[GB] 16ga metal ergodox cases -- Shipping R2 recommencing

[lkong]

waiting for the plates to finish my blue alps ergodox.

[jdcarpe]

Didn't you get all the plates cut??? That was the latest major hold up from what I can tell.

That was ApocalypseMaow.

But AKmalamute has done a great job with these ErgoDox plates!

[jdcarpe]

waiting for the plates to finish my blue alps ergodox.

Those don't look like blue Alps to me, for some reason...

And you know that the holes for MX switches that these plates have won't work with Alps switches, right? They both have different dimensions, and are in slightly the wrong location with regard to the pin holes on the PCB.

[lkong]

waiting for the plates to finish my blue alps ergodox.

Those don't look like blue Alps to me, for some reason...

And you know that the holes for MX switches that these plates have won't work with Alps switches, right? They both have different dimensions, and are in slightly the wrong location with regard to the pin holes on the PCB.

it's orange alps and cherry mx blues hahahah.

i know the mounting plate wont work with alps, that's why i soldered everything on the pcb board before anything arrives.

[jdcarpe]

waiting for the plates to finish my blue alps ergodox.

Those don't look like blue Alps to me, for some reason...

And you know that the holes for MX switches that these plates have won't work with Alps switches, right? They both have different dimensions, and are in slightly the wrong location with regard to the pin holes on the PCB.

it's orange alps and cherry mx blues hahahah.

i know the mounting plate wont work with alps, that's why i soldered everything on the pcb board before anything arrives.

Ah, I see. That should be an interesting project, then.

[yuiop]

Hey look what I got yesterday...


huge pile of metal sheets


No more of this ugliness.


It's happening!





 




Thanks AKMalamute!

[jdcarpe]

Looks really good, yuiop!

[AKmalamute]

There are 8 cases left to send -- and six names, I think. Hopefully somebody's getting doubles or I've screwed up O.o

Also, There's another name in the UK I desperately need to get ahold of because I only charged CONUS rates way back when ... and this is stainless, so it's going to be $62 at the cheapest -- not $14. 

Last I spoke to the shop, they said Friday -- or maybe Monday, the could re-cut the stuff they missed. Then I can get everybody else's out, and hopefully be done with this. Unless the poor mis-sent package doesn't get returned by whomever I mailed it to. Note to self: always read all your notes when shipping things.

And yes, YUIOP, some nice looking metal there; thanks for sharing!

[Loligagger]

Any word from the shop about re-cutting the missing plates?

[eviltobz]

my metal has turned up thanks AK. just need to get on to building that second dox now

[zflamewing]

My plates came in today as well.  Now to remember where the link to the fastener and spacers to make minimal kit work.  I'm wishing I'd bookmarked the links back when I first saw them lol.

At any rate the heavy metal goodness is below.     Thanks AK!

[AKmalamute]

Any word from the shop about re-cutting the missing plates?

No.

 Well, that's not entirely true. I went in to the shop on Monday, and they said it wasn't done but they took down my office's address and said he'd just run them over today.

 Now, I'm on vacation today but I got ahold of my supervisor and warned him to watch for a box to me, and it's a small enough place this wouldn't have been overlooked by him ... his desk is right next to mine and anyway the secretary would get ahold of him first if I wasn't around.

 So ... I'll go out there on lunchbreak tomorrow and bug them. But really, it should be soon. Like, I really think I'll be able to get stuff out this weekend, kind of soon.

 ALSO: Steam_bread ... please log in so you can respond to my PM / email ... shipping was misbilled and this is kind of a big deal, since stainless, and all.

[tbc]

got mine in yesterday.  much thanks good sir!

assembly and pics will have to wait a little bit. too busy at work

[lkong]

It turns out, with a file and enough time it is possible to make mounting plates compatible with alps switches.

[swill]

Got mine today.  They look great.  I will take pictures when I have a chance...

[Glod]

It turns out, with a file and enough time it is possible to make mounting plates compatible with alps switches.

Show Image

well you just probably earned the achievement of the first metal plate mounted alps ergodox on the planet. probably even the first plate mounted alps ergodox ever as well.

-----

congrats AKmalamute for your round 2

welcome everyone to the full metal ergodox club :D

[GSimon]

Received my plates last week and added them today! Love the added weight, that was one thing that initially bugged me about the Ergodox when first trying it out. Unfortunately I don't yet have the tools or ability to de-solder the switches from the original casing so I was only able to add the top and bottom plates to the Dox. Still the difference is quite noticeable and the top plate is heavier than the aluminum one ordered off Massdrop.

