ALPS first time impressions with an ASK

[CaesarAZealad]

Hey all,
I recently got in my ASK with Orange ALPS (Lovingly named the 'Brown Banana' For it's extreme yellowing XD ) and I just thought I'd share my thoughts on it.

The board was tested working from ebay, and came with a cable, and I had some spare cash and jumped on the offer. Come a week it came in, and I was hyped. I was stoked. I was going to try the venerable ALPS that all those people told me were so good. I took it out of the box, typed a sentence on it, and was completely underwhelmed! It was pretty obvious these were in terrible condition. They sounded like plasticky ass (And not the good robot kind), the tactility was barely noticeable, and it was a bit chalky (Not necessarily scratchy, but more akin to chalk on a chalkboard)
It was time to get to work. I went to the store, bought some tea lights and snacks, cracked a Dr Pepper, and prayed to the lord above that I don't destroy these switches.

So I did some research, boiled some water, disassembled all the switches, and prepared to make ALPS soup.
I shaved off some of the wax from the candle (not measuring, like an idiot) and shifted the switches through in batches, halfway through realizing that I had added too much wax. A small heart attack later I managed to save the batch and prepared to re-assemble.

And we get to today (Or 2 days ago when I reassembled it and then went back to my dorm )
These, these were tactiles. I was initially put off from waxmodding due to some misinformation spread about it, but I can attest that I'm now a believer. The switches had a clearly defined tactile event that was consistent across the board, It's sound was deep, and the chalk was gone. Now I'm not saying it was magic, there was definitely some room for improvement, but I have to say this has become my second favorite board to type on. I still prefer my Zealios V2 switches in the case of tactiles, but these are a shining example of how a switch should be. The tactility is pronounced and present, and in contrast to MX tactiles it feels like the tactility is going in concert with the key press as opposed to stopping the entire thing and waiting for the bump to be overcome. I usually bottom out on my switches, but I find that these are best enjoyed when not hammering the switches like an ape.
If a Zealio V2 switch is like a cheap steak, this is a quality hamburger. It may not have as much to sink your teeth into, but what is there is there to be savored.
Or in less "can you tell I'm writing this at lunch" terms, they're pretty damn good.
As for the board itself? Pretty good.
I'm a little disappointed I couldn't get an AEK, but I was willing to settle for the ASK and it's quirks. The keycaps are good. Not sure what kind of printing they use but it hasn't worn off and they didn't break when my dumbass had his first lesson in how tight alps mount really is (Tighter than... nevermind) The stabs proved annoying to get back on. The spacebar was a complete nightmare. I'm not entirely sure what I did right to get it back on, but I'm going to do whatever I can to never have to put that keycap back on again. The case was thankfully in excellent condition despite it's yellowing, though the cable has gone sticky (Like some plastics/rubbers do over time)
Despite apple being apple, the layout is quite usable. I may have to re-program some stuff, but it's definitely not bad.

Overall? 3/10
I can't put my artisans on it and it doesn't have furry Jesus Christ etched on the back in brass.

[Maledicted]

Brown Banana. I like it. Please leave it au naturel. Way too many people try to make these relics look like they just came out of the factory. They didn't, so what's wrong with showing some age?

I have many boards with that soul-crushing chalky feeling. As with most things, I'm in no hurry to try new revitalization methods. I'll wait out the storm, and maybe for the process to mature before I risk ruining Zenith ZKB-2, Z-150, Leading Edge DC-2014, Northgate, NeXT, IBM medical, etc, boards.

I hate that layout, but those boards still have some charm either way. You should still be able to buy some brand new ADB cables if you need a replacement.

Glad to know that, at least for now, you didn't cannibalize this poor board to harvest the switches or give it a sunny hydrogen peroxide bath.

[CaesarAZealad]

Brown Banana. I like it. Please leave it au naturel. Way too many people try to make these relics look like they just came out of the factory. They didn't, so what's wrong with showing some age?

I originally intended to retrobrite it, but everyone (Including my own mother who knows nothing about keyboards but is still very supportive of my addiction interest) said it looked better yellowed

I have many boards with that soul-crushing chalky feeling. As with most things, I'm in no hurry to try new revitalization methods. I'll wait out the storm, and maybe for the process to mature before I risk ruining Zenith ZKB-2, Z-150, Leading Edge DC-2014, Northgate, NeXT, IBM medical, etc, boards.

Yeah I was skeptical, and I'm still a little bit worried about long term effects and the consequences of doing the process wrong, but it worked for me so I'm not complaining.

I hate that layout, but those boards still have some charm either way. You should still be able to buy some brand new ADB cables if you need a replacement.

Glad to know that, at least for now, you didn't cannibalize this poor board to harvest the switches or give it a sunny hydrogen peroxide bath.

I could never bring myself to cannibalize a board. Maybe convert it board side, but never just rip the switches out of something still so worthwhile.

