Alps Appreciation Thread

[mike52787]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEC-MultiSpeed-EL-PC-16-02-Untested-As-Is/262590869926?_trksid=p5713.c100041.m2061&_trkparms=aid%3D333008%26algo%3DRIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140109102600%26meid%3D8372a73b249342d2a198d45755e447fa%26pid%3D100041%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D35%26sd%3D222230897652
correct me if Im wrong, but those really look like alps caps to me. wondering what switches are in there. The pop up cap is also really interesting.

The Lock Keys definitely look very Alps-esque. If it goes without bids I might throw one on there just to see what's under those caps.

aww, I was gonna buy it  lmao if you really want it I wont bid.

[Wingpad]

aww, I was gonna buy it  lmao if you really want it I wont bid.

Haha, like I said I would only be interested if it went without bids; I just want to see someone in the keyboard community grab it so we can learn about it. In other words, if you're planning on bidding on it that would be enough for me.

[mike52787]

The caps lock and bigass right bracket key look very zenithy to me

[Hypersphere]

@Chyros: Do you have some sort of keyboard superpower that guides you to these incredible finds? It isn't fair to us mere mortals.

@emdude: I agree with your assessment of SKCM brown Alps. Based on trying these switches in an IBM 5140 and a Magnavox Videowriter 250, I had thought that these swtiches would be delightfully tactile and perfect for a custom 60% board. However, when I received the custom board, I was quite surprised at how heavy the swtiches felt. It is fun to type on, but it gets fatiguing after a while.

When I tested the brown Alps in the IBM and Videowriter, the keyboards were not actively connected to a working computer. I find that I do not get the full impression of a keyboard unless I can see the letters on the screen and test my speed and accuracy along with the feel and sound of the keys. Isolated switch testers are even worse -- almost completely useless for me.

I admire your skill in grafting the spacebar post. I expect if I tried this it would not end up standing vertically. I am also not a fan of these stabilizer posts. I can usually get by with just the stabilizer wire and the center switch with a red O-ring on the switch.

Actually, I am not a fan of stabilizers, period. Somewhere on my long to-do list is to make a custom build of a 60% with no stabilized keys at all, including the spacebar. The HHKB Pro 2 is almost there with only three stabilized keys: Enter, Left Shift, and Spacebar. I almost never use the Left Shift, and for either shift key, all I need is 1.25x. Same with Enter -- 1.25x would be ample. For the Spacebar, I have never tried the maximum size for an unstabilzed key, which I think is 1.75x, but this might be pushing it. I would probably need two of these -- one under each thumb.

At the moment, I am working on cleaning up and converting to USB a non-ADB US ANSI NeXT keyboard with SKCM tactile cream Alps. It is in good shape with only a single spot of corrosion on the plate near the Control key. The switches are smooth and nicely tactile, and the keycaps are thick doubleshots. Overall, the keyboard has a very solid sound and feel.

[E3E]

@Chyros: Do you have some sort of keyboard superpower that guides you to these incredible finds? It isn't fair to us mere mortals.

It's called having a damn good recycling center near by as well as good finds from his uni, haha. I get jealous too, Chyros!

Yes, it has a BAE, but the layout is rather bizarre, I' don't think I've ever seen something like it before Oo . Should make a nice review .

Another caseless keyboard review? Haha. It would nice to see what markings you find on it that might give hints to what it could be. I've never seen an "enhanced keyboard" layout with just two bottom row modifiers.

[emdude]

@emdude: I agree with your assessment of SKCM brown Alps. Based on trying these switches in an IBM 5140 and a Magnavox Videowriter 250, I had thought that these swtiches would be delightfully tactile and perfect for a custom 60% board. However, when I received the custom board, I was quite surprised at how heavy the swtiches felt. It is fun to type on, but it gets fatiguing after a while.

When I tested the brown Alps in the IBM and Videowriter, the keyboards were not actively connected to a working computer. I find that I do not get the full impression of a keyboard unless I can see the letters on the screen and test my speed and accuracy along with the feel and sound of the keys. Isolated switch testers are even worse -- almost completely useless for me.

