I picked up two of these from someone at work the other day. "I hear you like clicky keyboards," he said. "I've got a couple you can have, they've got the old 5-pin DIN on them." I was secretly hoping for something amazing, but got this (x2):
BIGass (or whatever they're called now) Enter key, fat space, tiny backspace, and - yep - clicky keys.
They look like some ALPS rip-off, with the 'body' moulded into the case upper. The plunger goes between two leaf springs, and has a coil spring attached that activates a membrane connection:
There's no baseplate, just the two halves of the case. It lacks the feeling of solidity you'd get from something with more - erm - construction. This is probably as cheap as clicky keyboards get.
As for the caps, they look ALPS compatible. What's the legending, do you think?
My camera doesn't do real close-ups so it's difficult to show, but they look somewhere between lasered and printed. The legends are clear but lack overall crispness, are slightly pale, and there are occasional minute spots where it looks like they went over the same bit twice. The QWERTY keys are slightly darker than the rest.
How about underneath?
Right. So they have two-colour caps, the definition is good but the legends are pale. There's some roughness to the legending but without a good glass I can't quite tell if that's just the texture of the caps or infill. They don't look like doubleshots, but it seems odd they'd have the darker grey underside if not.
Anyway, a couple more pics for the heck of it (that logo is really heavily textured):
They're not great to type on, but I've used much worse. Action is light and a bit loose.
If anybody's interested I can try to take some better pics of various parts. Note how my photographs illustrate how not to take good photographs...
APC Clicker
- nathanscribe
- Location: Yorkshire, UK.
- Main keyboard: Filco tenkeyless w/blues
- Main mouse: Kensington Expert
- Favorite switch: MX Blue
- DT Pro Member: -
Last edited by nathanscribe on 25 May 2011, 11:55, edited 3 times in total.
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- Location: Ugly American
- Main keyboard: As Long As It is Helvetica
- Main mouse: Mickey
- Favorite switch: Wanna Switch? Well, I Certainly Did!
- DT Pro Member: -
APCs also have their own labeled versions of ALPS Simplified Type 2s (XMs).
If you don't mind I'd like to use the pics in the ALPS wiki.
If you don't mind I'd like to use the pics in the ALPS wiki.
- nathanscribe
- Location: Yorkshire, UK.
- Main keyboard: Filco tenkeyless w/blues
- Main mouse: Kensington Expert
- Favorite switch: MX Blue
- DT Pro Member: -
Be my guest.
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- Location: Stockholm, Sweden
- DT Pro Member: 0011
Grey legends on white keys are usually lasered. Weird that the makers would choose that colour-scheme over black/white if the keys are double-shot. I really thought they were lasered before I saw your picture of the underside.
So, the leaf springs provide the resistance before actuation... What is the resistance curve like below the actuation point?
So, the leaf springs provide the resistance before actuation... What is the resistance curve like below the actuation point?
- nathanscribe
- Location: Yorkshire, UK.
- Main keyboard: Filco tenkeyless w/blues
- Main mouse: Kensington Expert
- Favorite switch: MX Blue
- DT Pro Member: -
Not round here you can't. Nickels? I might be able to conjur up some groats or something, but nickels?
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- Location: Ugly American
- Main keyboard: As Long As It is Helvetica
- Main mouse: Mickey
- Favorite switch: Wanna Switch? Well, I Certainly Did!
- DT Pro Member: -
20 pence = 5g and 21.4mm diameter so they should work fine (assuming Gravity works the same way in England).
Last edited by ripster on 25 May 2011, 16:16, edited 2 times in total.