Gutz pop quiz #3: identify the type of keycap!

[berserkfan]

Hello guys

I’m sorting out my crap bags and finding a lot of stuff I don’t recognize. About the only things that I do recognize are the Alps apart from the Cherry MX.

Now here are samples from the crap bags. There is only one Cherry MX here. It is the gray keycap on one corner with weird ‘stabilizers’. The rest are NOT Cherry MX and don’t fit even if they look as though they might. Don’t be misled by the cruciform openings!

They are also not buckling springs. Neither Model F nor M fits.

Please identify them according to the row and numbers I wrote. For the Cherry MX keycap please identify the type of board that would host such strange 'stabilizers', When I have finished sorting through the crap bags I intend to give away all non-Cherry MX caps for the cost of shipping.

[ebacho]

C1/R3 and C6/R4 are alps tee mount. C1/R1, C2/R1, C5/R2, C5/R3, C6/R2 are caps for rubber dome keyboards (most things with a cylindrical plunger are I think).  I've seen the C3/R2 stem on some old BTC foam and foils.  C6/R1 looks like Cherry ML.

[berserkfan]

C1/R3 and C6/R4 are alps tee mount. C1/R1, C2/R1, C5/R2, C5/R3, C6/R2 are caps for rubber dome keyboards (most things with a cylindrical plunger are I think).  I've seen the C3/R2 stem on some old BTC foam and foils.  C6/R1 looks like Cherry ML.

wow, you are good at this ebacho!

but it looks as though (since most of us don't go for rubber domes) that these keycaps will do no one any good. I was hoping to put all the keycaps of a certain type together, then offer them for the cost of shipping since I don't need them but someone with the right keyboard may want them. But is it worth the effort to even organize them since most people aren't going to use these? Apart from the alps, are there any other keycaps you think worth my while to organize together? There are actually quite a large number of these, and  I'll wind up throwing them away if I think they're of no use to anyone.

[SpAmRaY]

http://keycapsdirect.com/pdfs/MountStyles.pdf

[Oobly]

C1/R3 and C6/R4 are alps tee mount. C1/R1, C2/R1, C5/R2, C5/R3, C6/R2 are caps for rubber dome keyboards (most things with a cylindrical plunger are I think).  I've seen the C3/R2 stem on some old BTC foam and foils.  C6/R1 looks like Cherry ML.

wow, you are good at this ebacho!

but it looks as though (since most of us don't go for rubber domes) that these keycaps will do no one any good. I was hoping to put all the keycaps of a certain type together, then offer them for the cost of shipping since I don't need them but someone with the right keyboard may want them. But is it worth the effort to even organize them since most people aren't going to use these? Apart from the alps, are there any other keycaps you think worth my while to organize together? There are actually quite a large number of these, and  I'll wind up throwing them away if I think they're of no use to anyone.

People may want the T-mount Alps and ML caps.

For the others, you could cut the stems out and glue small magnets in place and use them as interesting fridge magnets. Or someone else may want to do this if you couldn't be bothered. I think you could find someone to take them off your hands.

If not, then bin them. They were already on their way there, but saved by begin put into a crapbag, so it's not a big loss, I reckon.

[berserkfan]

um, anyone can identify the Hall Effect compatible caps?

[berserkfan]

still need help on more than half the keycaps! Didn't quite understand the pdf that SpamRay linked to since even SP is not that clear.

i have quite a large number of these cruciform Cherry MX looking-but not compatible stems and they are high quality so if we can figure out what they're good for it might help somebody with some project otherwise in a few weeks they will be incinerated.

[dorkvader]

picture 1
C1R1 some sort of RD, looks like cherry G83 to me
C2R1 some sort of RD maybe? same as C5R2 and C5R3
C3R1 Cherry M7 / M8
C4R1 likely NMB hitek / stackpole (pre-spaceinvaders)
C5R1 hard to say.
C6R1 Cherry G84

C1R2 Hall effect !!!
C2R2 can't see it through the flash
C3R2 keytronic
C4R2 cant see enough
C5R2: some sort of RD, same as C5R3 and C2R1
C6R2: RD for sure, lots of KBs are like that, looks like it'll fit over the same as my old logitech. not sure what POS its for maybe preh?

C1R3: vintage alps tee. same as C6R4
C2R3: I think these are backlit, Eitehr way they are for a telephone-type keyboard. same as C5R4
C3R3: can't see enough through flash
C4R3: cant see enough
C5R3: same as C5R2 and C2R1
C6R3: not sure what it's meant for, but it looks like it'll fit on fujitsu first generation leaf springs or fujitsu reed switches. These are really rare so again I'm not sure. Note it looks the same as C4R1 but with an insert.

