Dell AT101 Review

[CPTBadAss]

Borrowed this pic from AkimbO’s Dell AT101 thread.

Since I’ve been holding off on buying keyboards until after the Chicago and Nashville meets, I signed up for AKIMbO’s Dell AT101 tour to have something to play with in the meantime. For those who don't know, it has Tactile Black Alps switches. It’s my first experience with a full Alps-switch keyboard and I must say that it’s been very pleasurable. Prior to this tour, I tried out the single Black Alps switch from the Mr. Interface Switch Try Bag. You can find my thoughts on it here. The thing that threw me off most in the beginning is that the actuation point is all the way at the top of the travel distance. Anyways, I’ll set this up like my other board reviews.


Aesthetics
The keyboard is a bit yellowed, but the case is/was a beige color. The cap color scheme looks a lot like WYSE keyboard pictures I’ve seen. The font and logo are pretty awesome; simple but very nice. Plus the coiled cable looks really cool and stretches out a lot. My keyboard tray is pretty far from my rig so I need longer cables. There was no issue with the AT101’s cord length.

There’s something to be said with the WYSE color scheme and beige case; it’s just simple and I respect simplicity and functionality. Finally, the LED setup for the num/caps/scroll lock is a nice retro windowed setup with a green light.

The bezel is ENORMOUS though and it’s been annoying me. The top edge is just huge and even the other edges are way thicker than my other boards.


Keyboard Macro Details
Since I don’t actually own this board, I don’t want to open this up. I’m sure the rest of the tour would appreciate a working keyboard when they got it However, I did find a few pictures for those who are interested:

• Semi Naked Dell AT101
• Black Alps switch, taken apart
• PCB
• Plate/Switches

**Last two pictures found in this thread.

I’m really surprised with the weight. Considering how much bigger its footprint is compared to my Filco or my Leopold, it’s not TOO much heavier.  It feels super solid; I’d happily use this as a backup weapon in the zombie apocalypse along with my Filco. There’s a steel plate in it according the pictures I linked so I guess that would help. The profile of the caps and the curve in the top of the board feels great. And the little cutout/groove for the cable in the back is a nice touch as well.

What’s really lacking in this keyboard is that there is no windows key. As a person who’s constantly using the search function in the Windows 7 start menu, it’s really bothering me. I know there’s work-arounds like hitting Ctrl-Esc or AutoHotKey but I’m lazy. And the missing key there feels really odd. I’ll try to hit the windows key only to meet no key/bezel.


Typing on this keyboard
As mentioned in the beginning, the actuation point on the Alps switches were throwing me off at first and took a little getting used to. However, after a few days of typing on it, I adjusted. The actuation is a bit crisp. It feels like there’s a bit of resistance, then a crisp bump and a linear finish. And the rebound on is pretty springy; I think it’s more than MX Blues.

The board is also pretty quiet. Most of the noise is from the bottom out. The actuation noise isn’t too bad, unlike the click in MX Blues which is very noticeable. If you’re really worried about the sound, I think that it’d be pretty nice in a place like office or in class.

Just as a side tangent though, if your workplace is anything like mine, there is SO much background noise that it doesn’t matter. Between the people constantly talking, everyone pounding away at their rubber-domes, the air conditioning/heat, and phones ringing, barely anyone hears my blue switches.  I’ve had my Filco at work for a couple months now and no one has ever complained about the board being too loud. So I’m probably a bad reference source for how loud switches sound.

Final Thoughts
This board is pretty awesome. I really liked the Alps switches. If these are the “worst” Alps switches”, as reported by AKIMbO then I have high hopes for trying out other Alps switches. The actuation point threw me off for a few days but after I got use to this, they felt wonderfully crisp at the top and really smooth/linear after the acutation. The board isn’t that loud if you’re worried about that. It’s construction feels solid and I like the retro look. Plus they’re cheap. According to AKIMbO’s posts in the previously linked thread, the going rate for one is around $30-40 USD shipped on eBay. Another member muguts managed to find one in a thrift shop for $1.60!

[vivalarevolución]

Thanks for the review. Once you go with Alps, you start slowly drifting away from Cherry MX for typing.

[CPTBadAss]

Thanks for the review. Once you go with Alps, you start slowly drifting away from Cherry MX for typing.

I'm not so sure. I really like MX switches, especially blues. Alps are nice though. I was talking to SmallFry about modding a Ducky 1087XM board from Green Alps to something else.

[drdoooom]

great post. wish i could give this thing a try.

[CPTBadAss]

Sign up for Akimbo's tour. The link is in the OP.

