WTB: Alps SKFF double action keyswitch

nama

24 Aug 2023, 10:27

Hi all,
A friend and I have been repairing an old Apple III. He did the electronics, while I tidied up the bodywork. We're In New Zealand and Apple III systems are very rare here, and although the system was a disaster, we decided to restore it. It took some time.

Here are some before photos:
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and some after photos:
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As you can probably see I have a broken Alps SKFF double action keyswitch. It's the last thing we need to find to complete the project.
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Hoping someone here may have one spare that I could purchase from them.

Thanks!!!!
Philip

User avatar
Muirium
µ

24 Aug 2023, 11:56

Very nice work! And what a lot of work, too. That was one hell of a fixer upper. The worst I've ever faced was a water damaged beamspring from the infamous Dresden Rustmeister…
Spoiler:
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Can't help you on the double-action Alps front. Those are very rare indeed, so I gather, as so few keyboards ever used them. You're missing 1 of the 4 arrow keys which used them? I’m guessing the cap is long gone as well.

nama

25 Aug 2023, 23:11

Hi,
Yes, the keycap is long gone unfortunately, but I have an old apple II keyboard that I have been using for parts (see the '.' keycap on the number pad, and also I have used a lot of keyswitches too) that has identical shaped keycaps which I could use. Obviously the colour would be wrong, but if I feel so inclined I could paint it I guess.

User avatar
Muirium
µ

26 Aug 2023, 00:30

Yeah… I wouldn’t paint it, if I were you. Caps are easy to mess up quite badly, and paint will never look right instead of a double shot legend, and will surely wear off with use. Sourcing another Apple III part is sufficiently difficult to pave the way to extreme measures, but… :lol:

nama

26 Aug 2023, 01:33

Yes...agreed. I wasn't planning on painting it for all the reasons you mentioned.

User avatar
hellothere

03 Sep 2023, 19:12

If I don't contact you in a week, PM me. I think I have a Canon typewriter lying around. It's buried in a bunch of other stuff. I don't remember if it's an AP-400.

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