Won't the foam be available at mykeyboard.eu?
Need to convince myself I don't need more than one.
Oh my god it looks so nice, a part of me tells me I want it, another part of me is telling me I need an 1800 layout board tho still and a third part of me tells me to save that money instead. Btw thanks for the renders for GMK Shoko Janglad! Feel free to use them to promote the Modern M0110 if you want.
Will the plate design be availble? Would love to have a split space layout plate.
The current layouts are just not for me.
Wow, thank you. Now I need to go back to my fight with the wallet. ;)Will the plate design be availble? Would love to have a split space layout plate.
The current layouts are just not for me.
You can download the plate design here! https://github.com/deskcandy/modern-m0110
If anyone needs help with a .ai file for a custom engraving PM me and I can help design and create the file.
No doubt this is answered somewhere, but what’s the angle on the board? 8 degrees?
The sample Huey (TopClack) got was had a bad cerakote job. Any work on whether that has been fixed?
Is there a gallery of all renders you made for this board? Need some color/keycap inspiration.
Thank you very much. What is that SA set on the 6th image?
No, I mean this one: https://i.imgur.com/lxPXKbG.jpg
Ah yes, I remember. What a nice combo. Will there be a gb or why did you make that render?
No, I mean this one: https://i.imgur.com/lxPXKbG.jpg
SA Fortune by /u/guess_whos_black :)
Can I ask a stupid question? What does "no switch top removal" mean in the fixed HHKB plate option?
Can I ask a stupid question? What does "no switch top removal" mean in the fixed HHKB plate option?
Switch top removal means you can remove the top of the switch to swap out springs and add LED if you want to do that after soldering the switches.
Without switch top removal, you would need to desolder the switch to make the change.
No, I mean this one: https://i.imgur.com/lxPXKbG.jpg
SA Fortune by /u/guess_whos_black :)
The case color in the 6th render is not the grey anodized version, right? This would be a custom cerakote colour?
Is there a MOQ for this GB?
Will the units be still be produced if it is less than MOQ?
Can't decide on which cerakote color I should get.
Can't decide on which cerakote color I should get.
Is there a MOQ for this GB?
Will the units be still be produced if it is less than MOQ?
Can't decide on which cerakote color I should get.
I don't think there is a MOQ. He'll make as many as people ordered, iirc.
Is there an update to the reserved Serial Number list? Would be helpful to know which ones are taken!
Is there an update to the reserved Serial Number list? Would be helpful to know which ones are taken!
When will we get info on the engraving limitations? We are coming up on the submission deadline but can't even make a file yet
There is a description on the listing page of what you can or cannot do, if you have more specific questions let me know:
https://www.deskcandy.xyz/group-buy/modern-m0110-custom-engraving?category=Customization
Hi I have a question about the plate. Is it possible to have a "mini" enter and US-like pipe/ backslash? So like splitting a ISO enter in the middle or would that require a custom plate?
Also how much would the shipping to germany be? MyKeyboard sadly does not offer Matias switches or the wrist rest and the stabilizers are much more expensive.
Hi I have a question about the plate. Is it possible to have a "mini" enter and US-like pipe/ backslash? So like splitting a ISO enter in the middle or would that require a custom plate?
Also how much would the shipping to germany be? MyKeyboard sadly does not offer Matias switches or the wrist rest and the stabilizers are much more expensive.
Could you share a picture of the specific layout you mean? As for the shipping, please contact Candykeys for a shipping quote :) Thanks! :thumb:
Ooh God, I meant Deskcandy obviously!!! Candykeys are indeed not involved, sorry for the confusion. What a stupid slip up hahaHi I have a question about the plate. Is it possible to have a "mini" enter and US-like pipe/ backslash? So like splitting a ISO enter in the middle or would that require a custom plate?
Also how much would the shipping to germany be? MyKeyboard sadly does not offer Matias switches or the wrist rest and the stabilizers are much more expensive.
Could you share a picture of the specific layout you mean? As for the shipping, please contact Candykeys for a shipping quote :) Thanks! :thumb:
Sure, it's the fifth row from the top in this picture https://www.deskcandy.xyz/group-buy/xd60-v30 and i didn't know candykeys are involved with the project but thanks will do that.
