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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Mattr567 on Mon, 22 June 2015, 23:41:45

Title: AEKII power button on PC (along with standalone = key)
Post by: Mattr567 on Mon, 22 June 2015, 23:41:45
Hey

So I got in a AEKII today and am using it with a iMate. Is there a way to use the power button in windows? (ex sleep)

Currently windows doesn't recognize it as a key, as well as the numpad = key.
Also have tried a bunch of keyboard remappers and they don't see it either.

Thanks.
Title: Re: AEKII power button on PC (along with standalone = key)
Post by: EscapeVelocity on Tue, 23 June 2015, 00:05:19
Cool. I have one coming and an iMate as well. So interested in your experience here. Did you win the recent auction on eBay?  Im hoping for Cream Alps myself.
Title: Re: AEKII power button on PC (along with standalone = key)
Post by: Mattr567 on Tue, 23 June 2015, 00:24:37
Cool. I have one coming and an iMate as well. So interested in your experience here. Did you win the recent auction on eBay?  Im hoping for Cream Alps myself.

Just to clarify, I dont have this working and hope I can. (sounded like you thought I got it working)

Yes I did win a auction recently, and got Cream Alps. I wanted to try out a dampened switch since I already have a Black Alps keyboard and hate the switch. They hit too hard and fatigue my fingers. These dont.

So far I just got the adapter and am using the keyboard right now. Still have to clean it and retr0bright it, but I just want to see how the switches feel over a long period of time.
Coming from a Model M its a nice change. They are both great in different ways. Seem to be way faster and more accurate with the AEKII though. (have been using the Model M for 6 months as a daily)

Smooth, a little soft, but plenty mech feeling. Also more tactile than Black ALPS. Dont see how anyone could mistake this for a rubber dome.

So yea. Really hoping the people here at geekhack + others can get something working/solution.
Title: Re: AEKII power button on PC (along with standalone = key)
Post by: False_Dmitry_II on Tue, 23 June 2015, 21:31:33
That sounds to me  like you've got the ivory version, which I like better than the normal cream.

It also sounds like your copy of black alps was one of the bad ones. Of the crushed-into-being-linear variety.

But no, the iMate doesn't send any PC codes for those keys of any kind. The light flashes, but aquakeytest never showed anything for that. I figure they only do anything on a Mac.
Title: Re: AEKII power button on PC (along with standalone = key)
Post by: Mattr567 on Tue, 23 June 2015, 22:55:00
That sounds to me  like you've got the ivory version, which I like better than the normal cream.

It also sounds like your copy of black alps was one of the bad ones. Of the crushed-into-being-linear variety.

But no, the iMate doesn't send any PC codes for those keys of any kind. The light flashes, but aquakeytest never showed anything for that. I figure they only do anything on a Mac.

Yea, Ive done a bunch of research and it can be done with hasu's code and a teensy. Since I already bought a iMate ill just live with it.

Most of the black alps switch's do feel crushed into a linear, but some aren't. (aka the least used keys)
Those have more of a bump but is still weak. The biggest killer for me is they hit so hard and fatigue my fingers.

Ivory and cream are interchanged but all AEKII's with cream were dampened versions.

As for my AEKII: right now she's in pieces. Restoration started today. All cleaned. The retr0bright happens tomorrow.
Title: Re: AEKII power button on PC (along with standalone = key)
Post by: False_Dmitry_II on Wed, 24 June 2015, 00:20:17
The ivory is what people call the stark white slider dampened ones. Both types are dampened.
Title: Re: AEKII power button on PC (along with standalone = key)
Post by: chyros on Wed, 24 June 2015, 03:03:06
The ivory is what people call the stark white slider dampened ones. Both types are dampened.
Not from what I've heard: http://deskthority.net/wiki/Alps_SKCM_Cream_Damped Cream is the unofficial name for what Alps themselves call "Ivory", "White Damped" is only known as "White Damped". This would make sense because White Damped wasn't in production yet when the catalog listing "Ivory" was released.
Title: Re: AEKII power button on PC (along with standalone = key)
Post by: False_Dmitry_II on Thu, 25 June 2015, 23:35:19
Those are official names. Just like Monterey blues and Space Invaders are not official names, but they are what are used by most. That page is even named cream. But, since this is just color descriptors I'll switch to cream and white dampened for these two. Even though 'white dampened' is supremely lame. That's the one I meant that I liked better. I've had like 4-5 of cream and maybe 2 of white dampened and liked both white dampened much better. It's possible that it was actually based on luck and condition, but I don't know.

Hadn't even heard of those official names at all.

His post made it sound like there are versions of the AEKII with Alps, but which are not dampened. Which does not exist.
Title: Re: AEKII power button on PC (along with standalone = key)
Post by: chyros on Fri, 26 June 2015, 02:55:17
Those are official names. Just like Monterey blues and Space Invaders are not official names, but they are what are used by most.
Tbh I've never heard anyone refer to White Damped as "Ivory", the only times I've heard people use that term it applied to Creams Oo . AFAIK there are no other discrepancies of Alps' official colour nomenclature and the ones used by the community.

Quote
His post made it sound like there are versions of the AEKII with Alps, but which are not dampened. Which does not exist.
Actually it does! Some AEKIIs came with (undampened) Salmon Alps. I suspect he used only "Cream" because undamped Cream Alps are extremely rare and barely worth mentioning; considering rarity, it probably makes much more sense to use "White", "White Damped", "Cream" and "Cream Undamped".
Title: Re: AEKII power button on PC (along with standalone = key)
Post by: EscapeVelocity on Thu, 02 July 2015, 16:56:45
My Apple AEK II came in while GeekHack was down. Ill post info about it soon.
Title: Re: AEKII power button on PC (along with standalone = key)
Post by: EscapeVelocity on Sat, 04 July 2015, 01:12:27
Im pretty sure my AEK II Made in USA, stamped M3501 on unite, marked M0312 on box, serial number starting with A....is Cream Damped Alps. It's in fantastic condition, box is a bit rough (it's a cardboard colored box not fancy retail)  Still has the little template that goes over the Function Keys and the detachable cable still has original plastic sleeving over it. This looks to have seen little to no use. Was probably left/stored in box for it's whole life. Not fading.

Ill take pics soon.
Title: Re: AEKII power button on PC (along with standalone = key)
Post by: False_Dmitry_II on Sat, 04 July 2015, 20:02:31
Those are official names. Just like Monterey blues and Space Invaders are not official names, but they are what are used by most.
Tbh I've never heard anyone refer to White Damped as "Ivory", the only times I've heard people use that term it applied to Creams Oo . AFAIK there are no other discrepancies of Alps' official colour nomenclature and the ones used by the community.

That's because I did my research before DT's wiki really existed. At least as far as Alps in general goes. Once I'd had one of each back then I knew they were different, I just didn't really know what in particular. Was definitely before Daniel started getting all those catalogs and using them to document very specifically things about them.


it probably makes much more sense to use "White", "White Damped", "Cream" and "Cream Undamped".
Agreed.