Simplified Alps Type II

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Or, Digging Deep, Where Lemmings Fear to Descend

Scouring of the Intarwebz has turned up some interesting information, specifically, the part numbers in bold below:

Xiang Min PN	Hua-Jie PN	Type	Mount
KSB-C	AK-CN2 (2)	Clicky	Alps (plate)
KSB-N	AK-DN2 (2)	Linear	Alps (plate)
KSB-C	AK-CN2	Clicky	Alps (plate)
KSB-N	AK-DN2	Linear	Alps (plate)
KSB-LE	AK-LE	LED	Alps (plate)
KSB-LK	AK-LK	Lock	Alps (plate)
KSBF	AKF-CN2	Clicky	PCB
KSBG-C	AK-CCF1	Clicky	Other
KSBG-N	AK-DCF1	Linear	Other
?	AK-C5	Clicky	Alps (plate)
?	AK-D5	Linear	Alps (plate)

The correspondence between Xiang Min switches and Hua-Jie switches is remarkable. Nearly every Hua-Jie switch has a Xiang Min equivalent.

I've also found a company that claims to manufacture switches with Xiang Min plastics (north numbering) but Hua-Jie (AK-*) part numbers. This company may no longer be trading, as their websites are squatted.

As such, I think it's clear that, despite no confirmation from Xiang Min or Hua-Jie about this, they are the same switches. The metal parts are identical, but the shells are from different moulds (different bottom, different plate retention clips, and different numbering).

I don't pretend to have any idea how Asia does business, nor who exactly really makes these switches. I only know that they're all very closely related. One website provided a PDF spec sheet, which ended up being a mangled HiMAKE (Hua-Jie) spec with Hua-Jie details overlaid on it.

Xiang Min labelled my samples with both part number series, but they gave me "KSB-C/AK-CN2" and "KSB-N/AK-DN2". In fact, KSB-C and KSB-N are AK-CN2 (2) and AK-DN2 (2) respectively: Hua-Jie showed me that the (2) refers to the modern "gilded" design that you find in Xiang Min switches.

Xiang Min sent me samples of KSB-LE and KSBF, but Hua-Jie told me that everything but AK-CN2 and AK-DN2 is phased out, i.e. they don't sell the equivalent AK-LE. (Although the samples I received were AK-CN2 (2) and AK-DN2 (2).) AK-LK is meant to be their latching lock switch — I shall see if Xiang Min can tell me more about KSB-LK, as I love latching lock switches, and this may be what's used in some Focus keyboards (the only exposed lock switch I've actually seen, is in Trent's FK-8000, and it's a Futaba of some kind).

I am almost tempted to resurrect the term "Simplified Alps Type II", but I have one ultimate reason for not doing so: Alps never made these switches!

Confusing, but it's better to have some knowledge, than no knowledge!

PS phpBB 3 tables are a fetid abomination, and whichever cretin designed them should be subject to public humiliation. Or maybe just set on fire.

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[maxrunner]

which ones are considered inferoir/bad type II and IV?

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Type IV (which may be more than one switch) is rare. "Type II" has a bad reputation for very stiff switches, but in reality, it depends on the keyboard. For example, many Ducky DK1008 and DK1087 keyboards use Xiang Min switches, but they had the force lowered, and people are fairly positive about them — still wobbly, but no complaints about stiffness. General reading around shows that Alps clones vary a lot in stiffness. Since most switch manufacturers and models remain unknown, it's very hard to get a handle on which specific products are the issue.

My Type IV board is definitely on the stiff side, and the Filco Zero XM was also way too stiff. Maybe the Diatec QC staff is just one man: Edward Jackhammerhands.

The SIIG MiniTouch I have is almost impossible to use, even worse than the Zero — why anyone would make switches that stiff is beyond me, yet some people do like the Hua-Jie MiniTouches. Maybe they got ones with weaker springs?