Author Topic: Alps Appreciation Thread  (Read 2435577 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Acereconkeys

  • Posts: 498
  • Location: West Coast US of A
  • Happiness = life - expectations
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6050 on: Sat, 19 May 2018, 22:32:59 »
What bout the keycaps? Alps blanks?
TMO50 | Jane V2 CE Incoming | Realforce 87u 55g | Aergo

Aergo design and build log: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=103681.msg2840918#msg2840918

Offline Delirious

  • Posts: 322
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6051 on: Sat, 19 May 2018, 22:39:53 »
What bout the keycaps? Alps blanks?

The caps are from Apple Extended Keyboard, a friend of mine helped me sandblasted the caps. They're dye subbed after all, he also sandblasted some OG doubleshots for me as well.

Offline waldorf120

  • Posts: 51
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6052 on: Mon, 21 May 2018, 13:01:11 »


Alps artisan alert!  Just saw on mechmarket that Clackeys is selling some Alps artisans based on the Cacodemons from the Doom franchise.  They're $50 for painted ones but only $20 for unpainted and they come in both horizontal and vertical Alps mount!
« Last Edit: Mon, 21 May 2018, 13:02:44 by waldorf120 »

Offline ag36

  • Posts: 179
  • Location: London, UK
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6053 on: Sun, 03 June 2018, 19:44:21 »
Been using aekii keycaps on matias click, the sound and bottoming out feel just so...satisfying. Quiet click with taihao doubleshot abs is quiet good too.
Model M*5, SSK*4, M13 black*1, Model F XT*1, AT*1 F107*1, Unicomp*1, 3278 *1, Leopold FC750R*2, 980M*2 FC980C*1 Filco majestouch 2 TKL*1, Cooler Master MasterKeys S PBT*1, Uniqey Q100*2, Ducky pocket*1, KBD75*2, KBD19X*2, HHKB pro 2*1, Type-S*1 Topre Realforce RGB*1, 108 all 30g*1, numpad*1, 87U*1 Dell AT101W*2, Alps64*2, V80 matias quiet click*2, Quiet liner *1, WYSE ASCII *1

Offline Blaise170

  • * Esteemed Elder
  • Posts: 1332
  • Location: Boston, MA
  • ALPS キーボード
    • XYZ
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6054 on: Wed, 06 June 2018, 09:19:02 »
Does anyone know the exact weight (not estimate) of a single Alps switch?
I proxy anything including keyboards (キーボード / 鍵盤), from both Japan (日本) and China (中國). For more information, you may visit my dedicated webpage here: https://www.keyboards.es/proxying.html

View my current and past keyboards here: https://deskthority.net/wiki/User:Blaise170

Offline chyros

  • a.k.a. Thomas
  • * Esteemed Elder
  • Posts: 3475
  • Location: The Netherlands
  • Hello and welcome.
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6055 on: Wed, 06 June 2018, 09:44:46 »
Does anyone know the exact weight (not estimate) of a single Alps switch?
Which variety? :p I imagine it's different per switch type.
Check my keyboard video reviews:


Offline Blaise170

  • * Esteemed Elder
  • Posts: 1332
  • Location: Boston, MA
  • ALPS キーボード
    • XYZ
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6056 on: Wed, 06 June 2018, 10:36:29 »
Does anyone know the exact weight (not estimate) of a single Alps switch?
Which variety? :p I imagine it's different per switch type.

Specifically SKCL, but I would imagine SKCM would be nearly identical.
I proxy anything including keyboards (キーボード / 鍵盤), from both Japan (日本) and China (中國). For more information, you may visit my dedicated webpage here: https://www.keyboards.es/proxying.html

View my current and past keyboards here: https://deskthority.net/wiki/User:Blaise170

Offline _ODIN_

  • Posts: 629
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6057 on: Fri, 15 June 2018, 17:18:42 »
Hello guys

just a quick question. Which switches does the apple A2S4000 use?

Thanks

Offline rich1051414

  • Posts: 353
  • Location: Decaturville, TN
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6058 on: Fri, 15 June 2018, 19:24:06 »
Hello guys

just a quick question. Which switches does the apple A2S4000 use?

Thanks
Either Apple hairpin spring or Alps SKCM Orange, afaik.
The older apple IIc's had hairpin spring switches, the later ones had skcm orange.
Siig Minitouch with Orange Alps, Whitefox 60% Zealios 67g, Realforce 87U 55g Topre, LFK SMK/Alps TKL With SMK 2nd Gen Cherry MX mount switches, NEC APC-H412 NEC Blue Ovals, Unicomp Model-M Spacesaver, XMIT Hall Effect, WASD Code Cherry MX Clear, KBDFans75 Lubed Gateron Greens, Azio MGK L80 Kailh Brown, XD84 Pale Blue Box Kailh, NIB Pingmaster TMK Converted, KPrepublic XD96 Blue aluminum case with Jade Box Kailh

Offline kakan

  • Posts: 46
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6059 on: Sat, 16 June 2018, 04:43:28 »
Hello guys

just a quick question. Which switches does the apple A2S4000 use?

