Datatech SPK-100: solid board with metal back, blue alps(?)

[E3E]

I was quite taken in with the Ortek 142-key 'battleship' someone linked over on DT the other day... but hesitated because I wasn't 100% sure if the switches were Simplified or Complicated White Alps. Evidently someone snatched it up within the past 12 hours, right before I got home and was ready to make my decision.

*Expletive* Story of my life. 

Yep, that battleship is something that caught my eye a few months ago myself. The idea of slapping blue Alps in it was tempting, but I don't know. Part of me feels like I'd just be after it for the wrong reasons a nd not very practical ones.

Rest assured, they are not too too rare, so they will crop up again!

The only board I have yet to see another of so far, out of almost every other acclaimed Alps board I've seen (Dell AT101 old logo, Leading Edge DC-3014,  Zenith ZKB-2, Acer KB101A, etc),  is my very own FAME TH-5539. This SPK-100 was one that I never saw another of aside from a old post here on GH, and then one popped up on eBay late last year, and now this one. So it's still pretty damn scarce.

This Fame though, seems to be incredibly and oddly uinique. Not even the guys at Tai Hao have my board in their old vintage collection, so I'm waiting for the day when another one pops up. Kinda cool that I ended up with it, as it is my absolute favorite vintage board.



It's a mantle piece now thanks to those caps, but yeah. I lurv it.

If anyone does find it, let me know!

Another board I have yet to see another of is the Focus-FK-767, though I have seen a derivative board in the Phillips PM 3655 Logic Analyzer. The black Focus FK-2001 is also a bit of a unicorn--one just sold on eBay for much cheaper than it should have
 
What else... Some of the F AT style Alps boards aside from the Zenith, Leading Edge, and NEC APC-H410 ones are very very seldomly seen. The Chicony 5160AT, the Focus FK-747 and an Ortek board I can't remember the name of. Also a Packard Bell board with brown linear Alps.

I also have not seen many Monterey K101s lately, though they don't seem that rare. I'm unsure though. I see the 104s more often.

[khronokrator]

Wow, I've never seen one of those before. Is that Cyrillic or Armenian lettering on the caps?

She's definitely a fine piece of keyboarding engineering, that's for sure! I'd make a display case for it.

I'm reasonably proud of my Focus, my Ultra TP, my Model M, and my Model F terminal keyboard. The others were bought used and aren't in as great condition, in my mind. And I can't stand Cherry switches, so I regret buying a K70 RGB with Blues last year, and am hoping to use it as leverage for Blue Alps or something, someday.

I feel pretty much the same about my Ultra TP--even if it does have SKBL Whites, it would almost feel sacrilegious to subject it to my poor soldering skills in an attempt to 'improve' the switches by replacing them with Complicated White or Blue Alps.

And eh, you win some, you lose some. I just came to the abrupt realization today that the programmable features of the Ortek would've been incredibly handy to have, possible Simplified Alps notwithstanding. And it was NOS, a very desirable trait. I almost bought it last night, but decided to sleep on it just one more time...

Ugh, I could kick myself. In fact, I probably will.

[chyros]

It's true, my friend! I think the Acer KB101A was relatively unknown before your reviews! That said, your reviews are something that's nice to see in the community! They're well-put together and insightful without being too technical or too unstructured.

So yeah, I certainly think your reviews probably upped a lot of antennae toward the Acer KB101A. I don't think it would have as much attention as it does now otherwise! Not that that's a bad thing, per se!

Edit: Though, E3E is right: I'd say Chyros' YT videos have definitely had some influence on the wider vintage collecting hobby, especially after his Acer review. His videos are informative, but never boring, and everyone seems to enjoy his Dutch-English accent.

Chyros, your videos were what sold me on both the Model F terminal keyboard and the FK-2001. I managed to get one of each that were NOS for quite a reasonable price, and am very happy with them. The terminal keyboard is just too large to fit in the keyboard drawer on my desk, so it mostly goes unused. Like everyone else, though, I've been less lucky locating one of the elusive KB101As.

Haha thanks guys, I really didn't think my opinion would carry that much weight xD .

In which case khrono, you'll kick yourself even more if you know what I've got planned in the (far) future .

