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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: mougrim on Thu, 05 February 2015, 11:43:59

Title: Old Alps board - need help to identify.
Post by: mougrim on Thu, 05 February 2015, 11:43:59
So. I got this working Alps board with DIN-5 plug from one guy for 3 dollars. And here what I got:

Alps or Alps-clone with with white stem, tactile and clicky.
Double-shot thin keycaps with pad-printed Cyrillic letters.
No brand name.

Anyone knows what this is?
Title: Re: Old Alps board - need help to identify.
Post by: CPTBadAss on Thu, 05 February 2015, 11:45:33
Datacomp XT clone for the Eastern European market with some form of Alps or Alps clone? A total guess from me. And I'm guessing it's Cyrllic but I don't know for sure. And the switch? It's hard to tell what it is from that picture.
Title: Re: Old Alps board - need help to identify.
Post by: hwood34 on Thu, 05 February 2015, 11:49:01
Yeah, cyrillic legends, but they look oddly aligned, a little higher and centered than normal
Title: Re: Old Alps board - need help to identify.
Post by: mougrim on Thu, 05 February 2015, 12:12:42
Oh, some more info - it's not XT for sure, but AT - works through simple AT to ps/2 converter.
Title: Re: Old Alps board - need help to identify.
Post by: mougrim on Thu, 05 February 2015, 13:18:43
OK, it's apparently manufactured by OEM manufacturer Strong Man and uses Alps SKCM White.
Title: Re: Old Alps board - need help to identify.
Post by: mougrim on Thu, 05 February 2015, 13:22:15
Yeah, cyrillic legends, but they look oddly aligned, a little higher and centered than normal

I think it's custom pad-printed locally. That's why.
Title: Re: Old Alps board - need help to identify.
Post by: BlueNalgene on Thu, 05 February 2015, 13:23:07
OK, it's apparently manufactured by OEM manufacturer Strong Man and uses Alps SKCM White.

That is a sweet $3 find.  Any more info on the Strong Man manufacturer?
Title: Re: Old Alps board - need help to identify.
Post by: jacobolus on Thu, 05 February 2015, 13:28:14
Pretty sure those are some four-tab Alps clones, not SKCM. Hard to tell from the picture though, which is kinda blurry and dark.
Title: Re: Old Alps board - need help to identify.
Post by: mougrim on Thu, 05 February 2015, 14:14:07
OK, it's apparently manufactured by OEM manufacturer Strong Man and uses Alps SKCM White.

That is a sweet $3 find.  Any more info on the Strong Man manufacturer?

There are some.

http://deskthority.net/wiki/Strong_Man They apparently made keyboards for Filco and even Matias.
Title: Re: Old Alps board - need help to identify.
Post by: mougrim on Thu, 05 February 2015, 14:19:16
Pretty sure those are some four-tab Alps clones, not SKCM. Hard to tell from the picture though, which is kinda blurry and dark.

Here, the best I can do.
Title: Re: Old Alps board - need help to identify.
Post by: jacobolus on Thu, 05 February 2015, 15:09:33
Yep, as I thought, one of the four-tab clones (http://deskthority.net/wiki/Four-tab_clone). More specifically, I think they might be Tai-Hao APC series (http://deskthority.net/wiki/Taiwan_Tai-Hao_APC_series) switches, but I’m not an expert at telling Alps clones apart, so they might be another type.
Title: Re: Old Alps board - need help to identify.
Post by: Daniel Beardsmore on Thu, 05 February 2015, 17:23:28
I don't know of any others that match that design — looks like APC series to me.

I put the most common FCC grantees here, including KM9 for Strong Man:

http://deskthority.net/wiki/FCC_ID_quick_reference
Title: Re: Old Alps board - need help to identify.
Post by: mougrim on Fri, 06 February 2015, 00:55:47
Yep, as I thought, one of the four-tab clones (http://deskthority.net/wiki/Four-tab_clone). More specifically, I think they might be Tai-Hao APC series (http://deskthority.net/wiki/Taiwan_Tai-Hao_APC_series) switches, but I’m not an expert at telling Alps clones apart, so they might be another type.

It sure looks that way. Thanks.

Nevertheless - a good find :) I only need to clean it up and found some replacement for LED cover.
Title: Re: Old Alps board - need help to identify.
Post by: LittleKawaiiNeko on Fri, 07 October 2016, 17:32:22
Very similar keyboard – only visible difference is square LED holes instead of round - was seen in Russian aftermarket with branding by Vist company, well-known in 90's.[attach=1]
They was first in Russia, who started assembling computers from parts, when others has only making import of ready products. And looks like, they ordered some OEM products from Taiwanese manufacturers. Later 90's was hard time with hard financial problems for them. They borrowed money from very wrong people and company director was shot in the end of 1999. Sad, but Russian business is so Russian.
This keyboard has Strong Man FCC ID, typical Ti-Hao keycaps with native Cyrillic letters and Ti-Hao switches . Most of them are white Alps clones, switch for Enter key is yellow-lemon and more stiff. Spacebar switch is white, and is more stiff, then other white switches and similar to Enter yellow switch. Every switch has different letter and number code.
Typing makes some more noise, than is comfortable for me.
Not so monumentally built, as NMB rubber-dome RT-101, but good and sturdy.
Keyboard before it's cleaned:
[attach=2]
Some insides (with some ancient dust):
[attach=3][attach=4][attach=5][attach=6][attach=7][attach=8][attach=9]
Keycaps:
[attach=10]