Type II/IV Alps inspection assistance

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Yep, APC BSW 055WH and 070WH are not XM part numbers: http://xiangmin.myweb.hinet.net/

In case anyone wanted some brief specs on current XM switches, although the specs aren't terribly useful.

Interestingly, Xiang Min didn't exist until 1994, and they didn't start a plastics division (including keyswitches) until 1997, so any keyboards made before 1994 cannot possibly be XM, and any made before 1997 most likely are not. That means that the vast majority of mantis switches are in fact *NOT* XM!

[maxrunner]

lol....like animal life indeed.

[laffindude]

Reading their history made sense of their naming. X is not used in Taiwanese romanization rule.

As for XM switches... You never know with these Taiwanese companies. They may have acquired equipment from people exiting the business. So they may in fact be using the exact equipment used to make the older switches. I am not saying this is the case, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

You don't count Fukka and Alps simplified as the same switch (while I do – same factory!), so by your arguments, no matter who XM bought tooling from, the earlier switches would still not be XM ;-) The problem is that we don't have an "official" classification yet for switches-that-look-like-XM-and-might-all-be-related, while "Simplified Alps Type I" at least does work as a classification.

[laffindude]

Hahaha, I like to separate the original complex Alps from the simplified. I actually don't know much about Alps. Alps make my head spin... Type classification works, but it looks like the tong shaped contact leaf would not be included in that designation, nor the guillotine style. The small variation on the contact points is lost in that classification, though I am not sure they're significant. Subclassification?

[Daniel Beardsmore]

I have declared the Type * classification to be dead. I'm only going by manufacturer and/or product range now. As such, I'd like some confirmation that "Type III" really is Strong Man, and that a) the Focus FK-2001 used Strong Man switches (some of them have Type III) and b) the Tactile Pro 2 used Strong Man switches — that's what Edgar Matias was told by the OEM, but it has never been conclusively determined.

[laffindude]

He who writes the article gets to decide what to call it ;o

[fossala]

I've just got a fk555, it has some alps stuff in the back of the manual. I'm going to be scanning the whole manual tonight. The alps stuff may be worth reading. Things like it can take 10N (1.02kg) of force for 1min without breaking! Important stuff.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

FWIW, I did actually get a full spec sheet (in Excel format, strangely) from Xiang Min, for the KSB-N, which is their linear switch (lacks the "click blade" as they call it). Hopefully I can obtain a bit more information without completely confusing or alienating them …

[maxrunner]

I've just got a fk555, it has some alps stuff in the back of the manual. I'm going to be scanning the whole manual tonight. The alps stuff may be worth reading. Things like it can take 10N (1.02kg) of force for 1min without breaking! Important stuff.

Can you post pics?

[Daniel Beardsmore]

According to Xiang Min, Ducky keyboards use a customised switch with reduced force – it's not a stock model. Also, the LED model is the "KSB-LE(AK-LE)" though their web page says "KSB-LE KSB-LK" for what I now recognise as the LED version. I don't think you get the LED, just a hole in the case for it, as with Cherry switches. One of them looks like it may be intended for PCB mounting.

I've taken the plunge and asked them a load of questions – not sure how many they'll answer. I've shown them that kbtalking page (hey, they can read that ;) and mentioned that we call everything "XM" regardless of who made it (even, as it turns out, switches made before they started making them) in the West.

Maybe they'll be able to at least offer some tidbits.