Faicuai Posted August 31, 2019 Share Posted August 31, 2019 (edited) ...what in the world is this thing? Has anyone seen this before? https://www.ebay.com/itm/254343941220 I just can't tell if this is garage-made or commercially available... Edited August 31, 2019 by Faicuai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griff3125 Posted August 31, 2019 Share Posted August 31, 2019 (edited) Probably an old 3rd party add-on keyboard for the Atari 400, with badly glued on membrane caps from an original 400(bizarre). Won't do much good without the docs or cable, but definitely an interesting piece. Looks very identical to a keyboard used in a Magnum PI episode. Edited August 31, 2019 by griff3125 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted August 31, 2019 Share Posted August 31, 2019 Sure is fugly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Nezgar Posted September 1, 2019 Share Posted September 1, 2019 Hmm... it looks like maybe what the ribbon cable hanging out of this 400 of mine was supposed to connect to, I presumed it led to an external keyboard at one time. Reminds me I still need to crack this 48K 400 open to see what's going on in there by it's former owner, and install the SCCC while I'm at it... (I am now it's 2nd owner) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Larry Posted September 1, 2019 Share Posted September 1, 2019 There was a remote keyboard made for the 800 in the early 80's. Ribbon cable allowed you to sit in an easy chair and type into the A8. I had an Atari friend whose 800 was hooked to a big projection tv, and he sat in his favorite chair across the room and typed into his 80-column word processor using a Bit-3 adapter. SOTA 1983. Can't say for sure, but that item looks pretty much the same as I remember it. -Larry Edit: Similar, but probably not the Sidewriter product I remember. The item I recalled had a more professional look to the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunstar Posted September 1, 2019 Share Posted September 1, 2019 (edited) It looks to me like the space bar is on backwards. If the space bar was the same color as the other keys, if it had all the function buttons and if the screws were hidden/disguised I think it would look pretty good. My guess would be this is a DIY project using some old terminal keyboard case and keys, a DIY circuit board, judging by the keyboard layout (return key inside arrow keys, wrong sized CAPS key, etc.) and wiring it up to work like an Atari keyboard for the 400 via a custom cable that isn't included. Edited September 1, 2019 by Gunstar 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xrbrevin Posted September 1, 2019 Share Posted September 1, 2019 oh it has an "Any" key! **press any key to continue** ? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sup8pdct Posted September 1, 2019 Share Posted September 1, 2019 1 hour ago, xrbrevin said: oh it has an "Any" key! **press any key to continue** ? You beat me to it...................... James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
256 colors Posted September 1, 2019 Share Posted September 1, 2019 (edited) That's one hideous heap of looking crap one of main attractions was Atari's was the classic and stylish looks Edited September 1, 2019 by 256 colors 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xrbrevin Posted September 1, 2019 Share Posted September 1, 2019 9 hours ago, sup8pdct said: You beat me to it its in place of the reset too - a sadistic sense of humour...! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavin1968 Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 Garbage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter83 Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 I took a stab at it but went for 61.00 be interested to see if it was anyone on the site who bought it and any follow up photos of the item. I'm interested to see what close ups they can provide of the board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidMil Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 On 8/31/2019 at 7:03 PM, Gunstar said: It looks to me like the space bar is on backwards. If the space bar was the same color as the other keys, if it had all the function buttons and if the screws were hidden/disguised I think it would look pretty good. My guess would be this is a DIY project using some old terminal keyboard case and keys, a DIY circuit board, judging by the keyboard layout (return key inside arrow keys, wrong sized CAPS key, etc.) and wiring it up to work like an Atari keyboard for the 400 via a custom cable that isn't included. It looks like they took a keyboard off of an old terminal (like a Vax or something), and tried to modify it to work with an Atari computer. David 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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