Found an Ortek MCK-201

[Noise Maker]

Hello, DESKTHORITY,
I'm a new member, I didn't see a welcome subforum, so I shall integrate my introduction with this post.
I like old or mechanical keyboards and try to buy them cheaply from people who don't really know what they're selling. So far I've only had 2 mechanical keyboards, an NMB RT101+ and an Ortek MCK-201. I sold the NMB, because I don't have enough money to seriously start to collect mechanical keyboards.

I found an old Ortek MCK-201 with (I think) ALPS switches. I bought it from a guy with a few other keyboards for 4 bucks each.
Here are a few pics I made. I know it's dirty (it was literally covered in dust when I bought it, though). I'll clean it later. http://imgur.com/a/NYZNp#0

The keyboard is fully functioning.

I have a few questions, though:

1. I couldn't find the keyboard anywhere for sale, except here:
http://www.bolha.com/racunalnistvo/tipk ... 1380738741
I doubt 90,00 € is the real price. I want to sell it, because I need the money. Any idea how much an Ortek MCK-201 goes for?
When I have more time I plan to check ALPS keyboards from that year and try to guess the price.

2. What's the difference between MCK-201 and MCK-201 SX/FX/FT

3. Some keycaps (ESC, several F-keys, etc.) are very easy to remove. Others aren't, though. Is it OK to forcefully remove them?

4. I've seen the Ripster guide for taking apart ALPS. It seems likely that I will break some if I were to open them. But I want to clean the keyboard as much as possible. Will opening the keyboard somehow jiggle the ALPS or something? I might open them up (something like Scroll Lock or Pause) and post a guide for those specific ALPS on the Wiki.

5. Are those complicated ALPS?

6. When was it made? I think the date would be stamped inside the keyboard on the parts, like it was inside an NBM RT101+ I once had.

Thanks for the answers, it's the first ALPS keyboard I've ever owned, but sadly I have to sell it for profit.
I might be able to get a whole lot more keyboards, mice and old IBM PCs. I will post everything once I buy them.

[tlt]

My tip is to not clean stuff that does not need to be cleaned. Clean the caps and the case thoroughly. The PCB and plate might only need to be dusted, canned air is a good and safe way to do that. Cleaning inside switches might be needed if something sticky has been spilled in it but start with poring alcohol in it and see if that helps before you try to open it. There is always a risk of breaking old keyboard when taking them apart. They are often not made to be taken apart many times and especially not after 20+ years when the plastic in them is old and brittle.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

My current theory is that anything with the mould numbered S:#A## (like yours) is a Himake switch (now part of the Hua-Jie group). In most cases it will be a Himake AK-CN2 — the exotic variants really are very rare, and I've only seen AK-CN2 switches in Orteks so far (those and genuine Alps). However, I do notice that your switch is yellow, which is really rare. The only yellow AK-CN2s I've seen are in the SIIG MiniTouch, and they're a special reduced travel version; I haven't got a clue what the rationale is behind their design. It's conceivable that you have one of the exotic variants.

Himake switches (and presumably Xiang Min KSB-LE, which uses the same contact assembly) are a nightmare to reassemble while soldered, so avoid opening any switches unless you plan to desolder them. The chief issue seems to be that the static contact plate is an extremely tight fit in the support grooves in the upper shell. I've actually destroyed a switch from the amount of force required to open it — I actually tore a hole right through the plastic and ripped apart the movable contact before the shell would come apart. (Simplified Alps/Fuhua is the opposite: they barely require any force at all.)

I wouldn't worry about opening the keyboard itself too much. If it's all screws, you're fine. The only risk is with ones that snap together — I've broken one of the lugs on my Peerless trying to reassemble it.

[Noise Maker]

Thanks for the response. I see there are plenty of things to learn about clones.
Daniel Beardsmore, you said in a thread on geekhack, " So much cloning, so much confusion.". It feels like there is a lot of things about Cherry MX and Alps clones that could only be found on Asian sites. I will probably ask someone who knows Chinese or Taiwanese to help with the research.
Here a few pictures I made while cleaning the keyboard. I was in a bit of a rush, so some pictures are quite smudgy.
http://imgur.com/a/ikX8s#0
Tomorrow I'll try to remove the case (or shell, I don't know the terminology) and post better pictures. Also I'll clean the keys more thoroughly. In a few days I could probably find someone to open several switches (they're soldered to the board and I can't solder).

[Daniel Beardsmore]

The Alps clone confusion is reduced somewhat since the time I likely wrote that, but there are still a lot of unknown clone manufacturers (those responsible for the ATW, D-TRNS, SFON and GA clones in particular). The ones that really bug me are the KPT-type switches, which aren't actually Alps clones. So far as I know, nothing more is known about Alps clones in China than we know in the West; I am not sure about Cherry MX clones though.

Interesting that it's got a plastic plate — I'd never seen that before I got my NTC KB-6251, and now it keeps cropping up.

[dorkvader]

Interesting that it's got a plastic plate — I'd never seen that before I got my NTC KB-6251, and now it keeps cropping up.

The keypot / vivanco KPT84 was infamous for having one as well. So much so that there was an IC for a GB on GH for a metal replacement plate some time ago.
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=25313.0

Sadly it stalled due to lack of interest. There aren't too many keyboards with plastic plates. Customs aside, one of the others is the "alps-u-lator". these were the two main objects of interest back in the day (2011 I would guess) with plastic plates. I'm surprised you didn't hear of it then.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

A group buy to replace the plate in a KPT keyboard? OK, now that, I wasn't expecting. Then again, I can see why it stalled! KPT is more complicated though, as it either has its own clone army, or they were plotting my sanity's downfall from afar.

I didn't start researching keyboards until late 2012.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

2. What's the difference between MCK-201 and MCK-201 SX/FX/FT

See [wiki]Ortek compact series[/wiki] — I am suspecting that SX means genuine Alps (complicated originally, simplified later) and FX means Alps clones, based on what I've found so far. I've not been keeping a tally, but maybe one day I'll go on another hunt and count up how many matches I find, and see if there are any non-matches.

I've never seen an FT, so I don't know what those are.