Alps Appreciation Thread

[alienman82]

removed.

[E3E]

Damn, I thought that was the tell. Looks like it's a game of chance then. 

always ask seller to remove key caps


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I never bought one of these, but I always do, unless I'm certain due to other criteria.

[itzmeluigi]

Just finished my Alps64, really happy with the end result. Sounds great in the TEX alu case.

[MandrewDavis]

Just finished my Alps64, really happy with the end result. Sounds great in the TEX alu case.

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Wow dude, those alphas are sweet! What kind of plate and switches are you using?

[chyros]

Typing vid or it didn't happen .

[itzmeluigi]

Just finished my Alps64, really happy with the end result. Sounds great in the TEX alu case.

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Wow dude, those alphas are sweet! What kind of plate and switches are you using?

Using SS AISI 316 1.0mm plate by Hasu with SKCM blues.

Typing vid or it didn't happen .

I have no tripod  ) All i have is my phone for photo and videos, might try and stack some books to get a typing video soon. What kind of setup do you use for your typing videos?

[chyros]

I have no tripod  ) All i have is my phone for photo and videos, might try and stack some books to get a typing video soon. What kind of setup do you use for your typing videos?

I use a webcam for the typing videos and a Nokia phone for the reviews.

[mike52787]

Finally got this big bastard all cleaned up. For some reason the keycaps are virgin white, but the case is slightly yellowed. Usually it happens the other way around.

[emdude]

Got my 60% 5140 plate in the mail, I am very very happy I did not screw up the measurements for the Big-Ass Enter stabilizer cutout!



Full steam ahead!

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Finally got this big bastard all cleaned up. For some reason the keycaps are virgin white, but the case is slightly yellowed. Usually it happens the other way around.

Looks great!  Kinda want an Omnikey now..

[alienman82]

removed.

[mike52787]

Got my 60% 5140 plate in the mail, I am very very happy I did not screw up the measurements for the Big-Ass Enter stabilizer cutout!

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Full steam ahead!

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Finally got this big bastard all cleaned up. For some reason the keycaps are virgin white, but the case is slightly yellowed. Usually it happens the other way around.

Looks great!  Kinda want an Omnikey now.. :p

That plate looks great. Are you planning to use an alps64 pcb?
Also, The guy that I bough my omnikey from just listed another one, looks like its in even better shape than mine was. If you are serious about wanting one, here it is. good price for these. http://www.ebay.com/itm/AT-XT-Keyboard-w-5-pin-din-plug-Omnikey-101-Northgate-Computers-clicky-key-/371711732653?hash=item568bbeebad:g:BkkAAOSwU-pXsx94

[klennkellon]

Anyone have information about these KPT switches? https://deskthority.net/wiki/KPT_switch

How do they feel or sound?

[emdude]

That plate looks great. Are you planning to use an alps64 pcb?

Yup.  I hope to put it all together in the next few days.

Also, The guy that I bough my omnikey from just listed another one, looks like its in even better shape than mine was. If you are serious about wanting one, here it is. good price for these. http://www.ebay.com/itm/AT-XT-Keyboard-w-5-pin-din-plug-Omnikey-101-Northgate-Computers-clicky-key-/371711732653?hash=item568bbeebad:g:BkkAAOSwU-pXsx94

Thanks for the link! Dunno if I want to get one immediately, but it sure is tempting..

[E3E]

My Xerox 6085 keyboard from 1992 came in today. I'm spent. Spent all day restoring it. Cleaning, Retrobrighting. Lubricating stabs and the retractable legs, etc. Restoring in general. My room is a mess, which makes for no real good places to take pics, but hey.

So pretty much, we know that the 6085 is directly connected to the DocuTech keyboard now. The DocuTech is pretty much a repurposed 6085. I mean, it's kind of obvious, but the PCBs are exactly the same and they can both come with SKCM Green (boards from 1990 on up).







From what I've talked about with the seller whose brother worked at PARC, the 6085 systems saw continued use past the date they got taken off the consumer (is that the right word for a $15000 system?) market. So I'm thinking that the 6085 keyboards from the 90s were either replacements for customers or part of internal Xerox systems.

[klennkellon]

Great job on those docutechs, they cleaned up great. Can they be converted to PS/2 or USB?

