ALPS BLUES/HEAVY BLUE/LOCK CREAM NEC PC-8801 Unknown switch?

[Wingklip]

Is it rare?

Took me a while to find one in one of the million hard offs in japons

Edit: I have managed to get out the stem from the back of the switch slider lmao. Just a needle or a screwdriver with a fine enough tip was able to do it xd

[y11971alex]

Is that a stem inside the slider?

[need]

That's a stem I'm pretty sure.

I haven't seen this in my whole life before, so I'm guessing it is rare.

[happylacquer]

Considering ALPS is a japanese company lots of boards of that era probably use them.
How many PC88 keyboards have blues, i couldn't tell you.
It's a cool board nonetheless and would probably be fun to use.

[Mattr567]

Nice find. Some of these boards are known to have Blue's.

What are you going to do with it? If you are going to desolder it for the switches or something I would be interested in the keycaps.

[E3E]

Is it rare?

Took me a while to find one in one of the million hard offs in japons (Attachment Link)

Ahh yeah, you see these in Japan fairly often. Nice dyesub alphas. Are the mods doubleshots? Kind of weird; I've never noticed it before, but it seems like a blend.

Should be worth anywhere between $100-250 (mainly for the sake of the switches alone) or more if you're lucky. Blue Alps fever can get crazy sometimes. It's a shame the key cap broke off, do you still have the broken one?

[Wingklip]

Strangely there was another also with a slightly different blue shade, but those were tactile? What

I'm planning on restoring it to the best of my ability and somehow soarer converting the protocol through the cable if at all possible.

The only issue is that I don't know where to find the plug for it, as it has 3 rows of 2*4 pin and 2 pin on top

How rare would blue alps market for? Also I need to repair the spacebar a bit as it seems one of the tabs have broken. Any ways to remove that stem as well? I "stole" a 0 off the second keyboard that I didn't buy and plan to put it on this.

They look like dye sub PBT and double shot abs

[Mattr567]

Strangely there was another also with a slightly different blue shade, but those were tactile? What

I'm planning on restoring it to the best of my ability and somehow soarer converting the protocol through the cable if at all possible.

The only issue is that I don't know where to find the plug for it, as it has 3 rows of 2*4 pin and 2 pin on top

How rare would blue alps market for? Also I need to repair the spacebar a bit as it seems one of the tabs have broken. Any ways to remove that stem as well? I "stole" a 0 off the second keyboard that I didn't buy and plan to put it on this.

They look like dye sub PBT and double shot abs

Sounds like that other one was also SKCM Blue. Alps wasn't super consistent in their color shades.

Yea you can remove the stem. The best way is to push it out from the other side like this http://imgur.com/a/zSPux

[fohat.digs]

Strangely there was another also with a slightly different blue shade,

Alps wasn't super consistent in their color shades.

Ha Ha Ha

[E3E]

Strangely there was another also with a slightly different blue shade, but those were tactile? What

I'm planning on restoring it to the best of my ability and somehow soarer converting the protocol through the cable if at all possible.

The only issue is that I don't know where to find the plug for it, as it has 3 rows of 2*4 pin and 2 pin on top

How rare would blue alps market for? Also I need to repair the spacebar a bit as it seems one of the tabs have broken. Any ways to remove that stem as well? I "stole" a 0 off the second keyboard that I didn't buy and plan to put it on this.

They look like dye sub PBT and double shot abs

A wax-carving tool I have had its tip bent from wear and ended up being insanely useful for removing broken stems like that from switches. Since Alps Electric (and many other Alps mount) stems are hollow, it slips in the space and then hooks under the bottom so you can pull the stem out with it. 
 
Any thin tool with a tip bent like that should do the trick. Alternatively, taking the switch apart and using a thin tool to push the stem out from the openings behind the mouth of the slider would work. Using the first method is much more hassle free and I love it.

As far as rarity for this one goes? Not super rare in Japan, but I'd say in western markets it is definitely rare. You'd probably have a better shot at aiming this one at enthusiasts of the Japanese NEC PC 8800 series abroad than you would trying to focus it at mechanical keyboard fans.

You say the other ones were tactile and not clicky and also blue? Can you take a picture of that? It's true that it could be another SKCM Blue, as the colors are often pale and inconsistent. Maybe one with a worn click leaf? Hmm.

[Mattr567]

You say the other ones were tactile and not clicky and also blue? Can you take a picture of that? It's true that it could be another SKCM Blue, as the colors are often pale and inconsistent. Maybe one with a worn click leaf? Hmm.

That what I thought.

[Wingklip]

You say the other ones were tactile and not clicky and also blue? Can you take a picture of that? It's true that it could be another SKCM Blue, as the colors are often pale and inconsistent. Maybe one with a worn click leaf? Hmm.

That what I thought.

Strange because all the keys were all equally tactile and none were clicky... They're all the way back in the south end of Chiba so giving it another run would be another $20 train ticket. They felt more like alps whites tbh

[Mattr567]

I would say its worth it. The caps are worth the train ticket alone.

I'd be interested in it too.

[E3E]

Yeah, you never know with Alps; there's always something new hiding just around the corner. SKCL Striped Ambers were the first discovery in a long time. SKCM Greens were first documented over here by nubbinator, but they were already somewhat known in Korea at least because an example of the DKSaver OTD custom had them before that. 
 
It was ohaimark, Mattr567, and myself who discovered SKCL Striped Ambers. 
 