[frogthejam19]

Looking for someone who is willing to sell their blue alps board to me. I've been camping Ebay everyday have not seen one . The last one there sold for an absurd amount  of money.

[chyros]

Looking for someone who is willing to sell their blue alps board to me. I've been camping Ebay everyday have not seen one . The last one there sold for an absurd amount  of money.

Definitely ask E3E. He appears to be able to find even impossible blue Alps boards everywhere xD .

[khronokrator]

Likewise, I've been bitten by the Ortek bug since I let that amazing battleship slip through my fingers, so if anyone has one in good condition and is willing to part with it, I'm definitely interested. 

[chyros]

Likewise, I've been bitten by the Ortek bug since I let that amazing battleship slip through my fingers, so if anyone has one in good condition and is willing to part with it, I'm definitely interested. 

The Ortek isn't the only battlecruiser keyboard out there with programmable keys out there tbh . It is one of the more overlooked ones, though.

[khronokrator]

It is. I actually own a Model F 122 terminal keyboard much like yours (and inspired by yours, of course) and using Soarer's converter it can be even be programmable on the hardware level; I've just been too lazy to bother beyond the basic functionality built into the converter.

My Ultra TP is also theoretically programmable but in practice is no longer so, since Robert Tibbets removes the chip responsible for hardware-level macro programming in the P Omnikey models that come through his shop due to some known defect or something. I also don't like the switches much (especially for the incredible cost of the board), and strongly suspect them to be Simplified Alps (I was never actually able to get them apart using your toothpick method, Chyros; the switchec are apparently lodged in their cases extremely tightly and/or I just need better toothpicks). This was why I hesitated on the Ortek initially because the one on eBay last week had switches in the exact same configuration as my Ultra TP: upside down bold Alps logo with upside down, non-circled numbers in the corners... which I suspect is a hallmark of Simplified switches.

Doesn't make sense they'd be on a board the seller claimed was from the 1980s, so hence the hesitation. In the end I wanted it just because it was such an interesting looking keyboard in NOS condition, which is always something I like to see.

[jacobolus]

strongly suspect them to be Simplified Alps (I was never actually able to get them apart using your toothpick method, Chyros; the switchec are apparently lodged in their cases extremely tightly and/or I just need better toothpicks).

Take a picture of the outside of a switch and we can tell you what they are.

Also, toothpicks aren’t the best tool. You want something with a wide but flat point, and ideally a bit less breakable than a toothpick. I use two pairs of tweezers, or sometimes some metal right-angle dental picks, but those are also not ideal.

The way the switches are held in the plate has nothing to do with opening them.

[chyros]

strongly suspect them to be Simplified Alps (I was never actually able to get them apart using your toothpick method, Chyros; the switchec are apparently lodged in their cases extremely tightly and/or I just need better toothpicks).

Take a picture of the outside of a switch and we can tell you what they are.

Also, toothpicks aren’t the best tool. You want something with a wide but flat point, and ideally a bit less breakable than a toothpick. I use two pairs of tweezers, or sometimes some metal right-angle dental picks, but those are also not ideal.

The way the switches are held in the plate has nothing to do with opening them.

I kinda get what he means though. Some Alps clones have the contact plates retain the upper shell way more. The upper shell has a divider built into it and it clings onto that. It's also why Alps clones are usually harder to reassemble than the genuine article.

As for the toothpick method; I went with that because metal tools damage the plastic. I've since perfected the technique though; if you use the cocktail sticks for long enough the flatten to the point where you don't need the toothpicks anymore. What you then do is stick the cocktail sticks in and rapidly take them out, which dislodges the shell and usually takes it almost all the way off in one swift movement. Takes about half a second.

[jacobolus]

As for the toothpick method; I went with that because metal tools damage the plastic.

If you’re careful you can avoid digging into the plastic with metal tweezers or tiny screwdrivers or whatever... or you can just not worry about scratching up the exterior of the top piece of POM housing. It’s not like it has any effect on switch function, and the scratches are going to be hidden between the two pieces of switch housing, where you can’t see them even when you take the keycaps off.

