Alps Appreciation

[MrDuul]

Chicony-KB-5160-ALPS-Blue-Mechanical-Keyboard

[mike52787]

[img width=640 height=480]http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/avcAAOSw5 ... -l1600.jpg[/img]

nice

[Mattr567]

Speaking of Zeniths, my newest creation

[MrDuul]

[img width=640 height=480]http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/avcAAOSw5 ... -l1600.jpg[/img]

nice

LOL. Fixed.


Chicony-KB-5160-ALPS-Blue-Mechanical-Keyboard

[codemonkeymike]

Speaking of Zeniths, my newest creation

Good to see some Zenith love. I plug in my Zenith every now an again when I am feeling adventurous.

[Mattr567]

I think I might win best sound award
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YCH8KlW6QI

[nsmechkb]

I think I might win best sound award
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YCH8KlW6QI

Very, very nice!

[Chyros]

I think I might win best sound award
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YCH8KlW6QI

Hahaha oh damn xD .

[//gainsborough]

I put some 8801 caps on my omnikey 102 =) Thanks again, subcat!

[subcat]

I put some 8801 caps on my omnikey 102 =) Thanks again, subcat!

すごい !

[MrDuul]

What kind of buttons are the F Keys?

[//gainsborough]

The caps are normal tai hao double shot. The switches in the board are white alps.

[//gainsborough]

すごい !

[seebart]

Speaking of Zeniths, my newest creation

That's some creation!

Impressive.

You guys get such consistent fields of blue color. My experience is that they vary considerably.

That's not uncommon in my experience. Good example though.

[Chyros]

The caps are normal tai hao double shot. The switches in the board are white alps.

Oh, is that the white Alps gold-label 102 that keeps popping up every now and then? Or is it another one?

[//gainsborough]

It's the same. Its found its forever home, though =)

There have been a couple more pop up since I bought this one. Cindy had one for a bit, and there actually is one on eBay right now - though it's missing the label and way overpriced.

[Harshmallow]

For the person asking on the previous page - that Eazy PC board is a re-badged Zenith Z-150 pretty much, as Chyros said. It's got real SKCL Green Alps. I posted a photo of one in my IBM XT photo thread about a week ago - picked that one up for $20 CAD - couldn't argue with that price . It's just about cleaned up now too, cleaned the case, the mounting plate, the bases of the inside of the switches. The sliders and top housings are just air drying now before everything goes back together. Oh and the caps were of course the first thing I washed. Nice, thick doubleshots.

[waldorf120]

For the person asking on the previous page - that Eazy PC board is a re-badged Zenith Z-150 pretty much, as Chyros said.

Thank you, and you as well Chyros. Very excited for my genuine SKCL Green Alps!

I've been checking the Signature Plastics website almost every day for signs of Granite Alps and saw this today!



Freak out time!

[Mattr567]

Put a SKCL Heavy Cream spring in a SKCM Amber and the result is amazing Super heavy and super clicky. Almost 2x the weight of a normal heavy cream from how it feels.

Dat spring length

[//gainsborough]

Redmaus' Bondwell came in today... so I made a thing!




I ended up changing out the spacebar so it would be the correct size (WTB 7u spacebars). Also there is a heavy cream switch underneath spacebar!

Here's what the inside of the case looks like





I decided to call the board DG_Turnip because the switch colors reminded e3e of a turnip, and I really liked that comparison! I also soldered off the red LEDs on the bondwell and replaced the green round ones on the 6011 PCB.

Here are the specs:
switches: SKCL green, SKCL cream, SKCL heavy cream (space bar)
PCB: Acer 6011
Mounting plate: Acer 6011
Case: Data General (acer rebrand) 6311
Caps: complete mishmash of japanese boards, hahaha...and some AEK mods...


Overall, SKCL creams are the best switch I've ever tried...they are absolutely amazing!

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Would I be correct in thinking that all the cream keys are around 25% heavier than the green keys?

[//gainsborough]

That sounds about right, but it feels much heavier than that to me. Maybe it's because I want the multiplier to be more than 1.25, haha.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Well, SKCLAR (yellow) was 59 cN and SKCLAQ (grey) was 88 cN. So that's actually a whole 50% more.