Overall am quite pleased, thanks for the quick turnaround!

[lkong]

All done.
I dont recommend anyone to do it though. Tons of work to get everything fit.

[AKmalamute]

I dont recommend anyone to do it though. Tons of work to get everything fit.

Aluminum is much easier to grind new dimensions in; you'd still be at it if you tried that with stainless steel.

So, all you had to do was widen the holes? No changing of height? I assume you kept bringing the switch back to compare, to make sure the end result would let the pins reach their holes in the PCB...

And to everyone still waiting: I spoke to the shop manager today. Seems someone drove a forklift into the laser bed while carrying a max-capacity sheet of 3/4" steel. Broke several sensors, which had to be overnighted from out of the country.

 He also said he'd write me an email before he went home listing where I was in the queue, and that hasn't happened either. But I'll keep bugging him, and we'll get this finished.

[tbc]

is this like the least organized business ever? lol

[lkong]

I dont recommend anyone to do it though. Tons of work to get everything fit.

Aluminum is much easier to grind new dimensions in; you'd still be at it if you tried that with stainless steel.

So, all you had to do was widen the holes? No changing of height? I assume you kept bringing the switch back to compare, to make sure the end result would let the pins reach their holes in the PCB...

And to everyone still waiting: I spoke to the shop manager today. Seems someone drove a forklift into the laser bed while carrying a max-capacity sheet of 3/4" steel. Broke several sensors, which had to be overnighted from out of the country.

 He also said he'd write me an email before he went home listing where I was in the queue, and that hasn't happened either. But I'll keep bugging him, and we'll get this finished.

basically widen holes.
center of a alps switch is different from cherry mx.
so at the end of the day some switches can't fit all the way in, in my case all the cherry switches are tweaked and trimmed.

[AKmalamute]

Well, I was away on various errands all day, so was not able to show up and bug anybody. They weren't delivered either, so earliest now, is Monday ... I'll go out there then and see what's to be learned.

 So, while hope springs eternal, shipping will not commence this weekend after all.

[geniekid]

Well, I was away on various errands all day, so was not able to show up and bug anybody. They weren't delivered either, so earliest now, is Monday ... I'll go out there then and see what's to be learned.

 So, while hope springs eternal, shipping will not commence this weekend after all.

Damnation!  Well thx for the update anyway

[tbc]

does it look stainless?  does it look like steel?




thanks for pulling through akm!

[Lingj]

My Ergodox kit just came in. Hope the plates ship soon, I wanna do some soldering!

[eviltobz]

there's quite a lot of soldering you can do before getting to the plate, so you can get a nice head start with diodes & resistors & connectors & chips

[Lingj]

there's quite a lot of soldering you can do before getting to the plate, so you can get a nice head start with diodes & resistors & connectors & chips

Oh damn I forgot about that. (Still a novice)

[AKmalamute]

I just got a call from the shop; parts are finished.

 So, I'm not sure I can say I'll be shipping today, but it'll be this week. Thanks, everybody, for your patience!

[AKmalamute]

The end is in sight, folks. I have what I believe are the last four orders ... plus Steam_bread's ... collated and on my table. Mailing addresses are on my screen, and boxes at my feet.

 I'll edit this after lunch some time Friday (~18hrs hence) -- after PP has shipping info. If I edit to say it's all shipped and you haven't received tracking info by then, PM me because something went wrong.

So, Geniekid, Eppykay, Lolligagger, & Yunchew : thank you for your patience. Steam_bread please come back so I know how you want to proceed ... there's actually a couple of options from this point.

 It also seems I ordered more than I needed. While I excelled at math theory in school, the computations always did trip me up. Not sure yet what I have left over so nothing being said about that it might not be more than a few loose mismatched layers. More, when I have it.

 EDIT: They're out.

Two left, and I can't get a response yet to Steam_Bread, while the other is being worked on by the shop. Actually there's a tiny chance it'll go out tomorrow.

tiny chance.

[EppyKay]

Nice. Now I just need to get around to buying switches and a teensy for my second ergodox.

