Key cap storing and organizing

[Limmy]

Here is how I store and organize my key caps.

I use a filament tape and cut it to x7 of a normal key(about 13cm). For a full sized keyboard, one row of alphanumeric part of the keyboard has size of x15 of a normal key. So, two pieces of the tape is usually enough to arrange a whole row. I am huge fan of 3M adhesives and I have only good things to say about 3M filament tapes. The tape used is 898 and has 1/2in width, but any other filament tape with similar width will do the job just fine. Filament tapes are usually thick and has stronger adhesives, so key caps can be nicely attached and key caps do not move around, even when stored in a bag.

Here are two photos of the usage of the tape.

key cap storing 1

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key cap storing 2

2012-06-13 02.58.39.jpg (73.88 KiB) Viewed 11229 times

I think it would be beneficial to introduce other popular methods.
1. key cap paper by Leaf : http://pinchocodia.tistory.com/149 (look for keycap_paper_A4_series.zip)
2. modified key cap paper by Hambok : http://www.kbdmania.net/xe/4044382 (click on Keycap Paper-투톤.jpg)
3. key cap storing box by Seebum : http://www.kbdmania.net/xe/4217192 (this one is from group buy in KBDMania. See pics below for prototype. The final version of boxes will be coated.)

http://www.kbdmania.net/xe/4217192

2012-05-30 18.32.15_resize.jpg (150.06 KiB) Viewed 11229 times

http://www.kbdmania.net/xe/4217192

2012-05-30 18.26.20_resize.jpg (114.44 KiB) Viewed 11229 times

[ripster]

I just cut cardboard pieces, slap some carpet tape on it, and the toss a bunch of them into a storage box.



Ducky has the NICEST key packaging in the biz.
http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?2963 ... o-ABS-keys



KBC's get kinda goopy, at least the old ones did


And Filco blank key set packaging is nice.
http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:6511


I am hoping Elitekeyboards sells PBT keys separately when the FC700r but is unlikely. At least the last time I checked Leopold they were not selling them separately yet.
http://www.reddit.com/r/keyboards/comme ... eopold_at/

[captain]

artport125
http://www.jerrysartarama.com/discount- ... -boxes.htm

[hoggy]

I'm using a mixture of tupperware and as I don't know the name of them - divider boxes.

[Input Nirvana]

I knew there was a better way.....

[Half-Saint]

I'm using resealable labeled plastic bags - one bag per set. Toss it all together in a big box.

[CeeSA]

@Limmy - i like your method and take it for me, thanks

[damorgue]

I had an idea, don't know if it has been done before and I am just rehashing but here it goes.
You know those fly-papers that is essentially a sticky surface that catches flies, most commonly in farms where it is a bigger problem. There are kinds either on a roll where you pull it out as it gets filled with flies and the kind like a calendar where you rip a page of every now and again. Both of these could be used with some success to just place keys on to make them stick in a certain layout and not scrape against eachother. This is sort of a replacement to adhesive tape for those of you who use that.

My only concern right now before having tried this is that they might be coated with a sweet substance attract flies which might get on the keys more than just the mild adhesive could and perhaps make them smell.

Thoughts?

[kint]

Thoughts: the sticky stuff is nasty and sticky as hell [edit: definitely not residue less afair]. I'ld rather go with double sided aka carpet tape.

[kalrykh]

Right now I'm doing the same as Half-Saint. If I know i'll be using one set in the near future or want to stage some to see how they'll look together, I'll use the molded plastic cover that came with a leopold or filco, put the keys where they belong in that upside down, then put some cardboard behind it and flip it over to see how it looks.

[JmactheAttack]

Does anyone have a keycap pdf or image template that can fit all the keys on a standard 8.5x11?

[off]

I was gonna cry about how you didn't even read the OP or searched; but turns out that I can't find it either, not even after searching quite a bit. So, sorry, can't help you..
Funny because originally that was all there was available iirc, and google cache still points to a geekhack attachment containing tsangan's legal sized copy.
Shouldn't be that hard to go from A4 to Legal/Letter with a bit of MsPaint though?
Other option is to wait for someone to dig their copy up from somewhere on their hdd's, but that might take a while.

and thanks all for sharing your methods; mine is currently simply in sealable baggies, but afraid the caps may become DOT'd by throwing those around.

[kalrykh]

the link to the paper is in there with limmy's post

I think it would be beneficial to introduce other popular methods.
1. key cap paper by Leaf : http://pinchocodia.tistory.com/149 (look for keycap_paper_A4_series.zip)
2. modified key cap paper by Hambok : http://www.kbdmania.net/xe/4044382 (click on Keycap Paper-투톤.jpg)
3. key cap storing box by Seebum : http://www.kbdmania.net/xe/4217192 (this one is from group buy in KBDMania. See pics below for prototype. The final version of boxes will be coated.)

[off]

Thanks for trying!


