Author Topic: Post your ALPS keyboard  (Read 178799 times)

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Offline alienman82

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #250 on: Wed, 01 June 2016, 11:48:27 »
removed.
« Last Edit: Thu, 01 March 2018, 15:05:42 by alienman82 »

Offline E3E

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #251 on: Wed, 01 June 2016, 13:23:41 »
:eek: :-X  >:D

how do you keep doing it E3E?  That is the coolest NCR adaptation I have ever seen.

Also are those FAME caps?  I would love a set of those.  I guess you were the guy that Dra sent them to?

I never noticed the little wrist incline on the NCR case... Looks nice.

Aww thanks, man. :D Yeah, it was one hell of a grind to get this done especially thanks to the fact Alps pretty much needs a plate let alone the fact I had to cut out slots for Cherry PCB-mount stabs to come through. This was all done with an Acer 6011 plate; it matched up perfectly with the PCB. The NCR cases don't seem like they were meant to be used with plates, so it took a lot of modding and cutting at the internal framework of the case to get the PCB and plate to fit.  :-X

I actually didn't plan on this until the last second when the PCB became available to me. I actually wanted the PCB since way back around last Christmas or a bit before even, but it wasn't until alienman's mini GB for modern Leeku 3000 PCBs (which are only Cherry compatible) when Spamray gave me the clear to finally buy the MXAlps 3000 PCB he had. Mine's in black though. All the ones I see around here from that revision were red. I don't mind though. :)

Yep, that's the FAME cap set mixed with a few stem-modded keys from an OG Cherry doubleshot set to complete an ANSI layout in Cherry profile for Alps. :) Yeah, all of the G80-3000 series seems to have the case design you speak of, but don't quote me on that. Photek is far more qualified than I am in that area. :P And yeah, Dra mentioned it in one of the threads.

Oh yeah, and the space bar is a stem-modded Gateron PBT space bar like the one I'm using on my Eagle in my display pic. The original didn't work because its stab placement is not spaced out enough to accommodate the Cherry 7u stab positioning. I had to modify the space bar so it would have a snappy feel.

Used the rest of my flashy gold-plated stab wires that I had on hand for this board, haha.

Is the |\ key from the fame or the cherry ?

The pipe key is actually from an OG Cherry doubleshot set, yep! Alpha colors blend in well. I wonder if any Cherry sets perfectly match the FAME's mod colors.

« Last Edit: Wed, 01 June 2016, 13:30:05 by E3E »

Offline bazh

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #252 on: Sun, 05 June 2016, 04:52:36 »



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
HHKB Pro2 white

Newbie again

Offline E3E

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #253 on: Mon, 27 June 2016, 18:55:37 »


SGI Winter :P Mint SGI PBT caps with a bold font mixed with AW mods

I think this is the cap set I'm happiest with on the FMJ so far. I like the boldness of the SGI font; something about it just fits the look well in my eyes. It reminds me of my old infinity that has since been sold.



Using Brown SKCM though, I just don't like the feel of SP DCS on the Alphas. Fine for the mods, but not for the brunt of the typing, imo. They just don't sound or feel as good as quality PBT.
« Last Edit: Mon, 27 June 2016, 18:58:59 by E3E »

Offline alienman82

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #254 on: Mon, 27 June 2016, 19:19:05 »
removed.
« Last Edit: Thu, 01 March 2018, 15:02:15 by alienman82 »

Offline alh84001

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #255 on: Sun, 02 October 2016, 02:32:43 »
Show Image


(This thread has died down a bit, so time to bump it.)

I simply love how LEDs are discernible on F and J keys. Might even be useful in dark :D

Offline alh84001

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #256 on: Sun, 02 October 2016, 02:33:22 »
Show Image


(This thread has died down a bit, so time to bump it.)

I simply love how LEDs shine through F and J keys. Might even be useful in dark :D

Offline E3E

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #257 on: Sun, 02 October 2016, 03:08:02 »
Show Image


(This thread has died down a bit, so time to bump it.)

