Alps Appreciation Thread

[bocahgundul]

This is awesome! I didn't know about this PCB before. Did it just come out recently or has been around for a while?

It's been around under-wraps for a bit, but it's currently just hit general availability (well, not considering they're all sold out I think since people snagged them up super quick). PCB compatibility with both ALPS and MX, pretty cool cases, highly recommend it.

Damn this is awesome!

[romevi]

That Clueboard looks perfect! I finally have a reason to get a Leopold-type board for a type of switch I haven't tried. Will probably get Matias Quiet.

Is it new? Any news on a restock?

Sorry if this isn't the right place to ask.

[CPTBadAss]

That Clueboard looks perfect! I finally have a reason to get a Leopold-type board for a type of switch I haven't tried. Will probably get Matias Quiet.

Is it new? Any news on a restock?

Sorry if this isn't the right place to ask.

Not really sure about their stock and incoming stock but they've got a subforum where I'm sure the answer you'd get would be accurate.

[romevi]

That Clueboard looks perfect! I finally have a reason to get a Leopold-type board for a type of switch I haven't tried. Will probably get Matias Quiet.

Is it new? Any news on a restock?

Sorry if this isn't the right place to ask.

Not really sure about their stock and incoming stock but they've got a subforum where I'm sure the answer you'd get would be accurate.

Ah, thanks!
Sorry to derail.

[CPTBadAss]

Ah, thanks!
Sorry to derail.

It's not a derailment as much as trying to get you accurate information from the vendor himself

[axtran]

This is awesome! I didn't know about this PCB before. Did it just come out recently or has been around for a while?

It's been around under-wraps for a bit, but it's currently just hit general availability (well, not considering they're all sold out I think since people snagged them up super quick). PCB compatibility with both ALPS and MX, pretty cool cases, highly recommend it.

It's definitely on my list to consider when I find a reason to build another keyboard next time For now it's hard to justify getting another keyboard cos I have one desk and two keyboards, plus an incoming one. I really have more than I need.

What? Justification to get another keyboard? 😉

[Moistgun]

This is awesome! I didn't know about this PCB before. Did it just come out recently or has been around for a while?

It's been around under-wraps for a bit, but it's currently just hit general availability (well, not considering they're all sold out I think since people snagged them up super quick). PCB compatibility with both ALPS and MX, pretty cool cases, highly recommend it.

It's definitely on my list to consider when I find a reason to build another keyboard next time For now it's hard to justify getting another keyboard cos I have one desk and two keyboards, plus an incoming one. I really have more than I need.

You stop!
Find a way to justify, there is always room for... one more.

I want to build another, and the only way for me to justify is alps.
I have none, and need one.

[njbair]

This is awesome! I didn't know about this PCB before. Did it just come out recently or has been around for a while?

It's been around under-wraps for a bit, but it's currently just hit general availability (well, not considering they're all sold out I think since people snagged them up super quick). PCB compatibility with both ALPS and MX, pretty cool cases, highly recommend it.

It's definitely on my list to consider when I find a reason to build another keyboard next time For now it's hard to justify getting another keyboard cos I have one desk and two keyboards, plus an incoming one. I really have more than I need.

You stop!
Find a way to justify, there is always room for... one more.

I want to build another, and the only way for me to justify is alps.
I have none, and need one.

I have one or more. I need one more.

[axtran]

That Clueboard looks perfect! I finally have a reason to get a Leopold-type board for a type of switch I haven't tried. Will probably get Matias Quiet.

Is it new? Any news on a restock?

Sorry if this isn't the right place to ask.

Not really sure about their stock and incoming stock but they've got a subforum where I'm sure the answer you'd get would be accurate.

Ah, thanks!
Sorry to derail.

You could also hop on IRC and look for skullY you know, talk keyboards, talk Clueboards, etc.

