Alps SKCL Gray
| Alps SKCL Gray | |
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| Manufacturer | Alps Electric |
| Family | Alps SKCM/SKCL series |
| Part Number | SKCLAQ |
| Switch Type | Linear |
| Travel | 3.5mm |
| Sense method | Metal contact |
| Mount | Plate mount |
| Rated lifetime | 20 million cycles |
| Quoted operating force | 90gf |
Alps SKCL Gray is a linear switch in the second generation of the Alps SKCM/SKCL Series.
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.
SKCL Gray will always have slits in the upper housing despite being a second generation switch. The slits never appear to have been removed for SKCL switches.
The stem, which is a medium gray color, is almost always unlubricated and is likely made of POM1).
Alps SKCL Gray, like all SKCM/SKCL series switches, uses a contact module to register the keypress. This sits in the housing on the side that does not have the LED cutout.
Additional Information
The switch was likely in production from 19882) to the late 1990s. The switch replaced SKCL Cream.
The switch was most commonly used as a spacebar switch in SKCL Yellow keyboards.
There is a heavier variant, similar to the heavier variant of SKCM Blue that has also only been seen in NEC keyboards. It has an operating force of around 120gf3) and is also incredibly unlikely to be a catalog switch.
1)
tested on SKCM Salmon via burn test