Thanks
Either Apple hairpin spring or Alps SKCM Orange, afaik.
The older apple IIc's had hairpin spring switches, the later ones had skcm orange.

Some also had amber SKCM switches.

Offline _ODIN_

  • Posts: 629
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6060 on: Sat, 16 June 2018, 04:45:23 »
Hello guys

just a quick question. Which switches does the apple A2S4000 use?

Thanks
Either Apple hairpin spring or Alps SKCM Orange, afaik.
The older apple IIc's had hairpin spring switches, the later ones had skcm orange.

Some also had amber SKCM switches.
I saw a good offer on my local ebay but I don’t know which switches are in it  :mad:

Offline MandrewDavis

  • Posts: 461
  • Location: Fl
  • Chasin' That Neon Rainbow
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6061 on: Thu, 21 June 2018, 17:37:35 »
Some of you may remember the NOS Blue Alps keyboard I found a few years ago.  Orihalcon tried hard to help me with the Soarer's converter but there was nothing but error codes.  I messaged the owner of the only other documented K-430 on the internet and he said that he could only get it to work with a certain Compaq computer but once that died, he gave to a collector. Even though this is simply a unique Chicony 5160 variant with arrow keys, there is some charm to its yellowing and status as a 30-year-old NOS keyboard which made it worth the work.

I would love for everyone to check out the buildlog but here is a preview of the end product - The same pictures are in the Imgur album here.

More



Often regarded among the best keyboard switches ever made, blue Alps were manufactured in the late 1980s by Alps Electric. I started looking for blue Alps switches (about two years ago in the summer of 2016 before prices skyrocketed) and soon found this keyboard on a one-day eBay auction of which, I was the only bidder.




The only record of this mysterious Copam K-430 model on the internet was from a user GH user who got rid of it due to the non-standard protocol. With such little documentation, I wasn't 100 percent sure it actually had blue Alps but took a chance since it was NOS and still in original packaging.




It indeed contained Blue Alps! The keyboard felt great to type on but using my DIN-5 AT/XT Soarer's converter, it yielded nothing but error codes.




After sitting in my closet for almost a year, I decided this yellowed dinosaur was worth teaching myself KiCad in order to design a PCB that supports press-fit TE Connectivity Holtite sockets.  Other benefits include full reprogrammability, native USB compatibility and less stress on the delicate switch legs due to the heat that comes with soldering and de-soldering - should I decide to swap them out




Most modern keyboards follow the widely adopted IBM spacing standard of 0.75” or 19.05mm from center-to-center of each (1 unit) key.  The difficult part was determining the spacing from the function keys and numpad area to the middle portion.  Really wanted to get it right the first time.




After bit of measuring, I was able to determine the additional spacing of ~9.5mm amounting to the equivalent separation of 1.5 units or 28.575mm.




'Measuring' where the new lock LEDs should be located to line up with the lock light windows.
(Picture for illustrative purposes)




The 8134-HC-8Px Holtite connector spec-sheet recommends a mounting hole diameter of 2.08mm ±0.05mm so I had a friend send a prototype PCB to test a few different drill sizes.  I settled on 2.00mm, but in retrospect I should have chosen 2.05mm.




Using KiCad's Footprint Editor, a footprint was created for each switch using retooled Alps specification sheets from Matias and widening the drill size.  The footprints for diodes, resistors and LEDs were taken from the default KiCad library.




For the brain of this project, I selected the PJRC Teensy++ 2.0 as it utilizes the AT90USB1286 chip and has more EEPROM and I/O compared to ATmega32U4 in the Teensy 2.0. The extra pins will be able to accommodate a 5 x 21 matrix rather than something like a 9 x 10.




The first step in KiCad was creating the component schematic in Eeschema. Each switch, diode, and resistor is laid out and routed accordingly.  Eeschema is also used for associating the individual component drawings with their corresponding PCB footprints.  The resulting .net file will be imported into Pcbnew.




Importing the .net file from Eeschema will create ratsnest lines that indicate the necessary path of each trace.




In KiCad, custom grid spacing of 19.05mm divided by 8 was used to place each switch and diode footprint. Before I started routing traces, a basic 2D .dxf file was drawn up in AutoCAD then superimposed to double check my switch spacing.




Provisions were also made so the USB cable would be secured, and Bluetooth could be added in the future.  Later, I came across very similar keyboards presumably manufactured by the same Chicony OEM, so additional support was added to accommodate their slightly different bottom rows.




Very happy with how my manually routed traces came out as the automatic tool was a tad messy.  The red traces correspond with the top layer and the green traces correspond with the back layer.
I also knew the Teensy would be removed and reinstalled periodically during testing, so its footprint was modified to use smaller Holtite sockets.




PCBs arrived, the yellow solder mask was chosen since it seemed more fitting for this retrofit project than something like blue or red.




All 89 SMD 1n4148 diodes soldered in and tested with a multimeter to ensure they are all orientated correctly.




Installation of smaller TE Holtite sockets to make the Teensy++ 2.0 hotswappable.




LED SIP sockets soldered in for the lock lights. I chose these since the LED height inside the case can be adjusted by just clipping the legs.




