The IBM Model F keyboards are prized among keyboard enthusiasts. In the early 80s, capacitive printed circuit board (PCB) flex spring switches were introduced and are considered the grandfather of mechanical switches. Despite their prestige, Model F keyboards disappeared by the next decade, and due to outdated technology, they became very rare and can be difficult to use with a modern computer. Targeting retro keyboard enthusiasts who don’t want to spend hours searching, repairing, or modifying, Model F Labs recreates IBM Model F keyboards with modern operating system support, and recently introduced the iconic curved spring switches in a classic, full-size package. keyboard, as well as some unique form factors.
Bending springs
With the tactile flex of an internal spring and the click of a flipper on a capacitive circuit board, the keys in the IBM Model F keyboards inspired modern mechanical switches. Popular in banks, they replaced IBM’s spring bar keyboards with a cheaper design that was also less bulky. Keyboards of early F models had keycaps of the same size, and the keycaps could also be removed for customization.
By 1985, IBM was producing Model M keyboards, also popular with keyboard collectors today, with keys that had a flex spring over the membrane and lower manufacturing costs.
However, the keys in Model M keyboards are generally considered to be heavier than the keys in Model F. The Model F keyboards are also considered to be more maintainable, according to Model F Labs, which states that they “can be taken apart and reassembled with just a pair of pliers and a screwdriver”and that its “top internal assembly has steel tabs that slide easily into the lower internal assembly.”
And while the Model F and Model M (which popularized today’s keyboard layouts in the US) have their place in keyboard history, the older Model F is harder to find (a group of ex-IBM and Lexmark employees even brought the Unicomp-branded Model M back) . ).
As The Register writes: “The best of the IBM keyboards is the Model F, but since they are over 40 years old, there are even more of them [than Model M keyboards]. And there is worse news. If you can find one, the PC/AT keyboard [based on the IBM 80286] uses a 5-pin DIN connector, which only requires a passive adapter to convert to PS/2 format.
“The original [IBM Personal Computer] and [IBM Personal Computer XT] keyboards use the same connector but a different protocol,”continues The Register. “If you can find a keyboard from the early 1980s around the time the [ 80286-based IBM PC/AT ] was in widespread use, if you’re still lucky, it will have a slider at the bottom that allows you to select PC or AT mode..”
Model F for the future
Since 2017, Model F Labs has been recreating Model F keyboards with the help of a group of dedicated enthusiasts. The work included creating CAD files, working with PCB and product designers, designing a capacitive controller, and studying various keyboard materials. Designed to work with personal devices that were hard to imagine in the 80s, the company says its keyboards work with Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS via a detachable USB-A cable. Given short production runs, Model F Labs says it doesn’t know how long each keyboard will stay in stock.
As of April 1, the Model F said it had sold over $2,454,000 worth of keyboards and announced new designs on Friday. Compared to the original re-creations of the Model F Labs, F62 Kishaver, and F77 without the numeric keypad, the new models have a more modern layout and design, and offer more niche form factors.
First, the classic styling of the F104 Model F and its smaller version of the Ultra Compact F104 Model F. With a full-size layout and a choice of vintage or bright body colors like red and teal, they look surprisingly versatile. Unlike true Model F keyboards with a plastic body, Model F Labs models use aluminum bodies (painted or powder coated). This should give the keyboards a vintage weight, but the Model F Labs website does not list weights or dimensions for the new keyboards. The company also uses sublimated PBT keycaps created with newly made injection molds.
“The layouts and cases of these regular/full-size Model F boards were modeled after later production Model M keyboards and their more standardized/upgraded layouts, but with the same Model F internals and sublimated XT-quality keycaps as the keyboards. original project F62/F77,” Model F Labs announced the new keyboards.