Alps Appreciation

[Tuntematon]

Ahh right you are, forgot to note the country. Should be Alps SKCM white then.

[Chyros]

Bought this focus fk2000 on ebay today. It looks like its in great condition and the switches weren't shown or marked, I'm hoping they might be blue alps? Probably white which is fine too for the price.

I need to stop buying keyboards for a little....

Definitely not blue Alps. I almost bid on this one because I need a dust cover, but I put it off for another time. Unfortunately, I think you're getting white Alps clones with this one.

Hm well it doesn't have Windows keys and it was made in Taiwan, so I'm hoping it's not clones. If it is I might just end up swapping blues into it.

Things to consider when determining the type of switches in an FK-2001 are:
-winkeys or not
-layout (Northgate or Focus)
-connector (PS/2 or DIN)
-where it was made

I suspect yours will be white Alps. Might also be OA2 clones, but I think white Alps are more likely.

[guster11]

Hm well it doesn't have Windows keys and it was made in Taiwan, so I'm hoping it's not clones. If it is I might just end up swapping blues into it.

Things to consider when determining the type of switches in an FK-2001 are:
-winkeys or not
-layout (Northgate or Focus)
-connector (PS/2 or DIN)
-where it was made

I suspect yours will be white Alps. Might also be OA2 clones, but I think white Alps are more likely.[/quote]

Its got DIN so i'm pretty sure its white.

[Chyros]

I'll just leave this here...

[Abstractions]

I'll just leave this here...

[emdude]

Project Lime?

[ramnes]

Finally got myself into the blue Alps hype train.



Right now they really suck, but I can see the potential. They feel a bit like browns with a click.

So, how do you guys clean Alps switches? Just brush + soap on top housings and sliders, and air duster inside the switches?

[jacobolus]

Right now they really suck, but I can see the potential. They feel a bit like browns with a click.

Should feel significantly less stiff than brown Alps. Or do you mean brown Cherry MX? Shouldn’t really feel like those either.

If they really suck, they might or might not be fixable, I’ve seen some that were physically abraded all over the inside of the top housing, for which there isn’t much to do.

[ramnes]

No, they just suck like any dusty Alps. I meant brown Alps, but then I haven't typed on brown Alps for one year or so so my memory could be wrong. But I really felt that kinda smooth thock I remember from brown Alps.

And to complement my previous question, do we all agree that it's a bad idea to lube Alps switches?

[Chyros]

Project Lime?

Yeah .

[emdude]

Haha, knew it!

Looking forward to your video!

[Blaise170]

I still need to get a lime switch of my own.

Maybe I can convince someone to swap a Cherry MX Navy for an Alps SKCM Green.

[Chyros]

I still need to get a lime switch of my own.

Maybe I can convince someone to swap a Cherry MX Navy for an Alps SKCM Green.

How about me?

[Blaise170]

I still need to get a lime switch of my own.

Maybe I can convince someone to swap a Cherry MX Navy for an Alps SKCM Green.

How about me?

Okay.

[ramnes]

When I say dirty...

[Hak Foo]

-layout (Northgate or Focus)

What's the difference between those?

Is "Focus style" the |\ next to right shift, and "Northgate style" the |\ on the bottom row?

I guess I'm confused, because as you said, FK-2001s come both way. I'm not sure if Northgates were made with a |\ next to right shift off hand.

[Chyros]

I'm using it here as Focus = split and northgate = bottom row. As you said both were made with both layouts though - which makes sense because they were both made by the same manufacturer.

[bubblebobbler]

starting a blue alps 60% build once the pcb + switches arrive

should be tiring-but-fun

[jacobolus]

ramnes: No, nobody agrees about whether or not you should lube anything. Personally, I would recommend adding lube if you are going to be taking the switches apart and cleaning them anyway.

Steps to clean very scratchy Alps switches: (1) Take them all apart, blast the inside of the top housings with compressed air, try to get as much dust out of them as you can. (2) Clean the top housings with an ultrasonic cleaner, or if you don’t have one, try wiping the insides of the top housing carefully with a cotton swab, optionally soaked in alcohol. (3) Clean any little corners of the sides of the sliders, if they have dust/dirt on them. If you feel like it, you can give them some kind of soak, but if you do you’ll probably take the factory-applied lube off, and need to add it back later. (4) Give the bottom housings a blast of compressed air too, but this is mostly to keep any dust it might have from migrating inside the switch later, as there aren’t really any contact points there. (5) If the switches have had their click leaves bent out of their original shape and the feel is too limp for your taste, you can try to carefully bend them slightly back in the direction of increased click, but be careful as you can easily bend the leaves into an unrecoverably messed up shape. (6) Add lubricant to the contact points between the sides of the slider and the top housing, and at the bottom of the slider where it pushes against the metal leaves. (7) Optionally lubricate the spring. (8) Put the switch back together carefully.

Unfortunately, in some cases the sliders and/or top housings have abraded plastic, and can’t be fixed even with careful cleaning and added lubricant.

[ramnes]

I've already brushed every part with soap, it's drying right now.

You're making me hesitant about putting some Krytox on the sliders. Alps switches are known for being very vulnerable to dust, so I feel a bit like lube is a suicide, but then I'm also pretty sure the feeling would be excellent at the beginning... But for how long?

[fohat]

You're making me hesitant about putting some Krytox on the sliders.
Alps switches are known for being very vulnerable to dust, so I feel a bit like lube is a suicide

I have had the same thoughts. My next Alps project is completely rehabbing and click-modding a set of orange, but I do not want to undertake it until I am sure of the process that I want to use.

My current thinking is a PTFE lube that sprays on wet and dries tight to the surface.

[ohaimark]

I don't think this holds true for all spray-PTFE lubes, but the one that I used made Alps feel... Rubbery. Be sure to test it on a plate-mounted switch before doing the whole batch.

[XMIT]

Unfortunately, in some cases the sliders and/or top housings have abraded plastic, and can’t be fixed even with careful cleaning and added lubricant.

I wonder how much polishing, e.g. with a Dremel polishing tip, could help with this.

[jacobolus]

I haven't tried polishing, but I think it’s going to be hard to reach into the little interior edges of the top housing with a dremel. Go for it though.

[Mr.Bean]

Looking for DSC caps for my Dox. Do they even exist?

[alh84001]

It's 1984 all over again, and my grey IBM world has been shaken by the arrival of the colourful apples.


Cleaning time.

[seebart]

It's 1984 all over again, and my grey IBM world has been shaken by the arrival of the colourful apples. Cleaning time.

Sounds and looks great. Hope you like them. I never could decide if I liked orange or salmon SKCM's better. Both great.

[emdude]

starting a blue alps 60% build once the pcb + switches arrive

should be tiring-but-fun

Me too, with hasu's current Alps64 PCB GB round and the interest check for plates going on GH right now, it'll be great.

Doing two builds, one with blue alps, not sure about the other one. Orange alps would make for a nice color complement though!

Too bad there aren't translucent alps key caps! (Not sure if it would be possible to make them out of a decent material though.)

[ramnes]

Okay so, everything is back together, and it's much better now!

I've tried to lube some switches to try, and the benefit is much less evident than with Cherry MX switches. I feel like lubing Alps switches is almost useless, and I decided to not use it apart from those test switches.

Now, about blue Alps themselves... not really my taste. I doubt I'll keep that board very long.

[need]

Now, about blue Alps themselves... not really my taste. I doubt I'll keep that board very long.

Do you not like clicky switches ?