Hua-Jie Ivory (AK-CN2 Alps clones)

abrahamstechnology · 17 Dec 2018, 18:50

Today I got my sample of AK-CN2 switches from Hua-Jie. wiki/Hua-Jie_AK_series

They are 65gf clicky Alps clones with the small bronze clickers. Testing a few of them out, they are pretty nice. Tactile with a loud click, sounds louder and much less rattly than Matias. There is a slight amount more friction but nothing major.

I plan to order more from Hua-Jie for use in my projects and possibly sell loose switches here and on my Bonanza page.

Anyone else experienced these switches?

Hypersphere · 17 Dec 2018, 20:16

Referring to the Wiki article, are your variants the same as the alps.tw Type T4 or T1? Which variety is found in the SIIG Minitouch or Suntouch Jr.?

Are any of the parts interchangeable with SKCM Alps or Matias switches?

abrahamstechnology · 17 Dec 2018, 21:37

Hypersphere wrote: Referring to the Wiki article, are your variants the same as the alps.tw Type T4 or T1? Which variety is found in the SIIG Minitouch or Suntouch Jr.?

Are any of the parts interchangeable with SKCM Alps or Matias switches?

They seem to be Type T1, and no parts are interchangeable except for the slider (but not on newer Matias switches, since they switched to a smaller proprietary slider)

HuaJie also sent me their latest catalog with all the specs on these switches, so if you have any other questions I can answer them.

Hypersphere · 17 Dec 2018, 23:23

Looks interesting. Update the Wiki maybe?

abrahamstechnology · 17 Dec 2018, 23:59

Here's a sound test. Sorry my camera is pretty bad quality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ceXprtQYV8

Hypersphere · 19 Dec 2018, 22:04

abrahamstechnology wrote:
Hypersphere wrote: Referring to the Wiki article, are your variants the same as the alps.tw Type T4 or T1? Which variety is found in the SIIG Minitouch or Suntouch Jr.?

Are any of the parts interchangeable with SKCM Alps or Matias switches?
They seem to be Type T1, and no parts are interchangeable except for the slider (but not on newer Matias switches, since they switched to a smaller proprietary slider)

HuaJie also sent me their latest catalog with all the specs on these switches, so if you have any other questions I can answer them.

When did Matias change the slider in their switches? I have some Matias Clicks and Matias Quiets that I bought 2 or 3 years ago. I have sometimes used the click leaves and sliders to make hybrid Alps, and I often put a Matias Quiet slider into the spacebar switch on Alps-switch keyboards to silence the spacebar. If the sliders can no longer be used in Alps switches, this is unfortunate for Frankenswitching!

abrahamstechnology · 20 Dec 2018, 04:10

Hypersphere wrote:
abrahamstechnology wrote:
Hypersphere wrote: Referring to the Wiki article, are your variants the same as the alps.tw Type T4 or T1? Which variety is found in the SIIG Minitouch or Suntouch Jr.?

Are any of the parts interchangeable with SKCM Alps or Matias switches?
They seem to be Type T1, and no parts are interchangeable except for the slider (but not on newer Matias switches, since they switched to a smaller proprietary slider)

HuaJie also sent me their latest catalog with all the specs on these switches, so if you have any other questions I can answer them.
When did Matias change the slider in their switches? I have some Matias Clicks and Matias Quiets that I bought 2 or 3 years ago. I have sometimes used the click leaves and sliders to make hybrid Alps, and I often put a Matias Quiet slider into the spacebar switch on Alps-switch keyboards to silence the spacebar. If the sliders can no longer be used in Alps switches, this is unfortunate for Frankenswitching!

Matias sliders fit in Alps but not the other way around. However, the older ones apparently had standard Alps-size sliders as evidenced by this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LL30--M35s

Hypersphere · 20 Dec 2018, 14:50

abrahamstechnology wrote: Matias sliders fit in Alps but not the other way around. However, the older ones apparently had standard Alps-size sliders as evidenced by this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LL30--M35s

I don't recall how old the Matias switches were in a KBP V60 with Matias Click switches when I modded them to hybrid Matias-Blue Alps switches, but the procedure worked. I put SKCM Blue Alps sliders, springs, and click leaves into the Matias housings.

In other news, I received a reply already from Daniel at Keyboard Paradise (KBP) in Taiwan regarding my suggestion to try Hua-Jie AK-CN2 switches in some of their keyboards.

He was very receptive to the idea. He has contacted Hua-Jie. It was news to him that this company existed, and he was pleasantly surprised to learn that they were in Taiwan.

He said he would send me a prototype for testing and asked me to post one or more reviews.

I advocated using the switches in the KBP V60 Type R (completely programmable) keyboard, but he said they were now having difficulty sourcing the ATmega32U4 chips.

It will probably be quite some time before I receive a keyboard with Hua-Jie switches, but as soon as I do, I will test it and post my impressions.

