Retro Modding Modern Hardware

[Strider]

So I was searching for some replacement keycaps to rebuild an old Cooler Master CM Storm Trigger keyboard I have, and ran across these... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B1DGQM6Y/

A set of C64 inspired keycaps that I am now SERIOUSLY considering picking up just becasue I think they look cool, and I have a good number of compatible keyboards lying around I could use them on. Just haven't decided if they're worth $40 yet. What do you think?

Note, that if I did get them, it would be for general use, not as a C64 emulation keyboard, but purely for the nostalgic style becasue I like how they look.



 

That also got me wondering what other cool stuff is out there you could use to give your modern hardware a "retro" makeover. So why not a thread to post what we find? ?

Have you come across any such items lately?

[John Chow Seymour]

Oddly enough, I've seen those (recommended to me by some-or-another online store's algorithm).  They do look very attractive. 

On the other hand, where do those colors come from?  Why are some of the PETSCII characters colored differently than others; does it mean something or does it just look cool? 

It's like the designers got confused and tried to be nostalgic for two different things at once.

[Strider]

On 7/26/2022 at 7:18 PM, John Chow Seymour said:

Oddly enough, I've seen those (recommended to me by some-or-another online store's algorithm).  They do look very attractive. 



On the other hand, where do those colors come from?  Why are some of the PETSCII characters colored differently than others; does it mean something or does it just look cool? 



It's like the designers got confused and tried to be nostalgic for two different things at once.

Yeah, I assume it's all about the nostalgic feels, not accuracy. So I think you're pretty spot on. ?

[Tatwi]

Those are nifty. I think the choice to colour the extra labels is interesting... something vaguely familiar about that look, but I can't say why. I like them, but at ~$73 CAD that's outside of my "for shits and giggles" budget. I already have two sets of custom keycaps I'm not using and I don't have a chassis that would do these justice, so I'd have to get that too!

Incidentally, if you're in the market for SA profile keycaps, take note that some of the sets out there don't have the correct heights per key row. The white/red set I bought look and feel amazing, but they were hard to use. For example, when pressing W the S was so tall that I had to purposefully reach way down over it to avoid pressing it as well. Basically, they are all too tall. Bummer too, because the looked amazing with the red backlight on this keyboard.

Anyway, nice find!

[Strider]

Well, I FINALLY did it... ?

Ordered a set of the C64 themed keycaps and put them in my old 10+ year old Cooler Master CM Storm Trigger Cherry MX Red keyboard. I think it turned out pretty nice looking and will likely be using it to replace the cheap, and much smaller, Rii keyboard I currently use on my "bench computer". I added some rubber 0-rings to help dampen the noise to keep my wife happy, I'm pretty heavy handed when I type, and it drives her crazy sometimes. lol

Now I'm looking at another set if keycaps just becasue I love how they look. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08T9BJ34H/ ?

 

[Edmond D]

The presentation photo of them in the box reminds me of the original PET keyboard - white, graphic & everything fit into rectangle.

The keycaps mounted on the actual keyboard makes it look more like an odd PC item. Kind of a retro/modern hybrid. 

The ones in the Amazon link have a very 8 bit onscreen appeal, not sure about the emoji ones. 

Once the X16 ships and built, then I'll be looking at keyboard options. Thanks for posting; it does show what is out there today for retro styling.

As an aside, I found this keycap on my father's lawn. He is computer phobic so I know it wouldn't be him who had anything to do with it being there. I'd like to know what system it came from. Also, I wonder if it's the key one presses to enter the code, to see the code, or that automatically generates the code. ?  If it was the later, I'd be using it all the time....



 

[Daedalus]

Obviously, that's one of the Cosmic Keys of Power that the gods randomly drop on someone's lawn from time to time. You need to install it in a system and press it to unlock it's Cosmic Function.

[Strider]

On 12/4/2022 at 3:45 PM, Edmond D said:

As an aside, I found this keycap on my father's lawn. He is computer phobic so I know it wouldn't be him who had anything to do with it being there. I'd like to know what system it came from. Also, I wonder if it's the key one presses to enter the code, to see the code, or that automatically generates the code. ?  If it was the later, I'd be using it all the time....





 

I haven't seen a "code" key in a long time...

I can't even remember where it was, but I do know it was on a typewriter.

If I recall correctly, they work like a special key used to access special characters and things of that nature, sort of like a function key.

And... a quick Google search also shows you can still buy "code" keycaps! ?

https://drop.com/buy/gmk-ta-royal-alpha-typewriter-keycap-set

[TomXP411]

On 12/4/2022 at 1:45 PM, Edmond D said:

The presentation photo of them in the box reminds me of the original PET keyboard - white, graphic & everything fit into rectangle.



The keycaps mounted on the actual keyboard makes it look more like an odd PC item. Kind of a retro/modern hybrid. 



The ones in the Amazon link have a very 8 bit onscreen appeal, not sure about the emoji ones. 



Once the X16 ships and built, then I'll be looking at keyboard options. Thanks for posting; it does show what is out there today for retro styling.



As an aside, I found this keycap on my father's lawn. He is computer phobic so I know it wouldn't be him who had anything to do with it being there. I'd like to know what system it came from. Also, I wonder if it's the key one presses to enter the code, to see the code, or that automatically generates the code. ?  If it was the later, I'd be using it all the time....



 

This could be from a cash register. I believe "Code" is used to enter a product code, although I've never used a register that had a Code button: the systems I sold and set up were PCs running POS or accounting software and standard keyboard.

Get a shot of the back. Does it have the standard Cherry stem mount? It probably fits over the Plus or Enter key on the numeric keypad section of the keyboard. 

[Purple Lady]

A common retro-mod of modern hardware is cutting a line in an AT or PS/2 keyboard so it will work on an XT. I saw that done once to replace an XT keyboard. They reached a point to where they stopped putting the XT/AT switch on PC keyboards. In the 90s, you had that little switch. But I guess they realized XTs were obsolete and they could save the cost of installing the switch.