It's not often that you find something completely new, but it's very possible with Alps, from key cap profiles to key switches. They were very creative.

[Wingklip]

I'm on a very tight budget now though as I am mainly looking for the IBM 5576-001/2

If you guys are interested though I'll give it a shot, though postage from Australia is pretty cancerously expensive

[Mattr567]

I'm on a very tight budget now though as I am mainly looking for the IBM 5576-001/2

If you guys are interested though I'll give it a shot, though postage from Australia is pretty cancerously expensive

With the SKCM Blue craze, they aren't gonna care, trust me ) Still interested myself too.

[Wingklip]

Here are some caps

[Mattr567]

Dyesub PBT.

[subcat]

Won one of these on Yahoo! Auctions recently, but beware, not all of them have ALPS...

[E3E]

Dyesub PBT.

It's interesting because these are dyesubs for the alphas, but there's no way the dark keys are dyesubbed. You don't often see doubleshot/dyesub mixes on the same board. The Xerox 6085/DocuTech is one other one I can think of.

I'm on a very tight budget now though as I am mainly looking for the IBM 5576-001/2

If you guys are interested though I'll give it a shot, though postage from Australia is pretty cancerously expensive

Oh really? I have a few 5576-002s actually. You're curious to try Alps Plate Spring? I'm not sure if I'd trade one for these, but I guess I should mention that I do have some. I'm trying to sell them, but they definitely wouldn't fit into any tight budget.

[Mattr567]

Oh really? I have a few 5576-002s actually. You're curious to try Alps Plate Spring? I'm not sure if I'd trade one for these, but I guess I should mention that I do have some. I'm trying to sell them, but they definitely wouldn't fit into any tight budget.

Just like the Model F, that **** can get really expensive.

IBM P70 is my best chance.

[Wingklip]

Dyesub PBT.

It's interesting because these are dyesubs for the alphas, but there's no way the dark keys are dyesubbed. You don't often see doubleshot/dyesub mixes on the same board. The Xerox 6085/DocuTech is one other one I can think of.

I'm on a very tight budget now though as I am mainly looking for the IBM 5576-001/2

If you guys are interested though I'll give it a shot, though postage from Australia is pretty cancerously expensive

Oh really? I have a few 5576-002s actually. You're curious to try Alps Plate Spring? I'm not sure if I'd trade one for these, but I guess I should mention that I do have some. I'm trying to sell them, but they definitely wouldn't fit into any tight budget.

A tight budget of $250 incl postage?

[Wingklip]

UPDATE AND MANY PHOTOS!!!!!111!1!1!!1
 

PM me if you have a beam spring board and are willing to trade it with this (negotiable lol)

I think I found a new alps blue switch. Heavy blue clicky alps. Has a marker dash! :0




Inside:
There is a visibly denser spring for the heavy switch, with what it seems double the coils of the first spring from a normal weight part of the board.



Outside:
SKCM CREAM Locking switches kind of clicky


Switch housing and comparison of the two keycaps:



Double shot abs/dye subbed pbt:


It is cracked on the right side, a small chip of plastic is missing. I managed to repair the spacebar which had a broken clip too with some super glue, just heads up

[chyros]

Noice, congratulations on the discovery!

How heavy are the blues, roughly? Did you measure them with anything yet? Are they noticeably stiffer, then?

[subcat]

Wait, this is new? That mousefan article on these boards has existed for ages. I have 2. I believe he said it was 200g. Here is the source; http://mousefan.telcontar.net/image/pc8801.htm
They are gorgeous boards! If Heavy Cream and Heavy Grey are on the wiki, so should be Heavy Blue.

[Wingklip]

Lol heavy blue isn't on the wiki

XD

Guess I'm a bit late lol. They are very heavy. At least twice the weight, so mousefan should be right

But weight! He mentioned nothing about the marker pen! xdddddd

It's a discretely different switch, so let's compromise and say be both discovered something new xd

Anyways I will slowly post these pictures onto deskthority wiki.

In the meantime please tell me this is maybe worth your Beamspring some (pls)

[subcat]

That's what i mean, you should add it.

[chyros]

Ah, that must be why I missed it xD .

[Wingklip]

Ah, that must be why I missed it xD .

Please milord, spare a Beamspring for a poor peasant?

[subcat]

Beamsprings are worth quite a bit more than these, sadly, not to mention the shipping fee to here 

[Wingklip]

Beamsprings are worth quite a bit more than these, sadly, not to mention the shipping fee to here 

Pretty rare board. I would throw in 2 alps blacks boards too on the side to square up the weight

[subcat]

They aren't that hard to find in Japan, I saw 4 come up for sale during the month I spent on yahoo auctions. They're cool though, maybe you'll find someone willing to trade.

[Wingklip]

Naannnnniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiï

[E3E]

I've seen these quite a few times, yeah. Seems like another case of a heavy switch on a Japanese PC board. The Sharp X68000 also has a "heavy cream" switch on one position with its own black lipstick. It seems that people just haven't been scrupulous enough to document the one-off switch on these boards.

[TomahawkLabs]

I just bought two of these myself and was excited to learn about the "heavy blue". The black marking appears to just be a marker as it easily comes off with a little pressure. It is hard to overstate how much heavier these springs are. It makes you wonder what the design choice of having an aggressively heavy spring would be. There is a second lock switch under the bottom left key (not sure what you would call that, what I assume, Japanese character) which is such a unique thing to see on a board. It's a shame MX Locking switches never caught on.