
IBM model-M keyboard sound emulation to annoy co-workers - av500
https://github.com/zevv/bucklespring/blob/master/README.md
======
VLM
We live in a weird world where insane prison overcrowding like conditions and
total lack of privacy exists in some dysfunctional workplaces, but its only
culturally acceptable to complain about the quiet little keyboards. Sure if my
stomach rumbles, we're so tightly packed that I just cost the company $500 by
throwing ten developers out of "flow" for an hour and thats OK, but oh god no
not a keyboard that clicks.

At home I think my model M is pretty quiet and its certainly not disruptive
but my entire family is not required so spend ten hours per day within an arms
reach of me as though we're on a small rowboat together. Also textile floors
and textile drapes and my office has acoustic foam ceiling tiles makes an
extremely quiet environment whereas a hipster office of steel glass and
concrete might reflect and echo all sounds.

~~~
kpgraham
I am using a model M right now. I bought three at a computer fair for $3 each
about 20 years ago to save space on my desk. The advantage, other than the
tactile and sonic feedback, is that my wife can tell when I am working.

~~~
wojt_eu
So can construction workers on the other side of the street.

------
krylon
I have a Model M at home, and while I find that the sound helps me keep my
rhythm while typing, it can be _really_ annoying in an office environment.

At my last job, being unhappy with the keyboard I had, I brought the Model M
to work one day (it was just gathering dust at home). While typing was much
more pleasant, I quickly discovered I had to stop typing whenever my
coworker's phone rang. This, in turn, quickly became annoying for me, so at
the end of the day, I packed it up and took it back home.

The Model M is one of the best keyboards I ever had the pleasure of using, but
I would not like to inflict that level of noise to coworkers at the office.

(The best keyboard I ever used, interestingly, was a Natural Ergonomic
Keyboard 4000 made by Microsoft. I am not a big fan of Microsoft, but they
really know how to build a great keyboard. Unfortunately, this was the only
keyboard I ever managed to spill tea on... _and_ on its identical replacement.
I took that as a hint that some higher power might not want me to use
Microsoft keyboards.)

~~~
douche
If you are so close to your coworkers that typing on your keyboard will
disrupt their phone calls, you're too close.

If you have a real office, anything short of blasting Slayer won't disturb
anyone else.

~~~
Nursie
Have you ever used a Model M?

With a decent amount of enthusiasm, a Model M can disrupt phonecalls being
made in another room entirely.

Best keyboard ever, but I also don't take mine to work any more, out of
consideration for my coworkers. Also it's really big and heavy...

~~~
bogomipz
Add to the Model M the acoustics of a typical open office plan found at most
startups and its unbearable. Its not uncommon to have a startup in a concrete
loft type space with a group of people who insist on using whatever the modern
$200 hipster version of a "buckling spring" keyboard is. It's "cred" man.

~~~
falcolas
> using whatever the modern $200 hipster version of a "buckling spring"
> keyboard is

Those would be Topre switches. Which makes the keyboard worth more than $200.
;)

They are good switches, and do rely on a spring, but they are quieter. And
more expensive.

------
TurboHaskal
I had many mechanical keyboards. Blue, brown and red cherry switches, topre,
you name it. I got rid of most of them and I regret having spent the dollar on
such a meme piece of equipment.

Elitism and fetichism aside, the sound and key travel is just a matter of
preference and at the end of the day they won't make you type faster or help
with RSI (the ones with high required actuation force can actually worsen it).

I wouldn't trade my current Microsoft Sculpt for any of my previous keyboards.
Both my colleagues and my wrists are glad I switched.

My recommendation is that if you are going to pay a premium for a keyboard, at
least focus on ergonomic features rather than gimmicks.

~~~
falcolas
> at least focus on ergonomic features rather than gimmicks

FWIW, mechanical switches have helped with my own finger/wrist pain
significantly, for one major reason: I don't have to bottom out the keys to
make them register. The lack of a sudden stop reduces the stress put on my
fingers by a significant amount over 8 hours. I can't make it through 8 hours
typing on a mac chicklet keyboard, but I can with any of my mechanical
keyboards (red, brown, topre, etc).

The durability of a mechanical keyboard also helps make up their up-front cost
- where a rubber dome keyboard tends to only last me 6-8 months, I've yet to
replace a mechanical keyboard due to key failure.

I also wouldn't underestimate the value of "personal preference" for something
you use for well over 40 hours a week.

------
na85
Shout-out to Unicomp[0], who make new USB Model M's from the original specs. I
love mine and my wife hates it because it's too loud and clakkety. Their
website is horrid and the fit-and-finish on the product leaves a bit to be
desired, but the switches are great.

[0] [http://www.pckeyboard.com/](http://www.pckeyboard.com/)