Hi I have a question about the plate. Is it possible to have a "mini" enter and US-like pipe/ backslash? So like splitting a ISO enter in the middle or would that require a custom plate?
Also how much would the shipping to germany be? MyKeyboard sadly does not offer Matias switches or the wrist rest and the stabilizers are much more expensive.
Could you share a picture of the specific layout you mean? As for the shipping, please contact Candykeys for a shipping quote :) Thanks! :thumb:
Sure, it's the fifth row from the top in this picture https://www.deskcandy.xyz/group-buy/xd60-v30 and i didn't know candykeys are involved with the project but thanks will do that.
Might be a silly question.. but i’m wondering how many have been ordered so far? (Estimate?) and are there any plans for a 2nd round? :D
Might be a silly question.. but i’m wondering how many have been ordered so far? (Estimate?) and are there any plans for a 2nd round? :D
On Top Clack, Heroyjenkins mentioned they sold "over 100 so far"
Do we have any pic for the dynamic black cerakote finish? I will most likely get that color but I just want to see some kind of render first.
Who should I contact about making changes to an existing order?Whichever vendor you bought it from
Who should I contact about making changes to an existing order?Whichever vendor you bought it from
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
How is manufacturing coming along?
How is manufacturing coming along?
Hey!
Sorry that I haven't given as many updates as I should have here, we have definitely been working hard on this behind the scenes and manufacturing is coming along well! CNC work has been done for more than half of the boards already, I will try to get some pics of that to show everyone here! We're well on schedule for sure, even ahead of things meaning people might be getting their boards early ;)
When was the original target date for the M0110 anyways? I don't recall.
Things still going smoothly?
I believe I opted for having an engraving on the bottom left corner. Any updates on the submission guidelines? Thanks!
I believe I opted for having an engraving on the bottom left corner. Any updates on the submission guidelines? Thanks!
Correct me if I'm wrong but haven't the guidelines been on the Deskcandy site since the GB launch? :D
https://www.deskcandy.xyz/group-buy/modern-m0110-custom-engraving?category=Customization (https://www.deskcandy.xyz/group-buy/modern-m0110-custom-engraving?category=Customization)
Any updates?
Any updates?
https://www.reddit.com/r/mechmarket/comments/9olc7i/vendor_desk_candy_updates_10152018/ (https://www.reddit.com/r/mechmarket/comments/9olc7i/vendor_desk_candy_updates_10152018/)
Here's a picture of it on a Glock slide :)Show Image(https://image.ibb.co/n1SURy/MdOmK5S.jpg)
Hey Modern M0110 group buy amazing supporters,
Quick update on the status of the group buy--easier to email everyone instead of trying to duplicate updates on all the platforms (Reddit, Geekhack, Keebtalk, Instagram) and it's been difficult for me to answer individual requests and updates since we're really spending most of our time these days just pushing forward M0110 and fulfilling other group buy and in-stock orders.
TL;DR - we are about 3 months behind our original schedule because of machining delays but (fingers crossed!) have not run into any major manufacturing errors or issues that would pose a major risk quality wise to the end product.
The major setback in our timeline is that our machinist (the person who turns raw blocks of extruded aluminum into carved pieces which actually look like keyboards) ran roughly 3-4 months behind schedule. I was supposed to get all the parts in hand by end of August (which would theoretically have given us enough time to make significant progress on surface coating and engraving to start shipping by early November). However, it's nearing end of November now and I have in possession roughly 50% of the machined cases and the machinist told me last week all bottoms are done and he's still finishing up the tops. I am not going to pay the remainder of the machining and material fee until 100% of the parts are delivered.
But the good news is that we *do* have roughly half of the machined cases now, so we are planning to start serial number and custom engraving this week. In addition--we are working on doing another test run to make sure the Cerakote quality comes out better than the prototype that Top Clack reviewed--that one will get Cerakote this week or next and I will ship it out to Jan to have another look and help us QC the surface finish to make sure we are on track. Despite delays, the one thing we don't want to compromise on is quality :) I spent several hours with our vendor who is taking care of both Cerakote and engraving this weekend and am looking forward to seeing how everything comes out.