Thankfully there were only three 805 SMD resistors to solder in, I didn’t realize they were so small.  Should have chosen a lower resistance than 1k Ohm because the stock LEDs were too dim.




I designed the PCB with the possibly of a detachable cable in mind, but it would have required hacking up the case. It was soldered in anyway and later on in the build, this ended up working out.




Beginning the socket installation with the number pad area, you can see a few lifted pads. This happened less frequently as time went on.




The heat applied from the soldering iron has discolored the area around the solder pads.  They fit very snug and illustrates the main reason why a 2.05mm drill size would have been better choice.




In preparation to desolder the switches, all keycaps were removed.




Adding fresh 63-37 rosin core solder to loosen up what had been sitting for nearly 30 years.




The Japanse-made Engineer solder-sucker is very strong and it's great that the silicon tip can touch the iron directly for better suction.




Desoldering the LEDs




she gone




All the switch legs have been desoldered so that the original PCB can simply be peeled back and separated.




GREAT SUCCESS!




Peeling the PCB back in that manor allows the switches to removed from the rear so the clips aren't damaged.




Test fit.  The original PCB had only one side etched with small pieces of wire used to jump traces. Highlighted are the screw holes I did not notice during the design phase and needed to be drilled out to help secure the plate to the PCB.




The two screw holes were done with a hand drill.  Luckily there were no traces running through those locations.




This took forever.




Pressing in the TE holtite sockets using a soldering iron. I found that using a conical, B-shape tip that is set to around 275º C in short periods can help any prevent pads from lifting.




At this point, everything was assembled with the plate screwed to the pcb, switches installed and sockets pressed into place.  The lifted traces were easily fixed by bridging the columns with some wire.




Building the TMK firmware. In these two pictures we are defining the rows, columns, and their corresponding I/O pins on the Teensy.




When a switch is pressed, this diode matrix will tell the controller of the input location using coordinates of the two electrical signals.




Defining the keymap and function layers using the designated TMK keycodes. For me, the ability to remap each key is the biggest benefit of this retrofit. The ACTION_LAYER_TAP_KEY allows the down arrow key to act normally when tapped, but accesses the function layer when held.




Writing the code for the lock LEDs was the most frustrating part of this entire process. Both the switch matrix and keymap worked flawlessly after flashing the first .hex file though it took many more tries before the LEDs behaved as desired.  Commented out at the bottom is the function written to keep the lock LEDs from turning on while the computer is in sleep mode.




It’s alive! Each component now sits in its rightful place and functions as it should.  I used it as pictured for a few days and boxed it up.  Using a generic black USB cable while I had the hefty original coiled cable sitting around started to bother me.




After a few months, I decided to finish this project up for good. The internal connector was cut off and each wire was soldered to the corresponding wire of the USB cable then heatshrinked.




This project box with a panel mount 5-pin AT/XT socket allows the use of the original connector and passively changes the interface, not the protocol. It usually sits out of sight behind my computer.




There is a plastic trim piece that covered the large hole where original cable connector had to fit through the case.  Its clip broke when I initially took it apart but the mini-USB just happens to keep the piece perfectly in place.




In order to flash the .hex file, there is a reset button on the Teensy that puts it into bootloader mode. What didn't occur to me, was that once the top is screwed on, the button would no longer be accessible.  I wired this switch (that was originally intended for Bluetooth) to the reset pin on the Teensy.




The goal was always to modify this keyboard as little as possible. A discreet hole was made under one of the case feet to access the external reset switch for flashing new keymaps.




The switch feel of Blue Alps can truly be appreciated now that the keyboard is operational. Though, the inability to remap backspace to where the backslash sits on a normal ANSI board is a bummer and I'm not yet sure if I prefer them to SKCM Amber. Regardless, it was very rewarding to see this project through and save a rather unique board which others would have certainly harvested the switches from then discarded. Big thanks to the community members that checked my PCB schematic and I hope you enjoyed the read!
« Last Edit: Thu, 21 June 2018, 22:03:40 by MandrewDavis »
I've come to view humanity as predominantly monkey business.

My Classifieds Thread

Offline romevi

  • Formerly romevi
  • * Exalted Elder
  • Posts: 8941
  • Location: The Windy City
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6062 on: Thu, 21 June 2018, 18:15:15 »
Holy blog post, Nightcrawler.

Offline Acereconkeys

  • Posts: 498
  • Location: West Coast US of A
  • Happiness = life - expectations
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6063 on: Thu, 21 June 2018, 21:16:57 »
Some of you may remember the NOS Blue Alps keyboard I found a few years ago.  Orihalcon tried hard to help me with the Soarer's converter but there was nothing but error codes.  I messaged the owner of the only other documented K-430 on the internet and he said that he could only get it to work with a certain Compaq computer but once that died, he gave to a collector. Even though this is simply a unique Chicony 5160 variant with arrow keys, there is some charm to its yellowing and status as a 30-year-old NOS keyboard which made it worth the work.

I would love for everyone to check out the buildlog but here is a preview of the end product - The same pictures are in the Imgur album here.

More

Show Image


Often regarded among the best keyboard switches ever made, blue Alps were manufactured in the late 1980s by Alps Electric. I started looking for blue Alps switches (about two years ago in the summer of 2016 before prices skyrocketed) and soon found this keyboard on a one-day eBay auction of which, I was the only bidder.


