Alps Appreciation Thread

[chyros]

most of us would kill to have one, they rarely come up for sale and when they do, theyre not cheap.

I kick myself for not buying one that Akimbo offered to sell me in the mid-$200s a few years ago, but I was broke.

Holy ****balls, $200?! Can't you just make one yourself for less than that?! Oo

[E3E]

most of us would kill to have one, they rarely come up for sale and when they do, theyre not cheap.

I kick myself for not buying one that Akimbo offered to sell me in the mid-$200s a few years ago, but I was broke.

Holy ****balls, $200?! Can't you just make one yourself for less than that?! Oo

Do you no how much they sell for these days? Like $700. I bought my Orion v2 with an Alps PCB and plate for $740 and invested over $1100~ total with the hotswap modding, buying mint AT101 caps, dyeing equipment, etc. The sockets for the hot swapping cost $100 alone (getting them from the UK was actually a lot cheaper than ordering them from digikey when I used a proxy).
 
I sold both of the MX plates that came with my Orion which took away $180 from the expenses, but I still spent around the $1000 mark on this keyboard, haha.

I invested $660-700~ in my Hammer Alps  board that's in my display picture.

Yeah, the prices are crazy, dude.

[chyros]

Do you no how much they sell for these days? Like $700. I bought my Orion v2 with an Alps PCB and plate for $740 and invested over $1100~ total with the hotswap modding, buying mint AT101 caps, dyeing equipment, etc. The sockets for the hot swapping cost $100 alone (getting them from the UK was actually a lot cheaper than ordering them from digikey when I used a proxy).
 
I sold both of the MX plates that came with my Orion which took away $180 from the expenses, but I still spent around the $1000 mark on this keyboard, haha.

I invested $660-700~ in my Hammer Alps  board that's in my display picture.

Yeah, the prices are crazy, dude.

What the actual ****, dude xD . That kind of money nets you an overpriced blue Alps board xD .

That said, I might have to start my own Alps build soon xD.

[fohat.digs]

What the actual ****, dude

I think that the kits were about $350+, in maybe 2012 dollars. Not including switches and caps.

[E3E]

What the actual ****, dude xD . That kind of money nets you an overpriced blue Alps board xD .

That said, I might have to start my own Alps build soon xD.

That's essentially what the customs are, haha (that's a good joke though, lol; reminds me of the DC-3014 that just sold). I think the personalization (the weight is pretty nice too, but not everything) is what sells it for me though. I hot swapped most of my Alps board for even more variety, so they can be more than just a single switch board or whatever. I only actually switch up switches on one of my hotswap boards often. The rest kind of stay as they are, but it is super convenient.

ESPECIALLY when you're trying to put a switch back together on a nearly 8 lb keyboard after opening it and there's no good way to do so without seriously maiming yourself or the keyboard. Popping the switch out makes it so much easier, haha.

That said, where customs have that personalization value for me, there's something about the history that vintages have that charms me more than customs ever could. It's why I have a seriously hard time dismantling any vintages unless there's good reason to.

[itzmeluigi]

 

[mike52787]

Show Image

 :)

****

[E3E]

Show Image

 :)

Luigi, at it again with the most Kingsavers this side of GeekHack.



Random pic of the Orion because pretty gold sockets.

[fohat.digs]

The space bar on the left one is a little yellow.

[E3E]

The space bar on the left one is a little yellow.

I'd say the left and right one both seem yellow, but then that's probably the lighting. Those Wang caps have a bit more of a cream tinge to them than I imagined. The closest PBT caps I've seen come to neutral grey have been the IBM Multistation newer caps, and the DocuTech/6085 key caps.

Not sure how warm or cold the SGI Granite (grey mod) alphas are. I only have the beige ones, and those alphas have a weird reddish tinge I dislike. The AT101 PBT set has a warm egg nog kind of hue not too dissimilar to how these Wangs appear, except these caps seem to have a uniform color with no differences between mods and alphas (except for the f row and the nav/arrow cluster).

[emdude]

I'd say the SGI Granite alphas are cold compared to the pearl color of IBM key caps.

[klennkellon]

Someone is offering me an FK-2001 from 93' made in the USA for $40, it looks like it's in great condition, think it's worth it? I've never heard of one made in the US.

[Wingpad]

Sorry to necro klennkellon and matt's finds but holy cow, those are some nice Packard Bells. Very jealous of both! I have been too busy to keep up with this thread but I will try to check in from time to time.