[E3E]

I wouldn't know how to make a converter for it, sadly, but the protocol is pretty much mapped out from what Hasu said on my DocuTech thread on Deskthority, so I think it wouldn't be hard for someone who knew how to design firmware.

I'm going to be getting some scrap parts of a 6085 someone desoldered for SKCM Brown and pop in something common like SKCM white and maybe get someone like Hasu to make a converter if possible, shipping it to them so they can work with a board directly.

Someone else mentioned that they might make a converter for these keyboards in the future, but it was only a possibility, nothing certain. Sad thing is, all the Xerox boards I have are in good enough condition where I don't want to scrap their switches, but I can't use any of them as an actual keyboard for now. 

[Hypersphere]

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Also, The guy that I bough my omnikey from just listed another one, looks like its in even better shape than mine was. If you are serious about wanting one, here it is. good price for these. http://www.ebay.com/itm/AT-XT-Keyboard-w-5-pin-din-plug-Omnikey-101-Northgate-Computers-clicky-key-/371711732653?hash=item568bbeebad:g:BkkAAOSwU-pXsx94

That's where I got my Omnikey 101. It was in fairly good shape -- just some scattered spots of corrosion on the top plate and the usual ABS yellowing. The price on the current listing is certainly good, but it appears to me that the condition of the current one is not as good as the one before. For example, the rear DIN6 connector looks rather badly corroded, although it could probably be restored or replaced fairly easily.

[mike52787]

<snip>
<snip>
<snip>
Also, The guy that I bough my omnikey from just listed another one, looks like its in even better shape than mine was. If you are serious about wanting one, here it is. good price for these. http://www.ebay.com/itm/AT-XT-Keyboard-w-5-pin-din-plug-Omnikey-101-Northgate-Computers-clicky-key-/371711732653?hash=item568bbeebad:g:BkkAAOSwU-pXsx94

That's where I got my Omnikey 101. It was in fairly good shape -- just some scattered spots of corrosion on the top plate and the usual ABS yellowing. The price on the current listing is certainly good, but it appears to me that the condition of the current one is not as good as the one before. For example, the rear DIN6 connector looks rather badly corroded, although it could probably be restored or replaced fairly easily.

Mine has very nice virgin white keycaps, Im not sure about the other ones. The connector was a bit corroded on mine, but a bit of contact cleaner and toothpicks got it all cleaned up.

[CPTBadAss]

Anyone have information about these KPT switches? https://deskthority.net/wiki/KPT_switch

How do they feel or sound?

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=58230.0
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=41117.0#post_Other

[E3E]

Christ, I'm making Xerox boards look like they're AEKs.

The guy I was talking to said a bunch of people from the SF bay area want to buy his 6085 and Sun Microsystems equipment, including extra keyboards and all that junk. We had been talking a lot via email before I even got the SKCM Green 6085 and he showed me a NIB 6085 from 1985 (SKCM Brown). Made me drool, man.

I didn't plan on buying it, but since the other guys were moving in, he offered it to me again, and I couldn't refuse. So looks like I'm getting a pretty sick 6085 Keyboard from the internal Xerox offices at Palo Alto.

1985 was a good year.

http://imgur.com/a/aSyi8

[MandrewDavis]

Christ, I'm making Xerox boards look like they're AEKs.

The guy I was talking to said a bunch of people from the SF bay area want to buy his 6085 and Sun Microsystems equipment, including extra keyboards and all that junk. We had been talking a lot via email before I even got the SKCM Green 6085 and he showed me a NIB 6085 from 1985 (SKCM Brown). Made me drool, man.

I didn't plan on buying it, but since the other guys were moving in, he offered it to me again, and I couldn't refuse. So looks like I'm getting a pretty sick 6085 Keyboard from the internal Xerox offices at Palo Alto.

1985 was a good year.

http://imgur.com/a/aSyi8

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The Alps Gods have truly smiled upon E3E, unused switches are such a treat! How many Xerox boards do you own now?

[Dokyun]

Sick nasty.

[E3E]

Christ, I'm making Xerox boards look like they're AEKs.

The guy I was talking to said a bunch of people from the SF bay area want to buy his 6085 and Sun Microsystems equipment, including extra keyboards and all that junk. We had been talking a lot via email before I even got the SKCM Green 6085 and he showed me a NIB 6085 from 1985 (SKCM Brown). Made me drool, man.

