Alps Matias Removal tool

[mrbishop]

Working title : Scorpion
Purpose: remove switch top on Alps/Matias

why?

someone suggested it and i have a CNC. bcredbottle

will they be for sale?... everything's for sale





Open source model used to create what became the tool. free to use modify lean from. just credit me 

https://grabcad.com/library/465042

[mrbishop]

reserved

[romevi]

Sí.

[piemancoder]

Much interested. Will you post the files afterwards?

[mrbishop]

more than likely

[bcredbottle]

 

[CPTBadAss]

Oooo I'm very interested. Yaaaassssssport

[njbair]

This looks cool but I'm having a hard time visualizing how big it is and how it's supposed to work.

[FrostyToast]

This looks cool but I'm having a hard time visualizing how big it is and how it's supposed to work.

The two pincers on the far right slip into the slits on the top and bottom of the Alps switches like you would normally have to use toothpicks for.
It's a much more elegant solution than any technique I have seen. I just hope it works well. The metal would have to be ground to form a relatively sharp edge.

[bcredbottle]

This looks cool but I'm having a hard time visualizing how big it is and how it's supposed to work.

like the Sandy one:

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=5187.0;nowap

[mrbishop]

please be advised that the picture attached is the premium ridiculously over engineered pre testing hype render. it will likely look quite abit different in the final revisions. but there will be pictures and status updates

switches are in route so hopefully by the end of the weekend i will have SOMETHING to show for this as well as my other projects >_> LOL

[njbair]

This looks cool but I'm having a hard time visualizing how big it is and how it's supposed to work.

like the Sandy one:

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=5187.0;nowap

Alright, I can picture it now. But don't you want something that can be squeezed like tweezers, to bite down on the upper housing once you get the clips pushed out of the way? This one, being metal, looks too rigid. Unless you saw a slot through to the ring in the middle. Then you could get some squeeze in there.

[mrbishop]

i'm going to try and design it so that as the two sides slide along the switch it holds it and assists removing it. so a one handed single motion for use in removing the top of the switch.

[mrbishop]

i'm going to try and design it so that as the two sides slide along the switch it holds it and assists removing it. so a one handed single motion for use in removing the top of the switch.

include a bump along the inner wall of the "pincers" creating additional friction so as the downward motion pushes the sides of the switch away releasing the top. the pincers also hold the top of the switch allowing the upward motion to remove it.

thats the idea anyway. may be abit of a stretch but thats what prototypes and testing is for

[FrostyToast]

I would personally prefer a two handed motion where I separate the housing pieces with the tool and I'll out with my finger. I don't trust tools that may damage the housings since my fingers can probably do the pulling action better.

That being said, you could make a scissor mechanism which may or may not be significantly more expensive depending on the design.

[nubbinator]

This looks cool but I'm having a hard time visualizing how big it is and how it's supposed to work.

like the Sandy one:

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=5187.0;nowap

Alright, I can picture it now. But don't you want something that can be squeezed like tweezers, to bite down on the upper housing once you get the clips pushed out of the way? This one, being metal, looks too rigid. Unless you saw a slot through to the ring in the middle. Then you could get some squeeze in there.

That's why the one I mocked up is designed to clip into the stem.  It should help with removal and with putting the switch back together.

[njbair]

This looks cool but I'm having a hard time visualizing how big it is and how it's supposed to work.

like the Sandy one:

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=5187.0;nowap

Alright, I can picture it now. But don't you want something that can be squeezed like tweezers, to bite down on the upper housing once you get the clips pushed out of the way? This one, being metal, looks too rigid. Unless you saw a slot through to the ring in the middle. Then you could get some squeeze in there.

That's why the one I mocked up is designed to clip into the stem.  It should help with removal and with putting the switch back together.

That's ingenious.

[mrbishop]

This looks cool but I'm having a hard time visualizing how big it is and how it's supposed to work.

like the Sandy one:

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=5187.0;nowap

Alright, I can picture it now. But don't you want something that can be squeezed like tweezers, to bite down on the upper housing once you get the clips pushed out of the way? This one, being metal, looks too rigid. Unless you saw a slot through to the ring in the middle. Then you could get some squeeze in there.

That's why the one I mocked up is designed to clip into the stem.  It should help with removal and with putting the switch back together.

oh nice design!

feel free to dump in here if you want and we will just all make one together if you want. up to you. no worries

[jbondeson]

My concern with the tool being metal would be that it would have a rather high chance of marring the switch housings due to the need of a rather snug fit to open the clamps while pulling the top half of the housing.

A more flexible tool might have better luck, which could be done by CNC'ing a negative mold to make a silicon master, and casting with a tough flexible resin (like alumilite's Flex-80). Now obviously this is quite a bit more work, but it would reduce the likelihood of damage by a good deal.

3D Printing would also potentially work, but you'd need to print with a flexible resin @0.1mm or have a SLA printer to have the requisite strength at that thin a point.

Lots of good fun designing physical things!  )

[mrbishop]

My concern with the tool being metal would be that it would have a rather high chance of marring the switch housings due to the need of a rather snug fit to open the clamps while pulling the top half of the housing.

A more flexible tool might have better luck, which could be done by CNC'ing a negative mold to make a silicon master, and casting with a tough flexible resin (like alumilite's Flex-80). Now obviously this is quite a bit more work, but it would reduce the likelihood of damage by a good deal.

3D Printing would also potentially work, but you'd need to print with a flexible resin @0.1mm or have a SLA printer to have the requisite strength at that thin a point.

Lots of good fun designing physical things!  )

i can agree with all of that.

i'll be prototyping in acrylic but that too does not flex very much.

this will be an interesting project all around i think.

[deductivemonkee]

want 

[mrbishop]

So I dont  own an Alps board. So I made one 





Next will be the extractor.

[mrbishop]

I wonder how hard I would have to ask @swill to make switch holes for people with cnc's. Similar to the H hole shown above.

[swill]

I wonder how hard I would have to ask @swill to make switch holes for people with cnc's. Similar to the H hole shown above.

How would I do stabilizers?

I could probably figure out costar stabs. Not sure about alps stabs.

