I was able to pick up a very clean BTC 5100C (non-yellowed on the bottom) with a 5-pin DIN connector recently;
It is interesting how this BTC 5100C feels and sounds quite differnet to my BTC 5100 with the tactile BTC foam and foil switches which really should be called: "tactile BTC
dome over foam and foil" because the domes are primarily what you feel when typing on the 5100 not the foam and foil.
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One of the most striking differences is the typing noise of the 5100 compared to the 5100C which is obviously related to the different switch mechanism, the 5100 is much louder. Overall the more pronounced tactile feedback with the slightly longer keytravel on the 5100 is more satisfying to me, the loudness does not bother me.
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The domes from 5100 fit the 5100C perfectly and mod the 5100C
to dome over slider over dome on PCB with an obscene keyweight that I cannot estimate.
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Notice the tiny little keyboard symbol on the DIN connector of the 5100C, just so the user knows what he / she is plugging in...
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The small function row on the 5100 are not tactile BTC foam and foil switches but rather spring over slider which feel horrible.
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Note the stabilization solution for left shift, this does not work very well although there is no binding, the keycap tilts to either side when pressed on the very edge.
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Interesting that the 5100C keycaps (on the left) have a pretty rough texture to them, feels fun to type on. I had a really hard time trying to capture this in my pictures.
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5100C keycap at the top.
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Sliders, domes, PCB and controller:
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To sum this up I can recommend either of these switches to anyone who wants to get an idea of what Topre feels like for the fraction of the price with the Cherry MX keycap combability as an added bonus.
But understand this is not in any way equal to Topre but more like a good clone, less refined and less high quality in almost every aspect. The 5100C does not feel better than the 5100 to me but that is preference of course. The 5100 is undesirable because the foam can be degraded making the whole keyboard unusable.
Random MX keycap combability shots:
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Here is an overview of these keyboards and the switches:
wiki/BTC_5100
I initially had a look at my BTC 5100 here a while ago:
keyboards-f2/btc-5100-t15129.html?hilit=5100
wiki/User:Seebart
