P/N 4178208 - Model F Keyboard Details & Specs
Provided by the ASK Keyboard Part Number Database
| Known Assembly Part NumbersKnown Assembly Part Numbers Possible numbers found inside this keyboard used to indicate its internal assembly and the keycaps on it. |
9999399 |
| 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 F 4980 127-key Typewriter 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. |
Battleship |
| OEMOEM Possible companies responsible for making this keyboard for the company marketing it. |
IBM U.S. |
| KeyswitchesKeyswitches The name of the known switching mechanism that lies under this keyboard's keys. |
IBM capacitive 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. |
1983 Q4 |
| 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 silver square 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. |
Dual-setting riser feet |
| 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 DIN (240) cable |
| Key CountKey Count The number of keys that this keyboard originally had. |
127 |
| 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. |
US English |
| Additional NotesAdditional Notes Extra notes about this keyboard that may be of interest or are important to know. |
"PFxx" command key block |
| Source(s)Source(s) Documents ("Doc"), websites and/or webpages ("Web") that were used as a source of information for this keyboard part number. Examples of this keyboard part number I own ("ASK") will also be included as sources. |
Doc: IBM 4980 Display Station Model 1 Announced Attaches to Series/1 via New Feature (#1250) Brief Description of Announcement, Charges, and Availability (#183-136) [source: IBM] Web: https://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=22195 |
| Related Directory EntriesRelated Directory Entries Possible ASK Keyboard Directory entries that relate to this part number. The Directory serves as a convenient way to find and share a particular keyboard, containing links to where to find out more about the keyboard and sometimes common part numbers. |
IBM 4980 Display Station Typewriter Keyboard |
| Data Last Updated | 2023-09-18 |
More on this type of keyboard...
The IBM 4980 Display Station was a twinaxial terminal for IBM Series/1 minicomputers, announced and released in October 1983. It was designed to be functionally similar to the earlier IBM 4978 Display Station whilst sporting "significantly enhanced ergonomics, expanded keyboard flexibility, reduced cabling and attachment costs and extended cable lengths".
The IBM 4980 used a IBM Converged Keyboard based 127-key Model F, a sibling design to the more common 122-key Model F Converged Keyboard. Both the IBM 4980 and the IBM 3270 Personal Computer (the first terminal/system to use an "F122") were announced the same day (18th October), but whilst the 4980 was made available the same month, 3270 PCs didn't ship until 1984 Q1. On this technicality, the 4980's "F127" was the first "battleship" or "battleship-sized" (as modern enthusiasts call them) Model F keyboard to make it to market. Like the "F122", the 4980 keyboard at its core was an expanded version of the 104-key Model F Converged Keyboard. It's a "function key keyboard" with 24 program function keys with "PFxx" nomenclature legends placed in two rows above the keyboard's main alphanumeric keys. Like the "F104" and "F122", the "F127" came with a left-hand side 10-key function key bank similar to previous IBM 3270 keyboard designs such as the 327X-75 type and 327X-87 type Model B keyboards but with two extra keys. Unlike those keyboards, the "F127" used all __usable__ capacitance-sensing pad pairs on the keyboard's pad card to accommodate its expanded layout. For adjusting typing angle, two-setting riser feet were present and accessible by pushing large buttons on the keyboard's sides. Although unique for "F127" was that the aforementioned buttons were pearl coloured to match the rest of the keyboard's case instead of being grey. The "F127" doesn't feature DIP switches and utilises 240-degree 5-pin DIN plugs on their coiled cables, but unlike "F122s", this keyboard doesn't seem to use IBM scancode set 3 like the "F122" as the keyboard doesn't work with Soarer's Converters.
