Alps Appreciation Thread

[Mattr567]

Please guys, stop killing off these old Zeniths D: . They've got looks, character, beautiful badges, NKRO and are built infinitely better than anything you could possibly transplant the switches into D: . They really don't deserve such a cruel fate .

Sorry Chryos  I traded the rest of my Zenith guts to Blaise, so maybe their is some hope for mine. I know people who simply threw away their bodies!

The Green Alps V60 has been going on for some time actually The keyboard works (mostly), the holes have been cut in the Greens and the LEDs have been installed and soldered in! All I need now is to install resistors, run a bit of wire to fix some lifted LED pads and im good!

Show Image

Soon...

Show Image

Your Alps shall shine!



Can't wait to see them light up, man. What color LEDs are you using? I LOVE Alps keyboards that are deceiving and look like they might be MX boards at first glance. Backlighting is so atypical for Alps, that such a thing contributes a ton to that "sleeper" look, imo.

With the new Infinity PCB also allowing for LEDs, a lot of backlit Alps builds are possible now, whether simply using Matias switches and soldering the LEDs on the rear of the PCB and bending them to shine through the MX switch wells, or doing what Mattr and I are doing and drilling holes in each Linear Complicated Alps housing in order to use 2x5x7mm LEDs.

For me, I went with Duck Eagle PCBs as they were the only option I thought of at the time. I had no idea the V60MTS was possible to set up for backlighting until Mattr and Itzmeluigi figured it out.

The customizability of a Duck PCB though, is a nice benefit, regardless.

Yep! After I bolt mod my Model M ill order the correct resistors Itzmeluigi found out from KBP and make them shine! The V60 works well enough. Win keys are for losers right! /s

I may have bought one too many boards from Japan. Prices not including international shipping... )

Show Image

Uh....meetup again so I can play with all these? What a haul!

Made my own thread a while back but I thought I share it here, my SGI Granite swapped with SKCM Orange and SKCL Greens. The SKCL Greens were some extras laying around from my V60 MTS Backlight project. That will be for another day though. Still need proper resistors for the backlight. Otherwise the V60 right now works besides the Windows keys.

Grey Plate Oranges as well :)

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

That's a lovely board

The SGI Granite is such a great board, just ruined with Dampened switches. I fixed that In a sense made my own OG Dell AT101 but better. You can get a Granite for half what a AT101 goes for. Now I wonder what to do with all the White Dampened I have lying around. Currently they are undampened.

Funny how 3/4 of my boards have switch swaps in them. Just have to make them perfect!

EDIT: I'm #1000, Yay!

[jacobolus]

The SGI Granite is such a great board, just ruined with Dampened switches.

“Ruined” seems a bit strong. These things were meant to be used in offices, and I assume the damped switches were at least in part a competitive answer to rubber dome keyboards, whose quietness was advertised as a major feature (though the biggest major feature was surely the lower production costs). The Alps switches with rubber dampers are supposed to be a “best of both worlds” compromise.

In practice I’m also not the biggest fan though. I think Matias quiet switches do a better job than Alps quiet (“cream”) switches.

You can get a Granite for half what a AT101 goes for.

That’s because the Dell AT101 is overpriced, bid up by folks who care about the Dell logo.

The SGI AT101s also seem cheaper recently than they were a year or two ago. Not sure why.

[bocahgundul]

You can get a Granite for half what a AT101 goes for.

That’s because the Dell AT101 is overpriced, bid up by folks who care about the Dell logo.

The SGI AT101s also seem cheaper recently than they were a year or two ago. Not sure why.

I think its because people doesn't like the caps legend? But I personally really likes the caps legend!

[itzmeluigi]

Please guys, stop killing off these old Zeniths D: . They've got looks, character, beautiful badges, NKRO and are built infinitely better than anything you could possibly transplant the switches into D: . They really don't deserve such a cruel fate .

Sorry Chryos  I traded the rest of my Zenith guts to Blaise, so maybe their is some hope for mine. I know people who simply threw away their bodies!

I bought your Zenith Z-150 from Blaise, im going restore it and convert it to USB 

[Mattr567]

The SGI Granite is such a great board, just ruined with Dampened switches.

