Author Topic: Alps Appreciation Thread  (Read 2435495 times)

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Offline Nawit

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #300 on: Mon, 21 December 2015, 19:48:21 »
Well. I looked in my basement today and found this from my grandparent's old computer.
A year ago I'd probably think nothing of it but now I know how lucky I am to find this. How much is something like this worth? I have never experienced ALPS until now and I gotta say it ain't half bad.

Thats not Alps. Its slider over rubber dome.

Oopsie. The switch looked so similar. My bad. I'll remove the post.

Offline Bucake

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #301 on: Tue, 22 December 2015, 00:01:10 »
SKCL green are probably the nicest linears i've ever tried
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Offline Blaise170

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #302 on: Tue, 22 December 2015, 01:10:23 »
SKCL green are probably the nicest linears i've ever tried

I haven't been able to try them yet, but I just bought a SHARP X68000 so I should be able to soon.  :D

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Offline Magna224

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #303 on: Tue, 22 December 2015, 01:13:13 »
I'm pretty sure the automated stocking system at work has Green ALPS. Its ungodly smooth. Much more smooth than even the like new vintage MX Blacks I got or my gaterons. Thats the only thing I could think of that it might be.
If you live in AZ you can try my keyboards. I usually keep plenty of different ALPS and MX and buckling springs.

Offline E3E

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #304 on: Tue, 22 December 2015, 03:29:58 »
Sweet nab, Blaise! Hope you're content with it! Those windows on the indicator caps are so wide!
 
I'm pretty sure the automated stocking system at work has Green ALPS. Its ungodly smooth. Much more smooth than even the like new vintage MX Blacks I got or my gaterons. Thats the only thing I could think of that it might be.

I friggin' LOVE green Alps. If you can ever find the unicorn of a switch, brown linear Alps, they are closer in feel to vintage MX blacks due to their weight (60-65g actuation). Greens are very much like reds (45-50g actuation), but oh god are they nice!

*
Little cross post from "what did you add to your keyboard today":

I made an MX-to-Alps adapter out of a styrene rod for something special





I also cut a 60% AEK plate for axtran



This is what a magnetized screw driver looks like when it meets a **** ton of ground steel dust



If anyone might want an adapter so they can mount their favorite artisan on their Alps board, just hit me up. I can't promise that I'll make a ton of these, as I do make them by hand using high quality styrene rod (made for boat scale models, sourced from the UK, and only one store I know of that sells them) and a dremel.

Since they aren't the easiest thing to make, I could do them for about $10 a pop. It might be more practical to go the 3D printed route ^^;
« Last Edit: Tue, 22 December 2015, 03:32:41 by E3E »

Offline calavera

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #305 on: Tue, 22 December 2015, 04:35:47 »
Looking at that home-made converter I remember a thread about someone or a group creating these ALPS-MX converter sliders. Wonder what happened to it.

Offline Blaise170

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #306 on: Tue, 22 December 2015, 09:08:45 »
Over on Deskthority there is a major thread and they are nearing completion. They have several models of it already and it looks really good.  ;D
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Offline E3E

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #307 on: Tue, 22 December 2015, 12:08:57 »
Over on Deskthority there is a major thread and they are nearing completion. They have several models of it already and it looks really good.  ;D

Is that so? Haha. I made mine because I thought that all hopes of ever owning one of the fabled converters from that thread was nigh impossible. I thought things were starting to stagnate on that end.
 
I was even more motivated when I saw  BlueNalgene's 3D printed batch for Alps Party. Since I had to skip over that GB, I wouldn't be getting any of those, so I did the next best thing! It's actually really solid! "Milling" it out of a solid rod worked out well, haha.

I just need it for one cap anyways!

