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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Hak Foo on Tue, 05 April 2011, 22:30:06

Title: Wang 724
Post by: Hak Foo on Tue, 05 April 2011, 22:30:06
I spent weeks agonizing over this board.  After all, it's ALPS, but not WHITE ALPS.

The good:

* Nice heavy feel, and big tall feet.

* Speaker to compensate for lack of whiteness.

* Extra keys.  109, not the 115 the vendor claims though.

For reference:  Extra keys map as follows:

F13-16 = Alt-F3 to F6
Cancel = Alt-F7
Help= Alt-F8
GL= Alt-F9
Erase = Alt-F10

Cool retro look with overlay slots.  Unfortunately, the slots are pre-filled with overlays for the Wang WP and WP-Plus packages, which I'm afraid don't run on Windows 7.

Drawbacks:

Speaker does not sound on modifiers, and sounds fake overall  It also sometimes seems to back up noises until they can play.  I was envisioning an answer to the fake-sound of NMB switches, or a way to give me a loud linear switch, but this isn't it.

Alt and Control keys have strnage low profile.
Editing block is weird.
Typography feels random-- some keys (like Print Screen) seem to be in a different font than the rest

Neutral:

Scooped F and J.

The switches seem to soften up after just a few minutes, expected for an ancient board in its original box.

I overpaid.  38USD plus of postage, but the vendor's knocked 'em back to like 30 plus postage.  Endless supply at http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130373343813#ht_1435wt_885
Title: Wang 724
Post by: kps on Tue, 05 April 2011, 22:52:25
Quote from: Hak Foo;325381
ALPS, but not WHITE ALPS.


Could you list all the other ALPS are they not?
Title: Wang 724
Post by: Hak Foo on Tue, 05 April 2011, 23:39:27
Quote from: kps;325386
Could you list all the other ALPS are they not?



Sour Cream & ALPS
ALPS: the Lost Levels
Go Fukka Yourself ALPS


I've read in the Wiki the 724 could be black or pink, but not white (or blue, which is just old white as far as I can tell)
Title: Wang 724
Post by: kps on Wed, 06 April 2011, 09:19:50
Sorry, I thought you had the keyboard in hand and just forgot to mention the switch type.
Title: Wang 724
Post by: .XL on Wed, 06 April 2011, 09:28:45
Just picked one up...been wanting to try ALPS for a while! Thanks for the link