IDENTIFY THE KEYSWITCH thread

[HC514]

It's SKEW, an integrated dome switch.

[hellothere]

It's SKEW, an integrated dome switch.

Here was me saying that it looked really close to a plate spring, but obvious differences. Nice catch.

[goomba_]

It's SKEW, an integrated dome switch.

ah I forgot that this could come with many different sliders and just judged off the first pictures thanks for the clarification

[John Doe]

B8947EF5-C52B-42BF-95A3-0637A29063A2.jpeg (135.91 KiB) Viewed 16347 times

Never seen such switch, anyone could help?

Thanks.

[Polecat]

Alps clone from a Tai Hao keyboard. White slider, clicky, two long mounting tabs (not a 4 tab clone). Bottom housing has a logo showing a stylized crescent moon and the letter "D". I have six of these keyboards, but the other five have Tai Hao switches. Are these Datacomp switches? Or something else equally obscure? These are stiffer and more clicky than the Tai Hao switches, which is how I knew they were something different. Upper housing has no logo, and mold markings similar to Alps SKBM, but smaller.

edit - I found this logo on Datacomp's website.

Datacomp logo!

01-2.jpg (4.61 KiB) Viewed 16255 times

I think this may be an actual Datacomp switch!

[Polecat]

Digging through my other "modern" Alps keyboards I found another one with strange clone switches. This one has tactile switches with black sliders, long mounting tabs (not 4 tab clones), and the same style mold numbering as the Datacomp (?) switches above. Unsoldered one and, surprise, "FD" identification on the bottom. Forward Electronics? Does this tie Alps to Forward to Datacomp? (and/or did we already know that?)

[HC514]

I'd be surprised if that first one wasn't a Datacomp switch. As for the second, wouldn't that just be a post-2000 SKBM? Forward kept making them for 12 years after their Alps partnership ended.

[Polecat]

I'd be surprised if that first one wasn't a Datacomp switch. As for the second, wouldn't that just be a post-2000 SKBM? Forward kept making them for 12 years after their Alps partnership ended.

I need to read up on the later Alps and Forward switches. Mostly I've messed with the early ones. What's interesting to me is that the upper and lower housings on these FE and Datacomp(?) switches look identical. I'm wondering if Datacomp bought the tooling from Forward, or perhaps they bought switches from Forward?

[Polecat]

Weird (at least to me) switches in this Panasonic on ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/124784489533

What are these?

[Polecat]

I'd be surprised if that first one wasn't a Datacomp switch. As for the second, wouldn't that just be a post-2000 SKBM? Forward kept making them for 12 years after their Alps partnership ended.

I need to read up on the later Alps and Forward switches. Mostly I've messed with the early ones. What's interesting to me is that the upper and lower housings on these FE and Datacomp(?) switches look identical. I'm wondering if Datacomp bought the tooling from Forward, or perhaps they bought switches from Forward?

I was doing some reading and according to Daniel B. Datacomp did indeed buy the SKBM tooling from Fuhua/Forward. So the Datacomp Alps clones are apparently a direct descendent of Alps SKBM. If I ever knew that I had forgotten that I had forgotten it.

[John Doe]

Weird (at least to me) switches in this Panasonic on ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/124784489533

What are these?

https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyb ... _keyboard/

[Polecat]

Weird (at least to me) switches in this Panasonic on ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/124784489533

What are these?

https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyb ... _keyboard/

Thank you!

[John Doe]

Somebody could help identify what switches this Epson possibly use? Love the shape but hope it isn't kinda of rubber dome or membrane.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/224575132884?h ... SwHTFhGwtc

epson.jpeg (207.04 KiB) Viewed 15893 times

[thefarside]

It looks like dome and foil:
viewtopic.php?t=12772

[John Doe]

Thanks. Thats switches never have chance to experience, good find.

[madrobby]

In a 80s Sperry luggable, what is it?

s-l1600.jpg (264.17 KiB) Viewed 15693 times

[zrrion]

That's an early Space Invader switch.

[norolim]

Can anyone identify this one? Looks like a cross between Futaba MA and BTC foam and foil. It's from an unidentified Chicony keyboard.

