Wanted: Focus FK-5001/FK-9000 switch confirmation

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Anyone got a Focus FK-5001 or FK-9000 keyboard?

A blurry photo of the former implies complicated (not simplified) white Alps as there's a circle on the top of the shell, which was not carried over into simplified Alps mould numbering.

From the age of the keyboards, I think it's 99% certain that both used complicated Alps, but it would be nice to have proof of this from photos of the switches.

[webwit]

I had a FK-5001 and it had complicated Alps (or more accurately, four tabs on the switch case).

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Four tabs on an Alps-shaped switch is always a [wiki]four-tab clone[/wiki], which in a Focus is probably a Himake AK series switch, but this is not confirmed as Focus are perpetually unreachable. If you have two long tabs, it is 98% likely to be genuine Alps (complicated or simplified). However, to confirm complicated I need to see the numbering and branding on the switch itself.

[webwit]

Wait I'm saying it wrong. Two big tabs.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Currently rewriting the Hi-Tek/Stackpole pages (starting to figure them out) but I do need to do a clear diagram to show the branding and numbering differences between complicated and simplified. The design of the shell is essentially identical. The key change around 1993 was the removal of slits:

Slits.png (15.88 KiB) Viewed 1750 times

There was no change after that, but the circles were removed, and the mould numbering was reduced to NW and NE, with no SW number retained. The Alps logo also became a lot puffier. Interestingly, the base retained the old oval Alps logo that was long obsolete by then. Considering how terrible some genuine Alps shell mouldings are one has to imagine that complicated Alps production must have been expanded or simply moved or Taiwan in the early 90s.

[Kurk]

My Focus FK-5001 (US layout, big ass enter; the one standing on the wooden floor in the wiki) has white Alps with slits.
I can post pictures later this evening.
http://deskthority.net/wiki/File:Focus5001USlayout.jpg

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Pictures of the two or three (depending on model) switches would be really fantastic, thank you!

I noticed that your OmniKey has Weird Al(ps) switches with the slits filled in. Around the early 90s, strange things started happening with their mouldings.

[Kurk]

There it is:
http://deskthority.net/wiki/File:Focus- ... _slits.jpg

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Thanks!

Curses, your version doesn't have the yellow Alps OR the Futaba lock :-P

Foiled again.

Just need the FK-9000 now.