geekhack Community > Keyboards
Naked Alps
Whiskey in the Jar-o:
--- Quote from: Nonmouse ---
--- Quote from: Whiskey in the Jar-o ---If I could only find small keycaps with no play in them, I'd be set. Something like the keycaps on the Steampunk Model M.
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I was actually going to suggest something like that myself. I'm working on a keyboard mod using an old Wang keyboard with white ALPS sliders, and I'm planning on gluing typewriter keys directly on the sliders, without all that keycap boring that Von Slatt did.
You can always find sets of keys on ebay- they usually run around $15-25 for a set, with 45-50ish keys per. So you'd need at least two typewriters' worth. A cheaper, though more hit and miss approach is Craigs List- I've picked up a couple typewriters for $10-15 on there.
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I'd rather not mess with the switches themselves. I think boring the stem out of the keycap sounds like a good idea. My worry is that the Alps slider-stem interface is just that: wobbly, so original stems will not help, large caps or not. I'm thinking of finding some kind of rubber plugs that would fit into the sliders. Of course then there is the possibility of whatever you fit into the slider deteriorating and falling into the internal mechanism. The same problem exists with typing on naked switches, as I do now. Any small crumb can potentially ruin a switch.
Whiskey in the Jar-o:
The soft click unobscured by any other sound... Tis bliss I tell ya's. But while my finger joints are much relieved by this new (to me) form of typing, my fingertips are quite the opposite. A few more weeks of this and I will have no fingerprints (or fingertips). I could probably get some of those finger condoms that clerks use, but that still leaves the problem of having the Alps all exposed to the (dusty) elements. I'll let the board rest for now... When I have the time, I shall mould new keycaps out of rubber or soft plastic. Then I shall rule the keyboard realm for real.
P.S.
Another idea came up. After recapping the sliders with new mininmal caps, why not add another plate at the level of the switch, so that just the sliders stick out above its plane? It would be like a MacBook keyboard with real switches. The space between the planes and the switches filled with foam to stop it from becoming an echo chamber.
ashort:
Would it be possible to grind down the underside the of the original keycaps by 1/8" or so, so they didn't bottom out, either?
Whiskey in the Jar-o:
--- Quote from: ashort ---Would it be possible to grind down the underside the of the original keycaps by 1/8" or so, so they didn't bottom out, either?
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Good question. I don't know. But seeing how the keycaps have a fair bit of wobble to them as they are, it may make things worse. But the tactile feedback of nekkid white alps is really something. I want the replacement keycaps to be as close to that feel as possible, but without abrasing the fingers as the nekkid sliders do now.
ashort:
My Tactile Pro 2 has switches that are...well let's just see what Matias says about it:
--- Quote ---Based on the legendary Alps keyswitch used in the Apple Extended Keyboard and the original Tactile Pro, the new Matias Mechanical Keyswitch recreates the tactile feedback and force curve of the original Alps design, ensuring maximum performance, greater comfort, and faster typing speeds. You will feel the difference immediately.
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Might that be why I think they are too wobbly with keycaps on? I haven't tried going commando yet.
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