[khronokrator]

It's late, but here's what the switches on my Omnikey look like:



I'll really hate myself if these are genuine Complicated Alps, but I'll be damned if they don't feel very different from the ones on my Focus FK-2001, and not in a way that can be entirely explained by the sturdier construction of the Northgate. Honestly, they feel a lot like Matias Clicky switches to me, which is why I was hesitant to get that shiny new Ortek last week, as its switches look almost exactly the same:



I asked on the DT thread where the Ortek was first mentioned if anyone could visually confirm the switches, and even PM'd a guy I knew from r/mk, but got no helpful responses. So I waited it out and some lucky person grabbed it. Likewise, I will doubly kick myself if the Ortek had genuine SKCM switches.

[E3E]

It's late, but here's what the switches on my Omnikey look like:

Show Image

I'll really hate myself if these are genuine Complicated Alps, but I'll be damned if they don't feel very different from the ones on my Focus FK-2001, and not in a way that can be entirely explained by the sturdier construction of the Northgate. Honestly, they feel a lot like Matias Clicky switches to me, which is why I was hesitant to get that shiny new Ortek last week, as its switches look almost exactly the same:

Show Image

I asked on the DT thread where the Ortek was first mentioned if anyone could visually confirm the switches, and even PM'd a guy I knew from r/mk, but got no helpful responses. So I waited it out and some lucky person grabbed it. Likewise, I will doubly kick myself if the Ortek had genuine SKCM switches.

Well the slider looks more dull in the top picture, but that could be a lighting issue. As someone who has no experience with SKCM white or SKBM white, I can't say for sure, but looking at the wiki article for SKBM/fukka, I'd say that they are likely simplified.

https://deskthority.net/wiki/Alps_SKBM_White

[jacobolus]

Neither of those pictures has the “slits”. Even if they’re SKCM switches, they’re of the inferior ~1995 type. The ones from ~1990–1993 are noticeably nicer.

[khronokrator]

Yep. The funny thing is my Focus has switches that also feature an upside down Alps logo... but again, feel worlds better to type on, and also sound better.

So in the end, I guess I'm not so sorry I missed this one. Thanks for the input, guys.

As someone who's very picky about the feel of keyswitches... I much prefer the feel of older White Alps over the later ones, and definitely over Simplified and Matias Clicky switches. Imagine my disappointment after paying a fortune for a NOS Omnikey and finding the switches felt nearly identical to the Matias ones I'd soldered into my older Omnikey. 

[E3E]

Neither of those pictures has the “slits”. Even if they’re SKCM switches, they’re of the inferior ~1995 type. The ones from ~1990–1993 are noticeably nicer.

Oh yeah, pine vs bamboo. I almost forgot about the distinction since all of mine do have slits as well. It's odd how that really does effect feel. So many tiny little nuances that combine to give these switches a really nice feel, at least the earlier ones!

Long contact plate, slits, the symmetrical sliders of the oldest linear varieties and the click and tactile mechanisms. Oh so good.

[khronokrator]

Oh yeah, pine vs bamboo. I almost forgot about the distinction since all of mine do have slits as well. It's odd how that really does effect feel. So many tiny little nuances that combine to give these switches a really nice feel, at least the earlier ones!

Long contact plate, slits, the symmetrical sliders of the oldest linear varieties and the click and tactile mechanisms. Oh so good.

When I started down the Alps rabbit hole, I never knew to look for the slits. The DT wiki only mentioned that "later variants lacked the slits," and said nothing about their quality, or decline thereof. And aside from that, it's hard to tell later-generation SKCMs from the SKBMs. And half the time you're taking a gamble buying a used board off eBay and getting something with awful, dirty, gunked-up switches that stick.

Turns out most of my White Alps boards are of the later SKCM or Simplified varieties. Could've saved myself a lot of trouble and money if I'd known. Would've never spent a literal fortune on a NOS Omnikey Ultra TP if I'd known it had SKBMs, for one thing.

[jacobolus]

That Omnikey is a very nice sturdy board if you have some loose Alps switches in need of a good home.

[khronokrator]

That Omnikey is a very nice sturdy board if you have some loose Alps switches in need of a good home.

I don't as of yet, but I hope to if a good donor board/nice bag of SKCM switches pops up. Just hope I don't damage the board with my crummy soldering skills like I did with my 101P! 