[geniekid]

Thanks AK

[GSimon]

If someone could post what the full hand Ergodox looks like with these plates that would be awesome, specifically those who bought all the plates (a.k.a not the minimalist)

[Loligagger]

If someone could post what the full hand Ergodox looks like with these plates that would be awesome, specifically those who bought all the plates (a.k.a not the minimalist)

I should have some pics up of my full hand case when I get it in.

[tbc]

If someone could post what the full hand Ergodox looks like with these plates that would be awesome, specifically those who bought all the plates (a.k.a not the minimalist)

i have full hand...sorta.

i haven't swapped out my acrylic plate yet, so it's half full hand and half classic. lol

[GSimon]

If someone could post what the full hand Ergodox looks like with these plates that would be awesome, specifically those who bought all the plates (a.k.a not the minimalist)

i have full hand...sorta.

i haven't swapped out my acrylic plate yet, so it's half full hand and half classic. lol

lol same...



I'm looking to add the rest later, but am curious to know what it will be like, because I like this version enough as it is.

[geniekid]

Received the case last night.  Typing on this right now   Thanks again AKmalamute!

[jdcarpe]

Received the case last night.  Typing on this right now   Thanks again AKmalamute!

(Attachment Link)

(Attachment Link)

You put the acrylic switch plate (layer 3) between the PCB and bottom metal plate?

[geniekid]

Received the case last night.  Typing on this right now   Thanks again AKmalamute!

(Attachment Link)

(Attachment Link)

You put the acrylic switch plate (layer 3) between the PCB and bottom metal plate?

That is correct (good eyes JD ).  This is the only configuration I found where I could layer the steel and acrylic without using multiple steel layers together.  Even then I had to cut and sand a little bit of acrylic to make space for the mini-USB on the right hand.

[Data]

Sanity check:  Am I reading this correctly?  One of the layers is essentially a switch plate, so it would be best to use plate-mounted (as opposed to PCB) MX switches for an Ergodox built with this case?

Edit: Nevermind, I re-read the whole thing from page 1 and got my answer.  It's yes.

[tbc]

^

doesn't matter in the slightest as far as i know.

[AKmalamute]

Sanity check:  Am I reading this correctly?  One of the layers is essentially a switch plate, so it would be best to use plate-mounted (as opposed to PCB) MX switches for an Ergodox built with this case?

Edit: Nevermind, I re-read the whole thing from page 1 and got my answer.  It's yes.

The advantage of using PCB-mount switches with the switchplate provided by this GB, is that you don't need to clip the legs because the PCB accepts PCB mount switches. The advantage of using this switchplate is that you can *also* use plate-mount switches. In fact, on mine I'm using both because I can choose by the location, which kind of switch I want and not think about PCB-mount or plate-mount.

The advantage of doing thinks Geniekid's way is ... it takes less work, I think? Also you're re-using all your old materials in case you liked the clear acrylic. I guess. The keyboard as a whole would be stiffer, so it's still an improvement, but I feel it falls short of being fully metal.

[geniekid]

Sanity check:  Am I reading this correctly?  One of the layers is essentially a switch plate, so it would be best to use plate-mounted (as opposed to PCB) MX switches for an Ergodox built with this case?

Edit: Nevermind, I re-read the whole thing from page 1 and got my answer.  It's yes.

The advantage of using PCB-mount switches with the switchplate provided by this GB, is that you don't need to clip the legs because the PCB accepts PCB mount switches. The advantage of using this switchplate is that you can *also* use plate-mount switches. In fact, on mine I'm using both because I can choose by the location, which kind of switch I want and not think about PCB-mount or plate-mount.

The advantage of doing thinks Geniekid's way is ... it takes less work, I think? Also you're re-using all your old materials in case you liked the clear acrylic. I guess. The keyboard as a whole would be stiffer, so it's still an improvement, but I feel it falls short of being fully metal.

My motivation for alternating between steel and acrylic is purely aesthetic preference - I like the look of metal *skeleton* cases but I don't actually want that much exposure to the internals.  It actually takes a little more work to do what I did since you need to modify one of the existing acrylic layers.

Indeed there is no practical advantage for my case over a fully metal one.

[Data]

Sanity check:  Am I reading this correctly?  One of the layers is essentially a switch plate, so it would be best to use plate-mounted (as opposed to PCB) MX switches for an Ergodox built with this case?

Edit: Nevermind, I re-read the whole thing from page 1 and got my answer.  It's yes.

