Great/Interesting Finds

[Scarpia]

To all you happy Tandem owners: In case you decide to tear one apart for the switches, pleez let me buy an SKCL Brown or two?

[darkholypl]

Fujitsu Keyboard N860-2500-T111 on Polish auction site.

http://allegro.pl/klawiatura-fujitsu-ke ... 80027.html

[seebart]

Fujitsu Keyboard N860-2500-T111 on Polish auction site.

http://allegro.pl/klawiatura-fujitsu-ke ... 80027.html

Nice, looks a lot like mine. Remember, these are far from "plug and play"...that seller has a good picture of the connector.

[Menuhin]

That seller just keeps pulling them out of thin air...

At one point, I thought keyboards with SKCL browns will not appear on planet earth ever again...

Now the sellers are listing all the Tandem keyboards, perhaps they think people may simply like Tandem keyboards. Just like how some seller raised the buy-in-now price of the Peacock G80-3xxxL/H keyboards after a Peacock G81-3xxxS sold for an unexpectedly high price.

[Mattr567]

That seller just keeps pulling them out of thin air. Ok I think most of the people who wanted one here got one, now don't keep buying them at those prices! Yikes, that's just shy of $100 more than mine cost :S

Edit: I think he's doing what any seller would...they initially thought that dirty old keyboard wouldn't be a high value item, then for some reason they kept disappearing as soon as they were listed, so they keep pushing the envelope to see where it'll cap out. Who knows, they might have several more just waiting to be posted.

Yea. With all the Tandem stuff he's pulling out of his ass who knows how much he really has. Could be a office full

It will be very interesting to see how many of these are SKCL Striped Amber (if any?!). So far it's 2-0 Brown.

[Mattr567]

Also that latest Tandem just sold

[E3E]

Please people, even if you're a shy lurker--whoever is buying these please let us know if you're getting any Striped Amber! If these are ALL SKCL Brown, then my mind = blown.

Gosh, he really is ramping up the prices. Ebay buyers are hound dogs. It's definitely making the person confident to jack the prices up.

Makes me wonder if someone would've asked if he had more at the beginning then made a lump offer for all of them, if he would've done it.

Talk about the score that would've been.

[E3E]

That seller just keeps pulling them out of thin air...

At one point, I thought keyboards with SKCL browns will not appear on planet earth ever again...

Now the sellers are listing all the Tandem keyboards, perhaps they think people may simply like Tandem keyboards. Just like how some seller raised the buy-in-now price of the Peacock G80-3xxxL/H keyboards after a Peacock G81-3xxxS sold for an unexpectedly high price.

It's similar to the NeXT non-adb scenario with SKCM Creams, but these are kind of coming out of no where and aren't giving anyone the same security of having a numbered stock available, so people are scrambling to get one now. I'm glad I already S. Ambers and my ideal SKCL Brown board. While I could use more browns to keep around for my hotswap builds... Eh.

I've got SKCL Creams for that.

[Menuhin]

... While I could use more browns to keep around for my hotswap builds... Eh.

I've got SKCL Creams for that.

How often do you actually swap the switches on your hotswap builds?
Once per week / month / season / have not yet tried to swap for rotation for real?

[Tuntematon]

I've got a Packard Bell with SKCL Browns. Much rarer than these Tandems that pop up every day. Yours for $500!!!!!!

[//gainsborough]

Naive and (probably) stupid question here: If you took out the tactile leaf in SKCM browns, would they be any different than SCKL browns?

[Mattr567]

That seller just keeps pulling them out of thin air...

At one point, I thought keyboards with SKCL browns will not appear on planet earth ever again...

Now the sellers are listing all the Tandem keyboards, perhaps they think people may simply like Tandem keyboards. Just like how some seller raised the buy-in-now price of the Peacock G80-3xxxL/H keyboards after a Peacock G81-3xxxS sold for an unexpectedly high price.

