Tai-Hao APC semi-mechanical

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Tai-Hao APC semi-mechanical
APC membrane switch (Type II) - slider and housing close up.jpg
Manufacturer Tai-Hao
Switch type Clicky
Sense method Spring over membrane
Keycap mount Alps mount
Switch mount Integrated

The Tai-Hao APC semi-mechanical switch is Tai-Hao's cheaper alternative to their discrete APC series mechanical switch.

Description

The design is similar to an Acer switch, but perhaps uniquely, there are two leaf springs instead of the usual one, on either side of the slider. Pressure against the three-layer membrane is provided by a helical spring.

Unlike Acer keyboards, where the upper shell is case-mounted and every switch can be removed, the upper shell of APC semi-mechanical switches is moulded as part of the keyboard itself.

Variants

Two click leaves

Both leaves are identical, silver-coloured wide click leaves.[1]

Click and tactile leaves

Likely to be a later model, introduced after the advent of the narrow copper click leaf, this variant only has one click leaf, of the narrow variety, in copper colour. The other leaf is a wide tactile leaf, also copper-coloured.[2][3]

Another variant uses metal coloured click leaf instead of copper click leaf.[4][5]

Keyboards

Gallery

Due to the usage of sharing multiple variants within possibly the same model numbers it will be split into three different sets of galleries from various sources in order to prevent confusion.

Type I (Double metal leaf variant used within one keyboard)[1]

This variant is currently found on CLICKER Patent Approved Germany No. G71960E.

  • Undersides revealing the "clicky" switch over membrane.

  • Close up of the switch in pieces.

Type II (Mixed single narrow and single wide copper leaf variant)[2][6]

This variant was found on two keyboards with different case designs.

  • Undersides revealing the "click" switch over membrane. You can see there is a difference in the colour for the leaf springs being used as compared to Type I.

  • Close-up revealing the copper leaves used.

  • Close-up of disassembled switch.

Type III (Single metal leaf variant)[5]

This is another variant which was also found on two keyboards with different case designs.

  • Undersides revealing the "click" switch over membrane. Only one metal leaf spring per key.

  • Switch assembly.

  • Switch assembly with the leaf spring flipped around.

  • Switch assembly, this is what it would look like when placed into the slider housing.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Deskthority — Clicker: a semi-mechanical Alps wannabe Posted 2013-01-12. Retrieved 2015-08-02.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Deskthority — APC Clicker Posted 2011-05-24. Retrieved 2015-08-02.
  3. ↑ Imgur — Ripster Vintage Switch Guide: Various Spring Membrane Dated 2012-08-03. Retrieved 2015-08-02.
  4. ↑ Qwerters Clinic — 国内販売元はオウルテック (Japanese) Dated 2001-08-05. Retrieved 2015-08-02.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Blogspot — Revisiting some old school keyboards Dated 2013-12-02. Retrieved 2015-08-02.
  6. ↑ Sandy55 — Sandy55's blog (Japanese) Dated 2005-03-12. Retrieved 2015-08-02.
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