I simply love how LEDs shine through F and J keys. Might even be useful in dark :D

Me too! Some might be annoyed by the lightbleed, but I think it's really neat on the keys! Having backlit Alps just feels cool tbh. Taking a retro switch and lighting them up is awesome.

Offline rowdy

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #258 on: Mon, 10 October 2016, 04:30:20 »
Show Image


(This thread has died down a bit, so time to bump it.)

I simply love how LEDs are discernible on F and J keys. Might even be useful in dark :D

Should have bumped it with a picture - this is the media section, after all :p
"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

NEC APC-H4100E | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED red | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED green | Link 900243-08 | CM QFR MX black | KeyCool 87 white MX reds | HHKB 2 Pro | Model M 02-Mar-1993 | Model M 29-Nov-1995 | CM Trigger (broken) | CM QFS MX green | Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 TKL Yellow Edition MX black | Lexmark SSK 21-Apr-1994 | IBM SSK 13-Oct-1987 | CODE TKL MX clear | Model M 122 01-Jun-1988

Ị̸͚̯̲́ͤ̃͑̇̑ͯ̊̂͟ͅs̞͚̩͉̝̪̲͗͊ͪ̽̚̚ ̭̦͖͕̑́͌ͬͩ͟t̷̻͔̙̑͟h̹̠̼͋ͤ͋i̤̜̣̦̱̫͈͔̞ͭ͑ͥ̌̔s̬͔͎̍̈ͥͫ̐̾ͣ̔̇͘ͅ ̩̘̼͆̐̕e̞̰͓̲̺̎͐̏ͬ̓̅̾͠͝ͅv̶̰͕̱̞̥̍ͣ̄̕e͕͙͖̬̜͓͎̤̊ͭ͐͝ṇ̰͎̱̤̟̭ͫ͌̌͢͠ͅ ̳̥̦ͮ̐ͤ̎̊ͣ͡͡n̤̜̙̺̪̒͜e̶̻̦̿ͮ̂̀c̝̘̝͖̠̖͐ͨͪ̈̐͌ͩ̀e̷̥͇̋ͦs̢̡̤ͤͤͯ͜s͈̠̉̑͘a̱͕̗͖̳̥̺ͬͦͧ͆̌̑͡r̶̟̖̈͘ỷ̮̦̩͙͔ͫ̾ͬ̔ͬͮ̌?̵̘͇͔͙ͥͪ͞ͅ

Offline Hypersphere

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #259 on: Mon, 10 October 2016, 08:25:28 »
Recently, I was lucky to find two Leading Edge DC-3014 boards in rapid succession. I've installed an internal converter and micro-USB connector on each of them.
150210-0
For the moment, I am keeping the stock keycaps and case finish on one, but I've painted the case and changed keycaps on the other (SGI Granite dye-sub PBT alphas along with caps from a Tai-Hao DS WoB set and blank black keys and spacebar from Matias).
150212-1
The logo badge on the red one was scratched when I received it; I might replace it with a badge from an extra DC-2014 case.


Offline E3E

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #260 on: Mon, 10 October 2016, 10:21:16 »
Recently, I was lucky to find two Leading Edge DC-3014 boards in rapid succession. I've installed an internal converter and micro-USB connector on each of them.
(Attachment Link)
For the moment, I am keeping the stock keycaps and case finish on one, but I've painted the case and changed keycaps on the other (SGI Granite dye-sub PBT alphas along with caps from a Tai-Hao DS WoB set and blank black keys and spacebar from Matias).
(Attachment Link)
The logo badge on the red one was scratched when I received it; I might replace it with a badge from an extra DC-2014 case.

I'm impressed both by your acquisition of two of them so quickly after one another and by your work here! 
 
Very well done, Hypersphere! Seems like you've gotten the dye work down pat for keyboard cases and those USB mods look pretty clean. I take it the side-routed cable of the standard board wasn't your thing either. Luckily, it works well for my set up, as it's on the left, but I know it's a bit impractical for most setups.

Offline Hzza

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #261 on: Fri, 04 November 2016, 06:33:59 »
New Apple tribute Alps64 I just finished this morning.