Also, what's the diameter of the tooling usually?

[mrbishop]

I wonder how hard I would have to ask @swill to make switch holes for people with cnc's. Similar to the H hole shown above.

How would I do stabilizers?

I could probably figure out costar stabs. Not sure about alps stabs.

Also, what's the diameter of the tooling usually?

I need to do more testing on the stabs before I speak on that. Those will be tricky.
As for the too long diameter currently my smallest bit is 3/32in but its more the inside corners that are the problem as a spinning bit can't make square inside corners.  I can get you anything you need. Just let me know

[swill]

I wonder how hard I would have to ask @swill to make switch holes for people with cnc's. Similar to the H hole shown above.

How would I do stabilizers?

I could probably figure out costar stabs. Not sure about alps stabs.

Also, what's the diameter of the tooling usually?

I need to do more testing on the stabs before I speak on that. Those will be tricky.
As for the too long diameter currently my smallest bit is 3/32in but its more the inside corners that are the problem as a spinning bit can't make square inside corners.  I can get you anything you need. Just let me know

I should be able to make the bit diameter dynamic, so that should be fine.

I am pretty confident that I could make costar stabs work by just putting the excess cuts on the sides instead of the ends.

I should pm @nudecnc as well to see if he would be OK with me piggybacking off some of his work. I know he put quite a bit of time into making cnc compatible switch cutouts. Maybe he would let me use his cutouts in the builder.

[mrbishop]

I wonder how hard I would have to ask @swill to make switch holes for people with cnc's. Similar to the H hole shown above.

How would I do stabilizers?

I could probably figure out costar stabs. Not sure about alps stabs.

Also, what's the diameter of the tooling usually?

I need to do more testing on the stabs before I speak on that. Those will be tricky.
As for the too long diameter currently my smallest bit is 3/32in but its more the inside corners that are the problem as a spinning bit can't make square inside corners.  I can get you anything you need. Just let me know

I should be able to make the bit diameter dynamic, so that should be fine.

I am pretty confident that I could make costar stabs work by just putting the excess cuts on the sides instead of the ends.

I should pm @nudecnc as well to see if he would be OK with me piggybacking off some of his work. I know he put quite a bit of time into making cnc compatible switch cutouts. Maybe he would let me use his cutouts in the builder.

Sounds great. Let me know if you need anything.  I'm glad to lend designs as I use your tool on a regular basis and am happy to contribute.

[swill]

I wonder how hard I would have to ask @swill to make switch holes for people with cnc's. Similar to the H hole shown above.

How would I do stabilizers?

I could probably figure out costar stabs. Not sure about alps stabs.

Also, what's the diameter of the tooling usually?

I need to do more testing on the stabs before I speak on that. Those will be tricky.
As for the too long diameter currently my smallest bit is 3/32in but its more the inside corners that are the problem as a spinning bit can't make square inside corners.  I can get you anything you need. Just let me know

I should be able to make the bit diameter dynamic, so that should be fine.

I am pretty confident that I could make costar stabs work by just putting the excess cuts on the sides instead of the ends.

I should pm @nudecnc as well to see if he would be OK with me piggybacking off some of his work. I know he put quite a bit of time into making cnc compatible switch cutouts. Maybe he would let me use his cutouts in the builder.

Sounds great. Let me know if you need anything.  I'm glad to lend designs as I use your tool on a regular basis and am happy to contribute.

I can just draw the outline right? Or do I need to draw the machine pathing?

[mrbishop]

Just the outline should be fine. As long as it converts to dxf I can import it into my 3D modeling software of choice  and go to town.   

[mrbishop]

So after 3 revisions i feel like this prototype will work the best. its small efficient and easy to make. it works well however i give major props to anyone wanting to take these things appart. OMG so many tiny pieces that fall out of them
i'm sure once soldered to a PCB they are much less annoying.

the final revision was influenced by @nubbinator 's build but i came to the realization after testing it with out the center post realizing the benefit of having the center of the switch captured. that being said i will make measurements of the design's trident open source shortly.

I would like to offer these for sale in the immediate future if anyone is interested. or just wait till i post the model and 3D print/CNC your own.

and now for the pictures
Prototype v1 works but kinda awkward and the inner dimple is too far back.
it works YAY proof of concept
2 revisions later
we shall call him the "Alps Trident" or something like that








I want to say thanks to @bcredbottle for the switches. with out them this project would not have happened. and to @nubbinator for inspiration. @swill for your plate tool and GeekHack.org for making this all possible.

[flabbergast]

This is awesome! I need one of those, I'm planning on cleaning up an ALPS board... Could I buy one or two, please?

[CPTBadAss]

Saw this on Instagram and I'm very impressed. Great job. Looking forward to grabbing some of the tools

[bocahgundul]

HYPE
I WANT IT

[piemancoder]

Need to buy.

[mrbishop]

😎 thanks so much everyone.

Let me figure out pricing and get this ball rolling.

I need to make a few more to really get pricing figured out.

[mrbishop]

So I broke a bit today trying to cut more in mass. Pricing will be around 8 so I can donate to GH with every order.  Right now I'm only doing them in acrylic but I want to cut them in aluminum in the near future.

[njbair]

Definitely interested in getting the specs for this so I can have a friend at my old workplace mill one out of aluminum for me.

You know what would be really cool? Make a mold for this so you could resin-cast them with a wire key puller on the opposite end.

[bcredbottle]

So after 3 revisions i feel like this prototype will work the best. its small efficient and easy to make. it works well however i give major props to anyone wanting to take these things appart. OMG so many tiny pieces that fall out of them
i'm sure once soldered to a PCB they are much less annoying.

the final revision was influenced by @nubbinator 's build but i came to the realization after testing it with out the center post realizing the benefit of having the center of the switch captured. that being said i will make measurements of the design's trident open source shortly.

