Alps SKCL Brown
| Alps SKCL Brown | |
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| Manufacturer | Alps Electric |
| Family | Alps SKCM/SKCL series |
| Part Number | Unknown |
| Switch Type | Linear |
| Travel | 3.5mm |
| Sense method | Metal contact |
| Mount | Plate mount |
| Rated lifetime | 20 million cycles |
| Quoted operating force | Unknown, prob. 70gf |
Alps SKCL Brown is a linear switch in the first generation of the Alps SKCM/SKCL Series. It was manufactured in Korea as part of the Gold Star Alps partnership.
Characteristics
The switch follows the general characteristics of the SKCL family, consisting of an upper and lower housing, contact module, stem, and spring. The upper housing has a hole for an LED, but the bottom housing will only have holes for the LED legs to pass through in switches ordered with an LED.
As a first generation switch, SKCL Brown will always have slits in the upper housing. SKCL Brown also has the symmetrical stem typical of a first-generation SKCL switch.
The stem, which is brown, is almost always lubricated and is likely made of a nylon blend1).
Alps SKCL Brown, like all SKCM/SKCL series switches, uses a contact module to register the keypress. This sits in the housing on the side without the LED cutout.
Additional Information
Not much is known about the switch, an unfortunate trend across all Alps switches produced by the Gold Star Alps partnership. It appears to be an analog for SKCL Cream, but used in full keyboards more commonly than its Japanese counterpart.
1)
tested on SKCM Blue via burn test