MCK-142 Pro Programmable keyboard - different types of ALPS switches

[cfishy]

Hi all,

I'm so very glad to have found this forum. Like everyone else, I am a big keyboard geek.

Today I would like to bring to your attention the MCK-142 Pro keyboard, it is sold under many different brand names. Like this one: http://www.mck142.com/

Well I have used this keyboard for quite a few years. the keys feels slightly larger than normal. I have about 4 of these over the years.

The wierd thing: one of my MCK-142s have a much lighter resistence compared to others. it clicks louder like the ALPS should, but it takes less force to move the keys. So this morning I opened two keyboards to look at the switches. On the lighter touch keyboard, the switch says ALPS on one edge, '4'  and 'G' on the other two corners. The other keyboard has ALPS on one edge and a '5' and maybe a 'C' (or could be a 'G'?) on the other two corners.

So this leads me to believe that there are different types of ALPS switches that behaves differently. Anybody know how to get these ALPS switches? I'm interested in replacing all the switches so that I would have all 4G switches in my MCK-142.

I really love the MCK-142 Pro's programmable ability and if you look around you can find it cheaper. I usually pay a bit under $100 for these over the years.

BTW, I do have keyboard collections and I'm trying to make some customizations these days, sort of like the Steampunk Keyboard.

[iMav]

There is some mention of the MCK-142 in this thread, but it hasn't been mentioned in quite a while.

Welcome to geekhack!  We'd love to see some pics of your keyboard collection.  

[Bluemercury]

Hi all,

I'm so very glad to have found this forum. Like everyone else, I am a big keyboard geek.

Today I would like to bring to your attention the MCK-142 Pro keyboard, it is sold under many different brand names. Like this one: http://www.mck142.com/

Well I have used this keyboard for quite a few years. the keys feels slightly larger than normal. I have about 4 of these over the years.

The wierd thing: one of my MCK-142s have a much lighter resistence compared to others. it clicks louder like the ALPS should, but it takes less force to move the keys. So this morning I opened two keyboards to look at the switches. On the lighter touch keyboard, the switch says ALPS on one edge, '4'  and 'G' on the other two corners. The other keyboard has ALPS on one edge and a '5' and maybe a 'C' (or could be a 'G'?) on the other two corners.

So this leads me to believe that there are different types of ALPS switches that behaves differently. Anybody know how to get these ALPS switches? I'm interested in replacing all the switches so that I would have all 4G switches in my MCK-142.

I really love the MCK-142 Pro's programmable ability and if you look around you can find it cheaper. I usually pay a bit under $100 for these over the years.

BTW, I do have keyboard collections and I'm trying to make some customizations these days, sort of like the Steampunk Keyboard.

So the same keyboard has different switches?
Anyway what color are those?

Also the price for that keyboard is anything but cheap.....

[cfishy]

There is some mention of the MCK-142 in this thread, but it hasn't been mentioned in quite a while.

Welcome to geekhack!  We'd love to see some pics of your keyboard collection.  

MCK-142 Pro, Acer accufeel clicky membrane (which maybe i should start another thread about clicky membranes? and a whole bunch of things, like northgate omnikey ultra, omnikey evolution, and recently i'm taking apart a keyboard here are the pics:

http://flickr.com/photos/20106852@N00/sets/72157604773109093/

These switches shown in pics above have ALPS logo on them. (look carefully you'd see it) it's made in March, 1992. Switches under the MCK-142 Pros looks just like these but the markings are slightly different. I'm trying to take it apart and make a mod, sort of like steampunk keyboard from the steampunk workshop.

I used to study in Purdue University where all the unwanted equipment is dumped in a warehouse where students can go buy for cheap. I would go through all the keyboards and pick the clicky ones. most of them were omnikeys. Recently a Notre Dam guy told me that they have the same type of facility for old used equipments. I last visited several years ago. they had mountainful of IBM Ms.

Ah. The good old days. I buy them for 2.50 each and sold them on ebay for $32.

I suppose I have one of the very rare split ALPS keyboard from northgate, the revolution. It's still brand new in box. in fact, I am a pack rat and I used to have a ton of keyboards in a storage but eventually couldn't afford to pay for the storage and lost all of them.

By the way, that amazon review of MCK-142 is made by me. the keys are asian layouts and I called the company a few years ago they told me that the demand is so weak that they are not making another batch of these. So I think maybe they used different switches for different batches of keyboard and I ran into one from the batch with software spring switches. I really prefer those lighter ones. they click the same way but they take less energy. Right now I'm typing on a Cherry blue at work (M10) and the resistence is a bit too much for my taste. the click is nice and light, though.

A guy on the 'net takes cherry switches apart and shorten the string and the stem to make the resistence lighter while still having a click.

[cfishy]

Here's an interesting link:

http://www3.alps.com/WebObjects/catalog.woa/E/HTML/Switch/Switch_list14.html

It's the ALPS catalog. I'm looking at them and I'm not seeing anyone exactly like the ones I saw in my keyboards.

[IBI]

My dell with black alps has diffent numbers and letters on every key but they all feel much the same.