There does seem to be some variation over time (for instance, among complicated white Alps switches, there are what Daniel Beardsmore calls “pine” and “bamboo” variants, depending on whether they have little slits visible from the top). Also, age can have a big effect on switches: grit can get in making the switch more sluggish and scratchier, improper storage or heavy use can reduce the 'snap' left in leaf springs.
Some pics might help in this case.
Tried cleaning the internals of the Focus 2001. Didn't seem to change it much. But when I put in a sprint from a Matias switch, it made it a little less sluggish.The click leaves from Matias switches are definitely a bit snappier than most of the Alps clicky-switch click leaves I’ve tried. It might partly just be because they’re newer though.
Tried cleaning the internals of the Focus 2001. Didn't seem to change it much. But when I put in a sprint from a Matias switch, it made it a little less sluggish.The click leaves from Matias switches are definitely a bit snappier than most of the Alps clicky-switch click leaves I’ve tried. It might partly just be because they’re newer though.
Replacing the click/tactile leaves in worn-out Alps switches with new ones from Matias switches is a good way to resuscitate them.
siig minitouch = real, complicated, original, bigfoots.
one problem tho, the real complicated original bigfoots came in 2 slightly different varieties (I've had trouble pinning down the difference, which is supposed to be slight). For instance, real alps-heads (sandy comes to mind) would insist that you can only get the, er, "REAL-REAL, complicated, original, bigfoots" on the northgates and CVTs (no doubt he'd know of other obscure boards too).
The siig, also the dell at101w, and sgi etc, have the regular-real, complicated, original, bigfoots.
Yep, those are the “pine” (i.e. with slits) SKCM white switches.
And I have an extra Focus 2001 with mushy SKCM Whites.If they outwardly look the same as the ones in the minitouch, but they’re mushy, that probably means either: (a) they were used heavily, or (b) they were stored at some point with the switches pressed down for a long period of time.
Slits ... Those are pine switches, so that keyboard was made in 1993 or earlier. The controller chip on mine (with AK-CN2 switches) reads "C32304AE MONTEREY ANC88492 9615 ⓜ© INTEL 1980", suggesting that it was manufactured in 1996 week 15. What date does the controller chip on yours appear to have?
The switches could be transplants, of course, but if the keyboard appears to have a manufacture date between 1991 and 1993, the switches are probably the originals.
A photo of the label on the back would be really helpful, too. They never have a year on, but it should give at least the FCC ID and maybe the model number as well.
The SunTouch Jr — as I understand it, the SunTouch (a Chicony KB-5181) and SunTouch Jr (the little Monterey keyboard) are Sun protocol keyboards — is this the case with yours? (I am not sure it's ever been "officially" confirmed.)
Ha. As soon as I saw that FCC grantee code I knew something was wrong. I hadn't paid any attention to the first photo — which does in fact clearly show a keyboard in the Ortek MCK-84 series. SIIG have therefore badged two different keyboards as the Suntouch Jr — an Ortek MCK-84 variety (hence the metal label Ortek always used), and some product from Monterey that we have yet to identify. The MCK-84 series is well-known; I don't know whether any ever came with real Alps switches though. Ortek are also still around and I've been trying to find out whose Alps clone switches they used, without any success.
The 1977 copyright date refers to the year that Intel designed that controller chip, though I don't think that's really a 1977 design, as XT wasn't even invented then, let alone AT.
I don't like the way Ortek labelled their chips, since the numbers are so hard to read. "ORTEK96" would be far too new for those switches, but it could be "ORTEK90", which would tie in with the FCC ID. The FCC ID on the label is a misprint, and it should read "GM8MCK-84KBPAD", which was registered in 1990. I don't know whether "ORTEK90" means "made in 1990" (which or would be a perfect match for those switches, suggesting that they're original) or "designed in 1990".
Does yours have the DA-15 rear socket?
Looking forwards to some high quality photos of the keyboard; there's a new page waiting for them:
http://deskthority.net/wiki/SIIG_Suntouch_Jr.
Photos of the Suntouch Jr are surprisingly scarce.