Apple Desktop Bus Keyboards (or Apple IIGS)

[vivalarevolución]

Hey, I have been wanting to do a detailed post on the Apple Desktop Bus keyboards that came with the Apple IIGS system for some time now. I took some pictures today and I have some free time, so here it is. I usually post on Geekhack, but I am posting here because Deskthority seems to have more keyboard historians that are interested in this sort of thing.

If you are familiar with the wiki entry on this keyboard (http://deskthority.net/wiki/Apple_Desktop_Bus_Keyboard), you will know the basic of the keyboard. I am somewhat entranced by this keyboard because I remember using it in my elementary school and it being the best keyboard that i ever typed on in my younger years. When I got into mechanical keyboards, this keyboard popped into my mind and I had to get one for nostalgia's sake. So I got two.

I have an inclination to believe that production was switched to Taiwan in the later years because my made in Taiwan version has a production date of 1989, and this board was produced from 1986-1992. Not sure, though.

There are two versions of this keyboard:

1. The made in Japan version, part# 658-4081
-orange Alps switches, tactile, non-clicky, light for Alps
-brighter keycaps




2. The made in Taiwan version, model# A9M03330
-white SMK switches, tactile, non-clicky, lighter than Orange Alps
-doubleshot keycaps
-slightly darker keycaps than the made in Japan version




Here is a photo of the two side-by-side. The made in Japan is on the top.




Closer view, with the made in Japan on the left.




Here are the PCBs. The made in Taiwan version has the tin foil on the PCB. Not sure about the purpose of that.





Here some photos highlighting the difference between the keycaps. Notice that the doubleshots have more support for the mounting stem.





The keycaps have stems of different lengths for the different rows. The number row has the tallest stem.







The switch on the number row is mounted vertically rather horizontally. Both boards have this. I assume this was done because the vertical orientation was more stable for the longer stem. I don't know for sure.




And here are some closeup photos of the switches. Once again, the made in Japan has Orange Alps, and the made in Taiwan has white SMK.





Ok, that is all for now. Let me know if you have any questions.

[Findecanor]

Oh, I'm so jealous. Those are the coolest Apple keyboards.

Please do select a few image to add to the Wiki.

[vivalarevolución]

Oh, I'm so jealous. Those are the coolest Apple keyboards.

Please do select a few image to add to the Wiki.

I will have to take some new photos for the wiki because I did not take any photos of the board keyboard with all the keycaps in good light. My house has a problem with good lighting for photographs.

[daedalus]

Nice pics. The vertical mounting of the switches is featured in the AEK II as well for the F-keys.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Is there any branding anywhere on the Taiwanese version that would confirm that it was made by SMK? For example, anything written under that metal foil?

What does the Taiwanese version have under the caps lock key? You might get to be the first person to document the SMK lock switch. The only picture of it is one Ripster posted to Imgur, of the Keyboard II, and nobody knows what switches that uses — some sort of Alps mount slider/dome/membrane maybe. There's no guarantee that the SMK lock switch means that SMK made anything else — various keyboards paired Alps/Alps clone with Futaba lock, for example.

(SMK don't always brand the PCB: their standard 2nd gen platform is branded in some instances, and not in others. My Tulip has "SMK" on the PCB, but the Sony Quarter L version is unbranded.)

[vivalarevolución]

Is there any branding anywhere on the Taiwanese version that would confirm that it was made by SMK? For example, anything written under that metal foil?

What does the Taiwanese version have under the caps lock key? You might get to be the first person to document the SMK lock switch. The only picture of it is one Ripster posted to Imgur, of the Keyboard II, and nobody knows what switches that uses — some sort of Alps mount slider/dome/membrane maybe. There's no guarantee that the SMK lock switch means that SMK made anything else — various keyboards paired Alps/Alps clone with Futaba lock, for example.