I would like to offer these for sale in the immediate future if anyone is interested. or just wait till i post the model and 3D print/CNC your own.

and now for the pictures
(Attachment Link) Prototype v1 works but kinda awkward and the inner dimple is too far back.
(Attachment Link) it works YAY proof of concept
(Attachment Link) 2 revisions later
(Attachment Link) we shall call him the "Alps Trident" or something like that
(Attachment Link)
(Attachment Link)
(Attachment Link)
(Attachment Link)
(Attachment Link)
(Attachment Link)
(Attachment Link)

I want to say thanks to @bcredbottle for the switches. with out them this project would not have happened. and to @nubbinator for inspiration. @swill for your plate tool and GeekHack.org for making this all possible.

yes plz immediate future sale ty

[mrbishop]

i'll be getting a new bit Wen.

planning on a short run limited edition Aluminum parts. (no count yet)

numbered. 001-010?

will also do a small batch of acrylic. (10-20?)

going to do 8$ each plus shipping on acrylic (combined shipping OK)
3$ to GH for each sold.

Limited ed AL will be 20$ plus shipping (combined shipping OK)
5$ per part to GH

i'm a parts in hand kind of guy so i will not commit to pre orders prior to having stock (sorry its for your benefit)

after the initial batch i will Open Source this project and give it back to the community. i will continue to take orders if interest is there after that point. This is the game plan anyway.

[piemancoder]

i'll be getting a new bit Wen.

planning on a short run limited edition Aluminum parts. (no count yet)

numbered. 001-010?

will also do a small batch of acrylic. (10-20?)

going to do 8$ each plus shipping on acrylic (combined shipping OK)
3$ to GH for each sold.

Limited ed AL will be 20$ plus shipping (combined shipping OK)
5$ per part to GH

i'm a parts in hand kind of guy so i will not commit to pre orders prior to having stock (sorry its for your benefit)

after the initial batch i will Open Source this project and give it back to the community. i will continue to take orders if interest is there after that point. This is the game plan anyway.

Really want an aluminum one. And since they are limited edition, numbered, donate to geekhack (and under my budget) $20 is actually a good price. Is this with shipping?

[mrbishop]

i'll be getting a new bit Wen.

planning on a short run limited edition Aluminum parts. (no count yet)

numbered. 001-010?

will also do a small batch of acrylic. (10-20?)

going to do 8$ each plus shipping on acrylic (combined shipping OK)
3$ to GH for each sold.

Limited ed AL will be 20$ plus shipping (combined shipping OK)
5$ per part to GH

i'm a parts in hand kind of guy so i will not commit to pre orders prior to having stock (sorry its for your benefit)

after the initial batch i will Open Source this project and give it back to the community. i will continue to take orders if interest is there after that point. This is the game plan anyway.

Really want an aluminum one. And since they are limited edition, numbered, donate to geekhack (and under my budget) $20 is actually a good price. Is this with shipping?

no sorry all prices EXCLUDE shipping. but i ship USPS so you can get an idea of the cost. which wont be that bad. (7$ at most if i ship flat rate) i will do my best to keep shipping costs at a minimum

[bcredbottle]

.

[piemancoder]

i'll be getting a new bit Wen.

planning on a short run limited edition Aluminum parts. (no count yet)

numbered. 001-010?

will also do a small batch of acrylic. (10-20?)

going to do 8$ each plus shipping on acrylic (combined shipping OK)
3$ to GH for each sold.

Limited ed AL will be 20$ plus shipping (combined shipping OK)
5$ per part to GH

i'm a parts in hand kind of guy so i will not commit to pre orders prior to having stock (sorry its for your benefit)

after the initial batch i will Open Source this project and give it back to the community. i will continue to take orders if interest is there after that point. This is the game plan anyway.

Really want an aluminum one. And since they are limited edition, numbered, donate to geekhack (and under my budget) $20 is actually a good price. Is this with shipping?

no sorry all prices EXCLUDE shipping. but i ship USPS so you can get an idea of the cost. which wont be that bad. (7$ at most if i ship flat rate) i will do my best to keep shipping costs at a minimum

Still a pretty good price, when do you think the group buy will start?

[mrbishop]

i'll be getting a new bit Wen.

planning on a short run limited edition Aluminum parts. (no count yet)

numbered. 001-010?

will also do a small batch of acrylic. (10-20?)

going to do 8$ each plus shipping on acrylic (combined shipping OK)
3$ to GH for each sold.

Limited ed AL will be 20$ plus shipping (combined shipping OK)
5$ per part to GH

i'm a parts in hand kind of guy so i will not commit to pre orders prior to having stock (sorry its for your benefit)

after the initial batch i will Open Source this project and give it back to the community. i will continue to take orders if interest is there after that point. This is the game plan anyway.

Really want an aluminum one. And since they are limited edition, numbered, donate to geekhack (and under my budget) $20 is actually a good price. Is this with shipping?

no sorry all prices EXCLUDE shipping. but i ship USPS so you can get an idea of the cost. which wont be that bad. (7$ at most if i ship flat rate) i will do my best to keep shipping costs at a minimum

Still a pretty good price, when do you think the group buy will start?

hopefully in a week. i ordered a new bit and materials for the AL ones. i have some acrylic as is. so i can machine from that now, well as soon as i get the bit in.
hopefully i can start making acrylic ones mid week.

[pr0ximity]

Needs an integrated bottle opener.

[mrbishop]

Needs an integrated bottle opener.

i'll see what i can do

[piemancoder]

i'll be getting a new bit Wen.

planning on a short run limited edition Aluminum parts. (no count yet)

numbered. 001-010?

will also do a small batch of acrylic. (10-20?)

going to do 8$ each plus shipping on acrylic (combined shipping OK)
3$ to GH for each sold.

Limited ed AL will be 20$ plus shipping (combined shipping OK)
5$ per part to GH

i'm a parts in hand kind of guy so i will not commit to pre orders prior to having stock (sorry its for your benefit)

after the initial batch i will Open Source this project and give it back to the community. i will continue to take orders if interest is there after that point. This is the game plan anyway.

Really want an aluminum one. And since they are limited edition, numbered, donate to geekhack (and under my budget) $20 is actually a good price. Is this with shipping?

no sorry all prices EXCLUDE shipping. but i ship USPS so you can get an idea of the cost. which wont be that bad. (7$ at most if i ship flat rate) i will do my best to keep shipping costs at a minimum

Still a pretty good price, when do you think the group buy will start?

hopefully in a week. i ordered a new bit and materials for the AL ones. i have some acrylic as is. so i can machine from that now, well as soon as i get the bit in.
hopefully i can start making acrylic ones mid week.