Offline pr0ximity

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #308 on: Thu, 24 December 2015, 10:15:27 »
Just pulled the trigger on a Christmas gift for myself: a refurbished Zenith 1860 84-key with Green SKCL's, based on E3E's constant praise and my love for linears :)

Very exciting! The layout looks surprisingly usable, so I can't wait to show it off at work. There is an Alps fan there with a Matias Quiet Click and AEKII that will be very jealous  :p
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Offline Bucake

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #309 on: Thu, 24 December 2015, 12:17:38 »
Just pulled the trigger on a Christmas gift for myself: a refurbished Zenith 1860 84-key with Green SKCL's, based on E3E's constant praise and my love for linears :)

Very exciting! The layout looks surprisingly usable, so I can't wait to show it off at work. There is an Alps fan there with a Matias Quiet Click and AEKII that will be very jealous  :p

sweet gift! :D
i have its brother (the 1886). real nice PBT dyesub caps. spacebar is abs, LED-caps are pad printed ABS double-shots. you can turn the noise-thing on-off with alt + esc
really, really nice linear switches, cherry mx linears are absolutely no match :cool:
it's quite pingy, but other than that it sounds and feels real nice. i think it would suit the board if some noise-dampening material is applied inside the case. still have to try it myself ^-^
my only gripes are that the Return key isn't very smooth (weirdly 'stabilized'), and the spacebar is a bit rattly. i guess i'll apply some lube to both to see if that improves things :)
« Last Edit: Thu, 24 December 2015, 12:21:15 by Bucake »
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Offline E3E

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #310 on: Thu, 24 December 2015, 14:26:07 »
Just pulled the trigger on a Christmas gift for myself: a refurbished Zenith 1860 84-key with Green SKCL's, based on E3E's constant praise and my love for linears :)

Very exciting! The layout looks surprisingly usable, so I can't wait to show it off at work. There is an Alps fan there with a Matias Quiet Click and AEKII that will be very jealous  :p

sweet gift! :D
i have its brother (the 1886). real nice PBT dyesub caps. spacebar is abs, LED-caps are pad printed ABS double-shots. you can turn the noise-thing on-off with alt + esc
really, really nice linear switches, cherry mx linears are absolutely no match :cool:
it's quite pingy, but other than that it sounds and feels real nice. i think it would suit the board if some noise-dampening material is applied inside the case. still have to try it myself ^-^
my only gripes are that the Return key isn't very smooth (weirdly 'stabilized'), and the spacebar is a bit rattly. i guess i'll apply some lube to both to see if that improves things :)

Hey, congrats, pr0xy! Glad to see my proselytizing has made a few converts. MX truly doesn't compare. ;) Definitely looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the board! I had originally taken a gamble on a Z-150 model, but it ended up having yellow Alps and was in kind of a deplorable condition. So gritty linears. Ew. :/

Yeah, the spring ping is pretty bad with Alps, especially the older ones! It can be fixed right up with lube applied to the springs themselves, but your idea of putting dampening under the board also works as a shortcut. Though it doesn't eliminate all of the ping, it definitely diminishes it significantly if you have good dampening. I lubed all of my Green Alps springs, but I didn't bother with any other switches I've tried in my Hammer board, and the sorbothane sheet I use (not too expensive!) for dampening really killed a lot of the ping with blues and brown linears!

EDIT: Nevermind, I just realized I lubed the brown linear springs too. BUT. It definitely reduces ping on the blues!

Zenith's are incredibly well-built. They're such solid boards with a thick and ridiculously textured plastic top housing and a solid metal bottom panel. It's really crazy how much they've put into the build quality. Bonus for NKRO if you're into that.  :thumb:

I still consider the XT layout (I call it that, please correct me if I'm wrong, haha) with the F keys to the side is pretty compact for the era!