(SMK don't always brand the PCB: their standard 2nd gen platform is branded in some instances, and not in others. My Tulip has "SMK" on the PCB, but the Sony Quarter L version is unbranded.)

I did not find any branding on the PCB anywhere or under the switches. I am searching for another one of the keyboards on Ebay at the moment to take apart and put some Monterey Blue switches into. So I will have one with the non-clicky switches and one with the clicky switches.

[Muirium]

One of these with Montereys should be just fantastic!

Typically, metal foil is an electromagnetic emissions shield. Old computers have them here, there and everywhere. Usually close to the outside of the housing, but my 1999 Blue & White Power Mac G3 has a shield right around its internal DVD drive for some reason. Early home computers (like the TRS-80) would upset TVs and radios with their radio emissions. Sometimes your neighbour's too! So regulations were cooked up to clamp down on all that. This meant conductive foil, to wrap all suspect components inside a faraday cage. The fact we're so free of the stuff nowadays likely has more to do with the components getting ever smaller than a loosening of the law. That EM spectrum is more precious now than ever.

Though looking at your picture, it doesn't seem to cover where I'd expect the keyboard controller to be…

[vivalarevolución]

One of these with Montereys should be just fantastic!

Typically, metal foil is an electromagnetic emissions shield. Old computers have them here, there and everywhere. Usually close to the outside of the housing, but my 1999 Blue & White Power Mac G3 has a shield right around its internal DVD drive for some reason. Early home computers (like the TRS-80) would upset TVs and radios with their radio emissions. Sometimes your neighbour's too! So regulations were cooked up to clamp down on all that. This meant conductive foil, to wrap all suspect components inside a faraday cage. The fact we're so free of the stuff nowadays likely has more to do with the components getting ever smaller than a loosening of the law. That EM spectrum is more precious now than ever.

Though looking at your picture, it doesn't seem to cover where I'd expect the keyboard controller to be…

Yea, the controller is up near the top near the power button. Perhaps I should take a picture of those.

[Muirium]

What's the rollover like on these? Namely: the smallest number of simultaneously pressed keys that the host can see? ADB, like PS/2, has no limit on it. The answer is all down to the keyboard.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

I did not find any branding on the PCB anywhere or under the switches.

Any writing at all? Not even anything moulded into the case itself?

[vivalarevolución]

Oh man, the rollover is looking weak. Might only have a 2-key rollover. But that might have something to do with the ADB-to-USB adapter.

On an unrelated note, some might have noticed the lack of Page Up, etc. That is easily resolved with KeyRemap4MacBook. You can turn the Numpad into an arrow cluster, and change the "clear" key to a toggle key for the numpad/arrow cluster.

In most applications, spacebar and shift+spacebar can do PageUp/PageDown, and Command+Up and Command+Down can do Home/End.

I can enable forward delete with shift+delete.

However, I cannot get F-key functionality with this board. That is the only downside.

[Muirium]

As soon as USB enters the equation, all bets are off! I'd plug it into an ADB Mac. Easier said when you've one sitting behind your desk, of course.

[vivalarevolución]

I did not find any branding on the PCB anywhere or under the switches.

Any writing at all? Not even anything moulded into the case itself?

Upon further investigation, there is some writing. I removed the foil completely. Hope it does not have any effect on the keyboard.




Also, I should note that the switches are mount on a metal plate.

[Muirium]

Motter Tektura rides again!

When you swap some switches, try some close ups of their casing, top and bottom. They're one thing Apple didn't insist on branding as its own!

[vivalarevolución]

Another fun fact about this board is that the control key, a 1.75 unit key, has a stabilizer. The smallest key that I have ever seen with a stabilizer.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

So, nothing conclusive on who made the non-Alps one. Although Monterey and Chicony have both confirmed SMK made the "Monterey" switch, I'd rest easier if we had some further evidence, such as the "<SMK>" logo on a keyboard with these switches.