Big thanks to emdude for helping out with the plate design.
« Last Edit: Fri, 04 November 2016, 06:43:09 by Hzza »

Offline alh84001

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #262 on: Sun, 06 November 2016, 20:32:12 »
Mixing apples with oranges

Offline E3E

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #263 on: Sun, 06 November 2016, 20:58:42 »
Mixing apples with oranges
Show Image


Yo, alh, your boards are losing weight.  :eek:

Offline romevi

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #264 on: Sun, 06 November 2016, 21:00:58 »
Mixing apples with oranges
Show Image


I freaking love this image.

Offline alh84001

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #265 on: Mon, 07 November 2016, 03:12:03 »
Yo, alh, your boards are losing weight.  :eek:

This is nothing, wait till I get A2S4500 :)

Edit:
Or there's another way :) Layout is different though :(

« Last Edit: Mon, 07 November 2016, 16:26:37 by alh84001 »

Offline Mattr567

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #266 on: Wed, 23 November 2016, 21:11:30 »
Mmm
Wang 725-3770 SKCM Brown, 1995
Zenith 163-73 - SKCM Blue, 1990
KBP V60 MTS - SKCM Amber w/ Canon HiPros
IBM P77, SKCC Green, 1984
IBM P70 - Alps Plate Spring, 1989
Compaq MX 11800, MX Black, 1997

Offline alh84001

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #267 on: Thu, 24 November 2016, 01:22:46 »
Candilicous.

Offline childofthehorn

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #268 on: Sun, 08 January 2017, 00:04:01 »


My first custom Alps build.

Offline zombimuncha

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #269 on: Sun, 08 January 2017, 05:13:34 »
Alu case + wood plate? Wut? Tell more!

Offline childofthehorn

  • Posts: 193
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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #270 on: Sun, 08 January 2017, 20:47:20 »
Infinity PCB, custom cut plate (done myself on laser cutter), Lambo case, Alpine Winter keycaps, Matias QC switches.

Plate is 1.6mm acrylic with 10mil thick Cherry Wood veneer (stained/laquered). Stabs are costar.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk


Offline Joey Quinn

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #271 on: Mon, 09 January 2017, 17:03:45 »
SKCM Salmon Wang & SKCM Blue Panasonic Business Partner

I don't like the salmon switches nearly as much as I like SKCM browns in my 5140 so I'll probably try to trade them for more browns.

157249-0
People in the 1980s, in general, were clearly just better than we are now in every measurable way.

The dumber the reason the more it must be done

Offline E3E

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #272 on: Mon, 09 January 2017, 17:28:58 »
Alps, why do you play with my heart so.

I've been hunting for these caps since forever ago, and now I finally have them, but high pros just don't work with the height of the Orion. These'll go on my 60s or Mira, I guess.

Looks nice though! Spherical dye-subbed PBT with homing scoops. Great stuff. :D




Offline OfTheWild

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #273 on: Mon, 16 January 2017, 21:28:24 »
New Apple tribute Alps64 I just finished this morning.

Show Image


Big thanks to emdude for helping out with the plate design.

I have one of those helpers too!

-Dana

Offline Hypersphere

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #274 on: Wed, 18 January 2017, 16:33:49 »
Anyone here old enough to remember the song, "Don't it make my brown eyes blue"?

This is about "Don't it make my brown Alps blue" -- turning your Brown Alps Blue -- by swapping components rather than desoldering and resoldering.

Receptor board: Alps64 with stainless steel plate and SKCM Brown Alps.

157943-0
Brown Alps in the Alps64 with Stainless Steel Plate

Donor board: NTC 6151 with SKCM Blue Alps.

Process: Remove top housings, sliders, springs, and tactile/click leaves from receptor and donor switches. Ultrasonic cleaning of donor switch tops. No cleaning necessary for the other components. Replace the switch tops, sliders, tactile assembly, and springs from the Brown Alps with the corresponding parts from the Blue Alps switches.