Typing on my SKCM Brown board is definitely more comfortable now because of the damped sliders.  The stiffness doesn't bother me as much either now.

And I agree that single switches or switch testers are pretty bad ways of evaluating a switch, especially when it comes to Alps, where sound is particularly important.  Just in general, the best way to get a feel of a switch is to use an actual keyboard with them for an extended period of time.

I admire your skill in grafting the spacebar post. I expect if I tried this it would not end up standing vertically. I am also not a fan of these stabilizer posts. I can usually get by with just the stabilizer wire and the center switch with a red O-ring on the switch.

Actually, I am not a fan of stabilizers, period. Somewhere on my long to-do list is to make a custom build of a 60% with no stabilized keys at all, including the spacebar. The HHKB Pro 2 is almost there with only three stabilized keys: Enter, Left Shift, and Spacebar. I almost never use the Left Shift, and for either shift key, all I need is 1.25x. Same with Enter -- 1.25x would be ample. For the Spacebar, I have never tried the maximum size for an unstabilzed key, which I think is 1.75x, but this might be pushing it. I would probably need two of these -- one under each thumb.

The epoxy I used was the 'instant setting' kind, so it helps if you allow the epoxy to sit for about 30-40 seconds after mixing to allow it to harden a bit before applying it to the base of the plunger and sticking it onto the space bar.  Positioning the plunger is extremely important if you want smooth action though.

I don't mind Alps stabs, they work just fine in my opinion, except for the space bar...  Anything larger than 1.75 should be stabilized though, but less than that, you wouldn't notice I think.. My keyboard's split right shift is stabilized actually, I can't really tell the difference between that and an unstabilized Caps Lock.

[emdude]

The caps lock and bigass right bracket key look very zenithy to me

I have a pretty good feeling this is Alps.

Here's a listing for another NEC Multispeed laptop,  different model but the keyboard looks nearly identical: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEC-Multispeed-HD-Laptop-Vintage-RARE-/111740313363

If you look closely at one of the photos, you can see the Alps-style stab wires.  Also the + and - keys for both PCs look very Tai-Haoish.

[Hypersphere]

@emdude: Have you tried any keyboard with Matias Quiet switches? If so, how would you rate the Matias switches versus damped Alps?

I have a KBP V60 with Matias Quiet switches. They are indeed quiet, but I bottom out all my keystrokes, and I find bottoming out against a rubber bumper is more fatiguing than bottoming out with undamped Matias Click switches.

For me, Matias Clicks and Matias Quiets are the "Alps of convenience" -- a quick and convenient way to have a 60% or TKL Alps-type board without having to harvest genuine Alps and build a board with one of these form factors yourself.

[emdude]

No, I haven't, though I'd like to try those and Matias Clicks at some point.  I'm pretty curious about their tactility, is there a force graph for those switches anywhere? 

If they aren't as rough as SKCM Cream Damped or Blacks then I'd probably enjoy them.

[chyros]

@Chyros: Do you have some sort of keyboard superpower that guides you to these incredible finds? It isn't fair to us mere mortals.

It's called having a damn good recycling center near by as well as good finds from his uni, haha. I get jealous too, Chyros!

Honestly just go out and look around everywhere, and don't accept no for an answer. You'd be surprised!

[Hypersphere]

No, I haven't, though I'd like to try those and Matias Clicks at some point.  I'm pretty curious about their tactility, is there a force graph for those switches anywhere? 

If they aren't as rough as SKCM Cream Damped or Blacks then I'd probably enjoy them.

The only force-displacement curve for a Matias switch of which I am aware was made by Jacobolus using a gauge made by HaaTa. It may be found in the second post in the following tread:

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=54183.0

He cautions that this represents one time with one switch.

I enjoy using my V60MTS-C and V60MTS-Q boards. They are certainly far better than any Cherry mx or clone, but they lack the refinement of a good SKCM white or blue board whose switches are in good  to excellent condition.

[emdude]

No, I haven't, though I'd like to try those and Matias Clicks at some point.  I'm pretty curious about their tactility, is there a force graph for those switches anywhere? 

