Re: Alps Appreciation
Posted: 24 May 2019, 19:55
xicanoink wrote: ↑22 May 2019, 21:15Ebay gods were smiling down upon me.
This arrived today.
The F9 key is missing and the switch is broken, missing the slider. Thinking I'll just buy a replacement switch and replace the guts. See if that works.
My first blue alps board and it feels amazing.
Using Soarer's USB converter. Had to move the AT-XT switch to get it working.
Now it just needs to get cleaned up!
deltagold.jpeg
Thanks! I'm still super jazzed about it. Taking my time cleaning it up.//gainsborough wrote: ↑24 May 2019, 19:57xicanoink wrote: ↑22 May 2019, 21:15Ebay gods were smiling down upon me.
This arrived today.
The F9 key is missing and the switch is broken, missing the slider. Thinking I'll just buy a replacement switch and replace the guts. See if that works.
My first blue alps board and it feels amazing.
Using Soarer's USB converter. Had to move the AT-XT switch to get it working.
Now it just needs to get cleaned up!
deltagold.jpeg
Congrats, dude! That is one hell of a first blue alps board!
xicanoink wrote: ↑22 May 2019, 21:15Ebay gods were smiling down upon me.
This arrived today.
The F9 key is missing and the switch is broken, missing the slider. Thinking I'll just buy a replacement switch and replace the guts. See if that works.
My first blue alps board and it feels amazing.
Using Soarer's USB converter. Had to move the AT-XT switch to get it working.
Now it just needs to get cleaned up!
deltagold.jpeg
Yes, i just edited my post. This is just my theory but i think focuses 2002 with blue sticker on backside have blues. Im based on my observation.//gainsborough wrote: ↑28 May 2019, 21:05
Nice, man!! Do you have any pics of the backside of the board?
Yeah, you're right, it is on right side.//gainsborough wrote: ↑28 May 2019, 21:41That's consistent with my fk-2001 as well. I think the more telling sign is the placement of the "inverse" switch on the back. I forget which side it's on, but it looks like on your pic it's on the right when the board is upside down.
Nice find, thanks for sharing! But not the first. Three others on my list, all posted on Deskthority. Interestingly all three are rebranded. One each, Multitronic, Magitronic, High Screen, and Vanilla.
I mean first documented HighScreen version with blues. I searched everywhere and do not find any information (on deskthority wiki is just information that highscreen is just german layout 2002 version. Who know if they didn't producing it with only whites switches), photos of this version with blue alps. So yeah, this is first documented fk-2002 highscreen with blues.
I used to own a FK-9000 with both genuine and clone Alps switches randomly mixed throughout the board. Pretty sure they just added whatever they got in new into the hopper (Alps also made assembly machines).Polecat wrote: ↑29 May 2019, 03:54Nice find, thanks for sharing! But not the first. Three others on my list, all posted on Deskthority. Interestingly all three are rebranded. One each, Multitronic, Magitronic, High Screen, and Vanilla.
One thing many folks don't understand is that back in 1989 the keyboard manufacturers did not differentiate between white and blue SKCM switches. There wasn't a person on the assembly line saying, "Wait, this one has a blue sticker, it has to have blue switches!" The distinction between the two slider colors did not come until much later, and trying to project it backwards usually results in bad assumptions. We know on the Northgate keyboards, for example, that the changeover from blue to white did not occur at a specific serial number, inspection number (like the 80756903 on this one), or label date. The assembly people almost certainly used whichever switches were on hand, and who knows how careful Focus was about "first in, first out", or if they had multiple factories or sources for the switches? There was certainly no slider color specified when the keyboards were originally sold, which we now consider important enough to justify a three- or fourfold difference in price, even if we can't hear or feel the difference between blues and early whites. White Alps changed a lot over time, while blues are a "sure thing" (depending on condition, of course), so the seemingly-irrational desire for blue Alps switches over whites is only partially about the color of the sliders, and is a relatively recent thing.
Polecat wrote: ↑29 May 2019, 03:54Nice find, thanks for sharing! But not the first. Three others on my list, all posted on Deskthority. Interestingly all three are rebranded. One each, Multitronic, Magitronic, High Screen, and Vanilla.
One thing many folks don't understand is that back in 1989 the keyboard manufacturers did not differentiate between white and blue SKCM switches. There wasn't a person on the assembly line saying, "Wait, this one has a blue sticker, it has to have blue switches!" The distinction between the two slider colors did not come until much later, and trying to project it backwards usually results in bad assumptions. We know on the Northgate keyboards, for example, that the changeover from blue to white did not occur at a specific serial number, inspection number (like the 80756903 on this one), or label date. The assembly people almost certainly used whichever switches were on hand, and who knows how careful Focus was about "first in, first out", or if they had multiple factories or sources for the switches? There was certainly no slider color specified when the keyboards were originally sold, which we now consider important enough to justify a three- or fourfold difference in price, even if we can't hear or feel the difference between blues and early whites. White Alps changed a lot over time, while blues are a "sure thing" (depending on condition, of course), so the seemingly-irrational desire for blue Alps switches over whites is only partially about the color of the sliders, and is a relatively recent thing.
