History of Keycaps on Eos Family Consoles
This article is a general overview of different types of keycaps that have been used on Eos Family consoles. For a list of currently available replacement keycap sets, see this article.
Overview
Eos Family consoles use custom-designed keycaps which are painted and laser engraved by ETC.
Keycaps for Eos Family consoles have gone through five major revisions. Not every console has used or is compatible with every revision. Different consoles also require different sets of keycaps; for example, an Element console from 2009 has far fewer keys than an Apex console from 2022.
To identify which keycap type your console uses, remove a key using a standard keycap puller and compare the bottom of the keycap to the image below.
| Type | Image | Mounting | Backlight | Shipped | Shipped on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSL |  |
Cherry | Light pipe | 2006-2010 2011-present |
all Eos Classic later Ion later Element all Element 2 |
| Flat |  |
Cherry | Light pipe | 2007-2010 | early Ion early Element |
| AIS |  |
AIS | Shine-through | 2013-2016 | early Gio early Eos Ti early Programming Wing |
| Chape |  |
Cherry | Shine-through | 2011-2022 | later Gio later Eos Ti middle Programming Wing early Gio @5 early Ion Xe and Ion Xe 20 early Apex consoles |
| Remys |  |
Cherry | Shine-through | 2022-present | current Gio @5 current Ion Xe and Ion Xe 20 current Apex consoles current Programming Wing |
Mounting Styles
| Cherry | AIS | |
|---|---|---|
 |
  plunger removed |
|
There are two keycap mounting styles used on Eos Family console keyboards; Cherry and AIS. The AIS mounting style is used only on AIS keycaps. The Cherry mounting style is used on all other keycaps. These two mounting styles are not mutually compatible. This means AIS keycaps cannot be mounted on Cherry keyboards, and vice versa.
To determine which mounting style is used on your console, remove a keycap using a keycap puller and compare the underside of the keycap to the images above.
AIS keycaps use an additional 'plunger' component as part of the mounting mechanism, shown above. When mounting AIS keycaps on an AIS keyboard, follow the instructions in this article to properly seat the plunger and prevent the key from coming loose.
AIS keycaps are no longer available for purchase.‡ Instead, consoles with AIS keyboards can be retrofitted to use a Cherry keyboard, allowing compatibility with Cherry-style keycaps. There are several service kits available for this purpose, each of which includes a new keyboard and keycaps along with the hardware and instructions required to perform the retrofit.
‡ with the exception of the [Stage] keycap
Backlight Styles
| Shine-through | Light pipe |
|---|---|
 |
 |
There are two backlight styles used on Eos Family keycaps.
AIS, Chape and Remys keycaps are fully shine-through, meaning that keycap legends are translucent and all keycaps are backlit; indicator functions (i.e. red light on the Clear key) are shown by changing the color of the backlight on that key.
CSL and Flat keycaps are opaque, so most keycaps are not backlit; for keys that have indicator functions, these are shown through a transparent light pipe built into the keycap.
Light Pipe Orientation
| North-facing | South-facing |
|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
For CSL keycaps with light pipes, the light pipe may be located either above the text legend (referred to as north-facing) or below it (south-facing). The orientation of the light pipe must match the location of the LED on the keyswitch underneath, which are likewise referred to as north- or south-facing.
Eos Classic, Element, and Ion consoles have north-facing LEDs and require keycaps with north-facing light pipes.
Element 2 consoles have south-facing LEDs and require keycaps with south-facing light pipes.
Flat keycaps are always north-facing.
Consoles with shine-through keycaps always have south-facing LEDs.
Replacement Keycaps
For information on keycap replacement sets, see this article.
Any console that originally shipped with CSL or Flat keycaps uses CSL replacement keycaps.
Any console that originally shipped with Chape or Remys keycaps uses Remys replacement keycaps.
Any console that originally shipped with AIS keycaps will need to have its entire keyboard replaced with a Cherry-style keyboard, which includes a set of Remys keycaps.
Keycap Changes with Software
Keycaps have occasionally been repurposed due to changes in Eos Family software. This has required a handful of replacement keycaps to be issued to coincide with software changes.