Author Topic: Post your ALPS keyboard  (Read 179014 times)

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Offline Defect

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #150 on: Thu, 14 January 2016, 14:05:16 »
From my album:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=71457.0

60% Duck V2 in blue aluminium, fully programmable




Not pictured: KeyCool 84 [MX Red] | Focus 2001 [Complicated White Alps]
Endgame Board | Defect's Watermelon Board Build Doc

Offline E3E

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #151 on: Thu, 14 January 2016, 15:12:37 »
From my album:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=71457.0

60% Duck V2 in blue aluminium, fully programmable

Show Image


Show Image


Defintiely one of the inspirations when I was building my Infinity and my Hammer Alps (Duck Eagle w/ hotswappable switches and LEDs)

Younger brother Eagle says hi:



It might seem unusual to see the layout it has (short shift + 1), since it isn't natively supported by the Eagle or Duck Mini v2 when it comes to Alps.

That's because I took a drill to it. :3

Both of my Eagle PCBs can use well, every layout the MX version can, including the 6.25u bottom row, short shift + 1, and all Caps Lock stepping positions and non-stepped!
« Last Edit: Thu, 14 January 2016, 15:14:36 by E3E »

Offline pr0ximity

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #152 on: Tue, 19 January 2016, 20:22:34 »
Teaser of my newly restored Zenith, I'm calling him "Donatello"

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Offline E3E

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #153 on: Tue, 19 January 2016, 20:44:30 »
Teaser of my newly restored Zenith, I'm calling him "Donatello"

Show Image


Hey! Did you end up liking the Zenith after all? Jeez, the green hue these have is far more vivid than any I've seen.  :eek:

Offline pr0ximity

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #154 on: Tue, 19 January 2016, 20:47:54 »
Teaser of my newly restored Zenith, I'm calling him "Donatello"

Show Image


Hey! Did you end up liking the Zenith after all? Jeez, the green hue these have is far more vivid than any I've seen.  :eek:
I'll let you know once it's all soldered back together and running So far it feels nice, I've added dampening and lubed the ends of the springs after disassembling and cleaning the switches. I'll post a little build log once I have some time to sort through some of the pictures. I love the layout so I'm hoping cleaning it up and tuning it will have the results I'm hoping for!

The white balance is a bit off in that picture, realized after I posted it. They're not terribly vivid, but I think they look nice matched with the purple plate.
« Last Edit: Tue, 19 January 2016, 20:49:40 by pr0ximity »
| Flickr | KMAC 1.2 | Koala | GSKT-00-Z | GSKT-00-AEK | GON NerD60 | Jane V2 CE | Whale | J80S | Ibis | Pro2 | Pro1 | 356mini | 356CL DGE | G80-5000 HAMDE | IBM 1390120 | IBM F AT | IBM F122 | IBM 3101 | Zenith Z-150

Offline deductivemonkee

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #155 on: Tue, 19 January 2016, 20:50:31 »
Tmk alps64 with mtsc switches. Cap from bcredbottle fits like a charm. Can't say I'm looking forward to removing caps to unscrew and put into new case  :-\
125015-0
Really need to finish that cable too.
oh yeah I saw that crazy **** if that doesn't win I'm deleting my account

/ orthodox - 78g zealios / alps64 - mtsc / sentraq s-60x rgb - gat blues / let's split - 67g zealios / let's split - 67g zealios /

Offline itzmeluigi

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #156 on: Thu, 21 January 2016, 01:37:47 »

This board is heavy  :cool:

Offline E3E

  • Posts: 2831
Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #157 on: Thu, 21 January 2016, 01:54:00 »
Show Image

This board is heavy  :cool:

Such a nice board. <3

Offline itzmeluigi

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #158 on: Thu, 21 January 2016, 02:10:35 »
Show Image

This board is heavy  :cool:

Such a nice board. <3
Thanks  :D It certainly has come a long way, and the case made it complete. It also improved the typing feel a lot.  My Blue Alps board should arrive tomorrow or the next day, so i might have replica of this board in the next few days but with Blue Alps, although if its in good condition i might not desolder it.

Offline E3E

  • Posts: 2831
Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #159 on: Thu, 21 January 2016, 05:32:57 »
Show Image

This board is heavy  :cool:

Such a nice board. <3
Thanks  :D It certainly has come a long way, and the case made it complete. It also improved the typing feel a lot.  My Blue Alps board should arrive tomorrow or the next day, so i might have replica of this board in the next few days but with Blue Alps, although if its in good condition i might not desolder it.

Wait, didn't you already have the Chicony 5161 with blue Alps? :D Which one is this that you speak of? Damn, you got two of these cases AND Filco Zeros? You mad man! What is this case exactly?

Offline itzmeluigi

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #160 on: Thu, 21 January 2016, 05:58:28 »
Show Image

This board is heavy  :cool:

Such a nice board. <3
Thanks  :D It certainly has come a long way, and the case made it complete. It also improved the typing feel a lot.  My Blue Alps board should arrive tomorrow or the next day, so i might have replica of this board in the next few days but with Blue Alps, although if its in good condition i might not desolder it.

Wait, didn't you already have the Chicony 5161 with blue Alps? :D Which one is this that you speak of? Damn, you got two of these cases AND Filco Zeros? You mad man! What is this case exactly?
The board i thought was a Chicony 5161 is actually an OEMMAX MCK-101-A  :)) I have an Acer KB-101AS that should be here in about 8 hours. I bought my second Filco Zero on Jan 6th, it was $98 so i had to buy it hahaha. The case is the Vortex TKL aluminum case, i had to remove the ferrite bead from the stock cable and sand down the plate about 0.5mm to make the Filco Zero fit, without doing that the case would not close 100% flat.  I have a feeling the Acer KB-101AS might be too nice to take the switches from though.

Offline CPTBadAss

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #161 on: Thu, 21 January 2016, 06:25:03 »
Huh that's good to know that you can put a Filco Zero into a Vortex TKL case....maybe I should do that with mine haha.

Offline njbair

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #162 on: Thu, 21 January 2016, 10:16:03 »
Huh that's good to know that you can put a Filco Zero into a Vortex TKL case....maybe I should do that with mine haha.

That's not good to know. It's just going to cost me more money!

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Offline E3E

  • Posts: 2831
Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #163 on: Thu, 21 January 2016, 11:18:47 »
Show Image

This board is heavy  :cool:

Such a nice board. <3
Thanks  :D It certainly has come a long way, and the case made it complete. It also improved the typing feel a lot.  My Blue Alps board should arrive tomorrow or the next day, so i might have replica of this board in the next few days but with Blue Alps, although if its in good condition i might not desolder it.