157945-1
Alps64 with Blue Alps Components; Spacebar Slider is from a Matias Quiet Switch

Tools: Wire keycap puller (not shown). Small screwdriver -- for pressing wire stabilizers into clips and for applying an opposing force to stabilizer wires when replacing stabilized keycaps. Forceps (tweezers) -- for peeling 0.15 mm polyurethane foam from clear plastic backing -- the foam is placed under the spacebar stabilizer clips to deaden the sound of spacebar impact. Small powerful magnet -- for picking up springs and tactile/click leaves. Small LED flashlight -- for illuminating the undersides of stabilized keycaps to aid in placing the stabilizer wires. Plastic spudger -- for removing old self-stick foam from underneath spacebars. Trident tool -- for removing Alps switch tops. Toothpick -- for picking up and positioning springs.

157947-2
Tools

Rationale: My Alps64 with stainless steel plate and SKCM Brown Alps switches has amazing tactility but it can become tiring during long typing sessions. Although I bottom-out my keystrokes, I like to have a subtle click that coincides closely with actuation. I didn't want to desolder the switches, so I decided to do a top-mod to replace Brown Alps components with Blue Alps components. I will get more use out of the Alps64 than I would have gotten from the NTC 6151 because I much prefer the small form factor and ANSI layout of the Alps64. Moreover, the Alps64 is completely programmable and I have it set up to mimic the HHKB configuration.

Result: A transformed keyboard! The switches now sound and feel like Blue Alps. Indeed, they should be virtually identical to Blue Alps given that all the top-loaded components are from Blue Alps and the fact that Brown Alps have long switchplates.

157949-3
Finished Alps64 Keyboard with Stainless Steel Plate, TEX Aluminum Case, IBM 5140 Alphas, Matias Mods, and SP Esc

Don't it make my Brown Alps Blue? Yep, I think so! Typing on them now ....

Offline alh84001

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #275 on: Wed, 18 January 2017, 16:39:28 »
I don't have such a magnet so I use the LED light for when spring(s) inevitably drop to the floor :)

Where did the brown components go?

Offline Hypersphere

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #276 on: Wed, 18 January 2017, 16:58:04 »
Sometimes I search in vain with my LED flashlight for switch components that inevitably fall to the floor. There seems to be some kind of rift in the space-time continuum that sends these bits and pieces to a parallel universe.

I'm saving the brown components in case I want to reverse the process. I haven't quite decided if I prefer the much lighter feel of the brown to blue transformants. However, if I do decide to part with the brown bits, XMIT has already spoken for them.

Offline E3E

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #277 on: Wed, 18 January 2017, 17:25:06 »
Oh god, I lost a spring for one of the Xerox DocuTechs I was restoring, a spring to a bamboo SKCM Green switch, and the instant I felt like I couldn't find it, I immediately ordered a Dell AT101W since bamboo blacks share the same springs as bamboo SKCM Greens.

I ended up finding the spring later.

 :blank:

There seems to be some kind of rift in the space-time continuum that sends these bits and pieces to a parallel universe.

Too true, too true.

I'm saving the brown components in case I want to reverse the process. I haven't quite decided if I prefer the much lighter feel of the brown to blue transformants. However, if I do decide to part with the brown bits, XMIT has already spoken for them.

It's a shame. I love the feeling of SKCM Brown, but they can be quite fatiguing switches. With the Alps PBT sphericals I have recently acquired, both SKCM Brown and SKCM Green feel delightful. It's in my opinion that tactile switches go best with PBT key caps, so that combined with the spherical high profile shape and sculpting is very nice. It really focuses your feel into every press.

I haven't typed for long enough with the new caps to determine if they help at all. I generally wasn't too bothered by SKCM Brown, but I'm not invincible either. There were times that they were just too much for me. In a high profile keyboard case without a wrist rest and a lot of rigidity because of the case and plate, they can be pretty unforgiving.

This is part of the reason I'm really eager to get a converter made for my Xerox boards, because the switches feel perfect in them, just as they should with a lot less of a fatigue aspect.