Show Image


The only record of this mysterious Copam K-430 model on the internet was from a user GH user who got rid of it due to the non-standard protocol. With such little documentation, I wasn't 100 percent sure it actually had blue Alps but took a chance since it was NOS and still in original packaging.


Show Image


It indeed contained Blue Alps! The keyboard felt great to type on but using my DIN-5 AT/XT Soarer's converter, it yielded nothing but error codes.


Show Image


After sitting in my closet for almost a year, I decided this yellowed dinosaur was worth teaching myself KiCad in order to design a PCB that supports press-fit TE Connectivity Holtite sockets.  Other benefits include full reprogrammability, native USB compatibility and less stress on the delicate switch legs due to the heat that comes with soldering and de-soldering - should I decide to swap them out


Show Image


Most modern keyboards follow the widely adopted IBM spacing standard of 0.75” or 19.05mm from center-to-center of each (1 unit) key.  The difficult part was determining the spacing from the function keys and numpad area to the middle portion.  Really wanted to get it right the first time.


Show Image


After bit of measuring, I was able to determine the additional spacing of ~9.5mm amounting to the equivalent separation of 1.5 units or 28.575mm.


Show Image


'Measuring' where the new lock LEDs should be located to line up with the lock light windows.
(Picture for illustrative purposes)


Show Image


The 8134-HC-8Px Holtite connector spec-sheet recommends a mounting hole diameter of 2.08mm ±0.05mm so I had a friend send a prototype PCB to test a few different drill sizes.  I settled on 2.00mm, but in retrospect I should have chosen 2.05mm.


Show Image


Using KiCad's Footprint Editor, a footprint was created for each switch using retooled Alps specification sheets from Matias and widening the drill size.  The footprints for diodes, resistors and LEDs were taken from the default KiCad library.


Show Image


For the brain of this project, I selected the PJRC Teensy++ 2.0 as it utilizes the AT90USB1286 chip and has more EEPROM and I/O compared to ATmega32U4 in the Teensy 2.0. The extra pins will be able to accommodate a 5 x 21 matrix rather than something like a 9 x 10.


Show Image


The first step in KiCad was creating the component schematic in Eeschema. Each switch, diode, and resistor is laid out and routed accordingly.  Eeschema is also used for associating the individual component drawings with their corresponding PCB footprints.  The resulting .net file will be imported into Pcbnew.


Show Image


Importing the .net file from Eeschema will create ratsnest lines that indicate the necessary path of each trace.


Show Image


In KiCad, custom grid spacing of 19.05mm divided by 8 was used to place each switch and diode footprint. Before I started routing traces, a basic 2D .dxf file was drawn up in AutoCAD then superimposed to double check my switch spacing.


Show Image


Provisions were also made so the USB cable would be secured, and Bluetooth could be added in the future.  Later, I came across very similar keyboards presumably manufactured by the same Chicony OEM, so additional support was added to accommodate their slightly different bottom rows.


Show Image


Very happy with how my manually routed traces came out as the automatic tool was a tad messy.  The red traces correspond with the top layer and the green traces correspond with the back layer.
I also knew the Teensy would be removed and reinstalled periodically during testing, so its footprint was modified to use smaller Holtite sockets.


Show Image


PCBs arrived, the yellow solder mask was chosen since it seemed more fitting for this retrofit project than something like blue or red.


Show Image


All 89 SMD 1n4148 diodes soldered in and tested with a multimeter to ensure they are all orientated correctly.


Show Image


Installation of smaller TE Holtite sockets to make the Teensy++ 2.0 hotswappable.


Show Image


LED SIP sockets soldered in for the lock lights. I chose these since the LED height inside the case can be adjusted by just clipping the legs.


Show Image


Thankfully there were only three 805 SMD resistors to solder in, I didn’t realize they were so small.  Should have chosen a lower resistance than 1k Ohm because the stock LEDs were too dim.


Show Image


I designed the PCB with the possibly of a detachable cable in mind, but it would have required hacking up the case. It was soldered in anyway and later on in the build, this ended up working out.


Show Image


Pressing in the TE holtite sockets using a soldering iron. I found that using a conical, B-shape tip that is set to around 275º C in short periods can help any prevent pads from lifting.


Show Image


Beginning the socket installation with the number pad area, you can see a few lifted pads. This happened less frequently as time went on.


Show Image


The heat applied from the soldering iron has discolored the area around the solder pads.  They fit very snug and illustrates the main reason why a 2.05mm drill size would have been better choice.


Show Image


In preparation to desolder the switches, all keycaps were removed.


Show Image


Adding fresh 63-37 rosin core solder to loosen up what had been sitting for nearly 30 years.


Show Image


The Japanse-made Engineer solder-sucker is very strong and it's great that the silicon tip can touch the iron directly for better suction.


Show Image


Desoldering the LEDs


Show Image


she gone


Show Image


All the switch legs have been desoldered so that the original PCB can simply be peeled back and separated.


Show Image


GREAT SUCCESS!


Show Image


Peeling the PCB back in that manor allows the switches to removed from the rear so the clips aren't damaged.