~~~
hydandata
Yep they make pretty decent clones. I have special edition they did on
Massdrop but sadly the 70g keys are causing major pain and I have to use my
other keyboard with Topre switches for doing work :(

~~~
kw71
THE PAIN!

I'm such a fool.

It was so terrible the first time. I wanted to cut off my hands. It went away
and I got back to work. Eventually I had to stop work every hour from the
pain.

It can't be the keyboard! My precious PS/2 buckling spring model M! I've been
using it for fifteen years without trouble! THIS IS THE BEST KEYBOARD IN THE
WORLD! I am such a fool.

No more model M, no more pain.

~~~
qwertyuiop924
I have no idea what the pain is, as you haven't specified, but I'm glad you
don't have it.

------
fluffysquirrel
That cracks me up. Back in the 80s, I wrote a little TSR for a guy who missed
the Atari 800 keyboard click tone on his new clone PC. I had wired a switch in
line with the speaker in my Atari so that I could turn off the tone and not
wake my roommate.

The Atari 800 also had some fun event sounds it made whenever it read or wrote
a floppy disk sector or had an I/O error. People got used to those audible
feedbacks, just like the physical drive crunching noises and other "side-
channel" outputs.

------
euroclydon
I worked with someone who had a Model M. I thought he was a super fast typer,
until I realized the keys make a sound on the way down and the way up, making
his perceived words per minute (PWPM) twice is actual WPM.

------
Nursie
Serious question in comedy thread time -

Does anyone know of another keyboard that's as comfortable and all-round
wonderful to use as the Model M, but quiet?

~~~
valarauca1
To run down the switches (that provide physical feedback).

-MX Cherry Blues: Their action has the same _feel_ of a Model M (kind of) they only require ~1/2 the force to switch as a Model M. Their sound is also quieter (then a model M) they're still much louder then a rubber dome. It has a higher pitch _clip /clop_ rather then the Model M's _thunk_.

-MX Cherry Greens: A stiffer blue (commonly used for space bars).

-MX Cherry Browns: Same action as a blue, but rubber dampened to be quieter actually inline with a rubber dome. They still provide the physical feedback of a Blue.

-MX Cherry Clear: A stiffer brown.

-MX Cherry Whites: Somewhere between a Brown and a Blue in sound and force. They still provide feedback.

~~~
Vexs
MX browns have a completely different mechanism than blues- there isn't rubber
in there, it works like this[1] and blue works like this.[2]

[1][http://www.keyboardco.com/blog/wp-
content/uploads/2012/10/Br...](http://www.keyboardco.com/blog/wp-
content/uploads/2012/10/Brown.gif)

[2][http://www.keyboardco.com/blog/wp-
content/uploads/2012/10/Bl...](http://www.keyboardco.com/blog/wp-
content/uploads/2012/10/Blue.gif)

~~~
valarauca1
I was speaking of the _feel_ of the action. The brown still has the physical
bump caused by the outward swing on the guide arm much like the blue.

There isn't the extra chunk of free riding plastic that helps generate a lower
sound tho. I was purely wrong the rubber wrapping, that was just me being ill-
informed.

~~~
Vexs
I think there's a pretty distinct difference in feeling though- once a blue
switch clicks, you don't get any more tactile feedback from the switch because
the part that gets feedback is sitting on the bottom, but with browns it's
still rubbing up against the contacts- which leads to browns feeling a bit
mushier after the click.

Mind you, if you're in a noise sensitive environment then browns are
definitely what you want.

~~~
valarauca1
Well the blue switch _breaks_ meaning the force required to depress the switch
changes. But this _break_ occurs after the switch is triggered. This _break_
is also when the sound is generated. Which again, after the key is triggered.

Buckling Springs is the only switch where the break, sound, and switch engage
all happen in the same instant ,by the same mechanism (the spring buckling).

------
oneeyedpigeon
I fear you're missing out on a large chunk of the lucrative hipster market by
not supporting OSX. Any chance?