The advantage of using PCB-mount switches with the switchplate provided by this GB, is that you don't need to clip the legs because the PCB accepts PCB mount switches. The advantage of using this switchplate is that you can *also* use plate-mount switches. In fact, on mine I'm using both because I can choose by the location, which kind of switch I want and not think about PCB-mount or plate-mount.

The advantage of doing thinks Geniekid's way is ... it takes less work, I think? Also you're re-using all your old materials in case you liked the clear acrylic. I guess. The keyboard as a whole would be stiffer, so it's still an improvement, but I feel it falls short of being fully metal.

So basically the answer is: it doesn't matter.   

Are there any glamor shots of a completed case with JD's spacers?

[AKmalamute]

Are there any glamor shots of a completed case with JD's spacers?

I've posted a few, I think

http://i.imgur.com/PaSQJFs.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ypuhG4h.jpg

Those are two of the better ones, I think. I tried to make an album of build pictures but the camera is falling apart and the lighting was poor so I didn't get much. The rest are in here
http://imgur.com/a/0v4U3

[Data]

OK, yeah.



They look much better with a proper screw squeezing them together. 

[jdcarpe]

OK, yeah.

Show Image

They look much better with a proper screw squeezing them together.  :D

Would look even better cut from 3/16" sheet metal, whether stainless or aluminum. :)

[Data]

OK, yeah.

Show Image

They look much better with a proper screw squeezing them together.  :D

Would look even better cut from 3/16" sheet metal, whether stainless or aluminum. :)

I'm guessing the 16 gauge is slightly too thin in some spots?

[AKmalamute]

I'm guessing the 16 gauge is slightly too thin in some spots?

 I don't have any troubles -- in fact I'm only using 4 pairs, but my 'TRRS connector' is an off-board phone jack.

I think it just minimizes the number of edges you have to polish into a seemingly solid surface. Would also leave more space open to dust, since the spacer layer doesn't go all the way around, like the original lower / upper spacers do.

Technically you could build just about all of it out of 1/8th inch except for a few pieces -- the piece just above the switchplate needs to be thicker to make room for electronics, and the switchplate itself needs to be 1.5mm to 'grab' the switches.

 But all that add complication to the kit -- thus, expense. Cutting everything out of one sheet is the least expensive way that yields great results. But mixing thicknesses, yes would look more "solid" and possibly be easier to construct too. Not sure it would make so much difference for those folks reconstructing their MD keyboards.

[Data]

I'm guessing the 16 gauge is slightly too thin in some spots?

 I don't have any troubles -- in fact I'm only using 4 pairs, but my 'TRRS connector' is an off-board phone jack.

I think it just minimizes the number of edges you have to polish into a seemingly solid surface. Would also leave more space open to dust, since the spacer layer doesn't go all the way around, like the original lower / upper spacers do.

Technically you could build just about all of it out of 1/8th inch except for a few pieces -- the piece just above the switchplate needs to be thicker to make room for electronics, and the switchplate itself needs to be 1.5mm to 'grab' the switches.

 But all that add complication to the kit -- thus, expense. Cutting everything out of one sheet is the least expensive way that yields great results. But mixing thicknesses, yes would look more "solid" and possibly be easier to construct too. Not sure it would make so much difference for those folks reconstructing their MD keyboards.

So from a design/layout perspective, if you could change or fix anything for a hypothetical Round 3... would you?

This setup seemed like a pretty good compromise between cost, complexity, fit and aesthetics.

[GSimon]

I'm guessing the 16 gauge is slightly too thin in some spots?

 I don't have any troubles -- in fact I'm only using 4 pairs, but my 'TRRS connector' is an off-board phone jack.

I think it just minimizes the number of edges you have to polish into a seemingly solid surface. Would also leave more space open to dust, since the spacer layer doesn't go all the way around, like the original lower / upper spacers do.

Technically you could build just about all of it out of 1/8th inch except for a few pieces -- the piece just above the switchplate needs to be thicker to make room for electronics, and the switchplate itself needs to be 1.5mm to 'grab' the switches.

 But all that add complication to the kit -- thus, expense. Cutting everything out of one sheet is the least expensive way that yields great results. But mixing thicknesses, yes would look more "solid" and possibly be easier to construct too. Not sure it would make so much difference for those folks reconstructing their MD keyboards.

Yea the only thing I'm wondering is whether or not my TRRS cable will fit without any acrylic plates. I get the impression there might not be enough clearance for the end of the cable.