IDENTIFY THE KEYSWITCH thread

HC514

07 Jul 2021, 11:21

It's SKEW, an integrated dome switch.

User avatar
hellothere

08 Jul 2021, 01:04

HC514 wrote:
07 Jul 2021, 11:21
It's SKEW, an integrated dome switch.
Here was me saying that it looked really close to a plate spring, but obvious differences. Nice catch.

User avatar
goomba_

08 Jul 2021, 03:56

HC514 wrote:
07 Jul 2021, 11:21
It's SKEW, an integrated dome switch.
ah I forgot that this could come with many different sliders and just judged off the first pictures thanks for the clarification :)

John Doe

08 Jul 2021, 04:25

B8947EF5-C52B-42BF-95A3-0637A29063A2.jpeg
B8947EF5-C52B-42BF-95A3-0637A29063A2.jpeg (135.91 KiB) Viewed 15175 times
Never seen such switch, anyone could help?

Thanks.

User avatar
Polecat

19 Jul 2021, 00:28

Alps clone from a Tai Hao keyboard. White slider, clicky, two long mounting tabs (not a 4 tab clone). Bottom housing has a logo showing a stylized crescent moon and the letter "D". I have six of these keyboards, but the other five have Tai Hao switches. Are these Datacomp switches? Or something else equally obscure? These are stiffer and more clicky than the Tai Hao switches, which is how I knew they were something different. Upper housing has no logo, and mold markings similar to Alps SKBM, but smaller.

edit - I found this logo on Datacomp's website.
Datacomp logo!
Datacomp logo!
01-2.jpg (4.61 KiB) Viewed 15083 times
I think this may be an actual Datacomp switch!
Attachments
mystery switch
mystery switch
IMG_8686.JPG (359.96 KiB) Viewed 15090 times

User avatar
Polecat

19 Jul 2021, 05:09

Digging through my other "modern" Alps keyboards I found another one with strange clone switches. This one has tactile switches with black sliders, long mounting tabs (not 4 tab clones), and the same style mold numbering as the Datacomp (?) switches above. Unsoldered one and, surprise, "FD" identification on the bottom. Forward Electronics? Does this tie Alps to Forward to Datacomp? (and/or did we already know that?)
Attachments
Forward Alps clones?
Forward Alps clones?
IMG_8689.JPG (1.21 MiB) Viewed 15068 times

HC514

19 Jul 2021, 11:25

I'd be surprised if that first one wasn't a Datacomp switch. As for the second, wouldn't that just be a post-2000 SKBM? Forward kept making them for 12 years after their Alps partnership ended.

User avatar
Polecat

20 Jul 2021, 04:07

HC514 wrote:
19 Jul 2021, 11:25
I'd be surprised if that first one wasn't a Datacomp switch. As for the second, wouldn't that just be a post-2000 SKBM? Forward kept making them for 12 years after their Alps partnership ended.
I need to read up on the later Alps and Forward switches. Mostly I've messed with the early ones. What's interesting to me is that the upper and lower housings on these FE and Datacomp(?) switches look identical. I'm wondering if Datacomp bought the tooling from Forward, or perhaps they bought switches from Forward?

User avatar
Polecat

19 Aug 2021, 06:09

Weird (at least to me) switches in this Panasonic on ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/124784489533

What are these?

User avatar
Polecat

19 Aug 2021, 06:15

Polecat wrote:
20 Jul 2021, 04:07
HC514 wrote:
19 Jul 2021, 11:25
I'd be surprised if that first one wasn't a Datacomp switch. As for the second, wouldn't that just be a post-2000 SKBM? Forward kept making them for 12 years after their Alps partnership ended.
I need to read up on the later Alps and Forward switches. Mostly I've messed with the early ones. What's interesting to me is that the upper and lower housings on these FE and Datacomp(?) switches look identical. I'm wondering if Datacomp bought the tooling from Forward, or perhaps they bought switches from Forward?
I was doing some reading and according to Daniel B. Datacomp did indeed buy the SKBM tooling from Fuhua/Forward. So the Datacomp Alps clones are apparently a direct descendent of Alps SKBM. If I ever knew that I had forgotten that I had forgotten it.

John Doe

19 Aug 2021, 06:20

Polecat wrote:
19 Aug 2021, 06:09
Weird (at least to me) switches in this Panasonic on ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/124784489533

What are these?
https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyb ... _keyboard/

User avatar
Polecat

19 Aug 2021, 06:36

John Doe wrote:
19 Aug 2021, 06:20
Polecat wrote:
19 Aug 2021, 06:09
Weird (at least to me) switches in this Panasonic on ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/124784489533

What are these?
https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyb ... _keyboard/
Thank you!

John Doe

20 Aug 2021, 12:30

Somebody could help identify what switches this Epson possibly use? Love the shape but hope it isn't kinda of rubber dome or membrane.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/224575132884?h ... SwHTFhGwtc
epson.jpeg
epson.jpeg (207.04 KiB) Viewed 14721 times

User avatar
thefarside

20 Aug 2021, 12:57

It looks like dome and foil:
viewtopic.php?t=12772

John Doe

21 Aug 2021, 02:42

Thanks. Thats switches never have chance to experience, good find.

User avatar
madrobby

30 Aug 2021, 00:05

In a 80s Sperry luggable, what is it?
s-l1600.jpg
s-l1600.jpg (264.17 KiB) Viewed 14521 times

User avatar
zrrion

30 Aug 2021, 02:41

That's an early Space Invader switch.

norolim

30 Aug 2021, 21:02

Can anyone identify this one? Looks like a cross between Futaba MA and BTC foam and foil. It's from an unidentified Chicony keyboard.

