Editing General Instrument Series S950

{{TODO photo|more=true|reason=internals shots}}

{{infobox dswitch
| image name        = General Instrument Series S950.jpg
| manufacturer      = [[General Instrument]]
| contact mechanism = 
| switch type       = Linear, [[alternate action]]
| actuation force   = 60 gf
| introduced        = 
| discontinued      = 
| switch mount      = [[Plate mount]]
| sense method      = [[Metal contact]]
| keycap mount      = [[Clare-Pendar mount]]
| travel            = 0.14&Prime; (ca. 3.5 mm)
| pretravel         = 
| lifetime          = 10M (momentary)<br>30k (alternate action)
| bounce time       = 5 ms
}}

'''General Instrument Series S950''' is a series of switches that are virtually identical to [[Alps SKCC series]] and appear to be licensed copies.

==Description==
Series S950 is largely identical to Alps SKCC Series. The most significant difference is that the keystem is smaller, designed to accept standard Clare-Pendar keycaps instead of Alps keycaps. A keycap intended for [[Clare-Pendar Series S840]] fits the switch snugly, while it does not fit SKCC at all as the slot in the keycap is too small.

The series includes straight and angled stems, alternate action, and the sprung LED carrier, suggesting that the tooling patterns came from Alps. The mould markings on the switchplate match those of an earlier SKCC switch, suggesting that they may have actually been supplied from Alps.

==Variants==
The part numbers follow Clare-Pendar US practice. The momentary, upright stem version is part S95010, and the equivalent alternate action part is S95210. Part number suffix J7 denotes illumination, and suffix E9 denotes an 11° angled slider. The modification suffixes are the same as those used with [[Clare-Pendar Series S820]] and [[Clare-Pendar Series S880|Series S880]] reed switches, which appear to have been included in the same catalogue.

The meaning of slider colour is uncertain. STRONIC in France were certain that they had only one piece of S95210 E9 in stock, and they shipped a switch with an amber slider, yet their website depicted a switch with an ivory slider (shown below); this would seem to indicate that amber does not denote an angled keystem.

{| class="wikitable variants-table"
! !! Part number !! Description !! Alps equivalent
|-
| [[File:General Instrument S95010 -- variants table.jpg|175px]]    || S95010    || Momentary, upright keystem           || [[Alps SKCC Green]]
|-
| [[File:General Instrument S95010 E9 -- variants table.jpg|175px]] || S95010 E9 || Momentary, 11° angled keystem        || 
|-
| [[File:No photograph.svg|175px]]                                  || S95210    || Latching, upright keystem            || [[Alps SKCC Lock]]
|-
| [[File:General Instrument S95210 E9 -- variants table.jpg|175px]] || S95210 E9 || Latching, 11° angled keystem         || 
|-
| [[File:No photograph.svg|175px]]                                  || S95010 J7 || Illuminated using sprung LED carrier || [[Alps SKCC Cream LED]]
|}

The possibility of S95010 E9 J7 (both illuminated and angled) is not known.

==Keyboards==
*[[Tatung Einstein TC01]] (yellow, angled slider; black switchplate)<ref name="NFC-Einstein" /><ref name="YT-Einstein" />
*[[Texas Instruments TI-99/4A]] (yellow; not 100% confirmed)<ref name="TRS-IBM-TI" />

==Gallery==
<gallery widths=250 heights=187>
File:General Instrument S95010 -- base.jpg                   | Base of S95010, with "GI" logo, and chamfered sides
File:General Instrument S95010 -- opened.jpg                 | S95010 opened; the grey switchplate appears to be genuine Alps
File:General Instrument S95010 E9 -- Clare-Pendar keycap.jpg | S95010 E9 with Clare-Pendar keycap (sold with a non-illuminated [[Clare-Pendar Series S880|Series S880]] switch)
File:CLA0040.jpg                                             | Ivory S95010 E9
</gallery>

==Specifications==
*[[:File:General Instrument Series S950.pdf|General Instrument Series S950 catalogue page]]

==References==
<references>
<ref name="NFC-Einstein">Nightfall Blog — [http://www.nightfallcrew.com/27/12/2012/tatung-einstein-tc01/?nggpage=5 Tatung Einstein TC01] Dated 2012-12-27. Retrieved 2015-07-23.</ref>
<ref name="YT-Einstein">YouTube — [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpsGU7BtBlA Tatung Einstein Teardown, Repair & Restoration (Part 2/2, keyboard restoration)] (GI logo visible at 22:10)</ref>
<ref name="TRS-IBM-TI">Deskthority — [http://deskthority.net/keyboards-f2/keyboard-mystery-alps-12kc018a-for-trs-80-model-iii-t9492.html Keyboard mystery: Alps 12KC018A for TRS-80 Model III]</ref>
</references>

[[Category:General Instrument switches]]
[[Category:Metal contact switches]]
[[Category:Linear switches]]
[[Category:Alternate action switches]]