It's similar to the NeXT non-adb scenario with SKCM Creams, but these are kind of coming out of no where and aren't giving anyone the same security of having a numbered stock available, so people are scrambling to get one now. I'm glad I already S. Ambers and my ideal SKCL Brown board. While I could use more browns to keep around for my hotswap builds... Eh.

I've got SKCL Creams for that.

Yea. I'm glad to have my NeXT and Striped Ambers. As well as my pingmaster. That's another board with a very similar situation, especially being NOS. Don't think anyone has ever found another pingmaster in the wild. I don't really need a SKCL Brown board, and my switch tester already has a SKCL Brown so I'm good there.

[Mattr567]

I've got a Packard Bell with SKCL Browns. Much rarer than these Tandems that pop up every day. Yours for $500!!!!!!

Lol.

Naive and (probably) stupid question here: If you took out the tactile leaf in SKCM browns, would they be any different than SCKL browns?

No, they would be different. It's down to the spring.

[alh84001]

Naive and (probably) stupid question here: If you took out the tactile leaf in SKCM browns, would they be any different than SCKL browns?

It would be lighter. SKCM Brown has a _very_ light spring

[//gainsborough]

Naive and (probably) stupid question here: If you took out the tactile leaf in SKCM browns, would they be any different than SCKL browns?

It would be lighter. SKCM Brown has a _very_ light spring

Like 40g light?

[mike52787]

Naive and (probably) stupid question here: If you took out the tactile leaf in SKCM browns, would they be any different than SCKL browns?

Yeah, the SKCM brown spring is really light

[E3E]

... While I could use more browns to keep around for my hotswap builds... Eh.

I've got SKCL Creams for that.

How often do you actually swap the switches on your hotswap builds?
Once per week / month / season / have not yet tried to swap for rotation for real?

Haha, of course I've hot swapped my boards! That's what I built them for.

For my Hammer Alps build, I actually haven't hot swapped them aside from a chattering switch once, mainly because aligning LEDs was a pain in the ass.

For my other hotswappable Eagle build that I used to have in an FMJ case, I hot swapped all the time. I used SKCM Orange, SKCM Green, but stuck with SKCM Brown mostly and used SKCL Brown for backlighting on some mods.

For the Orion, I have toyed with some hot swapping. I put some SKCM Greens in the board for fun once, but reverted back to SKCM Blue, because really... If you have a custom Alps TKL, at least one of them needs to be Alps SKCM Blue!

I've done a lot of switch changing on the Orion, messing with springs, etc. It helps to be able to pull out switches when you have an 8lb board. It's also great if a switch is giving you problems. You can replace the switch entirely or swap the switchplate from your useful little SKCL compact switches.

I've also fully swapped the switches out to swap out the original stainless steel plate for the carbon fiber replacement plate (with added slot for centered or stepped caps lock positions). It was really great having the mod for that procedure.



I have hot swap modded my Duck Lightpad too, but I mainly keep the switches matching the Orion with SKCM Blues. Both use SKCL Brown for backlights.

I plan on hot swap modding the incoming PCB for my Mira prototype as well as a VE.A for a customer. The first "job" I've had doing the Alps hot swap mod for someone else! I'm excited for that.

[cumwagondeluxe]

--snip--

Yea. I'm glad to have my NeXT and Striped Ambers. As well as my pingmaster. That's another board with a very similar situation, especially being NOS. Don't think anyone has ever found another pingmaster in the wild. I don't really need a SKCL Brown board, and my switch tester already has a SKCL Brown so I'm good there.

Unless you specifically mean the one with Japanese lettering, there was actually a batch of ~30 or so NIB/NOS Pingmasters somebody found recently for like $25 each. Not sure if they've all been bought though, I'll see if I can dig up the link and check.

Also, the K9AX that went for $335 originally (Troll bid) was relisted and sold for like $167 or something. Woulda bought it myself at that price point I think, but I already burned through my keeb budget and then some for February so I gotta sit out for a week or two and hope that nothing cool gets listed in the meantime

[Hypersphere]

... While I could use more browns to keep around for my hotswap builds... Eh.

