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Mine is the Acer Blacks Acer 6312, it has a membrane sheet under it, its not completely horrible though. I only bought it because it had ISO Alps keycaps, it also has a very interesting Nordic + Bulgarian Cyrillic layout, ive never seen that combination before.
It seems like SKCM Green and browns are the rarest. SKCL Greens are my favorite switch at the moment, although that might change once i get the SKCM Blues in the V60 mounted in a aluminum case. The next alps switches ill try are Whites then Orange because their easier to find. Will try and keep an eye open for SKCM Greens haha.
Ah nice i saw Leandre GB, i didnt think at first they would work with Alps though. How would i go about doing a stem swap? Where can one buy a keyset from SP?
No worries Alps talk is the most interesting. I doubt i will find anything more interesting than Alps keyboard related stuff. I think its much more fun than MX.
I just started to Retro bright the Chicony case and keycaps, im using the advice given from this thread:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=36719.0 and my second Z-150 should arrive in the mail in an hour or two, so ill be desoldering all those switches today. The V60 hopefully will arrive Friday then i can install the SKCM Blues and try them out in a aluminum case.
ISO is definitely a cool layout I've been wanting to try. I think the enter looks pretty classy, but I'll have to wait before I can build any 60% with it. The V60 and Hasu PCB seem to accept ISO though! I love anything non-standard, which... Ironically for me, has led me to give my second Eagle PCB a standard ANSI layout since almost all of my keyboards are non-standard. XD I think ANSI 60% looks rather charming. It seems like Cyrillic is whole lot more common to see on Alps boards than it is on Cherry for some reason. Great find though, getting Nordic + Bulgarian Cyrillic! So weird!
Yep, I'd say SKCM Greens and Browns SKCLs would make a good couple, because they sure are about as elusive as the other. Amber and Brown SKCM aren't often seen in builds, but they aren't all that rare. Since they come in computers/luggables, their prices can sometimes be way too high for many to bother with. Blues and Greens and such aren't super rare, just desirable (with good reason) and either snatched up quick or are way too high priced.
Yeah, Greens are definitely my favorite linear, hands down. The feel is just so light, which I looove. Very nice for times when my joints need a rest. Blues are also nice and light and have similar qualities though I believe Greens are the absolute lightest Alps switch. Blues are a touch heavier than Orange SKCM. Orange, Green, and Blue are probably my favorites. Brown SKCL is pretty nice, but eh.
Amber SKCM is really weird. It's smooth like Blue SKCM, but it has this HUGE tactile bump that pretty much encompasses all the resistance in the switch before the resistance breaks and it's a clean drop down. The click itself is different. It's louder and I really don't know what to think of it. On my Alps build, the carbon fiber + sorbothane beneath the PCB really diminishes the sound of the keys clacking, so you almost just notice the clicks.
Oranges feel very similar to blues, but just without the click, which makes them a good switch if you want to try and get a feel for blue alps without the crazy price. The click is half the fun though!
The CF plate and universal plate design by JDCarpe can, in general, mount Alps switches. The problem lies in the stabilizers as universal designs do not allow for plate-mounted stabilization. Maybe if someone made PCB-stabs that act as a mounting base for costar or alps-style stabs, then this wouldn't be a problem. The only reason I even went for this is because I was fortunate enough to buy in a position on the Alps DCS modifier group buy (thanks Badwrench and Geniekid). Though honestly, with enough patience and attention to detail, stem swapping isn't too hard. I had to do it for every space bar I've used on my Alps builds thus far.
Oh, are you keeping the Chicony then? What switches were you going to mount in the PCB after you strip it of its blues?
Blues are heavenly. I really think that they are hard to beat. Even the more obscure and curious of Alps switches really don't compare. Amber are good, but they don't have all the pleasant qualities blues have. The heavy tactility gives me mixed feelings and the click isn't as pleasant to me. I'm very torn on whether or not to keep or trade them for more blues.