[IC] ANSI-WIN plates for phantom Updated 11/16

[Techpriest]

Just wanted to post an update, I am still awaiting quotes from a few of my vendors on production so nothing has started yet and I will hopefully have more information next week on a timeline for these.  And to those who have received your plates, I would love to see pics of what you've done with them so far.

Also, I have decided that since there seems to be a great deal of need for these in the community and elsewhere I will be continuing production on an ongoing basis and will be putting up a website in the next few months to simplify ordering but will continue posting here as production runs become available.  If there is enough demand for other sizes and layouts I would gladly consider producing those as well.

Thanks,
Techpriest

[CommonCurt]

Just wanted to post an update, I am still awaiting quotes from a few of my vendors on production so nothing has started yet and I will hopefully have more information next week on a timeline for these.  And to those who have received your plates, I would love to see pics of what you've done with them so far.

Also, I have decided that since there seems to be a great deal of need for these in the community and elsewhere I will be continuing production on an ongoing basis and will be putting up a website in the next few months to simplify ordering but will continue posting here as production runs become available.  If there is enough demand for other sizes and layouts I would gladly consider producing those as well.

Thanks,
Techpriest

Great news

So will the next run you do be Aluminum or Stainless Steel?

[SpAmRaY]

It would be awesome to get some poker plates with the removable switch top cutouts as well as G80-3700 plates.

[CommonCurt]

It would be awesome to get some poker plates with the removable switch top cutouts as well as G80-3700 plates.

I would also get a plate for my Poker2 as well as some ANSI 1.25 for my Filcos.

[Techpriest]

Hey all,
Unfortunately, still working on quotes for the steel plates and shopping around for different local laser cutters. 

For anyone that has already bought aluminum plates from me, please let me know if you are unhappy with the quality and I will refund your purchase including shipping.  For my initial run I was a bit unsure of how polished to expect these to be as an internal component but have heard that some would have expected better and would like to make sure everyone is happy with their purchases.

I am going to be getting a few more aluminum plates here before the steel ones come out of production and will be having them sanded, finished, and polished to make sure they are up to spec.  I'll update this thread at that time for anyone who's interested.

Thanks,
Techpriest

[Techpriest]

Hey Guys and Gals,
First things first,
I am working on refinishing the aluminum plates and will post some detailed photos here in the next few days.  However, while I've gotten the sides free from mill scale and quite immaculate looking.  One of the issues mentioned was the scratched appearance of the mirror surface of the aluminum.

So, I'd like to see what you guys think that the most presentable and desirable option for finishing the face and bottom of the plates would be?  I'm open to any and all ideas and would be happy to discuss.

Also, on the aluminum plates I am removing the tabs that block the switch top removal on the slots that require stabilizers.

Secondly, I've got quotes for the steel plates!  Conversely to what I have seen in the past, I have decided to go with carbon steel for the plates due to the difficulty in finishing stainless steel at my current capacity.  The steel I have selected is ASTM-1008 in 0.063" thickness.  I believe that the rigidity and particularly nice mill finish of the steel should live up to the functional and cosmetic expectations of the community.  Please let me know if you guys have any thoughts, ideas, opinions on this as I have not ordered the production yet so I'm still open to early input.

Third, After production the ASTM-1008 steel plates will be $20+Shipping for Geekhack forumites.  I have recently gotten myself setup with USPS and Fedex accounts as well so I should be able to bring the price down for you a bit on that.

Thanks,
Techpriest

[geniekid]

Awesome to hear 

My material science/chemistry knowledge is weak.  Does this particular carbon steel require some kind of finish to prevent rusting/oxidation? 

[SpAmRaY]

Any chance at getting other layout plates cut?

[Techpriest]

Yep, Any particular layout you had in mind?  I can't see making 7bit at this time, but would really really like to in the future. 

And to the other question above, it will require rustproofing, I was planning to test a few different methods to see what worked the best, but my goal will be maximum amount of rust resistance for the greatest period of time.  I will update further once I determine exactly what I'm going to use.

[SpAmRaY]

Yep, Any particular layout you had in mind?  I can't see making 7bit at this time, but would really really like to in the future. 

And to the other question above, it will require rustproofing, I was planning to test a few different methods to see what worked the best, but my goal will be maximum amount of rust resistance for the greatest period of time.  I will update further once I determine exactly what I'm going to use.

Personally I'd love a couple G80-3700 plates.

[whiskytango]

Yep, Any particular layout you had in mind?  I can't see making 7bit at this time, but would really really like to in the future. 

