AT101W with Dye Sublimation

[Inxie]

Hello, I am glad to be here, using my freshly click modded AT101W (took me a whopping 6 hours to complete but well worth it), and I noticed something odd. In Chyros video and in some Wiki's, it states that the AT101 uses Dye Sublimation, whereas the AT101W does not. My AT101W does however use Dye Sublimation, and was curious as to if anyone else then had a AT101W that wasn't laser etched? I still have the original computer this keyboard came with, which is a Dell Optiplex GXa (Pentium II class machine).

Here's a picture of some of the keycaps: https://i.imgur.com/Sm4R0mt.jpg

(I also modified the LED's with red/amber LED that are dim).

[//gainsborough]

What does the underside of the cap look like?

[fohat]

the AT101 uses Dye Sublimation, whereas the AT101W does not.

That is a vastly over-simplified generalization.

I have bought even original old-logo AT101s with ABS caps and black switches. An acetone test is the way to be certain whether they are ABS or PBT.

[Inxie]

I'm just going on what I've read in wiki's and what was mentioned in videos.

Here's the underside:
https://i.imgur.com/yr6QPyy.jpg

And here are better shots of the top side:
https://i.imgur.com/QaQmlZu.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/agdiz5o.jpg

[//gainsborough]

Based on the cap underside it shouldn’t be PBT which makes me think it’s very likely not dye-sub. Maybe it’s a pad printing?

[Inxie]

Usually with pad printed, you can see a bump under the right lighting angles, but there's nothing here.

What I know it's not: Pad printed, double shot, laser etched.

https://i.imgur.com/oo97Jfq.jpg (Angled under light to show the lack of bump).

https://i.imgur.com/jXX1qG2.jpg (As close of a macro as I can get with my camera).

[Myoth]

that surely is pad printed, dye subs don't have bars, they have dots (for At101 at least)

[Inxie]

that surely is pad printed, dye subs don't have bars, they have dots (for At101 at least)

It's kinda dotty, don't you think? https://i.imgur.com/BByC2K3.png

[Myoth]

no

[Inxie]

Well that would be PBT, but I can garantee it's not PBT. It simply doesn't have the characteristics of pad printing. So I can tell with full confidence that it is not Pad printed, laser etched, or double shot.

I however have not seen where dye sublimation can *only* be used with PBT, perhaps it's possible to use it elsewhere. Because like I said, with pad printing, you can see an outline of the pad usually larger than the printing itself, like as seen in this picture: http://xahlee.info/kbd/keyboard_keycap_printing.html

However, it's clear that this keycap does not have this whatsoever. Pad printing would also give a slight bump, but there is none. I simply cannot with reason believe this to be pad printed. It lacks the characteristics (i.e. the clear coat for example).

Also, pad printing generally falls apart, right? I've had this keyboard since it was new, it's been used for a very long long time, for a lot of hours, yet there's not a single bit of wear. Now call me optimistic, but that'd make it possibly one of the most reliable pad printing I've ever seen.

[Inxie]

The FCC ID is GYUM92SK, and from the FCC's website is dated 1995-06-26 (the keyboard appears to be older than the computer by a couple years, which isn't out of the ordinary if it was warehoused).

[Myoth]

f-o-r-s-a-l-e-f58/dell-at101-bnib-with- ... 16198.html

it's suspected to be UV printed, but nothing is sure.

[Inxie]

UV printing could be a possibility actually. I wasn't aware of UV printing.