Show Image


Test fit.  The original PCB had only one side etched with small pieces of wire used to jump traces. Highlighted are the screw holes I did not notice during the design phase and needed to be drilled out to help secure the plate to the PCB.


Show Image


The two screw holes were done with a hand drill.  Luckily there were no traces running through those locations.


Show Image


This took forever.


Show Image


At this point, everything was assembled with the plate screwed in and socket installation finished.  The lifted traces were easily fixed by bridging the columns with some wire.


Show Image


Building the TMK firmware. In these two pictures we are defining the rows, columns, and their corresponding I/O pins on the Teensy.


Show Image


When a switch is pressed, this diode matrix will tell the controller of the input location using coordinates of the two electrical signals.


Show Image


Defining the keymap and function layers using the designated TMK keycodes. For me, the ability to remap each key is the biggest benefit of this retrofit. The ACTION_LAYER_TAP_KEY allows the down arrow key to act normally when tapped, but accesses the function layer when held.


Show Image


Writing the code for the lock LEDs was the most frustrating part of this entire process. Both the switch matrix and keymap worked flawlessly after flashing the first .hex file though it took many more tries before the LEDs behaved as desired.  Commented out at the bottom is the function written to keep the lock LEDs from turning on while the computer is in sleep mode.


Show Image


It’s alive! Each component now sits in its rightful place and functions as it should.  I used it as pictured for a few days and boxed it up.  Using a generic black USB cable while I had the hefty original coiled cable sitting around started to bother me.


Show Image


After a few months, I decided to finish this project up for good. The internal connector was cut off and each wire was soldered to the corresponding wire of the USB cable then heatshrinked.


Show Image


This project box with a panel mount 5-pin AT/XT socket allows the use of the original connector and passively changes the interface, not the protocol. It usually sits out of sight behind my computer.


Show Image


There is a plastic trim piece that covered the large hole where original cable connector had to fit through the case.  Its clip broke when I initially took it apart but the mini-USB just happens to keep the piece perfectly in place.


Show Image


In order to flash the .hex file, there is a reset button on the Teensy that puts it into bootloader mode. What didn't occur to me, was that once the top is screwed on, the button would no longer be accessible.  I wired this switch (that was originally intended for Bluetooth) to the reset pin on the Teensy.


Show Image


The goal was always to modify this keyboard as little as possible. A discreet hole was made under one of the case feet to access the external reset switch for flashing new keymaps.


Show Image


The switch feel of Blue Alps can truly be appreciated now that the keyboard is operational. Though, the inability to remap backspace to where the backslash sits on a normal ANSI board is a bummer and I'm not yet sure if I prefer them to SKCM Amber. Regardless, it was very rewarding to see this project through and save a rather unique board which others would have certainly harvested the switches from then discarded. Big thanks to the community members that checked my PCB schematic and I hope you enjoyed the read!

What an absolutely beautiful board. Great layout and it's awesome you chose to keep it all together instead of tearing the switches out.

Nice job!
TMO50 | Jane V2 CE Incoming | Realforce 87u 55g | Aergo

Aergo design and build log: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=103681.msg2840918#msg2840918

Offline sncbraxsc2

  • Posts: 367
  • Location: Florida
  • ⭐Domesticated Dweeb⭐
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6064 on: Sat, 25 August 2018, 17:39:52 »
Has anyone ever gotten an exact measurement on the weight of skcl cream?

Right now I'm trying out (skcm) Cream Damped vs Cream Un-Damped vs Linearized Cream Damped vs Linearized Cream Un-Damped

Offline sncbraxsc2

  • Posts: 367
  • Location: Florida
  • ⭐Domesticated Dweeb⭐
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6065 on: Sat, 25 August 2018, 22:49:22 »
I did a sound comparison of all the SKCM Cream Damped modifications I could think of. It isn't HQ but you should be able to get the idea.


F8   - Cream Undamped - The sound and bottom out feel is very similar to SKCM Black but the tactility is essentially the same
F9   - Linearized Cream Damped - very quiet - the familiar smack of the cream damped upstroke is greatly reduced
F10 - Linearized Cream Undamped - plenty of clack on the down and uptstroke
F11 - Click Modded Cream Damped - click on the downstroke, smack of the damped upstroke (as a fan of clickies, this one is my favorite)
F12 - Click Modded Cream Undamped - loud click and bottom out

Its nice to have a switch that is so easily modified to various sounds and feels. I'm not sure which variation I'd prefer to use on a whole board but leaning toward linear undamped or clicky damped(decided on this). I love the chatter. I definitely can see why the click mod is most popular with this switch, though.
« Last Edit: Sun, 26 August 2018, 10:04:47 by sncbraxsc2 »

Offline Hypersphere

  • Posts: 1886
  • Location: USA
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6066 on: Sat, 08 September 2018, 14:55:17 »
F11 (Click-modded Cream, damped) sounds the best to me. It's nice that Alps switches can be "top-modded" relatively easily. I have enjoyed making a number of Alps hybrids, including a Northgate 101 White (pine) Alps with Orange Alps sliders and springs, and a KBP V60 Matias Click with Blue Alps sliders, springs and click leaves.