~~~
zevv
Author here. I've looked into support for Mac OS some time ago. The audio code
is portable enough given OpenAL, but getting global keyboard events on Mac is
not trivial. It also doesn't help that I don't own a mac myself for
development...

~~~
jordigh
Not owning an Apple computer is the biggest problem. I really wish it were
possible to cross-compile into macOS.

------
chestervonwinch
Here's what it sounds like, for those who don't know:

[https://youtu.be/ujd6l_9TUmU](https://youtu.be/ujd6l_9TUmU)

------
qwertyuiop924
A lot of the new clicky keyboards are sold at incredibly high premiums,
usually as gaming keyboards, or as specialty items - see Das, HH, etc.

These are ripoffs. You can get a Model M from Unicomp for between $80 and
$100, which is significantly cheaper, and feels way better than most of the MX
keys.

~~~
manyxcxi
I have a Das Keyboard Model S for Mac that I got for $125. Yes, that's at
least 25% more expansive than your example, but as a well paid engineer it's
still in the same ballpark an, it's made for Mac which you don't find in the
real Model Ms. I also happened to really like the look of the Model S vs a lot
of other keyboards.

While I've scoffed at some that are well over $200, there are certainly more
modern conveniences that come with these more expensive ones:

\- You (often) can choose the type of switch in the keyboard

\- Media/macro keys

\- USB hub/ports

\- Backlit (if you like that kind of thing)

If you know what you're getting for the price, it's not a ripoff, a price
premium, sure. I've had my Das for, I think, 6 years now and it's been
flawless. If they're all constructed as well as the Model M and enjoy nearly
the same lifespans the price difference is effectively not even a factor in my
decision.

~~~
qwertyuiop924
That's fair enough, but the ones that are closer to $200 are crazy.

As for the rest of what you mentioned, the hub's nice, but macros are what the
function keys are for, and I never really got the point of backlighting. But
that's just a personal preference.

As for the switches, I haven't tried all the MX switches, but I really like
the Model M feel, and the quiet MXs provide no feedback... yuck.

~~~
manyxcxi
I loved the old Model M I somehow got as an impressionable youth, back when
PS/2 keyboards were fancy and USB keyboards weren't a thing yet.

Eventually I moved away to USB keyboards and hated the mush feel and looked
around for options but balked at the price. Finally I ran into a couple of
guys who'd made the jump (not to Das though) and I started looking around. I
found the DKs to be really good looking and I really like how they feel (I've
got the clickiest switches they offer for the Mac).

I think over $200 for a keyboard is crazy as well, especially if it's because
people are getting conned into thinking they're getting more than they really
are, but I won't begrudge someone's decision if it came down to, "I know what
I'm getting and I'm fine paying this premium because of [insert deciding
factor]"

I wouldn't do it, but 10 years ago I wouldn't have spent $120-150 on a
keyboard either.

------
ourmandave
I think the annoyance factor could be amped-up a bit more if you mapped each
key to a digital drum kit.

High hat backspace!

------
rbanffy
It's work-in-progress, but you can also emulate an IBM Selectric. Much
classier and much, much more annoying.

[https://github.com/rbanffy/selectric-
mode](https://github.com/rbanffy/selectric-mode)

~~~
mcguire
I noticed this in the Spacemacs config and have it set up for occasional use.
Makes writing documentation feel more important.

------
foxyv
Stodgy Company Policy

\----------------------

Let's see here. Let's make our workplace into more of a "Startup."

Modern office environment with no privacy. Check!

Loud noisy stuff and people in cramped conditions. Check!

"Agile" methodologies to heap requirements on Devs the night before they
deploy. DOUBLE Check!

After hours work required? Oh you betcha!

Telecommuting as often as you like? Oh hecks naw we don't trust you shifty
eyed developers.

Ability to work on side projects for short time. NOPE! Only approved projects
thank you.

Good equipment that isn't bogged down my corporate spyware. Now you're kidding
me!

Listen to input on prioritizing projects. What do developers know about
project planning bah!

------
duncan_bayne
I don't need an emulator :) I still think my buckling spring Unicomp
(basically a Model M) is the best keyboard I've ever used since the IBM unit
that came with my original PC:

[https://www.flickr.com/photos/duncanbayne/12295182336](https://www.flickr.com/photos/duncanbayne/12295182336)

------
creshal
Pfft, peasants. Just get an actual Model M.