That side view is weird — too hard to tell what's going on, though. The Alps one should have [wiki]Alps CM lock[/wiki] under caps lock. The SMK one should have their own variant of this.

N-key rollover in a metal contact keyboard requires diodes. If every switch corresponds to two solder points, as yours above do, it's 2KRO. NKRO will have at least four solder points, or six if it's a four-leg switch. You can't count the solder points though, you have to physically locate the diodes, which in some cases are inside the switch itself (including Cherry MX and linear Marquardt). (When I first saw three-leg switches, I wondered if the aim was to achieve increased rollover by being able to probe a switch from multiple paths. It's more likely to ease routing.)

[vivalarevolución]

So, nothing conclusive on who made the non-Alps one. Although Monterey and Chicony have both confirmed SMK made the "Monterey" switch, I'd rest easier if we had some further evidence, such as the "<SMK>" logo on a keyboard with these switches.

That side view is weird — too hard to tell what's going on, though. The Alps one should have [wiki]Alps CM lock[/wiki] under caps lock. The SMK one should have their own variant of this.

N-key rollover in a metal contact keyboard requires diodes. If every switch corresponds to two solder points, as yours above do, it's 2KRO. NKRO will have at least four solder points, or six if it's a four-leg switch. You can't count the solder points though, you have to physically locate the diodes, which in some cases are inside the switch itself (including Cherry MX and linear Marquardt). (When I first saw three-leg switches, I wondered if the aim was to achieve increased rollover by being able to probe a switch from multiple paths. It's more likely to ease routing.)

I could take some better pictures of the side view, but at the moment, I have some other priorities. I just bought another made in Japan off ebay, and I am bidding on a Taiwanese version at the moment, because I plan to do some switch mods with the extra boards. I will take plenty of pictures of the boards when I am modding them.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Ah, now this is interesting. Compare the PCB inscription of the white Monterey version above, with the SMK-made M0110A:

http://kbtalking.cool3c.com/article/29020

Compare that with the Alps-made M0110A:

http://kbtalking.cool3c.com/article/29717

The SMK, Mitsumi and Alps M0110A PCBs are all quite different, and the SMK-made one (SMK switches and "Showa" (the "S" in "SMK") moulded into the PCB) is an exact match for the white Monterey IIgs keyboard. That's a very good sign that it is also SMK.

[vivalarevolución]

Phosphorglow and I got together (or rather Phosphorglow did most of the work) and transplanted some Monterey Blues into my Apple IIGS keyboard. It might be a one-of-a-kind Apple IIGS keyboard. I should add some pictures to this thread.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

As I understand it, there was in fact a Chicony keyboard with Windows keys and SMK ("Monterey") switches. I'm not clear on the model as the photo depicting the rear label was out of focus. I would love to get my hands on one if they made an ISO version.

It's also interesting to note that the doubleshot keycaps in the M0110A are very similar in design to those in the IIGS keyboard. I am now more convinced than ever that Monterey switches are genuine SMK parts, just as Chicony and Monterey themselves confirmed. (SMK won't discuss anything with me.)

[Muirium]

A couple of quite random but almost on topic things.

Showa was the name of the Japanese emperor who was crowned not long before SMK borrowed his name. He's better known as Hirohito to us. Ironically, SMK only changed to using initials not long before the end of his reign when he died in the 1980s.

And the M0110A's ancestor: the M0110, shares a great deal of similarities to the Alps version of that board. Caps aren't doubleshots and, just like the switches, they look the same on both boards. Not that this is news to anyone, but I have an M0110 and I double taked when Daniel said the M0110A was doubleshot. It was: when it was SMK…

[Daniel Beardsmore]

I don't know that I've ever seen the copper side of the M0110 PCB — the wiki just says Apple made the M0110.

As for SMK, a quick read suggests that Hirohito only gained the name Showa when he died. Something doesn't add up there.

