IBM 5954339

[HaaTa]

See http://deskthority.net/deskthority-awar ... t4550.html for more pics.

[fossala]

Just got mine in the post. You are correct, they're fantastic switches. Did you say you where going to make a converter for the board.

Sorry to the guys who wanted to buy this of me after I found it wasn't a BS, I will be keeping it at least for the time being. It looks even better in person.
EDIT: My board is different to yours HaaTa, mine has no english on it at all. The font on mine seems bolder. I will take pictures In a second.

EDIT2: Here are some pictures.

[dirge]

Wow, more photo's please they look great.

[HaaTa]

Yours looks to be the Chinese version.
As for a converter, I parsed the pin-out last week, so now I just need to stick a logic analyzer to it and figure it out.

In worst case it won't have release signals, and then it would require a drop-in. Dunno if I'll have enough time for that before I go back to Canada (won't be taking this board with me, or any of my recent acquisitions; going into storage).

[fossala]

I'll cross my fingers. Thanks HaaTa.

[webwit]

Nonono, just carefully put them back in the boxes and send them to me.

[fossala]

What box, I put it in the bin after opening it. Had no use for it...

[HaaTa]

webwit, Parak may have access to more of them. Also NIB (different source, not from ebay).

[fossala]

webwit, Parak may have access to more of them. Also NIB (different source, not from ebay).

I thought they where wihout cases?

[Soarer]

Typing this on my 6112884, the Japanese version of this 'board, having replaced its CPU with a Teensy...

6112884_with_teensy.jpg (168.58 KiB) Viewed 9966 times

I've gone with a plug in approach, first replacing the CPU with a socket. Then 8 pins made using bell wire connect the sense rows, and 2 more just hold the other side in place. More bell wire used to hook up power and ground, and the 4 lines to the multiplexed column strobes.

The mapping isn't quite there yet, and the rhs of the main block is a bit annoying to use - the tiny enter, and the tiny backspace... although the most annoying thing about the backspace isn't the size, it's that it's not up at the corner of the block because of the extra column of keys. Some keycap swapping required!

Activation point is pretty high on these switches - a bit of a hair trigger effect! Quite tiring on the fingers if you bottom out. So, with a light touch, quite nice, but I'm a clumsy oaf

But...

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Am I right in thinking that these switches are pin-compatible with Alps SKCL/SKCM? The switchplates appear to be identical, so the spacing and stagger of the pins should be the same. I imagine the plate holes are the wrong size and shape though.

[Soarer]

Switch...

6112884_switch_plan.jpg (108.46 KiB) Viewed 9937 times

6112884_switch_oblique.jpg (134.79 KiB) Viewed 9937 times

BIG clips holding the plate...

6112884_switch_side.jpg (160.31 KiB) Viewed 9937 times

'4A' is the switch pictured above...

6112884_PCB_footprints.jpg (201.85 KiB) Viewed 9937 times

Since SKCL/SKCM are the common 'modern' Alps, that would be a 'no'

Well, the pin spacing might be the same, but on these T mounts the pins are at the side. Of course the switches could be rotated, but it does seem like this is the 'preferred' orientation, just as with common Alps the pins are usually toward the 'north' edge of the footprint.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

This is the switch:

http://www7.ocn.ne.jp/~hisao/image/paso700.htm

You can just make out the same four solder points per switch on his Pasopia keyboard, yet the switch clearly only has two pins! I don't know if there are just very flat jumper wires under the switches? There doesn't appear to be room for that, either.

MouseFan does not mention anything about this, or whether it's compatible with SKCL/SKCM.

[Soarer]

There are separate diodes on this board, very regularly laid out. The switches only have two pins.

edits...

Actually, yes - the pin spacings appear to be identical, and are not quite in line with each other, just as the later Alps.

Switch body is shorter than more recent Alps - wasn't expecting that, although the reduced travel gives a clue.

Plate holes are noticably larger, by a mm or more on each side.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Doh, I see it now.

Apple had a penchant for mounting some switches sideways — seems a bit daft as it required custom keycap moulds.

However, the keycaps for these switches are orientation-free, so you could seemingly mount these switches on an SKCL/SKCM PCB and just rotate all the keycaps.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Case in point: http://kbtalking.cool3c.com/article/29717 — Apple orientated them the same as SKCL/SKCM. These are "bi" switches (orientation independent :)

So it depends how the PCB was laid out.

[Soarer]

What I can't precisely check is whether the pins are offset from the centre of the switch by the same amount, but it would appear so.

You're right about the rotating. In fact some of the switches on this board are rotated - for all of the keys larger than 1 unit, I think. But they've rotated them so the pins are at the bottom of the footprint, unlike the typical orientation of the later Alps (not that that matters).

[Soarer]

6112884_keycaps_mounts.jpg (159.94 KiB) Viewed 9911 times

[JBert]

The mapping isn't quite there yet, and the rhs of the main block is a bit annoying to use - the tiny enter, and the tiny backspace... although the most annoying thing about the backspace isn't the size, it's that it's not up at the corner of the block because of the extra column of keys. Some keycap swapping required!

Does this mean we might see Soarer's keyboard firmware someday?
I'm aware though that porting your remap code from the converter might be hard if the firmware also needs a bunch of timers...

[Soarer]

Does this mean we might see Soarer's keyboard firmware someday?
I'm aware though that porting your remap code from the converter might be hard if the firmware also needs a bunch of timers...

Yes, fairly soon! All the remaps, macros and layers still work