[fohat.digs]

great post. wish i could give this thing a try.

These are fairly common. You can probably buy one for not much more than the shipping will cost.

[AKIMbO]

great post. wish i could give this thing a try.

These are fairly common. You can probably buy one for not much more than the shipping will cost.

QFT.  You can snag one from ebay for around $40 shipped.  Possibly less if you play your cards right.

[CPTBadAss]

I just snagged one for $33. Just for reference.

[tipo33]

I got mine for $20.

[VesperSAINT]

Ugh.. this review makes me regret not picking up a brand new one on ebay 2 months back for like $20 :\

[CPTBadAss]

Time to hit up eBay again Vesper ^__^

[VesperSAINT]

Time to hit up eBay again Vesper ^__^

Why you tempt me, mang?! ) I shall definitely do so after I've finished my Ergo-mod. Gotta see how much money I have left over afterwards )

[CPTBadAss]

It's $20!! How could that be a wallethack??

[VesperSAINT]

It's $20!! How could that be a wallethack??

Assuming I can find another one for $20

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-DELL-AT101W-PS-2-Keyboard-/171025444276?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27d1e92db4

"Vintage DELL Keyboard, has not been tested. Sold AS IS ." it says... WHAT KIND OF FRAUD IS THIS?! So the seller couldn't plug an already open and used keyboard into their computer to see if it works? Lol.

[AKIMbO]

It's $20!! How could that be a wallethack??

Assuming I can find another one for $20

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-DELL-AT101W-PS-2-Keyboard-/171025444276?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27d1e92db4

"Vintage DELL Keyboard, has not been tested. Sold AS IS ." it says... WHAT KIND OF FRAUD IS THIS?! So the seller couldn't plug an already open and used keyboard into their computer to see if it works? Lol.

If you want my Dell AT101...I'll sell it to you....shoot me a PM.

[gh_pp]

The first time I encountered the dell at101 it was at my previous company's CTO's office. He typed so fast you can hear the clicking noise few isles away. We moved a few times and he always kept the same dell at101 on his desk.

One nice sunny afternoon 10 years ago a coworker and I went to micro center to get some equipments and lo and behold they had hundreds of used keyboards in bargain bins.

Mind you I am a total keyboard newbie back then, I don't know what switches they have in these. I just know that certain keyboards feel nicer than others. I picked up a few IBM model Ms, a few dell AT101s and two brand new FUJITSU FKB4725 (full price).

I wish I know how rare SSKs are back then, I would have gone through all the keyboards in the 10 bins to get one.

Anyway, back to dell AT101.

I found that it feels very similar to mx brown. A tiny bit heavier and more tactile and it springs back into position faster than cherry. And louder. They are both pretty nice.

One of the things I like better is the mix of convex and concave keys.

I like the convex keys on the modifier as I use the thumb on them, just like the spacebar on most keyboards.



If there is a TKL version with thin bezel I could see myself using it as a daily driver. For now, it's on my shelf as a reference board just like most of the nerds^H^H^H^H^H collectors here

[CPTBadAss]

Yeah I really like the convex caps on the modifiers too. It just feels really good for some reason gh_pp .

[dante]

Is there any easy way to determine which ones had Complicated Black Alps?

[AKIMbO]

Is there any easy way to determine which ones had Complicated Black Alps?

All at101w's have comp blacks.  Only the old dell logo at101's made in the USA had salmon alps...and it's unpredictable at best....otherwise it was comp blacks.

[dante]

Is there any easy way to determine which ones had Complicated Black Alps?

All at101w's have comp blacks.  Only the old dell logo at101's made in the USA had salmon alps...and it's unpredictable at best....otherwise it was comp blacks.

Bob at http://www.northgate-keyboard-repair.com/ is selling NIB AT101's w/ White Alps.  Were these limited edition?

[AKIMbO]

Is there any easy way to determine which ones had Complicated Black Alps?

All at101w's have comp blacks.  Only the old dell logo at101's made in the USA had salmon alps...and it's unpredictable at best....otherwise it was comp blacks.

Bob at http://www.northgate-keyboard-repair.com/ is selling NIB AT101's w/ White Alps.  Were these limited edition?

No idea...I've never seen a dell with white alps.

[dante]

I emailed Bob about the White Alps AT101's and he has none in stock - nor any information on where they came from.

He does have 4 refurbished AT101's w/ Black Alps w/ Box and original packing material for $160 ea PLUS $6 shipping.  A little extreme!

NIB samples turn up on ebay from time to time usually for around $50-$70...