And to the other question above, it will require rustproofing, I was planning to test a few different methods to see what worked the best, but my goal will be maximum amount of rust resistance for the greatest period of time.  I will update further once I determine exactly what I'm going to use.

I would like to see ANSI 1.5 with split right shift. jd has already drawn this one up and I think he sent it to you? I was discussing doing a run of plates with a local cutter but then you and strict started running buys for phantom and uTKL plates so there was no need for me to continue with it.

Also, you could just offer a bare finish and let people finish it how they see fit.

[jdcarpe]

I'm just guessing, of course, but you may have a hard time getting any kind of MOQ for the G80-3700. Most metal shops I've talked to hate doing one-offs.

[Techpriest]

Hehe, they do seem to hate one-offs.  But, I will check for you spamray to see if maybe they can throw it in with my next order, it would have to be the same material as the rest of the order probably so would carbon steel work for you?

Thanks,
Techpriest

[SpAmRaY]

Hehe, they do seem to hate one-offs.  But, I will check for you spamray to see if maybe they can throw it in with my next order, it would have to be the same material as the rest of the order probably so would carbon steel work for you?

Thanks,
Techpriest

That would be fine with me.

[geniekid]

Yep, Any particular layout you had in mind?  I can't see making 7bit at this time, but would really really like to in the future. 

And to the other question above, it will require rustproofing, I was planning to test a few different methods to see what worked the best, but my goal will be maximum amount of rust resistance for the greatest period of time.  I will update further once I determine exactly what I'm going to use.

I would be really interested in hearing about your different finishing options 

My ideal would be powder coating, but that's probably not very viable for this project given the complications inherent in the thickness of a powder coat finish.

[jdcarpe]

As far as finish goes, I usually like to paint my metal plates (yes, even the stainless steel ones) with regular spray paint. I've had good results. I usually have a go at them with 80-grit sandpaper before painting to get a nice surface for the paint to adhere to.

[Techpriest]

JD, I was a little worried about how the paint might look, do you have any pics around that we could check out?

To the other poster above, the things I've looked at so far, would be:
Some kind of light oil
Lightly pre-rusting the surface evenly
Industrial Corrosion resistant enamel/epoxy
Rust-o-leum
Zinc Plating
Paraffin Coat
Including a VPC in the packaging (might be expensive and annoying)

There are other options like electroless nickel deposition, but I'm not incredibly familiar with it or it's advantages.

Thanks,
Techpriest

[jdcarpe]

Here's my GH60 Rev A prototype:



Not a great close up, but the paint looks classy there.

[CommonCurt]

Here's my GH60 Rev A prototype:

Show Image

Not a great close up, but the paint looks classy there.

JD,

Did you paint Dustinhxc's purple Poker plate?

Also man I really want a GH60, but I'm not sure I could put it together myself.

[jdcarpe]

Here's my GH60 Rev A prototype:

Show Image

Not a great close up, but the paint looks classy there.

JD,

Did you paint Dustinhxc's purple Poker plate?

Also man I really want a GH60, but I'm sure I could put it together myself.

Yes, I forgot about that. I did paint his purple Poker plate for him. :)

[geniekid]

I'd like to try my hand at painting one of these.  Hopefully the final finish will allow for easy painting/repainting 

[CommonCurt]

Here's my GH60 Rev A prototype:

Show Image

Not a great close up, but the paint looks classy there.

JD,

Did you paint Dustinhxc's purple Poker plate?

Also man I really want a GH60, but I'm sure I could put it together myself.

Yes, I forgot about that. I did paint his purple Poker plate for him. :)

Yeah, it turned out really good.   By the way.  Where did you get the GH tag that is on the front of your GH60 case?

[Techpriest]

Geniekid,
I'm thinking I am probably going to go with a paint finish on 75% and unfinished on 25% for people that want to do their own.

[geniekid]

Geniekid,
I'm thinking I am probably going to go with a paint finish on 75% and unfinished on 25% for people that want to do their own.

Appreciate your consideration.  Btw if the demand isn't there I would still buy a painted/finished plate.  The most important thing for me is having the layout that allows for all the right hand keys to be used.

[Techpriest]

Hey Guys,
Just an update, been really really busy with work this past week so I haven't had time to finish sanding the faces on the plates.  I will definitely be getting around to it this weekend though.

Thinking about spray painting them flat black and doing a matte clear coat.  Any objections?