Polecat · 24 Dec 2018, 00:39

I have three of the MiniTouch keyboards with cream clone switches. One of the three has the green, short throw switches on the top row, the other two have creams throughout. I've found these switches to be unreliable in an odd way. If the keyboard sits unused for a while some switches won't register at first, but will start working again once typed on for a bit. I haven't opened them up or tried to clean them, so I don't know what the problem is, or if there's an easy fix. Just throwing that out there in case the Hua-Jie switches are the same ones. I'd very much like to try the Hua-Jie switches in a full-sized steel plate keyboard.

abrahamstechnology · 24 Dec 2018, 16:58

Polecat wrote: I have three of the MiniTouch keyboards with cream clone switches. One of the three has the green, short throw switches on the top row, the other two have creams throughout. I've found these switches to be unreliable in an odd way. If the keyboard sits unused for a while some switches won't register at first, but will start working again once typed on for a bit. I haven't opened them up or tried to clean them, so I don't know what the problem is, or if there's an easy fix. Just throwing that out there in case the Hua-Jie switches are the same ones. I'd very much like to try the Hua-Jie switches in a full-sized steel plate keyboard.

I'll be sure to outfit some AT-101s with them!

abrahamstechnology · 30 Dec 2018, 03:53

Update: You can now pre-order some from me! Prices: viewtopic.php?f=55&t=20484

Hak Foo · 31 Dec 2018, 05:58

Polecat wrote: I have three of the MiniTouch keyboards with cream clone switches. One of the three has the green, short throw switches on the top row, the other two have creams throughout. I've found these switches to be unreliable in an odd way. If the keyboard sits unused for a while some switches won't register at first, but will start working again once typed on for a bit. I haven't opened them up or tried to clean them, so I don't know what the problem is, or if there's an easy fix. Just throwing that out there in case the Hua-Jie switches are the same ones. I'd very much like to try the Hua-Jie switches in a full-sized steel plate keyboard.

It sounds like oxidization-- you see a lot of this in the vintage-audio hobby-- "I just got this 20-year-old amplifier and everything's noisy and intermittent" followed by "exercise the switches a few dozen times, and it usually improves dramatically." There are de-oxidizer products and ones which provide coating/lubrication/etc that might be interesting to experiment with.

Polecat · 31 Dec 2018, 06:16

Hak Foo wrote:
It sounds like oxidization-- you see a lot of this in the vintage-audio hobby-- "I just got this 20-year-old amplifier and everything's noisy and intermittent" followed by "exercise the switches a few dozen times, and it usually improves dramatically." There are de-oxidizer products and ones which provide coating/lubrication/etc that might be interesting to experiment with.

Thanks for the suggestion, that makes sense to me. Dried out lube is another possibility. I repaired TVs and stereo equipment for many years, so I've used most of those cleaning products, with mixed success. Some of them, like the blue foamy tuner cleaner, still give me nightmares. And worn out is worn out. But oxidation or dirty contacts can usually be cleaned up. Opening up some switches would be the next step, and I'm more comfortable doing that with replacements soon to be available. I can do soldering on PC boards all day long, but opening switches scares me half to death!

Hypersphere · 01 Jan 2019, 14:25

@abrahamstechnology: Do you have any of the AK-DN2 (70g clicky) and/or AK-LE (70g tactile) switches? Curious how they compare in practice with the AK-CN2 (60g clicky) switches.

As for the AK-CN2 60g clickies, what would you say is the closest vintage Alps switch? Would it be bamboo white Alps or is the AK-CN2 closer to contemporary Matias click switches (but not as rattly)?

abrahamstechnology · 03 Jan 2019, 23:27

Hypersphere wrote: @abrahamstechnology: Do you have any of the AK-DN2 (70g clicky) and/or AK-LE (70g tactile) switches? Curious how they compare in practice with the AK-CN2 (60g clicky) switches.

As for the AK-CN2 60g clickies, what would you say is the closest vintage Alps switch? Would it be bamboo white Alps or is the AK-CN2 closer to contemporary Matias click switches (but not as rattly)?

Matias, more tactile, louder, and less hollow/rattly sounding.

Also I am pretty sure AK-LE is linear and they mislabeled it, since it has a LED slot.
If this group buy is successful maybe the next time I can bring their entire family of switches over for another one.

Hypersphere · 04 Jan 2019, 00:29

Just now sent you an order for a small sample of the switches. Depending on how the tests go, I might send you an order to cover something like a Dell 101 board if you have any left by that time. Thanks for serving as a go-between with Hua-Jie.

abrahamstechnology · 04 Jan 2019, 00:45

Hypersphere wrote: Just now sent you an order for a small sample of the switches. Depending on how the tests go, I might send you an order to cover something like a Dell 101 board if you have any left by that time. Thanks for serving as a go-between with Hua-Jie.

No problem, I'll be sure to get them to you ASAP.

Hypersphere · 05 Jan 2019, 22:44

Thanks. Just got a notice that the small sample order is on its way, and I received the invoice for a follow-up order of 110 switches. I will probably buy them as long as they are at least as good as Matias Clicks, and from all indications thus far, they will be better. Glad to help efforts to support Alps and Alps clones.