I mean, anything is for sale for the right price! Just know by the time you get these keycaps, I will have enough gold from the badges of your keyboards, to start the next Gold Rush of 1849.//gainsborough wrote: ↑29 May 2019, 16:43Yooo! That’s quite the flex for being new! Very nice board! If you want to sell those caps hit me up =P
Got it, thanks, I really enjoy seeing the early Focus stuff. This one was posted here, but not really documented:ppCircle wrote: ↑29 May 2019, 10:36
I mean first documented HighScreen version with blues. I searched everywhere and do not find any information (on deskthority wiki is just information that highscreen is just german layout 2002 version. Who know if they didn't producing it with only whites switches), photos of this version with blue alps. So yeah, this is first documented fk-2002 highscreen with blues.
Absolutely, and thanks for making that point! I wasn't here when the original research was being done on all the different versions, but I've been playing with Alps keyboards for almost thirty years now. My point was that it's presumptuous to think that all white Alps switches are the same, and it's just slightly less presumptuous to think that all *Pine* white Alps are the same. Early whites are a lot closer to (late?) blues than they are to later whites, even if the later whites are still "Pine".Lbibass wrote: ↑29 May 2019, 15:17
Fun fact, there are actually about 3 different kinds of blue alps switches, with different thicknesses of leaves, different tops, and other differences that can affect the feel. I know that Ai03 (not sure if they're on deskthority) have assembled a board out of a combo of the different parts, and it was so loud that their roommate forbade them from using it. They would rather have Ai03 use a model F or a model M over that blue alps combo switch.
Absolutely. There's a lot of placebo and hype in this community. I had always heard that the Wang 724 was an amazing Alps chassis, but now that I have one in my possession, the AT101 seems to be significantly better for enhancing the sound of Alps switches. And the white Alps that I own sound deeper than blue alps, even when in the same AT101 chassis.Polecat wrote: ↑30 May 2019, 04:18Absolutely, and thanks for making that point! I wasn't here when the original research was being done on all the different versions, but I've been playing with Alps keyboards for almost thirty years now. My point was that it's presumptuous to think that all white Alps switches are the same, and it's just slightly less presumptuous to think that all *Pine* white Alps are the same. Early whites are a lot closer to (late?) blues than they are to later whites, even if the later whites are still "Pine".Lbibass wrote: ↑29 May 2019, 15:17
Fun fact, there are actually about 3 different kinds of blue alps switches, with different thicknesses of leaves, different tops, and other differences that can affect the feel. I know that Ai03 (not sure if they're on deskthority) have assembled a board out of a combo of the different parts, and it was so loud that their roommate forbade them from using it. They would rather have Ai03 use a model F or a model M over that blue alps combo switch.
I think it's likely that the different versions of blues are a lot more alike than the different versions of whites, but it's still wrong to lump all whites (or all blues...) together as being the same. And it's absurd that of the two pristine gold label Northgate keyboards I have, built just a few weeks apart, the one with blue sliders would be worth two to four times what the one with white sliders is worth. I would challenge anyone to tell which is which without popping off a keycap! I have a lot more reading and catching up to do on the internal differences, starting with the earlier posts here and especially the sites so lovingly put together by the Asian collectors. But I hope to further document my own examples along the way and perhaps even add something to the knowledge base.
WTH? Where do you people find these boards? That looks fantastic!xicanoink wrote: ↑30 May 2019, 21:44So I lost the bid war at first and was sad due to missing out on this handsome fellow.
But later that night got a second chance offer! The bid winner must've flaked.
Thank the stars he did!
Mint condition black case KB-6251EA, metal backplate, pine white Alps so fresh and brand new that the click sounds deep and satisfying and a close challenger to a blue Alps board I'm currently cleaning. Right now it's hard to choose which one I like better.
Good problem to have right?
pockeeb.jpeg
I know I drooled over the black FK-2001 so I'm stoked to have my own black white Alps board.
Are there any other known boards with unique case coloring that also have Alps switches?
Thanks for posting it!
Congrats! I think I must have been third highest bidder. I'm making some offers/bidding on some other white and green Alps items now, but I do like that one a lot. Beautiful board.xicanoink wrote: ↑30 May 2019, 23:05Thanks for posting it!
I was a bit crushed when I lost the bid war. I figured it was to you or someone else on here, so not too angry as I knew it would go to a good home.
But getting that second offer email from ebay was a surprise. It's the first time of years of ebay that has ever happened.