Thanks,
Techpriest

[Techpriest]

Alright guys, got some additional finishing work in on the plates.  I have 10 bare metal plates that I will be selling immediately for $18 ea + shipping.

If you order this week they will ship Saturday via USPS.  If you'd like to reserve one of the flat black painted plates please let me know and I will mark you down.  Will ship painted plates weekend after next.

Finally, here's a picture of the keyboard I started last night:

[geniekid]

A fresh post in Classified or Group Buys (not sure where the appropriate section is) with pictures of the newly finished aluminum plates may help to sell them faster.  The OP for this thread makes it totally unclear that you're are now selling something

[Pacifist]

is there any plan for 1.5x 1x 1.5x 7x 1.5x 1x 1.5x plates?

[Techpriest]

Thanks geniekid, I updated the topic and first post to reflect that there are plates currently for sale.

Pacifisit: Eventually, I would like to make plates for all of the different layout possibilities.  I will note down that you're interested in case there are a few others calling for them.

[whiskytango]

I want another 1.5 plate also, but I can't decide if I would rather have one with or without pure shift:



or



EDIT: Forgot to give props to jdcarpe for the awesome plate drawings. He did the ones above, and I am just posting them to illustrate what I personally would like to see in a phantom plate. I am leaning toward one with the pure shift.

[Pacifist]

Can there be universal plates or is that not possible?

[whiskytango]

Can there be universal plates or is that not possible?

No because universal would require use of PCB mount stabs only and phantom requires plate mount. I know what you mean though, that would be nice

Edit: This is why I would love to see a Phatnom 2 if you will that supports PCB stabs, and a built in controller and backlighting a la GH60 would be nice also. Don't know if anyone with the know-how will ever do it though.

[Pacifist]

Can there be universal plates or is that not possible?

No because universal would require use of PCB mount stabs only and phantom requires plate mount. I know what you mean though, that would be nice

Edit: This is why I would love to see a Phatnom 2 if you will that supports PCB stabs, and a built in controller and backlighting a la GH60 would be nice also. Don't know if anyone with the know-how will ever do it though.

That....sucks

+1 for phantom 2

[metal1091]

definitely interested in two unpainted plates if still available

[jdcarpe]

@Techpriest, I myself am not 100% clear on what you have for sale, so maybe we can clarify. The plates you have for sale now, are they made from steel? Are they made from the updated design I sent you, with the correct holes for stabilized keys?

Thanks!

[Techpriest]

The ones up right now are still the aluminum ones I am clearing out.  Next ones will be your design in steel, but I will need to sell at least half of these to make it possible for me to afford the steel ones.

[cirrus82]

I'll take an ANSI 1.5 phantom plate!

[adrl]

How much is shipping to Canada?

[metal1091]

Received Mine today, came in great shape, can't wait to put everything together once i get all my parts 

[Techpriest]

Hey,
Just wanted to update everyone, I still have 16 plates left for $18 ea and you can choose painted or unpainted.  I am still wanting to process a batch of steel ones but will need to sell these off to help fund that production run.  Anyone who orders an aluminum plate will get a $2 discount off a carbon steel plate when they come out.

Thanks,
Techpriest

[feizor]

I am interested in an unpainted plate. Does it need to be painted or can I leave it raw? Would it rust? How much for shipping to Australia

[metal1091]

Not OP, but the plate will not rust at the same rate steel would, aluminum is more corrosion resistant.

[malu1989]

Do you know if they would fit into a WASD V2?
And how much would the shipping to Germany be?

[LechnerDE]

If there is a Round 2 with stainless steel plates, I'd be interested in two ANSI 1.5 Phantom plates.

[quochung1989]

Good to know this thread. I am interested ANSI 125 plate for my Phantom. If you can, please post some photos about sample

[Crabby_b]

I would be interested in one.

[berserkfan]

I'm getting these plates cut from 5052 aluminum that is .063" thick.

Is there any way to get steel instead? Aluminium tends to bend in the mail pretty easily, unless you mount it to a hardboard, which raises cost significantly for us all. Steel is an excellent material and you save a lot of money on shipping materials. It's OK if you're set on aluminium though: they make great plates.

Yeah, I thought about that also. That thickness of aluminium isn't going to be anywhere stiff enough. I love aluminium for not rusting, but it's way too easy to bend.

[geniekid]

EDIT:  Deleted.

[Techpriest]

Bump, settled in to Colorado and ready to start shipping again.

[awong]

Does this fit in Metal cases?