Focus FK-3001

[chyros]

Haha yeah PF keys are pretty fun xD . I used a board with them in at work for a while and I got so lazy with them I programmed one of them into ctrl+alt+del [username] tab [password] enter, so that I could log in with a single button xD .

[Mattr567]

Another one, non solar panel, looks clean but is missing a keycap. Calc doesn't work.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/FOCUS-FK-3001-Clicky-Mechanical-Keyboard-White-Alps-Sliders-PS-2-PARTS-or-Repair-/291743753943?hash=item43ed4866d7:g:FuIAAOSwYmZXF~Zx

[Hak Foo]

I'm really loving these programmable function keys, I just wish they stored more than an average of 8 characters or so. 

Going to either clean and/or have the switches replaced relatively soon. This keyboard is definitely what I'd call "charming" and with some switch work would be my daily driver.

I keep thinking about decontrollering my (dead calc, scratchy switches, part scavenged) FK-9000  and putting in a Teensy++ with a decent firmware.  That mod would probably let you have tens of kilobytes per macro key.

But then I realise I use |\ way too often to have it anywehre but in a straight-ANSI position...

[khronokrator]

Ironically, the Focus layout is probably my favorite. But if you really use that key (I can't type it on my F122) yeah, it's pretty much the worst possible configuration you could imagine. 

I'm going to attempt to clean + swap out the switches on my FK-9000 once my new solder and desoldering wick arrive later this week. I consider myself absurdly lucky to have gotten one with a working calculator, and find it very interesting. Just needs better key-feel.

Also, another 3001, which might've been listed before:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3001-Focus-Keyboard-Vintage-/152065914069?

[chyros]

Nothing ironic about it, the Focus layout is really accessible and user-friendly .

[orihalcon]

Is there a trick to getting the calculator to display correctly if there are dead pixels? Seems everyone was saying that would be fixable. I'm thinking it's a bad connection to the LCD, but I don't think that's something that can just be soldered.

Just won this one:

http://m.ebay.com/itm/3001-Focus-Keyboard-Vintage-/152065914069?txnId=0

....but am anticipating that it will have display issues at the very least and from reading the rest of this forum, seems quite possible that the keyboard part might not work either. No possibility of blue alps per the description unfortunately.  Fingers crossed that it mostly works though

[khronokrator]

On a related note, I think I killed my FK-9000. 

Attempted to transplant some switches into it earlier this week, and though nothing appears to be wrong the entire PCB seemed to short out. The loose lead from the battery terminal kept coming loose and I had to resolder, cut, and resolder it several times before I got it to stick. Depending upon how you maneuver the very short lead cable you can now get maybe 50% of the switches to work, but the home row cluster seems completely dead. Guess I'll have to disassemble it for parts, since the Alps world doesn't really have resources like clickykeyboards.com or Phosphor Glow to turn to. Quite sad.

[chyros]

Is there a trick to getting the calculator to display correctly if there are dead pixels? Seems everyone was saying that would be fixable. I'm thinking it's a bad connection to the LCD, but I don't think that's something that can just be soldered.

Just won this one:

http://m.ebay.com/itm/3001-Focus-Keyboard-Vintage-/152065914069?txnId=0

....but am anticipating that it will have display issues at the very least and from reading the rest of this forum, seems quite possible that the keyboard part might not work either. No possibility of blue alps per the description unfortunately.  Fingers crossed that it mostly works though

Not really. Focus used very cheap displays that exhibit this issue after a while due to old age. I have even seen this happen on unused ones. Getting one with a display that works and then doesn't give up quickly after is very hard.

[Mattr567]

On a related note, I think I killed my FK-9000. 

Attempted to transplant some switches into it earlier this week, and though nothing appears to be wrong the entire PCB seemed to short out. The loose lead from the battery terminal kept coming loose and I had to resolder, cut, and resolder it several times before I got it to stick. Depending upon how you maneuver the very short lead cable you can now get maybe 50% of the switches to work, but the home row cluster seems completely dead. Guess I'll have to disassemble it for parts, since the Alps world doesn't really have resources like clickykeyboards.com or Phosphor Glow to turn to. Quite sad.

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww. That is really weird. Disconnecting the battery cables shouldn't effect the board. The whole time with mine I have had the terminals disconnected for cleaning and such. Heres one thing to do. CLEAN IT! My ASDF row wasn't mostly working on my SGI when I transplanted switches into it, and wiping the PCB with some isopropyl alcohol fixed it right up! Be specific on the area's that don't work.

Is there a trick to getting the calculator to display correctly if there are dead pixels? Seems everyone was saying that would be fixable. I'm thinking it's a bad connection to the LCD, but I don't think that's something that can just be soldered.

Just won this one:

http://m.ebay.com/itm/3001-Focus-Keyboard-Vintage-/152065914069?txnId=0

....but am anticipating that it will have display issues at the very least and from reading the rest of this forum, seems quite possible that the keyboard part might not work either. No possibility of blue alps per the description unfortunately.  Fingers crossed that it mostly works though

Not really. Focus used very cheap displays that exhibit this issue after a while due to old age. I have even seen this happen on unused ones. Getting one with a display that works and then doesn't give up quickly after is very hard.

I plan to fix mine. Age kills old displays like on the Focus's. It happen's on calculators and old phones all the time. I found this tutorial http://www.instructables.com/id/Repair-a-Malfunctioning-LCD/?ALLSTEPS

[khronokrator]

I did clean it when I did the switch replacing. Sprayed the whole back of the PCB down with Electronic WD-40 (which I'm pretty sure is just aerosolized isopropyl alcohol), and the board is pretty immaculate.

What happened is one of the leads from the battery terminal (the left wire specifically) kept coming out because I could not get it to stick in the solder. Then when I tried to resolder it back in I ended up 'cooking' the end of the lead (as I said, soldering skills = abysmal) on the solder iron, so I had to clip off the burnt end and try again. After several iterations of this, when I did finally get it to stick in the solder again the wire was now stretched very tight and the connection was terrible, such that jostling it around even slightly caused the board to either not register at all or have 50% of the keys work.

Again, this is why I wish we had an Alps equivalent to Phosphor Glow so that those of us less-technically-inclined could just send our boards in to be renovated/fixed instead of having to do everything ourselves. It's the single biggest frustration of dealing with Alps boards, IMO. 

[chyros]

Again, this is why I wish we had an Alps equivalent to Phosphor Glow so that those of us less-technically-inclined could just send our boards in to be renovated/fixed instead of having to do everything ourselves. It's the single biggest frustration of dealing with Alps boards, IMO. 

Haha, who knows, you might just get your wish in the future xD .

[khronokrator]

If it were at all feasible (i.e. postage/shipping) I'd be very much in favor of you starting up your own Alps fixing service, Chyros.   

[Mattr567]

If it were at all feasible (i.e. postage/shipping) I'd be very much in favor of you starting up your own Alps fixing service, Chyros.   

I'm not the worst, but my iron could be better I have another way that might work. It looks like from all the stress the PCB took it cracked solder joints and lines all over the board, causing it to be unreliable. This happens a lot with older PC parts and such, and the solution is to cook it! Cooking it in the oven reflows the whole PCB, and in theory fixes it. If it works on GPU's why not a keyboard!! You have to remove all plastics and stickers etc. that would melt but otherwise you should be good.

First I would try to remelt all the solder joints, might just be those rather than traces and stuff.

[chyros]

If it were at all feasible (i.e. postage/shipping) I'd be very much in favor of you starting up your own Alps fixing service, Chyros.   

Heheh oh not me xD .

[orihalcon]

I think the problem with keyboard repair services is that the shipping back and forth just kind of kills it.  If it's something like a bad switch here or there, would only take 15 minutes to fix, but Shipping each way might be $15 assuming you are in the same country.  I think there was a guy on ebay that used to fix Northgate Omnikeys for like $40 which I believe included the return shipping and I think he'd replace up to 6 switches for that price.  Don't think it included any other fixing though.  I don't see him there anymore, so must not have been too much demand.  He was limiting himself to Northgates though.

[khronokrator]

I'm pretty sure the Northgate guy on eBay was Robert Tibbetts, who has a, shall we say... Colorful reputation.

But you're right, it's mostly the shipping that kills any kind of keyboard repair services. I'm fairly certain my 9000 needs some serious work and would benefit from it, but for most people just needing a new switch or three it's not worth the return on investment. So the real question is: how do those Model M guys stay in business, then? 

[orihalcon]

I think the model M guys like Phosphorglow stay in business because they are making your entire keyboard like new or even doing upgrades in some cases and they should pretty much last forever thereafter, takes a couple hours or more, and usually involves bolt modding which requires irreversible drilling, which you want to get right the first time.  Fixing a couple switches on an alps board doesn't guarantee that a couple more won't go bad within a year or two. Just my 2¢

[khronokrator]

Hey, I have several Alps boards that could do with a serious reconditioning on the level of what Phosphor Glow does for his Model M clients. A simple one-or-two switch replacement I can do myself, with much grumbling, but I think there is need for a service of that nature (if only E3E wasn't so busy ).

[jacobolus]

khronokrator: You should just get a soldering iron and do it yourself. It’s really not that difficult.

[khronokrator]

I have, jacobulus. If you care to look a few posts up, I just did this to my poor glitchy FK-9000 last week and it was apparently enough to brick it (doesn't work anymore). The PCB was already in questionable shape, admittedly, so it didn't take much to send it over the edge.

My soldering skills (especially desoldering) are fairly poor, which is why I'd be willing to pay for someone with greater tools and skills to tackle it instead of risking me killing a touchy old PCB.