Yet Another DC-2014

[engicoder]

For all those seeking old blue alps, there is yet another Leading Edge DC-2104 on ebay. Even nicer than the last one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Leading-Edge-DC-2014-Clickity-Mechanical-Computer-Keyboard-/331266592557

[fohat.digs]

Damn! These are beauties!

I have bought about 4 over the last 2 years, and they were all ragged-out and yellowed compared to these.

[tjcaustin]

H'oh dang, dats local to me.

[noway]

Anyone have the approx dimensions of this keyboard?

[nubbinator]

Dammit.  I knew it wouldn't go unseen.  I knew it was a pipe dream that my bid would go unchallenged.  Whelp, added a max bid and I know it will likely get outbid quickly.

[fohat.digs]

Anyone have the approx dimensions of this keyboard?

Small, XT size.

[engicoder]

Dammit.  I knew it wouldn't go unseen.  I knew it was a pipe dream that my bid would go unchallenged.  Whelp, added a max bid and I know it will likely get outbid quickly.

Sorry, nub. Didn't mean to spoil your day ;-) 

[jwaz]

I can't believe how much hype these have for donor boards 

Not even a mother could love that layout.

[nubbinator]

With how much people are bidding these things up, might as well get the whole setup:  http://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/sys/4579500178.html

[fohat.digs]

I can't believe how much hype these have for donor boards

Not even a mother could love that layout.

Blue Alps are very hard to find and have not been made in about 25 years. And since all are in clumsy obsolete-layout keyboards, almost all went into a dumpster years ago.

And while there are a number of keyboards that * might possibly * have them, the LE2014 is about the only sure thing.

[miloica]

Blue Alps are very hard to find

They are not that hard to find. There were at least two listings in the last 10 days:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121385281352

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221496537488.

Both AT keyboards with blue ALPS and both reasonably priced.

[jwaz]

Blue Alps are very hard to find

They are not that hard to find. There were at least two listings in the last 10 days:

This, I chalk it up to pure laziness. #mostrare #custom #bluealps #ALPSforpresident2014

[Defect]

So I guess I have to increase my ALPS 60% budget...what did that last one sell for?  Like 100 + shipping?

[jwaz]

So I guess I have to increase my ALPS 60% budget...what did that last one sell for?  Like 100 + shipping?

Just don't buy one of these, find a board that might have them and bug the seller to pop a cap?

[nubbinator]

So I guess I have to increase my ALPS 60% budget...what did that last one sell for?  Like 100 + shipping?

Just don't buy one of these, find a board that might have them and bug the seller to pop a cap?

Sadly, many sellers refuse to pop a cap.

[jwaz]

So I guess I have to increase my ALPS 60% budget...what did that last one sell for?  Like 100 + shipping?

Just don't buy one of these, find a board that might have them and bug the seller to pop a cap?

Sadly, many sellers refuse to pop a cap.

Not in my experience and it sure doesn't hurt to try.

[Vanilla]

At this rate if I keep waiting there'll be a NIB one by next week. 

[Wildcard]

Wow, I didn't know people were after blue alps these days.

[nubbinator]

Sadly, many sellers refuse to pop a cap.

Not in my experience and it sure doesn't hurt to try.

IME about ~30% will pop a cap with the remaining either ignoring you or saying they won't for fear of damaging something.

[nubbinator]

Wow, I didn't know people were after blue alps these days.

I'm after any I don't have/haven't tried.

[False_Dmitry_II]

Blue Alps are very hard to find

They are not that hard to find. There were at least two listings in the last 10 days:

How do you know those are blue alps? Especially in the second link there were things that could have switches as wide ranging as MX cherry to Alps to anything else.

[jacobolus]

How do you know those are blue alps? Especially in the second link there were things that could have switches as wide ranging as MX cherry to Alps to anything else.

Also, the board in the first auction and all of the boards in the second auction look to be in pretty rough condition. I’m curious which one in the second group is blue Alps.

Anyway, you can often tell by the date the keyboard was produced. Unfortunately that’s often impossible to tell from the auction. Looking for XT or AT style layouts with Alps-looking keycaps is also a good bet. Certain models of computers/keyboards were only produced for a few years and so are all one type of switch. (In tactile switches, from oldest to newest it goes ivory -> orange -> salmon; in clicky switches blue -> white; in linear switches green -> yellow. [Earlier switches use a tall switchplate inside, and later switches use a short switchplate.])

The two blue Alps boards I got within the last 2 months were:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281344799643?orig_cvip=true
http://www.ebay.com/itm/221458984844?orig_cvip=true

[miloica]

How do you know those are blue alps? Especially in the second link there were things that could have switches as wide ranging as MX cherry to Alps to anything else.

I’m curious which one in the second group is blue Alps.

In the listing with 8 keyboards, the seller posted a picture of the switch. The one with blue ALPS is Multitech, the all-yellow keyboard.

For the first listing see here: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=58598.0

[jacobolus]

For the first listing see here: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=58598.0

So you didn’t actually verify it? Later MCK-101 keyboards definitely had white switches, so unless you can figure out the date or get the seller to pull a cap or recognize some other relevant difference, it’s a bit of a crap shoot. (Though if we assume the serial numbers were ascending, it’s probably a decent bet.)