I think lubing would hush up rattly stab wire, but you can also try shimming it with paper or, as I've heard recently, bandaids, lol. That might cut even more rattle.
« Last Edit: Thu, 24 December 2015, 14:34:47 by E3E »

Offline Bucake

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #311 on: Thu, 24 December 2015, 17:05:17 »
brown linears? aren't those extremely rare?
how do they compare to greens?

i actually prefer the F-section of the XT boards over the standard F-row of today.
when i switch from an XT board to a 'classic' board, i'm quickly annoyed by the F-row.
clustered together on the left side makes so much more sense for my left arm/hand. i wish it was common practise!

cheers for the tip, i think i'll try the paper/bandaid trick!

edit: is NKRO that much more expensive to make, or something?
i mean.. so many huge names/brands have 6KRO or even lower. why? super old boards prove that NKRO has always been an option.
and for example hasu's controller shows that NKRO is possible over USB.
why is NKRO not the standard?
not that i need more than 6KRO, but i just don't understand why we went from NKRO to 6KRO
« Last Edit: Thu, 24 December 2015, 17:07:41 by Bucake »
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Offline E3E

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #312 on: Thu, 24 December 2015, 17:21:29 »
brown linears? aren't those extremely rare?
how do they compare to greens?

i actually prefer the F-section of the XT boards over the standard F-row of today.
when i switch from an XT board to a 'classic' board, i'm quickly annoyed by the F-row.
clustered together on the left side makes so much more sense for my left arm/hand. i wish it was common practise!

cheers for the tip, i think i'll try the paper/bandaid trick!

edit: is NKRO that much more expensive to make, or something?
i mean.. so many huge names/brands have 6KRO or even lower. why? super old boards prove that NKRO has always been an option.
and for example hasu's controller shows that NKRO is possible over USB.
why is NKRO not the standard?
not that i need more than 6KRO, but i just don't understand why we went from NKRO to 6KRO

Linear brown Alps are indeed quite rare. The best bet is in old Texas Instruments Low-Profile Keyboard models. Which don't turn up often. They aren't all THAT special. They feel like the MX black of the Alps world, where linear greens feel like MX reds, imo. They actuate at around 65g of force. They are both very smooth, but I prefer greens more myself. I'll have to give the browns more attention though. :)

Hehe, I like the XT layout for its looks, but I couldn't get used to the layout myself--granted, I only had XT protocol boards with that layout, so I couldn't even TRY to get used to them.

Yes, NKRO was very uncommon back in the day, aside from the technologies that had it by default, ie capacitive keyboards.

The only NKRO boards I know of in the vintage Alps world are the Z-150, the ZKB-2, the Omnikey, the Leading Edge DC-2014, the Leading Edge DC-3014, and the Chicony 5161A. That might sound like a lot, but it's pretty tiny compared to the plethora of Alps boards out there. The blue Alps variants with NKRO... Well, there's only the DC-3014, the gold label Omnikey 102, and then the Chicony 5161A. None of which are absolutely guaranteed to have blue Alps (much less so the Chicony).

NKRO is more standard today on high priced boards, but yeah... I dunno. I guess the extra couple of cents of expenses for diodes adds up over designing a labyrinth of a matrix and adding blocking (?). Though I have a few old boards that have no diodes OR blocking, and it's pretty amusing. I can do the whole "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" test just fine, albeit with some random tildes and Ms thrown in, haha. 

I'm not sure what the 6KRO thing is about. I always thought that was more of a limitation with USB tech. Only my Infinity and the DIN5-to-USB Soarer's converter DIN5-to-USB I bought from orihalcon allow full NKRO over USB. Someone more technical than I am could probably give you a far better answer! My Duck boards all have diodes, but only get 6KRO over USB. I'm not sure if that would change with an active PS/2 converter or not.

I'm fine with 6KRO, but I really wanted a vintage blue Alps board with NKRO. I FINALLY found a DC-3014, and that's my Christmas gift to myself, haha. I can live with 2KRO or ... a willy nilly unblocked matrix, but having the freedom is nice.