I have still been working on things in my spare time, most recently I began restoring a real (not painted like my previous one) Black Dell AT101W and swapping in Orange Alps. I painted the plate and began soldering in switches but I'm not done yet:


Also stole klennkellon's to put a mini "switch tester" under the print screen, scroll lock and pause cluster:


Sorry for the potato quality

[alienman82]

removed.

[fohat.digs]

Black Dell AT101W and swapping in Orange Alps.

Pretty much what I did. Makes for a wonderful board with the PBT caps. I swapped in the weight bar from one of the old ones and padded the case.

Feels even better with the AEK style caps but they are goofy and don't make a realistic set.

[chyros]

Someone is offering me an FK-2001 from 93' made in the USA for $40, it looks like it's in great condition, think it's worth it? I've never heard of one made in the US.

Me neither Oo . All the ones I know were made in Asia Oo . By '93 it probably came with clones, but with one like this you never know. It's pretty hard to mistake it as well because it says clearly on the label normally.

[klennkellon]

Someone is offering me an FK-2001 from 93' made in the USA for $40, it looks like it's in great condition, think it's worth it? I've never heard of one made in the US.

Me neither Oo . All the ones I know were made in Asia Oo . By '93 it probably came with clones, but with one like this you never know. It's pretty hard to mistake it as well because it says clearly on the label normally.

It says the types of switches on the label?

BTW, I did see a few other pictures of a 93' US made 2001 and though it was in /Japanese it looks like it may be using some clicky Alps style white Omron. But as we've said before the 2001 is a wheel of fortune.

http://hw001.spaaqs.ne.jp/kaineko2/album20120229.html

If anyone here reads Japanese and would translate it I would be grateful.

[E3E]

Huh, that doesn't look like an Omron to me.

The pictures aren't great, but I -think- I see the distinctive Alps tabs, so maybe they're real Alps. I also see slits, so they seem legit in this case.

[klennkellon]

Huh, that doesn't look like an Omron to me.

The pictures aren't great, but I -think- I see the distinctive Alps tabs, so maybe they're real Alps. I also see slits, so they seem legit in this case.

On the deskauthority site the style Omrons the slider looks just like the Alps slider.

https://deskthority.net/wiki/Omron_Alps-style_switch

[E3E]

Huh, that doesn't look like an Omron to me.

The pictures aren't great, but I -think- I see the distinctive Alps tabs, so maybe they're real Alps. I also see slits, so they seem legit in this case.

On the deskauthority site the style Omrons the slider looks just like the Alps slider.

https://deskthority.net/wiki/Omron_Alps-style_switch

These are definitely Alps though:



You can see the typical circular stamp mark on the bottom left that is typical of genuine Alps switches.



And zoomed in as much as possible, you can faintly see the Alps logo on the top housing.

In the typing video, they compare with white Omrons, but at least in those pics, they're Alps.

[klennkellon]

Oh okay, I see. Thanks.

I was starting to become under the impression that maybe only the American ones used the Omrons for some reason.

I think I'm going to buy it, I'll report back here with pictures when it arrives for *gags* keyboard science.

[E3E]

Haha, good luck. It's interesting that Focus even had any US made keyboards, considering that they're speculated to have made the Omnikeys, and I think all of those were made in Taiwan afaik. I know Northgate sold the design off to some other companies though.

I think that's where the Avant Prime and that weird black Omnikey come from.

[klennkellon]

Haha, good luck. It's interesting that Focus even had any US made keyboards, considering that they're speculated to have made the Omnikeys, and I think all of those were made in Taiwan afaik. I know Northgate sold the design off to some other companies though.

I think that's where the Avant Prime and that weird black Omnikey come from.

Wait what? Wouldn't expect them to had made something like the Omnikey, which is built like carbon nanotudes compared Focus's usual "meh" build quality.

[E3E]

Haha, good luck. It's interesting that Focus even had any US made keyboards, considering that they're speculated to have made the Omnikeys, and I think all of those were made in Taiwan afaik. I know Northgate sold the design off to some other companies though.

I think that's where the Avant Prime and that weird black Omnikey come from.

Wait what? Wouldn't expect them to had made something like the Omnikey, which is built like carbon nanotudes compared Focus's usual "meh" build quality.

