The Legendary IBM Model M Keyboard
This post is going to be more or less a history lesson on one of the most significant pieces of hardware at your computer desk other than the mouse. Who developed the standards of keyboards? Did they just throw letters, numbers, and function keys onto a piece of plastic and release it to the public? Well, yes they did, and as you can imagine it did not end too well. Back in 1981 IBM released a computer called the 5150. This PC was the first of the personal computers and a standard for many years. It was extremely popular, there’s nobody who is remotely interested in PC’s and the I.T. industry that doesn’t know either the numbers “5150” or “i386” the processor in which the 5150 used. There was just one problem with it however, the keyboard. It did not fare well with the people who bought them. People said it felt unnatural to type and their wrists hurt, well, IBM heard the cries and went to work.
IBM 5150 Keyboard
In 1982 IBM had a team of 10 people ranging from computer nerds to engineers to make the best keyboard the industry has ever seen. Three years later the IBM Model M was born. This timeless classic was a hit. Not only was it more cost effective but people loved it, therefore their computing experience was magnified. Ever get a really cheap keyboard? Totally ruins the experience. IBM came out with several varients of the model m. They had the space saver 104 key which is the one most seen today and many international versions of that as well. The second type, and rarest is the 122 key model m which has 24 extra keys at the very top, dubbed the “programmers keyboard” seeing as though programming was becoming a very robust career. IBM manufactured these keyboards until 1991 when they contracted Lexmark or what was then Clayton & Dubilier, Inc. Lexmark had the job of sort of dumbing down the model m, so to speak. They had to search for ways to make the model m more cost effective in a very competitive market. Not much was changed at all, most significantly was the lighter plastic shell. But that was it. In 1996, Lexmark’s contract to produce keyboards for IBM ran out, and Lexmark sold the keyboard manufacturing equipment to some of their employees, who formed Unicomp. The Model M, similar to part number 42H1292 but first renamed 42H1292U and subsequently the “Customizer”, is still in production.
My IBM Model M 104
Features of the keyboard are of course the buckling spring that gives it that classic “click” noise. People have claimed that they type faster and more precise than they would have with a silicone key switches of more standardized computing today. The model m also features “caps” over the actual keys that can be taken off separately one at a time for cleaning or to replace them with colored keys or keys of another language, that was a very cost effective way of shipping out international model m keyboards. Inside, on the back, there is a sheet of metal that they keyboard and PCB sit on, this is what gives the model m most of it’s weight. My model m weighs 5 pounds…you could kill someone with it, or you could wear it as a bullet proof vest and it would stop a bullet 😀
Taking off the key caps of the arrow keys.
The metal plate inside the keyboard
IBM’s original patent blueprint for the buckling spring.
What happened to the model m? Well, companies started producing cheaper, most cost effect plastic/silicone switch keyboards for 1/5th the price of a model m. Have you ever bought a computer that came with a keyboard? If so, you know how cheap and flimsy they are. The need for the model m dwindled. Until not long ago a need for the arose, people have started gaining more interest in them again. People who type a lot, journalists, and people who want a solid keyboard. I’ve said it before, if the world was to witness a nuclear holocaust there would be three things that would survive: cockroaches, IBM dot-matrix printer pre-94 and an IBM Model M keyboard. Not bad for IBM, 2 out of 3. The fact is, I’m sick of buying cheap, plastic crap for something I’m using the majority of my time at. Not only is it a classic, the first thing that people notice is a giant white vintage keyboard next to a large computer and go….why? Next time I’ll just link them with my blog.
You can still find these! Ebay is littered with them and Unicomp still makes and sells them. The newer ones lack the high quality heavy plastic and the metal plate unfortunately, but the buckling spring tactile keyboard is exactly the same so you’ll get the same exact “click” with every keystroke. They also have more modern looking version that is black.
Black Unicomp 104
A bit retro looking but it’s the best keyboard ever made and I’m not arguing with that.
Blue Ball Computing 
My all-time favorite keyboard was this model with the clear click bounce back I learned to love. I have one that I have had since the early 90’s and it still works beautifully, although it looks pretty bad. I got lucky about six months ago when a local Goodwill had about 15 out, still in boxes, that someone had donated and was selling them for $2.99 each. I bought myself 2 but now wish I’d bought them all to sell on ebay or Craigs list for $10 each. I’m in my 40’s now, and when I talk to younger people about how nice the keyboards used to be they just look at me with a blank stare. You cannot miss what you never had I guess. I love those keyboards, they were heavy and substantive with quality cords and connectors. They were made to last decades really. My original is now 20 years old!
Thank you for the reply and I totally agree. When people come to my house they see that I “look” like a kid (25), have a huge custom PC and this “old” keyboard, then I tell them to type on it. I love it, I use it for both typing and gaming. The experience has been great. I wish I could find a few more; they usually run around $40-$100 used on Ebay though. Thank you for the nice comment.