I didn't plan on buying it, but since the other guys were moving in, he offered it to me again, and I couldn't refuse. So looks like I'm getting a pretty sick 6085 Keyboard from the internal Xerox offices at Palo Alto.

1985 was a good year.

http://imgur.com/a/aSyi8

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The Alps Gods have truly smiled upon E3E, unused switches are such a treat! How many Xerox boards do you own now?

Haha.  Six of them now. 4 DocuTechs and 2 6085s. This is the only one that'll have browns. Damn, I didn't even think of the fact it'd have NIB switches. I definitely need to see how it compares!

[Aran.E99]

Christ, I'm making Xerox boards look like they're AEKs.

The guy I was talking to said a bunch of people from the SF bay area want to buy his 6085 and Sun Microsystems equipment, including extra keyboards and all that junk. We had been talking a lot via email before I even got the SKCM Green 6085 and he showed me a NIB 6085 from 1985 (SKCM Brown). Made me drool, man.

I didn't plan on buying it, but since the other guys were moving in, he offered it to me again, and I couldn't refuse. So looks like I'm getting a pretty sick 6085 Keyboard from the internal Xerox offices at Palo Alto.

1985 was a good year.

http://imgur.com/a/aSyi8

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The Alps Gods have truly smiled upon E3E, unused switches are such a treat! How many Xerox boards do you own now?

Haha.  Six of them now. 4 DocuTechs and 2 6085s. This is the only one that'll have browns. Damn, I didn't even think of the fact it'd have NIB switches. I definitely need to see how it compares!

SIX?!. i only have 2 boards with genuine alps in, mind 6 of the same brand...

[E3E]

SIX?!. i only have 2 boards with genuine alps in, mind 6 of the same brand...

Definitely turning into a bit of a hoarder, I guess. 

I don't really want any more DocuTech keyboards. I'm happy with what I have. Two pine, two bamboo, one from 1990, the year they came out. One with a layout I haven't seen before on a DocuTech, even if it's only the left short shift.

I got the 6085 with SKCM Green because it seemed like an important board, to bridge the gap between the DocuTech and 6085 keyboards and show the connection of SKCM Brown to SKCM Green. They're the same exact keyboard, it turns out!

Then finally, the last 6085 is just really cool because it's NIB and one of the earliest models made and in such good condition. It seems like it'd be hard to ever find another like it.  I wasn't going to buy it, but when the guys were showing interest in the seller's stuff, I was like... Nope, gotta do it.

So I have a 6085 when it came out in 1985 and a DocuTech when it came out in 1990 (also when I was born). Pretty happy with that.

[Aran.E99]

SIX?!. i only have 2 boards with genuine alps in, mind 6 of the same brand...

Definitely turning into a bit of a hoarder, I guess. 

I don't really want any more DocuTech keyboards. I'm happy with what I have. Two pine, two bamboo, one from 1990, the year they came out. One with a layout I haven't seen before on a DocuTech, even if it's only the left short shift.

I got the 6085 with SKCM Green because it seemed like an important board, to bridge the gap between the DocuTech and 6085 keyboards and show the connection of SKCM Brown to SKCM Green. They're the same exact keyboard, it turns out!

Then finally, the last 6085 is just really cool because it's NIB and one of the earliest models made and in such good condition. It seems like it'd be hard to ever find another like it.  I wasn't going to buy it, but when the guys were showing interest in the seller's stuff, I was like... Nope, gotta do it.

So I have a 6085 when it came out in 1985 and a DocuTech when it came out in 1990 (also when I was born). Pretty happy with that.

then there is me: "uh, yeah, i got 2 dell AT101s. both got black alps." xD

for me, i want whites to be in my next board to show keyboard equality. just kidding, im fed up of clicky modding black alps... (and i'm not sure if i can handle the greatness of more expensive alps right now)

[E3E]

The Alps game isn't as brutal as Cherry can be, but if you're just trying to get by, it can still be pretty harsh. Especially when the piranhas start up a frenzy over blue alps.

I paid like $100 for my first Alps board, which was a Nan Tan/NTC 6151N with blue Alps that I got from someone off reddit. It was nice, but then I stupidly bricked it and ended up using its remains on the Infinity keyboard I had at the time.

I think Mattr is one of the luckiest in terms of finds online. $25 plus shipping is amazing for that Packard Bell. I might be pretty lucky too since I got my 4 DocuTechs for $80 plus shipping. They needed a good cleaning, but they were surprisingly not damaged in any way. If they were though, it would have given me a reason to desolder them. Instead, I just started becoming fascinated with them.