I use a DTR laptop, so I don't have the option of PS/2 alone, I should say.
« Last Edit: Thu, 24 December 2015, 17:24:42 by E3E »

Offline Blaise170

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #313 on: Thu, 24 December 2015, 17:24:13 »
Older protocols like PS/2 supported it by default due to the way they are wired. On the other hand, USB is limited to 6KRO. Even though NKRO over USB is possible, it requires different techniques like the use of diodes.
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Offline chyros

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #314 on: Thu, 24 December 2015, 17:28:56 »
The only NKRO boards I know of in the vintage Alps world are the Z-150, the ZKB-2, the Omnikey, the Leading Edge DC-2014, the Leading Edge DC-3014, and the Chicony 5161A.
Ironically, my Omnikey Ultra doesn't even have NKRO, it seems to be broken somehow xD .
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Offline SamirD

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #315 on: Tue, 29 December 2015, 14:35:29 »
NEC PK-KB015 ALPS SKCL yellow switch[NIB] :p

This board is wild!  I've never seen anything like it!


Offline axtran

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #316 on: Wed, 30 December 2015, 06:38:52 »
So Alps people can you guide me?
What are the current options for pcb to put alps on ?

That would be to put those beauties onto something

Show Image


Sigh... I want AZERTY board like yours :(
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Offline SamirD

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #317 on: Wed, 30 December 2015, 07:25:06 »
awjio4fwjiowatjwt04239

Offline SamirD

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #318 on: Wed, 30 December 2015, 07:25:37 »
awjio4fwjiowatjwt04239
oops!  Was testing xRKO on my M since it's going through a kvm switch--seems to be limited to 6. :(


Offline smarmar

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #319 on: Wed, 30 December 2015, 12:01:37 »
No they went down under a long time ago. Matias is the only company that makes alps switches/boards now.

I got a Matias Tactile Pro 3 with white alps a couple of years ago for my 2006 iMac. My gf hates the absurdly loud, plasic-y clicks. When I get goin' on that thing it sounds like someone pouring tic-tacs on a tile floor.
Sadly, I don't use the Mac as often as I used to; it's getting up there in age and losing its usefulness.
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Offline KRKS

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #320 on: Thu, 31 December 2015, 03:47:18 »
the whole "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" test

Am I really seeing these words from someone with 900+ posts?
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Offline Blaise170

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #321 on: Thu, 31 December 2015, 07:22:01 »
the whole "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" test

Am I really seeing these words from someone with 900+ posts?

What's wrong with it?
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Offline pr0ximity

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #322 on: Thu, 31 December 2015, 14:06:16 »
Zenith board with Green SKCL Alps came in yesterday. Gotta say, so far I am vastly underwhelmed. I opened a couple switches and lubed them with Krytox 203, still scratchy. I like to hope it's because there's something in them that needs cleaning out (Alps seem very temperamental) because these have a LONG way to go before they're as smooth as either my vintage MX or Gateron Blacks. Love the form factor and build quality of the board for the most part, though the caps feel way thinner than they look.

I'm thinking I'll have to disassemble the entire thing and wash it all out, switch housings and sliders included? The plate has some corrosion and could use a sanding, so I think this will be my next restoration job. It's either that or building an Alps 60%, but I'm really not convinced Alps are for me yet so I think I'll keep the board and try not to sink too much money into it. I have everything I need to clean it up so it's just a matter of finding the time.

Neat that you can open Alps while they're on the plate though!  :))
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Offline Blaise170

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #323 on: Thu, 31 December 2015, 14:35:39 »
Zenith board with Green SKCL Alps came in yesterday. Gotta say, so far I am vastly underwhelmed. I opened a couple switches and lubed them with Krytox 203, still scratchy. I like to hope it's because there's something in them that needs cleaning out (Alps seem very temperamental) because these have a LONG way to go before they're as smooth as either my vintage MX or Gateron Blacks. Love the form factor and build quality of the board for the most part, though the caps feel way thinner than they look.

I'm thinking I'll have to disassemble the entire thing and wash it all out, switch housings and sliders included? The plate has some corrosion and could use a sanding, so I think this will be my next restoration job. It's either that or building an Alps 60%, but I'm really not convinced Alps are for me yet so I think I'll keep the board and try not to sink too much money into it. I have everything I need to clean it up so it's just a matter of finding the time.

