Possible good source of Alps caps/switches

[Techno Trousers]

I just saw these pop up on eBay. Hard to tell from the potato pics, but the caps look Dolch-like, and I'm assuming the switches are Alps. I ordered one, so I'll report back when I receive it.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/310877742396

[SpAmRaY]

Love those colors!

[CPTBadAss]

I have very similar caps. The caps I have are Alps, and yes they look like Dolch. It looks like they're the same though since the function and top rows are the same weird size.

[SpAmRaY]

I have these caps. They are Alps, and yes they look like Dolch.

Do you know if the board is useful for anything? Or just harvesting caps?

[CPTBadAss]

I have these caps. They are Alps, and yes they look like Dolch.

Do you know if the board is useful for anything? Or just harvesting caps?

I bought just the keycaps. I don't really know anything about the actual keyboard. I'm sure one could get it working but I'm not even sure if the keyboard actually has Alps switches. I shouldve said previously they're Alps mount. I've edited my post accordingly.

[SpAmRaY]

If nothing else the alphas would be hot with black everything else (either on a matias board or from whenever he releases caps), assuming the profiles were close.

[riotonthebay]

Just bought these. Going to have to figure out the bottom row... Needs another 1x and a reasonably sized spacebar, but that's a problem for another day

[IvanIvanovich]

Looks like it's also some lapy keyboard, so likely there is not a controller... but get a handle on matrix tracing and hook up a teensy and you can probably make it work as is. Almost tempted to get one myself... axe the top 2 rows, make a case and you have a nearly perfect Alps 60%. Seeing a small vintage Alps without some ****tarded enter key is rare indeed.

[Pacifist]

Are they double shot?

[riotonthebay]

Looks like it's also some lapy keyboard, so likely there is not a controller... but get a handle on matrix tracing and hook up a teensy and you can probably make it work as is. Almost tempted to get one myself... axe the top 2 rows, make a case and you have a nearly perfect Alps 60%. Seeing a small vintage Alps without some ****tarded enter key is rare indeed.

That's exactly what I'm thinking. I saw those ANSI mods and knew I needed it.

[SpAmRaY]

Just noticed in the details the sellers says

I do have more of these

[Techno Trousers]

Just noticed in the details the sellers says

I do have more of these

He originally posted a sale for a single one with that message, then took that down and posted the four. I don't know if he has more than this set of four though. I hope there are enough for everyone that wants one here.

[SpAmRaY]

Also for anyone wanting these I would make an offer and see how low he will go.

[jacobolus]

I tried making an offer a week ago and he wouldn’t go lower then.

I got a Mitsubishi MP286L laptop that has this same keyboard. The keyboard uses those PCB-mounted Alps switches with the oval sliders http://deskthority.net/wiki/Alps_low-profile_oval_slider, plus some skinnier ones of the same general type (which I don’t think are on the Deskthority wiki) for the F keys &c.

The keycaps are doubleshot, of the standard Alps-produced type, except for the skinny top keys, which are printed. These are the same type of keycap that were also used on Toshiba laptops of that era. For an example of someone putting them to better use, see http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=54857.0 (though Paranoid’s Toshiba laptop had full-size F keys and a numpad as well).

As mentioned above, there’s no controller, but for anyone who likes this type of switch, there is a diode with each switch, so if you add a Teensy and a case, it should be NKRO. Personally I’m not a huge fan of the switches. They’re linear, but not as nice as the plate-mounted green/yellow Alps switches.

[nuclearsandwich]

Also for anyone wanting these I would make an offer and see how low he will go.

Turned down my offer for $13 and now they're all gone. ;_;

[fohat.digs]

Turned down my offer for $13 and now they're all gone.

After he turned down a $16 offer from me, I just bought one.

That "offer" thing is hard to guess at. Sometimes sellers will take 50% and sometimes turn down 90%.

Ebay loves confusion and I want transparency.

[127001]

Turned down my offer for $13 and now they're all gone.

After he turned down a $16 offer from me, I just bought one.

That "offer" thing is hard to guess at. Sometimes sellers will take 50% and sometimes turn down 90%.

