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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: False_Dmitry_II on Sat, 09 April 2011, 02:18:15

Title: blue alps
Post by: False_Dmitry_II on Sat, 09 April 2011, 02:18:15

So, the ALPS wiki says that the reason why blue alps are so awesome is that they have a longer 'switch plate' is what I'll call it. It's supposed to be why blue/orange are smoother than white/black. So If I were to get a orange switches board, and put the click leaf in from whites, would that approximate blues well enough or would that be a terrible horrendous idea that should never be done?

Title: blue alps
Post by: Izza on Sat, 09 April 2011, 04:48:54

Quote from: False_Dmitry_II;327216

So, the ALPS wiki says that the reason why blue alps are so awesome is that they have a longer 'switch plate' is what I'll call it. It's supposed to be why blue/orange are smoother than white/black. So If I were to get a orange switches board, and put the click leaf in from whites, would that approximate blues well enough or would that be a terrible horrendous idea that should never be done?

Such things should always be done so long as results are posted here.

Title: blue alps
Post by: kps on Sat, 09 April 2011, 11:20:38

Quote from: False_Dmitry_II;327216

would that approximate blues well enough?

It would. I don't think you could distinguish them in a blind test.

Title: blue alps
Post by: CurtisLeon on Sat, 09 April 2011, 19:52:47

Thanks for the idea - I've just tried this with my AEK. I think I like the feel of these ghetto blues better than the original Orange myself. New modding project?

Title: blue alps
Post by: ch_123 on Sat, 09 April 2011, 21:09:20

Blue Alps have a different spring, which is quite possibly why they are 10g lighter than Whites.

Title: blue alps
Post by: ch_123 on Sat, 09 April 2011, 21:32:19

I tested a number of the Blue switches, and they were all 60g.

Title: blue alps
Post by: CurtisLeon on Sat, 09 April 2011, 22:04:08

My modded Orange switches come out to a solid 60g too.

Title: blue alps
Post by: aegrotatio on Sat, 09 April 2011, 22:05:56

Where I'm from, Blue ALPS means Monterey ALPS which means Serious Collectible.

Title: blue alps
Post by: False_Dmitry_II on Sun, 10 April 2011, 00:44:40

I think real life blue alps are rarer than montereys by a longshot.

Title: blue alps
Post by: False_Dmitry_II on Tue, 19 April 2011, 05:06:37

Heh, I came up with that before even reading the entire 'blue alps collectors are/aren't crazy' posts. Just the part in the main ALPS wiki. Now I see that the click leaves are identical, which should make it an exact match.

Do white vs black have the same springs? What about orange versus blue? I would bet the orange ones would be the same. If Orange springs have the same extra half coil then this would be completely identical to blue alps except for the color of the slider.

What are pink alps? They're barely a footnote in the wiki, and I'm trying to find out if they have the grey longer switch plate too.

Title: blue alps
Post by: CurtisLeon on Tue, 19 April 2011, 16:35:34

Apparently pink ALPS are just black ALPS with the grey switch plate. Don't know why people rave over them so much. At least orange ALPS feel significantly different.

Title: blue alps
Post by: ch_123 on Tue, 19 April 2011, 18:42:57

Quote from: aegrotatio;327743

Where I'm from, Blue ALPS means Monterey ALPS which means Serious Collectible.

 
Montereys are not Alps switches. They are clones. Good ones, but nowhere near as interesting as the complicated Blue Alps.

Title: blue alps
Post by: The Solutor on Tue, 19 April 2011, 18:50:46

Quote from: ripster;327778

Most of the interesting stuff happens AFTER actuation in the Grey Switch Plates vs White Switch Plate with Whites vs Blues.

Show Image

(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=11173&d=1276705886)

 
Would be interesting to know if those graph are showing the average of a decent number of switches or are just one test per switch.

The testing methodology can change a lot. There can be a lot of difference from key to key even in a brand new keyboard.

Title: blue alps
Post by: Jim66 on Tue, 19 April 2011, 20:09:28

Quote from: ripster;333731

I don't know much about ALPS Pinks despite repeatedly asking here what they are like (if they responded I would have put it in the Wiki).

I'm about to solder some pinks back into a M0116 in the next couple of days so I'll let you know... Last time I tried them I wasn't impressed (I was really into dampened whites at the time). We shall see.

Title: blue alps
Post by: False_Dmitry_II on Tue, 19 April 2011, 21:13:20

Excellent. Be sure to take pictures of them and stuff (IIRC, you did some of the other pictures). At the moment I only have the board that I would use for donor click leaves, so I asked before even getting anything else.

Title: blue alps
Post by: Pylon on Wed, 20 April 2011, 08:16:32

What's the difference between pinks and oranges?