“Ruined” seems a bit strong. These things were meant to be used in offices, and I assume the damped switches were at least in part a competitive answer to rubber dome keyboards, whose quietness was advertised as a major feature (though the biggest major feature was surely the lower production costs). The Alps switches with rubber dampers are supposed to be a “best of both worlds” compromise.

In practice I’m also not the biggest fan though. I think Matias quiet switches do a better job than Alps quiet (“cream”) switches.

You can get a Granite for half what a AT101 goes for.

That’s because the Dell AT101 is overpriced, bid up by folks who care about the Dell logo.

The SGI AT101s also seem cheaper recently than they were a year or two ago. Not sure why.

It is a bit strong, but not a lot of people like them Some people think they feel like rubber domes, (which they don't) but the way they travel just is discouraging to type on.

Please guys, stop killing off these old Zeniths D: . They've got looks, character, beautiful badges, NKRO and are built infinitely better than anything you could possibly transplant the switches into D: . They really don't deserve such a cruel fate .

Sorry Chryos  I traded the rest of my Zenith guts to Blaise, so maybe their is some hope for mine. I know people who simply threw away their bodies!

I bought your Zenith Z-150 from Blaise, im going restore it and convert it to USB 

Great! It is a AT, so it works with modern PC's but it was weird about the F7 key not working on USB converters. I lifted a few pads but thank **** it is much simpler than the V60 It was pretty clean when I got it.

Here is some pics of the original cleanup I did on it.

[jacobolus]

It is a bit strong, but not a lot of people like them

The Apple Extended Keyboard II, with quiet switches, has a huge following still, 20+ years after production.

[Mattr567]

It is a bit strong, but not a lot of people like them

The Apple Extended Keyboard II, with quiet switches, has a huge following still, 20+ years after production.

Great example of people who do like them. Im not saying nobody likes them, or I hate them. I just dont prefer them. Its more of the board than the switches I think, used to have one. It could also come with Salmons.

[Yoe]

Mixing us up? No worries! The pcb mask as either pdf or expresspcb file is available here, along with cads for the plate if you want to laser cut instead of dremel cutting the original plate. For M0116, go with the Y62 files.

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=76738.0

Thanks! And, yeh I would consider this a joint effort with seaworthy, but he keeps giving me all the credit. Don't let him! That color way is all his. I'm the one coloring within the lines

Yes…we’re "pretty much" equals. We’re Chippendales. He’s Adrian. I’m Barney.

LOL! Hadn't seen that one I want to be Chris Farley though! It's a shame both he and Swayze died too young, but I really really miss Farley the most. He was brilliant!

[klennkellon]

After doing some more testing, I think I've determined I actually like my White ALPS for typing once I can get used to the weight, however they were really uncomfortable to game with (just basic FPS gaming too) because of the strong tactility and weight.

Kind of in a lame spot here since I do 50/50 typing and gaming, maybe I should get an ergonomic gaming keypad for gaming and get a KBParadise V80 with the smoother and lighter Matias switches?

[henz]

Ill leave this here:



i need gold caps as well.

[bocahgundul]

Ill leave this here:

Show Image

i need gold caps as well.

Bruh that boards looks sexy!. WHAT  SWITCHES?

[henz]

Ill leave this here:

Show Image

i need gold caps as well.

Bruh that boards looks sexy!. WHAT  SWITCHES?

Some Matias clickers, they sound so nice, not sure about the feel though, ill give it some more time. my colleagues does not seem to mind, these are by far the most sounding switches ive ever tried :D

[bocahgundul]

Ill leave this here:

Show Image

i need gold caps as well.

Bruh that boards looks sexy!. WHAT  SWITCHES?

Some Matias clickers, they sound so nice, not sure about the feel though, ill give it some more time. my colleagues does not seem to mind, these are by far the most sounding switches ive ever tried :D

ooooh nice board!

[Venatorious]

Ill leave this here:

Show Image

i need gold caps as well.

SHEEEUUUT

[chyros]

Ill leave this here:

Show Image

i need gold caps as well.

Bruh that boards looks sexy!. WHAT  SWITCHES?

Some Matias clickers, they sound so nice, not sure about the feel though, ill give it some more time. my colleagues does not seem to mind, these are by far the most sounding switches ive ever tried :D

If you like the sound of Matiases you should try some Alps switches if you haven't ;) . They make Matias sound like embarrassing pieces of plastic ;) .