[JonnyPolygon]

I recently found an old alps keyboard in some of my old stuff, going to give it a good cleaning and post some pics

[njbair]

I recently picked up a Northgate OmniKey on Ebay. It's very yellow and very dirty. But it's an absolute tank! I'm thinking about leaning it against my bedpost as a weapon to swing at intruders.



It's also got a surprisingly usable primary cluster layout. Notice the split right shift, Esc in the alpha cluster, Ctrl in the Caps Lock position.

If I'm going to restore this thing it's going to require a lot of elbow grease. I'll eventually make the time for it, but part of me wants to turn this into a frankenboard, like an oversized 60% with the F-keys on the left. Can someone talk me out of it? It would be a cool board, but a real shame to let such a rock-solid chassis go to waste.

[chyros]

I recently picked up a Northgate OmniKey on Ebay. It's very yellow and very dirty. But it's an absolute tank! I'm thinking about leaning it against my bedpost as a weapon to swing at intruders.

The back panel on one weighs more than a frying pan, I found out when I did the video on mine. You can kill intruders with just the backpanel xD .

[/quote]If I'm going to restore this thing it's going to require a lot of elbow grease. I'll eventually make the time for it, but part of me wants to turn this into a frankenboard, like an oversized 60% with the F-keys on the left. Can someone talk me out of it? It would be a cool board, but a real shame to let such a rock-solid chassis go to waste.
[/quote]Ugh, what is everyone's aversion to classic boards nowadays? Even though these Omnikeys are not exactly lookers, surely they deserve better than that xD .

[jdcarpe]

The back panel on one weighs more than a frying pan, I found out when I did the video on mine. You can kill intruders with just the backpanel xD .

Or maybe fry an egg on it?

[ctm]

This is awesome! I didn't know about this PCB before. Did it just come out recently or has been around for a while?

It's been around under-wraps for a bit, but it's currently just hit general availability (well, not considering they're all sold out I think since people snagged them up super quick). PCB compatibility with both ALPS and MX, pretty cool cases, highly recommend it.

It's definitely on my list to consider when I find a reason to build another keyboard next time For now it's hard to justify getting another keyboard cos I have one desk and two keyboards, plus an incoming one. I really have more than I need.

You stop!
Find a way to justify, there is always room for... one more.

I want to build another, and the only way for me to justify is alps.
I have none, and need one.

This does not work in my case. I already have an alps board. But… I don't have any linear alps board and Matias linear feels really nice. This is a good justification but I am already broke aafter buying F62

[Yoe]

I recently picked up a Northgate OmniKey on Ebay. It's very yellow and very dirty. But it's an absolute tank! I'm thinking about leaning it against my bedpost as a weapon to swing at intruders.

Show Image

It's also got a surprisingly usable primary cluster layout. Notice the split right shift, Esc in the alpha cluster, Ctrl in the Caps Lock position.

If I'm going to restore this thing it's going to require a lot of elbow grease. I'll eventually make the time for it, but part of me wants to turn this into a frankenboard, like an oversized 60% with the F-keys on the left. Can someone talk me out of it? It would be a cool board, but a real shame to let such a rock-solid chassis go to waste.

It doesn't have to go to waste! You can just.. "borrow" the caps and stabs for a while and make a 60% board. Then, if you don't like it, just put the caps back and enjoy the Omnikey in its vintage glory. I know I would. These random "don't use very often" keys among the modifiers are just screaming TAP KEY FUNCTION LAYER!! :)

[Blaise170]

Inn trying to put my M0116 back together and the spacebar keeps binding. I figured out that the stab wire is causing it. Any suggestions?

[fohat.digs]

part of me wants to turn this into a frankenboard,

a real shame to let such a rock-solid chassis go to waste.

You would be hard-pressed to find a better keyboard than an Omnikey, only the Model F comes to mind for solidity. If you can live with the split Right Shift, then just use it. Bigass Enter does not bother me, but it usually comes with 1x Backspace and I cannot tolerate that.

Unfortunately, I have had little success Retro-briting Northgate keys, although I have gotten the cases to lighten up pretty well.

