When did ALPS stop making/supplying complicated switches?

[Clickey]

Curious because I am looking at a late 90's board and only interested if it is complicated.

[False_Dmitry_II]

I can't tell you that, but a general trick seems to be to look and see if it has windows keys. But really, you need to open one of the switches to be totally sure.

[itlnstln]

I can't tell you that, but a general trick seems to be to look and see if it has windows keys. But really, you need to open one of the switches to be totally sure.

I'm not sure exactly what the Windows key trick is, but as a reference point, my Northgate Omnikey Evolution* had Windows keys and complicated whites and the Dell AT-101W has complicated blacks.  Which emphasizes your second point, you really need to open them up.

* You wanna talk about ping.  The Evolution had it spades.  Typing on it is like firing an Uzi in an oil drum.  Be sure to wear hearing protection.  I kinda feel bad that I used to use it at work in an open-air office.  Well, not really.

[False_Dmitry_II]

Heh, well that shoots that one down. It supposedly worked on focus boards and omnikeys (there was one that came up in great finds which turned out to be simplified). The dell is the dell.

[patrickgeekhack]

Am I right in saying that the complicated ALPS has a better feel? The more I used my AEK II, the more I like it. I learned to hit the keys in the centre. Whend doing this, they feel very smooth.

That said, the previous owner took "good" care of this board. Besides dust, the keyboard was clean inside.

[patrickgeekhack]

Maybe one day I will own a blue/white complicated ALPS keyboard. I liked the two that I tried so far. They are hard to find for a decent price though. Then again, there is no such thing as decent price when it comes to keyboards.

[patrickgeekhack]

I will check eBay from time to time to see if I can find one.

[Magna224]

There were just recently a bunch of 2001s on ebay I was thinking of buying one but I already have two so I just got a minitouch instead.

[Pylon]

You could also probably harvest the switch bottoms from a cheap AT101W and obtain click leaves and springs from a Simplified Type 1 switch (type 2 leaves will NOT work), and merge them to create what is essentially a complicated white, though this solution is somewhat more expensive than just buying an FK-2001, and needs around an hour to two hours of work. I'm pretty sure this will work - Fukka leaves fit into my complicated white switches in my numpad and the reverse also works. Might not be identical to complicated whites though.

[REVENGE]

The 2001 is a sweet board, but look to Northgates if you want NKRO.

[Clickey]

Bought it, should be able to answer this question for sure when it arrives.

I see an omnikey with blues for $499 on ebay... how much overpriced is this (its been there a while so it must be overpriced)? Are blues really THAT great? I read ripsters review/analysis of whites vs blues, but a slightly longer switch foot does not seem to be that big a deal.

Also can't find any omnikeys with blue alps naturally, so I am guessing this guy swapped those blues in.

Does Sandy still respond to PM's?

[Clickey]

I just got that keyboard made in 1999 (Focus 2001), it has simplified type II alps, which would indicate ALPS shut down at least a couple years prior (assuming type II didnt come before type I). I Ripometer'd it at 60g actuation 65-70g bottom out, which is actually less than my complicated white ALPS board which actuates at 70g and is also a focus 2001. I had heard that the simplifieds are not good feeling, but they feel pretty good to me, maybe even better than the complicated (because they are slightly lighter). Its hard to tell though, because compared to SMK's they all feel inferior IMO.