Wait, didn't you already have the Chicony 5161 with blue Alps? :D Which one is this that you speak of? Damn, you got two of these cases AND Filco Zeros? You mad man! What is this case exactly?
The board i thought was a Chicony 5161 is actually an OEMMAX MCK-101-A  :)) I have an Acer KB-101AS that should be here in about 8 hours. I bought my second Filco Zero on Jan 6th, it was $98 so i had to buy it hahaha. The case is the Vortex TKL aluminum case, i had to remove the ferrite bead from the stock cable and sand down the plate about 0.5mm to make the Filco Zero fit, without doing that the case would not close 100% flat.  I have a feeling the Acer KB-101AS might be too nice to take the switches from though.

There are far too many blue Alps boards that I have that I consider too nice to take apart for their switches. Only F AT or F XT layout 84 key blue Alps boards are ones I have no remorse for (sorry DC-2014).

Nice find on the Acer though, as that one is quite coveted! Where'd you happen upon that one, good sir?

Offline itzmeluigi

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #164 on: Thu, 21 January 2016, 16:07:28 »
Huh that's good to know that you can put a Filco Zero into a Vortex TKL case....maybe I should do that with mine haha.

Ya and it certainly does improve the typing feel, its a PITA to sand the edge of the plate down though with the board still attached, i taped the whole board up before doing it.  Removing the ferrite bead was easy though, i just crushed it with some pliers then opened up the heatshrink to remove it.

Show Image

This board is heavy  :cool:

Such a nice board. <3
Thanks  :D It certainly has come a long way, and the case made it complete. It also improved the typing feel a lot.  My Blue Alps board should arrive tomorrow or the next day, so i might have replica of this board in the next few days but with Blue Alps, although if its in good condition i might not desolder it.

Wait, didn't you already have the Chicony 5161 with blue Alps? :D Which one is this that you speak of? Damn, you got two of these cases AND Filco Zeros? You mad man! What is this case exactly?
The board i thought was a Chicony 5161 is actually an OEMMAX MCK-101-A  :)) I have an Acer KB-101AS that should be here in about 8 hours. I bought my second Filco Zero on Jan 6th, it was $98 so i had to buy it hahaha. The case is the Vortex TKL aluminum case, i had to remove the ferrite bead from the stock cable and sand down the plate about 0.5mm to make the Filco Zero fit, without doing that the case would not close 100% flat.  I have a feeling the Acer KB-101AS might be too nice to take the switches from though.

There are far too many blue Alps boards that I have that I consider too nice to take apart for their switches. Only F AT or F XT layout 84 key blue Alps boards are ones I have no remorse for (sorry DC-2014).

Nice find on the Acer though, as that one is quite coveted! Where'd you happen upon that one, good sir?
Very true, only reason i took apart my MCK-101 was because the plate was rusted and it was so yellowed that it was almost orange. I sanded the plate down and its nice and silver looking now, i dont think im going to paint it because the silver looks nice. I just need to retrobright the case and decide what switches to put into it, im thinking either Green, Orange, or White.

I got the board from Ebay, ohaimark from DT posted it, if he never posted it i would have never known about it. Huge thanks to him!!!!!!  It was $125(buy it now) + $23 for shipping, which is great considering the prices Blue Alps boards have been selling for on Ebay recently.

The Acer KB-101AS arrived and this board is NICE, there is no way im ever going to take the switches from this.  Its one of the most solid boards ive used. Most importantly the switches in this board are mint and feel perfect, there is some yellowing and the keycaps and board need to be cleaned a bit, but there are no cracks or dents on the case so thats good.  Its the same as the one Chyros has, with angled DIN connector, his is labeled KB-101A and mine is KB-101AS anyone know what the difference could be?






I wonder if theres a place that i could pay to add red dyesub Russian Cyrillic legends to the keycaps.



Offline digi

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #165 on: Thu, 21 January 2016, 16:08:55 »
Huh that's good to know that you can put a Filco Zero into a Vortex TKL case....maybe I should do that with mine haha.

Ya and it certainly does improve the typing feel, its a PITA to sand the edge of the plate down though with the board still attached, i taped the whole board up before doing it.  Removing the ferrite bead was easy though, i just crushed it with some pliers then opened up the heatshrink to remove it.

Show Image

This board is heavy  :cool:

Such a nice board. <3
Thanks  :D It certainly has come a long way, and the case made it complete. It also improved the typing feel a lot.  My Blue Alps board should arrive tomorrow or the next day, so i might have replica of this board in the next few days but with Blue Alps, although if its in good condition i might not desolder it.

Wait, didn't you already have the Chicony 5161 with blue Alps? :D Which one is this that you speak of? Damn, you got two of these cases AND Filco Zeros? You mad man! What is this case exactly?
The board i thought was a Chicony 5161 is actually an OEMMAX MCK-101-A  :)) I have an Acer KB-101AS that should be here in about 8 hours. I bought my second Filco Zero on Jan 6th, it was $98 so i had to buy it hahaha. The case is the Vortex TKL aluminum case, i had to remove the ferrite bead from the stock cable and sand down the plate about 0.5mm to make the Filco Zero fit, without doing that the case would not close 100% flat.  I have a feeling the Acer KB-101AS might be too nice to take the switches from though.

There are far too many blue Alps boards that I have that I consider too nice to take apart for their switches. Only F AT or F XT layout 84 key blue Alps boards are ones I have no remorse for (sorry DC-2014).

Nice find on the Acer though, as that one is quite coveted! Where'd you happen upon that one, good sir?
Very true, only reason i took apart my MCK-101 was because the plate was rusted and it was so yellowed that it was almost orange. I sanded the plate down and its nice and silver looking now, i dont think im going to paint it because the silver looks nice. I just need to retrobright the case and decide what switches to put into it, im thinking either Green, Orange, or White.

I got the board from Ebay, ohaimark from DT posted it, if he never posted it i would have never known about it. Huge thanks to him!!!!!!  It was $125(buy it now) + $23 for shipping, which is great considering the prices Blue Alps boards have been selling for on Ebay recently.

The Acer KB-101AS arrived and this board is NICE, there is no way im ever going to take the switches from this.  Its one of the most solid boards ive used. Most importantly the switches in this board are mint and feel perfect, there is some yellowing and the keycaps and board need to be cleaned a bit, but there are no cracks or dents on the case so thats good.  Its the same as the one Chyros has, with angled DIN connector, his is labeled KB-101A and mine is KB-101AS anyone know what the difference could be?

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image


I wonder if theres a place that i could pay to add red dyesub Russian Cyrillic legends to the keycaps.




Beautiful board

Offline E3E

  • Posts: 2831
Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #166 on: Thu, 21 January 2016, 16:21:16 »
Huh that's good to know that you can put a Filco Zero into a Vortex TKL case....maybe I should do that with mine haha.

Ya and it certainly does improve the typing feel, its a PITA to sand the edge of the plate down though with the board still attached, i taped the whole board up before doing it.  Removing the ferrite bead was easy though, i just crushed it with some pliers then opened up the heatshrink to remove it.