Offline NBAPwns13

  • Posts: 1
  • Location: Toronto, Canada
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6067 on: Wed, 19 September 2018, 13:18:44 »
Hey guys, New to this forum, and just discovered alp switches. While cleaning my AEK i noticed that 1 switch was making clicky sounds instead of the normal orange alp sounds. I came to the conclusion that the slider is the problem. I tried switching the tactile leaf, housing, and spring, but once i changed the slider everything came back to normal.
I noticed a small tiny micro scratch on the slider. Could it be that this is the problem? I haven't lubed my switches yet but i plan to and i ordered some dry lube on amazon. Is there a fix to this? so far i can't find any solution and when turning over the slider to its flat side facing the switch plate, the sound is gone but i heard that's not the orientation its suppose to be and i notice that it feels more heavier and uneven compared to how its suppose to be oriented. Any help is appreciated! Thanks

Here is the picture album of the slider itself - https://imgur.com/a/tNnT0uo



Offline abrahamstechnology

  • Posts: 210
  • Location: USA
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6068 on: Wed, 19 September 2018, 17:08:02 »
Hey guys, New to this forum, and just discovered alp switches. While cleaning my AEK i noticed that 1 switch was making clicky sounds instead of the normal orange alp sounds. I came to the conclusion that the slider is the problem. I tried switching the tactile leaf, housing, and spring, but once i changed the slider everything came back to normal.
I noticed a small tiny micro scratch on the slider. Could it be that this is the problem? I haven't lubed my switches yet but i plan to and i ordered some dry lube on amazon. Is there a fix to this? so far i can't find any solution and when turning over the slider to its flat side facing the switch plate, the sound is gone but i heard that's not the orientation its suppose to be and i notice that it feels more heavier and uneven compared to how its suppose to be oriented. Any help is appreciated! Thanks

Here is the picture album of the slider itself - https://imgur.com/a/tNnT0uo



I think your problem is the spring isn't right on the nub at the bottom center of the housing.  Try re-assembling them more carefully and make sure the spring isn't deformed.

Offline abrahamstechnology

  • Posts: 210
  • Location: USA
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6069 on: Wed, 19 September 2018, 17:50:35 »
I love AT101s.
203948-0
203950-1




Offline MandrewDavis

  • Posts: 461
  • Location: Fl
  • Chasin' That Neon Rainbow
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6070 on: Tue, 02 October 2018, 14:39:07 »
If anyone happens to be interested, I am running an interested check right now for a 65% Alpine Winter add-on kit with arrow keys.

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=97570.msg2665323#msg2665323
I've come to view humanity as predominantly monkey business.

My Classifieds Thread

Offline nevin

  • Posts: 1646
  • Location: US
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6071 on: Tue, 02 October 2018, 14:49:14 »
just got an AEKII with dampened WHITE alps. board is in decent shape, fully functional. just needs cleaned up, not too yellow.
Keeb.io Viterbi, Apple m0110, Apple m0120, Apple m0110a, Apple 658-4081, Apple M1242, Apple AEK II, MK96, GH60/Pure, Cherry g84-4100, Adesso AKP-220B, Magicforce 68

Offline babyfeets

  • Posts: 11
  • Location: IL
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6072 on: Sun, 14 October 2018, 07:31:04 »
If anybody has a microscope and a Focus FK-xxxx, I would send you $5 for a pic of the logo on the pcb. My pic is too low res to restore and vectorize and I threw out the pcb ages ago.

https://i.imgur.com/jeRaJqa.jpg

Offline chyros

  • a.k.a. Thomas
  • * Esteemed Elder
  • Posts: 3475
  • Location: The Netherlands
  • Hello and welcome.
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6073 on: Sun, 14 October 2018, 08:40:53 »
If anybody has a microscope and a Focus FK-xxxx, I would send you $5 for a pic of the logo on the pcb. My pic is too low res to restore and vectorize and I threw out the pcb ages ago.

https://i.imgur.com/jeRaJqa.jpg
Here's a picture from an FK-8000 in 5184p. No payment is needed :) . But please post a picture of the logo once you've vectorised it, someone might find it useful at some point :) .

More
Check my keyboard video reviews:


Offline babyfeets

  • Posts: 11
  • Location: IL
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6074 on: Sun, 14 October 2018, 09:20:20 »
You're my hero! I will return in several hours.

Offline babyfeets

  • Posts: 11
  • Location: IL
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6075 on: Sun, 14 October 2018, 14:33:16 »
All done and thanks Thomas for the rescue pic. This will work for my yasanthir bag but if you want a truly scalable one it might require some actual vector graphics experience, or just knowing what the font is.

Offline chyros

  • a.k.a. Thomas
  • * Esteemed Elder
  • Posts: 3475
  • Location: The Netherlands
  • Hello and welcome.
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6076 on: Sun, 14 October 2018, 16:21:38 »
Can't open that Oo .
Check my keyboard video reviews:


Offline nevin

  • Posts: 1646
  • Location: US
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6077 on: Sun, 14 October 2018, 20:25:34 »
here's a link to a folder. has babyfeets traced version in various vector formats (SVG, AI, EPS, PDF) as well as a cleaned up version that would be good for cut vinyl stickers & such (in multiple formats as well).

