deskthority

Quite a helluva good day isn’t it. In fact I’ve been rather busy since Fab started, last week I was less busy and so I logged on DT to see what’s going on...and found several members hauling a hell lot of keyboards back into their vaults. That gave me an itch somehow, so I logged onto good old Taobao to see if I could get something interesting. I know there is an AT in one shop for a while, but the price is a little high, however, I decided to get it before somebody else does, I also asked around to see if those E-waste shop owners got anything new and worth buying listed and you know what, by sheer chance ,there’s a Chicony blue Alps:

the whole gallery is here and the photos are rather large: The shop owner had entitled the item exactly in the correct way, usually Blue Alps keyboards don’t get found easily mainly due to improper titles...I think I was just getting lucky...without any hesitation I bought it, This one is not like the last two I got two months ago( both came without cables and one of them had faulty ICs); this one is in perfect shape and in working order, I am not an Alps guy, however, this thing keeps coming to me. I really love the curve of this keyboard though, you know the DELL 101 has the same curve but the switches on it don’t interest me at all, this one has the right curve and the right switches；it’s pretty clean, only need to blow the dust off...And of course this keyboard will be my daily driver for a couple of days, I just want to know what the fuss is all about, where the fame comes from.

Now let’s talk about the AT:

Surprisingly, this AT is different to my first one acquired two months ago, in many ways. The cable is shorter, softer and thinner and it’s not slick. The plug is different as well, if it weren't for it does have the logo on it, I’d suspect this might not be the original cable.The plug of my first AT carries no IBM logo, is this normal? The touching is not as good as my first AT on which every key including the space bar is consistent and comfortable to type on. On this one the tactility of keys differs row by row, and the space bar is rather heavy that reminds me the NMB keyboards with space invader switches on them. Besides, the “6” and “-” keys of the numpad have funny noises...The mounting plate of this one is coated with a slick thin layer of coating,the color is analogous to gun barrel, but my first AT’s mounting plate is coated with thick coarse coating with skin-like textures on it. Like my first AT, this one is rather new by appearance, but not like the first one which needed no cleanup at all, I notice there is a hell of filth under the key caps of this one. So I decide to take it apart and give it a thorough clean-up and figure out where the funny noise comes from.
The reason there is a sponge sheet between mounting plate and the barrel bases, IMHO, is to protect the PCB from dust and in case when small amount of liquid seeps into the keyboard by accident, and it makes the keyboard quieter as well...I don’t think it matters much, for I don’t mind my F is louder and I won’t spatter any liquid onto it...so I decide not to install it back...for I have two Fs on my hand I am willing to take the risk and eventually it turns out pretty good, now my F is more crispy and feels rather raw, let me put it this way: before, it’s an M16, now, it’s an AK47, if you play CS:GO you know what I mean...

There is nothing unusual about the barrels and flips of the “ 6 ” and ” - ” keys. Now these two keys are completely normal and all keys are consistent except for the space bar. I am not sure it’s because I’ve removed the sponge sheet or it’s because that I twisted the springs a little bit.

So now I end up with 2 Fs, 2 Ms, 1 SSK, 1 Chicony Blue Alps, 1 vintage MX black(I use this one playing CS:GO, really smooth), because I implement strict BUD(Beautifu, Useful and Durable) tenet on collecting stuff, so my collection grows in a slow pace, well, better having the best than most, I don’t want to end up with a basement full of useless craps.

Nice boards! I love my F AT too...I'll have a blue alps one some day soon as well I'm sure and I'm looking forward to that day. Btw, I think the foam mat might have served more of a purpose than you mentioned - I think it was also meant to provide a uniform mating surface between the metal barrel plate and the PCB. But if you've been using it that way without any of the keys/switches going wonky, then perhaps it's not a big deal.

It's compulsive typing on an AT isn't it? I am looking forward to your Blue Alps story...it's true, the sponge will fill the gap(if there is any) between mounting plate and barrel bases, however after almost 3 decades, the sponge itself has almost decomposed into "dust", there is no reason for me to reinstall it back. In fact, it's rather tight in there,glad, I get rid of the sponge sheet and get myself an "AK47":D

Mr.Nobody wrote: It's compulsive typing on an AT isn't it? I am looking forward to your Blue Alps story...it's true, the sponge will fill the gap(if there is any) between mounting plate and barrel bases, however after almost 3 decades, the sponge itself has almost decomposed into "dust", there is no reason for me to reinstall it back. In fact, it's rather tight in there,glad, I get rid of the sponge sheet and get myself an "AK47":D

Haha - I know what you mean. I left my house of cards alone, because as soon as I touch the house of cards it will all fall down and then I will HAVE to take it out. The keys are all perfect at the moment so I have no need to do any further maintenance on it....yes, it's like typing on a small and rhythmic machine gun.

Nice,may I know your Chinese ID ?

heh.
look what i found last week!

hope you enjoy yours as much as i do mine
kb-6153ea btw.

.Citizenation wrote: Nice,may I know your Chinese ID ?

You mean QQ number?

@Harshmallow
Yes, don't fix it if it's not broken.

@al.c
Nice find, the coiled cale is way better than mine, just a little retrobright work will bring the keyboard back into glory,BTW, Mine is a 5161, I don't know what's the difference, what kind of switches are there in your keyboard? According to WIKI, Chicony uses all sorts of switches on their keyboards.

Mr.Nobody wrote:

.Citizenation wrote: Nice,may I know your Chinese ID ?

You mean QQ number?

@Harshmallow
Yes, don't fix it if it's not broken.

@al.c
Nice find, the coiled cale is way better than mine, just a little retrobright work will bring the keyboard back into glory,BTW, Mine is a 6151, I don't know what's the difference, what kind of switches are there in your keyboard? According to WIKI, Chicony uses all sorts of switches on their keyboards.

Okay that's nice.

When I met you in the summer.

Mr.Nobody wrote: @al.c
Nice find, the coiled cale is way better than mine, just a little retrobright work will bring the keyboard back into glory,BTW, Mine is a 5161, I don't know what's the difference, what kind of switches are there in your keyboard? According to WIKI, Chicony uses all sorts of switches on their keyboards.

blue alps, de layout, made in taiwain. the wiki's model table (wiki/NTC_KB-6151) needs a little update

this thing feels amazing, the metal mounting plate makes a huge difference.
i think mine took a fair bit of punishment though, that slight bend around f4/f5 is not a camera artifact! and the num lock key doesn't work. but if i press numpad 8 and 9 together the num led flashes. i guess yours doesn't do that?

At first the "1" and "0" keys didn't register, after several presses they were awakened,now everything is working as it should be...The keyobard is in rather good condition, it doesn't seem it has been used much.
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