Show Image

This board is heavy  :cool:

Such a nice board. <3
Thanks  :D It certainly has come a long way, and the case made it complete. It also improved the typing feel a lot.  My Blue Alps board should arrive tomorrow or the next day, so i might have replica of this board in the next few days but with Blue Alps, although if its in good condition i might not desolder it.

Wait, didn't you already have the Chicony 5161 with blue Alps? :D Which one is this that you speak of? Damn, you got two of these cases AND Filco Zeros? You mad man! What is this case exactly?
The board i thought was a Chicony 5161 is actually an OEMMAX MCK-101-A  :)) I have an Acer KB-101AS that should be here in about 8 hours. I bought my second Filco Zero on Jan 6th, it was $98 so i had to buy it hahaha. The case is the Vortex TKL aluminum case, i had to remove the ferrite bead from the stock cable and sand down the plate about 0.5mm to make the Filco Zero fit, without doing that the case would not close 100% flat.  I have a feeling the Acer KB-101AS might be too nice to take the switches from though.

There are far too many blue Alps boards that I have that I consider too nice to take apart for their switches. Only F AT or F XT layout 84 key blue Alps boards are ones I have no remorse for (sorry DC-2014).

Nice find on the Acer though, as that one is quite coveted! Where'd you happen upon that one, good sir?
Very true, only reason i took apart my MCK-101 was because the plate was rusted and it was so yellowed that it was almost orange. I sanded the plate down and its nice and silver looking now, i dont think im going to paint it because the silver looks nice. I just need to retrobright the case and decide what switches to put into it, im thinking either Green, Orange, or White.

I got the board from Ebay, ohaimark from DT posted it, if he never posted it i would have never known about it. Huge thanks to him!!!!!!  It was $125(buy it now) + $23 for shipping, which is great considering the prices Blue Alps boards have been selling for on Ebay recently.

The Acer KB-101AS arrived and this board is NICE, there is no way im ever going to take the switches from this.  Its one of the most solid boards ive used. Most importantly the switches in this board are mint and feel perfect, there is some yellowing and the keycaps and board need to be cleaned a bit, but there are no cracks or dents on the case so thats good.  Its the same as the one Chyros has, with angled DIN connector, his is labeled KB-101A and mine is KB-101AS anyone know what the difference could be?

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image


I wonder if theres a place that i could pay to add red dyesub Russian Cyrillic legends to the keycaps.

Check and see if it has NKRO. Perhaps the S might stand for that sort of thing, or maybe it doesn't have an AT/XT switch and is AT only? Does this one have a switch? I'm not sure what services would be available for dyesubbing ABS, but keep an eye out for Acer 6011 boards. Close relatives of the KB101, and same ANSI layout in some configurations. There are PBT versions you could likely send out for dyesubbing. Originative does dyesubbing for $3 per cap; you could talk to them about it.

Where'd you happen upon this one by the way?

And yes, everyone has seen this board because of Chyros.  :))

Offline itzmeluigi

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #167 on: Thu, 21 January 2016, 16:45:30 »
Beautiful board

Thanks this is certainly my all time favorite vintage board, going to have to get used to a fullsize board again though.

Huh that's good to know that you can put a Filco Zero into a Vortex TKL case....maybe I should do that with mine haha.

Ya and it certainly does improve the typing feel, its a PITA to sand the edge of the plate down though with the board still attached, i taped the whole board up before doing it.  Removing the ferrite bead was easy though, i just crushed it with some pliers then opened up the heatshrink to remove it.

Show Image

This board is heavy  :cool:

Such a nice board. <3
Thanks  :D It certainly has come a long way, and the case made it complete. It also improved the typing feel a lot.  My Blue Alps board should arrive tomorrow or the next day, so i might have replica of this board in the next few days but with Blue Alps, although if its in good condition i might not desolder it.

Wait, didn't you already have the Chicony 5161 with blue Alps? :D Which one is this that you speak of? Damn, you got two of these cases AND Filco Zeros? You mad man! What is this case exactly?
The board i thought was a Chicony 5161 is actually an OEMMAX MCK-101-A  :)) I have an Acer KB-101AS that should be here in about 8 hours. I bought my second Filco Zero on Jan 6th, it was $98 so i had to buy it hahaha. The case is the Vortex TKL aluminum case, i had to remove the ferrite bead from the stock cable and sand down the plate about 0.5mm to make the Filco Zero fit, without doing that the case would not close 100% flat.  I have a feeling the Acer KB-101AS might be too nice to take the switches from though.

There are far too many blue Alps boards that I have that I consider too nice to take apart for their switches. Only F AT or F XT layout 84 key blue Alps boards are ones I have no remorse for (sorry DC-2014).

Nice find on the Acer though, as that one is quite coveted! Where'd you happen upon that one, good sir?
Very true, only reason i took apart my MCK-101 was because the plate was rusted and it was so yellowed that it was almost orange. I sanded the plate down and its nice and silver looking now, i dont think im going to paint it because the silver looks nice. I just need to retrobright the case and decide what switches to put into it, im thinking either Green, Orange, or White.

I got the board from Ebay, ohaimark from DT posted it, if he never posted it i would have never known about it. Huge thanks to him!!!!!!  It was $125(buy it now) + $23 for shipping, which is great considering the prices Blue Alps boards have been selling for on Ebay recently.

The Acer KB-101AS arrived and this board is NICE, there is no way im ever going to take the switches from this.  Its one of the most solid boards ive used. Most importantly the switches in this board are mint and feel perfect, there is some yellowing and the keycaps and board need to be cleaned a bit, but there are no cracks or dents on the case so thats good.  Its the same as the one Chyros has, with angled DIN connector, his is labeled KB-101A and mine is KB-101AS anyone know what the difference could be?

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image


I wonder if theres a place that i could pay to add red dyesub Russian Cyrillic legends to the keycaps.

Check and see if it has NKRO. Perhaps the S might stand for that sort of thing, or maybe it doesn't have an AT/XT switch and is AT only? Does this one have a switch? I'm not sure what services would be available for dyesubbing ABS, but keep an eye out for Acer 6011 boards. Close relatives of the KB101, and same ANSI layout in some configurations. There are PBT versions you could likely send out for dyesubbing. Originative does dyesubbing for $3 per cap; you could talk to them about it.

Where'd you happen upon this one by the way?

And yes, everyone has seen this board because of Chyros.  :))
It doesnt have NKRO, just tested it, only four keys register on the asdf row.

Mine has the same three position style AT/XT switch also.  Oh awesome  :D :D :D :D, can Originative dyesub ABS caps? If so and they can copy the Cyrillic legends used on the enjoypbt caps then im totally fine paying $3 per cap for that.

