1988 Microtek XT/AT - rare switches

[Bjerrk]

I recently got this Microtek-branded XT/AT switchable keyboard:


It looks like a rebranded Tai-Hao TH-5150, with a few cosmetic changes.
It was pretty grimy when I got it:


As you can tell, it has some quite rare switches. The almighty Wiki calls them USw LMBW02. They're linear, and completely MX compatible. Here I've fitted a Gateron Blue for comparison:

They're very easy to disassemble - you simply "pop out" the external slider legs, and lift the entire slider up. It can be done with nothing but a small screwdriver. However, the switches seem very sensitive to deformations in the contact leaf, and several of them didn't register properly when I tested the keyboard. My attempts at rectifying this by bending the metal leaves did work, but ended up changing the feel of the switch as well. In the end, I concluded that the switches felt like worse MX Blacks, so I ended up desoldering them and substituting some vintage Cherry MX Blacks.
I think that more or less resulted in a keyboard that feels like it was originally intended to ...

Here's a video of me not typing on the board, after giving it a thorough cleaning (and replacing the switches).

The chassis is very simple - sturdy plastic front, metal backplate as well as a pretty hefty plate for the switches. Seems like it will outlast us all

[StringyBliss]

Good job! Did you end up keeping the single MX Blue switch?

[Bjerrk]

Good job! Did you end up keeping the single MX Blue switch?

No, all Black now.

By the way, one might complain that I didn't include the model sticker - but there isn't really one. All that's on the back is this production sticker:

[Bjerrk]

I ended up giving it a bit of a makeover.

Before/after:

[ddrfraser1]

Great color. Good job

[Muirium]

Both before and after are quite tasty. The caps need some de-yellowing love though. I’m not usually a retrobright advocate, but right now they’re higgledy piggledy, like an old smoker’s teeth!