Altos 540-17700-001 Vintage Computer Keyboard Coiled RJ Cable Taiwan

Altos 540-17700-001 Vintage Computer Keyboard Coiled RJ Cable Taiwan

The Altos 540-17700-001 is a full-size keyboard made by Altos Computer Systems for use with their line of multi-user business computers. Altos was a prominent maker of Unix-based and CP/M-based multi-user microcomputers through the late 1970s and into the 1980s and early 1990s, and this keyboard was designed for use with those systems. It connects via a coiled cable terminating in an RJ-style connector. Made in Taiwan R.O.C., as indicated by the bottom label.

Specifications & What's Included

• Part Number: 540-17700-001
• Manufacturer: Altos Computer Systems
• Country of Manufacture: Taiwan R.O.C.
• Form Factor: Full-size desktop keyboard
• Cable: Attached coiled black cable
• Connector: RJ-style plug (clear housing, visible contacts)
• Switch Type: Cross-stem (visible with keycap removed)
• Keycap condition: One keycap currently removed; switch stem and housing intact beneath

Applications

Altos Computer Systems produced multi-user microcomputers running CP/M-86, Xenix, and Unix during a period when shared-computing terminals were the norm for small and medium business environments. Keyboards like this one were paired with Altos workstations and terminals in office, data entry, and business computing settings throughout the 1980s. Today these keyboards are sought by collectors restoring vintage Altos systems, as well as by hobbyists interested in the early era of Unix-based personal computing. The cross-stem key switches used in this era of keyboards are mechanically robust and have held up well over decades of storage.