Jing Mold Electronic Technology JKB-6151 - Clicky White Alps

[Compgeke]

Ignoring the long name in front as found by the FCC ID, I picked this thing up with a couple random things for $5. Haven't tested yet but it was clicky which is why I grabbed it. Interestingly it has an XT\AT switch and a PS/2 cable. I suppose one could use an adapter but it would've made more sense to make you use an adapter for PS/2 and put a 5-pin DIN on it.

Pretty average late-80s, early-90s look. Big enter key, small back space...typical of the time.


Curious to know why the keycaps weren't worn and what switch it was I found some double-shot keycaps, a tad surprising for a no-name keyboard.


The switches? Clicky White Alps, I want to say SKCM.


And finally the label.

[Hak Foo]

Since the PS/2 models 25 and 30 are basically XT-class machines, do they speak the XT protocol to their keyboards?

[Compgeke]

As far as I know they're plain PS/2. I know someone with a Model 25 so I'll ask tomorrow what his uses.

I know some oddities like the Tandy 1000 RLX seemed to only work with Model Ms so I wonder if it spoke XT over PS/2 plug.

[Compgeke]

Slight update on functional status. It seems that it somewhat works, has some dead keys and unless you kit the keys dead center the switches seem to not want to slide down straight. I have a feeling this one might either have been stored in a not-that-ideal area and has some dirt in the switches or it's just heavily worn.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Curious to know why the keycaps weren't worn and what switch it was I found some double-shot keycaps, a tad surprising for a no-name keyboard.

I don't know how badly older, thick-ink pad printing wears, on the basis that any keyboards with bad keycap wear would most likely get discarded, not sold.

Pad printing is not guaranteed to wear. The problem with pad printing is not that it's certain to wear, but that it can wear, while double-shot moulding does not wear.

Double-shot keycaps were fairly common on keyboards in the 80s and 90s, including the numerous "no name" companies such as Keypot and Oriental Tech. There were a number of double-shot manufacturers on the go at the time, most notably Tai-Hao, who as you know retained the tooling and still make double-shot keycaps to this day.

It may seem strange, but consider that even the "no-name" keyboards often had steel plates in them.

The switches? Clicky White Alps, I want to say SKCM or SKCM Dampened.

The dampened variety don't click.

It seems that it somewhat works, has some dead keys and unless you kit the keys dead center the switches seem to not want to slide down straight.

White Alps seems to have a real problem with that; I don't know why.