Model M Battlecruiser / Battleship innards interchangeable?

feltel · 02 Apr 2021, 08:03

A few days ago I thought I found my long searched IBM Battleship keyboard for an okay price. The joy did not last long as I opened the keyboard to clean it. I should have paid more attention to the outside look. It seems I must have found the keyboard used on the Titanic. The innards are completly rusted and baked together.

I have worked on some Ms in the past which had a hard life in auto shops, industrial uses and so on. This keyboard is by far in the worst condition I ever saw.

Spoiler:

I have some hopes to save the case, the caps and a few springs at least. To make a sad story short I'd like to ask if I can source a (better available) Battlecruiser and put its innards into the Battleship? For me it looks like it is compatible but can someone confirm?

Rayndalf · 02 Apr 2021, 09:42

So good case, caps and barrels, but the flippers, springs and backplate are toast?
The PCB might still work. If it does than rust removal on a plate + some new springs and flippers might be the play.

It'll be a bit of work though.
Really the condition of the membrane and controller will be the deciding factor.

I'd check with Unicomp, they still sell the PC 122, so you might have luck with a replacement membrane. They might even sell you a compatible controller, I'm not sure. https://www.pckeyboard.com/page/product/MEM

feltel · 02 Apr 2021, 11:12

Yes, the springs (at least most of them), probably the menbrane and the backplate are lost I think. They are baked together and I'll try to seperate them. But I think the membrane is not salvageable.

Unicomp would be an option, but shipping and taxes are very high. I think using parts from other dead keyboards would be more economical.

I have put the case parts into the bathtub and after cleaning them I'll take my other Battlecruiser apart and try to fit them into the Battleship case. I think they are compatible.

ddrfraser1 · 02 Apr 2021, 11:14

feltel wrote: 02 Apr 2021, 08:03 It seems I must have found the keyboard used on the Titanic.

You’re right. Actually that’s the exact unit they used to try to send the SOS. Didn’t work very well back then either

feltel · 02 Apr 2021, 14:27

I just stripped my other M122 and test-fittet the barrel frame. As far as I can tell they are interchangeable between generations. In my case it is a somewhat tight fit due to the lock lights modifications I made to my M122. But I'm relieved I do not have to hunt for an probably unobtainable Battleship barrel frame.

: PXL_20210402_115801134.jpg (3.21 MiB) Viewed 1939 times

feltel · 09 Apr 2021, 15:52

I managed to crack open the barrel plate. Its a mess. Even the membrane is rusted.

I could save about a dozen of the springs/hammers, the plastic barrel frame, but everything else is not salvagable. I'll try to machine down the back plate but I'm unsure if it will work. It not only rusted from the outside but far worse from the inside.

: PXL_20210409_133315006.jpg (4.83 MiB) Viewed 1848 times

Maybe some time in the future I'll do an space saving M122 like viewtopic.php?f=7&t=25535 but with nav cluster and regular spacebar.

To fill the case which came really well after a deep cleaning I managed to arrange a fair deal with one those deskthorians.