If they aren't as rough as SKCM Cream Damped or Blacks then I'd probably enjoy them.

The only force-displacement curve for a Matias switch of which I am aware was made by Jacobolus using a gauge made by HaaTa. It may be found in the second post in the following tread:

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=54183.0

He cautions that this represents one time with one switch.

I enjoy using my V60MTS-C and V60MTS-Q boards. They are certainly far better than any Cherry mx or clone, but they lack the refinement of a good SKCM white or blue board whose switches are in good  to excellent condition.

Thanks for the link; that force curve doesn't look that bad actually.

[unoab]

The caps lock and bigass right bracket key look very zenithy to me

I have a pretty good feeling this is Alps.

Here's a listing for another NEC Multispeed laptop,  different model but the keyboard looks nearly identical: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEC-Multispeed-HD-Laptop-Vintage-RARE-/111740313363

If you look closely at one of the photos, you can see the Alps-style stab wires.  Also the + and - keys for both PCs look very Tai-Haoish.

this guys says white alps in his video, but they don't sound very clicky when he is typing (maybe they are creams or an alps clone with a white slider that is tactile):
https://youtu.be/1jh3N0c3M-g?t=5m23s

[emdude]

The caps lock and bigass right bracket key look very zenithy to me

I have a pretty good feeling this is Alps.

Here's a listing for another NEC Multispeed laptop,  different model but the keyboard looks nearly identical: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEC-Multispeed-HD-Laptop-Vintage-RARE-/111740313363

If you look closely at one of the photos, you can see the Alps-style stab wires.  Also the + and - keys for both PCs look very Tai-Haoish.

this guys says white alps in his video, but they don't sound very clicky when he is typing (maybe they are creams or an alps clone with a white slider that is tactile):
https://youtu.be/1jh3N0c3M-g?t=5m23s

They sound like tactile Alps, so probably Creams or clones then.

[E3E]

Ohh, this could get juicy. SKCM Creams maybe, or just typical dampened? Someone fetch that board on eBay and report your findings!

[chyros]

The caps lock and bigass right bracket key look very zenithy to me

I have a pretty good feeling this is Alps.

Here's a listing for another NEC Multispeed laptop,  different model but the keyboard looks nearly identical: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEC-Multispeed-HD-Laptop-Vintage-RARE-/111740313363

If you look closely at one of the photos, you can see the Alps-style stab wires.  Also the + and - keys for both PCs look very Tai-Haoish.

this guys says white alps in his video, but they don't sound very clicky when he is typing (maybe they are creams or an alps clone with a white slider that is tactile):
https://youtu.be/1jh3N0c3M-g?t=5m23s

They sound like tactile Alps, so probably Creams or clones then.

I can guarantee those are not white Alps. They don't even sound like very tactile Alps, more like linear Alps, though maybe the recording isn't very good. Could even be dampened ones.

[emdude]

The caps lock and bigass right bracket key look very zenithy to me

I have a pretty good feeling this is Alps.

Here's a listing for another NEC Multispeed laptop,  different model but the keyboard looks nearly identical: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEC-Multispeed-HD-Laptop-Vintage-RARE-/111740313363

If you look closely at one of the photos, you can see the Alps-style stab wires.  Also the + and - keys for both PCs look very Tai-Haoish.

this guys says white alps in his video, but they don't sound very clicky when he is typing (maybe they are creams or an alps clone with a white slider that is tactile):
https://youtu.be/1jh3N0c3M-g?t=5m23s

They sound like tactile Alps, so probably Creams or clones then.

I can guarantee those are not white Alps. They don't even sound like very tactile Alps, more like linear Alps, though maybe the recording isn't very good. Could even be dampened ones.

Oh that's true, SKCM Creams were what immediately came to mind when the person mentioned 'white Alps', but you might be right actually, after rewatching the video.  In that case, it might be SKCL Creams then; that would be pretty neat.

[klennkellon]

They sound too clacky to be dampened, when he bottoms out I hear a solid "clack"

[E3E]

Oh that's true, SKCM Creams were what immediately came to mind when the person mentioned 'white Alps', but you might be right actually, after rewatching the video.  In that case, it might be SKCL Creams then; that would be pretty neat.