Have you ever seen the Focus FK-555? It bears striking similarities to the Northgate Omnikey. Some think that Focus just cloned the Omnikey, but I'm not sure. I feel like the 555 came out before the Omnikey.

Also, both the 555 and FK-747 have been spotted with Northgate Systems badges/stickers on their bezel.

Here's my FK-555:

More

The Focus FK-747/727 and the 555 had really similar design cues. The back being powder coated white with those same feet that the Omnikey uses is very strange.

I do think there's a connection, especially because of the models with Northgate stickers.

But yeah, later Focuses were built pretty shoddily, I hear. I've never actually owned one. Well, unless you count the ruined PCB/Plate combo with scattered caps I got from TaoBao.

Also, the 555 is one of the heaviest metal backed boards I own.

[chyros]

Without a doubt, Focus and Northgate share a common ancestor. We even have pictures of a Northgate-branded FK-555 and a FK-747. If you look at the design of the case on the 555, and of the style of model sticker, it's obvious that they were made by the same manufacturer, not even counting the fact that they came with the same switches and were made in the same country and apparently plant.

Northgate probably didn't make them themselves, as it'd be weird for an American company and distributor to operate solely out of Asia, but whether Focus made both or someone else did is not known yet. Regardless, Focus and Northgate have been intertwined from very early on.

[E3E]

Yep, they definitely seem like they popped out of the same factory. The designs are just too similar, the model stickers are spitting images of each other, and those northgate systems stickers are just too convenient for them not to have a connection. Sandy also points out the pencil holder ridge between the FK-555 and the Omnikey sharing that distinct look.

[CPTBadAss]

I have still been working on things in my spare time, most recently I began restoring a real (not painted like my previous one) Black Dell AT101W and swapping in Orange Alps. I painted the plate and began soldering in switches but I'm not done yet:

Show Image

This looks great. A nice little build right there.

I have a question, what are Alps Kingsavers? Is it just a name for any customized TKL alps board?

They are a specific custom aluminum-cased TKL made by Duck years back. It has a very specific layout and can only use key caps from a Wang 725.

It's a flat cased design with aluminum cone feet. Can't dig up pics atm.

I was fortunate enough to buy one off Akimbo by way of jdcarpe. Some thoughts and pics there if you're interested. Easily my second favorite keyboard.

Did anyone here ever try those clicky green Alps clones on those XM Ducky's awhile back? I've heard the build quality of the board itself was complete trash but interested in the switches, they had a neat sound.

I bought one of those with the white clones a while back at MK. It was easily the worst keyboard I've bought. And those Green XM Clones were horrible. They were gritty and plasticky. I really hated them and that board. Smelled awful too. Dunno why factory fresh smell was a good thing earlier in this thread lol.

[lunas]

I just picked up an Apple M0116 off eBay, finally my first chance to try out Alps. On arrival I discovered the board was in pretty bad shape with nasty stuff all over the plate and keycaps. Lucky me though, the keycaps cleaned up very nicely, and surprisingly the switches (salmon) seem to be pretty clean. I've opened a few switches and found very little to worry about inside.  I've desoldered and plan to put these on an Infinity board.

They feel pretty clean, but I don't have a point of reference for what a clean set feels like. Would it be pretty obvious (either feel or visually inside) if these had dust/contamination issues? The plate and keys were pretty bad, but the switch action seems pretty smooth to me.

I also lubed a few, and can hardly tell the difference. Still debating if I bother with lube, but if I'm going to open them all up, it's not much of an extra step.

[mike52787]

I just picked up an Apple M0116 off eBay, finally my first chance to try out Alps. On arrival I discovered the board was in pretty bad shape with nasty stuff all over the plate and keycaps. Lucky me though, the keycaps cleaned up very nicely, and surprisingly the switches (salmon) seem to be pretty clean. I've opened a few switches and found very little to worry about inside.  I've desoldered and plan to put these on an Infinity board.

They feel pretty clean, but I don't have a point of reference for what a clean set feels like. Would it be pretty obvious (either feel or visually inside) if these had dust/contamination issues? The plate and keys were pretty bad, but the switch action seems pretty smooth to me.

I also lubed a few, and can hardly tell the difference. Still debating if I bother with lube, but if I'm going to open them all up, it's not much of an extra step.

Dont bother with lubing salmon alps. if theyre clean, they should be very smooth with a pronounced tactile bump. if they feels good, dont bother opening them up, its a long process that you wont enjoy.

