deskthority

@Ellipse: Any news yet on the compact case for the F62?

^ this

Sorry Hypersphere still no updates - the factory is still working on it. It is definitely happening though.

Did everyone see the Hackaday article on this project that was posted earlier? Brian did a thorough job going over the appeal of mechanical keyboards and the Model F keyboard in particular as well as an overview on the project.

http://hackaday.com/2016/03/07/reviving ... oard-ever/

There was an ordering glitch that is now fixed. Sorry if the web site was freezing when you were trying to place an order. Now the merchant account is fully up and running and accepting orders again.

So what is the latest order status now? Are we still skewing towards the F77?

If I order now would I still be able to slip into the early bird shipping?

Yes sean4star but not for much longer - I am hoping that the factory settles everything as soon as possible.

The good thing is any latecomers still have some time to get into the early bird round, at least until early next week.

kaiwei we are at 183 keyboards ordered in the first 6 weeks. The F77s are ahead a bit so far: 87 F62s and 96 F77s.

will you offer keycaps/keysets as a service outside of f62/f77 orders?

I was very disappointed (even with low expectations to begin with) with the results of caps I bought from unicomp

Yes bubblebobbler but not with custom colors or printing like most items in your table - just the XT pearl/pebble color (to my eyes, less pinkish in color than Unicomp) and black will be available to start with.

I also asked about pad printed black keys but was given a no bid due to low quantity (this was for 100 full sets though!).

Custom items will still require Unicomp. Though later on I am open to asking the factory for custom jobs, but they will cost much more. The factory does not do one-off or low quantity work unless you cover their setup fee (I haven't confirmed what costs what).

If you laser etch a white cap, what color is the marking? If the marking is also light colored, it might be worth laser etching light colored caps that have been dyed black. I know that the dye only penetrates a few microns of the PBT.

Ellipse, can I add the pearl/pebble and black keycaps as a separate option? And what about in the second round? Are the pearl/pebble keys printed?

Vizir I don't have pricing yet on the extra keycap sets. I don't think I can match Unicomp pricing for extra key sets. To help make the XT style keys a reality, part of each set's cost goes towards the brand new molds.

Yes the keys will be available pearl/pebble, printed or unprinted, and black unprinted.

Wcass I'll ask the factory about that option.

Small case update: The factory has at last gotten back to me and the quote is acceptable for this project given the low volume. The small case will be put up on the web site by month end for the second round. The case will be the same price as the spare case, and the cost of the spare case will likely include the smaller bottom inner assembly plate required (the remaining parts are interchangeable).

You can also buy a fully assembled keyboard with just the small case for the same price, but I recommend getting the original style case as well.

Photo of compact size version please. You know that I cant resist buying them

modology wrote: Photo of compact size version please. You know that I cant resist buying them

I believe the best it's possible to get is the most recent rendering of the small case in this thread. Since Ellipse just received a quote, I doubt a single small F62 case exists in this world.

Correct Ratfink the ultra compact cases will only exist as a rendering for at least another month. The priority is production of keyboards with original cases for now.

Things are going slower than expected doing the final pre-production discussions with the factory.

Update on the custom case color costs:

If you are looking for a custom color it will be $200 per color for an unlimited number of keyboard cases. This is an update from the cost being $100 per color. The gray, off white, and black colors are no extra charge. White paint is unfortunately an extra charge. The factory has agreed to try to mix paint to match other colors but it is more expensive than expected to clean the old color and change it.

You can get a custom color for the first round. If you have not already specified that you want a custom color please let me know.

Please do place an order for the required units of "other customizations (in $1 increments)" on the web site for each keyboard you want in the custom color and let me know when you have placed the order. You can pick free local pickup for the shipping so you do not have to pay extra.

@Ellipse: any chance that you can have a new controller that supports Blue Tooth? Imagine a compact version that support bluetooth ----> heaven!!

It would be possible if someone wanted to design and mod their F62/F77 themselves. I know people are planning on other mods like a removable cable. I widened the air holes on the back by 1-2 mm so that you can fit a micro USB or USB type C port there.

For those interested in the Ultra compact F62/F77 cases, what kind of case colors should be offered? I expect them to be anodized or done with another process, but not powdercoated/painted like the original style cases.

I am not in the current round for F62 but might be in the second if the ultra compact case becomes a reality.

I think the following colors should be default:

Black, Gray, White

But since you said you will anodize rather than paint I think Red, Blue, Silver would also look cool. Also Black anodized obviously.

Black anodized or bare aluminum.

I'm interested in black, don't care for the rest.

I'm interested in industrial grey, like with the normal case offering.

I'm pretty sure that whether I end up ordering an F77 with the original or micro case, I want to go with black.

I would prefer the ultra compact case in industrial grey too.

Would buy it in IBM ivory, industrial gray or black. Or, as it will be anodized, any neutral, fitting shade, as long as it's not something ill-fitting like red or blue.

I vote for neutral colours.
Bare aluminum would be especially interesting to me as well!

I could go for bare or clear coated if that's an option. It was not possible for the original cases, as I recall.

I'd be keenly interested in seeing a mockup of the black F77, myself. It's the only one not currently represented on the main web site.