[chyros]

Pretty sure those are simplified Alps (the Alps not made by Alps), they're definitely not as good. Jacobulus is definitely right about the slits on Alps, the slitted ones feel and sound a lot better. However, E3E, it's probably not down to (just) the actual slits but due to several production differences at once; different plastics, different thicknesses, different click leaves, leaf stiffnesses, etc. Even if it's not visually possible to distinguish the different parts .

[E3E]

Pretty sure those are simplified Alps (the Alps not made by Alps), they're definitely not as good. Jacobulus is definitely right about the slits on Alps, the slitted ones feel and sound a lot better. However, E3E, it's probably not down to (just) the actual slits but due to several production differences at once; different plastics, different thicknesses, different click leaves, leaf stiffnesses, etc. Even if it's not visually possible to distinguish the different parts .

So true, Chyros, so true. That wasn't even a thought when I considered that, but I agree. Have you ever experimented with the differences between white long contact plates and grey plates? I find there to be really no real difference, but the white plates certainly have a more raw appearance. I believe of the SKCL compact switches I have, the "half greens" use black contact plates.

I'd wonder how much the feel would improve if you swap in a "pine" top housing on an otherwise grassy "bamboo" switch.

[chyros]

Pretty sure those are simplified Alps (the Alps not made by Alps), they're definitely not as good. Jacobulus is definitely right about the slits on Alps, the slitted ones feel and sound a lot better. However, E3E, it's probably not down to (just) the actual slits but due to several production differences at once; different plastics, different thicknesses, different click leaves, leaf stiffnesses, etc. Even if it's not visually possible to distinguish the different parts .

So true, Chyros, so true. That wasn't even a thought when I considered that, but I agree. Have you ever experimented with the differences between white long contact plates and grey plates? I find there to be really no real difference, but the white plates certainly have a more raw appearance. I believe of the SKCL compact switches I have, the "half greens" use black contact plates.

I'd wonder how much the feel would improve if you swap in a "pine" top housing on an otherwise grassy "bamboo" switch.

Of course that'd be the best way to test this sort of thing, parts swaps etc. But it would be quite hard to test it all objectively, especially considering you'd need a bunch of switches of each type, all in NOS condition, and you'd need to test them side-by-side under identical conditions. Very hard to do all that.

Personally I can't imagine the length or the colour of the switchplate mattering because it's not part of the travel mechanism; the slider in no way feels the length or colour of the switchplate afaik. However, the contact leaf, including thickness, material and grade, finger length and angle, and even its mount stability on the switchplate could be quite significant.

Personally I think it's more due to the slider material changing over time, and possibly the housing. First-gen Alps were lubricated, but later ones weren't. This might suggest they tried out a different slider material (like POM; a low-friction plastic) which didn't need lubricant as much. If I had access to the department TGA and DSC I might've been able to find out which materials and compositions they were, but alas .

The click/tactile leaf for sure is also a factor on switch designs. The bottom lip on SKCM White for example might exert more pressure on the leaf as it's being bent, causing it to not be pulled forward as much compared to the lipless SKCM Amber, which is said to be more tactile (which would make sense). Different knocking strip, considerably different shape of tactile teeth, possibly thickness and material type, all play a factor.

There is also a different spring in later Alps compared to early ones. Earlier designs used a gold-tinted spring with fewer windings compared to later Alps switches. Although supposedly similarly weighted, at the very least it would impact the sound I guess.

[khronokrator]

I'm thinking of acquiring an old Chicony or two and seeing if I can harvest the switches for my huge Omnikey Ultra. We need to include a "Look for White Alps with slits if you want the best, authentic Alps experience!" PSA somewhere for people starting out in the Alps world, guys. Ebay is chock full of "White Alps" keyboards that have either simplified or dumbed-down clone switches. 

[E3E]

I'm thinking of acquiring an old Chicony or two and seeing if I can harvest the switches for my huge Omnikey Ultra. We need to include a "Look for White Alps with slits if you want the best, authentic Alps experience!" PSA somewhere for people starting out in the Alps world, guys. Ebay is chock full of "White Alps" keyboards that have either simplified or dumbed-down clone switches. 

I think old Acer 6011s might be one of the safest bets for solid white Alps switches, and some variants have the same case as the KB101A and look practically indistinguishable aside from the FCC ID and model number (as does the Acer 6311-K with Acer switches).