Neat that you can open Alps while they're on the plate though!  :))

Bad Alps feel as bad as any other bad switch, but if they are in good condition I think they are the best of the switch types.
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Offline pr0ximity

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #324 on: Thu, 31 December 2015, 14:59:00 »
Zenith board with Green SKCL Alps came in yesterday. Gotta say, so far I am vastly underwhelmed. I opened a couple switches and lubed them with Krytox 203, still scratchy. I like to hope it's because there's something in them that needs cleaning out (Alps seem very temperamental) because these have a LONG way to go before they're as smooth as either my vintage MX or Gateron Blacks. Love the form factor and build quality of the board for the most part, though the caps feel way thinner than they look.

I'm thinking I'll have to disassemble the entire thing and wash it all out, switch housings and sliders included? The plate has some corrosion and could use a sanding, so I think this will be my next restoration job. It's either that or building an Alps 60%, but I'm really not convinced Alps are for me yet so I think I'll keep the board and try not to sink too much money into it. I have everything I need to clean it up so it's just a matter of finding the time.

Neat that you can open Alps while they're on the plate though!  :))

Bad Alps feel as bad as any other bad switch, but if they are in good condition I think they are the best of the switch types.
That's what's keeping me going with this board :) By "bad Alps" do you mean ones that need cleaning, or is there some other way Alps go "bad"?
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Offline itzmeluigi

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #325 on: Thu, 31 December 2015, 15:22:01 »
Try cleaning the top housing of a few switches with a damp qtip and blow out the dust from the bottom housing.  I believe dry type lube is best for Alps type switches, nubbinator has found that Molybdenum works best https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=75785.msg1885894#msg1885894

https://www.etsy.com/listing/216916871/molybdenum-disulfide-1-ounce-15-micron?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=molybdenum%20disulfide&ref=sr_gallery_2

Offline sean

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #326 on: Thu, 31 December 2015, 20:59:42 »
Zenith board with Green SKCL Alps came in yesterday. Gotta say, so far I am vastly underwhelmed. I opened a couple switches and lubed them with Krytox 203, still scratchy. I like to hope it's because there's something in them that needs cleaning out (Alps seem very temperamental) because these have a LONG way to go before they're as smooth as either my vintage MX or Gateron Blacks. Love the form factor and build quality of the board for the most part, though the caps feel way thinner than they look.

I'm thinking I'll have to disassemble the entire thing and wash it all out, switch housings and sliders included? The plate has some corrosion and could use a sanding, so I think this will be my next restoration job. It's either that or building an Alps 60%, but I'm really not convinced Alps are for me yet so I think I'll keep the board and try not to sink too much money into it. I have everything I need to clean it up so it's just a matter of finding the time.

Neat that you can open Alps while they're on the plate though!  :))

When I disassembled my blue alps switches I washed the top housings. I suppose you can also wash the sliders if they did not come with lube, or are going to put your own dry lube on them.

Offline bocahgundul

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #327 on: Thu, 31 December 2015, 22:58:15 »
Is this SKCL green alps?

the seller said that the board have no click and feel similar with cherry mx brown
the board is ortek one and I'm in a deal with him can somone confirmed that this is a SKCL green alps?

Offline itzmeluigi

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #328 on: Thu, 31 December 2015, 23:29:44 »
Nice find, it could be SKCL greens but the slider color seems a little bit darker.  It might be these: http://deskthority.net/photos-f62/ntc-kb-6251-green-linear-hua-jie-ak-switches-t11551.html

Either way its very interesting and worth picking up. Try to ask the seller to take a clearer picture of the top of the switch.

Offline sean

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #329 on: Thu, 31 December 2015, 23:31:11 »
Is this SKCL green alps?
Show Image

the seller said that the board have no click and feel similar with cherry mx brown
the board is ortek one and I'm in a deal with him can somone confirmed that this is a SKCL green alps?
Does it have a hole for an LED? If yes then it's absolutely SKCL green.

Offline jacobolus

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #330 on: Fri, 01 January 2016, 00:02:02 »
Zenith board with Green SKCL Alps came in yesterday. Gotta say, so far I am vastly underwhelmed. I opened a couple switches and lubed them with Krytox 203, still scratchy.
When brand new, green Alps are definitely not scratchy. Smoother than any linear MX switch you’ll ever find, except those with lube added by an enthusiast.

If it’s scratchy, that means it sat on a shelf for 2 to 3 decades without a box, and got filled with dust and grit.

Cleaning scratchy Alps switches is nontrivial. I think the best tool is probably an ultrasonic cleaner, but if you don’t have one of those and still want to clean up the switches, I’d recommend desoldering everything, taking all the switches apart, carefully swabbing out the housings and sliders with an alcohol-soaked q-tip or similar, and then adding some Krytox to all the contact points before reassembling. It’s going to take a considerable amount of effort though; just finding better condition switches is probably easier/cheaper if you value your time.

Offline bocahgundul

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #331 on: Fri, 01 January 2016, 00:14:26 »
Waiting for the seller to get a clearer picture

Offline Blaise170

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #332 on: Fri, 01 January 2016, 00:16:30 »
Waiting for the seller to get a clearer picture

Which Ortek is it if you don't mind me asking?
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Offline bocahgundul

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #333 on: Fri, 01 January 2016, 00:19:31 »
Waiting for the seller to get a clearer picture

Which Ortek is it if you don't mind me asking?
Ortek mck 101FTN

Offline bocahgundul

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #334 on: Fri, 01 January 2016, 02:03:01 »
huft too bad the board is simplified green alps

Offline tjcaustin

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #335 on: Fri, 01 January 2016, 02:15:46 »
I appreciate comp whites in my new 60% alps board.  Now it needs a case...And a non-yellowed aekii space bar

Offline Blaise170

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #336 on: Sat, 02 January 2016, 14:25:07 »
I have some sideways-Alps-mount relegendable keys listed in the free stuff thread if anyone is interested.
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Offline jacobolus

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #337 on: Sun, 03 January 2016, 00:15:59 »
I have some sideways-Alps-mount relegendable keys listed in the free stuff thread if anyone is interested.
Have any pictures of those?

Offline Blaise170

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #338 on: Sun, 03 January 2016, 00:33:01 »
Have any pictures of those?

Here's a picture that I took earlier.

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Offline Altis

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #339 on: Sun, 03 January 2016, 11:34:16 »
I just received my first complicated Blue Alps keyboard and have some initial impressions.

They're certainly smoother overall than Monterey Blue alps, but I don't think it comes down to the slider smoothness. I think the reason they feel so good is that they have the very long tactile bump that's similar in stroke to Black Alps or Topre, with a soft click at actuation. The actuation point doesn't itself interfere with the downstroke, though, so while they sound clicky, they don't really feel clicky but certainly tactile.

It's like how Topre is very tactile but not clicky at all. If you added a soft clicker in 45g Topre that didn't resist too much, it would probably feel pretty similar overall.

Contrast that with Monterey Blue alps which have a more resistant click in the keystroke: you push down until you reach a point where the resistance builds up and you have to overcome that sudden tactile click. The click is very harsh and pronounced by comparison with the Blue Alps, which you could slowly push through without really feeling any sudden buildup of pressure at the click/actuation point.

Just some thoughts. I'll probably post a review of the keyboard and switches when I've had a chance to really get to know it and collect my thoughts.