*edit: No, it is not. He asked for the version to be printed on Legal/Letter sized paper, although he sadly didn't specify that his 'standard 8.5x11' were inches or the likes, that much could still be glanced from his post.
Or my post right above yours for that matter.

[kalrykh]

I wonder if it's possible for you to answer without the snide elitist tone. Pull your head out of your ass a bit.

The closest you're going to get is the A4, which will work if you edit out the white on the left and right sides and are able to do a full bleed print to letter sized paper. If you can do a full bleed, you're fine. If you can't, which I would assume most can't, your best bet would be to print the a4 version on legal paper without telling it to stretch. If you just try to shrink the A4 to fit in a letter sized sheet, which isn't shrinking that much, the printed out caps won't be large enough to accomodate. The method I tried, which was cutting out the white and taking my margins down as low as my printer would allow, _almost_ makes it...but a full row of keys ends up being about 1/4 of an inch longer than the printed version.

[off]

I wonder if it's possible for you to answer without the snide elitist tone. Pull your head out of your ass a bit.

Nope, it's stuck. Possible for you to read before posting?
I did catch some air though, hence the added explanation.

And, as I mentioned, someone, somewhere, should have tsangan's version for Legal/Letter sized paper. Perhaps tsangan.

[JmactheAttack]

Thanks for the replies, I really didn't try to hijack the post with an ignorant addition, but I really couldn't find anything on Google which is why I asked a specicif. I'll have to see if someone around work has ledger sized paper since I doubt anyone will have the A4. I might end up doing the whole tape two pieces of paper together routine to get the full printout if I can not find any.

[Limmy]

Thanks for the replies, I really didn't try to hijack the post with an ignorant addition, but I really couldn't find anything on Google which is why I asked a specicif. I'll have to see if someone around work has ledger sized paper since I doubt anyone will have the A4. I might end up doing the whole tape two pieces of paper together routine to get the full printout if I can not find any.

Legal size(8.5in x 14in) papers are pretty common in the US. I am attaching a PDF printout of keycap layout paper by Hambok.

[off]

Awesome Limmy to the rescue! Appreciated.

[phetto]

I use multiple fishing tackle boxes :

[JmactheAttack]

Thanks for the replies, I really didn't try to hijack the post with an ignorant addition, but I really couldn't find anything on Google which is why I asked a specicif. I'll have to see if someone around work has ledger sized paper since I doubt anyone will have the A4. I might end up doing the whole tape two pieces of paper together routine to get the full printout if I can not find any.

Legal size(8.5in x 14in) papers are pretty common in the US. I am attaching a PDF printout of keycap layout paper by Hambok.

Legal is very common and as such, I have some and am about to print it out. Thanks!

[The_Beast]

I just use tackle boxes, same thing used to store fishing lures

[IvanIvanovich]

I have been thinking about some sort of plastic thing like a sheet with stems on it to stick keycap on which could be stored while keeping the proper arrangement. Kind of like ripsters way, but without tape that puts sticky junk on the bottom. Sort of like a fake keyboard. Then you don't have to sort or hunt when changing keycaps.
Only thing would probably need to make 4 major type of this in ANSI and ISO both winkeyless and winkey version.
Would anyone else want something like that?

[kbdfr]

I have been thinking about some sort of plastic thing like a sheet with stems on it to stick keycap on which could be stored while keeping the proper arrangement. Kind of like ripsters way, but without tape that puts sticky junk on the bottom. Sort of like a fake keyboard. Then you don't have to sort or hunt when changing keycaps.
Only thing would probably need to make 4 major type of this in ANSI and ISO both winkeyless and winkey version.
Would anyone else want something like that?

I've been planning and designing something like that for a few weeks now
and came to the conclusions it MUST fit any keyboard layout to secure cheap production AND general acceptance.
And yes, it is possible

[CeeSA]

I know this is an old thread. But I would like to know your new methods, products or ideas if you know or have some

http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php? ... us104_case
Here is a procduct for ANSI sets.

Is this available for ISO too (although I did not like ISO, I still have some ISO kits)?

[kbdfr]

Signature Plastics offers something similar to what I had planned:
http://keyshop.pimpmykeyboard.com/produ ... orage-kits
but it seems to be fully overpriced - and not ISO compatible either.

[7bit]

I just keep them in bags, most of them are from Signature Plastics.


Want some?

[Game Theory]

I keep them in bags from 7bit on a book shelf.

[Findecanor]

http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php? ... us104_case
Here is a procduct for ANSI sets.

That looks identical to the packaging that Leopold uses for their keycap sets. The PET plastic buckles easily.

[pyrelink]

I posted this on reddit a few weeks back. I now use some awesome plastic boxes I found at The Container Store. No clue if you have them in the EU or anything similar, but it should give you a rough idea of what to look for:

http://imgur.com/a/WkVZS

the main storage box in that album: