Alps Modding

[SebsG]

This is a question.
Is there any way to turn an alps switch (I believe it is a simple switch) that is linear into a tactile or clicky switch? And will an alps keyboard fit matias switches? (silent clicky ones to be exact)

[CPTBadAss]

1) Is there any way to turn an alps switch (I believe it is a simple switch) that is linear into a tactile or clicky switch?

2) And will an alps keyboard fit matias switches? (silent clicky ones to be exact)

1) Yes, you have to open the switch and add in another leaf spring that will make the switch tactile or clicky.

2) Complicated/SKCL/SKCM and Simplified/SKBM/SKBL Alps as well as some Alps clones will be able to take the Matias switches.

[jacobolus]

If you have an old linear Alps switch, e.g. with green or yellow sliders, then there’s an LED cutout in the top housing, and it won’t fit a click/tactile leaf. On the other hand, if you have a tactile or clicky switch, you can certainly remove the leaf to get a linear switch. Or if you like the slider color, or the spring, etc., you can mix and match some parts between different switches.

What precisely do you want to do?

[CPTBadAss]

I thought there was room in the Green Alps top housing jacobolus. Last time I checked I thought I could put the leaf in there.

[SebsG]

Well, my keyboard is from DSI (the big font one) and they are probably alps copies. But what I want to do is either make the existing switches tactile or replace them with matias switches.

[jacobolus]

I thought the DSI thingy already had clicky switches.

I thought there was room in the Green Alps top housing jacobolus. Last time I checked I thought I could put the leaf in there.

Definitely not.

[SebsG]

Nope, it doesnt :/

[jacobolus]

Nope, it doesnt :/

Can you take a picture of the top of the switch, and ideally also the insides? (You can pretty easily take a switch apart while it’s still clipped into the plate, by sliding a couple skinny pieces of metal (e.g. tiny screwdrivers) into the little plastic tabs on each side and prying the top-housing upward, helped by the spring inside the switch. Doesn’t have to be good quality.

Or just look at it and try to match here: http://deskthority.net/wiki/Alps_mount_recognition

[SebsG]

Here

[jacobolus]

I can’t quite tell, is there an LED cutout in the top of the housing there? If so, you can’t easily stick a click/tactile leaf in there.

I think your best bet if you want something tactile is to desolder and swap in new switches (e.g. Matias ones). If you got some white or salmon Alps switches, you could also probably trade the slider/helical spring/top housing/leaf, without any soldering.

[SebsG]

Best I could do with my lighting.

[jacobolus]

Yeah, looks like http://deskthority.net/wiki/Alps_SKCL_Yellow
As I said, the little LED slot gets in the way of putting a tactile/click leaf in there.

[SebsG]

Weird, I dont see anywhere that an LED can fit. The pictures are Bottom View, Top View, and Keyboard (Mount?)

[CPTBadAss]

I don't think that's an LED switch. I think you can add the leaf spring in like we were discussing above.

[jacobolus]

I really can’t tell from the pictures (needs more light, and a closer view, and ideally not a black table background , but it looks very much to me like there’s no space in there for a standard Alps leaf spring. Maybe one of the narrow ones from a clone switch would fit?