[bocahgundul]

Inn trying to put my M0116 back together and the spacebar keeps binding. I figured out that the stab wire is causing it. Any suggestions?

I broke my enter keys on my board I don't know how to remove the stabilized keys its tarder than costar stabs

I recently picked up a Northgate OmniKey on Ebay. It's very yellow and very dirty. But it's an absolute tank! I'm thinking about leaning it against my bedpost as a weapon to swing at intruders.

Show Image

It's also got a surprisingly usable primary cluster layout. Notice the split right shift, Esc in the alpha cluster, Ctrl in the Caps Lock position.

If I'm going to restore this thing it's going to require a lot of elbow grease. I'll eventually make the time for it, but part of me wants to turn this into a frankenboard, like an oversized 60% with the F-keys on the left. Can someone talk me out of it? It would be a cool board, but a real shame to let such a rock-solid chassis go to waste.

What switch bro?
Its really that solid? How much does it weight?

I recently found an old alps keyboard in some of my old stuff, going to give it a good cleaning and post some pics

Cmon snap some pic already!

[fohat.digs]

What switch bro?

Pretty much all Northgate Omnikeys are complicated white Alps except for the very earliest ones with gold foil label, which are blues.

[bocahgundul]

What switch bro?

Pretty much all Northgate Omnikeys are complicated white Alps except for the very earliest ones with gold foil label, which are blues.

Blue alps on those case must be really geod!

[fohat.digs]

What switch bro?

Pretty much all Northgate Omnikeys are complicated white Alps except for the very earliest ones with gold foil label, which are blues.

Blue alps on those case must be really geod!

The old layout with 10 function keys left and bigass Enter is far less than optimal. And that particular variant is rare and expensive.
I bought a 101 and transplanted blue Alps into it to replace the whites for my top-shelf Northgate.

[jacobolus]

If I'm going to restore this thing it's going to require a lot of elbow grease. I'll eventually make the time for it, but part of me wants to turn this into a frankenboard, like an oversized 60% with the F-keys on the left. Can someone talk me out of it? It would be a cool board, but a real shame to let such a rock-solid chassis go to waste.

I think you’d be better off figuring out the precise layout you want and contracting someone to waterjet a plate in that shape, instead of cutting this board down, since you’ll need a custom case, controller, etc. anyway.

If you really want to “frankenboard” an existing plate/pcb, you can probably find one in a similar layout in a ****ty case, though finding one with F keys on the left might present a challenge. Do ebay searches for "AT keyboard" or similar.

But anyway, I say do whatever you want. There are enough Omnikeys in the world that butchering one up isn’t like destroying some priceless relic. You could probably resell the case to someone who wants to use it for their own project.

[fohat.digs]

You could probably resell the case to someone who wants to use it for their own project.

True this. I probably have 2 101 case/PCBs from failed experiments that I would sell for cheap.

[njbair]

Ok guys I think you've convinced me not to hack apart the OmniKey. But it's going to have to sit for a while before I get a chance to fix it up.

I didn't look that closely at the cable, is it just a normal PS2 connection?

[fohat.digs]

is it just a normal PS2 connection?

Original is a male PS/2-to-male-AT but a male-male PS/2 should work OK and avoid the AT-to-PS/2 adapter on the computer side.

My original male-male PS/2 cable was bad so I developed a straight fixed PS/2 cable guide.

[E3E]

I recently picked up a Northgate OmniKey on Ebay. It's very yellow and very dirty. But it's an absolute tank! I'm thinking about leaning it against my bedpost as a weapon to swing at intruders.

I keep most of my vintages in those USPS flat rate board game boxes or whatever beside my bed. I too have thought of how they'd be great weapons against intruders, though I would be upset in having to wreck my beloved keyboards over some jerk's face. Lol.

The AT101 has such a long cable, it'd make a fantastic flail, hahahaha. I also have the bottom metal panel from my poor NTC 6151N that'd make an excellent death frisbee.

