deskthority

Anyone know what these are?

Can't say I do. Looks pretty metal, though.



More pictures, in focus! Are the caps up to something too?

Muirium wrote: ↑Can't say I do. Looks pretty metal, though.



More pictures, in focus!

Lol, seller said that was the best he could do, unfortunately

Definitely weird for a switch to be so flush with the plate. You can see the PCB just below, so these are pretty damn low profile switches. Unless maybe we're actually seeing inside them, and the tops came off in the caps or elsewhere?

Space invader switches (which these aren't) tend to pop right open when you pull the caps. They were also designed to be low profile.

I don't think they are flush with the plate, just that the sheet metal is thin.

I think they are some type of magnetic switch I have seen before in an old teletype but I don't recall who made them. They are not really low profile... they are like 3cm tall switch, or more like 5cm from top of stem to bottom of housing. Top is flush with the plate surface.

They seem to be interesting enough to be worth getting, then, if the price isn't insane.

Beardsmore calls and I reply.

Oak switches, I recently got some of these (a few months ago). Two types I've seen. The keyboard I have with the ones pictured are so corroded that the springs are disintegrating...
The cross mount ones have patent numbers on them (https://www.google.com/patents/US3708635). These do not (I believe they are older).
Amusingly, the patent clearly describes the older switches (the newer ones have a bit different housing and are smaller).
It's hard to tell with my corroded ones (I believe these ones are linear), but, the other switches are somewhat tactile (there are some locking versions as well, red sliders).

Some of the switches have dual contacts like some older cherry switches (others do not).

Sorry for the dirty switches, the keyboard must have come out of a swamp (I'm not joking...). Took me about 8 hours to desolder the switches because of all the filth on the pcb...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/triplehaa ... 848674334/





I don't have a name yet...but since we have the patent, perhaps a bit of progress can be made.

Oh, Oak! Makers of the industrial IBM Model F XT that isn't quite what it seems…

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-IBM-Ind ... 3cde8aaef5

Ah, so the metal tabs are part of a plate mount harness that attaches to the switch, rather than being part of the switch.

I thought finally we'd found something HaaTa didn't have ... :P

Amazing to think that something like this:



Fits inside the gap in this:



Perspective bending photography at its finest. Not quite as "low profile" as it seems!

Oh wow, thanks

Muirium wrote: ↑They seem to be interesting enough to be worth getting, then, if the price isn't insane.

Right now it's sitting at $30

What's your macro photography like? :)

I'll try and get some good pictures if I win it, but right now all I got is a canon rebel t3i

Fancier camera than I've got (Canon EOS 350D) and I'm currently top dog in the DT banner stakes. The lens is the important part. Then just pay all your attention to the light…

Yeah, I'm saving up for a good prime lens so I can use my extension tube

Well, I just hope that someone here ended up winning it

Got a link?

Ah! So they did make non membrane Oak Switches. I saw these same switches on Reddit a while back. Someone pulled them out of an old arcade machine or something and they were looking for a replacement

Very cool to see.

Seems awfully rich for an arcade machine …

Here is the post I was referring too.

After seeing the post again, I probably wouldn't consider that an "Arcade Machine" in the same vein as something like Pac-Mac. Seeing as this machine was made in 1971 by the founders of Atari - before Atari or Namco, etc. were founded.