IDENTIFY THE KEYSWITCH thread

[snacksthecat]

Sorry if it's obvious -- What is this key switch?

It's linear and very very smooth. When I took the keyboard out of the box and tried it out I assumed it was Fujitsu leaf springs but I thought those were discrete switches. This is a membrane keyboard so now I'm confused.

Isn't the other Fujitsu keyboard you purchased membrane as well?

viewtopic.php?t=18272

Well that's embarrassing

[Polecat]

I was digging through my storage and found this. The switches are MX mount, sort of, with a vertical blade on the stem and small horizontal cross extensions. There is no upper housing. Yes, the contacts are completely exposed. What the heck are these switches? They feel awful, just curious as to what they are?

[Hak Foo]

Cherry M8 open mechanism?

[Polecat]

Cherry M8 open mechanism?

That's it, thank you!

[User101]

Never seen this type of alps/alps clone before. Maybe it's pretty obvious but I'm a noob in alps so anyone know what this is?

Edit: Please excuse the poor quality photo. This is not my keyboard asking for a friend.

[Chyros]

Uhh are you sure this isn't some kind of dome with slider or something? Oo

[User101]

Uhh are you sure this isn't some kind of dome with slider or something? Oo

Most likely is. I should clarify when I say "alps" clone I just mean alps mount switches generally. Sorry for the confusion.

[Findecanor]

If the "plate" is the same colour as the top and the "switch" looks pretty clean then it is almost always dome-with-slider.

There are many types of Alps-keycap compatible rubber dome-with-slider keyboards.
This was yet another that I had not seen before.

[snuci]

Can someone tell me what type of key switch this is?

Alps key switch.JPG (371.58 KiB) Viewed 12860 times

[zrrion]

Any info on this switch?

[ball00n]

Can someone tell me what type of key switch this is?

Alps key switch.JPG

Alps common mount low profile

[Polecat]

More stuff from my storage. I have four Datacomp Mac keyboards. One has normal, branded white SKCM switches. The other three have unbranded switches as in the photo. These have wide mounting tabs like normal Alps, not four tabs like most clones. But no branding whatsoever on upper or lower housings. Mold numbering on the upper housing is 1x (upper right, with x being various letters), with the rest blank. Inside it looks like it has a normal Alps switchplate and click leaf. Are these very early white SKCM switches? I thought these boards were newer than that. Was Datacomp using up old stock? Some kind of clone? They feel too nice to be clones.

[//gainsborough]

Those definitely look genuine! Could be some early whites for sure!

[Polecat]

Those definitely look genuine! Could be some early whites for sure!

Thanks, I'm still trying to make sense of these switches. Case and chip dates on one of the Datacomps is 1993. I found these two related references in the wiki:

wiki/Simplified_Alps_Type_III

wiki/Datadesk_Switchboard

But I have trouble believing these were "erroneous" or "incorrectly moulded". These sound and feel just like early SKCM switches, and look like them too, inside and out, except for a total lack of branding, top and bottom. Nothing at all like branded white Alps from 1993. The example shown in the above links has the same "1x" mold numbering on the upper housing as the ones in my Datacomps, so at least I've found a valid reference and another application where these were used. But what are they?

[//gainsborough]

It could very well be a case similar to what you mention: some old switches were found in their warehouse so they exhausted their stock on some of the newer boards. But even if that's the case, for the switches to have no branding at all is relatively unique, even for alps, isn't it?

[Polecat]

Seems to me that Alps, or whoever made these, did not want them branded for whatever reason. I'm thinking of the blues that just showed up with "FD" branding as a related example of that.

Datacomp was a big player, so I really doubt they were just using up old stock, especially since the early switches were usually or always branded, at least on the bottom side.

[User101]

Olivetti praxis 35 typewriter.

Seen this switch couple times already but theres no definitive documentation to be found.

Anyone know the name of this switch or at least the mechanism?

Greatly appreciated

[snacksthecat]

This honkin keyboard caught my attention. Does anyone know what switch it uses?

It's made by Lear Siegler for the ADM 42 terminal.

[olePigeon]

Hello, new to keyboard stuff. I was at my local electronics surplus place, and I found several boxes of what look like keyboard key switches. I was wondering if people could identify them, or if they're even switches for keyboards. I was able to figure out the 3rd switch because it has the Cherry logo on it. Looks like Cherry MX Black with red LEDs pre-installed.

The 2nd and 4th switches look like they'd be compatible with Cherry key caps, but they're obviously very different from regular cherries. Their pins are completely different, too.

I also found a whole box of Alps white switches, but it's just the switch part and no housing.

[Muirium]

A helpful link:

wiki/Switch_recognition

You’re right about the black switch with red LED: that’s an MX black with LED. The LED slides right out, every MX switch simply has holes for the legs of LEDs or diodes to slide straight through.

The white and orange switch is a Futaba linear:

wiki/Futaba_linear_switch

And the last switch is a Marquardt:

wiki/Marquardt_Switch

As I recall, none of these (besides the actual MX) is MX compatible, in caps or in PCB footprint.

The Alps switch is quite a nice find. It’s not the usual Alps, it’s the elder generation Alps SKCC as found in the original Macintosh keyboard and Alpsaver. And that is indeed the complete switch:

wiki/Alps_SKCC_series

Those could come in handy for those of us with vintage boards in need of repairs.

[olePigeon]

Thanks a bunch for that link. I should've googled that first.

Oh, holy cow, you're right! I can't believe I didn't recognize that first switch. I have a couple M0110 keyboards and a numeric pad. Sure enough, that's the switch.

I'm gonna go back and buy the whole box.

I'm also going to get a parts drawer and buy a bunch of the other switches and keep them on hand. You never know when someone might need a new-old-stock switch.

I think there are other switch hidden there. They're mixed up with other button switches, sliders, and dial switches.

Thanks!

oP

[olePigeon]

Someone suggested they might be General Instruments S950. But it also lists an Alps equivalent. Either way I'm gonna get a bunch and try them out.

[HC514]

This honkin keyboard caught my attention. Does anyone know what switch it uses?

It's made by Lear Siegler for the ADM 42 terminal.

That'll be Stackpole switch grid. Here's another ADM series board on the wiki, and the caps look to be a match for other Stackpole boards.

[ghostdawg187]

I have bought on ebay 6 loose ALPS switches from a seller named "keyswitch". The description said "ALPS SKCM white". But what I got are simplified white ALPS switches, at least to my knowledge. Please confirm according to the following picture:

20190724_223840.jpg (1.42 MiB) Viewed 12297 times

I have already asked him to send me the proper switches or to make a refund. Here is the link to the ebay auction:

https://www.ebay.de/itm/1-x-SKCM-White- ... 3697313196

[snacksthecat]

That'll be Stackpole switch grid. Here's another ADM series board on the wiki, and the caps look to be a match for other Stackpole boards.

Bingo!

I wanted to doubt you so I dug through the maintenance manual on bitsavers. There's a part in there that talks about maintenance of the keyswitches and had this accompanying drawing:

[Noobmaen]

I have bought on ebay 6 loose ALPS switches from a seller named "keyswitch". The description said "ALPS SKCM white". But what I got are simplified white ALPS switches, at least to my knowledge. Please confirm according to the following picture:

Spoiler:

20190724_223840.jpg

I have already asked him to send me the proper switches or to make a refund. Here is the link to the ebay auction:

https://www.ebay.de/itm/1-x-SKCM-White- ... 3697313196

You can tell from the listing it's SKBM by one of the contact legs being folded longitudinally in a v shape.
SKCM White:


SKBM White:

[ghostdawg187]

Thanks noobmaen

The seller has already replied and said he made mistake in the description. He has offered me a return.

I am still in need for replacement switches for my Leading edge

[olePigeon]

They were indeed General Instruments switches and not Alps. Unfortunate for me since the stem is too small for Alps key caps, so they won't work with my M0110 Macintosh and Apple II keyboards.

I did find a few more switches not on the Wiki, although one was easy to identify because it was stamped "OAK" and had the US Patent number on it.

First one looks like an Alps dome of some sort or variant, but it has the weirdest stem like it's keyed.

The second one is sort of barebones, no larger housing. Also low profile. Wasn't sure if it was even a keyswitch.

[Findecanor]

It looks like the first one is a variant of Alps integrated dome that is not listed in the Wiki. It has the body more reminiscent of the white-slider switch but a black slider.

The bottom is a Mitsumi miniature mechanical, most known for being most Amiga 1000 keyboards (and infamous for breaking apart if you would open it: so don't do that.)
Mitsumi made several switch series that was available with different types of keycap mounts. This one was available also with Cherry cruciform and Mitsumi's own square mount.

[zrrion]

The tall one isn't alps integrated dome, the bottom has 4 pins, which is something you get on hall effect and magnetic valve switches.