• Can you fix my Model M?

Yup!

Well, as long as it didn’t reach terminal velocity before landing on concrete.
…though I’d be interested in taking the challenge.

And as long as it wasn’t burnt to a charred lump in an inexplicable fire.
(…but I’d certainly give it a good scholarly try to salvage the steel plate, at least.)

…but, I ran my Model M through a dishwasher and now it doesn’t work, can you still fix it?
Yep. I’ve fixed that.
Also, side note, don’t run your Model M through a dishwasher… it’s a bad idea.

Even if it was left outside for years..?
I’ve definitely seen and fixed a number of boards left to the ravages of mother nature.

Even if I ran it over with my car…?
Heh, yeah… I fixed one that got ran over. It actually held together surprisingly well. Others may not fare as well, but I’d still try.

• What about Unicomp’s repair services?

I’ll preface this by saying I love Unicomp. They’re still dedicated to manufacturing keyboards with my favorite type of switch mechanism: the buckling spring. And they do a fantastic job at it here in the USA! Go buy a Unicomp keyboard, just because!

On the other hand, a brand new Unicomp keyboard is not the same as a nearly 30 year old IBM manufactured Model M, even though it’s basically cast from the same mold. There are a lot of nuances in material composition and manufacturing choices but if anything, there’s simply intrinsic value in owning a vintage piece of equipment that not only functions the same as when it was built but looks the same, and will continue both for years to come.

So, when you send your ’86 Model M to Unicomp for repair, they remove the sub-assembly (the heart and soul of an old M,  where all the typing action has taken place for decades) and replace it with a brand new sub-assembly. The original gets torn apart, the plastic barrel frame ran through a grinder for recycling, and the (much thicker) steel plate with beautiful galvanizing gets tossed in the scrap metal pile.

I take the more labor intensive route to preserve the legacy of the old ‘boards, a full fledged “screw mod” – which is what I perform during my Overhaul Service.

Do you accept trades or cryptocurrency for your services?

I’ve been known to take a trade before, if it’s interesting enough. I’ve yet to jump on the crypto bandwagon, but I’m interested – so maybe!

Can you convert my Model M to USB/Bluetooth?

USB: yes.
Bluetooth: yes – with a few caveats and extra cost.

In my bolt mod research, most of the ones I’ve seen use screws and nuts. You only use screws. Is your method as durable?

Not only is it “as durable”, I’m inclined to say that the nut and bolt mod is adversely redundant. There’s too much potential for over tightening and the overall height presses into the bottom half of the case.

I will happily state my opinion that the screw mod variation is far superior when done correctly. I have a video of running a screw in and out of the plastic about 100 times with no ill effect. I’ll post it eventually for the naysayers. ;P

I attempted a bolt mod and kinda messed it up, can you fix it for me?

Ehhhh…. I mean, yeah, but I rather prefer to have done it all myself from the beginning. I’ve seen some pretty bad attempts with ruined barrel frames. Contact me and perhaps you can talk me into it.

Do you repair Unicomp keyboards?

No. I prefer to keep my focus on the vintage boards and would rather Unicomp received the business to repair the keyboards they manufactured.

Do you still sell refurbished Model M’s?

Well heck yeah, I mean, I have a fair amount of M’s hanging out because I’m a bit of a hoarder. It’s just a matter of pulling them off the shelf and taking the time to do ’em up right!

Does the USB Controller damage any original components or require modification to the case?

Nope. I specifically designed it as a drop-in replacement to the original controller and you could just as easily pop the original back in with no damage.

Do you sell the USB Controller by itself?

Normally it’s something that I only sell in combination with the overhaul service. For the near future it will stay this way. I have plans of building a reflow oven and getting more bare PCBs manufactured, at which point I’ll be able to sell them separately again.

All of the controllers I have built so far have been hand soldered and built to order. Luckily, I enjoy microsoldering. On the other hand, it’s somewhat time consuming.

Can it handle Bluetooth yet?

Yeah, but I’m not thrilled with the battery life. It also adds extra cost to the controller. I don’t much care about having it battery powered though, so long as I can quickly switch between my computer and my smartphone.

Didn’t you say you were going to open source the Controller design?

Yeah, I did. And yeah, I will. It’s not that complicated, but I’d be doing a disservice by releasing it as is. The BOM isn’t up to date, the schematic looks funky, and there are still a few things I want to change. But yeah, eventually. The design is friendly to those with intermediate to advanced soldering skills, so even though it’s primarily surface mount I chose 1206 packages for basic functionality and 0805 for Bluetooth related jazz. The only fine pitch soldering is the microcontroller (64 pins, and it’s not at all difficult with a good drag soldering technique) and the special USB ports (Micro and Mini are easy, USB-C is a fun challenge).

Can the controller handle macros, layers, special keys? Is it programmable?

The only reason this controller exists in the first place is because of the firmware that incredibly talented people have been working on. As it stands, the default configuration that I load up is for standard operation – plug it in and you have a Model M with built in USB that acts exactly the same as a standard USB keyboard.

The super awesome firmware(s) that it runs are capable of so much more though, and I’m happy to help with some limited customization initially upon request. Otherwise, for the technically inclined, read up on the firmware documentation and you can compile your own custom variation and re-flash the controller to your hearts content.

Let’s talk history and links:

Originally, the very first prototype ran “Soarer’s Controller” firmware. You can still find it on Deskthority and Geekhack, but unfortunately the source code was never released and it doesn’t handle key ghosting. So, I’d say don’t use it with this controller, but I wanted to mention it because it was really cool and easy to configure. Thanks, Soarer, wherever you are. Your code has inspired many projects.

After that, all of the controllers I built have been running TMK Keyboard Firmware which I cannot put enough praise towards. It’s the only reason I’ve learned what very little C programming that I know, and the reason why I keep learning. It’s freakin’ cool, check it out.

https://github.com/tmk/tmk_keyboard

In 2020 I finally took the time to look into QMK (Quantum Mechanical Keyboard Firmware) which is based on TMK and is really quite incredible.

Documentation:
https://docs.qmk.fm/#/

Source Code:
https://github.com/tmk/tmk_keyboard

It has all the greatness of TMK, but with added features and functions that are easier to call, great documentation, and a bunch of keyboard configurations to draw inspriation from. I intend on primarily using QMK going forward.

So! Long story short, if you’re inclined to tinker a bit the configuration files for both firmwares will be available after I clean them up.

Can you do some crazy stuff with RGB backlighting like all the other cool kids?

Some purists out there will grumble at the thought of candy colored LEDs plastered throughout a fine vintage keyboard, but I’m a sucker for pretty colors. My philosophy for any sort of Model M customization is that they need to be reversible and non-destructive, so I like to categorize them as “add-ons”. I’m working on a custom flex circuit with RGB LEDs that will just slip over the barrels. I’m pretty excited, even though it’s bound to be a little pricey. But yeah, it’ll happen.

• Will you ever finish this FAQ?!

EVENTUALLY!?

Seriously. I really need to. I have a plethora of starred and noted emails full of good info, I just need to organize it… Derp.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WIP:

What M do you typically use?

Does a bolt mod make a Model M feel “different”?

Do you have any Model M’s for sale?

What are the differences between the manufacturing years?

What is a “screw mod” and why do I need/want one?

Do you paint cases?

Do you have spare parts for sale?

If I buy a Model M online, can I have it shipped directly to you for cleaning/bolt modding?

All of this looks like too much work, why shouldn’t I just buy a brand new keyboard?