Spoiler:

[thefarside]

I’m hoping someone can help me identify this switch. It’s a Cherry MX mount and has a “W” on the front enclosed in an incomplete circle. I started looking around the Wiki thinking it was a Cherry variety but nothing jumped out at me. Here’s a closeup:

Closeup of switch

W Switch Closeup.jpeg (964.33 KiB) Viewed 15557 times

It’s was used for the keys on a ruggedized computer from the late 80s/early 90s and has two blue Cherry MX keys for the left and right mouse buttons. Below is a crappy picture of the front:

Keyboard front

Front.jpeg (448.79 KiB) Viewed 15557 times

Any info is appreciated!

[zrrion]

wiki/Marquardt_Series_6184

[thefarside]

wiki/Marquardt_Series_6184

Excellent thank you!

[Karmel]

I've never seen these switches before, I found them in an old Royal adding machine. I thought they were old Mitsumis at first but they have far more over travel and are much scratchier when pressed on the sides. There's a rubber band like thing above the conductive bit that allows for a lot of travel after the actuation.

Spoiler:

ukskeypad.png (433.75 KiB) Viewed 15455 times

ukstop.png (493.13 KiB) Viewed 15455 times

uksnumpadbottom.png (500.72 KiB) Viewed 15455 times

uksslider.png (112.39 KiB) Viewed 15455 times

[Findecanor]

Can anyone identify this one? Looks like a cross between Futaba MA and BTC foam and foil. It's from an unidentified Chicony keyboard.

Spoiler:

I think that could be a Deyi foam-and-foil switch.
Check this thread: the housings look identical but the sliders are slightly different.

Because the slider is sunken into the barrel I suspect that the foam at the bottom of the slider would have deteriorated and crumbled apart with age. That is a known problem with foam-and-foil switches.

[norolim]

I think that could be a Deyi foam-and-foil switch.
Check this thread: the housings look identical but the sliders are slightly different.

Because the slider is sunken into the barrel I suspect that the foam at the bottom of the slider would have deteriorated and crumbled apart with age. That is a known problem with foam-and-foil switches.

Thank you. It looks similar indeed, but how would a Deyi switch end up in a Chicony board? And it is a Chicony board:

Spoiler:

Since I posted this question, I was able to identify the keyboard as a mysterious Chicony KB-5391:

Spoiler:

But I failed to find any information about it. There is an old thread on a different forum, about the same switch in a Chicony 5390. And although it was not identified, it was strongly suggested, it might be a dome with slider device.

[jejex]

Hi guys, found some interesting switches when buying vintage keyboards from china, that I cannot identify, maybe you could help;
1. Some kind of red/orange alps clone - no clue on what could it be

Spoiler:

red_alps.png (615.75 KiB) Viewed 15241 times

alps_board.jpg (465.57 KiB) Viewed 15241 times

2. Red Key World switch? It's a SKB-5150C with Key World black MX clones, but in the place of the spacebar, there appears to be a red switch, possibly a red Key World clone? It's the only pic I have, sorry about the quality.

Spoiler:

keyworld_red.jpg (266.07 KiB) Viewed 15241 times

3. Unidentified switch (Futaba MD)

Spoiler:

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board.jpg (549.37 KiB) Viewed 15241 times

That's all, thanks in advance. Found a lot of great stuff, will post when the package arrives

[raoulduke-esq]

Hi guys, found some interesting switches when buying vintage keyboards from china, that I cannot identify, maybe you could help;
1. Some kind of red/orange alps clone - no clue on what could it be

Spoiler:

red_alps.png alps_board.jpg

Alps special RED edition for RED CHINA and the CCP?

[Findecanor]

The last one looks like Futaba MD but it is not that easy to see.

[jejex]

The last one looks like Futaba MD but it is not that easy to see.

I think that's it, thanks a lot
as for the rest - we'll see

[hellothere]

I'll take a crack at it.

I've seen a couple of "red" Alps clones posted here in the recent past, but they're actually more orange in person. In this case, I'd say that there's a possibility that these are Datacomp switches, of which there is a red version. Or, of course, someone put Matias switches in it .

I've got no problems calling the red cross-mount switch a Pro World or Key World.

The white one does look like a Futaba MD, but I'm going to go with what I'd like to see and say that they're Cherry M8s with adapters.

[hellothere]

1981 Philips 2050

Spoiler:

2021-09-11_08h54_18 - Copy.png (2.62 MiB) Viewed 15095 times