Editing
IBM Enhanced Keyboard
(section)
From Deskthority Wiki
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
===International Enhanced Keyboards=== In contrast to IBM's previous keyboards, the Enhanced Keyboard was produced with two different physical key arrangements: one for US English and another for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. (Far Eastern IBM keyboards, with unique designs, were manufactured by IBM Japan.) This likely mirrored tastes in typewriter layouts: Non-U.S. keyboards often included dedicated keys for accented characters in other languages; the US market preferred large shift and return keys, considered easier for typing. For the international market, IBM had a 102-key layout (later known as the ISO layout) seemingly inspired by the 5251's key layout. These keyboards were produced in IBM's plant in Greenock, Scotland (where they also made PCs, terminals and laptops for the non-US/non-Japanese markets). The standard Enhanced Keyboard had the necessary membrane contacts to support both ANSI and ISO layouts, so the only physical difference aside from the different keycaps was the location of the spring/hammer assemblies to accommodate the appropriate keys. Unlike in the US, the Greenock plant remained under IBM's control after the Lexmark divestiture. IBM continued to manufacture ISO layout Model M's, but followed the trend of Lexmark's keyboards and adopted the 'blue' logo and drainage holes. Unlike their American keyboards, IBM changed these designs without changing their part numbers, meaning that for each ISO part number there are three distinct variations. Around 1994 they switched from a 1391401-based design to a 52G9xxx-based one. By 1995 or 1996, they had changed to a 42H1292-style design. Due to more stringent regulations in the EU/UK compared to the US, many Greenock-made Model M's also have electrically-grounded space bars made out of ABS (often easily recognisable by yellowing) to prevent static electricity (often caused by monitors, then based on cathode ray tube technology) from building up and discharging into the user. Furthermore, Greenock-made M's with drainages holes do not have drainage channels inside. In addition to the usual 13914xx part numbers, IBM also manufactured keyboards under a wide variety of seemingly random part numbers. They also made some rubber-dome variants, most of whose part numbers begin with 71G. US-layout keyboards were also made in Greenock. All 42H1292s made after 1996 were produced there. Earlier variants were also produced in Greenock, sometimes with the same part number, but there were some Greenock-specific US keyboards; for example, the 1396790 was a standard 101-key variant based either on the 1391401 or 52G9658, depending on its year of manufacture. The different part number seems to have indicated a US layout keyboard for customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The 1396790 is common in the Netherlands and other countries in the EMEA regions where the US layout is popular. The 1394950 was an Industrial model made from 1996 on, and was largely identical to the earlier 1394946 with one distinguishing feature: instead of the hard plastic label with raised silvered letters, it has a simple flat sticker. Starting in 1986, IBM also made keyboards at their Mexican PC manufacturing center in Guadalajara, Mexico. These keyboards were largely intended for the Latin American market, although there were also some for the French Canadian and US markets. Lexmark eventually took control of keyboard production there, producing a number of Mexican-made Lexmark Model M's. Production in Guadalajara likely ceased in 1996 when Lexmark stopped making keyboards. Unlike Greenock Model M's, Mexico-made Model M's have no defining characteristics from IBM US/Lexmark Model M's. Mexico-made Model M's should not be confused with the Maxi Switch–made IBM Model M13 derivatives made in a different plant in a different part of the country. As with US Model M's, international layout Model M's left production in 1999. For most Model M sub-variants (with the main exception of the M15) there were ISO versions, although they are generally rarer. <gallery widths=250 heights=187> File:IBM Model M -- spacebar earthing.jpg|Earthed (grounded) space bar from a 1996 Greenock Model M File:IBM Model M -- spacebar earthing connector.jpg|Earthing connector for the space bar </gallery>
Summary:
Please note that all contributions to Deskthority Wiki may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here.
You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see
Project:Copyrights
for details).
Do not submit copyrighted work without permission!
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)
Navigation menu
Page actions
Page
Discussion
Read
Edit
Edit source
History
Page actions
Page
Discussion
More
Tools
Personal tools
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Navigation
Main page
Deskthority forum
Support Deskthority
Search
Main categories
Guides
Keyboards
Keyboard switches
Keycaps
Keyboard modding
Pointing devices
Brands & companies
Group buys
Other topics
Wiki info & links
Recent changes
Random page
All pages
Deskthority wiki help
MediaWiki help
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Special pages
Page information