The relationship between the weight of green and yellow has never been determined (in my case, yellow is a bit heavier), and I wouldn't be surprised if the weight could be customised. It's fairly certain that grey replaced cream, but not whether grey and cream are the same weight. The cream to green relationship isn't clear either.

[//gainsborough]

Well, SKCLAR (yellow) was 59 cN and SKCLAQ (grey) was 88 cN. So that's actually a whole 50% more.

The relationship between the weight of green and yellow has never been determined (in my case, yellow is a bit heavier), and I wouldn't be surprised if the weight could be customised. It's fairly certain that grey replaced cream, but not whether grey and cream are the same weight. The cream to green relationship isn't clear either.

I've tried SKCL grey, but it was so scratchy I don't think I could say which was the heavier switch between cream or grey. I want to say grey was heavier...but I don't have the grey's anymore, so I can't compare. >_<

[JP!]

I took a chance an Omnikey Ultra with white alps switches. It feels terrible. Some keys have a hard time registering. Some actuate but do not register. The key feel is inconsistent. Feels like its takes a fair bit of force for key presses. I have never tried white alps before. I know they are prone to dust and am afraid this board my just be worn out. Also there are some minor cracks in the plastic at some of the corners which did not show in the pictures. Maybe I gave too much for this board ($100 with shipping)...wouldn't be the first time. I of course do not intend to give up so easily though. I think a sonic cleaning and dry lube are in order as well as sandblasting and painting the rusted metal plate (as I commonly do with my project boards). It likely will be a long time before I get to this board though. Should I cut my losses now and save up for a clean blue alps board or are the whites still worthwhile compared with blues?

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[//gainsborough]

I am of the opinion that most alps can be "saved." When you're done, they won't be NOS feeling, or maybe not even "lightly used" feeling, but they'll feel pretty good! It really matters what the top housing rails look like. If the top housing can be cleaned up (ultrasonic cleaner or otherwise) then I think you have a good chance and bringing them back to life! Open up a switch and check them out.

I advise not using them in their current condition, though. It sounds like they are dusty, and if you use them too much with the dust inside of it, it can mess up sliders or top housing to the point where the switch might not be salvageable.

I have used a dry lube (with teflon) on some alps switches in the past, with varying success. I will say that it never made my switches feel worse than how they were before the dry lube. Some switches saw a vast improvement, others stayed about the same. Just don't go overboard with it. My strategy when I lubricate alps switches are mainly making sure I lubricate the slider rails of the top housing. I sometimes don't even lubricate the slider, haha.

[waldorf120]

as well as sandblasting and painting the rusted metal plate (as I commonly do with my project boards)

What do you use to sand blast and paint the plate? Is this something that can be done at home or does it need to be shipped out to a shop?

[Chyros]

I'd try it and fix; it shouldn't really cost anything. That said, you'll never get it to quite what it was before. That's why I advise people to only buy Alps if they're spotless; only then do you know it's going to be good. Otherwise, it's always a lottery, and not usually a favourable one.

A good white board will outperform a bad blue board, but when in comparable condition, blues will win. Make no mistake though; with Alps, condition is everything. This is what annoys me so much about them as well, because of course ideally I'd want everyone to be able to enjoy the greatness that is pristine blue Alps!

[JP!]

It can be done at home but you of course would need to buy a sandblaster and air compressor. There are different setups in the market. Harbor Freight (if you have one local) sells one. If you have a small handful of keyboards to restore you may be better off checking with shops in your area. I have access to one in the shop I work at so I take advantage of it as much as possible. 5 minute job vs. hours of sanding. Also another trick for rust removal is a solution of water and citric acid which is very economical. For paint I am just doing rustoleum primer and spray paint. I thought about power coating but have not gone this route yet as I would need to ship the plates out.

[//gainsborough]

I made another thing!



The top board is an SGI with SKCL green alps, the bottom one I just finished tonight: SKCL yellow AT102! As per usual, they both feature the //gainsborough keycap mishmash! Special thanks to Alienman for the case/plate/PCB!

I've been making a lot of linear alps boards lately...but I just got some SKCM cream alps (thanks sankart!) - so the next one I make will have some tactile switches!