geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: timw4mail on Tue, 08 September 2009, 13:15:48
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I found a reasonably priced AEKII on eBay, and I think I managed to find an iMate from a Google shopping vendor.
What is the key feel like on the AEKII?
From what I understand, generally the AEKII has "damped" white ALPS.
I'm thinking the sound and feel might be similar to this keyboard:
http://www.datadesktech.com/desktop_lbb_start.html
Any insights, reviews, problems, et cetera?
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I found a reasonably priced AEKII on eBay, and I think I managed to find an iMate from a Google shopping vendor.
What is the key feel like on the AEKII?
From what I understand, generally the AEKII has "damped" white ALPS.
no no its damped black alps. The aekii's dont hav a click leaf. click leaf makes a white alps; tactile leaf makes a black alps. Aekii is basically a black alps with dampers -- except that visually its sliders are white. but its actually a black alps in terms of its construction. With dampers on the sliders, is all.
I'm thinking the sound and feel might be similar to this keyboard:
http://www.datadesktech.com/desktop_lbb_start.html
Any insights, reviews, problems, et cetera?
dont know what that board is, though i'm intrigued.
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dont know what that board is, though i'm intrigued.
Well, its a mechanical keyboard that I used to have for my Macs... although I couldn't tell you if it's the only mechanical keyboard I had for my Macs or not.
Anyway, it had either clicky switches, or bottomed out with a nice sound. Either way, it's a noisy keyboard.
Now you say the AEKII is damped black ALPS? Does that mean it feels like the Dell AT101W without the loud bottoming out, or does it have a slightly different sense of tactility?
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I like my AEK2 a lot, I'd use it all the time if the G3/400 wasn't the fastest system I had which I could use it on. The AEK2 does feel like the SGI AT101 although I haven't used my one of those in a while.
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I like my AEK2 a lot, I'd use it all the time if the G3/400 wasn't the fastest system I had which I could use it on.
Look for a Griffin iMate (ADB to USB converter). Not manufactured anymore, however.
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Does that mean it feels like the Dell AT101W without the loud bottoming out, ?
exactly right. Look at it this way:
if you put in regular non-damped sliders on an aekII, you basically have the at101w.
If you put the aekII damped sliders in an at101w, you basically have an aekII.
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Do you know if the Apple Keyboard II had mechanical switches?
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LOL. Love these ALPS threads.
dude for all your poopooing :-D the huge variety of alps/clones out there is precisely what makes for an incredibly mod-able switch. Alps are the easiest to mod and the most versatile to mod :) And so affordable too.
Its true many/most of those alps variations blow or arent special. But because they're so mod-able, its also very easy to basically construct a switch that you really like - and cheaply too. And a customized fit.
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Do you know if the Apple Keyboard II had mechanical switches?
I don't think so. I think I bought this model on accident when I was going to do an Alps mod. It has rubber domes with an interface that looks remarkably like an Alps switch in a picture (up close, it's easier to tell).
It had both Welly and me fooled.
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Do you know if the Apple Keyboard II had mechanical switches?
dont know. I know that if one doesnt follow the board naming very closely one can very easily wind up paying for a rubber dome, lol.
wikipedia might have some info.
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dont know. I know that if one doesnt follow the board naming very closely one can very easily wind up paying for a rubber dome, lol.
wikipedia might have some info.
Oh, it doesn't use mechanical switches.
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There are a few (I think) dampened switches for the AEKII. We shall see which ones you have based on the S/N and/or just by opening them up. I have about 20 of them and there is a bit of variation. 3 or 4 different ones that I can tell. I am sure that they are supposed to be identical, but they look and feel just a tiny bit different, yet noticable.
For all their "dampenednessless" (heehee) they seem a tiny bit louder "click" wise than black alps (generally, and I am not talking about bottoming out). They both seem really, really inconsistent. I have a few black alps that sound clicky, and many AEKII alps that do as well. I could be just down to manufacturing tolerances or process. Maybe even upgraded materials (but history shows us it's usually downgraded)
I like them, but for some reason I make more typos and miss strikes on them more than any other board. Go figure :S