[HungerMechanic]

The tactility is pronounced and present, and in contrast to MX tactiles it feels like the tactility is going in concert with the key press as opposed to stopping the entire thing and waiting for the bump to be overcome.

Yep. That's what a good ALPS tactile feels like [and buckling-spring, too]. They need to bring this back.

It's my understanding that the new Zeal clicky, when in tactile form, is at least as tactile as Brown SKCM Alps. If they could dial that down to Orange ALPS, and release it specifically as a tactile, that should be interesting.

You're right in describing Cherry 'tactility' as a 'bump that gets in the way' of the operation of the switch, and your steak metaphor was apt. I think Cherry tactile design can be good in the case of light tactiles, which are very subtle and probably harder to replicate with non-MX mechanisms. But if you are going for rich tactility, Cherry is completely outclassed by ALPS.

[CaesarAZealad]

The tactility is pronounced and present, and in contrast to MX tactiles it feels like the tactility is going in concert with the key press as opposed to stopping the entire thing and waiting for the bump to be overcome.

Yep. That's what a good ALPS tactile feels like [and buckling-spring, too]. They need to bring this back.

It's my understanding that the new Zeal clicky, when in tactile form, is at least as tactile as Brown SKCM Alps. If they could dial that down to Orange ALPS, and release it specifically as a tactile, that should be interesting.

You're right in describing Cherry 'tactility' as a 'bump that gets in the way' of the operation of the switch, and your steak metaphor was apt. I think Cherry tactile design can be good in the case of light tactiles, which are very subtle and probably harder to replicate with non-MX mechanisms. But if you are going for rich tactility, Cherry is completely outclassed by ALPS.

I actually have an order of both the 40g and 75g clickiez coming in, so It's going to be fun to see how they stack up. I don't have enough for both of them to be in tactile mode permanantly though, so I think they're just going to stay clicky for now

[Maledicted]

The tactility is pronounced and present, and in contrast to MX tactiles it feels like the tactility is going in concert with the key press as opposed to stopping the entire thing and waiting for the bump to be overcome.

Yep. That's what a good ALPS tactile feels like [and buckling-spring, too]. They need to bring this back.

It's my understanding that the new Zeal clicky, when in tactile form, is at least as tactile as Brown SKCM Alps. If they could dial that down to Orange ALPS, and release it specifically as a tactile, that should be interesting.

You're right in describing Cherry 'tactility' as a 'bump that gets in the way' of the operation of the switch, and your steak metaphor was apt. I think Cherry tactile design can be good in the case of light tactiles, which are very subtle and probably harder to replicate with non-MX mechanisms. But if you are going for rich tactility, Cherry is completely outclassed by ALPS.

I actually have an order of both the 40g and 75g clickiez coming in, so It's going to be fun to see how they stack up. I don't have enough for both of them to be in tactile mode permanantly though, so I think they're just going to stay clicky for now

I'm waiting on some of those as well. I have held off on even opening the box for my HMKB boards until I know whether or not I want to put some Clickiez in one of them.

That's the problem with most tactiles in general. It is a lot harder to make a tactile switch as crisp and satisfying as a good clicky switch. Even if I cared about noise, I would just use clicky switches regardless and deal with it. There's no beating that feel. Alps and Matias tactiles come pretty close.

[HungerMechanic]

I actually have an order of both the 40g and 75g clickiez coming in, so It's going to be fun to see how they stack up. I don't have enough for both of them to be in tactile mode permanantly though, so I think they're just going to stay clicky for now

Please let us know what you think. You've actually used ALPS now, so your comparison will bring extra weight. Same for the others here with ALPS and Buckling Spring experience. Very little has been written about the tactile version of the Clickiez, as well.

[CaesarAZealad]

I actually have an order of both the 40g and 75g clickiez coming in, so It's going to be fun to see how they stack up. I don't have enough for both of them to be in tactile mode permanantly though, so I think they're just going to stay clicky for now

Please let us know what you think. You've actually used ALPS now, so your comparison will bring extra weight. Same for the others here with ALPS and Buckling Spring experience. Very little has been written about the tactile version of the Clickiez, as well.

Will do

[jacobalbertus1]

its been some time, how is this keyboard for you lol

[CaesarAZealad]

its been some time, how is this keyboard for you lol

Very good! I have to redo the restoration, it's become scratchy once more because I forgot to boil the damn switches to clean them before putting on the wax. Tactility is still very nice and it's working very well, I even got to bring it to a meetup!

[granola bar enthusiast]

after watching a few video's and reading your thread 3 times i think you have peaked my interest, I'll be watching for a good ALP's board

[CaesarAZealad]

after watching a few video's and reading your thread 3 times i think you have peaked my interest, I'll be watching for a good ALP's board

If you can get an AEK with orange alps then I'd definitely recommend that for it's F keys and more standard layout, but this board is definitely nothing to scoff at! Sounds really good too