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dMrDWMD2rE821130LSUgHnweH3yeHRrg?usp=sharing

205408-0
Keeb.io Viterbi, Apple m0110, Apple m0120, Apple m0110a, Apple 658-4081, Apple M1242, Apple AEK II, MK96, GH60/Pure, Cherry g84-4100, Adesso AKP-220B, Magicforce 68

Offline chyros

  • a.k.a. Thomas
  • * Esteemed Elder
  • Posts: 3475
  • Location: The Netherlands
  • Hello and welcome.
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6078 on: Mon, 15 October 2018, 00:35:28 »
Noice, thanks! :)
Check my keyboard video reviews:


Offline nevin

  • Posts: 1646
  • Location: US
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6079 on: Mon, 15 October 2018, 02:27:59 »
Noice, thanks! :)

why is everybody out of ice lately? :))
Keeb.io Viterbi, Apple m0110, Apple m0120, Apple m0110a, Apple 658-4081, Apple M1242, Apple AEK II, MK96, GH60/Pure, Cherry g84-4100, Adesso AKP-220B, Magicforce 68

Offline sharkka

  • Posts: 1
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6080 on: Sat, 03 November 2018, 02:36:40 »
SGI, I replace old switches with ALPS white switches


Offline monteyalps

  • Posts: 43
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6081 on: Sat, 03 November 2018, 14:16:01 »
My NIB Minitouch and KB-5181 together looking like father and son  :))




Also put most of the doubleshots from the KB-5181 on the Minitouch. Feels 10x better being that my only complaint with this board was the keycaps. The KB-5181 has monterey blues and the Minitouch has ivory whites (everyone hates them but I ****ing love them, but not as much as the montereys).

Offline LightningXI

  • * Elevated Elder
  • Posts: 4280
  • Location: New York
  • PPD
    • ArtisanMacro
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6082 on: Sun, 04 November 2018, 04:04:59 »
My NIB Minitouch and KB-5181 together looking like father and son  :))

Show Image

Show Image


Also put most of the doubleshots from the KB-5181 on the Minitouch. Feels 10x better being that my only complaint with this board was the keycaps. The KB-5181 has monterey blues and the Minitouch has ivory whites (everyone hates them but I ****ing love them, but not as much as the montereys).
Mmmmm Monterey Blues are great..

Sent from my mobile using Tapatalk


Offline abrahamstechnology

  • Posts: 210
  • Location: USA
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6083 on: Fri, 04 January 2019, 13:32:20 »

Offline pixelpusher

  • * Elevated Elder
  • Posts: 4179
  • Location: Tennessee - USA
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6084 on: Fri, 04 January 2019, 16:47:11 »
Picked up my first blue alps board today on eBay.  Can’t wait to get my fingers on it.  :)

Offline abrahamstechnology

  • Posts: 210
  • Location: USA
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6085 on: Mon, 07 January 2019, 10:09:40 »
How come hardly here is interested in Alps switches anymore? 

Offline PerniciousPony

  • Posts: 93
  • Location: 37th dead world
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6086 on: Mon, 07 January 2019, 10:22:28 »
Here's my SMK Clueboard  ;D

Built with monterey blues and a few mx mount smk white's for artisans.


Offline pixelpusher

  • * Elevated Elder
  • Posts: 4179
  • Location: Tennessee - USA
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6087 on: Mon, 07 January 2019, 10:35:37 »
Very cool.

Offline chyros

  • a.k.a. Thomas
  • * Esteemed Elder
  • Posts: 3475
  • Location: The Netherlands
  • Hello and welcome.
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6088 on: Mon, 07 January 2019, 13:19:36 »
Picked up my first blue alps board today on eBay.  Can’t wait to get my fingers on it.  :)
Noice! Which model did you get? :)
Check my keyboard video reviews:


Offline pixelpusher

  • * Elevated Elder
  • Posts: 4179
  • Location: Tennessee - USA
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6089 on: Mon, 07 January 2019, 13:38:58 »
Picked up my first blue alps board today on eBay.  Can’t wait to get my fingers on it.  :)
Noice! Which model did you get? :)


It’s a leading edge DC-2104

Offline LightningXI

  • * Elevated Elder
  • Posts: 4280
  • Location: New York
  • PPD
    • ArtisanMacro
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6090 on: Mon, 07 January 2019, 17:25:11 »
How come hardly here is interested in Alps switches anymore? 

There are folks who appreciate Alps -- it's just that people haven't ventured enough to post on here.

Alps are still quite popular.

Some setups I've done before or have now.








Offline macclack

  • Posts: 501
  • Location: San Diego, CA
    • Macclack
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6091 on: Mon, 07 January 2019, 17:37:42 »
How come hardly here is interested in Alps switches anymore? 

There are folks who appreciate Alps -- it's just that people haven't ventured enough to post on here.

Alps are still quite popular.

Some setups I've done before or have now.

Show Image


Show Image


Show Image


Show Image


Agreed. A lot of us are lurkers or just use old Alps boards with no modifications, etc (I fall into both categories). Is that first board a Revo One? That thing is gorgeous.