[khronokrator]

I think old Acer 6011s might be one of the safest bets for solid white Alps switches, and some variants have the same case as the KB101A and look practically indistinguishable aside from the FCC ID and model number (as does the Acer 6311-K with Acer switches).

Old Acer boards seem pretty rare, though. Almost as much as the KB101A itself! The only ones I've ever seen in the last few months on eBay are things like these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ACER-PS-2-AT-STYLE-VINTAGE-PC-COMPUTER-KEYBOARD-5-pin-DIN-6311-/251781340122?hash=item3a9f565bda:g:RHMAAOSwg3FUqcqL

BTW, E3E, do you have any Blue Alps keyboards on your radar? Or cheap White Alps boards that can be harvested? Chyros did recommend asking you to another poster earlier on this page.

[chyros]

I'm thinking of acquiring an old Chicony or two and seeing if I can harvest the switches for my huge Omnikey Ultra. We need to include a "Look for White Alps with slits if you want the best, authentic Alps experience!" PSA somewhere for people starting out in the Alps world, guys. Ebay is chock full of "White Alps" keyboards that have either simplified or dumbed-down clone switches. 

As far as I know, white Alps (the genuine ones) are really mostly slitted. Some clones, most notably OA2, are really good too, I know at least one person that prefers them to real Alps (they're lighter).

No need to watch for a 6011 specifically, white Alps are common enough .

[frogthejam19]

:\ still looking for a Blue Alps board.

[khronokrator]

:\ still looking for a Blue Alps board.

You and me both. Right now they're ridiculously rare, and any boards that get spotted on eBay quickly have their prices inflated into the stratosphere. Your best chance is finding a random eBay listing from someone that doesn't know what they have before the rest of GH and DT sees it and the hype train gets going.

But that's hard, because most clueless eBay sellers don't take pictures of the switches and there seem to be very few boards out there that were manufactured specifically with Blue Alps. A lot of boards from that era could come with any number of different switches; only a relatively few were 'guaranteed' to have Blue Alps (the Acer KB101A and Leading Edge 3014 are two obvious examples), and as a consequence they're nearly impossible to find. They get snatched up quickly, because collectors know what to look for. People selling vintage keyboards are also starting to catch on to the mania and are over-inflating their asking prices accordingly. Demand is very high, supply is low, that sort of thing.

Like the guys were saying to me, you kind of have to sleuth out obscure leads on the internet and not always rely on eBay. Which is hard.

But that said, I too that some will turn up someday, and not for a ludicrous $400 price tag.

[chyros]

:\ still looking for a Blue Alps board.

You and me both. Right now they're ridiculously rare, and any boards that get spotted on eBay quickly have their prices inflated into the stratosphere. Your best chance is finding a random eBay listing from someone that doesn't know what they have before the rest of GH and DT sees it and the hype train gets going.

But that's hard, because most clueless eBay sellers don't take pictures of the switches and there seem to be very few boards out there that were manufactured specifically with Blue Alps. A lot of boards from that era could come with any number of different switches; only a relatively few were 'guaranteed' to have Blue Alps (the Acer KB101A and Leading Edge 3014 are two obvious examples), and as a consequence they're nearly impossible to find. They get snatched up quickly, because collectors know what to look for. People selling vintage keyboards are also starting to catch on to the mania and are over-inflating their asking prices accordingly. Demand is very high, supply is low, that sort of thing.

Like the guys were saying to me, you kind of have to sleuth out obscure leads on the internet and not always rely on eBay. Which is hard.

But that said, I too that some will turn up someday, and not for a ludicrous $400 price tag.

Blue Alps are not that rare, you'll get your board someday, I'm sure .

Also, before you make a potentially horrible mistake; the DC-3014 did NOT always come with blue Alps; in fact, it's much more well-known for being able to come with linear brown Alps (which are far rarer). The one you might be thinking of is the DC-2014 .

[khronokrator]

Thanks, Chyros. Yes, I was just reading that on the wiki, in fact. 

Really just further illustrates why they're so rare; few keyboards were ever made exclusively with Blue Alps.

[E3E]

I think old Acer 6011s might be one of the safest bets for solid white Alps switches, and some variants have the same case as the KB101A and look practically indistinguishable aside from the FCC ID and model number (as does the Acer 6311-K with Acer switches).