These last two Xerox boards though... 

[mike52787]

SIX?!. i only have 2 boards with genuine alps in, mind 6 of the same brand...

Definitely turning into a bit of a hoarder, I guess. 

I don't really want any more DocuTech keyboards. I'm happy with what I have. Two pine, two bamboo, one from 1990, the year they came out. One with a layout I haven't seen before on a DocuTech, even if it's only the left short shift.

I got the 6085 with SKCM Green because it seemed like an important board, to bridge the gap between the DocuTech and 6085 keyboards and show the connection of SKCM Brown to SKCM Green. They're the same exact keyboard, it turns out!

Then finally, the last 6085 is just really cool because it's NIB and one of the earliest models made and in such good condition. It seems like it'd be hard to ever find another like it.  I wasn't going to buy it, but when the guys were showing interest in the seller's stuff, I was like... Nope, gotta do it.

So I have a 6085 when it came out in 1985 and a DocuTech when it came out in 1990 (also when I was born). Pretty happy with that.

If you dont want any more docutechs, you can direct the ones you find in the future to me

[emdude]

The Alps game isn't as brutal as Cherry can be, but if you're just trying to get by, it can still be pretty harsh. Especially when the piranhas start up a frenzy over blue alps.

I paid like $100 for my first Alps board, which was a Nan Tan/NTC 6151N with blue Alps that I got from someone off reddit. It was nice, but then I stupidly bricked it and ended up using its remains on the Infinity keyboard I had at the time.

I think Mattr is one of the luckiest in terms of finds online. $25 plus shipping is amazing for that Packard Bell. I might be pretty lucky too since I got my 4 DocuTechs for $80 plus shipping. They needed a good cleaning, but they were surprisingly not damaged in any way. If they were though, it would have given me a reason to desolder them. Instead, I just started becoming fascinated with them.

These last two Xerox boards though... 

Yes, persistence and knowing where to look is key here.  Although... I will admit luck helps a lot too.

I think I paid about a total of $30 for my two 5140 boards, I think those have been my best Alps finds yet.  My best best find has probably been those beam springs though.

[mike52787]

The Alps game isn't as brutal as Cherry can be, but if you're just trying to get by, it can still be pretty harsh. Especially when the piranhas start up a frenzy over blue alps.

I paid like $100 for my first Alps board, which was a Nan Tan/NTC 6151N with blue Alps that I got from someone off reddit. It was nice, but then I stupidly bricked it and ended up using its remains on the Infinity keyboard I had at the time.

I think Mattr is one of the luckiest in terms of finds online. $25 plus shipping is amazing for that Packard Bell. I might be pretty lucky too since I got my 4 DocuTechs for $80 plus shipping. They needed a good cleaning, but they were surprisingly not damaged in any way. If they were though, it would have given me a reason to desolder them. Instead, I just started becoming fascinated with them.

These last two Xerox boards though... 

Yes, persistence and knowing where to look is key here.  Although... I will admit luck helps a lot too.

I think I paid about a total of $30 for my two 5140 boards, I think those have been my best Alps finds yet.  My best best find has probably been those beam springs though.

I wasnt aware you had a beamspring, got any pictures?

[E3E]

Yes, persistence and knowing where to look is key here.  Although... I will admit luck helps a lot too.

I think I paid about a total of $30 for my two 5140 boards, I think those have been my best Alps finds yet.  My best best find has probably been those beam springs though.

That's a wonderful price for two 5140s, man. Yeah, it is about knowing where to look, either through flukes or finding untapped sources. Outside of my DocuTechs, the best finds I'd say I got was my Leading Edge DC-3014 for $75, my Acer KB101A for $89, and the NTC 6153EA, which I got for around $79 as a replacement for my bricked NTC 6151N. Blue Alps but QWERTZ with a short left shift but otherwise ANSI, er, BAE.

Those beamsprings though are deeeeefinitely your best find. I read up on some of the threads you posted in about them and it seems as though they can't easily be converted to PC, which sucks.

If so, then you're kind of in the same boat as I am with my Xerox boards. Rare, but unusable. I need to get a converter made for them. How many beamsprings did you end up with again?

