Alps integrated dome

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Template icon--Illustration.png This article requires additional photographic illustration — photos needed of some variants, and a family photo showing several variants side by side
Alps integrated dome
Alps integrated membrane black.jpg
Manufacturer Alps Electric
Switch type Tactile, linear
Sense method Conductive dome
Keycap mount Custom cruciform, Alps mount
Switch mount Plate mount, PCB mount

Alps integrated dome is a provisional name for a wide variety of discrete switches from Alps Electric which contain conductive rubber domes as part of the contact mechanism.

Description

Alps keyboard codes suggest that these switches will have part numbers beginning "SKE". No part numbers have yet been discovered, but the switch modules in Alps semi-integrated dome switches appear to a variant of Alps SKEY series. One series name (SKEW) has been decoded to date.

Alps integrated dome switches appear from the outside as standard mechanical switches. However, they each contain a single rubber dome inside the switch. Two flat, horizontal metal contacts are placed side by side at the bottom of the switch; a carbon coating on the bottom of the dome conducts current between the contacts. The base of the switch appears to be moulded around the terminals/contacts, which cannot be removed.

The cross mount variants have the Alps logo embossed on the base. The Alps mount variants have the Alps logo embossed on the top; the base has not yet been examined.

Patent US5345051 filed in 1992 depicts an Alps SKE* switch. It appears to be a more compact arrangement than that found in the keyboard switch versions.

Variants

Alps integrated dome appears to be not a series, but a collection of similar series, across which there is a surprising variety of shapes and sizes.

Series Moniker Keycap mount Switch mount
Alps integrated membrane white side.jpg White cross mount Cruciform Plate
Alps Integrated membrane - black slider.JPG Black cross mount Cruciform Plate
Alps integrated dome -- Alps mount -- branding.jpg SKEU Alps mount (round slider) Alps mount PCB
No photograph.svg SKEU Alps mount (central peg) Alps mount PCB
Alps integrated dome -- Alps mount square -- detail.jpg SKEW Alps mount (square slider, white) Alps mount Plate
Alps integrated dome Alps plate blue -- recognition.jpg SKEW Alps mount (square slider, blue) Alps mount Plate
Alps-skew-grey.png SKEW(?) Alps mount (square slider, grey) Alps mount Plate
Alps integrated dome one-piece -- variants table.jpg SKPA One-piece (white or black slider) Alps mount Plate

White cross mount

Plate-mounted. The slider has a cross 4.5 mm across, with arms 1.2 mm wide. The side arms have a small bump on them that increases the effective width to 5 mm, and keycaps have a cross 5 mm wide and 4.5 mm long accordingly. Travel is 3 mm. Reported to be older than the black-slider version. Unlike other variants, the shell of the white slider variant is held closed by melted plastic lugs; these have to be drilled out in order to open the switch, after which point it will not remain reassembled.[1] The Futaba clicky switch is also sealed in this manner.

  • Top and side

  • Top and base, with Alps logo

  • Disassembled; the remains of the sealing lugs are visible on the left

Black cross mount

Plate-mounted. There is a helical spring above the dome; this variety is spring over dome. The shell design is completely different, with inverted retention tabs attached to the upper half instead of the bottom. This variant is described as "extremely linear and buttery smooth".[2] Most rubber domes are shaped in a way that will produce a tactile bump when pressed. The rubber dome in this switch, however, is shaped in a way that it falls without a tactile bump, and simply collapses in a linear manner. This is what gives the switch its linear key-feel.

  • Top

  • Base, with Alps logo

  • Disassembled

  • Base of the dome with the conductive pad

  • Top

  • Side 2

  • Side

  • Base shell

  • Bottom of shell

  • Without top shell

  • Internals

  • Bottom of slider

  • Rubber dome

  • Spring + dome

  • Shape of rubber dome

  • Top shell

Alps mount (round slider)

PCB mounted. The Alps mount variant has the four legs at the base of the slider the same as the black cross mount version, but no helical spring. The upper shell has the inverted retention tabs, but no support for plate mounting, and a tiny Alps logo is present on the top; no Alps logo is found on the bottom.[3] The blue slider is cylindrical all the way to the top, with a slot for standard Alps keycaps. The four legs appear to be the same spacing as the other variants, but this is not confirmed.

The four legs of the switch form the corners of a rectangle 13 mm by 5 mm.

The example depicted below is highly tactile and with a faint but distinct metallic sound. This cannot be taken as a certain characteristic, because the feel of rubber domes varies depending on condition of the domes.

  • Alps integrated dome switches

  • Alps integrated dome switches

  • Alps branding

  • Shell partially opened

  • Upper shell removed

  • Slider removed

  • Dome removed

  • Switch components

  • Conductive rubber dome

  • Rubber dome turned inside out to help illustrate the conductive pad

  • The sliders are Alps mount (shown here with Matias keycaps)

Alps mount (central peg)

This variant appears to be identical to the blue slider version, with the exception of having a central peg in the slider slot as with Alps SKFL.[4] Keyboards with these switches often use SKFL for one or more keys, such as where an LED is needed, which may account for the matching keycap mount.