Offline LightningXI

  • * Elevated Elder
  • Posts: 4280
  • Location: New York
  • PPD
    • ArtisanMacro
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6092 on: Mon, 07 January 2019, 17:40:02 »
Is that first board a Revo One? That thing is gorgeous.

Yes, it is! Revo One with the Hasu64 PCB and built in the AEK ANSI layout with SKCM Salmons. As far as a tray-mount case goes, it's a gorgeous white, and I got lucky with a very clean enamel finish on it.

Offline ArchDill

  • * Esteemed Elder
  • Posts: 1380
  • Location: OK
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6093 on: Mon, 07 January 2019, 17:42:31 »
How come hardly here is interested in Alps switches anymore? 

There are folks who appreciate Alps -- it's just that people haven't ventured enough to post on here.

Alps are still quite popular.

Some setups I've done before or have now.

Show Image


Show Image


Show Image


Show Image


I have always wanted to try Alps but layout options have prohibited me from it.

I had NO IDEA that you could do a split right shift. Is split right shift and split BS possible? If so, how hard would it be to find the keycaps?

Offline macclack

  • Posts: 501
  • Location: San Diego, CA
    • Macclack
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6094 on: Mon, 07 January 2019, 17:43:56 »
Here's my SMK Clueboard  ;D

Built with monterey blues and a few mx mount smk white's for artisans.

Show Image


This is so great. Always loved the OG orange one.  Really makes me want to convert my Clueboard over to Alps.

Offline LightningXI

  • * Elevated Elder
  • Posts: 4280
  • Location: New York
  • PPD
    • ArtisanMacro
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6095 on: Mon, 07 January 2019, 17:46:02 »
I have always wanted to try Alps but layout options have prohibited me from it.

I had NO IDEA that you could do a split right shift. Is split right shift and split BS possible? If so, how hard would it be to find the keycaps?

Ask around, split right shift is indeed doable and there's sets from which you can gather the smaller keys.

In general, though, if you want to do ANSI and split versions of long keys, you'll have to do a mix-and-match from a couple of sets. Shouldn't be terribly hard, but I understand that it's a hassle.

Split backspace could be doable as well, but you will have to settle with having incongruent legends, however.


Offline PerniciousPony

  • Posts: 93
  • Location: 37th dead world
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6096 on: Mon, 07 January 2019, 17:48:28 »
Here's my SMK Clueboard  ;D

Built with monterey blues and a few mx mount smk white's for artisans.

Show Image


This is so great. Always loved the OG orange one.  Really makes me want to convert my Clueboard over to Alps.

Unfortunately, you can’t use SKCM/SKCL Alps with the aluminum clueboards as they are technically only mx compatible. The reason I was able to use SMK switches is because they utilize the same plate cutout as mx switches. Additionally, DCS keycaps use mx stabilizers which allowed me to use cherry PCB mount stabs which is what the board natively supports. As far as I know, it isn’t possible to get any other stabilizers to work with this board.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Offline macclack

  • Posts: 501
  • Location: San Diego, CA
    • Macclack
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6097 on: Mon, 07 January 2019, 18:09:10 »
Here's my SMK Clueboard  ;D

Built with monterey blues and a few mx mount smk white's for artisans.

Show Image


This is so great. Always loved the OG orange one.  Really makes me want to convert my Clueboard over to Alps.

Unfortunately, you can’t use SKCM/SKCL Alps with the aluminum clueboards as they are technically only mx compatible. The reason I was able to use SMK switches is because they utilize the same plate cutout as mx switches. Additionally, DCS keycaps use mx stabilizers which allowed me to use cherry PCB mount stabs which is what the board natively supports. As far as I know, it isn’t possible to get any other stabilizers to work with this board.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

OK that's right. I think the PCB supports Alps, but the plate doesn't, correct?

Offline abrahamstechnology

  • Posts: 210
  • Location: USA
Re: Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6098 on: Mon, 07 January 2019, 18:34:27 »
A lot of us are lurkers or just use old Alps boards with no modifications, etc (I fall into both categories).
Glad to hear someone here isn't hacking up or (unsustainably) harvesting vintage keyboards.

Offline PerniciousPony

  • Posts: 93
  • Location: 37th dead world
Alps Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6099 on: Mon, 07 January 2019, 18:36:44 »
Here's my SMK Clueboard  ;D

Built with monterey blues and a few mx mount smk white's for artisans.

Show Image


This is so great. Always loved the OG orange one.  Really makes me want to convert my Clueboard over to Alps.

Unfortunately, you can’t use SKCM/SKCL Alps with the aluminum clueboards as they are technically only mx compatible. The reason I was able to use SMK switches is because they utilize the same plate cutout as mx switches. Additionally, DCS keycaps use mx stabilizers which allowed me to use cherry PCB mount stabs which is what the board natively supports. As far as I know, it isn’t possible to get any other stabilizers to work with this board.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

OK that's right. I think the PCB supports Alps, but the plate doesn't, correct?
The PCB does support alps, but only SKCM/SKCL. The pcb doesn’t support SMK, I bent the pins into the holes on the PCB


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk