Focus Fk-5001 Good?

[frogthejam19]

I recently won an offer for a Focus fk-5001. I wanted to know if anyone knows much about the keyboard.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/301841572407?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Hopefully it works since it's my first vintage board.

Does it look like it's in good condition and does it look like it will work. Also where can I get a replacement f1 key for this.

In total I got it for about 35 dollars when shipping is included.

[klennkellon]

It's an interesting keyboard. It's neatest feature is a built in calculator run off a small battery. The keyboard itself is infamous for being very unreliable, but you are lucky since yours is working. It uses a mix of different switch types, primarily White ALPS, with a few linear Yellow ALPS, and a Futaba lock switch for the calculator.

Build quality is the same as all Focus keyboards, mediocre, it won't fall apart on you but it won't survive a war. It's biggest perk are the double-shot keycaps that are quite beautiful. The only way to get new keycaps is to buy another keyboard that uses ALPS sliders, you can find a Focus FK-2001 quite easily and cheapily and steal its keycaps, which should be identical to the ones on the 5001.

There's also two sets of doubleshot keycaps for ALPS on mechanicalkeyboards.com, dolch and olivette.

For $55 it's not a bad deal for a relatively unique keyboard. You'll have a lot of fun with it if you've never tried ALPS before.

[chyros]

The boards do often work on the 5001. The calculator, and especially the screen, might fail partly or outright. Focus used whatever switches were at hand, sometimes Alps, but often clones or even Futabas. The lock switch isn't always Futaba lock from what I've seen, either.

This generation of Focuses doesn't have quite the same caps as the 2001 though. The F key row in particular has a very accentuated profile and looks very different - and it's laid out in groups of three rather than four so they're not all the same colour. I think I might have a spare, though.

[SamirD]

Congrats on the board!  I remember this one back in the day in older computer shopper ads.  It was a beast of a board, even bigger than the Northgate monster of the time.

It's definitely a cool board.  The 'Turbo' key is the coolest to me.

[frogthejam19]

I really like em so far.  I just need to get a replacement f1 key.  Waiting for my IBm that comes with a converter to see if it works. The Keycaps look to be doubleshot PBT. Is there a way to restore the white keycaps because they're a bit dirty. I pulled every Keycap they're all white Alps.

[chyros]

I really like em so far.  I just need to get a replacement f1 key.  Waiting for my IBm that comes with a converter to see if it works. The Keycaps look to be doubleshot PBT. Is there a way to restore the white keycaps because they're a bit dirty. I pulled every Keycap they're all white Alps.

It's ABS, not PBT. If they're just dirty, soak in warm (not hot) soapy water, rinse, and rub off with a towel.

[frogthejam19]

I really like em so far.  I just need to get a replacement f1 key.  Waiting for my IBm that comes with a converter to see if it works. The Keycaps look to be doubleshot PBT. Is there a way to restore the white keycaps because they're a bit dirty. I pulled every Keycap they're all white Alps.

It's ABS, not PBT. If they're just dirty, soak in warm (not hot) soapy water, rinse, and rub off with a towel.

aye! Would the soapy water really clean them. They look stained I think. ALso how would I remove the Spacebar I afraid I'm going to ruin the stabilizers.

[chyros]

I really like em so far.  I just need to get a replacement f1 key.  Waiting for my IBm that comes with a converter to see if it works. The Keycaps look to be doubleshot PBT. Is there a way to restore the white keycaps because they're a bit dirty. I pulled every Keycap they're all white Alps.

It's ABS, not PBT. If they're just dirty, soak in warm (not hot) soapy water, rinse, and rub off with a towel.

aye! Would the soapy water really clean them. They look stained I think. ALso how would I remove the Spacebar I afraid I'm going to ruin the stabilizers.

Stained with what? If you mean they're yellowed, you can retrobright them, although that's not permanent. Soapy water is just to clean them when they're dirty, it won't work on actual stains. As for the spacebar, it probably comes with Alps stabilisers - make sure to lift the spacebar at both ends at the same time.