~~~
mteinum
Word! here is mine
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/mortenteinum/27280410414/](https://www.flickr.com/photos/mortenteinum/27280410414/)

Not using this at work since we are in an open landscape. HHKB is a much
better choice here.

~~~
mtrycz
Where can I get custom keycaps for it?

All the caps everywhere are for modern switches.

~~~
mteinum
Unicomp have some

[http://www.pckeyboard.com/page/category/Buttons](http://www.pckeyboard.com/page/category/Buttons)

Artisans
[http://www.k3kc.com/?post_type=product&s=ibm](http://www.k3kc.com/?post_type=product&s=ibm)

------
noisy_boy
I thought of trying this to use the ridiculous CSI/hacker beep sound at each
keypress. Replaced the .wav files with a short beep sound I had once
downloaded and works fine (couldn't stand it after a minute). If anyone mad
enough to try it, the .zip containing the properly named .wav files is
here[1].

Edit: Sorry I'm new to sharing .zip files - uploaded to another site - link
updated.

[1]:
[https://filetea.me/t1sNqOwXEOAR2xkCjNF9hbptQ](https://filetea.me/t1sNqOwXEOAR2xkCjNF9hbptQ)

~~~
JosephRedfern
Seems to be a broken link - any chance of a re-upload?

------
Intermernet
I used to work for a company that had a box full of Model M keyboards that
people _didn 't want to use_. I knicked one when I left, and unfortunately
It's since died.

If you work for a company that bought any IBM servers in the last 20 years,
there is a chance you'll find something similar (probably not actual model
M's, but still damn good keyboards!) in the server room spares boxes.

Speak to your friendly SysAdmin and see if you can strike a deal :-)

~~~
qwertyuiop924
They didn't want to use Model M's?

Are they programmers? If they are, check for face masks or holoprojectors:
they may be dangerous aliens.

Or maybe they're just really strange.

------
yitchelle
Could it be as annoying as typing on a "real" keyboard?

[http://www.usbtypewriter.com](http://www.usbtypewriter.com)

~~~
moron4hire
I know Jack Zylkin personally and was there at Hive76 when he made the first
USB Typewriter. It was a joke that took on a life of its own and ended up
playing its own joke on its master. He made the first one for a contest on
Instructables.com, intending to sell a kit version for anyone to make anything
into a keyboard. He got so many calls and emails asking for pre-made
typewriters that he basically had a business drop in his lap. I know they
originally started out around $250, fully assembled, but last I checked he had
bumped up the price to at least $700 just to try to curb demand (building the
first or second is fun, definitely not the 15th or 30th) It somewhat
unintuitively had the opposite effect as he started showing up in a number of
luxury goods blogs.

They are quite labor intensive to build. He was never able to find someone
with both the manual dexterity, electronics knowledge, and willingness to
scrape by on a pittance to be able to live an independent life to bring on as
help.

~~~
tracker1
Wish I'd gotten one when they were $250... at the current price (over $1250)
just can't bring myself to do it... though sourcing original materials is
probably part of the increased cost, and the labor. Really cool concept. I
have a spare computer setup to keep people off my desktop, at home, and this
would be cool to have on that.

~~~
moron4hire
At least 5 years ago he was starting to talk about how it was getting harder
and harder to find intact typewriters. Apparently there is a very limited,
dwindling supply, thanks to people converting them to keyboards.

If you can find a typewriter of your own, he sells kits for much, much less.
They don't require any soldering and the logic board comes pre-programmed, you
just have to pay attention to the instructions.

~~~
tracker1
Mechanical typewriters are mostly antiques, and can't imagine how many have
been recycled or in landfill space over the years at this point. So I would
think that sourcing would be the biggest issue in this. Though having used a
mechanical typewriter when I was young, it's hard to imagine many people
preferring the experience.

------
jlgaddis
I still have my old Model M. Unfortunately, I was banned from using it in the
house (by the girlfriend), but it is now connected to a FreeBSD box (which
still has PS/2 connectors) in the garage.

One does not realize how truly annoying the sound is until one sits in a room
and has to listen to someone typing on it with reckless abandon. That's how
she convinced me to stop using it.

~~~
tracker1
May want to look at some cherry mx brown or blue keyboards... I like brown
better, imho closer to m in terms of feel... that said I haven't tried one
with mx-clear.

------
piyush_soni
Is it working for anyone with Windows 10? I installed OpenAL, and then ran
buckle.exe - it silently crashes every time I start typing.