If you dont want any more docutechs, you can direct the ones you find in the future to me

Well, more like I don't want to pay a ton for them after dropping so much on these. I think I was spoiled by the original find being so cheap.  ) I'd love to have more if I happened upon them or someone sold them way cheap. One with a broken case or missing caps would be perfect so I could actually not feel bad salvaging the switches.

I checked a part supplier for the part number of the DocuTechs and they quoted one for me at $960.  The left short shift one's part number can't even be found online.

[MandrewDavis]

The Alps game isn't as brutal as Cherry can be, but if you're just trying to get by, it can still be pretty harsh. Especially when the piranhas start up a frenzy over blue alps.

I paid like $100 for my first Alps board, which was a Nan Tan/NTC 6151N with blue Alps that I got from someone off reddit. It was nice, but then I stupidly bricked it and ended up using its remains on the Infinity keyboard I had at the time.

I think Mattr is one of the luckiest in terms of finds online. $25 plus shipping is amazing for that Packard Bell. I might be pretty lucky too since I got my 4 DocuTechs for $80 plus shipping. They needed a good cleaning, but they were surprisingly not damaged in any way. If they were though, it would have given me a reason to desolder them. Instead, I just started becoming fascinated with them.

These last two Xerox boards though... 

Yes, persistence and knowing where to look is key here.  Although... I will admit luck helps a lot too.

I think I paid about a total of $30 for my two 5140 boards, I think those have been my best Alps finds yet.  My best best find has probably been those beam springs though.

My best find was the Ebay NOS Copam K-430 with blues. For the money though, I think the brown alps board I just located may take the cake. Still bummed about the last 5140 I missed out on, really wanted to wire it up with a Teensy to keep the function and arrow keys.

[emdude]

The Alps game isn't as brutal as Cherry can be, but if you're just trying to get by, it can still be pretty harsh. Especially when the piranhas start up a frenzy over blue alps.

I paid like $100 for my first Alps board, which was a Nan Tan/NTC 6151N with blue Alps that I got from someone off reddit. It was nice, but then I stupidly bricked it and ended up using its remains on the Infinity keyboard I had at the time.

I think Mattr is one of the luckiest in terms of finds online. $25 plus shipping is amazing for that Packard Bell. I might be pretty lucky too since I got my 4 DocuTechs for $80 plus shipping. They needed a good cleaning, but they were surprisingly not damaged in any way. If they were though, it would have given me a reason to desolder them. Instead, I just started becoming fascinated with them.

These last two Xerox boards though... 

Yes, persistence and knowing where to look is key here.  Although... I will admit luck helps a lot too.

I think I paid about a total of $30 for my two 5140 boards, I think those have been my best Alps finds yet.  My best best find has probably been those beam springs though.

I wasnt aware you had a beamspring, got any pictures?

Here and here.  Apologies for being off-topic here, though.

That's a wonderful price for two 5140s, man. Yeah, it is about knowing where to look, either through flukes or finding untapped sources. Outside of my DocuTechs, the best finds I'd say I got was my Leading Edge DC-3014 for $75, my Acer KB101A for $89, and the NTC 6153EA, which I got for around $79 as a replacement for my bricked NTC 6151N. Blue Alps but QWERTZ with a short left shift but otherwise ANSI.

Those beamsprings though are deeeeefinitely your best find. I read up on some of the threads you posted in about them and it seems as though they can't easily be converted to PC, which sucks.

If so, then you're kind of in the same boat as I am with my Xerox boards. Rare, but unusable. I need to get a converter made for them. How many beamsprings did you end up with again?

Three of them, this was a Craigslist find as well.  I actually just went looking up stuff on the site on a whim and could not believe what I found under a really vague listing, "ibm computers" was literally what it was titled.

It was a local listing as well, which was fortunate, because no way the seller was going to ship the display terminals.  Took a teeny bit of negotiating, I was away as well and had to convince the guy to drop off the display terminals at my house.

Yeah, it is a shame about them being pretty much unusable right now.  At least the protocol for the Docutechs has been mapped out so I imagine you could get those up-and-running with a bit of know-how and effort.

Anyhow, I actually found what used to be my DC-2014 for about $60, so I am pretty happy about that too.  And a kinda interesting story about the 5140s.  That $30 was just for one actually.  The other one I somehow ended up getting for free, I negotiated with a guy for a while, very friendly.  He eventually mailed the board to me without requesting that I pay in advance, only afterwards if I found it satisfactory.  So when it came, I asked him to invoice me, only, he never did.  He seemed really nice though and was probably eager just to offload the thing.