I've got SKCL Creams for that.

How often do you actually swap the switches on your hotswap builds?
Once per week / month / season / have not yet tried to swap for rotation for real?

Haha, of course I've hot swapped my boards! That's what I built them for.

For my Hammer Alps build, I actually haven't hot swapped them aside from a chattering switch once, mainly because aligning LEDs was a pain in the ass.

For my other hotswappable Eagle build that I used to have in an FMJ case, I hot swapped all the time. I used SKCM Orange, SKCM Green, but stuck with SKCM Brown mostly and used SKCL Brown for backlighting on some mods.

For the Orion, I have toyed with some hot swapping. I put some SKCM Greens in the board for fun once, but reverted back to SKCM Blue, because really... If you have a custom Alps TKL, at least one of them needs to be Alps SKCM Blue!

I've done a lot of switch changing on the Orion, messing with springs, etc. It helps to be able to pull out switches when you have an 8lb board. It's also great if a switch is giving you problems. You can replace the switch entirely or swap the switchplate from your useful little SKCL compact switches.

I've also fully swapped the switches out to swap out the original stainless steel plate for the carbon fiber replacement plate (with added slot for centered or stepped caps lock positions). It was really great having the mod for that procedure.

Spoiler:

I have hot swap modded my Duck Lightpad too, but I mainly keep the switches matching the Orion with SKCM Blues. Both use SKCL Brown for backlights.

I plan on hot swap modding the incoming PCB for my Mira prototype as well as a VE.A for a customer. The first "job" I've had doing the Alps hot swap mod for someone else! I'm excited for that.

Your board with the carbon fiber plate is beautiful! And what a great idea transformed into practical reality -- a swappable Alps-switch keyboard! You should look into making these into commercial products, perhaps as DIY kits or fully assembled with everything except the switches. I think that new Matias switches will be available within the next few months and people could also harvest Alps switches from various sources.

[//gainsborough]

...but I already burned through my keeb budget and then some for February so I gotta sit out for a week or two and hope that nothing cool gets listed in the meantime

me too, haha.

[Mattr567]

--snip--

Yea. I'm glad to have my NeXT and Striped Ambers. As well as my pingmaster. That's another board with a very similar situation, especially being NOS. Don't think anyone has ever found another pingmaster in the wild. I don't really need a SKCL Brown board, and my switch tester already has a SKCL Brown so I'm good there.

Unless you specifically mean the one with Japanese lettering, there was actually a batch of ~30 or so NIB/NOS Pingmasters somebody found recently for like $25 each. Not sure if they've all been bought though, I'll see if I can dig up the link and check.

Also, the K9AX that went for $335 originally (Troll bid) was relisted and sold for like $167 or something. Woulda bought it myself at that price point I think, but I already burned through my keeb budget and then some for February so I gotta sit out for a week or two and hope that nothing cool gets listed in the meantime

No I meant Chinese and Japanese. The one I have is Chinese.

Yea, there all from the same source I believe, like the Next's are. So when there gone, there gone.

[Menuhin]

...

How often do you actually swap the switches on your hotswap builds?
Once per week / month / season / have not yet tried to swap for rotation for real?

Haha, of course I've hot swapped my boards! That's what I built them for.

For my Hammer Alps build, I actually haven't hot swapped them aside from a chattering switch once, mainly because aligning LEDs was a pain in the ass.

For my other hotswappable Eagle build that I used to have in an FMJ case, I hot swapped all the time. I used SKCM Orange, SKCM Green, but stuck with SKCM Brown mostly and used SKCL Brown for backlighting on some mods.

For the Orion, I have toyed with some hot swapping. I put some SKCM Greens in the board for fun once, but reverted back to SKCM Blue, because really... If you have a custom Alps TKL, at least one of them needs to be Alps SKCM Blue!

