J-02 / NOS Alps Orange / Delrin (POM)

Case: J-02 B Stock (two small blemishes on the lower aluminum third front)

Switches: New Old Stock Alps SKCM Orange

Plate: 1.2mm Delrin (POM)

PCB: Waffling60 by 4pplet

Keycaps: Combination of ISO and ANSI IBM 5140 vintage PBT sets

Concieved as an ultra-modern take on vintage case designs, the J-02 is instantly recognizable from its significant forehead, mid-case brass weight, and brass pen rail.  For the purposes of building custom Alps keyboards, the J-02 is also notable for having significan extra internal case volume.  The result is a far better Alps sound than one would anticipate achieving in a metal 60% keyboard.

With such a striking case for this build, all white keycaps help balance the overall aesthetic.  But white does not mean boring.  The keycaps are the thick vintage dyesub PBT caps from the IBM 5140.  In order to fully cover a modern 60% layout, two sets were necessary, one of which was an ISO set originally sold by IBM in Egypt.  The ISO version of the set critically contributed the 2u backspace (ANSI is split backspace), the R4 1u backslash (ANSI is R1), and the icon-only Caps Lock keycap.