Yeah, I agree. They definitely sound more like a linear switch. If it's SKCL Cream, then that's cool.

Though, honestly, it'd be a little questionable if he thought these switches were white colored, especially compared to Alps SKCM White switches themselves.

[MandrewDavis]

A bit off topic, but I asked a recent seller on eBay to confirm and IBM 7690s do indeed use SKCM Browns. If anyone finds one by chance, the switches are likely to be in good condition since the keyboard has a build in plastic cover for hospital use.

[emdude]

A bit off topic, but I asked a recent seller on eBay to confirm and IBM 7690s do indeed use SKCM Browns. If anyone finds one by chance, the switches are likely to be in good condition since the keyboard has a build in plastic cover for hospital use.

I remember that short-lived auction.  IIRC, only a couple hundred were produced in a test run (many of which were never fully assembled either), and they ultimately did not hit the market for whatever reason.  The keyboards are identical to those in the 5140 except for their housings.

[Mattr567]

Huh, TIL

[emdude]

Oh wow, vintagecomputer.ca, I didn't know that Snuci over at DT got his hands on one.

[E3E]

A bit off topic, but I asked a recent seller on eBay to confirm and IBM 7690s do indeed use SKCM Browns. If anyone finds one by chance, the switches are likely to be in good condition since the keyboard has a build in plastic cover for hospital use.

I remember that short-lived auction.  IIRC, only a couple hundred were produced in a test run (many of which were never fully assembled either), and they ultimately did not hit the market for whatever reason.  The keyboards are identical to those in the 5140 except for their housings.

Essentially the same thing, yeah, just repurposed. It'd be interesting to have one, but it's beyond my interests to own one. It's more than what I'd really care for since it's a whole system. Super cool, but there's not much I could do with it, and salvaging the keyboard's switches would be sacrilege.

[alienman82]

removed.

[klennkellon]

my opinion: Matias Quiet Click > SKCM Ivory/SKCM Black

One of the rare occasions I would say the newer versions are superior. You can even still mod the Matias to make them clicky or linear like you would the originals, or remove the dampeners. Sound still isn't as good.

[E3E]

my opinion: Matias Quiet Click > SKCM Ivory/SKCM Black

One of the rare occasions I would say the newer versions are superior. You can even still mod the Matias to make them clicky or linear like you would the originals, or remove the dampeners. Sound still isn't as good.

Have you tried the NeXT keyboards? SKCM Ivory isn't a dampened switch and neither is Black. A little hard to directly compare them like that. SKCM Ivory/Cream is like the best tactile Alps switch imo along with SKCM Orange outside of SKCM Green and Brown.

[klennkellon]

my opinion: Matias Quiet Click > SKCM Ivory/SKCM Black

One of the rare occasions I would say the newer versions are superior. You can even still mod the Matias to make them clicky or linear like you would the originals, or remove the dampeners. Sound still isn't as good.

Have you tried the NeXT keyboards? SKCM Ivory isn't a dampened switch and neither is Black. A little hard to directly compare them like that. SKCM Ivory/Cream is like the best tactile Alps switch imo along with SKCM Orange outside of SKCM Green and Brown.

SKCM Ivory are dampened? I thought Ivory was another name for SKCM Cream I must've gotten my names confused.

I undampened my Matias QC sans a few switches so it's a fairer comparison, the Matias tactility is not as rough feeling as the late Blacks which feel like there are two bumps. The dampened creams also had this feel but not as much.

[E3E]

SKCM Ivory are dampened? I thought Ivory was another name for SKCM Cream I must've gotten my names confused.

I undampened my Matias QC sans a few switches so it's a fairer comparison, the Matias tactility is not as rough feeling as the late Blacks which feel like there are two bumps. The dampened creams also had this feel but not as much.

SKCM Cream Damped is the dampened one, but SKCM Ivory/Cream is the undampened variety found in NeXT keyboards (earlier version found in some Canon AP500-II typewriters). Yeah, I can see them being better then the SKCM Blacks. But were those bamboo or pine? I have not tried pine blacks, but I hear that they are actually rather nice.