Old Acer boards seem pretty rare, though. Almost as much as the KB101A itself! The only ones I've ever seen in the last few months on eBay are things like these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ACER-PS-2-AT-STYLE-VINTAGE-PC-COMPUTER-KEYBOARD-5-pin-DIN-6311-/251781340122?hash=item3a9f565bda:g:RHMAAOSwg3FUqcqL

BTW, E3E, do you have any Blue Alps keyboards on your radar? Or cheap White Alps boards that can be harvested? Chyros did recommend asking you to another poster earlier on this page.

The last blue Alps board I'm really hankering for to complete my blue Alps dynasty would be an Acer KB101A. I wouldn't mind any blue Alps board I could find though; I just like collecting blue Alps stuff! I was half-hoping the DC-3014 would've come with Brown Linear Alps.  I have my linear Brown Alps thanks to a trade with sth that I've made. Still waiting for a full board with them. I have pondered swapping the blues out of my DC-3014 and adding SKCL brown instead, but eh. It is quite a nice board to type on, especially with the AT101's caps on it.

So pretty much, as far as blue Alps are concerned - KB101A and any little interesting blue Alps board, butt I won't go out of my way for many right now. I'm very much happy with what I have! The only other one would be one of those replacement Apple IIc boards with SKCM blues and Alps branding on the top housing of the switch.

As far as I know, that's the ONLY keyboard that has that contains blues with the Alps branding like that.

Some curiosities I'd like are the Focus FK-767 which also exists in a variant form for the Philips PM 3655 Logic Analyzer, though it seems like that one might only have Omron Cyan. No idea though.

Another would be the variant of the Chicony 5170 with blue Alps.

An Ortek MCK-101 would be neat to have (since it looks so similar to the FAME except all plastic and a few small differences, but more so than the Chicony 5161), but that falls more under the "little interesting blue Alps board" stuff and not really something big for me. This one can come with white Alps too, though, as can the 5170.

Also, before you make a potentially horrible mistake; the DC-3014 did NOT always come with blue Alps; in fact, it's much more well-known for being able to come with linear brown Alps (which are far rarer). The one you might be thinking of is the DC-2014 .

Horrible mistake? Pff, brown linear Alps are fantastic switches and fantastically rare. It wouldn't be a mistake at all! If I were you, buy any DC-3014 you can find. They are fantastic, have NKRO (the only ANSI blue Alps board to have such a feature), and an excellent, incredibly solid build quality. Made by Daewoo in Korea. 

Now about blue Alps not being rare--this is true, at least in comparison to SKCM green and SKCL brown. They are less common than the other types. SKCM amber and SKCM brown are always around, it's just hard to find a source with a decent price tag. The main thing about blue Alps that makes them hard to find is that there are hardly any surefire sources for them where you know you'll get them every time.

AFAIK, only the Leading Edge DC-2014 and the NEC APC-H410 (84 key, not the 101 ANSI board, which is the H410E) have blue Alps for sure--that are common-ish anyway.

-

Yeah, right now, they are very VERY desirable, so anything you see on the market will be a flash in the pan in terms of how long it stays there.

As an interesting note, a seller on taobao relisted the very same Monterey K101 I have with the same exact serial number: https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.106.I5IAKh&id=41551316167&ns=1&abbucket=20#detail

Be sure to try and buy that paradox of a board! Let's see what happens!

My greatest blue Alps blunder was passing up 100 blue Alps switches + a keyboard thrown in as a bonus for a total of $16 USD before shipping on TaoBao because I was stuck on a technicality and couldn't decide.

[khronokrator]

Let me be clear on this: you're saying you bought that board already and they just... relisted it again? 

I've no experience buying stuff on Taobao, though. I wouldn't even know how to begin to search for stuff, let alone whether they ship to the States.

[E3E]

Let me be clear on this: you're saying you bought that board already and they just... relisted it again? 

I've no experience buying stuff on Taobao, though. I wouldn't even know how to begin to search for stuff, let alone whether they ship to the States.

I use a service called taobaoring as an agent. EMS was still through the rough expensive, sadly. It made what was a $67 keyboard a $123 keyboard after shipping, which is why I was hesitant on that 100 Alps + keyboard purchase I could have made. $123 is the most I've ever paid for any vintage keyboard I own.