I felt this more so with SKCM Green when I had been experimenting with spring swapping in the Greens, but they're close enough for me to say it applies to both.
« Last Edit: Wed, 18 January 2017, 17:30:24 by E3E »

Offline alh84001

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #278 on: Wed, 18 January 2017, 17:44:22 »
That reminds me of this one time that I lost a space invaders spring. It just shot out of the switch, and I looked everywhere. I finally gave up and decided that F24 key will be sacrificed at the altar of keyboard-space-time gods. I found it peeking at me innocuosly couple of days later on the blanket on my bed. The same bed I feverishly moved around and looked inside of and under, and the same blanket I took off the bed and shaked a few times. There's no logical explanation for it. Except maybe for it to get stuck in my clothes or something. So that's the first thing I do now, stay still and check the clothes :)

@Hypersphere luckily I got another batch of 60-odd SKCM Browns coming in. I was asking more because I know you always play around with the Alps parts :)

@E3E pine spring is different from bamboo SKCM greens? and I always forget if it's the same with tactile leaf as well.
« Last Edit: Wed, 18 January 2017, 17:48:41 by alh84001 »

Offline E3E

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #279 on: Wed, 18 January 2017, 17:49:29 »
That reminds me of this one time that I lost a space invaders spring. It just shot out of the switch, and I looked everywhere. I finally gave up and decided that F24 key will be sacrificed at the altar of keyboard-space-time gods. I found it peeking at me innocuosly couple of days later on the blanket on my bed. The same bed I feverishly moved around and looked inside of and under, and the same blanket I took off the bed and shaked a few times. There's no logical explanation for it. Except maybe for it to get stuck in my clothes or something. So that's the first thing I do now, stay still and check the clothes :)

@Hypersphere luckily I got another batch of 60-odd SKCM Browns coming in. I was asking more because I now you always play around with the Alps parts :)

@E3E pine spring is different from bamboo SKCM greens? and I always forget if it's the same with tactile leaf as well.

Haha, yes. Exactly. Sometimes things turn up at the least expected moments, like when you AREN'T looking for them, and then they surprise the hell out of you.
 
Yep, the return springs are different. The bamboos use the shorter springs that you only start seeing during the bamboo era. They look identical to bamboo SKCM Black springs.

The leaf springs are the same between pine and bamboo SKCM Green (they aren't the same as SKCM Black). Sliders have different colors between pine and bamboo. The pine ones have this deeper, more vivid yet translucent shade of green, and the bamboo ones have this more minty seafoam green color.

I believe the bottoms also change between bamboo and pine, even if they both have short switch plates. A lot of cosmetic differences along with the lack of slits.



Offline E3E

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #280 on: Wed, 18 January 2017, 17:53:25 »
I also want to say that pine SKCM Green sliders, for some reason, have the MX Clear effect on key caps. They are held very tightly, and I only really notice this on my pine Xeroxes. It's always a bit scary to remove or change the caps because of how much you have to pull.

I would not use wire pullers with these because you will put gouges in the bottom of the caps if you do.

Offline alh84001

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #281 on: Wed, 18 January 2017, 18:02:49 »
I wish I had those problems  :))

Too bad the spring is different, as I already thought about making ghetto pine greens by putting bamboo spring into browns :)

Offline E3E

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #282 on: Wed, 18 January 2017, 18:09:42 »
I wish I had those problems  :))

Too bad the spring is different, as I already thought about making ghetto pine greens by putting bamboo spring into browns :)

Haha. Well, I will say that pine greens and browns are not far off. Greens are a bit lighter, but the overall is very similar. I feel like if you blind tested a Xerox 6085 with browns and a Xerox 6085 or docutech with greens with someone who's never used greens but has tried browns before, I think they would not be able to pick them out easily from browns.

If you mean return springs, they don't affect the weight on these switches (brown/green) because of the tactile leaf being what gives most of the resistance in the press.
« Last Edit: Wed, 18 January 2017, 18:11:13 by E3E »

Offline alh84001

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #283 on: Wed, 18 January 2017, 18:34:40 »
Haha, and I just mentioned that to someone else about an hour ago, that lighter springs don't necessarily mean much difference in browns.