Alps mount (square slider)

Similar to the round-slider variant, but with a square slider. These should not be confused with Alps semi-integrated dome, which have a similar slider but are not discrete switches. These are confirmed to be plate mount, and are identified as SKEW series by a keyboard identifier in a Canon typewriter keyboard.[5]

  • Alps integrated dome -- Alps mount square -- detail.jpg
  • Alps integrated dome -- Alps mount square -- dome and contacts.jpg
  • Alps integrated dome -- Alps mount square -- disassembled.jpg

Alps mount (square slider blue)

Similar to the square slider variant, but this variant is clearly plate mounted. The slider is sky blue. The source keyboard is not known. These appear to be outwardly identical to the white version above, except for the slider color; these are therefore likely to also be SKEW series.

  • 10pcs-lot-alp-Keypads-Keyboards-switch-sky-blue.jpg

One piece

These do not have a separate lid. The entire shell is a single part, into which the slider is snapped. Removal of the slider without destroying the switch appears to be quite difficult.

The slider can be white or black.

  • IMG 8317.jpg
  • Alps integrated dome one-piece -- variants table.jpg

Keyboards

  • Canon V20 (Alps mount, central peg)[6] (space uses SKFL)
  • DK'Tronics Spectrum Keyboard "Mk2" (full-size space bar model) (black cross mount)[7][8]
  • Hitachi B32LXT portable computer (One piece, white slider)[9]
  • NEC PC-8801 TYPE C (One piece, black slider)[10]
  • Pioneer AWX-323 (Alps mount, round slider)[11]
  • Radio Shack TRS-80 Model III keyboard — Alps P/N 12KE010C (black cross mount)[12]
  • Some Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 4 keyboards (white cross mount)[13]
  • Sharp PC-7000 portable computer keyboard (Alps mount, central peg)[14] (LED keys use Alps low-profile oval slider switches)
  • Tandy Model 102 (Alps mount, round slider)
  • Toshiba Home Computer HX-10 (Alps mount, central peg);[15] the HX-10D uses Alps SKFL switches
  • Tulip LT 286 portable computer keyboard (Alps mount, round slider)[14]
  • Zenith Supersport SX 386 portable keyboard (Alps mount, round slider)
  • Nixdorf Computer 8810/16 aka PC 17 Luggable/Laptop (Alps mount, round slider)

Typewriters / Word Processors

  • Canon AP150 (SKEW, white slider)
  • Canon Canakey 4100J[16] (One piece, white slider)
  • Canon Canoword 360[17] (SKEW, white slider)
  • Canon S-14[5](SKEW, white slider) (Note: Caps Lock uses Alps SKCL Green)
  • Canon S-66 MX[18](SKEW, white slider) (Note: three keys use Alps SKCL Green)
  • Sharp PA-950W[19](SKEW, grey slider)
  • Sharp PA-1050[20](SKEW, grey slider)
  • UTAX T-5600 (SKEW, white slider) (Note: Lock keys use Alps SKCL Green)

Keypads

Calculators

  • Condor 1200PD (black cross mount)[22]
  • Victor 12PD (white cross mount)[23]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Real World Interfaces — Replacing or repairing TR-808 switches and pots
  2. ↑ Reddit — [keyboard science] I managed to fit an MX switch into an Alps Integrated Dome plate
  3. ↑ ちゃたりたいね — ZENITH ZA-180-89 ALPS導電ゴム枕
  4. ↑ Nightfall Blog — Toshiba HX-10 64k (MSX) Keyboard PAD Fix.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Deskthority — KBP V60 Build with SKCM Amber and Canon HiPros
  6. ↑ Eski Bilgisayarlarım — Canon V-20
  7. ↑ Kevman 3D — Tech: Fixing the Dk'Tronics keyboard for my ZX Spectrum
  8. ↑ RobeesWorld.com — Repairing a dK'Tronics Keyboard and Scoping Out a ZX Spectrum 48k - Part One
  9. ↑ Deskthority—Any ideas about the switches on this 1991 Hitachi computer?. Posted 2022-08-30
  10. ↑ ＰＣＢ－ＧＡＭＥ－ＲＯＯＭ — キーキャップ交換とメンテナンスについて Posted 2020-12-11
  11. ↑ Chyrosran22 via YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7wgqg15oHY
  12. ↑ Google+ — Alps 12KE010C
  13. ↑ Knut Roll-Lund's web pages — Keyboard keyswitch cleaning
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Deskthority — Tulip LT 286
  15. ↑ Deskthority — Toshiba HX-10
  16. ↑ Imgur — Canon Canakey 4100J (Alps Integrated Dome) Uploaded 2022-12-24.
  17. ↑ Imgur — Canon Canoword 360 (Alps Integrated Dome) Uploaded 2022-12-24.
  18. ↑ Deskthority — Gambled on a Canon typewriter (S-66 mx)
  19. ↑ Deskthority — Sharp PA-950w update- Alps semi-integrated dome? Posted 2022-01-10.
  20. ↑ Deskthority — Stuff you just bought Posted 2017-07-01.
  21. ↑ MouseFan — RICOH テンキー R915-12
  22. ↑ Deskthority — Calculator Canon MP 1210-D
  23. ↑ Google+ — Victor 12PD
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