Two different linear Green Alps keyboards on eBay - Zenith Datasystems.

[RoflCopter4]

It's my understanding that this keyboard is relatively rare, and that the green linear Alps keyswitches are very highly regarded. Well, if you were looking to buy an example you're in luck today. I found two different sellers offering this keyboard, one of which actually has a lot of two of them and the other is offering what looks to be a rather clean specimen. Neither are cheap, but that's just the way she goes.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321413117473

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261668961968

[nubbinator]

First one is Yellow Alps and in bad shape.  This would be a better buy and should be Yellow Alps.

[RoflCopter4]

First one is Yellow Alps and in bad shape.  This would be a better buy and should be Yellow Alps.

Huh, looks like I got ahead of myself. That is obviously yellow Alps. How does yellow compare to green?

[nubbinator]

First one is Yellow Alps and in bad shape.  This would be a better buy and should be Yellow Alps.

Huh, looks like I got ahead of myself. That is obviously yellow Alps. How does yellow compare to green?

They feel a little stiffer to me and not as smooth.  I prefer Greens, the weight is perfect to me.

[jacobolus]

The second of the links in the OP has green Alps switches nice dyesub keycaps. I just recently got one for cheap http://www.ebay.com/itm/371209820861?orig_cvip=true which turned out to be in okay condition, not flawless but better than it looks in that auction picture. I think Nubbinator’s linked eazy pc one may also be green Alps switches and dyesubs, but I’m not positive of that.

[nubbinator]

The earlier model was Yellow Alps, so my guess is the slightly later model is still Yellow Alps. It could be Greens, but I have my doubts.

[dante]

For you gamers out there these boards sport NKRO over USB.

[jacobolus]

The earlier model was Yellow Alps, so my guess is the slightly later model is still Yellow Alps.

Where are these “earlier” and “later” labels coming from? I don’t see any dates shown in the pictures of the board. Alps switched from green sliders to yellow sliders for their linear switches corresponding to a change from tall to short switchplates in ~1989/1990. Keyboards from before that use green-slider switches, and keyboards from afterward use yellow-slider switches.

In particular, AT-like layout Zenith boards switched from PBT dyesubs and a black-background logo to ABS doubleshots and a white-background logo (and a slightly different layout) sometime in ~1988-89, I believe, with green Alps switches used on both sides of that boundary, and then slightly afterward switched to yellow Alps switches. The keyboard linked second in the OP is of the dyesub/black-background-logo era, and so almost certainly has green Alps switches. Similar for the eazy pc keyboard linked, I believe.

I’m not 100% sure of that though, someone could always ask the seller to pull a cap.

For reference:
dyesubs + green Alps:


doubleshots + green or yellow Alps:

[nubbinator]

Earlier model Eazy PC keyboards.  The one I linked to was made after the ones I've seen posted with Yellow Alps, so I'm assuming that Zenith didn't go back to Green Alps with it, that it uses Yellow Alps as well in accordance with the general trend I've seen with Zenith boards.

[jacobolus]

Oh wait. I didn’t realize the eazy pc keyboard linked here was made in 1987 (other Zenith boards I’ve seen have no dates on the outside). Then it’s definitely green Alps and I think also dyesubs (not 100% sure of the dyesubs though).

The seller has crappy white balance on their camera; if it’s dyesubs these keycaps shouldn’t be yellowed in person, or if it’s doubleshots they shouldn’t be *that* yellowed:



For reference, this thread has pictures of a later (1989) eazy pc keyboard with the white-background logo, (maybe) doubleshot caps, and yellow Alps switches:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=32825.0

[RoflCopter4]

So, uh, is that $75 board worth looking into or should I just snipe the one that's at $20?