converter tools to make changes. It\'s really not that difficult to edit the configuration file to add your macros, key remaps, and function layers,but it can be daunting if you aren\'t comfortable editing files in a text editorand running a couple of commands in a command window. If you need assistance, let me know and I can direct you to some websites that should be able to help.

It\'s worth noting that any custom programming you add resides on the micro-controller that is installed inside this keyboard, so any key remapping, macros, or function layers that you add to it will stay with the keyboard itself and no specialsoftware willneed to be running on your computer to make these work.

The keyboard comes with a high quality USB cable attached.

Please ask any questions before you offer and I will do my best to answer them. Thanks!