P/N 1395663 - Model M122 Type III Keyboard Details & Specs
Provided by the ASK Keyboard Part Number Database
| TypeType A designation from my own type naming scheme used to categorise this keyboard with or from others by their common features and market intent but may/may not be derived from official names. |
Model M/Model 1A Type III 122-key Converged Keyboard |
| NicknameNickname A [keyboard enthusiast] community given name for this keyboard. It can be a shortening of its name and properties, a more abstract term, a real-life reference, or metonymy. |
Battlecruiser |
| Known Host SystemsKnown Host Systems A list of known host systems this keyboard could be bundled with or at least designed specifically to operate with. This could be terminals, desktop PCs or laptops. |
IBM 3476 InfoWindow Display Station (IBM 5250 family) IBM 3477 InfoWindow Display Station (IBM 5250 family) IBM 3486 InfoWindow II Display Station (IBM 5250 family) IBM 3487 InfoWindow II Display Station (IBM 5250 family) IBM 3488 InfoWindow II Modular Display Station Model V (IBM 5250 family) IBM 3489 InfoWindow II Modular Display Station (IBM 5250 family) |
| OEMOEM Possible companies responsible for making this keyboard for the company marketing it. |
IBM, Lexmark |
| KeyswitchesKeyswitches The name of the known switching mechanism that lies under this keyboard's keys. |
IBM membrane buckling springs |
| Earliest AppearanceEarliest Appearance The year (and possibly the quarter) that this keyboard part number was introduced, first observed, first recorded or the first example found. |
1992 |
| Original KeycapsOriginal Keycaps The keyboard's original keycaps' material and text/symbol printing technique. |
PBT with dye-sublimated legends |
| Cover ColourCover Colour The original colour of this keyboard's cover set (outer casing). For keyboards whose cover set materials are known to yellow, this will refer to the original colour before such transformation occurs. |
Pearl White |
| BrandingBranding The possible branding and logo styles found on this keyboard part number. This could be multiple styles at once or possible styles found over time. |
IBM grey oval badge, IBM blue oval badge |
| FeetFeet The style of this keyboard's flip-out or extendable feet. If applicable, this may also state how many levels of height adjustment are available and whether the feet could be rubberised. |
Single-setting elongated flip-out feet |
| ProtocolProtocol The protocol(s) this keyboard can use to speak to the host computer (eg, scancode sets). |
IBM Mode 2 (scancode set 3) |
| ConnectionConnection The keyboard-to-host connection. This is could be a description of a cable (its colour, whether its coiled, whether its detachable, and what connector is at its end) or the name of a wireless technology. |
Grey coiled-style fixed modular-8P5C ("RJ-45") cable |
| Key CountKey Count The number of keys that this keyboard originally had. |
122 |
| Form FactorForm Factor The standardised or universally acknowledged name for this keyboard's layout form factor. |
120% |
Layout/LanguageLayout/Language The original regional/language layout this keyboard was configured as. Both the language and the standardised key layout may be listed, and in the case of both being known or defined, it will be styled as language then standard. |
Spanish ISO |
| Data Last Updated | 2022-12-01 |
More on this type of keyboard...
The Type 3 122-key Model M was a complete stylistic revamp of the IBM Converged Keyboard design, finally diverging from the design language of the 104-key and 122-key Model F Converged Keyboards. The Type 3 "M122" was introduced exclusively for the IBM InfoWindow series of terminals, which unified the formerly separate IBM 3270 and 5250 terminal families under one branding. The first two were the IBM InfoWindow 3471 (3270-family) and 3476 (5250-family) Display Stations that were made available in June 1989. They were joined by the InfoWindows 3472 (3270) and 3477 (5250) in September 1989. The InfoWindow series was replaced by the InfoWindow II series from 1992 onwards with the 3481 (3270, September 1992), 3482 (3270, September 1992), 3483 (3270), 3486 (5250, September 1992) and 3487 (5250, September 1992), and the InfoWindow Modular Display Stations 3488 (5250, September 1992) and 3489 (5250, October 1994). Type 3 remains in production today as the Unicomp Terminal 122 series, produced for individual purposes and third-party terminal and thin client brands such as Decision Data, ComputerLab International, I-O Corporation, NLynx Technologies and Praim.
Type 3 "M122s" took the Converged Keyboard family in a new direction, radically overhauling the "battleship" design from the Model F era heldover by Type 1 and 2 "M122s" and infusing styling cues from the IBM Enhanced Keyboard into it. The design was slightly compacted and made lighter; as such, they're typically referred to as a "battlecruiser" or "battlecruiser-sized" keyboard by enthusiasts to differentiate them from their older and larger counterparts. Being a Converged Keyboard, they have their recognisable top 24-key and lefthand side 10-key function key banks. The legends on the 24-key bank were simplified to a "Fxx" nomenclature for 3270 or 5250-style keyboards where both previously had their own unique format. "M122s" typically used typewriter-style functional layouts, but data entry versions were technically available with IBM Card Punch-style alphanumeric legends.
Type 3 "M122s" are very easy to distinguish from both previous types thanks to their use of the distinct Model M wedge shape profile, oval-shaped IBM branding instead of square-shaped, slimmer bezels between the keys and the side edges, a smaller surface area around the 24-key bank's raised platform, and a three-way cable router on the bottom cover. Type 3s were made of PVC during the IBM days, but Unicomp has since switched to using PC+ABS. Unicomp also introduced raven black-coloured versions of the Type 3, further distinguishing these from past "M122s". Type 3s have a permanently attached and typically coiled cable but its coils are smaller and the cable is thinner than on previous types (more suited to fit the aforementioned cable router), and for IBM-branded versions, the DIN plug is replaced with an 8-pin modular plug (the same physical plug used for ethernet and RJ-45 purposes). Despite that change, Type 3s continued using IBM scancode set 3 for communication, so only a physical change to connectivity was made. Unicomp-made versions that aren't IBM branded could change both the cable and plug style to suit their customer's needs, as such, Type 3 "M122s" with AT-style DIN plugs and non-coiled cables have been documented. Type 3 abandoned support for DIP switches, so not even a recess and blanking plate are present for them. Due to shared design and moulds, some Type 3s may have a visible area where lock-light LEDs would be present for the slightly later Type 4 (though some lack this altogether). Type 3s were also the first "M122" type to have Quiet Touch rubber dome alternatives to buckling springs, which had limited availability during the IBM/Lexmark era but saw wider adoption by Unicomp.