[frogthejam19]

I really like em so far.  I just need to get a replacement f1 key.  Waiting for my IBm that comes with a converter to see if it works. The Keycaps look to be doubleshot PBT. Is there a way to restore the white keycaps because they're a bit dirty. I pulled every Keycap they're all white Alps.

It's ABS, not PBT. If they're just dirty, soak in warm (not hot) soapy water, rinse, and rub off with a towel.

aye! Would the soapy water really clean them. They look stained I think. ALso how would I remove the Spacebar I afraid I'm going to ruin the stabilizers.

Stained with what? If you mean they're yellowed, you can retrobright them, although that's not permanent. Soapy water is just to clean them when they're dirty, it won't work on actual stains. As for the spacebar, it probably comes with Alps stabilisers - make sure to lift the spacebar at both ends at the same time.


I managed to scrub it and It looks brand new no stains and very little sings of yellowing. I got my Converter today from the Model M that came and the keyboard works perfectly. When I tried it on usb 3.0 only the calculator function was responsive but as soon as I switched it to 2.0 everything is working perfectly including the calculator.

The Battery thats on the back is that for the calculator or for the whole keyboard?

[chyros]

I really like em so far.  I just need to get a replacement f1 key.  Waiting for my IBm that comes with a converter to see if it works. The Keycaps look to be doubleshot PBT. Is there a way to restore the white keycaps because they're a bit dirty. I pulled every Keycap they're all white Alps.

It's ABS, not PBT. If they're just dirty, soak in warm (not hot) soapy water, rinse, and rub off with a towel.

aye! Would the soapy water really clean them. They look stained I think. ALso how would I remove the Spacebar I afraid I'm going to ruin the stabilizers.

Stained with what? If you mean they're yellowed, you can retrobright them, although that's not permanent. Soapy water is just to clean them when they're dirty, it won't work on actual stains. As for the spacebar, it probably comes with Alps stabilisers - make sure to lift the spacebar at both ends at the same time.


I managed to scrub it and It looks brand new no stains and very little sings of yellowing. I got my Converter today from the Model M that came and the keyboard works perfectly. When I tried it on usb 3.0 only the calculator function was responsive but as soon as I switched it to 2.0 everything is working perfectly including the calculator.

The Battery thats on the back is that for the calculator or for the whole keyboard?

Wow. That's impressive. Very nice indeed!

The battery should be for the calculator only. It's successor, the 9000, used a different battery which universally ****s up and kills the whole board off. The flat-battery models such as the 5001 and 8000 appear to be much more reliable - although I've found the calculator screen gives up pretty quickly (the one on my 8000 lasted as little as a few weeks) .

I even found a very rare model of the 3001 on the internet that was powered by a solar cell instead of a battery, which I don't think a lot of people know about. I've seen extremely few examples of this keyboard. I wonder how reliable that model is.

[SamirD]

Sweet!  Glad to hear it's working so well! 

To me this is one of the most endearing qualities of vintage boards--the build quality. 

[chyros]

To me this is one of the most endearing qualities of vintage boards--the build quality. 

On vintage boards this spans quite far; from really poor to amazingly good. Focus boards, interesting as they are, are usually more on the poor side .

[klennkellon]

I have to agree, Focus keyboards build quality is mediocre at best, that being said they at least won't fall apart on you with regular use.

[SamirD]

To me this is one of the most endearing qualities of vintage boards--the build quality. 

On vintage boards this spans quite far; from really poor to amazingly good. Focus boards, interesting as they are, are usually more on the poor side .

I have to agree, Focus keyboards build quality is mediocre at best, that being said they at least won't fall apart on you with regular use.

Oh I agree that the Focus ones seem quite delicate.  But after 20 years, I don't think any modern boards will be any better, while most vintage boards are decently solid by comparison.