Alps & Alps clone switch talk

#46

Lubing ALPS is a venture I haven’t tried yet, but from the research I’ve done it seems like this Finish line dry lube is the most recommended. The common opinion is a wet lube like Krytox or Tribosys would do more harm than good for ALPS switches due to them being so sensitive to dust & particularities. Be sure to post your results whatever you decide on, I’m pretty curious about this subject also! :metal:

#47

I’ve also seen that recommended quite a bit. I definitely want to stay away from wet lubes due to dust and particulates (those are what I have to clean out to begin with!).

I have some of this stuff which I’ve used on normal mx switches in the past and seem decent. I think it will work fine for alps.

#48

Just don’t breath it in. Didn’t they decide that anything with ptfe is cancerous?

#49

I think the product that you linked is very similar to what I suggested. I don’t see a problem other than like @pixelpusher said to apply it in a well ventilated area & try to avoid breathing it in. Also the fact that it is a dry powder may be even better than Finishline because that goes on wet. Looking forward to your results after you get around to it!

#50

Well, seems that I’ll get cancer. Managed to breathe in the powder accidentally a couple of times. Oops?

#51

LOL, as long as you didn’t breathe a ton of it in I think you’ll be fine!

#52

Well, I basically looked like this after blowing into the container…

#53

I know that this is an older thread, but I wanted to chime in and say that I’ve used Finish line dry lube also. It’s not actually dry, but will dry after application. I’ve always assembled and let it dry on its own for a day or three before soldering/using.

I usually use a paintbrush and pop the top of the bottle so I can dunk and apply with a small paint brush (talking watercolor, not chip brush). I wouldn’t stick my face right over the bottle, but with the paintbrush method, you don’t get much of the fumes and it applies fairly evenly.

Also, the small bottle someone else linked is more than enough for a lot of switches. I’ve done 120 on 1/3rd of a bottle and still probably had more than half of that left.

#54

i heard there’s some pretty cool Alps patches for sale in the Marketplace :eyes:

#55

I am currently running a group buy for Hua-Jie’s AK-CN2 Alps clones. They are more tactile and louder than Matias.

#56

Just tried this with a salmon and a cream damped and it’s pretty great as well!
Do you know why this specific combination works so well?
The sliders differences are easier to see, and I heard the springs in orange are lighter than the other two, but what are the differences between orange, salmon and cream top/bottom housing, switch plate and tactile leaf?

#57

Reviving this again, I just got my hands on a really nice and clean M0116 with orange alps.
Now I understand what everyone said about clean alps, to be fair, it’s the first time I try oranges, but man they feel like one thousand times better than the kinda dirty salmons I had tried until now! Cannot stop typing with them :joy:

To the point, I would really like to use the M0116 caps in a custom 60%, but I can’t find a PCB that is compatible with the layout. Is there anything out there that I can use? Is handwiring the only way to get to use these caps? Has anyone done this before? I’m guessing I can cut the plate at least…

Thanks guys

#58

Yeah you’d have to handwire to get the bottom row of the M0116 on custom. The 60% PCBs I know of that support ALPS are either a regular ANSI or AEK layout. Honestly I would say to go with the AEK layout if you can. Not only would it make getting a plate & PCB much easier, you would also have a proper space bar with a centered switch.

For me the small off center switched spacebar on the M0116 is what killed it for me. I tried everything but not matter what I did it binded very easily on any presses other than ones on the right side. I could see that type of spacebar being a real problem on a custom build.

#59

Thanks, I didn’t even know that the switch of that spacebar wasn’t centered , that’s hilarious.
Apple always doing weird stuff or what? :laughing:
I actually need to swap the ‘d’ for the ‘f’ and the ‘k’ fro the ‘j’ when I type with these keyboards because the homing bumps in the wrong finger makes my brain hurt :sweat_smile:

#60

I can’t believe the deal I just ran into, I just scored a super clean Magnavox Videowriter with SKCM browns for a really good price! :partying_face: The pics looked great (the one showing switches made it look like the board was barely used TBH!) & the seller rated the switches an 8 out of 10 minimum. Wasn’t expecting to get a board with my holy grail switches tonight, but I’ll take it! Now I just need to decide if I want to just convert it or harvest the switches, really tough decision there! :metal:

#61

send to me, please. thx

#62

LOL, sorry bud been looking for one of these at a reasonable price for way too long to do that. Seriously though there is another one on r/mechmarket for $235 right now that looks very clean also.

Edit: https://www.reddit.com/r/mechmarket/comments/aq2crj/usil_h_vintage_keyboards_ibm_m_f122_alps_skcm/

#63

oh, i’ve been eyeing that one. Have to convince myself to spend money on it though. He says he’ll convert it to USB for $20 too. Seems like a nice board. I’ve never tried browns. I’ve only had white, black, salmon, dampened cream, green, orange and yellow. My favorite are the whites because I got some NoS and they feel amazing. I’ve heard great things about browns though.

#64

Yeah, it is a pretty penny even if it is a good deal. Clean Browns are something else though, they have a super unique feel due to the plastic dummy plate they use for their tactile leaf. I did a build for a friend with them a few months back & have been on the search ever since. Unfortuantely Browns command a crazy price loose or in board so when I saw the one I grabbed for $215 I just couldn’t pass it.

#65

I’m typing on some skcm browns right now and can attest that they are worth the pretty penny. They sound and feel glorious.