KBK update for Sunday, 24th November

Kiyoto has turned up a treasure trove of old Fujitsu literature, which has provided some important data:

• The tall switches found by UncleFan in keyboard model N860-1131-T010 are now confirmed to be FES-1 just as we suspected. These are double-pole-capable reed switches (part of Fujitsu’s reed switch product history). FES-1 is the non-illuminated series, while FES-2 is illuminated; both types were available in momentary and alternate action forms. FES-3 also exists, but we don’t know what its characteristics are.
• Fujitsu “lever action” is FES-370 series, from their スーパーエルゴノミクスキーボード: Super Ergonomics Keyboard. This is numerically one step above FES-360, the discrete leaf-spring switches based on FES-300 and FES-301.

Additionally, a new Alps SKCL switch has shown up, the “ベラボースイッチ” or “Bravo Switch”. Details on this are scarce; it is either a double action switch, or a keystroke speed sensing switch. It was used in cabinets for the arcade game Bravoman (ベラボーマン, amusingly rendered in English as “Bella Bowman”, which is actually written ベラ・ボウマン). No such switch has knowingly been disassembled, and the only description of its operation is in a photo on Erwin’s blog, a site that has been defunct since 2013. From this description, it is not clear whether the second stage is triggered by a high speed impact or a high force impact. What is curious is that the plunger is amber, as with the click switches used in later Apple IIc computers.

View within the updates for 2019

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