I got the board from Ebay, ohaimark from DT posted it, because of Chyros's review of the Acer KB-101A i bought it instantly before even asking the seller to remove a cap since someone probably would of have bought it before me if i waited for the seller to respond.

Offline E3E

  • Posts: 2831
Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #168 on: Thu, 21 January 2016, 17:38:59 »
It doesnt have NKRO, just tested it, only four keys register on the asdf row.
Show Image

Mine has the same three position style AT/XT switch also.  Oh awesome  :D :D :D :D, can Originative dyesub ABS caps? If so and they can copy the Cyrillic legends used on the enjoypbt caps then im totally fine paying $3 per cap for that.

I got the board from Ebay, ohaimark from DT posted it, because of Chyros's review of the Acer KB-101A i bought it instantly before even asking the seller to remove a cap since someone probably would of have bought it before me if i waited for the seller to respond.

I'm not sure about ABS, but like I've said, Acer has boards with the same ANSI layout in their 6011 series and even 6311 series that can be PBT, so if you find a set, you can possibly have those sent to Originative IMSTO (my bad, I mixed these two up) and have them dye sub them for you, but I don't know if this is something you can really do.  http://imsto.cn/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=93

I'd definitely shoot them an email about it if you are interested. :)

It seems like board was won by a $125 bid, if this is the same one.

So that's weird. Did you send them an offer outside of the auction?

Perhaps the AS could be toward something on the PCB that's different? I know my FAME has a layout that allows for an ISO enter, though this is not supported on the plate (this is what I used to ANSI mod it).
« Last Edit: Thu, 21 January 2016, 17:42:01 by E3E »

Offline itzmeluigi

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #169 on: Thu, 21 January 2016, 17:51:16 »
It doesnt have NKRO, just tested it, only four keys register on the asdf row.
Show Image

Mine has the same three position style AT/XT switch also.  Oh awesome  :D :D :D :D, can Originative dyesub ABS caps? If so and they can copy the Cyrillic legends used on the enjoypbt caps then im totally fine paying $3 per cap for that.

I got the board from Ebay, ohaimark from DT posted it, because of Chyros's review of the Acer KB-101A i bought it instantly before even asking the seller to remove a cap since someone probably would of have bought it before me if i waited for the seller to respond.

I'm not sure about ABS, but like I've said, Acer has boards with the same ANSI layout in their 6011 series and even 6311 series that can be PBT, so if you find a set, you can possibly have those sent to Originative IMSTO (my bad, I mixed these two up) and have them dye sub them for you, but I don't know if this is something you can really do.  http://imsto.cn/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=93

I'd definitely shoot them an email about it if you are interested. :)

It seems like board was won by a $125 bid, if this is the same one.

So that's weird. Did you send them an offer outside of the auction?

Perhaps the AS could be toward something on the PCB that's different? I know my FAME has a layout that allows for an ISO enter, though this is not supported on the plate (this is what I used to ANSI mod it).

Ill have to try and find some of those boards then, getting a set dyesubed is certainly something i want to do. If IMSTO will do it, im 100% fine with paying $3 per cap.


This was the listing here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/111868643247
The same seller, strange though, because it was 100% listed as buy it now, no bidding was required. I cant stand bidding, so i always send offers outside of the auction if something isnt listed as buy it now :D

Later tonight im going to open up the board and take some pictures of the PCB

Edit: Opened up the board, there was no model numbers or anything on the back of the PCB. It did have this nice backing though.
« Last Edit: Thu, 21 January 2016, 22:29:28 by itzmeluigi »

Offline HoffmanMyster

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #170 on: Tue, 26 January 2016, 00:16:47 »
x-post from the general photography thread.  :)

Is it normal to not love Alps right away?  :-X


Hasu Alps by HoffmanMyster, on Flickr

Offline itzmeluigi

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #171 on: Tue, 26 January 2016, 00:40:05 »
x-post from the general photography thread.  :)

Is it normal to not love Alps right away?  :-X

Show Image

Hasu Alps by HoffmanMyster, on Flickr
That looks great!  What switches does it have?

Offline HoffmanMyster

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #172 on: Tue, 26 January 2016, 00:51:23 »
x-post from the general photography thread.  :)

Is it normal to not love Alps right away?  :-X

Show Image

Hasu Alps by HoffmanMyster, on Flickr
That looks great!  What switches does it have?

Thanks! It's got Matias quiet clicks in it. I like the tactility of them, but they feel too tactile for their own good (read: they are too light).  :-/  Maybe it just because I need to adjust? I'm coming from 45g Topre at the moment.

Also, they don't seem to be entirely consistent with the tactility, but maybe that's just me imagining things.

Offline sean

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #173 on: Tue, 26 January 2016, 01:02:44 »
Also, they don't seem to be entirely consistent with the tactility, but maybe that's just me imagining things.

If you hit a key at the very bottom edge it will make a slight clicky noise. This is actually something that I have observed with Alps cream switches so I guess it has something to do with the click leaf.

Offline jacobolus

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #174 on: Tue, 26 January 2016, 01:10:43 »
Quote from: HoffmanMyster
Is it normal to not love Alps right away?  :-X
[...]
It's got Matias quiet clicks in it. I like the tactility of them, but they feel too tactile for their own good (read: they are too light).  :-/  Maybe it just because I need to adjust? I'm coming from 45g Topre at the moment.

Also, they don't seem to be entirely consistent with the tactility, but maybe that's just me imagining things.
First, some people don’t like any Alps-style switches ever. For instance, Dorkvader, who is a buckling spring and hall effect fan.

They’re very different from Topre switches. Topre has a kind of “rounded” tactile feel, without any clear sharp snap point. Matias quiet switches are much crisper, with a huge drop in force after the tactile point. Topre switches also give you some bounce on the upstroke from the dome un-buckling, something Matias switches don’t do.

The dampers in Matias quiet switches make them a bit spongey at bottom out, and combined with the lack of sound that’s something some people dislike. You could try typing on someone’s board with undamped switches to see if that makes a difference, though if you like Topre that part is probably not a big deal.

Also, Matias switches are pretty wobbly front to back, much more than complicated Alps switches, and will click slightly differently depending on the press angle (e.g. if you press down on different keycap corners you’ll get slightly different sound/feel). Some people can’t get over the wobble, but it doesn’t really bother me personally.

Personally I don’t like typing on any Topre boards, so I’m the probably the wrong person to ask though. :-)

Haven’t you tried typing on people’s Alps keyboards at Keycon and other meetups? What did you think then?

Offline E3E

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #175 on: Tue, 26 January 2016, 06:36:40 »
My 26 year old Korean daily driver:



My mythical biblical bae from the Taiwanese land of key caps these days:



The OTHER Focus keyboard, and one of my dream boards:



And of course, my soul mate in the keyboard world:


Offline CPTBadAss

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #176 on: Tue, 26 January 2016, 06:40:25 »
The Acer KB-101AS arrived and this board is NICE, there is no way im ever going to take the switches from this.  Its one of the most solid boards ive used. Most importantly the switches in this board are mint and feel perfect, there is some yellowing and the keycaps and board need to be cleaned a bit, but there are no cracks or dents on the case so thats good.  Its the same as the one Chyros has, with angled DIN connector, his is labeled KB-101A and mine is KB-101AS anyone know what the difference could be?