I definitely do like the Blue Alps feel and sound, though.
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Offline chyros

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #340 on: Sun, 03 January 2016, 17:47:23 »
Cool man, glad you finally got one! :)

Part of the quality of the keyfeel is definitely due to the tactile leaf Alps used, yeah. It's IMO why Type OA2 clones feel better than most others too, as it's fairly close to the construction to actual complicated Alps. However, just the click leaf doesn't explain why blue Alps feel nicer than white ones though, as they appear to be identical. I would also say that Montereys do feel nicer than white Alps (but not blue Alps). That's just my opinion though. I think it's a combination of factors, materials, and design decisions, really.
Check my keyboard video reviews:


Offline jacobolus

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #341 on: Tue, 05 January 2016, 01:15:26 »
However, just the click leaf doesn't explain why blue Alps feel nicer than white ones though, as they appear to be identical.
Quite noticeably different spring, different click leaf, different contact assembly (this accounts for some of the sound difference), factory-applied lubricant, different switch housing, slightly different slider shape. There actually isn’t a single identical part, though they’re mostly pretty similar.
« Last Edit: Tue, 05 January 2016, 01:18:41 by jacobolus »

Offline E3E

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #342 on: Tue, 05 January 2016, 18:31:36 »
huft too bad the board is simplified green alps
Show Image


Are you sure? Those look like the rare tactile green Alps to me.

Nevermind. I see the tabs now. Taking 6 days away from the keyboard game and already I'm getting rusty, haha.
« Last Edit: Tue, 05 January 2016, 18:33:49 by E3E »

Offline chyros

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #343 on: Tue, 05 January 2016, 18:43:22 »
huft too bad the board is simplified green alps
Show Image


Are you sure? Those look like the rare tactile green Alps to me.

Nevermind. I see the tabs now. Taking 6 days away from the keyboard game and already I'm getting rusty, haha.
The markings also show it's not a genuine Alps switch ;) . Besides, SKCM Green has a really weird shade of almost luminescent green.
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Offline bocahgundul

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #344 on: Tue, 05 January 2016, 20:18:40 »
Do you guys think 70 dollar for a board with blue alps is worth it? Trying to snatch my first blue alps :p

Offline E3E

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #345 on: Tue, 05 January 2016, 20:24:33 »
Do you guys think 70 dollar for a board with blue alps is worth it? Trying to snatch my first blue alps :p

YES. Buy it! NOW!

That's a fantastic price for blue Alps if you're buying online. Don't pass it up!

What board are you getting? Is it an 84 key or a 101?

huft too bad the board is simplified green alps
Show Image


Are you sure? Those look like the rare tactile green Alps to me.

Nevermind. I see the tabs now. Taking 6 days away from the keyboard game and already I'm getting rusty, haha.
The markings also show it's not a genuine Alps switch ;) . Besides, SKCM Green has a really weird shade of almost luminescent green.

Yeah, the markings on Alps switches are pretty distinctive! I did think this shade of green was pretty vivid compared to the linear green slider, though.



Offline bocahgundul

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #346 on: Tue, 05 January 2016, 20:28:14 »
Do you guys think 70 dollar for a board with blue alps is worth it? Trying to snatch my first blue alps :p

YES. Buy it! NOW!

That's a fantastic price for blue Alps if you're buying online. Don't pass it up!

What board are you getting? Is it an 84 key or a 101?

I think a 101 I'm waiting for the pic. The one that sell this are fellow member here wanting to sell his board  :p

Offline sean

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #347 on: Tue, 05 January 2016, 20:36:43 »
Do you guys think 70 dollar for a board with blue alps is worth it? Trying to snatch my first blue alps :p

YES. Buy it! NOW!

That's a fantastic price for blue Alps if you're buying online. Don't pass it up!

What board are you getting? Is it an 84 key or a 101?

I think a 101 I'm waiting for the pic. The one that sell this are fellow member here wanting to sell his board  :p

Lucky you!

Edit: What is happening, I don't deserve this!
« Last Edit: Tue, 05 January 2016, 20:38:39 by sean »

Offline bocahgundul

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #348 on: Tue, 05 January 2016, 21:20:56 »
Yep I got chicony 5161c with indeed a genuine complicated blue alps  ;D


Offline E3E

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Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #349 on: Wed, 06 January 2016, 00:40:56 »
Yep I got chicony 5161c with indeed a genuine complicated blue alps  ;D
Show Image

Show Image


Looks to be in  fantastic condition! Is that the 5161A model with NKRO? I haven't heard of the Chicony having a 5161C designation Owo