[henz]

Ill leave this here:

Show Image

i need gold caps as well.

Bruh that boards looks sexy!. WHAT  SWITCHES?

Some Matias clickers, they sound so nice, not sure about the feel though, ill give it some more time. my colleagues does not seem to mind, these are by far the most sounding switches ive ever tried :D

If you like the sound of Matiases you should try some Alps switches if you haven't ;) . They make Matias sound like embarrassing pieces of plastic ;) .

I have, got a handwired m0116, had a alps64 previously to this with cream dampened alps, which i sold, got a lil big with fake alps,also tried black alps on a an at101W. Got a sgi  granite which these caps are from.

[fohat.digs]

They make Matias sound like embarrassing pieces of plastic .

I don't know, sometimes these Alps/Matias polemics sound like the IBM/Unicomp ones.
Yes, there are (mostly qualitative) differences, but no, they are still essentially the same thing.

And, of course - anyone who does not want to type on an embarrassing piece of plastic is using a Model F

[njbair]

Ill leave this here:

Show Image

i need gold caps as well.

Bruh that boards looks sexy!. WHAT  SWITCHES?

Some Matias clickers, they sound so nice, not sure about the feel though, ill give it some more time. my colleagues does not seem to mind, these are by far the most sounding switches ive ever tried :D

Do give them time. Just like Simplified Alps, they are stiff and that takes some getting used to, but they also seem to "break in" a bit over time, and once that happens they are an absolute joy to type on.

And, of course - anyone who does not want to type on an embarrassing piece of plastic is using a Model F

Shots fired!

[Venatorious]

And, of course - anyone who does not want to type on an embarrassing piece of plastic is using a Model F

Pew pew wutchu gonna do alps and cherry users

[Blaise170]

Pew pew wutchu gonna do alps and cherry users

Alps buckling spring! Besides, switches are still metal, they just have plastic housing. 

[BlueNalgene]

As of today, I have used both Green and Yellow Linear Alps on my ZKB-2's.  I've gotta say, linear switches are not my thing, but I can see the appeal.  I feel like the Yellows are underrated. 

But the beeps.  Oh god the beeps are amazing. 

[grav3serker]

As of today, I have used both Green and Yellow Linear Alps on my ZKB-2's.  I've gotta say, linear switches are not my thing, but I can see the appeal.  I feel like the Yellows are underrated. 

But the beeps.  Oh god the beeps are amazing.

Let me know if you want to get rid of the Greens!

[henz]

As of today, I have used both Green and Yellow Linear Alps on my ZKB-2's.  I've gotta say, linear switches are not my thing, but I can see the appeal.  I feel like the Yellows are underrated. 

But the beeps.  Oh god the beeps are amazing.

im not a linear fan either.

[mastermachetier]

Haha I was actually thinking about getting one setup for March sometime. Probably one of the last times I'll be available before I move to Boston for awhile. 

Google tells me that's about $850 USD. Not bad for such a large quantity. Do you plan on selling any of them?

I'll probably end up selling a large portion of it since I need to recoup some of the costs. Shipping to the US will probably end up costing me another ¥35.000 or so and I can't afford to hold onto all of them. Don't have space now and I'll have even less in a Boston apartment. )

Hey if you end up in Boston which is where I am at we should have a Boston meetup Just saying

[bocahgundul]

So I get the confirmation of LZ for alps plate + pcb and a RGB diffuser for LZ FE.so I'm going to make a GB for it but I don't know anything about alps stabs so he said that we need to choose either the AEK 2 Type, SGI and Dell old type, DELL new type.  what is the difference in all this? and do you guys know anything about L3 ALPhaS pcb?

[E3E]

So I get the confirmation of LZ for alps plate + pcb and a RGB diffuser for LZ FE.so I'm going to make a GB for it but I don't know anything about alps stabs so he said that we need to choose either the AEK 2 Type, SGI and Dell old type, DELL new type.  what is the difference in all this? and do you guys know anything about L3 ALPhaS pcb?

Essentially, you're going to want to use caps from one of those boards. You can use a set like Alpine winter though, but you need to bend custom wire, or (I think) use the Matias stabilizer wire. I am not familiar with Matias stab wire, but I've heard it's meant to work with costar caps mounted on alps plate stabs.

