Editing Alps Spring Bridge

{{infobox dswitch
| image name          = SSCH White Metal.jpg
| manufacturer        = [[Alps Electric]]
| product code        = 
| switch type         = Linear
| actuation force     = 
| introduced          = Pre-1980s
| discontinued        = 
| contact mechanism   = 
| switch mount        = [[Plate mount]]
}}

'''Alps Spring Bridge''' Is the apparent forerunner of the [[Alps SKCC series]], and shares a similar mount to [[Alps SKCC Grey|SKCC grey]] and [[Alps SKCC Tall Cream|SKCC tall cream]] as well as the same plate cutout and a one way compatible PCB where Spring Bridge can be replaced with SKCC.<ref name="Monroe 1405" /> In most examples the switch uses a cruciform mount and keycaps use a cruciform slot however in the [[Olympia CD 102]] the caps clip onto the rod in the slider itself whereas other examples of the switch have a 2-part slider with a cruciform stem.<ref name="Retro Alps Switch" /> Production dates prior to 1980 and at least as early as 1975 and appears to have been halted around the introduction of SKCC series. While no confirmed 4 letter name for the switch is confirmed, one possible name of SKCH can be derived from the CH found on PCBs with this switch as well as the SCH designation found on several ALPS keyboards.<ref name="Alps series names and model numbers" />

==Description==
The earliest examples of the switch include 9 parts, a top housing, bottom housing, slider, brass slider peg, external coil spring, slider top, metal top clip, contact PCB and contact spring. Later revisions of the switch exclude a metal top clip and integrate the functions of that part, holding the top and bottom housings together and holding the switch into the plate, into the top housing. The colours of the top housing, bottom housing, and the slider top appear to vary as well with later examples but the timeline for these changes is not known and neither is the significance these colour variations may indicate.<ref name="Four interesting Alps switches" />

The bottom housing bears the oval Alps logo on the bottom.<gallery>
File:SSCH White Metal with SKCC Grey.jpg|alt=The switch is similar in many ways to SKCC grey
File:SSCH White Metal Bottom.jpg|alt=The bottom of a spring bridge switch showing the ALPS logo
File:SSCH White Metal Disassembled.jpg|alt=A fully disassembled switch save for the slider peg which cannot be removed non-destructively
</gallery>


==References==
<references>
<ref name="Monroe 1405">Deskthority — [https://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=25106 Monroe 1405] Retrieved 2021-01-12.</ref>
<ref name="Retro Alps Switch">Imgur — [https://imgur.com/gallery/IMTsl Retro Alps Switch] Retrieved 2021-01-12.</ref>
<ref name="Four interesting Alps switches">Deskthority — [https://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=22325 Four interesting Alps switches] Retrieved 2021-01-12.</ref>
<ref name="Alps series names and model numbers">telcontar — [https://telcontar.net/KBK/Alps/model_numbers Alps series names and model numbers] Retrieved 2021-01-12.</ref>
</references>

[[Category:Alps switches]]
[[Category:Metal contact switches]]
[[Category:Linear switches]]
[[Category:List of all keyboard switches]]