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Author Topic: White keycaps for ALPS switches  (Read 2805 times)

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Offline Matt3o

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White keycaps for ALPS switches
« on: Sat, 11 May 2013, 13:33:51 »
I'm trying to build a custom keyboard with ALPS switches, it will be all white and I'd like to put pure white keycaps on it.

What would be in your opinion the best keyboard to source white ALPS keycaps? I was thinking of the Apple Extended Keyboard II, any other idea?
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Offline fohat.digs

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Re: White keycaps for ALPS switches
« Reply #1 on: Sat, 11 May 2013, 14:53:27 »
I have not seen "pure white" Alps key caps, all of mine have been what Unicomp calls "pearl" .....

The PBT caps on old Apples are nice, but the legends are very "different" and you would need the complete consistent set. (I have bought a couple of the horrible "Apple Design" keyboards with nice Alps compatible caps, but I understand that they are not all like that)

Dell AT101s have an ABS, IBM ANSI-standard color set, that are OK but not great.

Others like Northgates and Focus have some really nice doubleshots but are not all ANSI-standard.
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Offline Mandolin

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Re: White keycaps for ALPS switches
« Reply #2 on: Sat, 11 May 2013, 18:33:23 »
What if you put some of those pad printed ones in chlorine diluted at >10, not too long to get them brittled?
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Offline Matt3o

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Re: White keycaps for ALPS switches
« Reply #3 on: Sun, 12 May 2013, 02:14:04 »
yeah I know "pure white" is difficult, well at least the whiter as possible :)
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Offline Hak Foo

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Re: White keycaps for ALPS switches
« Reply #4 on: Sun, 12 May 2013, 03:08:54 »
If "ivory" is okay, you could probably get a lot of them from a Focus FK-9200 rubber dome.  They're doubleshots and the board's rubber-dome with ALPS-compatible sliders.
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Offline fohat.digs

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Re: White keycaps for ALPS switches
« Reply #5 on: Tue, 14 May 2013, 08:29:16 »
I pulled out an old Packard Bell with some fairly nice Alps-compatible caps that are nearly white.

They are lasered ABS and are showing just a bit of shine on some of the keys in the center row, but very presentable.

I will sell you the set for $15 shipped domestic, but note that there are oddities (eg bigass Enter and 1.25 Escape).

edit - Oh, I see that you are in Italy. Shipping will be about $24, let me check on it.
« Last Edit: Tue, 14 May 2013, 08:34:03 by fohat.digs »
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“Wise statesmen as they were, they knew the tendency of prosperity to breed tyrants, and so they established these great self-evident truths, that when in the distant future some man, some faction, some interest, should set up the doctrine that none but rich men, or none but white men, were entitled to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, their posterity might look up again to the Declaration of Independence and take courage to renew the battle which their fathers began — so that truth, and justice, and mercy, and all the humane and Christian virtues might not be extinguished from the land; so that no man would hereafter dare to limit and circumscribe the great principles on which the temple of liberty was being built.”
- Abraham Lincoln, July 4, 1858

Offline Matt3o

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Re: White keycaps for ALPS switches
« Reply #6 on: Tue, 14 May 2013, 16:48:48 »
Quote from: fohat.digs on Tue, 14 May 2013, 08:29:16
I pulled out an old Packard Bell with some fairly nice Alps-compatible caps that are nearly white.

They are lasered ABS and are showing just a bit of shine on some of the keys in the center row, but very presentable.

I will sell you the set for $15 shipped domestic, but note that there are oddities (eg bigass Enter and 1.25 Escape).

edit - Oh, I see that you are in Italy. Shipping will be about $24, let me check on it.

wow, that's really white! thanks for your offer. All I'd need are the keys and the stabilizers (both the stems and the metal wire), I don't actually need the keyboard (if that helps with postage expenses).
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Offline fohat.digs

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Re: White keycaps for ALPS switches
« Reply #7 on: Tue, 14 May 2013, 18:22:35 »
I will need to check with the Post Office to see what shipping will be for the key set.

The long keys have rectangular openings for the tabs that hold stabilizer wires, but no stabilizer clips or wires, except for the spacebar.

When I first gave the keyboard a quick test, it seemed alright and I did not even notice a difference in feel on those keys.
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“Wise statesmen as they were, they knew the tendency of prosperity to breed tyrants, and so they established these great self-evident truths, that when in the distant future some man, some faction, some interest, should set up the doctrine that none but rich men, or none but white men, were entitled to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, their posterity might look up again to the Declaration of Independence and take courage to renew the battle which their fathers began — so that truth, and justice, and mercy, and all the humane and Christian virtues might not be extinguished from the land; so that no man would hereafter dare to limit and circumscribe the great principles on which the temple of liberty was being built.”
- Abraham Lincoln, July 4, 1858
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