Monterey K101 w/odd switches – photos & video added

[ander]

Hey guys,

I found a Monterey K101 in a thrift shop yesterday:





I thought it might have Alps switches, but when I removed a cap, I didn't recognize the switch type:





Do you know what they are? Something unremarkable, probably, but I checked a lot of photos and couldn't find anything like it.

[Nover]

Mitsumi Miniatures with MX mount, theyre quite nice actually.

[ander]

Right you are... Here's a Deskthority page about a Chicony 5191 with some.

I really like these switches. They're very crisp, quick, tactile. Rather like Cherry browns... A bit more resistant, but they spring back very quickly. Fun to type on! The sound is like a toned-down Model M: clacky, but not in your face.

This doesn't look like it was ever used. There's some yellowing around the lower right corner (most noticeably the tenkey 0 and 1), but otherwise it could've just come out of the box.

Notice that the key between left Ctrl and Alt is blank; it doesn't generate anything. Wonder what was up with that?

BTW, I didn't remove the F11 keycap; it was missing. Anyone know where I can get a cap for a switch like that?

Here are a few more photos, if anyone's interested. (Sorry about the distortion. My son misplaced my SLR's charger, so I'm using my wife's little point-'n'-shoot camera.)

[hwood34]

Weird about that blank key. I have an FK-8000 with the same exact layout, including that blank key. Wonder what it's purpose is supposed to be

[ander]

Weird about that blank key. I have an FK-8000 with the same exact layout, including that blank key. Wonder what it's purpose is supposed to be

Maybe the Windows key wasn't really a design decision... Maybe it just started appearing, like a mutation, and this was one of the stages.  :?)

I just found that Cherry caps fit these perfectly. Does anyone know where I could get an F11 with this profile?

UPDATE—This cap's dimensions are:
   Base: 18 x 18 mm; top: 10 x 12 mm; height: 10 mm

[chyros]

Hmmm, so these switches are okay then? Saw a Chicony I think with these the other day, but I had no idea what they were. Interesting.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

@ander:

You'll find the switch here: Switch recognition → Cherry MX mount recognition; obviously it helps to spot that they're Cherry MX mount in order to scour the correct category, as you'll soon see just how many switches there are. The photo on the wiki is of a loose switch, as that's all I have; an in-situ photo is preferable to show how it appears in a keyboard.

Blank keys are common: it's a low-cost approach to 101/102 key designs (ISO keyboards in Europe have one extra key) and even non-ANSI/ISO keyboards such as some Amigas still have a blank key in the US layout. You can see how the blank key is used on my K102:

http://deskthority.net/wiki/Tulip_ATK_030244

[ander]

Hmmm, so these switches are okay then? Saw a Chicony I think with these the other day, but I had no idea what they were...

Well, I sure like them... I hesitated to say anything, though, till I knew if any of the KB gods here thought they were worthwhile.  :?)

Daniel: If you're "boring", I'd rather not meet anyone who's interesting.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

I got a bag of these switches NOS from Devlin. Based solely on a loose switch, the feel seems to be superb (albeit scratchy), but I've not tried them in a keyboard. Experience from others indicates that they have real trouble with off-angle binding, presumably as a consequence of their size. It seems that they're like Cherry ML — just about viable for single-unit keys, and nothing more unless the keys are stabilised. They're a bit like Cherry ML with really long travel.

[chyros]

Well, I sure like them... I hesitated to say anything, though, till I knew if any of the KB gods here thought they were worthwhile.  :?)

Never think like that! There's a switch out there for everyone, and everyone thinks differently.

[ander]

I got a bag of these switches NOS from Devlin. Based solely on a loose switch, the feel seems to be superb (albeit scratchy), but I've not tried them in a keyboard. Experience from others indicates that they have real trouble with off-angle binding, presumably as a consequence of their size...

I've experienced the angle-binding syndrome. A friend once gave me a KB with Fujitsu Peerless switches that had to be pressed straight down. I thought they were just old, but apparently it's a characteristic... The Japanese are into precision, so maybe someone thought it would encourage people to type more accurately.  :?)

I wouldn't describe Mitsumis that way at all, though. Not these, at least. Maybe they start changing after a few years' use, but for now they're happy and snappy.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

My FKB4700 (Peerless) was scummy so I stripped and cleaned it. The stabilised keys felt terrible after that — it makes me wonder if the stabiliser posts were lubricated originally that I cleaned off all the lube by mistake. All the single-unit keys are completely free from binding and the 1.5 unit modifiers work pretty well (and you can press them diagonally sideways from a corner just fine).

[Altis]

Good find! Maybe post a typing video so we can get an idea for how it sounds.

[chyros]

Maybe post a typing video so we can get an idea for how it sounds.

DO ITTTTT

[ander]

Good find! Maybe post a typing video so we can get an idea for how it sounds.

Really? You're serious? I could do that, but I want to be sure you're not just pulling my keyboard cable.

[Altis]

Good find! Maybe post a typing video so we can get an idea for how it sounds.

Really? You're serious? I could do that, but I want to be sure you're not just pulling my keyboard cable.

Of course I'm serious. I'm interested in how they compare with similar boards.

I know I'm not the only one around here who's spent some time on YouTube listening to all kinds of keyboards. 

[chyros]

Good find! Maybe post a typing video so we can get an idea for how it sounds.

Really? You're serious? I could do that, but I want to be sure you're not just pulling my keyboard cable.

Of course I'm serious. I'm interested in how they compare with similar boards.

I know I'm not the only one around here who's spent some time on YouTube listening to all kinds of keyboards. 

Guilty xD .

[ander]

I'm out of town for a few weeks, but I'll post a video here when I get back. I hope you can tolerate the suspense till then.

[ander]

(Sorry, I didn't do the attachment thing right, and couldn't seem to fix it—so I'm starting over! Admin, feel free to delete this...)

[ander]

Hey guys,

The nice people at WASD made me a replacement Cherry-mount F11 for my K101. The profile was a bit high—but fortunately, while the Mitsumi Miniature's mount is the same shape, its stem is shorter, so I was able to Dremel 2mm off of the keycap's channel to make it the right height. The color isn't an exact match, nor the printing (a bit of space after the F would've been nice), but it withstands a casual inspection:








I wiped the keys down with alcohol, but there wasn't a bit of grime on them—so even though it wasn't in a box, this KB doesn't seem to have been used.





The keys turned out to be double-shot:





...except for the F-keys and Esc, which are dye-subbed—however, the blank "macro" key (between L Ctrl and Alt) is double-shot, go figure!:





Lots of stabilizers, including two on the big-ass Enter, going different ways:





Rather than using hooks molded into the keys' bottom edges, the stabilizers attach to the keys via separate little brackets that fit into the keys' extra channels.

I thought it was funny how L Shift was completely double-shot, but R Shift only half (maybe this is common?):








Here's the tenkey area showing stabilizer brackets and guides. I'm not sure how that LED got bent, but they must fit back into tiny lock-light slots shaped like the skinny ends of the LEDs... That took a bit of time 'n' patience.





(I did get the plate quite clean, BTW, but this camera picks up every speck of dust!) PCB, as long as I was here:





As promised, I've made a short typing video for you. (Watch without guilt!)

It's fun having a board with switches that actuate at the top (after a slight bump); much different from my other mechanicals, but enjoyable. I feel lucky to have found fresh examples of this rather uncommon switch.

Special thanks to Dorkvader for the IDI USB converter he provided me—for some reason, other converters didn't work with this board.