[Info-vax] LK-style USB keyboard, anyone got a spare for sale?

[Stephen Hoffman]

On 2012-08-27 15:38:46 +0000, Ken Fairfield said:

> On Saturday, August 25, 2012 2:08:03 AM UTC-7, sampsa wrote:
>> So I noticed there's a DEC-layout (with PF+gold keys etc) LK46-
>> something with a USB port available but they're CRAZY expensive
>> (several hundred dollars) from suppliers that I managed to Google.
> 
> Five or six years ago, these were somewhere between $50 to $75
> direct from HP.  Normal LK key layout.  I think black was popular
> at the time...not my favorite although I'm using one of these at
> home.
> 
> As someone else commented, I'd expect to pay more if it's a "kit"
> which includes a 3-button mouse, but not "several hundred dollars".

The kit is/was the AB552A#ABA; that was a VMS keyboard and mouse kit.  
The usual kit price (~six years back) was around US$120, IIRC.

There seemingly was (is?) a shortage of the USB-flavored VMS keyboards 
(LK464, LK465, AB552, maybe others?), and the prices spiked as the 
availability dropped.  Prices reportedly spiked to US$275 back in 2009. 
 (There were folks calling all over looking for these keyboards, too.)  
I tried ordering one from HP a few years back, and never got a call 
back from HP.  (The customer moved on from that design, so I didn't 
pursue it.)

These folks <http://www.rd-2.de/german-carbon-Keyboard> claim to have a 
German LK464 available for 99 euros.  Few (no?) other places are 
posting prices.


-- 
Pure Personal Opinion | HoffmanLabs LLC