[khronokrator]

Pretty much all Northgate Omnikeys are complicated white Alps except for the very earliest ones with gold foil label, which are blues.

If my experience with the Ultra TP is any indication, I'm willing to bet that any later-generation Omnikeys made with Windows keys have simplified Alps and/or clones, sadly. 

Avant almost certainly used clones.

[ctm]

orihalcon's vintage sampler set is up! It's an amazing collection.

[fohat.digs]

If my experience with the Ultra TP is any indication, I'm willing to bet that any later-generation Omnikeys made with Windows keys have simplified Alps and/or clones, sadly.

Avant almost certainly used clones.

That is probably right. I have never seen an Omnikey with Windows keys.

[Touch_It]

Got my AEK with salmon Alps last night.  Gotta say that I love it.  Definitely like it better than dampened cream (though I still like them).  Going to use this as my work keyboard (or put it in rotation).  Next up, I think I want to try orange Alps.  Buying keyboards is way to much fun Actually getting keyboards and being able to try new switches is fun.  I don't think I would ever get a keyboard though, that didn't have a usable layout.  I like being to go to my collection, pull out any keyboard, plug it in, and start typing away.

[Blaise170]

Coming soon I'll be posting my AEK which I just fully restored and it is looking great.

[iLLucionist]

Coming soon I'll be posting my AEK which I just fully restored and it is looking great.

Pics! Could you make a sound video? I'm so curious how it sounds.. For nostalgia purposes..

[S1llyC0ne]

Coming soon I'll be posting my AEK which I just fully restored and it is looking great.

Pics! Could you make a sound video? I'm so curious how it sounds.. For nostalgia purposes..

^ This

[bocahgundul]

Coming soon I'll be posting my AEK which I just fully restored and it is looking great.

Loookin good mane! Pics and vids plesase

[khronokrator]

That is probably right. I have never seen an Omnikey with Windows keys.

They are strangely rare, yes. All I can guesstimate is that they hail from the final years of Northgate and they may have only made a relatively small number of them before vanishing from the market (there's an unknown amount of time before Avant picked up their designs and started selling them again).

They have a few curious features: every model with a Windows key had a P appended to its model number (e.g. 101P, Ultra TP, etc.) and to accommodate the Windows key and right-click keys onthe bottom row they took the unusual design decision of making every key there single-width.

The build quality seems to be the same as the earlier models, but the Ps were (again) apparently made with Alps clones instead of genuine complicated switches. They also lacked DIP switches (the bay under the badge is just empty space) and don't have removable cables, but otherwise seem to use the same chassis.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Northgate-Omni-Key-101-Windows-ALPS-AT-Keyboard-P-N-KYBD101P-tested-/361084198037?hash=item54124b9c95:g:3ZIAAOSwq7JULD6V

This has been on eBay for months. I actually bought the other one this guy is selling, at what I think was too high a price (I was much dumber in the world of Alps last year). The switches were in awful condition (sticky and refused to actuate unless pressed down directly on the center) and the backplate has a lot of rust spots, so I ended up using my horrible soldering skills to swap out the switches for Matias Clicky ones.

This was how I knew the expensive NOS Ultra TP I bought from Robert Tibbets had simplified/clone Alps... they sound and feel nearly identical to the Matias switches I put into the 101P, and nothing like the Chicony or Focus I own with genuine complicated Alps. 

[fohat.digs]

switches I put into the 101P,

Holy Cow !

An Omnikey 101 exists with Windows keys? And without that stupid detachable coiled cable?

Now that really is a unicorn and a Holy Grail chassis for somebody like me.

[chyros]

If my experience with the Ultra TP is any indication, I'm willing to bet that any later-generation Omnikeys made with Windows keys have simplified Alps and/or clones, sadly.

Avant almost certainly used clones.

That is probably right. I have never seen an Omnikey with Windows keys.