What caps did you plan on using with that? Anything with Cherry stab mounts will need the custom wire or Matias wire option. Otherwise, you'll need those cap sets.

Dell AT101 and SGI Granite are your standard 7u. It's really the space bars that he's talking about here, as those are more unique and tricky than anything else because of the stabilizing shafts. Some other 7u boards also came with Cherry mount stabilzers. Notably Tai Hao.

Generally speaking, as long as the stabs are the traditional alps plate mount type stab, then you will be fine everywhere else (there were also costar plate stabs on some Alps boards).

Dell new style means Dell AT101W, which has a 6.25u bottom row. Seeing all the positions on the PCB, it is indeed compatible with all of those unique bottom rows. The AEK II space bar is not the same as the AEK I space bar, but I forget what the difference is. I think the stabilizing shaft is flipped.

Can anyone clarify that bit?

[henz]

So I get the confirmation of LZ for alps plate + pcb and a RGB diffuser for LZ FE.so I'm going to make a GB for it but I don't know anything about alps stabs so he said that we need to choose either the AEK 2 Type, SGI and Dell old type, DELL new type.  what is the difference in all this? and do you guys know anything about L3 ALPhaS pcb?

Check Skype!

[henz]

So I get the confirmation of LZ for alps plate + pcb and a RGB diffuser for LZ FE.so I'm going to make a GB for it but I don't know anything about alps stabs so he said that we need to choose either the AEK 2 Type, SGI and Dell old type, DELL new type.  what is the difference in all this? and do you guys know anything about L3 ALPhaS pcb?

Essentially, you're going to want to use caps from one of those boards. You can use a set like Alpine winter though, but you need to bend custom wire, or (I think) use the Matias stabilizer wire. I am not familiar with Matias stab wire, but I've heard it's meant to work with costar caps mounted on alps plate stabs.

What caps did you plan on using with that? Anything with Cherry stab mounts will need the custom wire or Matias wire option. Otherwise, you'll need those cap sets.

Dell AT101 and SGI Granite are your standard 7u. It's really the space bars that he's talking about here, as those are more unique and tricky than anything else because of the stabilizing shafts. Some other 7u boards also came with Cherry mount stabilzers. Notably Tai Hao.

Generally speaking, as long as the stabs are the traditional alps plate mount type stab, then you will be fine everywhere else (there were also costar plate stabs on some Alps boards).

Dell new style means Dell AT101W, which has a 6.25u bottom row. Seeing all the positions on the PCB, it is indeed compatible with all of those unique bottom rows. The AEK II space bar is not the same as the AEK I space bar, but I forget what the difference is. I think the stabilizing shaft is flipped.

Can anyone clarify that bit?

Basically we will offer

Dell at101, Dell at101W and AEKII layouts. Youd have to choose similar to alps party.

[E3E]

Basically we will offer

Dell at101, Dell at101W and AEKII layouts. Youd have to choose similar to alps party.

These plates won't match the mounts for the Orion v2 will they?

[henz]

Basically we will offer

Dell at101, Dell at101W and AEKII layouts. Youd have to choose similar to alps party.

These plates won't match the mounts for the Orion v2 will they?

Only for LZ-FE for now. the orion plate has been made before so there should be some drawings somewhere, so maybe we can run it in the future.

[mseaworthy]

Finished restoring an AEK I today. To cloak Apple's boring beige, I used black matte plastidip on the case. To reduce abrasions and scuffs to the plastic finish, I applied a few coats of Turtle Wax Ice--supposedly works great for dipped cars...

Key caps are the original lovely PBTs dyed with Dylon multipurpose dye.

[Blaise170]

I've thought about doing the exact same to one of my boards. What color gray did you use on the keys? If I do it I'll definitely tape the Apple logo so that it still shows.

[E3E]

Finished restoring an AEK I today. To cloak Apple's boring beige, I used black matte plastidip on the case. To reduce abrasions and scuffs to the plastic finish, I applied a few coats of Turtle Wax Ice--supposedly works great for dipped cars...

Key caps are the original lovely PBTs dyed with Dylon multipurpose dye.