Image
Spoiler:
Image

User avatar
thefarside

01 Sep 2021, 15:04

I’m hoping someone can help me identify this switch. It’s a Cherry MX mount and has a “W” on the front enclosed in an incomplete circle. I started looking around the Wiki thinking it was a Cherry variety but nothing jumped out at me. Here’s a closeup:
Closeup of switch
Closeup of switch
W Switch Closeup.jpeg (964.33 KiB) Viewed 14385 times
It’s was used for the keys on a ruggedized computer from the late 80s/early 90s and has two blue Cherry MX keys for the left and right mouse buttons. Below is a crappy picture of the front:
Keyboard front
Keyboard front
Front.jpeg (448.79 KiB) Viewed 14385 times
Any info is appreciated!

User avatar
zrrion

01 Sep 2021, 18:51


User avatar
thefarside

01 Sep 2021, 20:38

zrrion wrote:
01 Sep 2021, 18:51
wiki/Marquardt_Series_6184
Excellent thank you!

User avatar
Karmel

01 Sep 2021, 23:52

I've never seen these switches before, I found them in an old Royal adding machine. I thought they were old Mitsumis at first but they have far more over travel and are much scratchier when pressed on the sides. There's a rubber band like thing above the conductive bit that allows for a lot of travel after the actuation.
Spoiler:
ukskeypad.png
ukskeypad.png (433.75 KiB) Viewed 14283 times
ukstop.png
ukstop.png (493.13 KiB) Viewed 14283 times
uksnumpadbottom.png
uksnumpadbottom.png (500.72 KiB) Viewed 14283 times
uksslider.png
uksslider.png (112.39 KiB) Viewed 14283 times

Findecanor

04 Sep 2021, 10:05

norolim wrote:
30 Aug 2021, 21:02
Can anyone identify this one? Looks like a cross between Futaba MA and BTC foam and foil. It's from an unidentified Chicony keyboard.

Image
Spoiler:
Image
I think that could be a Deyi foam-and-foil switch.
Check this thread: the housings look identical but the sliders are slightly different.

Because the slider is sunken into the barrel I suspect that the foam at the bottom of the slider would have deteriorated and crumbled apart with age. That is a known problem with foam-and-foil switches.

norolim

06 Sep 2021, 14:37

Findecanor wrote:
04 Sep 2021, 10:05

I think that could be a Deyi foam-and-foil switch.
Check this thread: the housings look identical but the sliders are slightly different.

Because the slider is sunken into the barrel I suspect that the foam at the bottom of the slider would have deteriorated and crumbled apart with age. That is a known problem with foam-and-foil switches.
Thank you. It looks similar indeed, but how would a Deyi switch end up in a Chicony board? And it is a Chicony board:
Spoiler:
Image
Since I posted this question, I was able to identify the keyboard as a mysterious Chicony KB-5391:
Spoiler:
Image
But I failed to find any information about it. There is an old thread on a different forum, about the same switch in a Chicony 5390. And although it was not identified, it was strongly suggested, it might be a dome with slider device.

User avatar
jejex

09 Sep 2021, 20:34

Hi guys, found some interesting switches when buying vintage keyboards from china, that I cannot identify, maybe you could help;
1. Some kind of red/orange alps clone - no clue on what could it be
Spoiler:
red_alps.png
red_alps.png (615.75 KiB) Viewed 14069 times
alps_board.jpg
alps_board.jpg (465.57 KiB) Viewed 14069 times
2. Red Key World switch? It's a SKB-5150C with Key World black MX clones, but in the place of the spacebar, there appears to be a red switch, possibly a red Key World clone? It's the only pic I have, sorry about the quality.
Spoiler:
keyworld_red.jpg
keyworld_red.jpg (266.07 KiB) Viewed 14069 times
3. Unidentified switch (Futaba MD)
Spoiler:
switch.jpg
switch.jpg (206.4 KiB) Viewed 14069 times
board.jpg
board.jpg (549.37 KiB) Viewed 14069 times
That's all, thanks in advance. Found a lot of great stuff, will post when the package arrives :)
Last edited by jejex on 09 Sep 2021, 23:17, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
raoulduke-esq

09 Sep 2021, 20:42

jejex wrote:
09 Sep 2021, 20:34
Hi guys, found some interesting switches when buying vintage keyboards from china, that I cannot identify, maybe you could help;
1. Some kind of red/orange alps clone - no clue on what could it be
Spoiler:
red_alps.png alps_board.jpg
Alps special RED edition for RED CHINA and the CCP?

Findecanor

09 Sep 2021, 20:49

The last one looks like Futaba MD but it is not that easy to see.

User avatar
jejex

09 Sep 2021, 21:38

Findecanor wrote:
09 Sep 2021, 20:49
The last one looks like Futaba MD but it is not that easy to see.
I think that's it, thanks a lot
as for the rest - we'll see

User avatar
hellothere

09 Sep 2021, 23:38

I'll take a crack at it.

I've seen a couple of "red" Alps clones posted here in the recent past, but they're actually more orange in person. In this case, I'd say that there's a possibility that these are Datacomp switches, of which there is a red version. Or, of course, someone put Matias switches in it :D.

I've got no problems calling the red cross-mount switch a Pro World or Key World.

The white one does look like a Futaba MD, but I'm going to go with what I'd like to see and say that they're Cherry M8s with adapters.

User avatar
hellothere

11 Sep 2021, 17:58

1981 Philips 2050
Spoiler:
2021-09-11_08h54_18 - Copy.png
2021-09-11_08h54_18 - Copy.png (2.62 MiB) Viewed 13923 times

Post Reply

Return to “Keyboards”