[alienman82]

removed.

[Aran.E99]

I want one of those fake cherry looking alps boards. Only cause with a splash of cherry, all alps taste better  )

alps > cherry

[emdude]

I want one of those fake cherry looking alps boards. Only cause with a splash of cherry, all alps taste better  )

I'm actually looking forward to those i-Rocks switches, if there could be something that at least resembles Alps but with MX-mount sliders, that would be fantastic.

[alienman82]

removed.

[mike52787]

but their stock is down:

https://www.google.com/search?q=alps&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=TYO:6770&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOMQUOLSz9U3SM5OT4rPAgBPFWvGDgAAAAS

Its still trending higher than it was at the start of the day

[Aran.E99]

but their stock is down:

https://www.google.com/search?q=alps&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=TYO:6770&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOMQUOLSz9U3SM5OT4rPAgBPFWvGDgAAAAS

guess people don't like there current products xD

if you are reading this Alps electric - do the world a favour - make alps keyboard switches again

actually, if they do, the value of vintage alps switches will drop as they will be easier to get.

[emdude]

but their stock is down:

https://www.google.com/search?q=alps&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=TYO:6770&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOMQUOLSz9U3SM5OT4rPAgBPFWvGDgAAAAS

guess people don't like there current products xD

if you are reading this Alps electric - do the world a favour - make alps keyboard switches again

actually, if they do, the value of vintage alps switches will drop as they will be easier to get.

Only if they're the complicated kind!  In any case, this will probably never happen, sadly.

[alienman82]

removed.

[E3E]

I want one of those fake cherry looking alps boards. Only cause with a splash of cherry, all alps taste better  )

You mean the iRocks or the FAME keyboards with Cherry profile caps? I thought the stock on eBay would never sell, but it did. Of course it would, haha.

Three of them, this was a Craigslist find as well.  I actually just went looking up stuff on the site on a whim and could not believe what I found under a really vague listing, "ibm computers" was literally what it was titled.

It was a local listing as well, which was fortunate, because no way the seller was going to ship the display terminals.  Took a teeny bit of negotiating, I was away as well and had to convince the guy to drop off the display terminals at my house.

Yeah, it is a shame about them being pretty much unusable right now.  At least the protocol for the Docutechs has been mapped out so I imagine you could get those up-and-running with a bit of know-how and effort.

Anyhow, I actually found what used to be my DC-2014 for about $60, so I am pretty happy about that too.  And a kinda interesting story about the 5140s.  That $30 was just for one actually.  The other one I somehow ended up getting for free, I negotiated with a guy for a while, very friendly.  He eventually mailed the board to me without requesting that I pay in advance, only afterwards if I found it satisfactory.  So when it came, I asked him to invoice me, only, he never did.  He seemed really nice though and was probably eager just to offload the thing.

I love how this hobby is when it comes to finding good stuff like that. It was pretty crazy that the guy had the IBM beam springs and terminals too; I remember that. Real vintage stuff right there. 

Yeah, I wish I was more of a software engineer; if I was, I'd already have the DocuTechs up and running, haha. That's cool though, about the 5140s. I got mine for $37 I think, but to get a free one like you did is just awesome. I want to try and find another IIc so I can give Amber Alps a second chance, but they seem battened down at the moment. Prices aren't friendly.

[emdude]

I want to try and find another IIc so I can give Amber Alps a second chance, but they seem battened down at the moment. Prices aren't friendly.

Yeah, the tough thing about the IIc (and probably the 5140 too) is that one is likely competing against vintage computer collectors.  That you have to find one with that particular model number as well makes things trickier still.

I still find it pretty hilarious how a member of a vintage computer collecting forum called one of us a "keyboard poacher" in an inquiry about beam springs.

[E3E]

I want to try and find another IIc so I can give Amber Alps a second chance, but they seem battened down at the moment. Prices aren't friendly.

Yeah, the tough thing about the IIc (and probably the 5140 too) is that one is likely competing against vintage computer collectors.  That you have to find one with that particular model number as well makes things trickier still.

I still find it pretty hilarious how a member of a vintage computer collecting forum called one of us a "keyboard poacher" in an inquiry about beam springs.

