- Green switch closeup
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As you can imagine after seeing the internals of the orange Omron switch, it is tactile and clicky. The green switch, with its slim shell, has no space in there for the click leaf; therefore, it is linear. Though I did not open it, likely it contains the same switchplate assembly in one half of the shell (the 'upper' half in this photo). The other half ('lower' in this photo), where the click leaf would have been, has been 'cut off' in order to reduce the footprint.
The slider is also thinner, and does not accept standard Alps mount keycaps.
As there is no logo on the greens, I do not know who manufactured them (Omron or another company).
A pretty picture to wrap this up before we move on to the subject of keycaps:
- Multicolored sliders
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I think keyboards with a variety of slider colors do have their own unique appeal...
So, keycaps. They are also somewhat uncommon: ABS but pad printed. Normally you would find the ABS plastic used specifically for double-shot injection molded keycaps, and I was expecting that at least the English legends would be doubleshot.
Not in this case, though:
- Assorted keycaps
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Also note the difference between the standard Alps mount stems on the full-size keycaps, and the incompatible stem on the slim keycaps.
I did not chemically test whether the plastic is indeed ABS, but I am fairly sure based on the telltale signs: yellowing and shine. Both are present (actually, yellowing is visible only in the seller's original photo, the keyboard has been retorbrighted now.)
Shine:
- Shiny key
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That is the reflection of my window frame in the '7' key. Actually the 7 is just about the only shiny key on the keyboard, having been heavily used in its 'Home' capacity no doubt. Compare to the intact texture on the much less frequently used Num Lock.
The pad printing appears to be more that just a layer of paint. The legends are clearly protruding above the surface: again, take notice how the '7/Home' legend has actually allowed some of the texture to survive around the letters. So, maybe, the legends are in fact a layer of plastic that was heated and pasted onto the keycaps. I think they use a similar process to draw lines on roads. At any rate, this pad printing does not show the slightest sign of starting to wear off, even on a keycap that has lost much of its texture like the '7', and must be much more durable than Cherry Corp's pad printing which is just paint.
Although in good condition in regards to wear, the keycaps I received were noticeably yellowed, so treatment with Retrobright was necessary. Wait, I do have a picture with the yellowed caps!
- Key caps in tray ready for retrobright
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They were not only yellowed, but worse: unevenly yellowed. I am not sure what causes this; possibly a big variation in the quality of plastic from one keycap to another? I have never seen this with Cherry keyboards, but it seems like it is pretty common with Taiwan-made keyboards.
Before retrobrighting, the keycaps are mounted on my Alps holder (formerly a non-mechanical keyboard, with all metal parts pulled out). I am going to use liquid Retrobright, and without the holder, the keycaps would float. I need them to stay below the surface:
- Keycaps in holder
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The holder was a standard keyboard, and it does not have sliders that would accept the non-standard slim keycaps. I am forced to use double-sided tape to keep them at the bottom. (Not an ideal solution because they are liable to detach from the tape and float up, so I have to check on them periodically)
The sun has decided to come out - a rare occurence in Moskva, Russia:
- Retrobrighting outside
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Keycaps soaking in Retrobright under the April Moscow sun.
The case is also treated, this time with Retrobright Gel. The label on the back of the case has been covered with some tape to prevent its destruction by the strong oxidant that Retrobright is:
- Gel and UV lamp
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To judge the degree of success, here is a kind of a before-and-after shot, all in one:
- Before and after retrobrighting
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UV light did not reach under the collapsible feet, and these spots have retained their original yellowed condition. I think it is OK to leave them like this.
continued...
