New name for SMK "clicky" switches

[Daniel Beardsmore]

I picked up three keyboards cheap today (including a NIB G84-4400PPAGB/01 and a completely unbranded Fujitsu Peerless).

One is a Tulip ATK 03.01.44 with ivory or cream (depending on aging) SMK switches. They're the sort with a tall, negative cross mount: http://deskthority.net/wiki/File:Switch ... _cross.svg

Only, they're tactile. We already know that they made white tactile "Montereys" for Apple, but they also clearly made white tactile switches for Tulip as well.

We need:

a) A list of colours and their corresponding feel, starting with white = soft tactile (Tulip ATK 03.01.44)

b) A new name that covers the "tinker toy"/"baling wire" range, including Montereys

(I assume that mine have the modified tactile-only leaf — the switches are a real pain to get apart and I'd have to spend some time trying to get one open. It does make for a very nice switch though.)

[webwit]

including a NIB G84-4400PPAGB/01 and a completely unbranded Fujitsu Peerless

My condolences.

a) A list of colours and their corresponding feel, starting with white = soft tactile (Tulip ATK 03.01.44)

For your list, SMK switches on the Tulip ATK 02.01.01 - you decide on the name of the color...
Light tactile, clicky Cherry MX Blue like.







I don't know about a new name.

Tulip didn't make stuff, so I wonder who's the OEM. Despite its ugliness (yellowed, big-ass Enter), you got to admire the quality, as in double shots, mechanical, metal plate, cable guidance, in what would have been a simple OEM keyboard at the time.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Interesting, my keyboard is identical to yours, down to the yellowing, except for two differences: tactile switches, and true ISO layout (i.e. not ISO shoehorned into bigass enter like my other Tulip) (and a different serial number format).

It's a really nice board (I've just connected it up for the first time, using your AT to PS/2 from the MiniTouch). The switches are pretty much exactly what you'd want from tactile: smooth travel, precise tactile feel, deep but soft clack and a firm level of force. It's like a tactile version of blue Alps (possibly what orange Alps would feel like.)

This is what I was hoping Matias would have pulled off, but these switches are much smoother than Matias's. 50 p got me a better tactile board than anything on the market today! Except for a missing F1 keycap, and I never use F1 anyway. Baling wire or no baling wire, SMK knew how to make switches!

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Also, no branding on the visible parts of the PCB, the same as with my Alps Tulip board. I've confirmed that the switches cannot be opened while soldered in place: the top of the shell clips to the plate from below.

[webwit]

I really like this SMK switch and the feel and sound of the keyboard. I find these superior to MX Blue for example.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

I wish I'd kept my Monterey board now – I barely used it before I sold it off. Seemed decent enough.

Trying the G84 now – switches are pretty decent, but the layout is annoying.

[webwit]

Hit the keys on the G84 off-center.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

I'm familiar with the idea that they bind off-centre. The problem is greatly overstated, at least when considering my NIB board. I do drop a few letters, but I cannot attribute that to binding, as I cannot replicate that problem by pressing switches off-centre. I cannot rule out acclimatisation due to the reduced travel and sharper force curve compared to MX blue, same as I dropped a lot of letters when first using a Unicomp.

ML is a really nice switch. The G84 layout on the other hand, is abominable, and the reason why I've never wanted to spend a lot of money on one.

As for SMK, I'm going with "SMK second generation" on the basis that the "vintage" switches seemed to fall out of use mid 80s, similar to the time that the newer switches came into use. I'm not aware of any SMK switches besides these two families, and most likely a membrane family used by Apple around 1990.

I've taken the opportunity of the glorious weather to snap a load of shots of the 4400, the 03.01.44 and the SMK switches. Incidentally, the last two digits of the Tulip model numbers appear to be the layout in terms of international calling codes (01 for US(/NL), and 44 for UK). The remaining four digits don't make any sense yet. Tulip boards seem to be quite rare, which is a real shame.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Tulip didn't make stuff, so I wonder who's the OEM. Despite its ugliness (yellowed, big-ass Enter) ...

Those complaints aside, it's a rather nice design I think. Here's an identical, potentially Sony keyboard:

http://www7.ocn.ne.jp/~hisao/image/pcy333.htm

He does not say whether either this or the Epson PCBKB5 are clicky. Both have the black, curvy leaf from the white "Monterey" switch (which is tactile), although I don't know whether the slider shape has any effect on the click. (My Tulip keyboard is far too nice to risk destroying it in a lousy attempt to completely disassemble it.)

The PCB has SMK's name and logo on it, so they themselves may be the OEM.