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image


I wonder if theres a place that i could pay to add red dyesub Russian Cyrillic legends to the keycaps.

Damn that's a great find. I'm really digging that keyboard. So happy to see people enjoying the boards instead of stripping em for the SKCM Blues. I'm pretty guilty for stripping boards I should have left alone but I will say for my Blues, I grabbed em out of some random Clone XT board.


Offline E3E

  • Posts: 2831
Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #177 on: Tue, 26 January 2016, 06:48:29 »
The Acer KB-101AS arrived and this board is NICE, there is no way im ever going to take the switches from this.  Its one of the most solid boards ive used. Most importantly the switches in this board are mint and feel perfect, there is some yellowing and the keycaps and board need to be cleaned a bit, but there are no cracks or dents on the case so thats good.  Its the same as the one Chyros has, with angled DIN connector, his is labeled KB-101A and mine is KB-101AS anyone know what the difference could be?

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image


I wonder if theres a place that i could pay to add red dyesub Russian Cyrillic legends to the keycaps.

Damn that's a great find. I'm really digging that keyboard. So happy to see people enjoying the boards instead of stripping em for the SKCM Blues. I'm pretty guilty for stripping boards I should have left alone but I will say for my Blues, I grabbed em out of some random Clone XT board.

Yeah, the Leading Edge DC-2014 makes a good candidate for blue stripping as does the NEC APC H410. I'm pretty sure the latter is XT too. Can't readily use either of them. I definitely agree though; it's sad to see people buy blue Alps boards, even rare boards, just to strip them of their switches and then toss away 20+ years of history. I still don't trash the shells of boards I've stripped either. I keep all the components in a bag in my closet. Ya never know! My DC-2014 aided in the restoration of my DC-3014. :D

So much better to use them and only strip the more common boards if you really are itching for a custom with the switches!
« Last Edit: Tue, 26 January 2016, 06:50:03 by E3E »

Offline HoffmanMyster

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #178 on: Tue, 26 January 2016, 08:21:14 »
Quote from: HoffmanMyster
Is it normal to not love Alps right away?  :-X
[...]
It's got Matias quiet clicks in it. I like the tactility of them, but they feel too tactile for their own good (read: they are too light).  :-/  Maybe it just because I need to adjust? I'm coming from 45g Topre at the moment.

Also, they don't seem to be entirely consistent with the tactility, but maybe that's just me imagining things.
First, some people don’t like any Alps-style switches ever. For instance, Dorkvader, who is a buckling spring and hall effect fan.

They’re very different from Topre switches. Topre has a kind of “rounded” tactile feel, without any clear sharp snap point. Matias quiet switches are much crisper, with a huge drop in force after the tactile point. Topre switches also give you some bounce on the upstroke from the dome un-buckling, something Matias switches don’t do.

The dampers in Matias quiet switches make them a bit spongey at bottom out, and combined with the lack of sound that’s something some people dislike. You could try typing on someone’s board with undamped switches to see if that makes a difference, though if you like Topre that part is probably not a big deal.

Also, Matias switches are pretty wobbly front to back, much more than complicated Alps switches, and will click slightly differently depending on the press angle (e.g. if you press down on different keycap corners you’ll get slightly different sound/feel). Some people can’t get over the wobble, but it doesn’t really bother me personally.

Personally I don’t like typing on any Topre boards, so I’m the probably the wrong person to ask though. :-)

Haven’t you tried typing on people’s Alps keyboards at Keycon and other meetups? What did you think then?

I have tried many Alps boards at various KeyCons and meetups (and have another of my own, as mentioned).  My experience with Alps was very cautious at first since I really didn't like anything about them, but then as I tried more and more boards I found variations I like and the switch in general grew on me.  I have never used Matias switches before, at least not knowingly, that I can recall. 

The different actuation/pressure points of Alps switches have always thrown me, so maybe that's a major contributing factor here.  I'll just need to give the board some time and see how it goes.  :thumb:

Oh and I'm definitely a fan of clicky switches in general (I love the worn blues in my Dolch board), so I don't think my aversion is solely because I'm used to Topre vs clicky switches.  But maybe it is Topre vs clicky/tactile Alps?

Regardless, I'm excited for this first foray into the world of custom Alps.  :D

Offline E3E

  • Posts: 2831
Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #179 on: Tue, 26 January 2016, 09:10:08 »
Quote from: HoffmanMyster
Is it normal to not love Alps right away?  :-X
[...]
It's got Matias quiet clicks in it. I like the tactility of them, but they feel too tactile for their own good (read: they are too light).  :-/  Maybe it just because I need to adjust? I'm coming from 45g Topre at the moment.

Also, they don't seem to be entirely consistent with the tactility, but maybe that's just me imagining things.
First, some people don’t like any Alps-style switches ever. For instance, Dorkvader, who is a buckling spring and hall effect fan.

They’re very different from Topre switches. Topre has a kind of “rounded” tactile feel, without any clear sharp snap point. Matias quiet switches are much crisper, with a huge drop in force after the tactile point. Topre switches also give you some bounce on the upstroke from the dome un-buckling, something Matias switches don’t do.

The dampers in Matias quiet switches make them a bit spongey at bottom out, and combined with the lack of sound that’s something some people dislike. You could try typing on someone’s board with undamped switches to see if that makes a difference, though if you like Topre that part is probably not a big deal.

Also, Matias switches are pretty wobbly front to back, much more than complicated Alps switches, and will click slightly differently depending on the press angle (e.g. if you press down on different keycap corners you’ll get slightly different sound/feel). Some people can’t get over the wobble, but it doesn’t really bother me personally.

Personally I don’t like typing on any Topre boards, so I’m the probably the wrong person to ask though. :-)

Haven’t you tried typing on people’s Alps keyboards at Keycon and other meetups? What did you think then?

I have tried many Alps boards at various KeyCons and meetups (and have another of my own, as mentioned).  My experience with Alps was very cautious at first since I really didn't like anything about them, but then as I tried more and more boards I found variations I like and the switch in general grew on me.  I have never used Matias switches before, at least not knowingly, that I can recall. 

The different actuation/pressure points of Alps switches have always thrown me, so maybe that's a major contributing factor here.  I'll just need to give the board some time and see how it goes.  :thumb:

Oh and I'm definitely a fan of clicky switches in general (I love the worn blues in my Dolch board), so I don't think my aversion is solely because I'm used to Topre vs clicky switches.  But maybe it is Topre vs clicky/tactile Alps?