If you Google Image "Northgate Omnikey" you can see several different ones, actually . Don't know about the cables on them, though.

[khronokrator]

Both the 101P and the Ultra TP I own have integrated coiled cables, Chyros. Not a huge sample size, but as I suspect Northgate didn't make many of the Windows key models it does seem to suggest a trend.

Fohat, that board I linked is currently the only 101P on eBay. I'm sure there are more, but as I said, they don't seem to turn up very often, which leads me to believe they had a brief or limited production run.

They do make great chassis for Alps keyboards, however, which is why I plan to harvest and transplant the switches out of NOS complicated Alps keyboards as I can get my hands on them. If I trust my soldering skills, which I'm not sure that I do... I apparently killed the Home and End keys during the 101P's transplant, at any rate.

[fohat.digs]

that board I linked is currently the only 101P on eBay.

What? 101 was the designation for the straight-ANSI layout in the original series. I did not bother to count the keys on your ebay listing but I dare say that it was several more than 101.

Unless it has ANSI Enter, 2x Backspace, and conventional shift keys, I don't give a damn about it. Frankly, I am relieved that I do not have to go on another quest.

[jacobolus]

An Omnikey 101 exists with Windows keys? And without that stupid detachable coiled cable?

Now that really is a unicorn and a Holy Grail chassis for somebody like me.

Note the “bigass” enter though.

[khronokrator]

Yes, that. It's a weird/lazy choice of model numbering on Northgate's part, considering it actually has something like 104 keys altogether (2 Windows + 1 context key), plus the bigass enter. It's a lot like Unicomp and Focus in that way; the keyboard is largely unchanged from their older model and just has a few more keys smashed into the bottom row.

[fohat.digs]

just has a few more keys smashed into the bottom row.

That would be just peachy if they had smashed the Windows keys into the bottom row of the 101 instead of one (or more) their goofball layouts.
Better yet, if they enhanced the bottom row and added back the left function keys while keeping the top functions as well.

[vivalarevolución]

I don't have much to say except that I am happy this thread is still going strong.

Alps forever.

[Blaise170]

I didn't think to take a picture before restoration, but I at least have a couple from after. The board was covered in grime and dirt and the plastic was badly yellowed except for a spot in the corner when a sticker had been which was still nice and white.  ) I also took a photo of the full keyboard but it turns out to be all blurry and it's late here so all I have are these two. 

[khronokrator]

That's polished up into an incredible keyboard. What would one use to get the yellow out of the plastic, short of dyeing?

[Touch_It]

That's polished up into an incredible keyboard. What would one use to get the yellow out of the plastic, short of dyeing?

Retr0bright.  If you search the forums or even google, there is a fair amount of information out there on it.

[CPTBadAss]

You know you're dedicated to Alps when your desoldering gun has a tip just for em. The legs on Alps are slightly bigger than MX switches.

[njbair]

Show Image

You know you're dedicated to Alps when your desoldering gun has a tip just for em. The legs on Alps are slightly bigger than MX switches.

I need a real desoldering gun. Harvesting an entire AEKII worth of SKCM creams the other day was simply exhausting.

[itzmeluigi]

Show Image

You know you're dedicated to Alps when your desoldering gun has a tip just for em. The legs on Alps are slightly bigger than MX switches.

Haha when i first got my desoldering gun i wasnt able to use it on Alps right away because of that, had to order a 1.2mm tip for them, is that what you use also?

[Mattr567]

I didn't think to take a picture before restoration, but I at least have a couple from after. The board was covered in grime and dirt and the plastic was badly yellowed except for a spot in the corner when a sticker had been which was still nice and white.  ) I also took a photo of the full keyboard but it turns out to be all blurry and it's late here so all I have are these two. 

Show Image

Show Image

That looks great! AEK's really do come out nicely. The only reason I swapped SKCM Orange into my SGI Granite rather than just buy a AEK is because moving the bumps to D/K kill my typist speed, and swapping the caps looks awful imo.