Can't wait 

[vivalarevolución]

Kinda reminds me of some sort of kinky sex toy.

[bocahgundul]

Kinda reminds me of some sort of kinky sex toy.

bruh....

Well I think you're right it looks kind of kinky sex toy

[mrbishop]

😐

[E3E]

Wow, haha. We had convergent ideas. I had no idea that you had made these, man! And I was planning on possibly running an interest check on my own. I don't have any fancy CNC though, so I was going to make them by hand.

Damn. Were you also inspired by Sandy's switch opening tool? We even thought of the same idea with stems to grasp the switches!

[mrbishop]

Apparently there were a few  people working on stuff to this end. I was shown one made from a pen (not sure if that's the one your talking about) and another from a user which is where I first saw the center post holder. But did realize I was going to need it after trial and error.   

[E3E]

Apparently there were a few  people working on stuff to this end. I was shown one made from a pen (not sure if that's the one your talking about) and another from a user which is where I first saw the center post holder. But did realize I was going to need it after trial and error.

Yep, I stumbled upon the tool that was made from a golf scoring pencil. It's likely the same one we've both seen. I copied that design but realized it wasn't adequate enough for truly effortless switch opening, so I had a light bulb moment and thought that a stem would be perfect to grasp the slider and pull the top housing up.

It took a lot of experimenting with depth and geometry but the tools I have now work 100% of the time, which is awesome. It was really a personal project since I have some particularly rare Alps boards that I do not want to take a soldering iron to. That was my main incentive. I want to swap the stems and leaves and springs and such for a custom build (hotswappable, so no soldering), but I don't want to defile the keyboards.

It's nice to see people thinking alike though.

[mrbishop]

I have no Alps. But a friend on here sent me a few to test with. I have to say I kind of like them. I offered to develop this as one of the many ways I try to give back to GH.

[E3E]

I have no Alps. But a friend on here sent me a few to test with. I have to say I kind of like them. I offered to develop this as one of the many ways I try to give back to GH.

I hear you, and likewise! I feel the same way, though I am very much an Alps fantatic, hehe. I have always been frustrated at how tedious it is to open Alps with toothpicks and I don't want to use metal as that can seriously mar the plastic.

Tools like these are just amazing to have, so I too wanted to share them with the community, especially since Alps are becoming more popular!

[mrbishop]

Aluminum and cutting bit ordered.

[BlueNalgene]

Mark me as interested in buying one.

[nubbinator]

Glad to see the nub idea from mine made it.  I'd still love to see it be a dual use tool, maybe have an MX tool on the other side and have a second with a  MX tool abd something on the other end.  Or maybe have cutouts so a couple alps switches fit in the handle so you can pop them open then have a mini lubing station.  Just trying to spitball ideas so it's not a single use tool.

[mrbishop]

Glad to see the nub idea from mine made it.  I'd still love to see it be a dual use tool, maybe have an MX tool on the other side and have a second with a  MX tool abd something on the other end.  Or maybe have cutouts so a couple alps switches fit in the handle so you can pop them open then have a mini lubing station.  Just trying to spitball ideas so it's not a single use tool.

i agree a dual use tool would be optimal, maybe V2 could have more switch tools included

[njbair]

IME the more functions you add, the worse the tool becomes at each one.

[E3E]

I definitely wouldn't recommend these being made out of any kind of metal unless you don't mind scratching the switch housings.

[mrbishop]

Bit and aluminum came in today so I'm just going to park the hype train right here.

[kinglukas38]

Bit and aluminum came in today so I'm just going to park the hype train right here.

Show Image

Looking good 

Might have to buy another alps board just so I can use this :p

[mrbishop]

1 - 5

Each takes over an hour of work. Hand tuned and tested. Numbered. On sale soon. Selling 4.

Acrylic will also be on sale soon too.

[deductivemonkee]

1 - 5

Each takes over an hour of work. Hand tuned and tested. Numbered. On sale soon. Selling 4.

Acrylic will also be on sale soon too.

Show Image

If you make this many, can I have acrylic #14?

[romevi]

1 - 5

Each takes over an hour of work. Hand tuned and tested. Numbered. On sale soon. Selling 4.

Acrylic will also be on sale soon too.

Show Image

Cool. Sell me number 5.

[mrbishop]

😄

I think I'm going to sell them on ebay as an auction. Or at least one of them. And donate it to GH. Auctions may provide a wider reach for people.

I'm just kicking around the idea at this point.

Thoughts?

[mrbishop]

1 - 5

Each takes over an hour of work. Hand tuned and tested. Numbered. On sale soon. Selling 4.

Acrylic will also be on sale soon too.

Show Image

If you make this many, can I have acrylic #14?

I got to 10 then had to do aluminum ones.

[nubbinator]

I'm interested in one, but would be turned off by an auction.

[mrbishop]

I think I may just get more aluminum and do an auction with that. Nub

[E3E]

I know I'm going to seem like the vocal minority here, but I still don't recommend any kind of metal for oepning these switches as that can potentially scratch or gouge the housings. It would be cool if you could make them out of POM.

[njbair]

Auction would be annoying. Just make more and sell at a healthy markup.

[mrbishop]

i have tested both acrylic and aluminum on some clear switches with no signs of marring the part i can't speak to how the classic black housings would fare but i have tested 12 acrylic and now 2 aluminum ones with no real signs of scratching.  when i get home tonight i'll take a much closer look but i dont anticipate any issues. i totally understand any reservation on the aluminum ones. they are somewhat more of a novelty to be honest. but they did come out nice

and on that note. 

since the aluminum parts are taking a ridiculously long time to manufacture due to polishing multiple tool changes, engraving etc i'm sad to say but the price will be abit higher than i originally anticipated. but in the spirit of things i'm going to take a loss. final price will be 25$ per aluminum part plus shipping. i will still be donating to GH 5$ with each one sold. Acrylic parts are still 8$ plus shipping 3$ to GH for each one sold (i'll combine shipping on any order of multiple parts.

again i'm super sorry. i don't like back peddling. please understand.

i do plan on getting more aluminum in the immediate future and making a second run if interest is shown, but will make at least one more in a future batch and auction it off with all profits made to GH.

if any of you has questions about my decision or wants to roast me please PM me i'm happy to explain in detail the process involved which prompted this small change.

oh.... and i have 2 acrylic ones that didn't pass my quality standard (chipped teeth on the top of the fork) they still work fine. i'll be posting later today with pictures (tonight). they will be given away conditionally. donate to GH and pay shipping.