C1R4: same as C4R1
C4R4: hall effect !! (I have like 10 of these already though. no idea why they made so many)
C5R4: same as C2R3
C6R4: same as C1R3

C1R5 keytronic with costar stab inserts
C6R5: cherry MX with unknown stabilizer system

---
edit: oh, picture 2 is much better! very nice.

C3R3 and C4R3 are for a telephone type system. They likely just mount over a rubberdome-sheet keypad.
C4R2 not sure but likely same as above.

Hope this helps. I've been thinking about contacting SP about this to see for sure what systems they can make caps for.

[SirPony]

picture 1
C1R1 some sort of RD, looks like cherry G83 to me
C2R1 some sort of RD maybe? same as C5R2 and C5R3
C3R1 Cherry M7 / M8
C4R1 likely NMB hitek / stackpole (pre-spaceinvaders)
C5R1 hard to say.
C6R1 Cherry G84

C1R2 Hall effect !!!
C2R2 can't see it through the flash
C3R2 keytronic
C4R2 cant see enough
C5R2: some sort of RD, same as C5R3 and C2R1
C6R2: RD for sure, lots of KBs are like that, looks like it'll fit over the same as my old logitech. not sure what POS its for maybe preh?

C1R3: vintage alps tee. same as C6R4
C2R3: I think these are backlit, Eitehr way they are for a telephone-type keyboard. same as C5R4
C3R3: can't see enough through flash
C4R3: cant see enough
C5R3: same as C5R2 and C2R1
C6R3: not sure what it's meant for, but it looks like it'll fit on fujitsu first generation leaf springs or fujitsu reed switches. These are really rare so again I'm not sure. Note it looks the same as C4R1 but with an insert.

C1R4: same as C4R1
C4R4: hall effect !! (I have like 10 of these already though. no idea why they made so many)
C5R4: same as C2R3
C6R4: same as C1R3

C1R5 keytronic with costar stab inserts
C6R5: cherry MX with unknown stabilizer system

---
edit: oh, picture 2 is much better! very nice.

C3R3 and C4R3 are for a telephone type system. They likely just mount over a rubberdome-sheet keypad.
C4R2 not sure but likely same as above.

Hope this helps. I've been thinking about contacting SP about this to see for sure what systems they can make caps for.

we should have a wiki page of this..

[berserkfan]

picture 1
C1R1 some sort of RD, looks like cherry G83 to me
C2R1 some sort of RD maybe? same as C5R2 and C5R3
C3R1 Cherry M7 / M8
C4R1 likely NMB hitek / stackpole (pre-spaceinvaders)
C5R1 hard to say.
C6R1 Cherry G84

C1R2 Hall effect !!!
C2R2 can't see it through the flash
C3R2 keytronic
C4R2 cant see enough
C5R2: some sort of RD, same as C5R3 and C2R1
C6R2: RD for sure, lots of KBs are like that, looks like it'll fit over the same as my old logitech. not sure what POS its for maybe preh?

C1R3: vintage alps tee. same as C6R4
C2R3: I think these are backlit, Eitehr way they are for a telephone-type keyboard. same as C5R4
C3R3: can't see enough through flash
C4R3: cant see enough
C5R3: same as C5R2 and C2R1
C6R3: not sure what it's meant for, but it looks like it'll fit on fujitsu first generation leaf springs or fujitsu reed switches. These are really rare so again I'm not sure. Note it looks the same as C4R1 but with an insert.

C1R4: same as C4R1
C4R4: hall effect !! (I have like 10 of these already though. no idea why they made so many)
C5R4: same as C2R3
C6R4: same as C1R3

C1R5 keytronic with costar stab inserts
C6R5: cherry MX with unknown stabilizer system

---
edit: oh, picture 2 is much better! very nice.

C3R3 and C4R3 are for a telephone type system. They likely just mount over a rubberdome-sheet keypad.
C4R2 not sure but likely same as above.

Hope this helps. I've been thinking about contacting SP about this to see for sure what systems they can make caps for.

we should have a wiki page of this..

We do; its the inside of Dorkvader's brain.

The wiki section on everything ever produced by Cherry Corp is in IvanIvanovich's head. He gets things right that the company execs don't because they shredded their records or something.

[noisyturtle]

Why does SP still mold caps in totally outmoded cap stems? Actually looking for a real answer to this, it's not rhetorical.

[berserkfan]

Why does SP still mold caps in totally outmoded cap stems? Actually looking for a real answer to this, it's not rhetorical.

I suspect some of these are for rich and powerful buyers eg nuclear power plants that are willing to pay far more than us for one set of replacement keycaps.