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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: klennkellon on Wed, 07 September 2016, 22:28:10

Title: RGB Hot Swappable keyboard with blue Alps clones?
Post by: klennkellon on Wed, 07 September 2016, 22:28:10
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/e-element-rgb-keyboard?mode=guest_open

Very interesting and a cool looking board. If I see it drop again I will buy it.
Title: Re: RGB Hot Swappable keyboard with blue Alps clones?
Post by: Wingpad on Wed, 07 September 2016, 22:56:23
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/e-element-rgb-keyboard?mode=guest_open

Very interesting and a cool looking board. If I see it drop again I will buy it.
Interesting - do we know anything about the key feel/weighting of these Outemu switches? I wonder if they'd be comparable to the i-Rocks switches.

The internals looks very Cherry-esque so I can't help but wonder... they're ostensibly kind of like a reverse i-Rocks switch, a Clone Cherry w/ Alps Slider vs Clone Alps w/ Cherry Slider :p
Title: Re: RGB Hot Swappable keyboard with blue Alps clones?
Post by: emdude on Wed, 07 September 2016, 23:10:55
Do these switches have Alps-style internals with contact plate and tactile leaf, because otherwise I have a difficult time seeing the point of them.

EDIT: Okay, I just looked it up, they do have Cherry MX internals (https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/4t3519/photos_outemu_mx_switch_that_uses_alps_keycaps/).  The switches are completely pointless then.
Title: Re: RGB Hot Swappable keyboard with blue Alps clones?
Post by: sony on Wed, 07 September 2016, 23:43:29
Lol that's my post. Yeah a friend of a friend got that exact keyboard and I can confirm that it's just an otm mx switch with an alps keycap stem. None of the benefits, all of the struggles.
Title: Re: RGB Hot Swappable keyboard with blue Alps clones?
Post by: FoxWolf1 on Fri, 09 September 2016, 08:06:09
As I've said elsewhere, these really aren't meant to be anything like ALPS, except insofar as their rectangular stem happens to be keycap compatible with ALPS rather than needing dedicated keycaps (like Kailh's equivalent switch).

The purpose of the rectangular stem is to have a stem that's the same shape and width as the opening in the housing all the way down, making it harder for debris or even liquids to get into the switches. In theory, this should improve the real-world longevity of the switches, especially for less-than-completely-tidy owners.