[E3E]

i have tested both acrylic and aluminum on some clear switches with no signs of marring the part i can't speak to how the classic black housings would fare but i have tested 12 acrylic and now 2 aluminum ones with no real signs of scratching.  when i get home tonight i'll take a much closer look but i dont anticipate any issues. i totally understand any reservation on the aluminum ones. they are somewhat more of a novelty to be honest. but they did come out nice

That's good to hear. I guess I'd just be wary and use plastic anyway, BUT I think, of course, that many people would be very happy with an aluminum tool just out of durability and cool factor.

[mrbishop]

i have tested both acrylic and aluminum on some clear switches with no signs of marring the part i can't speak to how the classic black housings would fare but i have tested 12 acrylic and now 2 aluminum ones with no real signs of scratching.  when i get home tonight i'll take a much closer look but i dont anticipate any issues. i totally understand any reservation on the aluminum ones. they are somewhat more of a novelty to be honest. but they did come out nice

That's good to hear. I guess I'd just be wary and use plastic anyway, BUT I think, of course, that many people would be very happy with an aluminum tool just out of durability and cool factor.

For sure. Its a cool novelty 

[bcredbottle]

Can't wait!!!!!

[piemancoder]

That is still a good price, but I just used the money that I had set aside for this on something else. Will you ever do a second run?

[mrbishop]

Sure.

[mrbishop]

02-05 complete. What should I put on it? "GH" again?
Please note these will be sold in order so you won't know what number you get until it arrives. Like Christmas 🎅

[Venatorious]

I think imma nab one of the acrylic ones

Not wise to open alps switches with your hands, I had a bleeding fingernail from that 

And you can potentially damage the switch with the screwdriver method.

[Hypersphere]

Interested.

[mrbishop]

CLEAR ACRYLIC - ALPS / MATIAS REMOVAL TOOL ORDER INSTRUCTION.

• Email bishopcomputerdesign@gmail.com  include in the body of the email your PayPal email address
• include quantity
• Total Cost: (<quantity>*$8)+6$
• include mailing address (just in case)
• shipping will be 6$
• you will be emailed an invoice via PayPal which must be paid with in 72hrs or your order will be canceled (unless prior arrangements have been made. i'm human too)

6$ shipping is for ContUS only. if you want me to ship it outside the 48US you pay exact shipping.

3$ per part will go to GH


i'm setting shipping at 6$ due to the fact that acrylic is brittle and can break easily in a standard envelope. I will ship via a flat rate box to ensure the part(s) arrives safely.
if you want me to put it in a padded envelope anyway i'm happy to do so. shipping will reflect what ever the cost of that is. Do this at your own risk.

First come first served via the process above.

Anyone who has PM'd me regarding these tools now's the time to do the above.
(i feel it only fare that everyone do the same thing to order) 

Count Remaining = 10  0

[kinglukas38]

noooooooooo CONUS only


What if I pay extra for shipping?

[mrbishop]

noooooooooo CONUS only


What if I pay extra for shipping?

your welcome to pay shipping to where ever you like but the 6$ flat shipping is Cont US only. guess i should clarify.

[mrbishop]

i'll be sending invoices out tonight by the way

[njbair]

So this is just for the acrylic ones, right? When are we going to get a shot at the aluminum ones?

[mrbishop]

So this is just for the acrylic ones, right? When are we going to get a shot at the aluminum ones?

Hopefully tomorrow I will finish making the rest and I'll post soon as I'm done.

[mrbishop]

as promised 

[axtran]

Love this.

[romevi]

as promised 

You donated negative $3?!

[njbair]

as promised 

You donated negative $3?!

It's like SNL Celebrity Jeopardy, when Sean Connery did so badly they actually took money away from his charity.

[mrbishop]

as promised 

You donated negative $3?!

It's like SNL Celebrity Jeopardy, when Sean Connery did so badly they actually took money away from his charity.

[mrbishop]

as promised 

You donated negative $3?!

subtracting from my account towards GH

[mrbishop]

So I was able to print 2 shipping labels out before my printer ran out of ink.  😤😠😓

[BlueNalgene]

I see you are out of the tools.  Should I send an email to secure a place for the next round, or should I wait until you have them?

[mrbishop]

I have a few that haven't paid yet so if you want go ahead and send me a message and well see what happens by Tuesday.

[mrbishop]

and another bit bites the dust. -_-

i have 3 and will open the doors on those.

i will order another bit once these 3 are gone and continue to create 2 more.

to order email me (Bishopcomputerdesign@gmail.com) limit one per person i will send you a pay pal invoice.

sorry for all the delays i have a hobbiest CNC not a Hass or Tormach and i'm a novice. bits break things happen etc etc. (grumble grumble)

once these three are gone i will go ahead and make this project and all its design files open source.
i want to thank the community for all its support/help/making this happen.

[Matias]

VERY nice work.

I'll definitely buy a few!

[mrbishop]

VERY nice work.

I'll definitely buy a few!

 

sounds great!

after playing with these switches  (new to me) i'm going to be putting in an order for some of your switches for an upcoming layout i'm tinkering with

[Matias]

VERY nice work.

I'll definitely buy a few!

 

sounds great!

after playing with these switches  (new to me) i'm going to be putting in an order for some of your switches for an upcoming layout i'm tinkering with

Great, looking forward to see what you come up with!   

[mrbishop]

Aluminum removal tools avaliable - 3

25$ plus shipping. email me if interested! bishopcomputerdesign@gmail.com

[nubbinator]

PMed you since I didn't see an email.

