Other Noteworthy ALPS Info
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DataComp's ("DC ALPS") - 4 colors - everything identical to Cherry MX black, blue, brown, and reds in terms of color and tactile / clicky. Not 100% if force is identical to Cherry MX. Also not sure what 'type' these are considered.
Tai-Hao's ("APC ALPS") - several colors. Dark Blue is the most common @ 55g (clicky / tactile unknown) I'm getting more info from TH on these now.
Interesting. I've been corresponding with Felly Du at Taiwan Tai-Hao — apparently I didn't notice this part of your post at the time (or you added it later). I'm trying to get him to quote me for sending me one of each switch. He sent me some photos instead, but of a switch that I was not aware existed (lime green). And it's the WHN (non-click) switches I'm more curious about — Felly says they're tactile, but I'm suspicious about this. And if they really are tactile, I want to see what leaf they're using. I've never seen a copper tactile leaf, but then, APC switches used to have full-size leaves.
I've never heard of DataComp "DC ALPS". Got any links?
I guess there's a whole market of keyboards in Asia that uses all these switches, that we never see. APC make eight different switches, most of which never end up in Western products.
In other news: "XM" is Xiang Min's KSB series of switches. Type I and Type II codes are now abolished for being meaningless. Type III and Type IV still exist as they represent specific switches. Type IV *may* be an unbranded APC; I realised that it has a unique click leaf with sharp, angled corners that I've never seen anywhere else, but that doesn't rule out APC, and Taiwan Tai-Hao give 1984 or 1985 as the introduction date for the APC range; they no longer have any info on their Aruz range.
Type III is the blue one from the Focus FK-2001 with Windows keys. Focus's sales mailbox hit quota, so I've not been able to ask them yet for details of their old keyboards. Type III has an APC-style contact mechanism, but outwardly resembles an Alps/Fuhua.