Unfortunately because of how the anodizing process works (it has to be done in one big batch instead of painting individual keyboards), anodized boards will not get surface coatings until I receive 100% of the machined boards, so Cerakote customers may receive their boards before anodized ones.
Check out some pics of the boards below! I forgot to take another picture of the huge pile of M0110 parts currently at our Cerakote vendor's shop :)
Sorry for the delays and poor communication from Desk Candy. I want to do better, so please give me feedback if this format is helpful and if you have any questions or concerns. Please be patient with the process as there are a lot of variables (and we cannot control all of them) with the manufacturing process for this scale and level of quality, and thank you very much again for being a part of this group buy.
Best,
John
Received mine, very, very beautiful. The white is awesome.
BUT for all if you, who plan to use the stand-offs. They are of very poor quality. Material is way too soft. The thread is filled with paint and/or are too small. Sheared off 3 stand-offs so far. Even after using another screw to redo the threading. Sad to see such a nice case ruined by cheap stand-offs. :-(
Update: added picture:Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/cD2L3Z9.jpg)
Received mine, very, very beautiful. The white is awesome.
BUT for all if you, who plan to use the stand-offs. They are of very poor quality. Material is way too soft. The thread is filled with paint and/or are too small. Sheared off 3 stand-offs so far. Even after using another screw to redo the threading. Sad to see such a nice case ruined by cheap stand-offs. :-(
Update: added picture:Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/cD2L3Z9.jpg)
Standoffs? I thought this was top mount? I am confused what exactly are you talking about?
Received mine, very, very beautiful. The white is awesome.
BUT for all if you, who plan to use the stand-offs. They are of very poor quality. Material is way too soft. The thread is filled with paint and/or are too small. Sheared off 3 stand-offs so far. Even after using another screw to redo the threading. Sad to see such a nice case ruined by cheap stand-offs. :-(
Update: added picture:Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/cD2L3Z9.jpg)
i'm pretty sure a top mount plate is included with the case?
Standoffs? I thought this was top mount? I am confused what exactly are you talking about?
You can do both. I opted for tray mount because I wanted to use my existing plates and PCBs. If you got the top mount plate, lucky you. I need now to find a way to fix the stand-offs to the case. Probably drill the crappy stand-offs out and try better ones.
Received mine, very, very beautiful. The white is awesome.
BUT for all if you, who plan to use the stand-offs. They are of very poor quality. Material is way too soft. The thread is filled with paint and/or are too small. Sheared off 3 stand-offs so far. Even after using another screw to redo the threading. Sad to see such a nice case ruined by cheap stand-offs. :-(
Update: added picture:Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/cD2L3Z9.jpg)
Received mine, very, very beautiful. The white is awesome.
BUT for all if you, who plan to use the stand-offs. They are of very poor quality. Material is way too soft. The thread is filled with paint and/or are too small. Sheared off 3 stand-offs so far. Even after using another screw to redo the threading. Sad to see such a nice case ruined by cheap stand-offs. :-(
Update: added picture:Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/cD2L3Z9.jpg)
I think he got confused with the MD run RedScarf M0110x. AFAIK, this gb is not yet complete. Last update I think was in October, saying there was an issue with CNCing the bottom.
I had no idea these shipped already. Did you perhaps get the one from Massdrop that looks similar?
I hate it when gb-runners "don't have the time" to share some news (or just say we have no news). You had the time to advertise your product here! It takes one minute.
Since I've joined via proxy, I didn't get a single email or anything.
I hate it when gb-runners "don't have the time" to share some news (or just say we have no news). You had the time to advertise your product here! It takes one minute.
Since I've joined via proxy, I didn't get a single email or anything.
I hate it when gb-runners "don't have the time" to share some news (or just say we have no news). You had the time to advertise your product here! It takes one minute.
Since I've joined via proxy, I didn't get a single email or anything.
I understand that there hasn't been regular communication here, but I have always updated here as soon as I knew progress was made. It's just that the progress sadly is taking a long time....
As for you not getting an email, that definitely is a mistake on our part. I'll make sure people who ordered through proxies will also get updates via email from now on.
I hate it when gb-runners "don't have the time" to share some news (or just say we have no news). You had the time to advertise your product here! It takes one minute.
Since I've joined via proxy, I didn't get a single email or anything.