There's a bit of a schism on the name of SKCM Cream, where some prefer Ivory (it was listed as Ivory by Alps). Admittedly, Ivory makes it less confusing when talking about the undampened switch. Are these what you had though?

[klennkellon]

SKCM Ivory are dampened? I thought Ivory was another name for SKCM Cream I must've gotten my names confused.

I undampened my Matias QC sans a few switches so it's a fairer comparison, the Matias tactility is not as rough feeling as the late Blacks which feel like there are two bumps. The dampened creams also had this feel but not as much.

SKCM Cream Damped is the dampened one, but SKCM Ivory/Cream is the undampened variety found in NeXT keyboards (earlier version found in some Canon AP500-II typewriters). Yeah, I can see them being better then the SKCM Blacks. But were those bamboo or pine? I have not tried pine blacks, but I hear that they are actually rather nice.

There's a bit of a schism on the name of SKCM Cream, where some prefer Ivory (it was listed as Ivory by Alps). Admittedly, Ivory makes it less confusing when talking about the undampened switch. Are these what you had though?

I had the cream dampened.

[E3E]

I had the cream dampened.

Gotcha. That all makes sense. Yeah the undamped SKCM Creams are really nice. Mike's favorite and MattR and I both think fondly of them. Definitely a favorite of mine.

[emdude]

my opinion: Matias Quiet Click > SKCM Ivory/SKCM Black

One of the rare occasions I would say the newer versions are superior. You can even still mod the Matias to make them clicky or linear like you would the originals, or remove the dampeners. Sound still isn't as good.

I haven't tried SKCM Blacks, but I definitely think SKCM Cream Damped switches are one of the worst SKCM switches.  Not sure what possessed Alps to toss out the tactile leaves in Oranges and Salmons for the ones in those.

[chyros]

SKCM Ivory are dampened? I thought Ivory was another name for SKCM Cream I must've gotten my names confused.

I undampened my Matias QC sans a few switches so it's a fairer comparison, the Matias tactility is not as rough feeling as the late Blacks which feel like there are two bumps. The dampened creams also had this feel but not as much.

SKCM Cream Damped is the dampened one, but SKCM Ivory/Cream is the undampened variety found in NeXT keyboards (earlier version found in some Canon AP500-II typewriters). Yeah, I can see them being better then the SKCM Blacks. But were those bamboo or pine? I have not tried pine blacks, but I hear that they are actually rather nice.

There's a bit of a schism on the name of SKCM Cream, where some prefer Ivory (it was listed as Ivory by Alps). Admittedly, Ivory makes it less confusing when talking about the undampened switch. Are these what you had though?

Tbh I think "Ivory" makes most sense for the undampened switch even though the catalog listed it for the dampened one. The slider colour on the undampened switch is much lighter than the dampened one though, so ivory for one and cream for the other makes sense to me. Alps colours are... quite something, anyway xD .

[alh84001]

Did anyone else beside jacobulous try cream switches from both Canon typewriters and NeXT boards? He mentioned that there is a noticeable difference between the two. I think it's probably the switch condition though, as there is a noticeable difference between orange switches in my two apple boards for instance, but it makes me wonder.

[chyros]

With anything cream-coloured it's hard to say with Alps, they seem to have taken a fair amount of liberties with switches of this colour.

[alh84001]

I just did an interesting test. I gave my girlfriend four switches to play with and see what she thought of them. They were SKCM blue (just cleaned), SKCM white (just cleaned), SKCM amber (great condition) and SKCL green (really dirty). Unfortunately, I had no SKCM Orange laying around and I couldn't be bothered to desolder one.

Since she knows nothing about these switches, except that a unicorn threw them up at our doorstep recently, she should be fairly objective (as far as subjective tests go). Winner of the looks department was blue, with green coming in second, followed by amber and white. As for the feel when a single switch was pressed between fingers - blue comes on top as well. Amber is second, then white. She was absolutely disgusted with green, and I don't blame her, because that particular switch was scratchy as hell, and I guess it felt relatively hollow after those clicky switches.