Regardless, I'm excited for this first foray into the world of custom Alps.  :D

Well, it's actually pretty fascinating to see that you're on a bit of an uphill at odds with Alps. I haven't seen this too often, but then we are in a state of Alps hysteria right now, haha. I can certainly understand why you might not like Alps. The lower travel distance is very odd compared to Cherry. I was noting this as I was comparing my vintage MX blacks to my Alps SKCL green and SKCL brown switches. The reduced travel distance is definitely something that can't be overlooked.

I also do not like the Alps tactile switches as much as the linear and clicky varieties. Alps SKCM orange switches are pretty much the only kind I enjoy, and I've tried salmon and brown tactiles. Amber Alps were also very tactile, at least on my Hammer board with a CF plate. I do believe the setup increased the feeling of tactility though.

Still, oranges are the only tactiles I like, and even then, they are quite under green SKCL brown SKCL and blue SKCM for me.

Offline alienman82

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #180 on: Tue, 26 January 2016, 09:22:48 »
removed.
« Last Edit: Thu, 01 March 2018, 16:20:22 by alienman82 »

Offline E3E

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #181 on: Tue, 26 January 2016, 10:39:32 »
I don't like blue alps as much as model f or even cherry blue.  Brown alps seem promising though need to get around to making something with them

Brown linear Alps are fantastic too, if only just a heavier Green linear Alps, though they are insanely hard to find.

Brown tactiles are okay, I guess. Really meh to me. I do love blue Alps, but I think green SKCL take the cake for me.

Which is ironic, since I have had over 700 switches worth of blue Alps with the boards I've owned and trades I've made.

I hardly have any Green SKCL in reserves compared to that, lol.

Offline alienman82

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #182 on: Tue, 26 January 2016, 10:42:55 »
removed.
« Last Edit: Thu, 01 March 2018, 16:20:14 by alienman82 »

Offline jacobolus

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #183 on: Tue, 26 January 2016, 20:25:18 »
My experience with Alps was very cautious at first since I really didn't like anything about them, but then as I tried more and more boards I found variations I like and the switch in general grew on me.
Any that you can remember liking in particular?

Personally, I wouldn’t use Matias quiet click or cream Alps switches anywhere except an open office setting with coworkers who insisted against keyboard noise. I like them okay, but I really appreciate audio feedback when typing.

If you’re going for tactile, perhaps get a cheap Apple M0116 with orange Alps switches as a donor board.

Or if you want something closer to a 55g Topre feel on the downstroke, brown Alps have a more “rounded” type of tactile feel (but are too stiff for me personally).

Quote
Oh and I'm definitely a fan of clicky switches in general (I love the worn blues in my Dolch board),
You might try clicky SMK (“Monterey blue”) switches, which are not quite like Alps or Alps clone switches, but take Alps-compatible keycaps. My personal opinion is that these are sort of "the concept of Cherry MX blue but done right.” To use these in a custom board you’d need an MX plate with square holes and either hand wiring or a custom PCB on the back.

Complicated blue Alps switches are also very nice, a much more elegant soft clicky switch than either of those, with in particular a really nice sound.

Another switch you might be interested in, though it’s substantially different than Alps SKCM (“complicated Alps”) is the Alps plate spring switch. You can find them in IBM P70 or P75 luggables. I really like them. These have a coil spring over a buckling plate spring similar to IBM beam spring switches or Marquardt switches, but not as stiff. This results in a snappy upstroke when the plate spring unbuckles, somewhat similar to the upstroke when a Topre dome unbuckles but more tactile.  However, if you want to make a custom board out of them you’ll need to design a new PCB or chop the one they come in down to size (the latter might be easier as they’re a huge pain in the ass to desolder, with four bent-down leads per switch).
« Last Edit: Tue, 26 January 2016, 20:29:23 by jacobolus »

Offline FLFisherman

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #184 on: Tue, 26 January 2016, 20:27:37 »
Does an Alps number pad count?


Offline bocahgundul

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #185 on: Tue, 26 January 2016, 20:30:26 »
Does an Alps number pad count?

Show Image

Is that the rare alpsulator?

Offline FLFisherman

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #186 on: Tue, 26 January 2016, 20:31:01 »
Does an Alps number pad count?

Show Image

Is that the rare alpsulator?

Not sure I'd call it "rare", but it is an alpsulator.

Offline jacobolus

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #187 on: Tue, 26 January 2016, 20:31:08 »

Offline HoffmanMyster

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #188 on: Tue, 26 January 2016, 23:42:38 »
My experience with Alps was very cautious at first since I really didn't like anything about them, but then as I tried more and more boards I found variations I like and the switch in general grew on me.
Any that you can remember liking in particular?

Personally, I wouldn’t use Matias quiet click or cream Alps switches anywhere except an open office setting with coworkers who insisted against keyboard noise. I like them okay, but I really appreciate audio feedback when typing.

If you’re going for tactile, perhaps get a cheap Apple M0116 with orange Alps switches as a donor board.

Or if you want something closer to a 55g Topre feel on the downstroke, brown Alps have a more “rounded” type of tactile feel (but are too stiff for me personally).

Quote
Oh and I'm definitely a fan of clicky switches in general (I love the worn blues in my Dolch board),
You might try clicky SMK (“Monterey blue”) switches, which are not quite like Alps or Alps clone switches, but take Alps-compatible keycaps. My personal opinion is that these are sort of "the concept of Cherry MX blue but done right.” To use these in a custom board you’d need an MX plate with square holes and either hand wiring or a custom PCB on the back.

Complicated blue Alps switches are also very nice, a much more elegant soft clicky switch than either of those, with in particular a really nice sound.

Another switch you might be interested in, though it’s substantially different than Alps SKCM (“complicated Alps”) is the Alps plate spring switch. You can find them in IBM P70 or P75 luggables. I really like them. These have a coil spring over a buckling plate spring similar to IBM beam spring switches or Marquardt switches, but not as stiff. This results in a snappy upstroke when the plate spring unbuckles, somewhat similar to the upstroke when a Topre dome unbuckles but more tactile.  However, if you want to make a custom board out of them you’ll need to design a new PCB or chop the one they come in down to size (the latter might be easier as they’re a huge pain in the ass to desolder, with four bent-down leads per switch).

This is all very helpful advice, thank you!  :thumb:

As for Alps boards that I have enjoyed, I had a pleasant enough time typing on CPTBadAss' Kingsaver with Blue Alps.  This is one of the boards that was "meh" at first due to the different actuation/click point as compared to MX, but has grown on me quite a bit.  I do not think it was enjoyable enough to pay the premium that Blue Alps fetch on eBay, but it's nice.
I also liked the M0116 (at least I think that's what it was, it's Jerue's I believe) that I tried at the NC meetup, so perhaps I will just seek out one of those to play around with.

