Alps Appreciation

//gainsborough · 12 Jul 2018, 11:07

I did a thing.... I'll probably do a write up about it tomorrow... I need to pass out >_<

mcmaxmcmc · 12 Jul 2018, 11:11

Are those SKCL Browns...?

//gainsborough · 12 Jul 2018, 11:12

mcmaxmcmc wrote: Are those SKCL Browns...?

Indeed they are!

xtreg · 12 Jul 2018, 11:36

//gainsborough wrote:I did a thing.... I'll probably do a write up about it tomorrow... I need to pass out >_<

So you changed blue Alps to brown ones, right?

Sent from my MI 6 using Tapatalk

Chyros · 12 Jul 2018, 12:00

Love the Northgate-style striping on the mounting plate!

//gainsborough · 12 Jul 2018, 17:04

xtreg wrote: So you changed blue Alps to brown ones, right?

Nah - the 101 only ever came with skcm white alps.

Chyros wrote: Love the Northgate-style striping on the mounting plate!

Thanks!!

andrewjoy · 12 Jul 2018, 17:11

A good job indeed.

They don't look like original northgate caps tho. Are they different ?

//gainsborough · 12 Jul 2018, 17:15

andrewjoy wrote: A good job indeed.

They don't look like original northgate caps tho. Are they different ?

Good eye! They are PBT caps from an AT101!

andrewjoy · 12 Jul 2018, 17:36

Ooo.

If you want to sell the original caps hit me up.

I am in need of an extra caps lock for my filco Zero.

//gainsborough · 12 Jul 2018, 17:45

andrewjoy wrote: Ooo.

If you want to sell the original caps hit me up.

I am in need of an extra caps lock for my filco Zero.

I actually had sold them long ago. This project has been in the makings for quite some time, actually, haha.

kakan · 12 Jul 2018, 18:15

//gainsborough wrote: I did a thing.... I'll probably do a write up about it tomorrow... I need to pass out >_<

Really good looking board! Wish I had enough browns for a board

//gainsborough · 20 Jul 2018, 01:00

I did another thing (summer is awesome for teachers, haha)!

This time, though, I basically remade a board I already had. Originally this board was housed in an acer 6011 case with it's PCB and plate, but now it's using a KB-101AS pcb/plate/case (although, the top case is still from the 6011). This board was originally called dg_turnip - "dg" for DataGeneral and "turnip" since the switch and plate colors reminded me of turnips - so now I guess it's dg_turnip 2.0? I dunno. I'll still call it dg_turnip.

The keycaps are from an SGI beige board that only speaks SGI protocol, so I thought I'd put the caps to good use =)

chip chop · 20 Jul 2018, 09:46

Great build, great caps, if it was SKCM Creams you could have called it the Tactical General!

//gainsborough · 20 Jul 2018, 22:06

chip chop wrote: Great build, great caps, if it was SKCM Creams you could have called it the Tactical General!

Hahahaha - what could have been...

Thanks for the compliments, though =) One of my favorite things about the caps is that the lock-light bank is also written in italics, so I thought the SGI caps paired really well!

SpacemanToby · 02 Aug 2018, 18:42

Found a Sharp PA-1000h typewriter with green alps. Kind of a weird layout, but I think it could make a neat little hand-wire conversion.

Muirium · 02 Aug 2018, 18:58

It’s not that bad, if you’ve got the caps. There’s enough mods to do what you need, 60% style. Nice find.

SpacemanToby · 02 Aug 2018, 19:00

Muirium wrote: It’s not that bad, if you’ve got the caps. There’s enough mods to do what you need, 60% style. Nice find.

It came with all the caps. I started stripping it down before remembering to get a picture of it.

bujorc · 03 Aug 2018, 15:37

Has anyone ever tried to take Matias click leafs and bend them similarly to blue-alps leafs? Well, you could just use a blue alps leaf, but that's not the point

I've played a bit with this until my eyes hurt and then also minimized the second tactile event and... the result is great. If only I could do this consistently for the next 60 times...

Anybody asked Matias why they don't diversify their offering, would it be too expensive? Even better, has anybody asked those mx clones companies out there why they don't try to recreate the colorful Alps world?

zrrion · 03 Aug 2018, 18:45

I think Matias is only really interested in making switches for products they use and selling those switches separately is more of a afterthought/bonus. I too would love to see one of those mx clone manufactures take a crack at shoving a click leaf into an mx compatible switch (I think there's an old close switch that does this idk)

Chalba · 03 Aug 2018, 22:30

Picked up this Monterey K102 recently! Possibly my favorite layout for a full size keyboard. Big-ass enter, full size backspace, love it.

Myoth · 03 Aug 2018, 22:32

heh ... are you cooling down the ;: key ?

//gainsborough · 03 Aug 2018, 22:35

Chalba wrote: Picked up this Monterey K102 recently! Possibly my favorite layout for a full size keyboard. Big-ass enter, full size backspace, love it.

Ayyyyy. I'm really glad it went to someone who(m?) doesn't want to harvest it =) It's a great vintage - enjoy!

Chalba · 03 Aug 2018, 22:37

I love it gains! I may even spend my long weekend working on the yellowing of the case though part of me wants to keep it completely as is, wear and burns intact xD.

BlindAssassin111 · 04 Aug 2018, 00:01

Damn, still wish I had one of those...I am jealous of you Chalba!

Chyros · 04 Aug 2018, 00:14

Chalba wrote: Picked up this Monterey K102 recently! Possibly my favorite layout for a full size keyboard. Big-ass enter, full size backspace, love it.

The Monterey layout! Yeah, I love that one too

. Great board!

Elrick · 04 Aug 2018, 06:03

Chalba wrote: I love it gains! I may even spend my long weekend working on the yellowing of the case though part of me wants to keep it completely as is, wear and burns intact xD.

Keep the Original patina, because it has earned it

.

OLD keyboards are blessed with ABS that goes yellow and it's best to keep it that way. Only the insane and OCD inflicted people decide to whiten it, like some Micheal Jackson disease.

Usually it destroys the soul of the keyboard and you end up with a freakie looking device (ie. please see Jackson towards the end of his life)

.

Keep the colour, the keyboard still works hence it deserves it's identity and look after all these years.

SpacemanToby · 04 Aug 2018, 13:26

Some yellowing shows character. Some is just gross.

fohat · 04 Aug 2018, 15:05

Chyros wrote:
Chalba wrote:
Possibly my favorite layout for a full size keyboard. Big-ass enter, full size backspace, love it.

The Monterey layout!

That would be fantastic, I have never had one of those.

But none of my 3 complaints with non-ANSI layouts are present there: small Backspace and shortened shift keys.

Muirium · 04 Aug 2018, 16:10

Good objections. It’s a nice enough layout. But I still can’t abide Big Ole Lard Ass Enter. The extra keys where the Winkeyless gaps usually lie are a plus, but only to compensate for all that key fusion courtesy of fatso. Split him in two and now we’re talking. Of course, at that point we have reached ANSI!

Elrick · 05 Aug 2018, 07:12

SpacemanToby wrote: Some yellowing shows character. Some is just gross.

Yeah it's easily fixed, leave it out all day in the sun so it gets an ALL even Sun Tan like George Hamilton

.

The key-caps would also benefit being exposed consistently to match the surrounding keyboard casing.