[SHIPPING] Granite Set ~ 100% PBT ~ Dye Sub ~ DSA

[Muirium]

I'm glad she finally got her kitten key

Next step: get a tiny Teensy-like board in there and make it run a macro on the PC when pressed...

I think my wife would kill me when i'll give her a keycap as gift.

She could probably get a macro for that so long as you're using Soarer's converter.

[matt3o]

on a side note. SP can't dye sub SA.

[SL89]

on a side note. SP can't dye sub SA.

Out of curiosity, why is that?

[Muirium]

Indeed. Because Topre (or rather their mysterious caps supplier) has been doing something just like it for a while now:

[matt3o]

they probably miss the tooling for SA and being SA very tall they are also harder to sublimate.

[Madhias]

Hell yeah, got my shipping information! So INTL orders are on their way. Yay.

"First Class International (R)" - Sounds good.

[matt3o]

I like how post offices all over the world name the cheapest/slowest shipping solutions in the most intriguing ways. Here they call it "Priority" which means "everything else gets priority".

[Muirium]

Actually, that's one thing we do right here. 2nd class is the cheap way. If they called it 7th class, and renamed all the silly Priority Express Warp Factor 10 services above it, reason would prevail once again.

Re: dyesubbing SA, so what you mean is just to reiterate that SP can't do it *yet*? Which we already know. It sounded like can't "at all" which isn't credible, given Topre's success. No change then…

[matt3o]

Signature Plastics can't/won't dye-sub SA. This is as epitaphic as it sounds.

[Muirium]

Lot of difference between can't and won't. Sounds more like the latter, and therefore subject to eventual change, when they see there's money in it.

[matt3o]

hope is last to die, but don't hold your breath. I'm not saying that it is not technically feasible. Simply SP is not able (or willing) to. SP is not a typography, we were lucky enough to have DSA sublimated and indeed they had quite some problems with it.

Also when I asked about DSA sublimation last year, they told me, "yes, it is possible and it costs $6000 setup". For SA has been just "no".

[Eszett]

Do you agree, that there is a little encumbrance in that Signature Plastics so to say plays monopoly, with a lack of competition in the keycap production market?

[matt3o]

I'd say that as long as they can sell a $70 set that costs them $10 to manufacture... they don't give a fuck

[Muirium]

Yes, we must work to crack SP's vile DRM and let our caps truly belong to us!

Oh, wait, it's not that. Just the simple fact that few companies can be arsed making quality, custom caps. And only one with such a GB friendly MOQ.

Down with the friendly tyrant!

[Madhias]

Wondering if sometimes GMK jumps on the train, and create some easier GB system with lower MOQs. Also they would maybe nicely fit to the European touch at DT.

As i see they can also do sphericals? I only know about DCS group buys there.



Sorry for being off-topic here...

[Broadmonkey]

BLASPHEMY calling Cherry profile DCS!
But I highly doubt GMK will ever do anything to attract our communities interest much more than they have already done. We (mostly Ivan) have already fought hardily to lower the MOQ. They also have much larger customers and can survive without us, plus their tools are set up for much larger orders than our measly 250 that we can hardly obtain.

But I think we are better off with SP's sphericals, they are both cheaper and can create custom legends for us. The only reason we are even considering group buys from GMK is because nobody makes as nice cylindrical double shots as Cherry did!

[alinh]

How about space bars?

If we get an authoritative list of what they can do in "Alps Custom" (hybrid) mount, we could see about designing our way around the missing sizes.

Probably a good idea to keep an open mind re: DCS and DSA rather than ruling anything out too soon.

Asked Melissa if SP can do Alps compatible caps :

"We can make an Alps compatible keycap in both our DCS Family and our DSA Family. The 1Z mount and the EX mount are available in the DCS family and the EX mount is available in the DSA family (http://www.keycapsdirect.com/pdfs/MountStyles.pdf).
While we make Alps compatible keycaps, I am not 100% sure our larger keycaps are compatible with the Matias keyboards. We also do not currently have the capability to mold Alps compatible spacebars. We can mold the keys that require leveling wires with a single center Alps mount and 2 outboard Cherry MX mounts. We have 'guide posts' that fit in these outer Cherry mounts, but we do not sell the wire and I am not sure our key style would be compatible with the wire in the Matias keyboard.
I hope this helps!"

sooo... anyone wants to organize a DSA Alps GB?

[Muirium]

Just got my shipping notification! Looks like I'll get my covetous paws on these before Round 5 too.

The hybrid space bar problem is one we discovered and have discussed before – SP can plop an Alps mount in the middle, but doesn't seem to know how to do Alps stabs, so you get MX mounts on either side – and while it's a ray of hope, seriously: how many of us are custom keyboard builders into Matias or harvested Alps switches? Because every one of that handful of will have to band together in one group buy to get anywhere at all. While constantly explaining to classic Alps keyboards and Matias owners that NO THESE ARE NOT THE ALPS YOU ARE LOOKING FOR…

Possible, but only just. And we need to know about those other keys between single unit and space bar in size! Are we limited to 2.75u shift or is 1.75u Alps-able too? Etc. etc. etc. Someone (who is not me, I've got a project already) is going to have to hook a hotline straight to Melissa and get making questions. Including: doubleshot ABS or dyesub PBT?

[matt3o]

there's a GB going on on GH about alps keycaps. don't ask me a link that forum is huge

[Eszett]

I’ve tried to add some more keycaps from SP’s online store to my Granite set order. They said, it is not possible, I have to order separately. I said: “Come on, I have to pay shipping costs twice when ordering from the same company?” They affirmed that, with the reason, that the Granite set is packaged and shipped differently. What a poor service.

[scottc]

Yep, they said the same to me when I was considering buying the Galaxy Class set and needed a 6U spacebar. Why? Because "PMK and the inventory are different systems". So I didn't bother buying either. What a load of horse shit.

[matt3o]

cool down. you are writing this publicly.

[scottc]

I'm cool! Sorry if it came out sounding overly angry, that wasn't the intention. It's just frustrating that SP won't do these simple things to help their users. You'd think they'd care more about them, given that they're trying to push PMK!

[Broadmonkey]

I actually think they care a great deal (at least more than any other keycap manufacture). They are a small firm, so I guess they prioritize to keep the group buy orders simple so they don't fuck it up. Their new system is still rather new, so they are most like still in the learning phase of things.

[Muirium]

Absolutely. When I ordered DSA Dolch recently, I couldn't login to my account (which I'd made especially for buying Granite). Drove me nuts until Melissa (and simultaneously Matteo) told me the inventory and GB stores are run as separate entities and I had to register again. Definitely rough edges on the experience. But it is brand new, and you can just imagine who is single handedly packing boxes there and really can't handle merge requests!

[scottc]

I think you've both got fair points and I've been too rash in my judgement. I've had nothing but trouble with the PMK system since its inception, but Melissa has always been helpful to fill in the gaps in functionality that that are present in the system when she can. The system definitely needed a user-testing period, but I suppose they just wanted to rush it out ASAP.

[Mr.Bean]

Just noticed. PBT is quite hard to clean when caps are new, specially white ones

[Muirium]

THEY SHIPPED YOU DIRTY CAPS?!? Either that or you're more OCD than me. Commiserations!

Anyway, I've cleaned plenty of PBT caps, and they're no more difficult than ABS. Soapy water, towels and patience.

[matt3o]

SP texture on PBT is indeed a little more grainy. ABS is smoother making it easier to clean, but nothing some soap can't handle.

[elliottkid]

I miss the round 1, may I ask when will start the round 2 DSA keysets GB