Offline rowdy

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #189 on: Sat, 30 January 2016, 23:44:49 »
"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

NEC APC-H4100E | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED red | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED green | Link 900243-08 | CM QFR MX black | KeyCool 87 white MX reds | HHKB 2 Pro | Model M 02-Mar-1993 | Model M 29-Nov-1995 | CM Trigger (broken) | CM QFS MX green | Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 TKL Yellow Edition MX black | Lexmark SSK 21-Apr-1994 | IBM SSK 13-Oct-1987 | CODE TKL MX clear | Model M 122 01-Jun-1988

Ị̸͚̯̲́ͤ̃͑̇̑ͯ̊̂͟ͅs̞͚̩͉̝̪̲͗͊ͪ̽̚̚ ̭̦͖͕̑́͌ͬͩ͟t̷̻͔̙̑͟h̹̠̼͋ͤ͋i̤̜̣̦̱̫͈͔̞ͭ͑ͥ̌̔s̬͔͎̍̈ͥͫ̐̾ͣ̔̇͘ͅ ̩̘̼͆̐̕e̞̰͓̲̺̎͐̏ͬ̓̅̾͠͝ͅv̶̰͕̱̞̥̍ͣ̄̕e͕͙͖̬̜͓͎̤̊ͭ͐͝ṇ̰͎̱̤̟̭ͫ͌̌͢͠ͅ ̳̥̦ͮ̐ͤ̎̊ͣ͡͡n̤̜̙̺̪̒͜e̶̻̦̿ͮ̂̀c̝̘̝͖̠̖͐ͨͪ̈̐͌ͩ̀e̷̥͇̋ͦs̢̡̤ͤͤͯ͜s͈̠̉̑͘a̱͕̗͖̳̥̺ͬͦͧ͆̌̑͡r̶̟̖̈͘ỷ̮̦̩͙͔ͫ̾ͬ̔ͬͮ̌?̵̘͇͔͙ͥͪ͞ͅ

Offline BlueNalgene

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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #190 on: Fri, 19 February 2016, 13:28:40 »
A x-post from the GB thread so more people can revel in my glory.

And now it is time for me to do my little reveal.

My GB has been built upon some lies.

It was never about the Alps, and it was never about me.

So why did I do it?



...to make the best Christmas present ever.


So here is how the con went down.  It was the middle of August when I was trying to stay on top of the game.  I was racking my brain, trying to figure out a great Christmas gift idea for the girlfriend.  You see, last year she got me a Tom Baker scarf.  Never heard of it?  There is a whole website dedicated to researching the colors and lengths used to replicate this iconic bit of knit extravagance.  And she didn't just go on Etsy and pay a few hundred $$$ for some subpar knockoff.  No, she hand-knit the entire thing.  She had secretly knit every day for months on the bus, between work, at home, this 18 foot monstrosity.  It was genius.  I refused to be outdone.

So I decided to give her this gift.

In the middle of August, I put feelers out to a few select individuals about making this happen.  The next day, the IC was up.  After a month of ****ering over the details, the GB went live on Sept. 23rd.  At the end of that month, I realized I would need stabilizers to complete my goal, so I started a SECOND IC/GB to raise interest.  By the 5th of October, I was shutting down the entries.  I had a deadline to make, and I didn't have time to let stragglers hold me back.  I started the ordering process before I had all of the invoices paid, risking my own cash to front the bill and keep things moving full steam.  Things started rolling in during the last half of November.  By December, I didn't have any room left in my living room.  I spent hours getting everything sorted and taken care of before finally building my boards.



Some folks politely suggested when I first started running this that I was overstepping my bounds by making a catch-all GB for first time.  I quietly assured them that I was competent, not revealing my true motives.  I had to get all of the parts built for my boards by December.  I couldn't wait for someone else to run a plate buy while someone else ran the PCB buy, leaving me hoping that everything turned out ok.  I had to take fate into my own hands.  I had to be the collected resource.

I spent a lot of time doing the extracurricular projects for this GB.  I made cute little photoshopped headers to advertise the sale.  I sculpted and produced a limited run of caps from scratch so people could get excited about a little contest to encourage them to participate.  I made sure to answer as many questions as possible as soon as possible, so much that my advisor started getting frustrated by the time I was spending on this, rather than my research.  I had to have the support of the participants.  I needed to draw you in.

The girlfriend knew I was working on this.  I couldn't hide it from her.  I was spending hours of my time making sure everything went smoothly.  But she never knew.  I placated her with lies about how I was doing this for selfish keyboard greed.  I told her about every move I made save the most critical ones.  She never saw it coming.  I told her I was making the board blue because it was related to my screenname, not that I made them blue because it is her favorite color.  I got a little Cherry switch tester early on and had her tell me about which switch she liked most.  I used that information to choose to make an Alps board.  She didn't know that they were a thing, and she didn't know that she was describing qualities about the switches she liked which happened to match the Alps peculiarities. 



I took more time than I expected when etching the cases.  Each hand scrawled engraving needed to have something personal to connect each board, his and hers, to each other.  A half-heart outlined as yin on one side; a half-heart shaded in as yang on the other.  Names.  A cat snuggling a tufted titmouse, myself and my ornithologist respectively.  Little symbols that have meaning only to us.  For her I doodled and practiced to get them just the way I wanted.



The reveal to her when she unwrapped it was worth it all.  The box contained her keyboard, but not her gift.

"The keyboard wasn't her gift?", you ask yourself.

No.

Like Helen of Troy, her gift was something more than a golden apple trinket.

I raised an army for her.




So there you have it.  My big reveal.  All of you were pawns in my game all along.  I can look back and say this now, because I took pains to make sure the only thing I gained from this was the support of my minions.  I took no profit.  I took no easy path.  I hope no one feels too betrayed by this.  I may not be the Alps crusader you assumed or the GB messiah I strove to be, but I still hope you enjoyed the ride.

I'm typing on my half of the whole now.  I really do like it.  I get a special sort of joy every time I use it.  I have even been writing more because I enjoy the board so much. 



To all of you, thanks for helping me achieve my goal.

Offline CPTBadAss

  • Woke up like this
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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #191 on: Fri, 19 February 2016, 13:34:39 »
More
A x-post from the GB thread so more people can revel in my glory.

And now it is time for me to do my little reveal.

My GB has been built upon some lies.

It was never about the Alps, and it was never about me.

So why did I do it?



...to make the best Christmas present ever.


So here is how the con went down.  It was the middle of August when I was trying to stay on top of the game.  I was racking my brain, trying to figure out a great Christmas gift idea for the girlfriend.  You see, last year she got me a Tom Baker scarf.  Never heard of it?  There is a whole website dedicated to researching the colors and lengths used to replicate this iconic bit of knit extravagance.  And she didn't just go on Etsy and pay a few hundred $$$ for some subpar knockoff.  No, she hand-knit the entire thing.  She had secretly knit every day for months on the bus, between work, at home, this 18 foot monstrosity.  It was genius.  I refused to be outdone.