Oh god, I just glanced back at my keyboards that are on display at the moment and saw them as animal head mounts and ivory tusks for a second. WHAT HAVE WE DONE!?   

Yeah, good point. Both the IIc and 5140 vary in price by a wide amount all the time on eBay. There was a 5140 complete set for like $2000 on eBay recently.  I can definitely understand collectors being upset over people who just want the keyboards, though it's more understandable to me toward people who just take any board regardless of significance and butcher it for a build.

I think keeping the board in good shape isn't bad, but then they want to actually USE their computers and I'm sure that upsets the ones who have systems without proper keyboards.

[emdude]

I want to try and find another IIc so I can give Amber Alps a second chance, but they seem battened down at the moment. Prices aren't friendly.

Yeah, the tough thing about the IIc (and probably the 5140 too) is that one is likely competing against vintage computer collectors.  That you have to find one with that particular model number as well makes things trickier still.

I still find it pretty hilarious how a member of a vintage computer collecting forum called one of us a "keyboard poacher" in an inquiry about beam springs.

Oh god, I just glanced back at my keyboards that are on display at the moment and saw them as animal head mounts and ivory tusks for a second. WHAT HAVE WE DONE!?   

Yeah, good point. Both the IIc and 5140 vary in price by a wide amount all the time on eBay. There was a 5140 complete set for like $2000 on eBay recently.  I can definitely understand collectors being upset over people who just want the keyboards, though it's more understandable to me toward people who just take any board regardless of significance and butcher it for a build.

I think keeping the board in good shape isn't bad, but then they want to actually USE their computers and I'm sure that upsets the ones who have systems without proper keyboards.

I understand why they feel this way too, and I admit to sort of having the mentality of a vintage computer collector.  I thought it would have been an absolute shame if I had let those IBM display terminals go to the scrap heap while I ran off with the keyboards (though of course now I've got these massive displays taking up space now )).  I would have also saved the DC-2014 if it wasn't already half-way gone; it was missing the cable and most of its key caps.

[E3E]

I agree with you entirely there! I also had a DC-2014 that I didn't want to take apart either but eventually did since I was having no luck finding SKCL Greens for my backlit Alps board project in order to trade the blues for essentially NOS SKCL Greens out of a practically unused terminal board.

On that note, NOS doesn't always make a difference though, since I've felt comparatively smooth switches from used boards (typewriters at least).

 It's funny that I've found more blue Alps than SKCL Green Alps, but I stopped looking for SKCL Green after a while. I was satisfied with what I had and didn't feel like collecting SKCL Green boards, pretty much. They were hard for me to find at first though and my Zenith Z-150 ended up having SKCL Yellow. They weren't bad, just not what I wanted.

[Aran.E99]

I agree with you entirely there! I also had a DC-2014 that I didn't want to take apart either but eventually did since I was having no luck finding SKCL Greens for my backlit Alps board project in order to trade the blues for essentially NOS SKCL Greens out of a practically unused terminal board.

On that note, NOS doesn't always make a difference though, since I've felt comparatively smooth switches from used boards (typewriters at least).

 It's funny that I've found more blue Alps than SKCL Green Alps, but I stopped looking for SKCL Green after a while. I was satisfied with what I had and didn't feel like collecting SKCL Green boards, pretty much. They were hard for me to find at first though and my Zenith Z-150 ended up having SKCL Yellow. They weren't bad, just not what I wanted.

i've had the dirtiest black alps board, awful condition. the switches were nicer feeling and smoother than my nearly new black alps...

you are lucky that you find blues, greens and yellows! i've never had any xD

[itzmeluigi]

I use a webcam for the typing videos and a Nokia phone for the reviews.

Made a typing sound video, and ordered a cheap phone tripod 

[alh84001]

These stories of getting 5140s for $30-40 are starting to get depressing I guess I'll have to be content with getting a IIc without one keycap for $60 shipped few days ago.

And completely unrelated, does any of you guys know if there are LEDs like those on Omnikey (101) available somewhere? I don't know anything about LEDs so I don't know if they are some standard ones, or are they custom with possibility of compatible ones existing.

More

[fohat.digs]

does any of you guys know if there are LEDs like those on Omnikey (101) available somewhere? I don't know anything about LEDs so I don't know if they are some standard ones, or are they custom with possibility of compatible ones existing.

Tall flat green ones are on the IBM F AT, but those are even more rare than the Omnikey.