P/N 76X0036 - Model M 4680 Keyboard Details & Specs
| 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 4680 POS Alphanumeric 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. |
M/AT |
| OEMOEM Possible companies responsible for making this keyboard for the company marketing it. |
IBM |
| Key-switchesKey-switches 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. |
1986 |
| Original KeycapsOriginal Keycaps The keyboard's original keycaps' material and text/symbol printing technique. |
PBT with dye-sublimated legends |
| Casing ColourCasing Colour The original colour of this keyboard's outer casing. For keyboards whose casing 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 |
| ProtocolProtocol The protocol(s) this keyboard can use to speak to the host computer (eg, scancode sets). |
SIO via RS-485 |
| 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. |
straightened-style detachable 8-pin SDL to 8-pin SDL cable |
| Key CountKey Count The number of keys that this keyboard originally had. |
84 |
| Form FactorForm Factor The standardised or universally acknowledged name for this keyboard's layout form factor. |
Navblockless |
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. |
Canadian French |
| 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 Store Systems Part Catalog (#S131-0097-09) [source: Infania Networks] |
| Data Last Updated | 2023-02-13 |
More on this type of keyboard...
The IBM 4683 and 4684 were point-of-sale (POS) terminals for the IBM 4680 Store System. The 4683 was first announced in January 1986 and is known for being IBM's first PC-based POS system, with the 4684 arriving later and differed by being able to function as a terminal controller. The IBM 4680 POS Alphanumeric Keyboard was available for either terminal and is presently the only known buckling spring point-of-sale input device released by IBM. They have a PC/AT-style physical and functional layout and their inner keyboard assemblies match the design of the slightly earlier Model M-based IBM 6770/6780 System Movable Keyboard. The layout makes them a sort of "Model M/AT" if you will. The keyboard sported a double-ended modular cable with 8-pin SDL connectors and communicated in IBM Serial Input/Output (SIO) scancodes via RS485. Inside, they sported a speaker and a Honeywell/Micro Switch V3L-2174-D8 roller lever limit switch for registering key-lock position. This keyboard should not be confused with the SMK-made IBM 4680 Alphanumeric POS (ANPOS) Keyboard released around the same time. The 4680 POS Alphanumeric Keyboard was withdrawn from marketing in April 1992 without a like-for-like replacement and was instead substituted with the aforementioned SMK-made ANPOS Keyboard.