So, if tactile leaves are the same and springs are not having much of an impact, what is the main cause of difference between pine and bamboo? Slider material?

Offline E3E

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #284 on: Wed, 18 January 2017, 18:43:11 »
Haha, and I just mentioned that to someone else about an hour ago, that lighter springs don't necessarily mean much difference in browns.

So, if tactile leaves are the same and springs are not having much of an impact, what is the main cause of difference between pine and bamboo? Slider material?

Yeah, lighter springs are pretty ineffective in tactile browns and greens, sadly.

Nope, when talking about pine vs bamboo SKCM Green, it's almost certainly the slits in the top housing; if you put pine housings on bamboos, they will feel practically identical.

Offline alh84001

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #285 on: Thu, 19 January 2017, 01:20:34 »
So, SKCM Brown + bamboo top case + black bamboo spring = ghetto bamboo green? Damn, I wish I hadn't sold my SKCM black board :)

Offline E3E

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #286 on: Thu, 19 January 2017, 01:38:05 »
So, SKCM Brown + bamboo top case + black bamboo spring = ghetto bamboo green? Damn, I wish I hadn't sold my SKCM black board :)

Essentially, but you'd have to do some serious modding on the top to accept the SKCM Brown tactile assembly as it won't fit into the SKCM Black top. This is because SKCM Brown had a symmetrical top half that could accept the contact switch plate and the assembly (which is the same size as the switch plate).

So you'd have to do some serious modding to get that to work.

Offline alh84001

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #287 on: Thu, 19 January 2017, 02:36:52 »
Damn, I completely forgot that. Thanks Alps! :)

Offline Hypersphere

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #288 on: Sun, 22 January 2017, 09:31:11 »
Haha, and I just mentioned that to someone else about an hour ago, that lighter springs don't necessarily mean much difference in browns.

So, if tactile leaves are the same and springs are not having much of an impact, what is the main cause of difference between pine and bamboo? Slider material?

Yeah, lighter springs are pretty ineffective in tactile browns and greens, sadly.

Nope, when talking about pine vs bamboo SKCM Green, it's almost certainly the slits in the top housing; if you put pine housings on bamboos, they will feel practically identical.
Yep, I agree. I first noticed the pine/bamboo difference when I got a Northgate Omnikey 101 with SKCM white Alps in pristine condition. I was surprised that the board had clattering keys, almost like those in my V60 with Matias Click switches. It turned out that the new Northgate had bamboo white switches. I replaced the bamboo tops with pine tops and the sound was transformed -- it sounded like my older Northgate with pine white switches. Apparently, the slits in pine switches create a little cantilevered plastic spring in the switch top that partially absorbs the shock of the return stroke of the slider, thereby attenuating the return-stroke "clack" (well, at least that's a theory).


« Last Edit: Tue, 24 January 2017, 07:09:25 by Hypersphere »

Offline FearsomeCubedWarrior

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #289 on: Tue, 24 January 2017, 04:55:10 »
Just my nooby first MK which accidentally happened to be Datadesk MAC-101E with fake (?) white ALPS switches. Some were damaged during storage, so I've ordered 120 Matias quiet ones and swapped all old switches with them. Also used AliExpress Teensy 2.0 for ADB-USB adapter (thanks, hasu!).
Unfortunatelly, ] keycap is lost somewhere, but I hope to find it someday.

Recently ordered TMK Alps 64 PCB to reuse old white alps (most of them are still functional) and now in desperate search for new ALPS compatible keycaps. Yes, I know about Alpine Winter, but I'm late for GB and 130USD for 60% DCS is waaay too much for me now.



more pics here

Offline Joey Quinn

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #290 on: Tue, 28 February 2017, 11:31:24 »
SKCM blue Alpsulator



PSA: taking apart an Alpsulator is not recommended, you have to almost break it to get the pcb out
People in the 1980s, in general, were clearly just better than we are now in every measurable way.

The dumber the reason the more it must be done

Offline tjweir

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #291 on: Tue, 28 February 2017, 12:37:13 »
I just finished this Alps board up.