[chyros]

I just picked up an Apple M0116 off eBay, finally my first chance to try out Alps. On arrival I discovered the board was in pretty bad shape with nasty stuff all over the plate and keycaps. Lucky me though, the keycaps cleaned up very nicely, and surprisingly the switches (salmon) seem to be pretty clean. I've opened a few switches and found very little to worry about inside.  I've desoldered and plan to put these on an Infinity board.

They feel pretty clean, but I don't have a point of reference for what a clean set feels like. Would it be pretty obvious (either feel or visually inside) if these had dust/contamination issues? The plate and keys were pretty bad, but the switch action seems pretty smooth to me.

I also lubed a few, and can hardly tell the difference. Still debating if I bother with lube, but if I'm going to open them all up, it's not much of an extra step.

Dont bother with lubing salmon alps. if theyre clean, they should be very smooth with a pronounced tactile bump. if they feels good, dont bother opening them up, its a long process that you wont enjoy.

Indeed! Worse, it might not even work, or make them worse D: .

[lunas]

Dont bother with lubing salmon alps. if theyre clean, they should be very smooth with a pronounced tactile bump. if they feels good, dont bother opening them up, its a long process that you wont enjoy.

Indeed! Worse, it might not even work, or make them worse D: .

Thanks both of you for the feedback. I'll proceed without lubing. Opening the switches wasn't too bad, but it was tough applying dry lube on the couple I tested. I'll save the extra work for only problem switches if any. Looking forward to getting these soldered and tested on a clean board.

[Mattr567]

Packard Bell typing test

Damn squeaky chair lol.

[chyros]

Packard Bell typing test

Damn squeaky chair lol.

Hmmm, blue Alps typing, delicious ^^ .

[alienman82]

removed.

[Mattr567]

Yea they can. The way to tell is to look at the back label and see if there is a S in a little box in the bottom right corner. 95's can have SKCM White Damp.

Why would you buy a AEK from Taobao? There common enough on ebay.

[alienman82]

removed.

[chyros]

Yea they can. The way to tell is to look at the back label and see if there is a S in a little box in the bottom right corner. 95's can have SKCM White Damp.

Why would you buy a AEK from Taobao? There common enough on ebay.

I have a huge order $2000 or so, and it was cheap enough.

wat

[fohat.digs]

wasn't aware that an AEK2 could come with salmons. 

The mark with the "S" is not reliable at all.

I believe that it is accurate to say that most but not all 1989 copyrights have salmon, most or all 1990 copyrights have dampened cream, and most or all 1995 copyrights have dampened white.

[mike52787]

I am interested in getting a magnavox videowriter board to harvest for switches. There seems to be 2 versions, but only 1 variant seems to have SKCM Browns.
This one:

And this one

[alh84001]

Top one can come with brown switches. Refer to https://deskthority.net/vendors-f52/redmaus-selling-thread-t10392.html

[E3E]

I am interested in getting a magnavox videowriter board to harvest for switches. There seems to be 2 versions, but only 1 variant seems to have SKCM Browns.
This one:

Show Image

And this one

Show Image

From my observation and understanding: If you see LED windows/cut outs on any of the caps, stay away. Those are mitsumis.

The one without LEDs is SKCM Brown as far as I have seen.

[alienman82]

removed.

[mike52787]

there is one of those on taobao not sure if in stock though


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yeh I saw it, its a bit much though with proxy fees and shipping and all that ****. I think the asking price is like 45$

[alienman82]

removed.

[mike52787]

there is one of those on taobao not sure if in stock though


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

yeh I saw it, its a bit much though with proxy fees and shipping and all that ****. I think the asking price is like 45$

I'd have gotten it if i didn't have something better coming


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I must know

[E3E]

I must know

Spolier: It's mainly Cherry.

[mike52787]

I must know

Spolier: It's mainly Cherry.

eww

[alienman82]

removed.

[Blaise170]

I am interested in getting a magnavox videowriter board to harvest for switches. There seems to be 2 versions, but only 1 variant seems to have SKCM Browns.
This one:

Show Image

And this one

Show Image

From my observation and understanding: If you see LED windows/cut outs on any of the caps, stay away. Those are mitsumis.

The one without LEDs is SKCM Brown as far as I have seen.

Mine came with Mitsumi but no LEDs.

[E3E]

Damn, I thought that was the tell. Looks like it's a game of chance then.