Panasonic System Controler Mechanical Switch Needed (Possible SMK Alps Mount?)

[jonathan75]

These Panasonic System controllers (WV-CU650) are over $1000 new so I found one used on eBay much cheaper.  When I got it was very dirty with two bad keys on the bottom right side.  It looks like someone spilled a lot of crap in the keys over the years and it corroded the two bottom right keys.  The closest I found was a Tai-Hao Keyswitch from Mechanical Keyboards. (http://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1004)  I just got it today and it is physically too large to fit in the metal mount and the pins are staggered opposite.  One side is down when it should be up and the other side should be up.  I already cleaned all the keys and parts and ready to put it back together but I still need to find the right switch to finish it.  From my research it looks like it is a SMK Alps Mount switch (Monterey Switch).  But mine is black and white and it does not click at all.  If the replacement clicks it does not matter to me.  Does anyone know where I could buy this switch or does anyone on the board have a old keyboard with this type of switch in it?

http://deskthority.net/wiki/SMK_Alps_mount

Thanks for your help!

[jonathan75]

More pictures if it will let me.  This will be my 6th attempt.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Just out of curiosity, is there any manufacturer information on that keyboard? What does the controller chip say on it? I would just be interested to know if there's anything on there to identify the switches as SMK (which they are).

The white tactile version was not widely used. Apple used it in the Apple Desktop Bus Keyboard, and I've seen at least one photo of a Monterey keyboard with that switch, but I don't know if it was tactile, or just a blue clicky switch without the blue pigment in the plastic.

The blue clicky version is more common, but you'd have to find someone with a broken keyboard as those switches are prized :-)

[jonathan75]

Just out of curiosity, is there any manufacturer information on that keyboard? What does the controller chip say on it? I would just be interested to know if there's anything on there to identify the switches as SMK (which they are).

The white tactile version was not widely used. Apple used it in the Apple Desktop Bus Keyboard, and I've seen at least one photo of a Monterey keyboard with that switch, but I don't know if it was tactile, or just a blue clicky switch without the blue pigment in the plastic.

The blue clicky version is more common, but you'd have to find someone with a broken keyboard as those switches are prized :-)

Thanks for your reply. There are only two chips on this board and it is a 74HC273A and 74HC138A.  The Controller Keyboard is made by Panasonic but it does not look like they made the switches or some of the other components.  The jog says ALPS on it.  That is the dial jog switch in the center.  I will try to attach a picture if it will let me.  It is giving me a lot of trouble to attach pics.

[jonathan75]

Any place I can buy switches online?

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Not that I'm aware of — you'd need to find a broken keyboard with them in. We don't know a single SMK part number (they're really shadowy, and they deliberately left that variety unbranded) and we don't even know the series name for any of those switches. Only a few keyboards ever used them.

Mr Interface was including them in his switch sampler kits, and I have exactly one white and one blue one, but I can't get them back together again. I'm reserving mine though for better wiki photos, since I had some trouble with those.

[jonathan75]

What is my cheapest and most common used keyboard bet to look for on eBay?

[Daniel Beardsmore]

I am not sure that any keyboard is guaranteed to have them.

The only keyboard on the planet known to have the tactile version that you have, is the SMK version of the Apple Desktop Bus Keyboard. The rear label must say "Made in Taiwan" (NOT "Made in Japan") as that should indicate the SMK version. If in doubt, get the seller to pull a keycap. (That's why yours is so curious — and part of the reason why I'm anxious for any details that can be gleaned from it.)

At least two keyboards have only ever been found with the blue clicky version: Chicony KB-5591 and KB-5981 (I've just found a picture claiming to depict a 5981 with Aristotle switches). Again, if in doubt, get the seller to pull a keycap. The latter is pretty rare, as I imagine is the former.

Other keyboards that have them can also be found with other switches, and there is never any way to tell without visual inspection with co-operation of the seller. Probably the best place to start is with the Chicony KB-5181/5182 and SIIG MiniTouch (which is a Monterey K110 but nobody knew that — it's been universally referred to as a MiniTouch after the most prominent rebrand, regardless of whether it's branded or not). Also try for the Monterey K104 and Monterey K108, again, being sure to get a photo to confirm the switch.

[jacobolus]

That picture looks like the blue ones to me, just photo lighting / white balance that isn’t great for showing the precise color. The white ones are white, not light bluish.

How many switches do you need? Just two? If you PM me in two weeks once I’m back home in SF (ideally if you mail me a little self-addressed stamped padded envelope, or I can hunt one down but it might take a while) I’m happy to just mail you two blue clicky switches and two white tactile switches.

[jonathan75]

Thank you for the tips. I will set up some eBay searches to notify me. I may try to modify the switches I got to fit.

[jonathan75]

That picture looks like the blue ones to me.

How many switches do you need? Just two? If you PM me in two weeks (ideally if you mail me a little self-addressed stamped padded envelope, or I can hunt one down but it might take a while) I’m happy to just mail you two switches.

In person they are white but the pictures  do look a little blue. They don't make any clicking noise at all and are very smooth. Thank you for your offer. I can print you a mailing label with PayPal if you have a extra envelope around. So far I only found two bad.