It's a split spacebar, green Alps, KMAC Mini inspired board.


Offline OfTheWild

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #292 on: Tue, 28 February 2017, 17:46:06 »
SKCM blue Alpsulator

Show Image


PSA: taking apart an Alpsulator is not recommended, you have to almost break it to get the pcb out

That came out awesome though!
-Dana

Offline Joey Quinn

  • Posts: 4543
  • Location: Houghton
  • "..."
Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #293 on: Tue, 28 February 2017, 18:04:55 »
SKCM blue Alpsulator

Show Image


PSA: taking apart an Alpsulator is not recommended, you have to almost break it to get the pcb out

That came out awesome though!

Thanks, but seriously, the plate is held in with 2 screws and 5 really tight snap tabs that you have to pry out/ bend the case until they all snap out. That being said, the swap was totally worth it, SKCM blues are smoother and crisper than the white clones it comes with.
People in the 1980s, in general, were clearly just better than we are now in every measurable way.

The dumber the reason the more it must be done

Offline h1ggs

  • Posts: 18
  • Location: East Coast, USA
  • @switzcaps
Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #294 on: Tue, 28 February 2017, 18:41:14 »
Finished this alps64 build a little while ago, but finally got around to setting up the firmware..



Alps64 PCB
SGI Bigfoot keycaps + plate
Matias QC switches
Royal Glam case

I truly love this board though, growing up around early days CG I've always had a place in my heart for SGI. This was the dream project that got me into the hobby and I'm super happy to be using it daily.

Offline Hypersphere

  • Posts: 1886
  • Location: USA
Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #295 on: Tue, 28 February 2017, 19:26:12 »
Finished this alps64 build a little while ago, but finally got around to setting up the firmware..

Show Image


Alps64 PCB
SGI Bigfoot keycaps + plate
Matias QC switches
Royal Glam case

I truly love this board though, growing up around early days CG I've always had a place in my heart for SGI. This was the dream project that got me into the hobby and I'm super happy to be using it daily.
Congratulations on your project! Looks good!

I once had an SGI octane in my lab; it was my first molecular modeling workstation, runing Irix (of course!).

Offline h1ggs

  • Posts: 18
  • Location: East Coast, USA
  • @switzcaps
Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #296 on: Tue, 28 February 2017, 19:32:34 »
Finished this alps64 build a little while ago, but finally got around to setting up the firmware..

Show Image


Alps64 PCB
SGI Bigfoot keycaps + plate
Matias QC switches
Royal Glam case

I truly love this board though, growing up around early days CG I've always had a place in my heart for SGI. This was the dream project that got me into the hobby and I'm super happy to be using it daily.
Congratulations on your project! Looks good!

I once had an SGI octane in my lab; it was my first molecular modeling workstation, runing Irix (of course!).

Molecular modeling sounds awesome.. We had an Inidigo 2 when I was growing up, my dad used it for product modeling and CAD stuff - I was just a kid but I still remember :)

Offline OfTheWild

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #297 on: Tue, 28 February 2017, 19:39:39 »
I guess i forgot to post this in here but here was my V80 swapped dampened creams project: http://imgur.com/a/ZieWC



Absolutely infuriating desoldering project but totally worth it in the end. Would do it again.  :thumb:
-Dana

Offline smithyithy

  • Posts: 308
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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #298 on: Sat, 04 March 2017, 11:37:05 »
Although technically Matias, not ALPS, I'm happy with how this came out.

KBParadise V60 in Matias Clicky flavour. High-profile aluminium case, Alpine Winter DCS caps:

KBD75; Alps64 trio; some other stuff

Offline Hypersphere

  • Posts: 1886
  • Location: USA
Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #299 on: Sat, 04 March 2017, 12:53:13 »
Although technically Matias, not ALPS, I'm happy with how this came out.

KBParadise V60 in Matias Clicky flavour. High-profile aluminium case, Alpine Winter DCS caps:

Show Image

Sharp looking V60MTS-C! What brand of alu case did you use? What's lurking in the background with the split spacebar?