So there you have it folks. The most nonscientifical way of proving that all the hype around SKCM blues is well and truly deserved. Case closed

[chyros]

I just did an interesting test. I gave my girlfriend four switches to play with and see what she thought of them. They were SKCM blue (just cleaned), SKCM white (just cleaned), SKCM amber (great condition) and SKCL green (really dirty). Unfortunately, I had no SKCM Orange laying around and I couldn't be bothered to desolder one.

Since she knows nothing about these switches, except that a unicorn threw them up at our doorstep recently, she should be fairly objective (as far as subjective tests go). Winner of the looks department was blue, with green coming in second, followed by amber and white. As for the feel when a single switch was pressed between fingers - blue comes on top as well. Amber is second, then white. She was absolutely disgusted with green, and I don't blame her, because that particular switch was scratchy as hell, and I guess it felt relatively hollow after those clicky switches.

So there you have it folks. The most nonscientifical way of proving that all the hype around SKCM blues is well and truly deserved. Case closed

Eh, well, most people I show keyboards to can't tell any differences apart from sound between MX blue, white Alps and buckling springs . Still, I'll take it as a compliment for blue and amber Alps .

[Hypersphere]

I'm in the process of converting a non-ADB US ANSI NeXT keyboard to USB. It has the undamped cream Alps.

According to the DT wiki on the Alps SKCL and SKCM series of keyboard switches, it is the damped version of  the cream switch that was dubbed "ivory", and it is described as lighter in color than the undamped version.

What about the nomenclature for sound suppression in switches? I've seen both, "damp" and "dampen" as the verb and "damped" and "dampened" as the past tense, past participle, or adjective. However, I think that "damp" and "damped" might be regarded as the more correct forms.

Whatever we call them, I like the switches in my non-ADB US ANSI NeXT keyboard! I'll post more details on it after I have had a chance to convert it to USB so that I can do proper typing tests.

[MandrewDavis]

I'm in the process of converting a non-ADB US ANSI NeXT keyboard to USB. It has the undamped cream Alps.

According to the DT wiki on the Alps SKCL and SKCM series of keyboard switches, it is the damped version of  the cream switch that was dubbed "ivory", and it is described as lighter in color than the undamped version.

What about the nomenclature for sound suppression in switches? I've seen both, "damp" and "dampen" as the verb and "damped" and "dampened" as the past tense, past participle, or adjective. However, I think that "damp" and "damped" might be regarded as the more correct forms.

Whatever we call them, I like the switches in my non-ADB US ANSI NeXT keyboard! I'll post more details on it after I have had a chance to convert it to USB so that I can do proper typing tests.

I am planning on doing the same in the coming days, looking forward to comparing them to oranges.

[E3E]

I'm in the process of converting a non-ADB US ANSI NeXT keyboard to USB. It has the undamped cream Alps.

According to the DT wiki on the Alps SKCL and SKCM series of keyboard switches, it is the damped version of  the cream switch that was dubbed "ivory", and it is described as lighter in color than the undamped version.

What about the nomenclature for sound suppression in switches? I've seen both, "damp" and "dampen" as the verb and "damped" and "dampened" as the past tense, past participle, or adjective. However, I think that "damp" and "damped" might be regarded as the more correct forms.

Whatever we call them, I like the switches in my non-ADB US ANSI NeXT keyboard! I'll post more details on it after I have had a chance to convert it to USB so that I can do proper typing tests.

That's weird, because the undampened version is much lighter than the damped cream switches. The ones I have have a slight yellow tinge to them while the ones in the NeXT are almost an off-white color.

Did anyone else beside jacobulous try cream switches from both Canon typewriters and NeXT boards? He mentioned that there is a noticeable difference between the two. I think it's probably the switch condition though, as there is a noticeable difference between orange switches in my two apple boards for instance, but it makes me wonder.

From what I can gather, he said that they're just a bit stiffer, but that might be my memory oversimplifying things. Either way, I'm on the hunt for one of those typewriters. They don't seem to pop up on eBay very often. I bet they're more of a thrift shop find unless they're really just that rare. The Sharp PA-1000 typewriters are kind of sporadic on eBay too.