[mrbishop]

PMed you since I didn't see an email.

sorry about that i had my email in a previous post but this thread has gotten lengthily D:

[mrbishop]

all the tools have been shipped! orders so far that is. i still have 2 more aluminum ones to make hopefully starting tonight i can get one more done since new bits are coming in today. but i do still have ONE on hand 03-05. if you are interested please PM or email me.

as promised after I make the remaining tools i will open this project up to the community. thank you all for your help and support! its be super fun!!!

[fohat.digs]

Hey I got my tool today and it fits in the fingers nicely.

Now I don't have much excuse for putting off my orange click-mod project for my next build .....

[mrbishop]

👍👍👍👍👍

[mrbishop]

releasing the OS model a little early. i promised to cut 2 more of these if there is still interest. if not it will end here at 03-05. i have one that wasn't quite decent enough that i'll sell for half price if anyone's interested. it wont be numbered or engraved.

i'm going to leave this up till monday then lock the thread. a massive thank you to everyone involved.
even tho i'm throwing this thing out open source. i'll still be happy to cut more for people if people become interested. and i have materials to do so. if not will have to make a mini GB so buying materials makes sense to cut parts.

 

https://grabcad.com/library/465042

[njbair]

releasing the OS model a little early. i promised to cut 2 more of these if there is still interest. if not it will end here at 03-05. i have one that wasn't quite decent enough that i'll sell for half price if anyone's interested. it wont be numbered or engraved.

i'm going to leave this up till monday then lock the thread. a massive thank you to everyone involved.
even tho i'm throwing this thing out open source. i'll still be happy to cut more for people if people become interested. and i have materials to do so. if not will have to make a mini GB so buying materials makes sense to cut parts.

 

https://grabcad.com/library/465042

I was holding off on buying one because I have the means to make my own so I figured I'd give everyone else a chance. But if you've still got some left to make I'll totally take an Alu one.

[mrbishop]

All orders should now be shipped if you haven't received your item or no tracking updates please message me

[CPTBadAss]

Just got my aluminum tool today. Works exactly as advertised and I love the machining quality and engraving. Kinda reminds me of the engraving we see at work. Really stoked to have a quality tool

[njbair]

Just got my aluminum tool today. Works exactly as advertised and I love the machining quality and engraving. Kinda reminds me of the engraving we see at work. Really stoked to have a quality tool

Show Image

Sweet. Looks like the profile was machined in three steps, is that right?

[CPTBadAss]

Sweet. Looks like the profile was machined in three steps, is that right?

I would guess so. Drill the holes out so you can hold the blank, outside profile, inside profile where the stem holder is, clean up, and engraving?

[njbair]

Sweet. Looks like the profile was machined in three steps, is that right?

I would guess so. Drill the holes out so you can hold the blank, outside profile, inside profile where the stem holder is, clean up, and engraving?

I would do the engraving first, because otherwise the part would be hard to hold without the screws, which would get in the way.

I also would have stayed .005" away on the profile, followed by a full-depth finish pass or two, just to remove the mill marks. But that's probably excessive in this case.

[CPTBadAss]

The 03-05 is a bit off. Which kinda makes me feel like it was done as an afterthought at the end. But you're probably right.

I think part of the charm is that it reminds me of one off tools we get at work. It's a little rough and the markings are vibropeened. I love the look of them. So functional it makes an ugly tool look good (Not saying this looks bad, I mean some of the stuff at work.)

[mrbishop]

Not a professional machinist by any means. I'm learning new tricks every day. But I'm glad it's working well foe you CPT 👍😆😊

[axtran]

I dig my tool too

Only issue is that you have to make a different one for SKCL switches which have the LED cutout now

[mrbishop]

Send me one or two and I will 

[nubbinator]

I dig my tool too

Only issue is that you have to make a different one for SKCL switches which have the LED cutout now

Doesn't work with greens?  I haven't tried mine on greens yet.  It didn't work on Lock switches, but worked on a Blue.

[mrbishop]

I only had whites and grays to test with. And design around. 😔 

[E3E]

I dig my tool too

Only issue is that you have to make a different one for SKCL switches which have the LED cutout now

Doesn't work with greens?  I haven't tried mine on greens yet.  It didn't work on Lock switches, but worked on a Blue.

Well, I've also made some specifically for linear Alps switches. My tools are reliable and durable, even if they aren't as pretty as these from Mr.Bishop.

If there is enough interest, I'd be willing to hand make quite a few dozen sets for others, either out of polyethylene or POM. Not to hijack this thread, but just offering an option. It's something I really wanted to turn into a little group buy for people, but I was surprised to see that someone came up with the same idea without my realization...

And also a little bummed out because I was really excited to make these for others.

[Venatorious]

Just got my acrylic one, quite happy with it

[mrbishop]

I'm so super happy that everyone is enjoying their tools

i'm also somewhat sad to say that all 5 of the aluminum numbered tools have been made. thank you all for your support!

i wont be making any more of the numbered versions but if anyone wants an aluminum tool i will be happy to make more if there is enough interest.

[mseaworthy]

Opening up an Alps key is tricky—when it all goes according to plan. But this tool makes it so much easier.

I was able to quickly place a small amount of lube on the sliders of my Command and C switches which were a little scratchy.

I’d pay 3x more if he could come up with a tool that makes it simple to put the spring, click leaf and slider back into the bottom switch housing and allow the top housing to easily slide in place. Still this little tool is fantastic.

[mrbishop]

 

[ctm]

I got mine today. It's amazing!! It's so much better than using tweezers.  Great work

[mrbishop]

If anyone needs more acrylic ones let me know

[bcredbottle]

I got mine. For a simple switch mod, it takes about a third of the time per switch compared to w/o the tool. Can't imagine switch modding alps without this thing.     

[IjonTichy]

https://grabcad.com/library/465042

Thank you very much for that! Unfortunately, I don't have Autodesk 360 and can not open your file. Is it possible to save the file as STL? If my googling didn't fail me, that can be easily done for you.