~~~
to3m
I had the same problem too. I'm using Windows 10 with the anniversary update.

(I'm not sure its use of a global hook stored in an EXE is safe anyway. I
think you have to have these things in DLLs, because the hook runs in each
process's context, so each process needs its own copy of the code. Obviously
it must work for at least some people though... I wonder how? Will have to try
building it when I get a moment.)

~~~
piyush_soni
Not sure. I tried with Windows 7 compatibility mode as well, but no use.

~~~
to3m
The keyboard hook thing is safe - turns out the low-level keyboard hook is
special, and it runs in the installing thread's context.

Having nothing better to do this evening I wrote my own version, which should
run fine on Windows 10: [https://github.com/tom-
seddon/GfyKeys](https://github.com/tom-seddon/GfyKeys)

It's very possible this isn't quite the same as the original, which I've still
yet to actually experience - however you do get a click each time you press
and release a key, so it's presumably not a million miles off.

~~~
to3m
Just noticed it does 3d sound positioning... hmmmm... I wonder if that makes a
noticeable difference?

------
anton_gogolev
Two devs from my current company got themselves Razer keyboards, which look
very much like Model M keyboard, albeit it's all-black.

If it were not for video surveillance, I would've already covered them in
construction-foamed them shut. They are _obnoxiously_ loud.

~~~
jordigh
I use a Das Keyboard, which I think is probably similar. I actually felt bad
for a while and asked all of my coworkers if it was too loud and I should use
a different keyboard. They all insisted that the noise doesn't bother them.
Now I just type with abandon.

It's a lovely keyboard. It feels like silk under my fingers. Lovely, clicky,
noisy silk. It was actually left in the company by a former employee, and I
nabbed it at once.

~~~
cwilkes
Usually if you have to ask "is this too X?" It is and you know it internally.

They are being socially polite. See if their productivity dropped, they are
out of the office more, they exclude you from events, or if they quit.

~~~
jordigh
I don't see them doing any of those things.

Also, I just realised my keyboard isn't quite _as_ noisy as a model M. I don't
think it has quite the same spring mechanism. It's clicky, but apparently
tolerable.

------
tonyjstark
I use a mechanical keyboard with brown Cherry MX switches and am hated enough
already. Sometimes my coworker even leaves the room. Good thing is, he's one
of my best friends otherwise I probably wouldn't be allowed to use that
keyboard at all.

But cool project!

~~~
jypepin
Yea I used to have a cherry mx blue keyboard but that became too annoying for
my coworkers and felt bad so I switched to topres

------
StavrosK
Alas, I can't seem to build this. It doesn't find the OpenAL libraries in
Ubuntu, even though I installed them:

/tmp/bucklespring/main.c:255: undefined reference to `alSourcePlay'

/tmp/bucklespring/main.c:256: undefined reference to `alGetError'

etc.

~~~
SEMW
Try now! Looks like the fix for that was merged nine minutes ago :D

~~~
StavrosK
This is fantastic, and I'm sure that, for every new fan, five more people want
to kill you.

~~~
SEMW
To be clear, the project isn't mine - the author looks to be
[https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=zevv](https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=zevv)

------
zelos
Yeah, I think I'd move companies if I had to sit next to this noise all day:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXJzmky2DaI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXJzmky2DaI)

------
ajdlinux
I work for IBM and found a couple of rather old and somewhat broken Model Ms
with RJ45 connectors (!) lying around in our hardware lab. Anyone know whether
adaptors for RJ45 keyboards are a thing?

~~~
mteinum
You can get a SDL to USB cable on ebay

[http://www.ebay.com/itm/SDL-to-USB-SOARERS-CONVERTER-
Clicky-...](http://www.ebay.com/itm/SDL-to-USB-SOARERS-CONVERTER-Clicky-
Keyboard-Cable-6ft-IBM-Lexmark-Model-M-/271816109375)

------
davidgerard
I am using this right now on my laptop. It's _perfect_.

------
kalleboo
I have a coworker who uses a mechanical keyboard. It really ruins Skype
meetings. I may use this to counter her.

------
ElijahLynn
Very cool but the latency is too slow to make this go along with my normal
keyboard sounds.

------
DCRichards
I've got so much time for the dedication to just being annoying here haha.
Excellent

------
lllorddino
98.6% C!