I love it! Looks very different and unique. Nice work! How did the dye job work out? Was it tedious? I just bought a stainless steel 3 quart pot, staineless sieves, and a digital thermometer for a project I have in mind soon.

I just hope it's not too tricky!

[n__dles]

I've thought about doing the exact same to one of my boards. What color gray did you use on the keys? If I do it I'll definitely tape the Apple logo so that it still shows.

I've got an AEKII case in decent condtion if you or anyone else wants it. Not sure if it's worth the price of shipping, I'll probably just recycle it.

[mseaworthy]

I love it! Looks very different and unique. Nice work! How did the dye job work out? Was it tedious? I just bought a stainless steel 3 quart pot, staineless sieves, and a digital thermometer for a project I have in mind soon.

I just hope it's not too tricky!

The grey is iDye Poly Gun Metal.

It is pretty tedious, but most of that for me is in making all the mistakes. Originally I used small thrift store pans for dying. I know some people have no problem with this, but I kept getting splotchy results and edges that looked “burned”—even though I was stirring the entire time with a plastic cooking spoon. I started getting a little success when I switched to using a canning preserves system (mason jars suspended off the bottom of a large pot with a wire frame—like putting up fruit or using a double boiler.

I bought a candy thermometer but didn’t use it. Just keep the dye baths at or just under boiling and check a cap for the desired penetration / hue every few minutes. Heat is clearly a catalyst for dye—and even more so when in a pan verses a mason jar suspended in hot water. I’ve had four different colored dye baths going simultaneously; smarter to do just one at time. You have two time elements to contend with: 1) taking them out of the dye bath at the right time 2) scrubbing all the remaining residue of dye off once you remove them. You really have to vigorously scrub the caps (I used my hands in rubber gloves followed by a soapy toothbrush) to prevent the dye from drying unevenly …even if you are stirring the entire time.

Lighter colors like orange and yellow will take four times as long as gray, green and blue. Obviously you can’t dye from a darker color to a higher color with plastics—only the inverse.

Cool thing about Plastidip is that when you screw it up you can peel it off and start over again. Bad thing is it spits chunks when you get about 3/4 the way through the can. I found warming the cans with a blow dryer or hot water gives a much smoother spray pattern.

[E3E]

I love it! Looks very different and unique. Nice work! How did the dye job work out? Was it tedious? I just bought a stainless steel 3 quart pot, staineless sieves, and a digital thermometer for a project I have in mind soon.

I just hope it's not too tricky!

The grey is iDye Poly Gun Metal.

It is pretty tedious, but most of that for me is in making all the mistakes. Originally I used small thrift store pans for dying. I know some people have no problem with this, but I kept getting splotchy results and edges that looked “burned”—even though I was stirring the entire time with a plastic cooking spoon. I started getting a little success when I switched to using a canning preserves system (mason jars suspended off the bottom of a large pot with a wire frame—like putting up fruit or using a double boiler.

I bought a candy thermometer but didn’t use it. Just keep the dye baths at or just under boiling and check a cap for the desired penetration / hue every few minutes. Heat is clearly a catalyst for dye—and even more so when in a pan verses a mason jar suspended in hot water. I’ve had four different colored dye baths going simultaneously; smarter to do just one at time. You have two time elements to contend with: 1) taking them out of the dye bath at the right time 2) scrubbing all the remaining residue of dye off once you remove them. You really have to vigorously scrub the caps (I used my hands in rubber gloves followed by a soapy toothbrush) to prevent the dye from drying unevenly …even if you are stirring the entire time.

Lighter colors like orange and yellow will take four times as long as gray, green and blue. Obviously you can’t dye from a darker color to a higher color with plastics—only the inverse.

Cool thing about Plastidip is that when you screw it up you can peel it off and start over again. Bad thing is it spits chunks when you get about 3/4 the way through the can. I found warming the cans with a blow dryer or hot water gives a much smoother spray pattern.

Noted. Thanks for the tips! I hope the stainless steel setup works well. I only plan on using one color, which is grey/black, so I'm grateful. I'll have to make sure and really wash the dye off and get scrubbing tools ready. I'll definitely have to practice on some junker caps before I go the whole 9 yards. I'm using RIT Dyemore, which comes in liquid form, so that should get over a lot of the hassle of ensuring the dye is properly dissolved and mixed.

