IBM 42H1292

Related Externals

IBM

It's this one!

Review

When I first saw it, I didn't realize what I'd stumbled upon. The brand-old keyboard I rescued from trashdom on Parken's cargo bay just seemed like a cool thing to me. Large, heavy, giving an impression of solidity and durability seldom seen in a computer peripheral. The computer itself was sadly missing from the cartload, but I salvaged what else I could find and brought it home.

When I first got it home I only tried to connect the keyboard to our P-133, discovering that the plug didn't fit. Today, I bought an adapter, which corrected the problem. Happily I took the keyboard to this computer, naturally finding that the plug fit without the adapter :-) ...

So, these were the first impressions: It's made by IBM. It lacks Windows buttons (actually a slightly bad thing whenever I happen to be using LiteStep). And, compared to my other keyboard, or in fact any keyboard I've seen recently, it's heavy duty stuff indeed. Anyone who has ever wished for a keyboard with a clicking sound to the keys will either realize they were wrong and change their mind or love this one. Me? I think I like it, sort of ... The weight and look of it definitely factors in with the response of the keys. This thing probably lasts through intercontinental nuclear conflicts without missing a keytap, and probably works just as well as a weapon as a keyboard.

Some more research on the wonderful web reveals that I'm not alone in my liking. Appearantly, this is a IBM 42H1292 keyboard, considered by some (many?) the best keyboard ever made. It also seems that you can still get them, but IBM's not making them anymore (some other company appearantly is). This one's original though, made by IBM in Scotland and all. And people are ready to pay quite big bucks for these things. It's great to dig through a cartload of trash every now and then :-) ...

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