[mrbishop]

https://grabcad.com/library/465042

Thank you very much for that! Unfortunately, I don't have Autodesk 360 and can not open your file. Is it possible to save the file as STL? If my googling didn't fail me, that can be easily done for you.

give this a try

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2tKyfWiYZD4UGJpNmtFRVhNVzg/view?usp=sharing

[mrbishop]

with all the further replies and interest i am willing to start pre-orders for aluminum tools. i have to order more materials so anyone who pre-orders may experience a delay in shipping. i do have afew tools in acrylic ready to ship

shipping is flat 6$ ConUS
world wide you pay shipping cost

acrylic 8$
aluminum 25$

thanks again for everyone who has shown interest and is keeping this alive. i'm really excited to be able to contribute to the community as a vendor of sorts.

[KnivesM]

with all the further replies and interest i am willing to start pre-orders for aluminum tools. i have to order more materials so anyone who pre-orders may experience a delay in shipping. i do have afew tools in acrylic ready to ship

shipping is flat 6$ ConUS
world wide you pay shipping cost

acrylic 8$
aluminum 25$

thanks again for everyone who has shown interest and is keeping this alive. i'm really excited to be able to contribute to the community as a vendor of sorts.

PM you or email if we want to pre-order?

[mrbishop]

with all the further replies and interest i am willing to start pre-orders for aluminum tools. i have to order more materials so anyone who pre-orders may experience a delay in shipping. i do have afew tools in acrylic ready to ship

shipping is flat 6$ ConUS
world wide you pay shipping cost

acrylic 8$
aluminum 25$

thanks again for everyone who has shown interest and is keeping this alive. i'm really excited to be able to contribute to the community as a vendor of sorts.

PM you or email if we want to pre-order?

Email is easier for me to keep up with it seems

bishopcomputerdesign@gmail.com

include email and shipping address as i have to invoice via paypal which doesn't bring over your paypal shipping address. or so it seems

[mrbishop]

Aluminum ordered.

anyone who has purchased from me in the past i will happily give 15% off to on aluminum tools 
just remind me

[mrbishop]

Back on stock!



Email bishopcomputerdesign@gmail.com with your PayPal email address and shipping information.

 

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

[njbair]

Buy 'em now, folks. Don't attempt another Alps switch mod without it!

[mrbishop]

Repeat customers get 15% off just remind me.

Also I'm open to trades. I really need to get some matais switches. Or a board I can salvage switches off. Wink wink.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

[mrbishop]

Just got word from a customer and this tool works for the SKCL switches perfectly! i didnt have any to test with so this is awesome news!

thanks for letting everyone know @Itsmeluigi

[mrbishop]

making live stream

https://www.twitch.tv/bishopcomputerdesign

[mrbishop]

this weekends orders are boxed and ready to ship!. if you have not received a tracking confirmation number from PayPal please let me know!

I have also ordered even more materials to make more of these tools by popular demand, i will supply! thank you all so much for the interest!

[IjonTichy]

give this a try

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2tKyfWiYZD4UGJpNmtFRVhNVzg/view?usp=sharing

Thank you very much! Sorry, it took me so long to answer.

My friend with the 3D-printer can read this format but he says it is 2D only and the depth is missing. He says STL would be his preferred format. Is that possible?

[mrbishop]

give this a try

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2tKyfWiYZD4UGJpNmtFRVhNVzg/view?usp=sharing

Thank you very much! Sorry, it took me so long to answer.

My friend with the 3D-printer can read this format but he says it is 2D only and the depth is missing. He says STL would be his preferred format. Is that possible?

there is a grabcad link with the STL in this tread let me find it ...

https://grabcad.com/library/465042

[mrbishop]

Anyone interested in a tool please use this link http://goo.gl/forms/QYNVeKBaPpJqwjJ03 and fill out the form!

any questions please email me directly (bishopcomputerdesign@gmail.com)

[zombimuncha]

just saw this thread now. Filled in the form!

[mrbishop]

just saw this thread now. Filled in the form!

Awesome sent you a response

[IjonTichy]

Sorry, I can only find png and f3d

[mrbishop]

Sorry, I can only find png and f3d

here you go

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2tKyfWiYZD4UGJpNmtFRVhNVzg/view?usp=sharing

let me know if you have any issues with it! 

[IjonTichy]

That is the same file you already posted. That is the one that contains only 2D information. Unfortunately, that does not suffice.

[mrbishop]

The dxf is the cad file. What file format ate you looking for

[IjonTichy]

dxf is only Autodesk 360 and not readable with any other CAD program. I was looking for an STL file. It should be very easy for you to convert from dxf to stl.

[mrbishop]

dxf is only Autodesk 360 and not readable with any other CAD program. I was looking for an STL file. It should be very easy for you to convert from dxf to stl.

https://grabcad.com/library/465042

[IjonTichy]

That link again is only png and f3d.

dxf is the other one.

A file ending in STL is the one that I am looking for. And that was never posted before. Thank you again for your help!

[mrbishop]

That link again is only png and f3d.

dxf is the other one.

A file ending in STL is the one that I am looking for. And that was never posted before. Thank you again for your help!

i just checked the grabcad file and i was under the impression that was the STL so my mistake. I will try and export the STL when i get home in afew hours.

sorry again for the misunderstanding on my end.

[IjonTichy]

Is this more complicated than I thought?

[mrbishop]

Is this more complicated than I thought?

please let me know if this works for you

[IjonTichy]

Can someone who has the tool tell me the measurements please? I am interested in depth, length and width in their largest part.

[mrbishop]

Can someone who has the tool tell me the measurements please? I am interested in depth, length and width in their largest part.

i got most of my information from this.

[Hypersphere]

@mrbishop: I've had the Alps Trident tool for some time now, but I had occasion to use it for the first time today to open a seemingly dead green Alps switch on a Zenith Z-150 board.

The tool worked beautifully to open the switch. I cleaned the interior of the switch, put it back together, and now it works just fine.

Questions:

1. Do you have a recommended technique for putting Alps switches back together when the lower half is still soldered into the keyboard? The main issue I had today was keeping the spring in place. I've seen the Alps switch cleaning video from Chyros -- just wondering if you had anything to add to this.