Also, my vote for prettiest switch is pine SKCM Green. Then Blue, then Orange, then I don't even know. It kind of evens out beyond that point for me. I don't like the color of bamboo SKCM Green very much.

[Hypersphere]

@E3E: I just checked the sliders in my non-ADB NeXT keyboard, and they definitely appear yellowish-white to me, and they certainly feel undamped and tactile. I don't have a damped cream Alps board handy, but the sliders in my Omnikey 101 with SKCM white Alps look pale white -- almost like translucent "Tupperware" polypropylene "white".

The DT wiki on the Alps SKCL/SKCM series has a note about the color of the sliders in the cream damped (aka ivory) switch: "the exact shade appears to vary and can even be white."

The overall picture across the spectrum of Alps is further confused by the apparent existence of the Alps SKCM white damped switch, which as depicted in the DT Wiki is a brilliant white color.

[chyros]

@E3E: I just checked the sliders in my non-ADB NeXT keyboard, and they definitely appear yellowish-white to me, and they certainly feel undamped and tactile. I don't have a damped cream Alps board handy, but the sliders in my Omnikey 101 with SKCM white Alps look pale white -- almost like translucent "Tupperware" polypropylene "white".

The DT wiki on the Alps SKCL/SKCM series has a note about the color of the sliders in the cream damped (aka ivory) switch: "the exact shade appears to vary and can even be white."

The overall picture across the spectrum of Alps is further confused by the apparent existence of the Alps SKCM white damped switch, which as depicted in the DT Wiki is a brilliant white color.

Yes, in fact the white of my SKCM white damped switches looks like a fuller white than the white of SKCM white. It varies per switch though.

[E3E]

@E3E: I just checked the sliders in my non-ADB NeXT keyboard, and they definitely appear yellowish-white to me, and they certainly feel undamped and tactile. I don't have a damped cream Alps board handy, but the sliders in my Omnikey 101 with SKCM white Alps look pale white -- almost like translucent "Tupperware" polypropylene "white".

The DT wiki on the Alps SKCL/SKCM series has a note about the color of the sliders in the cream damped (aka ivory) switch: "the exact shade appears to vary and can even be white."

The overall picture across the spectrum of Alps is further confused by the apparent existence of the Alps SKCM white damped switch, which as depicted in the DT Wiki is a brilliant white color.

It's definitely confusing. I think the SKCM Cream sliders are more full in color while the Damped Cream are more translucent. *ahem* Oh, you did mention damped white. Yeah SKCM White has a translucent kind of color. I've never actually seen Damped White though.





Here's some comparisons. The dampened ones are from an AEK II. I don't have any other boards with damped cream, so I can't really compare variance there.

[mike52787]

I won the mystery nec laptop. 31$ shipped

[E3E]

I won the mystery nec laptop. 31$ shipped

Looking forward to seeing what's in it.

[mike52787]

I won the mystery nec laptop. 31$ shipped

Looking forward to seeing what's in it.

If its not genuine alps Ill probably send it back

[alh84001]

Nice to hear, and glad that there weren't any other bidders. Fill us in on the details when it arrives

[mike52787]

will do! I love to relay new findings to the community. Maybe this will be another source for a rare switch type.

[emdude]

I imagine the translucency of the later switches is a property of the slippery plastic that Alps switched to with SKCM White, Cream Damped, etc.

I also wonder if the newer plastic they used precluded the use of pigments, hence the rather bland colors (or lack thereof) of later Alps switches.  I recall Matias intending for his QC sliders to be orange, but was unable to realize this because of how the pigment reacted with the plastic.  This is assuming he uses the same plastic as Alps did, though.

[chyros]

I imagine the translucency of the later switches is a property of the slippery plastic that Alps switched to with SKCM White, Cream Damped, etc.

No, it's more like the opposite. In fact, I suspect this might be a reason for the colour change in some switches. For example, orange to salmon, and neon green pine to neon green bamboo. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the different plastic is more opaque and makes colours appear less intense. It's not even unthinkable both are actually the same pigment, just in a different plastic.