I understand that there hasn't been regular communication here, but I have always updated here as soon as I knew progress was made. It's just that the progress sadly is taking a long time....
As for you not getting an email, that definitely is a mistake on our part. I'll make sure people who ordered through proxies will also get updates via email from now on.
Hey folks,
Happy new year!
Quick update here on the Modern M0110 group buy progress. I am very happy to say that all the machining work is now done! Desk Candy is now paid in full for all the machining work after I inspected the final product, so what's left is finish work (Cerakote, anodizing, and engraving) and getting the laser-cut plates.
Right now, a large quantity of machined boards are at our Cerakote vendor's shop in Huntington Beach, CA waiting to be shot-blasted, engraved and Cerakoted (he is doing shot-blasting and engraving for all boards and Cerakote for the Cerakote orders). However, the Cerakote vendor just had a son right before New Years, and coupled with the holiday hasn't made much progress. He is a skilled artisan but because his is a small shop, everything pretty much shuts down over the holidays and for life events (birth of his son).
I am personally visiting the shop on Sunday to hopefully pick up the first production sample which I will send to Jan in Europe (some of you may recall that Huey from Top Clack find some inconsistencies in the Cerakote finishes) so he can double check everything is good to go for the full finishing process.
I know some of you are frustrated with how long everything is taking and I am right there with you, the longer this process takes, the longer before I can really sink meaningful time into future Desk Candy or other projects, so believe me when I say I'm right there with you :) I can't really give an updated time estimate right now that I have real confidence in (you wouldn't want me to just arbitrarily pick a new delivery date) until we actually start getting boards Cerakoted. Once I know that we can complete X boards per week, then I can do some math to figure out how long the whole thing will take if that makes sense.
This has been overall a much more unpredictable process to complete the project than I anticipated or would have liked, and a lot of the current state of the project is out of my control and in our vendor's hands. The issue with manufacturing this project in the US versus China, is that while there are a lot of great artisans and vendors here to work with, because of the order size we are restricted to working with mom and pop shops which come with more unpredictability when it comes to timing.
Last thing--Alps Throwback is almost done shipping to people who just ordered Alps Throwback as a standalone order. If you ordered Alps Throwback with Modern M0110 and want to get it sooner instead of waiting until Modern M0110 ships, please reply back to me directly--this will cost a bit more in shipping just as a heads up.
Thanks,
John
is that the same vendor for the cerakote as well?
I know all of the delays have been out of John's control, but damn this sucks.
Right now, a large quantity of machined boards are at our Cerakote vendor's shop in Huntington Beach, CA waiting to be shot-blasted, engraved and Cerakoted (he is doing shot-blasting and engraving for all boards and Cerakote for the Cerakote orders).
QuoteRight now, a large quantity of machined boards are at our Cerakote vendor's shop in Huntington Beach, CA waiting to be shot-blasted, engraved and Cerakoted (he is doing shot-blasting and engraving for all boards and Cerakote for the Cerakote orders).
Looks like engraving and cerakoting. :(
Is that for the custom engraving stuff or all cases?
Communication sucks hard here...
What's the progress on cherakoting etc...
Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk
Thanks pixelpusher, that was the link I was looking for.
Default engraving here:Show Image(https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a093692f14aa13ff15444b5/5b14db948a922db6918e82a7/5b14dccc575d1fc851845303/1528093941378/IMG_20180601_083120.jpg?format=2500w)
I know we're kind of in a limbo for this project - but will there be any extras to buy? Or if not anyone has a spot they would sell me?
John sent out an update stating you can opt out of engraving and possibly receive your board sooner, this is the route I’ll be taking.
John sent out an update stating you can opt out of engraving and possibly receive your board sooner, this is the route I’ll be taking.
I wonder what about those who paid extra to pick a certain number to be engraved.
Hey folks,
Quick update here on the Modern M0110 group buy. Unfortunately we hit another setback--the engraving vendor that I picked (based on the recommendation of our Cerakote vendor) decided to not help us with engraving since they are at full capacity with their laser engraver. So my current focus recently has been to find a new engraving vendor, which is easier said than done.