[jdcarpe]

I used one of those gold coffee filter baskets to dye my AEKII caps in, inside the pan of boiling dye mixture. It had a little handle on top so I could keep it off the bottom of the pan, by hanging it from a chopstick.

[mseaworthy]

I'm using RIT Dyemore, which comes in liquid form, so that should get over a lot of the hassle of ensuring the dye is properly dissolved and mixed.

Some have said the formula for RIT has changed and no longer works on PBT. No idea if that's the case or not.

[fohat.digs]

Please let us know about the liquid dye.

My understanding is that liquid RIT never worked, and that powdered RIT has not worked properly since they changed the formula about 2012.

Fortunately for me, all my powdered RIT is old. I found it very forgiving - if I wanted a dark color I just boiled the ancient IBM PBT for many minutes and it was even and good. About residue - I never had any. After the dye bath, I rinsed them briefly and I was done. I may have shaken them in soapy water for a minute but probably didn't have to.

Last, I filtered my dye water to get out any particles and have re-used darker colors like red or black more than once and still gotten good results.

"They just don't make stuff like they used to."

[E3E]

Please let us know about the liquid dye.

My understanding is that liquid RIT never worked, and that powdered RIT has not worked properly since they changed the formula about 2012.

Fortunately for me, all my powdered RIT is old. I found it very forgiving - if I wanted a dark color I just boiled the ancient IBM PBT for many minutes and it was even and good. About residue - I never had any. After the dye bath, I rinsed them briefly and I was done. I may have shaken them in soapy water for a minute but probably didn't have to.

Last, I filtered my dye water to get out any particles and have re-used darker colors like red or black more than once and still gotten good results.

"They just don't make stuff like they used to."

I know what you mean. This is RIT dyemore which IIRC, is what JDCarpe used for his AEKII caps with great effect. Essentially, it's like an answer to the changed formula of the standard RIT dye. There's even an article showing that dyemore can dye ABS if supervised properly.

https://www.ritstudio.com/2015/04/09/how-to-dye-legos-with-new-rit-dye-more/#!

The dye more name is reference to its wider range of dyeing capabilities.

Thank you for the information on your experiences with RIT. I'm definitely eager to see how this all comes out, and I will report the results as I go along. This will all be part of another extensive build log.

Good to hear about reusing the colors as well. Do you just save the dye mixture in a jar or a bottle after you're done? I was wondering about multiple dye jobs with one batch of dye.

[pr0ximity]

Please guys, stop killing off these old Zeniths D: . They've got looks, character, beautiful badges, NKRO and are built infinitely better than anything you could possibly transplant the switches into D: . They really don't deserve such a cruel fate .

Give me about a week. I need to take pictures of my Zenith, I've been using it at work exclusively for the past week since finishing my restoration. Think you'd like it, though I wish I had a black label.

Gotta say, SKCL Greens *really* grew on me. Something about the incredibly subtle tactility and the force curve of the springs. It sometimes almost feels like the keys are being suspended by rubber bands that are being stretched, rather than a spring being compressed. The keys wobble, but I kind of like it. No lube on the sliders, just the spring to muffle the insane amount of ping. Also, the way the assembly is mounted to the top case gives it an interesting flex which works well. I kind of wish the buzzer (really it's more of a beeper) had an adjustable volume like my Model F though, but it's still fun. Alt + Esc to toggle it easily.

[E3E]

Please guys, stop killing off these old Zeniths D: . They've got looks, character, beautiful badges, NKRO and are built infinitely better than anything you could possibly transplant the switches into D: . They really don't deserve such a cruel fate .

Give me about a week. I need to take pictures of my Zenith, I've been using it at work exclusively for the past week since finishing my restoration. Think you'd like it, though I wish I had a black label.

Gotta say, SKCL Greens *really* grew on me. Something about the incredibly subtle tactility and the force curve of the springs. It sometimes almost feels like the keys are being suspended by rubber bands that are being stretched, rather than a spring being compressed. The keys wobble, but I kind of like it. No lube on the sliders, just the spring to muffle the insane amount of ping. Also, the way the assembly is mounted to the top case gives it an interesting flex which works well. I kind of wish the buzzer (really it's more of a beeper) had an adjustable volume like my Model F though, but it's still fun. Alt + Esc to toggle it easily.

