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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: volvo244t on Thu, 10 June 2010, 19:17:09
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What the title says. Is there anything besides the Filco Zero, now unfortunately unavailable in the US, that has white clicky Alps copies AND a single-row enter?
The only two clicky white Alps boards I know of sold new are the Solidtek 6600 and the Avant Stellar. Both of them have an L-enter and the Solidtek is just a poorly built POS in general (solder joint problems, etc.)
So what are my options?
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Good move putting it in your wish list - You should upgrade that to a link to this thread. Alps aren't my thing of course, so I'll leave this to the wiser denizens.
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Good move putting it in your wish list - You should upgrade that to a link to this thread. Alps aren't my thing of course, so I'll leave this to the wiser denizens.
Seems a lot of people around here don't like ALPS switches, but I've used them and they're right up my alley. I've used brown and black cherries on POS 'boards back when I worked in retail. Browns are too light, Blacks are alright if a tiny bit too heavy but I prefer tactile switches, never been a huge fan of linears. Never tried blues, but they're supposed to be right near where the browns are in terms of force and they just sound too damn dainty.
I used to have an Apple IIgs keyboard that had yellow clicky alps, too bad it's apple-only (unless someone knows of an ADB > PS/2 converter or an ADB > USB converter that'd allow the keyboard to work on a PC). I rather liked the feel of that as well.
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1) New
2) White Alps, copies or otherwise
3) Single row Enter
4) Available
One or two of these will simply always be missing.
Take off the 'new' requirement and your options open up quite a bit.
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(unless someone knows of an ADB > PS/2 converter or an ADB > USB converter that'd allow the keyboard to work on a PC). I rather liked the feel of that as well.
You're looking for the Griffin iMate (http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?t=9505)
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Seems a lot of people around here don't like ALPS switches, but I've used them and they're right up my alley. I've used brown and black cherries on POS 'boards back when I worked in retail. Browns are too light, Blacks are alright if a tiny bit too heavy but I prefer tactile switches, never been a huge fan of linears. Never tried blues, but they're supposed to be right near where the browns are in terms of force and they just sound too damn dainty.
I used to have an Apple IIgs keyboard that had yellow clicky alps, too bad it's apple-only (unless someone knows of an ADB > PS/2 converter or an ADB > USB converter that'd allow the keyboard to work on a PC). I rather liked the feel of that as well.
Yeah I used my imate with my m1242 on my pc. I love the low profile alps switches every once in a while. Works great. You can even use the extended number/function key pad with the imate, which means it supports chains of adb devices. It's pretty nice.
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The Tactile Pro (http://matias.ca/tactilepro/) at least is an option. It's a little pricey and may be a little wonky with Windows:
Is the Tactile Pro Windows-PC Compatible?
The Tactile Pro is compatible with PCs that have USB ports (pretty much all of them). Since it is a Mac keyboard, there are a few quirks:
The Eject key will not work on a PC. The Volume control keys will only work in Windows XP. The position of the Alt and Windows keys are swapped.
Another option is taking a non-clicky Alps compatible board (like the ABS M1, AT101W, AEKII) and modify it with clicky leaf springs or better yet, real complicated white Alps.
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The Tactile Pro (http://matias.ca/tactilepro/) at least is an option. It's a little pricey and may be a little wonky with Windows:
Another option is taking a non-clicky Alps compatible board (like the ABS M1, AT101W, AEKII) and modify it with clicky leaf springs or better yet, real complicated white Alps.
I primarily use Ubuntu, so no worries there. (All I use XP for is to play Halo)
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You're looking for the Griffin iMate (http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?t=9505)
I forgot all about that. Now I wish I'd kept the damn thing, oh well, no F-keys and it had an L-shaped enter anyway.