deskthority

What a perfect xmas present! Wonderful switches. They sound almost clicky on the ADK64 board, but as usual, the Zenith is pure heaven. I have these on my modded Matias Ergo Pro board, now with custom lighter springs as I found the high 69gf operating force a bit tiresome after a while. They are pure ...

Noice! Sounds great on all 3 boards, but on that Zenith. Wow!

clickandthock wrote: 01 Nov 2024, 21:34 Apple M1242 Apple Adustable Keyboard with Alps SKFS Tactile switches:

Interesting keyboard for sure. Back when Apple was concerned with ergonomics as much or more than appearances/"thinness".

These have a distinct "two stage" click sound to them that I don't recall other ALPS clicky switches having.
ADK64 and Zenith boards sounds amazing. The last one, meh.

Very cool development! Which ALPS switches are these cloning? Be nice to see a pic of one disassembled.

the Zenith sounds jawdroping


Yes, the steel baseplate makes all the difference. I found the other two plastic? keyboards far too high pitched in tone.

I have modded the Salmon switches in my custom Matias Ergo board with lighter (45 cN) springs and am absolutely loving it these days ...

Here's the first video of the series! Alps SKCM Orange Ultimate Sound Tests:
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the Zenith sounds jawdroping


Yes, the steel baseplate makes all the difference. I found the other two plastic? keyboards far too high pitched in tone.

I have modded the Salmon switches in my custom ...

Holy smokes, this is awesome! Thanks!

Such is the state of cybersecurity these days. Risks are too high to entertain your fancy custom keyboard. I don't blame them at all, sadly, they have an impossible job to fend off the bad actors and keep the company functioning at the same time.

Sucks though for sure.

After taking my switches apart I just cleaned them as necessary, they weren't very dirty. Not going to lube them at this time.

Has anyone had a chance to use their 2583g lube yet? I am curious as to the results.

I think I'm going to replace all the springs on my Salmon switches to lower their activation force a bit, so might as well apply lube and any necessary "paper fix" at the same time. What is the next best lube to ...

I intermixed Apple PBT keycaps with Matias caps on my Ergo Pro / Salmon ALPS project and while there is a slight difference in the key "slope" between them it is not noticeable when using the keyboard. Looks fine as well.

I have kind of lost interest in alps all together myself. If any demand remains from others maybe he can divvy up his 1000 gram sample for ebay. Let me know what size/price might work and I can ask if he will finally put some up there.


It would be a shame to go through all this effort and not ...

Thanks for the update! :)

I always wanted Orange ALPS but ended up with Salmons. I have gotten used to the slightly stiffer springs, but had thought of replacing the springs with aftermarket ones that are a bit weaker to match the softer feel of the Oranges. But then decided I'd probably just mess ...

Black Alps, right? As you didn't mention the switches, I anticipate a mixed review. ;)

Black Alps can actually be quite good. Love the key-feel of my NeXT , for instance, but it's a good bit older than any Windows keyed PC board (and NOS).


The suspense is killing me! lol. Rubber domes I guess ...

apastuszak wrote: 10 Nov 2023, 02:19 I'm having one small problem with the keyboard. The E key is giving me an odd pinging noise when I press it. Has anyone heard of this? It's pretty distracting when I am trying to type.

You can take it apart and apply the "paper fix" to dull the sound. Try searching here for that.

The lack of cables is probably why those are still NOS.

<r><QUOTE author="apastuszak" post_id="517367" time="1699326204" user_id="15336"><s>[quote=apastuszak post_id=517367 time=1699326204 user_id=15336]</s>
I got the right ADB port working. Took an s-video cable and sprayed some Deoxit in it and then pushed it in and out of the ADB port around 10 times ...

Very cool. I still use my Matias Ergo pro w/ Salmon ALPS switches daily and have for years now.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=23000

Can't really go wrong with any AEK / AEK II keyboard.

Amazing! Thanks to you and esp. Dick!

Very cool.

phinix wrote: 10 Aug 2023, 18:38 Are Alps Orange switches any good?
I understand that browns are best, but how about orange ones?

Not sure where you got that idea (Brown?). Orange are the best tactile ALPS switches, followed by Salmon which are nearly identical. This has been proven scientifically.

Not sure but it seems like the two largish solder points on the bottom would be the legs for that shield. You should be able to heat them and them and either remove the solder or wiggle the cover out one leg at a time (while heated).

I roll a natural D20 and I'm able to resurrect this thread.

I have an Ergo Pro that also has a blown micro USB port. I can actually see it moving around inside its housing. Playing with the data cable does occasionally make one of the lock lights come on, so I'm fairly confident that this is the ...

Those vids bring back some great Apple ][ memories, thanks!

The best of the best! The crème de la crème!

Personally, I prefer the Salmons.

This is the board I harvested my salmons off of for my "perfect" Matias Ergo Pro board. Though it is a great board in it's own right.

I wish Apple would go nuts and reproduce this or the AEK II in all it's vintage ...

Wow, very cool! That must have been a ton of work!

hellothere wrote: 14 Sep 2022, 02:53 ...
I have/had between three and five Matias keyboards and I absolutely love the ergo's key placement, even though I'm not a typist, but I'm not crazy about the switches.

Then do what I did and replace the Matias switches with your choice of ALPS ones. Really makes the Ergo great.

I recently tested a stock Matias Ergo Pro board I picked up with Quiet Click switches vs my modified Ergo Pro with Salmon ALPS installed and the difference was night and day (Salmon good, Matias bad). Of course the quiet click switches are dampened so not the same thing, but the tactility isn't as ...