I have a board that I've been seeing on eBay for a long time that I heavily considered buying that I think you might like, good sir. It's not blue Alps, but it is certified complicated white Alps with pine slits! I'll PM you.

[khronokrator]

I use a service called taobaoring as an agent. EMS was still through the rough expensive, sadly. It made what was a $67 keyboard a $123 keyboard after shipping, which is why I was hesitant on that 100 Alps + keyboard purchase I could have made. $123 is the most I've ever paid for any vintage keyboard I own.

I have a board that I've been seeing on eBay for a long time that I heavily considered buying that I think you might like, good sir. It's not blue Alps, but it is certified complicated white Alps with pine slits! I'll PM you.

Very interesting. I'd honestly be tempted to snag that K101 if it wasn't the one you already seem to have bought. 

And that'd be much appreciated, E3E! I'm on the lookout for any good finds I can get that aren't ludicrously expensive.

[E3E]

I use a service called taobaoring as an agent. EMS was still through the rough expensive, sadly. It made what was a $67 keyboard a $123 keyboard after shipping, which is why I was hesitant on that 100 Alps + keyboard purchase I could have made. $123 is the most I've ever paid for any vintage keyboard I own.

I have a board that I've been seeing on eBay for a long time that I heavily considered buying that I think you might like, good sir. It's not blue Alps, but it is certified complicated white Alps with pine slits! I'll PM you.

Very interesting. I'd honestly be tempted to snag that K1010 if it wasn't the one you already seem to have bought. 

And that'd be much appreciated, E3E! I'm on the lookout for any good finds I can get that aren't ludicrously expensive.

Yeah, I don't know what's up with it to be honest. There was a time that I wanted to buy an Silicon Graphics Button Box, a weird sort of controller that had 32 or so keys that were all grey linear Alps. All keys were also windowed, so my mind went to the fun possibilities of using them on my backlit Alps board.

The agent told me that the seller kept the listing up, despite having already sold it, simply because he wanted to show it off to others. So yeah, quirky.

[khronokrator]

Weird. But definitely interesting in its own right; this opens up new frontiers in the ongoing search for good Alps boards.

Any particular queries that are useful for searching for old Alps keyboards on Taobao?

[khronokrator]

Also, in the spirit of the thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/mechmarket/comments/42ji5b/usma_h_paypal_blue_alps_w_redscarf_77_or_redscarf/

This guy on r/mechmarket has a KB101A, but it seems he's only looking to use it for a trade, alas. 

[E3E]

Also, in the spirit of the thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/mechmarket/comments/42ji5b/usma_h_paypal_blue_alps_w_redscarf_77_or_redscarf/

This guy on r/mechmarket has a KB101A, but it seems he's only looking to use it for a trade, alas. 

Ahh yeah, itzmeluigi.

We talk a bit! Yeah, no idea where that one's going to go. We were in talks of his possible letting it go in the future, but it seems like the premiums on blue Alps (consarn them) have made him consider using it as a bargaining chip for a nice board. I wouldn't trade a custom for ANY vintage board.

But that's just me.

[khronokrator]

Nor I, E3E, nor I.

Would he be willing to let it go for money, or is he set on trying to use it as a bargaining chip?

[itzmeluigi]

Hahaha yeah, i was pretty much using it as a bargaining chip, although i kinda want to list it on Ebay because of the really high prices. I ended up getting a RedScarf96 and was able to buy it

Once i get the Realforce ive been wanting for a while ill be selling it.

[E3E]

Hahaha yeah, i was pretty much using it as a bargaining chip, although i kinda want to list it on Ebay because of the really high prices. I ended up getting a RedScarf96 and was able to buy it

Once i get the Realforce ive been wanting for a while ill be selling it.

I still don't know if the Datatrak or the Datatech were isolated instances of hype or insanity, but definitely go for the resale if you want to get the most bang out of your buck, dude!

I certainly couldn't provide an amount close to what those guys paid for their boards (really, a yellowed SPK?), so I mean I definitely understand if you want to optimize profit.

I just kind of chuckle since an SPK-100 went for $99 + shipping a few months ago, and it was in good condition.

[khronokrator]

Yeah, I can't match those insane prices. More power to you if you go the auction route, though! The demand is getting really high this year.