[Muirium]

It's a little complicated. The emperor does indeed gain that name posthumously, but he's crowned with it too. For instance the current era is "Heisei", but you don't say that to the emperor while he's alive and kicking…

It should be noted that it is protocol in Japan that the reigning emperor be referred to as Tennō Heika (天皇陛下 "His Imperial Majesty the Emperor") or Kinjō Tennō (今上天皇 "current emperor"). To call the current emperor by the current era name, i.e. "Heisei", even in English, is a faux pas, as this is—and will be—his posthumous name. Use of the emperor's given name (i.e., "Akihito") is rare, considered as vulgar behaviour, in Japanese.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_e ... dern_Japan

All this tradition comes from China. The communists there insisted the former emperor use his personal name, Puyi, which would have been immensely shaming if he was still in charge.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puyi

Regnal naming derail!

[Daniel Beardsmore]

What does the SMK one have for caps lock and power?

Implication that power is blue: http://imgur.com/a/rVE55#Ph6QY
Suggestions of several switches being a different colour (somewhere between blue and cream): http://www.h4.dion.ne.jp/~kazzysvg/newf ... oard1.html — photos are stupidly tiny

I am assuming that caps lock has something like this:

http://imgur.com/a/rVE55#v7vH0

I don't think Tammy posted any photos of the PCB of that keyboard, but the Apple Rescue of Denver website is currently down — something to do with its renovation I imagine. (i.e. is that a proper plate mount switch or a memrane derivative?)

Apple version with salmon Alps? http://sidewinder007.tistory.com/archive/20110202 — photography error, switch swap, or genuine?

[woody]

What does the SMK one have for caps lock and power?

On mine power is same white SMK as the rest. Caps Lock is also white, although the stem lacks the special notch on one of the short sides.

Apple version with salmon Alps? http://sidewinder007.tistory.com/archive/20110202 — photography error, switch swap, or genuine?

Maybe genuine. It is both "Made in Japan" and "A9M0330" - something I haven't seen before. SMK versions are "Made in Taiwan" and the regular Alps model does not posses "A9M0330" id.
Could be related in time with the M0116, sharing switches.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

According to this topic, you have one:

http://deskthority.net/keyboards-f2/fra ... t6168.html

You also couldn't be sure whether the switches were salmon or orange, but no pictures to let us check.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

If you believe this guy, yes they're salmon, but red switches also exist:

http://www.retrotechnology.com/aux/mac_japan_4081.html

...??

(Then again, he's reporting our wiki as "Wikipedia", in addition to having seriously defective vision.)

[woody]

According to this topic, you have one:

http://deskthority.net/keyboards-f2/fra ... t6168.html

You also couldn't be sure whether the switches were salmon or orange, but no pictures to let us check.

Some misunderstanding?

ADB keyboards that I have are:
- A9M0330 with white SMK
- M0116 with pink/orange/salmon (or whatever you call them, they're not clicky) Alps
- M0487 with buckling rubber sleeve

Couldn't ever land on Japan/Alps A9M0330, the one with the funny part number.

And some long time ago I sold my camera lens so I can't provide any pictures except crapphone ones.


P.S. Now I see that the pink/orange/salmon IIgs keyboard from the link seems like dye-subbed, while A9M0330 is usually double-shot.

[JBert]

http://www.retrotechnology.com/aux/mac_japan_4081.html
(Then again, he's reporting our wiki as "Wikipedia", in addition to having seriously defective vision.)

Off-topic: I believe he fixed it?

[Daniel Beardsmore]

nm, Woody has the Taiwan label. Duh.

Yes, I was winding him up about the colours. Having thought about it, the switch must have changed to salmon Alps, because orange Alps is believed to have been discontinued in 1991, and this keyboard ran to 1992. He's the second person to have a salmon Alps IIGS keyboard, so yes, the evidence is strong in favour of later production runs being salmon Alps, and that's why it's those Alps-made keyboards that have the updated label on the back.