Vintage Computer Keyboard Quiz
April 25th, 2007 by Benj Edwards
Keyboards, keyboards everywhere, but not a drop to drink. How many different computer keyboards have you used in your lifetime? Do you remember the good ones? The bad ones? By golly, I’ve known quite a few.
See if you can recognize which vintage computer system each of these keyboards comes from. Feel free to post comments about them and share your memories about keyboards of yore. Answers to the quiz will be posted next week as an update to this entry.
Answers after the break.
Answers (05/02/2007)
1. Canon Cat
2. Sinclair ZX Spectrum +
3. IBM Model M
4. Atari 400
5. Commodore 64
6. TRS-80 Color Computer
7. Commodore Plus/4
8. Timex-Sinclair 1000 or Sinclair ZX-81
April 25th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
I know I’ve seen a few of those before, but the only one I really recognize is #3, the IBM Model M. It’s my current and favorite desktop keyboard. Made in USA, baby!
Five and seven appear to be the same layout, and seven has the Commodore logo so I’m going to say they’re for the C64?
None of these are the Space Cadet keyboard. I’m disappointed in you.
April 26th, 2007 at 12:08 am
1: Tandy Model 100?
2: ZX Spectrum+
4: Atari 400
5: Commodore 64
6: Tandy Coco?
7: Commodore Plus/4
8: Sinclair ZX-80
April 26th, 2007 at 1:52 am
hello from Germany,
2. c64
3. ibm
4. atari 400
5.apple 2
7. c64sx
8. zx81
April 26th, 2007 at 8:00 am
1- no idea
2- Sinclair something?
3- IBM PS/2
4- Atari 400
5- C64?
6- TRS-80 Color Computer I (I had one of those!)
7- Commodore Plus/4?
8- Sinclair ZX81 (I still have one of those)
On #1, I really should check my Digtal Retro book before I submit – maybe it’s an Acorn or something…
April 26th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
#3 all IBM PC from 1981 to 1988. i personnally own and still use it on my present day computer…
April 26th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
2 = Sinclair QL
April 26th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
#5 looks like a VIC20
April 26th, 2007 at 6:24 pm
I see IBM keys on #3 ( as said by few others…best keys, push pencial holder!)…I wanted to say Atari 800 but I think it is the 400 for #4,
#8 is definately Sinclar…I want to say #6 is some sort of DEC terminal??
April 26th, 2007 at 6:26 pm
I agree with most of the other responses, but I am pretty sure that No. 6 is from the Intellivision computer add-on component rather than from the Color Computer.
April 26th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
I think Ross has it right, #6 looks like Mattel Aquarius, maybe an Intellivision II keyboard, but I think Aquarius.
April 26th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
1. Canon Cat
2. Sinclair ZX Spectrum
3. IBM Model M
4. Atari 400
5. Commodore 64
6. Radio Shack TRS-80 CoCo
7. Commodore Plus/4
8. Timex-Sinclair ZX81
That was relatively easy. I own all but one of those machines. Bet you can’t guess which! Say, did I win anything?
April 28th, 2007 at 9:33 am
#3 is definitly IBM/PC… I agree with Russ on #5 being the old VIC20, I don’t remember the 64 haveing the brown keyboard like that. #7 is the Commodore 64/128.
April 28th, 2007 at 10:22 am
There is ambiguity with #5 as the VIC-20 and 64 used the same keyboard and depend on the lighting used in the photo and the the way colours are set on your monitor, #5 could be seen as either. Further, Commodore originally shipped VIC-20s with brown/beige keyboards (known as the ‘PET-style keyboard’) and later used the same brownish/greyish keyboards as the 64. I’ve even seen a few 64s with the brown/beige PET-style keyboard. There were also subtle differences as to whether the PETSCII graphics were printed on the top or front of the keys. There is no way to discern which keyboard is used in photo #5. I chose the 64 because of numerical superiority. Better odds. 🙂
P.S. If anyone wants proof, I’d be glad to send in photos of my VIC-20 collection. Or go ask at Denial, they’ll confirm what I’ve written.
May 2nd, 2007 at 3:53 pm
I just posted the answers as an update to this entry. Bjorn Nitmo got them all right except #2 — he was close, though. It’s a Sinclair+ model, not the original. Great work, guys!
May 2nd, 2007 at 6:54 pm
Woo Woo! In my defense, I accidently left off the +. The keyboards on my Speccy and Speccy+ are distinctively different. BTW, if anyone has a Canon Cat they want to sell for a reasonable price (
May 3rd, 2007 at 10:49 am
I figured that was the case, Bjorn. Congrats on knowing all of them!
And I second Bjorn — if anyone has a Canon Cat they’d like to get rid of, let me know too. 🙂
November 16th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
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