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You can think of the IBM 6112884 "Pingmaster" as the tough build quality of IBM combined with high quality switches of Alps combined into one board, truly a match made in heaven right? This keyboard arrived brand new in box, untouched and never used which was quite pleasant to have the original box included. Also included is a manual, metal keycap puller and height adjusting inserts. The switches are Alps SKCC Green linear switches weighted at around 60g of force. the SKCC series of switches are known for their loud pinging hence the nickname "Pingmaster" and their buttery smoothness. As for the build quality it is built very solidly. The switches are mounted in a metal mounting plate on a PCB with a thick plastic shell all around bringing the weight to a respectable 1.7kg (3.7lbs) The keycaps are also high quality, made out of thick double shot ABS with sharp legends with a mix of SA and DSA profile caps, also included are relegendable two part keycaps. This keyboard has an uncoiled ridged cable which brings me to the downside of this keyboard. This keyboard was intended to be used with IBM systems for the Asian market with a DB9 plug so it speaks a language that is not compatible with modern PC's without an active converter, making this keyboard unusable without the converter. They can be bought online with a little search (like Hasu's or Soarers converter) which you can use to modify the layout and remap keys to make it a little more modern and easy to use. The conclusion. This keyboard is a great find and an interesting piece of history. It doesn't work out of the box as it needs a converter but if you manage to do some remapping it and you don't mind your switches a bit on the heavy side, then you will be rewarded with very smooth switches and great build quality. If you have the means I highly suggest it.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
A unique keyboard from IBM of Japan, this unit has spherical keycaps unlike every other IBM keyboard since 1980 that I am familiar with. It also uses Alps microswitches, which is an unusual departure from the typical IBM beam or buckling spring style switch. It can be adapted to USB with a device know as "Hasu's Converter", and thereby used on Windows, Mac, and *nix machines. It uses the same protocol as the IBM 4700 banking computers and may be for their Japanese equivalent.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New