Two questions:
1. FrankenAlps. Is there a post somewhere of a systematic comparison of swapping parts among Alps and Alps clones (such as Monterey and Matias)? It would be useful to know which swaps are possible, which are not possible, and people's impressions of the results.
At this time, I am mostly interested in swaps that are possible among switches that are still soldered in place. Switches available to me include the following varieties of Alps and Alps clones: black, blue, brown, cream damped, cream undamped green, Matias Click, Matias Quiet, Monterey blue, orange, salmon, white.
For example, what are some ways of generating a "ghetto blue" by swapping parts into white Alps that are already soldered into a keyboard? (So that the bottom housing and switchplate of the white Alps would have to stay put, but the slider and tactile/click leaf could be exchanged, and in some cases, the spring and top housing might be swapped out). (I have found that blue springs are shorter than white springs, for example).
2. RattlyAlps. This is a crazy OCD first-world-problem sort of question, but what factors determine the amount of noise from lightly brushing one's fingertips horizontally along a row of keys on an Alps (or other type) of keyboard? I notice that my KBP V60 with Matias Click switches is very noisy in this regard, as is my Focus 2001 with white Alps. Keyboards that are substantially quieter when doing this maneuver include my Leading Edge with blue Alps, Northgate Omnikey 101 with white Alps, and KBP V60 with Matias Quiet switches. Although it is not an Alps board, the quietest keyboard in this test thus far is my HHKB with 45g Topre switches that has been lubed and fitted with Silencing Rings. At first, I thought that a higher noise level correlated with the type of switch and the degree of wobble, but it seems to be a complex function of many variables, including the overall build quality/solidity of the keyboard. Looks like I might have answered my own question, but I would be interested in seeing other people's views on this.