I've done a lot of switch changing on the Orion, messing with springs, etc. It helps to be able to pull out switches when you have an 8lb board. It's also great if a switch is giving you problems. You can replace the switch entirely or swap the switchplate from your useful little SKCL compact switches.

I've also fully swapped the switches out to swap out the original stainless steel plate for the carbon fiber replacement plate (with added slot for centered or stepped caps lock positions). It was really great having the mod for that procedure.

Spoiler:

I have hot swap modded my Duck Lightpad too, but I mainly keep the switches matching the Orion with SKCM Blues. Both use SKCL Brown for backlights.

I plan on hot swap modding the incoming PCB for my Mira prototype as well as a VE.A for a customer. The first "job" I've had doing the Alps hot swap mod for someone else! I'm excited for that.

Your board with the carbon fiber plate is beautiful! And what a great idea transformed into practical reality -- a swappable Alps-switch keyboard! You should look into making these into commercial products, perhaps as DIY kits or fully assembled with everything except the switches. I think that new Matias switches will be available within the next few months and people could also harvest Alps switches from various sources.

If one knows how to design a PCB, t's really not so difficult to have a DIY kit for a hot-swappable PCB - one just needs to have a PCB with switch pin holes (and perhaps also the LED pin holes) that fit the size of the Holtite receptacles that fits Alps switches. So it all comes down to adjusting the size of pin holes to a size that fits the targeted hotswap receptacles.
I suggested this idea of adjusting the pin hole size of the design of Alps64 to fit not only the Alps switch pins but also the receptacles, but it seems that Hasu was not so interested in the idea.

[//gainsborough]

...but I already burned through my keeb budget and then some for February so I gotta sit out for a week or two and hope that nothing cool gets listed in the meantime

me too, haha.

I say that...and then I go and buy this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/112313487508?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

Okay but I AM DONE for this month. DONE YOU HERE ME?!

[seebart]

Okay but I AM DONE for this month. DONE YOU HEAR ME?!

Really?

4291987.jpg (30.06 KiB) Viewed 5762 times

[cumwagondeluxe]

...but I already burned through my keeb budget and then some for February so I gotta sit out for a week or two and hope that nothing cool gets listed in the meantime

me too, haha.

I say that...and then I go and buy this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/112313487508?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

Okay but I AM DONE for this month. DONE YOU HERE ME?!

Damn, nice find. You got pretty much the same thing as the 250 I bought yesterday but for a full $14 less, v jelly There's also a similarly clean full 5140 in Nashville sitting @ ~$50 with the auction ending in 6 hours if somebody cares to find it and lives in the US (Since it's the full laptop and the seller's unwilling to part it out, it'll be super expensive to ship to Canada/EU/etc).

[Harshmallow]

Jesus H CHRIST I have to go back to being addicted to video games. I never thought I'd have to force myself to play video games again. What has happened to you Scott? You used to be a gamer, now you've devolved into a chatty marshmallow...which reminds me, I need to go back to the gym. Seebart, can I be like a deputy offtopicthority lackey? I'm careening off the cliff.

[duynguyenle]

Haha, of course I've hot swapped my boards! That's what I built them for.

For my Hammer Alps build, I actually haven't hot swapped them aside from a chattering switch once, mainly because aligning LEDs was a pain in the ass.

For my other hotswappable Eagle build that I used to have in an FMJ case, I hot swapped all the time. I used SKCM Orange, SKCM Green, but stuck with SKCM Brown mostly and used SKCL Brown for backlighting on some mods.

For the Orion, I have toyed with some hot swapping. I put some SKCM Greens in the board for fun once, but reverted back to SKCM Blue, because really... If you have a custom Alps TKL, at least one of them needs to be Alps SKCM Blue!

I've done a lot of switch changing on the Orion, messing with springs, etc. It helps to be able to pull out switches when you have an 8lb board. It's also great if a switch is giving you problems. You can replace the switch entirely or swap the switchplate from your useful little SKCL compact switches.

I've also fully swapped the switches out to swap out the original stainless steel plate for the carbon fiber replacement plate (with added slot for centered or stepped caps lock positions). It was really great having the mod for that procedure.

Spoiler:

I have hot swap modded my Duck Lightpad too, but I mainly keep the switches matching the Orion with SKCM Blues. Both use SKCL Brown for backlights.

I plan on hot swap modding the incoming PCB for my Mira prototype as well as a VE.A for a customer. The first "job" I've had doing the Alps hot swap mod for someone else! I'm excited for that.

Could you elaborate a bit more about this hotswap mod? Do you use these little press fit socket (Holtites) that everyone uses for MX switches or is it something else?

Also, what's the best way to desolder and remove just a single switch from an Alps board? I normally have to desolder the whole board to get to a switch because it's damn near impossible to extract an Alps switch from the top. I usually desolder the whole thing and pop them out from the bottom (which is why I haven't bother fixing the occasionally chatter on one of my switches in an AEK64, too much efforts)

I'd love to hear some of your wisdom on this! Perhaps I'm going about this all wrong or something

[cumwagondeluxe]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-5140-Conver ... 2412477025

Really good condition 5140, ending in an hour sitting at $50USD for quite a while. Probably too expensive to ship outside of the US, but potentially good price for somebody looking for SKCM Browns and/or collecting old IBM PCs.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/ABB-Process-Auto ... 2566796654
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Taylor-Instrumen ... 2566837664

Couple of each available, although the prices are insane (especially on the Taylor Instruments one, $900CAD!) - anyone know what these are/were supposed to be used for? Switches are probably Keytronic F&F on both.

[E3E]

Could you elaborate a bit more about this hotswap mod? Do you use these little press fit socket (Holtites) that everyone uses for MX switches or is it something else?

Also, what's the best way to desolder and remove just a single switch from an Alps board? I normally have to desolder the whole board to get to a switch because it's damn near impossible to extract an Alps switch from the top. I usually desolder the whole thing and pop them out from the bottom (which is why I haven't bother fixing the occasionally chatter on one of my switches in an AEK64, too much efforts)

I'd love to hear some of your wisdom on this! Perhaps I'm going about this all wrong or something

It's no problem. The sockets used have to be bigger than the holtites used for MX, but they are of the same type. This is why, unfortunately, you have to use a drill to widen the vias in order to insert them, among other tedious things.

You can desolder a single switch and remove it without having to desolder the entire board. The switches are held in by four tabs. With my hot swap boards, I just grab the switch by the slider and gently wiggle the switch back and forth a bit in every direction to loosen up the tabs and pull the switch out.

Often, this doesn't break the retaining tabs so long as you're gentle. It will kind of bend them inwards a bit if you do this often.

The sockets hold the switches in more tightly than a bare PCB would, so you shouldn't need to do too much to let a switch free, just don't brute force the switch directly upwards, as that probably will break the tabs.

With tabs being broken, the switch can often sit crooked if you aren't careful.

And of course, if you're just going to desolder a board for its switches, the best thing to do is desolder them all and detach the plate to pop them off from behind, but that's not necessary if you're just trying to replace a switch or two.

It's a shame that Hasu did not want to support the sockets. You'd only need a 2.08 mm through hole to make the PCBs compatible with these sockets.

[//gainsborough]

Damn, nice find. You got pretty much the same thing as the 250 I bought yesterday but for a full $14 less, v jelly There's also a similarly clean full 5140 in Nashville sitting @ ~$50 with the auction ending in 6 hours if somebody cares to find it and lives in the US (Since it's the full laptop and the seller's unwilling to part it out, it'll be super expensive to ship to Canada/EU/etc).

the 250 has nicer looking caps IMO - and they are doubleshot! I wouldn't bee too jealous. Are you gonna use the switches for a project or keep the board as-is for collection sake? Is there a known conversion for the 250, I wonder? Or the 5140 for that matter.