I've got an old housing from a Z-150 I had that was XT. It had scratchy SKCL Yellows in it. If you want the black badge, I could see about removing it and mailing it to you. It's true, they look so much nicer than the beige badges.

[fohat.digs]

Good to hear about reusing the colors as well. Do you just save the dye mixture in a jar or a bottle after you're done? I was wondering about multiple dye jobs with one batch of dye.

Very good to know. Please report on your success or failure.

Yes, I strained the dye water and kept it in a glass jar until I needed it again. I think that I used black 3 times and red twice, at the minimum.

[E3E]

Very good to know. Please report on your success or failure.

Yes, I strained the dye water and kept it in a glass jar until I needed it again. I think that I used black 3 times and red twice, at the minimum.

Will do! I've got a few PBT sets I don't care much about like some Cherry thin PBT and some Apple top hat caps (Apple IIc) and some spare AEK caps. So I think I should have enough trial and error before I move onto the main event.

I found what seems to be a mint AT101 with thick PBT caps (I have an AT101, but its alphas are shined). These are what I plan on dyeing. I was also considering dyeing an IBM 5140 set, but we shall see.

This will be for the Orion v2 I'm getting in. Having a Grey/Dark Grey PBT set would be really nice, but IBM's 5140 caps are nice and bright compared to the pebble tone of the AT101 caps, so I figure they might be nice to hang onto for maybe a Piano Black and White look. I'll dye the modifiers first to see.

Good to hear about reusing dye mixtures. I have a lot of masonry jars I could funnel the left over dye into. Sounds good!

Oh, and you said in the past that you've got a custom AT101 with blue Alps and PBT caps? Where did you source those? I remember you mentioned that barely any of the AT101s you've dealt with had the thick PBT caps everyone wants. I find them on the Salmon Alps US-made boards. Were they in mint condition as well?

[E3E]

So, I made this today. Inspired by Sandy's switch tool opener, and having already ordered golf scoring pens, BUT too impatient to wait with these darn Neon Greens here.

I made my own.

I have no idea what these blue DREMEL branded things went to, but they're now DREMEL-brand Alps switch openers.

Inspired by Sandy's tool, but improved upon, I think. I noticed switches that have never been opened before are usually very stubborn and tend to stick. Need to wobble them a bit before they come loose.

This thing, with the stem added in the center, does all the dirty work for you.

These are a very flexible plastic which makes them PERFECT for this.

[bocahgundul]

Anyone here that haves a TKL alumunium LZ board that wants to try alps but don't have pcb and plate? now you could! cause the upcoming Leeku pcb and LZ plates supports all alumunium LZ TKL!

Sorry for the ads

[CPTBadAss]

So, I made this today. Inspired by Sandy's switch tool opener, and having already ordered golf scoring pens, BUT too impatient to wait with these darn Neon Greens here.

I made my own.

I have no idea what these blue DREMEL branded things went to, but they're now DREMEL-brand Alps switch openers.

Inspired by Sandy's tool, but improved upon, I think. I noticed switches that have never been opened before are usually very stubborn and tend to stick. Need to wobble them a bit before they come loose.

This thing, with the stem added in the center, does all the dirty work for you.

These are a very flexible plastic which makes them PERFECT for this.

Hehe, I like that video. Nice DIY tool!

[fohat.digs]

you said in the past that you've got a custom AT101 with blue Alps and PBT caps? Where did you source those?

My blue switches came from a couple of LE-2014s that I bought a couple of years ago. The AT101W actually has orange in it.

I have been through a load of AT101s and only ever found one with a set of the PBT caps in "OK" condition.

Personally, I drool at the thought of a really nice set and would never dream of defiling them if I got them.
If you have an extra set I might be willing to trade you for them.

[mseaworthy]

Inspired by Sandy's tool, but improved upon, I think. I noticed switches that have never been opened before are usually very stubborn and tend to stick. Need to wobble them a bit before they come loose.

This thing, with the stem added in the center, does all the dirty work for you.

These are a very flexible plastic which makes them PERFECT for this.

Very cool, useful tool. Would you consider posting the dimensions of the tines and especially the stem extension?

[fohat.digs]

Would you consider posting the dimensions of the tines and especially the stem extension?

And what is it and where did you find it?