2. Are you still selling the plexiglass trident tools?

Thanks.

[duynguyenle]

@mrbishop: I've had the Alps Trident tool for some time now, but I had occasion to use it for the first time today to open a seemingly dead green Alps switch on a Zenith Z-150 board.

The tool worked beautifully to open the switch. I cleaned the interior of the switch, put it back together, and now it works just fine.

Questions:

1. Do you have a recommended technique for putting Alps switches back together when the lower half is still soldered into the keyboard? The main issue I had today was keeping the spring in place. I've seen the Alps switch cleaning video from Chyros -- just wondering if you had anything to add to this.

2. Are you still selling the plexiglass trident tools?

Thanks.

What I tend to do is to place the spring in place with tweezers, then place the stem slider on top of the spring (make sure the stem is facing the appropriate direction, then place a small flathead screwdriver through the hole in the switch top, use it to hold the slider in place while I push the switch top down onto the switch body.

I hope that was clear, it made sense in my head but it seems a bit convoluted when typed out.

[Hypersphere]

@duynguyenle: Thanks! Your description is fairly clear. I think I've got it, and I will give your procedure a try the next time I take apart an Alps switch in situ.

[mrbishop]

@mrbishop: I've had the Alps Trident tool for some time now, but I had occasion to use it for the first time today to open a seemingly dead green Alps switch on a Zenith Z-150 board.

The tool worked beautifully to open the switch. I cleaned the interior of the switch, put it back together, and now it works just fine.

Questions:

1. Do you have a recommended technique for putting Alps switches back together when the lower half is still soldered into the keyboard? The main issue I had today was keeping the spring in place. I've seen the Alps switch cleaning video from Chyros -- just wondering if you had anything to add to this.

2. Are you still selling the plexiglass trident tools?

Thanks.

looks like you got your question answered. and i'm glad the tool is working out well for you. as for the acrylic tools i haven't made any in awhile. or the aluminum ones for that matter.

[Hypersphere]

@mrbishop: Always looking for new tips, so I would welcome anything you might care to add about working on Alps switches. The plexiglass Alps Trident works beautifully. I would probably favor it over a metal one in order to prevent scratching the switches. Please let us know if you decide to make and sell more of these tools -- it would be good to have spares of something this useful.

[mrbishop]

@mrbishop: Always looking for new tips, so I would welcome anything you might care to add about working on Alps switches. The plexiglass Alps Trident works beautifully. I would probably favor it over a metal one in order to prevent scratching the switches. Please let us know if you decide to make and sell more of these tools -- it would be good to have spares of something this useful.

i'm always up for taking orders however i'm about to start a group buy among other projects so if i was to make any it would likely be after all that. perhaps October when my schedule clears up more. i do have some tools that didn't quite make the cut so to speak that still work fine i'd sell at a discount if not just give away. PM me

[duynguyenle]

@mrbishop: Always looking for new tips, so I would welcome anything you might care to add about working on Alps switches. The plexiglass Alps Trident works beautifully. I would probably favor it over a metal one in order to prevent scratching the switches. Please let us know if you decide to make and sell more of these tools -- it would be good to have spares of something this useful.

i'm always up for taking orders however i'm about to start a group buy among other projects so if i was to make any it would likely be after all that. perhaps October when my schedule clears up more. i do have some tools that didn't quite make the cut so to speak that still work fine i'd sell at a discount if not just give away. PM me

I would be interested, maybe I can finally stop using guitar picks to pry open these switches!

What is your upcoming GB? Any information you could share with us?

[mrbishop]

@mrbishop: Always looking for new tips, so I would welcome anything you might care to add about working on Alps switches. The plexiglass Alps Trident works beautifully. I would probably favor it over a metal one in order to prevent scratching the switches. Please let us know if you decide to make and sell more of these tools -- it would be good to have spares of something this useful.

i'm always up for taking orders however i'm about to start a group buy among other projects so if i was to make any it would likely be after all that. perhaps October when my schedule clears up more. i do have some tools that didn't quite make the cut so to speak that still work fine i'd sell at a discount if not just give away. PM me

I would be interested, maybe I can finally stop using guitar picks to pry open these switches!

What is your upcoming GB? Any information you could share with us?

its for my Pawn 35% mobile keyboard 
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=83967.0

[duynguyenle]

@mrbishop: Always looking for new tips, so I would welcome anything you might care to add about working on Alps switches. The plexiglass Alps Trident works beautifully. I would probably favor it over a metal one in order to prevent scratching the switches. Please let us know if you decide to make and sell more of these tools -- it would be good to have spares of something this useful.

i'm always up for taking orders however i'm about to start a group buy among other projects so if i was to make any it would likely be after all that. perhaps October when my schedule clears up more. i do have some tools that didn't quite make the cut so to speak that still work fine i'd sell at a discount if not just give away. PM me

I would be interested, maybe I can finally stop using guitar picks to pry open these switches!

What is your upcoming GB? Any information you could share with us?

its for my Pawn 35% mobile keyboard 
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=83967.0

Oh of course! I saw the thread on DT. Unfortunately it's too small for me but I think it's a great idea for mobile users, congrats! 

[mrbishop]

@mrbishop: Always looking for new tips, so I would welcome anything you might care to add about working on Alps switches. The plexiglass Alps Trident works beautifully. I would probably favor it over a metal one in order to prevent scratching the switches. Please let us know if you decide to make and sell more of these tools -- it would be good to have spares of something this useful.

i'm always up for taking orders however i'm about to start a group buy among other projects so if i was to make any it would likely be after all that. perhaps October when my schedule clears up more. i do have some tools that didn't quite make the cut so to speak that still work fine i'd sell at a discount if not just give away. PM me

I would be interested, maybe I can finally stop using guitar picks to pry open these switches!

What is your upcoming GB? Any information you could share with us?

its for my Pawn 35% mobile keyboard 
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=83967.0

Oh of course! I saw the thread on DT. Unfortunately it's too small for me but I think it's a great idea for mobile users, congrats! 

thanks. its a cool little board for sure