Atari ST connectors (was: Atari SIO bus connectors found)

[Adrian Graham]

On 30/10/07 06:45, "Ensor" <classiccmp at memory-alpha.org.uk> wrote:

> There were several replacement keyboards available for the 400, mine was the
> "in Home" unit which used low profile keyswitches and almost looked like the
> machine had come with it as standard, IYKWIM?

Sort of :) At the time I was only ever aware of the flat 400 and the nice
800 but couldn't afford either. When I got my paws on the 2nd machine with
'real' keyboard I was surprised:

http://www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk/scripts/picshow.php?image=atari400close.jpg
&folder=/Museum/Atari&back=/Museum/Atari/atari400.php

If anyone could shed light as to which keyboard this is I'd be grateful.
 
> I had a very early ST which had a slightly different keyboard. If I remember
> correctly, rather than using those rubber things, it had little springs
> beneath the keycaps which pressed down directly on the keyboard membrane.

I'm going to have to dig out my floppy-less 520 now!
 
> I didn't get my MegaST until they released the 1Mb machine with blitter,
> this was what, a year or so after the 2Mb and 4Mb models launched? It's
> possible they bundled a cheaper keyboard with that model, or maybe by this
> time quailty had suffered in the mad scramble to stay afloat...?

Could be, as I have both the 2mb and 4mb machines. IIRC the TT030 we have at
Bletchley Park seems to have a mushier keyboard than the MegaST so quality
could well have become an issue.

-- 
Adrian/Witchy
Binary Dinosaurs creator/curator
Www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk - the UK's biggest private home computer
collection?