deskthority

In order to improve the sound and feel of my Northgate Omnikey 101 with SKCM White ("Bamboo" -- no slits) Alps switches, I decided to swap out not only the top switch housings, but also the sliders and return springs from SKCM Orange Alps switches, which have "Pine" (with slits) top switch housings. The bottom housings, switchplates, and click leaves from the White Alps switches were retained.

This White-Orange hybridization resulted in an improved sound and feel of the former Bamboo White Alps switches. The transformed board no longer has the rattly quality of Bamboo White Alps switches. It is quieter overall and a bit more like typing on Blue Alps, but with a more solid sound and feel (imparted at least to some degree by the Northgate chassis).

For comparison, here is my Leading Edge DC-3014 with SKCM Blue Alps:
And a waveform from an audio recording of the following keystrokes: -09 poi lkj ,mn Backspace x 3 Enter x 3 Spacebar x3
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Here is my Omnikey 101 being transformed into a White-Orange hybrid:
And a waveform from an audio recording of the Omnikey 101 with White-Orange hybrid switches (same keystrokes as those recorded on the Blue Alps board):
Finally, here is a video comparison: Of course, I should have done a before and after comparison of the Omnikey 101, but true to my usual habit, I didn't think of doing any documentation until the transformation was well underway. Nevertheless, I can say that the keyboard sounds and feels better than it did before. However, I also changed too many variables at once, so I cannot say which one or which combination of changes did the trick. Suffice it to say that it is a delight to type on -- sure and precise, solid and rattle-free.

As I've done with my other Northgates, this board has an internal Orihalcon-Soarer converter with a panel-mount micro-USB connector for a detachable micro-USB cable.