So I decided to give her this gift.

In the middle of August, I put feelers out to a few select individuals about making this happen.  The next day, the IC was up.  After a month of ****ering over the details, the GB went live on Sept. 23rd.  At the end of that month, I realized I would need stabilizers to complete my goal, so I started a SECOND IC/GB to raise interest.  By the 5th of October, I was shutting down the entries.  I had a deadline to make, and I didn't have time to let stragglers hold me back.  I started the ordering process before I had all of the invoices paid, risking my own cash to front the bill and keep things moving full steam.  Things started rolling in during the last half of November.  By December, I didn't have any room left in my living room.  I spent hours getting everything sorted and taken care of before finally building my boards.

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Some folks politely suggested when I first started running this that I was overstepping my bounds by making a catch-all GB for first time.  I quietly assured them that I was competent, not revealing my true motives.  I had to get all of the parts built for my boards by December.  I couldn't wait for someone else to run a plate buy while someone else ran the PCB buy, leaving me hoping that everything turned out ok.  I had to take fate into my own hands.  I had to be the collected resource.

I spent a lot of time doing the extracurricular projects for this GB.  I made cute little photoshopped headers to advertise the sale.  I sculpted and produced a limited run of caps from scratch so people could get excited about a little contest to encourage them to participate.  I made sure to answer as many questions as possible as soon as possible, so much that my advisor started getting frustrated by the time I was spending on this, rather than my research.  I had to have the support of the participants.  I needed to draw you in.

The girlfriend knew I was working on this.  I couldn't hide it from her.  I was spending hours of my time making sure everything went smoothly.  But she never knew.  I placated her with lies about how I was doing this for selfish keyboard greed.  I told her about every move I made save the most critical ones.  She never saw it coming.  I told her I was making the board blue because it was related to my screenname, not that I made them blue because it is her favorite color.  I got a little Cherry switch tester early on and had her tell me about which switch she liked most.  I used that information to choose to make an Alps board.  She didn't know that they were a thing, and she didn't know that she was describing qualities about the switches she liked which happened to match the Alps peculiarities. 

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I took more time than I expected when etching the cases.  Each hand scrawled engraving needed to have something personal to connect each board, his and hers, to each other.  A half-heart outlined as yin on one side; a half-heart shaded in as yang on the other.  Names.  A cat snuggling a tufted titmouse, myself and my ornithologist respectively.  Little symbols that have meaning only to us.  For her I doodled and practiced to get them just the way I wanted.

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The reveal to her when she unwrapped it was worth it all.  The box contained her keyboard, but not her gift.

"The keyboard wasn't her gift?", you ask yourself.

No.

Like Helen of Troy, her gift was something more than a golden apple trinket.

I raised an army for her.




So there you have it.  My big reveal.  All of you were pawns in my game all along.  I can look back and say this now, because I took pains to make sure the only thing I gained from this was the support of my minions.  I took no profit.  I took no easy path.  I hope no one feels too betrayed by this.  I may not be the Alps crusader you assumed or the GB messiah I strove to be, but I still hope you enjoyed the ride.

I'm typing on my half of the whole now.  I really do like it.  I get a special sort of joy every time I use it.  I have even been writing more because I enjoy the board so much. 

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To all of you, thanks for helping me achieve my goal.

BlueNalgene is a confirmed scammer....and I've never been so happy to be scammed. JK, what a cute story and wonderful builds. Thanks for the great GBs

Offline Venatorious

  • Posts: 244
  • Location: Dallas,Texas
  • Gotta Start Somewhere
Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #192 on: Sun, 21 February 2016, 23:10:36 »
Scheming nalgene? What's going on?

Also, here is my brown alps videowriter
129098-0

Offline Joey Quinn

  • Posts: 4543
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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #193 on: Mon, 22 February 2016, 01:05:14 »
Scheming nalgene? What's going on?

Also, here is my brown alps videowriter
(Attachment Link)

Didn't know brown alps came in anything other than IBM 5140s. How much was it if you don't mind me asking? I'd love a cheaper way to get brown alps.
People in the 1980s, in general, were clearly just better than we are now in every measurable way.

The dumber the reason the more it must be done

Offline Venatorious

  • Posts: 244
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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #194 on: Mon, 22 February 2016, 07:23:11 »
I got it for 20$ at a discount electronics store that is now out of business.

Yeah brown alps reminds me of a topre board I tried but more defined.

Offline alienman82

  • * Elevated Elder
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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #195 on: Mon, 22 February 2016, 09:47:57 »
removed.
« Last Edit: Thu, 01 March 2018, 16:03:36 by alienman82 »

Offline Venatorious

  • Posts: 244
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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #196 on: Mon, 22 February 2016, 13:30:45 »
Not sure yet, I have another one so I have enough switches for a TKL.

I really want an Orion v2 but not sure where to start

Offline CPTBadAss

  • Woke up like this
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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #197 on: Mon, 22 February 2016, 13:34:01 »
Scheming nalgene? What's going on?

Also, here is my brown alps videowriter
(Attachment Link)

Didn't know brown alps came in anything other than IBM 5140s. How much was it if you don't mind me asking? I'd love a cheaper way to get brown alps.

Today I learned: Brown Alps aren't limited to IBM 5140s and the other boards listed here.

Offline Venatorious

  • Posts: 244
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Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #198 on: Mon, 22 February 2016, 13:47:07 »
Oh huh I thought it was already covered.  Looks like I need to do some work on the wiki.

Offline E3E

  • Posts: 2831
Re: Post your ALPS keyboard
« Reply #199 on: Tue, 23 February 2016, 06:12:05 »
Scheming nalgene? What's going on?

Also, here is my brown alps videowriter
(Attachment Link)

Didn't know brown alps came in anything other than IBM 5140s. How much was it if you don't mind me asking? I'd love a cheaper way to get brown alps.

Today I learned: Brown Alps aren't limited to IBM 5140s and the other boards listed here.

Some early 80s Texas Instruments keyboards had either tactile or linear brown Alps as well.

It is starting to seem like the Xerox 6085 keyboards, an older brother to the Xerox Docutech (for tactile green Alps) keyboards have brown tactile Alps as well.

There's a brown tactile TI keyboard on TaoBao right now. It's got a good portion of its caps broken off, so you'll have to perform some surgery to get them out of the Alps sliders and who knows what state the switches are in, but you would get around 100 of them. Cheap price if not for EMS shipping.



https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.127.hv3oyU&id=526983266788&ns=1&abbucket=20#detail

Also note the strange cap profile. Is that a match to the AEK profile I wonder? Very nice, but disgusting yellow, condition in general, and the F and J keys have the oddest kind of home row indentifiers ever.