Restoring 35 Blue ALPS for a 60%

[ramon0xff]

Hi there,

I recently scored a 1€ bag with 35 blue alps switches. They look desoldered (connections are stained). All seem to work fairly right (continuity beeper test). Is there any good cleanup/lube treatment to give them? I want to use them for the A-Z of a 60%, completed with white Alps (as I think I won't find another 35 as cheap as those...).
Also, any good 60% PCB that will take the ALPS? Or shall I go down the diode-soldering path?

[Muirium]

Hasu’s Alps64 PCB is an elegant foundation:

viewtopic.php?f=62&t=14810

I bought one, I think, in 2017. He’s active here at DT and may well still have stock.

Edit: here we go.

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=69740.0

He has the same username here and GH. Always helpful, especially as he’s the firmware sensei!

[Menuhin]

Mu's suggestion is solid - kudos to Mu's helpful and lively presence in DT again in recent months
Alps64 is sturdy PCB with great support of many layouts, and Hasu's support is unmatched among other sellers and manufacturers.

I add one:
https://kprepublic.com/products/xd60-xd ... bar-type-c
Which is a more recent product

For cleaning, it's best if you have an ultrasonic cleansing bath to clean the dissembled parts of the switches before putting them together again.
My blue Alps didn't arrive my home so cheaply, you lucky!

[Hypersphere]

I am not sure, but I think that Hasu might be willing to solder diodes for you if you request this at the time of ordering from him and for an extra fee for the labor and solder, of course.

Has anyone here tried the XD64 ver. 3 PCB? It has the advantage of presoldered diodes, but as a "universal" PCB that can accommodate both mx and Alps switches and many different layouts, are there any issues with there being so many holes, especially in the bottom two rows?

[ramon0xff]

Hasu’s Alps64 PCB is an elegant foundation:
He has the same username here and GH. Always helpful, especially as he’s the firmware sensei!

Lovely! Already know Hasu, in fact I did a fork of tmk to support Adafruit Bluefruit as a BLE HID device (I have in my todo list to try a better integration with qmk's driver). Right now I'm on a model M with a duct-taped adapter running tmk.

[ramon0xff]

I am not sure, but I think that Hasu might be willing to solder diodes for you if you request this at the time of ordering from him and for an extra fee for the labor and solder, of course.

No way! Soldering is half the motivation... by the way... which side was the cathode...

[ramon0xff]

And here is the result! Keys from an ISO AT102W, 1.2mm steel plate from laserboost, 30 ALPS SKCM Blue + the rest Matias clicky.
I'm waiting for a nice wood case.