Ebay loves confusion and I want transparency.

I usually offer 30% and base my next offer on their counter offer. If it's auto rejected I walk away.

[SpAmRaY]

I offered $12 he countered with $14 but I decided I didn't really need it

[nuclearsandwich]

I offered $12 he countered with $14 but I decided I didn't really need it

That's just unfair. You must be cooler than me.

[SpAmRaY]

I offered $12 he countered with $14 but I decided I didn't really need it

That's just unfair. You must be cooler than me.

Or perhaps he got lots of interest and realized he had a desirable item

[fohat.digs]

Off subject but not off topic:

I just posted a Genovation numpad with 18 nice Alps-compatible caps in white on dark gray.

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=55033.0

[Techno Trousers]

Looks nice, fohat. Are those full size or low profile caps? I have an Alps numpad with white on black caps.

[fohat.digs]

Are those full size or low profile caps? I have an Alps numpad with white on black caps.

Full size. And they are clearly gray not black, which is a plus if you are looking to dress up but not pimp.

I bought the numpad for the caps, but I need some cash and these are selling on ebay in the high-$20 range.

[dorkvader]

Further discussion of fohat.digs' tenkey for sale should be made in his classified advertisement.

[fohat.digs]

These are really nice doubleshot keys!

The stabilizer wires are thick, but there are long "U" clips on the undersides of the long keys so I am going to see if they can be made to work with thin standard wires.

I have never had these old Alps switches with metal tops. They feel nice but I simply don't like linear switches. If they are pin-compatible with conventional Alps, I may put some in an experimental Alps-hybrid board I may make someday, with different switches in different areas. These might be good for WASD or arrows.

[dorkvader]

If they are pin-compatible with conventional Alps, I may put some in an experimental Alps-hybrid board I may make someday, with different switches in different areas. These might be good for WASD or arrows.

I dont think so: they require 4 pcb holes per switch, though with some modding it could work.

[jacobolus]

They’re not as tall as standard Alps switches, they’re PCB mounted, and they are definitely not pin compatible. If you want to use them along with other Alps switches in the same keyboard, you’re going to need to do some customizing work.

The caps should work with standard Alps stabilizers (you might have to swap out the little clips on the bottom, but I don’t think so).

[fohat.digs]

The caps should work with standard Alps stabilizers (you might have to swap out the little clips on the bottom, but I don’t think so).

That would be just peachy. I have spares of those clips. I keep little jars of clips and stabilizers, but they are all orphans and so different!

[riotonthebay]

I needed another one of these because I needed extras of certain keys, so I asked the seller if he had more. He said that there were 3 unlisted, and I bought 1, so there are 2 left. I offered and he accepted $15 plus shipping. ($24 CONUS via USPS priority.)

[Techno Trousers]

I just ordered a second as well.

[Techno Trousers]

The last of this cache is up on eBay now.

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=201043707837

[Pacifist]

Agh should I?

Are they DS?

[Techno Trousers]

Yes, double shots. See jacobolus' post earlier in the thread for more info.

[False_Dmitry_II]

What the heck, right after I saw that you said you got one after the auction was over I sent him a message asking if he still had one and he never answered. So I figured it had been gone already.

[Techno Trousers]

D'oh!

[nubbinator]

Well, if you're willing to pay a little more, there's still this auction that finishes in a couple of hours.

[jacobolus]

Note, that's a completely different set though.

There’s also http://www.ebay.com/itm/Toshiba-T5200/141203228889 for anyone looking for a numpad as well, but note that neither of the Toshiba sets has standard ANSI-width modifiers.

[riotonthebay]

Note, that's a completely different set though.

There’s also http://www.ebay.com/itm/Toshiba-T5200/141203228889 for anyone looking for a numpad as well, but note that neither of the Toshiba sets has standard ANSI-width modifiers.

Shoot, I was hoping no one would notice this . Anyways, I've been eyeing this for the numpad and spacebar. If anyone wins it and doesn't need a 7x spacebar, I'd love to buy it .

[nubbinator]

Haha, sorry man.  I've had it on my wishlist for ages.  I was going to bid on it, but then found my other set for cheaper.