SKCM brown tactile leaf question

[zrrion]

I have heard that some SKCM brown switches have an embossed dot on the tactile leaf but I have not seen any examples. How common are these switches, and is the feel any different?

[andrewjoy]

Browns have a totally different tactile element than any other alps.

Its not just a bent metal leaf , it has a plastic part that a piece of metal fits over

wiki/Alps_SKCM_Brown

They are not very common.

Cannot say how they feel as never used them, but they apparently they feel better.

[Chyros]

I have heard that some SKCM brown switches have an embossed dot on the tactile leaf but I have not seen any examples. How common are these switches, and is the feel any different?

I mentioned this is one of my videos. I think it was just a loose switch though, so I can't really say how it compares.

[zrrion]

Was it similar though? For fun I tried replacing the tactile leaf with a regular contact leaf and it is basically not noticeable so there's got to be something different about it vs. a normal contact leaf.

If you wouldn't mind, could you try putting the tactile leaf w/ the dot into the contact assembly of an skcc switch and see if the switch actuates?
I want to make tactile skcc, and I've tried a brown tactile leaf and the feel is good, but without the dot it would not be able to actuate.

[Hypersphere]

I'm confused. SKCM brown Alps have a tactile assembly that is a modified contact assembly. Are we talking about the contact leaf or the modified tactile assembly that takes the place of the tactile leaf in later tactile Alps switches, such as SKCM orange Alps switches?

The components of SKCM brown Alps switches fit together snugly with very close tolerances. By virtue of the way the tactile assembly works, brown Alps have very pronounced tactilty and feel rather heavy.

[zrrion]

The modified tactile leaf.

[E3E]

Want a quick way to see how they feel? Take some Alps switches you don't care about, the earlier variety with the round dimple on the contact leaf, take the leaves off and swap them onto the dummy plates on your SKCM Brown switches.

That's basically exactly what it is.

[zrrion]

I've tried that and it doesn't feel anything like browns do, so the tactile leaf in browns has to be different is some way I just don't have any examples to test myself.

[Chyros]

The steel is thicker iirc.

[E3E]

The steel is thicker iirc.

Can you do a comparison where you test the loose switch you have with the dimpled leaf as well as a more typical SKCM Brown where you swap the non-dimpled tactile leaf with a dimpled contact leaf of the same style?

I'd like to hear what the differences are in feel, if any. I do wonder what year those tend to be from, as my Xerox 6085 from 1985 has the non-dimpled ones as well, so I'd assume they're either earlier or incredibly late, probably the former.

Also intriguing are the browns that have the totally different leaves without the dummy plate and not anything like SKCM Green leave - more typical really.

[Chyros]

The steel is thicker iirc.

Can you do a comparison where you test the loose switch you have with the dimpled leaf as well as a more typical SKCM Brown where you swap the non-dimpled tactile leaf with a dimpled contact leaf of the same style?

I'd like to hear what the differences are in feel, if any. I do wonder what year those tend to be from, as my Xerox 6085 from 1985 has the non-dimpled ones as well, so I'd assume they're either earlier or incredibly late, probably the former.

Also intriguing are the browns that have the totally different leaves without the dummy plate and not anything like SKCM Green leave - more typical really.

Just tried it out - I only have a single loose SKCM brown, but I switched the dimpled leaf into my Magnavox (which is otherwjise uindimpled) and the difference is immediately obvious. The dimpled switch is both noticeably lighter, as well as considerably less tactile. This also appears to affirm my suspicions that a lot of the weight of SKCM brown comes from the tactile leaf.

For reference, the dimpled switch has a grey switchplate and non-reversible slider. FWIW, I think it's very LATE rather than very early.

[andrewjoy]

Could it also be that the dummy switch plate that acts as the tactile element adds more stability to the slider ( as its physicaly more substantial ) making the switch feel better as there is less movement in the slider so its more consistent and therefore smoother?

[Hypersphere]

Could it also be that the dummy switch plate that acts as the tactile element adds more stability to the slider ( as its physicaly more substantial ) making the switch feel better as there is less movement in the slider so its more consistent and therefore smoother?

Yes, this is what I recall from taking some SKCM brown Alps apart several years ago. My recollection was that the fit of the components was like that of a fine bolt-action rifle. The switches felt like fine machines. Other Alps felt wobbly and rattly in comparison. Much of the perceived weight of brown Alps comes from the tactile assembly rather than the return spring.

[zhoulander]

During restoration of my AEK2 w/Cream Damped I found one of these dimpled tactile leafs. Don't know which key it came from but ended up using it for backspace. It does feel lighter but definitely wasn't from that part of the keyboard. It came out from outside of the 60% part of the board as I had cleaned it in two parts.