Laser engravers which can truly engrave metal (removing material as opposed to just marking metal) cost tens of thousands of dollars and either 1) the big shops who have them don’t want to work on the group buy project because it’s too small for them or 2) the small shops can’t afford such a machine. I have a line on one shop in LA that *should* be able to help (and potentially a few more leads from the manufacturer of one brand of laser engravers), and I’m reaching out to them about doing a quick sample so we can move forward, but if anyone knows a reliable laser engraver in Southern California, please let me know!!
That being said--if you would like to receive your keyboard earlier and don’t care about having a serial number engraved (serial number engraving was supposed to be for all M0110 units, and certain customers paid to reserve specific numbers), I would like to give you the option of skipping engraving, get a $10 refund, and receive your keyboard sooner. Please email me back if you want to do this!
Thank you all for your support and have a great weekend everyone!
Best regards,
John
Even though there are setbacks and delays on this project, I hope these issues and pressure would not rush the GB runners in production/delivery. Please don't compromise or risk the quality just to catch up the delivery date. I would rather to wait longer than to receive poor quality product.
And Please improve the communication. Make a post here if you have any issue, any update on sample of engraving, etc.
I have a cerakote beige unit for spot transfer. Order with extra acrylic frosted plate, walnut waist rest. PM me and we can work it out with John.
I have a Dark Grey M0110 spot with an extra brass plate and looking to transfer my spot. PM me if interested. We can work out all the details with the GB runner on the transfer.
From Jan 4QuoteHey folks,
Happy new year!
....
I am personally visiting the shop on Sunday to hopefully pick up the first production sample which I will send to Jan in Europe (some of you may recall that Huey from Top Clack find some inconsistencies in the Cerakote finishes) so he can double check everything is good to go for the full finishing process.
....
Thanks,
John
Any update on the Modern M0120 concept? Already dying to get one
anyone get a response from John after picking the no engraving option?
I am looking to purchase a Light Sand Cerakote spot, please PM me :)
I’m looking to sell a spot.
Light Sand cerakote, alps PCB and plate, engraved No. 100 spot.
I’m looking to sell a spot.Hey, I've sent you a PM (via. Tapatalk)
Light Sand cerakote, alps PCB and plate, engraved No. 100 spot.
True love is real <3I am looking to purchase a Light Sand Cerakote spot, please PM me :)I’m looking to sell a spot.
Light Sand cerakote, alps PCB and plate, engraved No. 100 spot.
You guys are made for each other. Keep me in mind when you name the babies.
the original group buy page is also gone
Can we at least get a picture of all the cherakote of cases? Are they even done?
I opted out of engraving but nothing happened, might as well Opt in again
Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk
He told me boards without engraving will start shipping out soon but failed to give me an exact date. Hoping for the best :p
Hey folks,
Quick update on the Modern M0110 group buy--we found a new engraver!
In terms of process and general timeline, I received emails from some of you about canceling engraving, I haven’t processed all of the refunds yet but will try to finish that this week as well as getting the first batch of non-engraved boards Cerakoted this week to ship the following week. Timing is still TBD on when shipping will finish, but we will start incrementally and try to move as fast as we can, and once the pace stabilizes will try to give an ETA if we can.
Here are a couple pictures from the engraver, including a preview of the standard serial number engraving. The board you see here will ship out to Jan in the next week or two for him to QA the Cerakote finish.
Thanks!
how can they ship in 2 weeks? We haven't even seen a cerakoted sample yet, have we? I mean, i'll believe it when i see it
how can they ship in 2 weeks? We haven't even seen a cerakoted sample yet, have we? I mean, i'll believe it when i see it
Could we have some pictures of samples before shipping (for both the non-engraved and the engraved)? Given that it's been through so many issues, I'm concerned about the produce quality.
I joined in via zfrontier and it's outer space silence there. No update, no estimated shipping after all these delays, no anything about the engraved optout at all. I have to track this thread to know what happened and guess what will happen. **** happens in GBs, as we all know, but the communication is really too bad for this one.
I've been trying to give all the updates I can, same for John. Thing is we often just don't have any updates to give with the rate our manufacturers are handling things. I can definitely understand this isn't the most pleasant GB experience though. I will get a production board in in the following week/weeks (depending on how long shipping takes). I will be sure to provide as many pictures as possible.
I'll also update the ETA as soon as I can.
Anyone still waiting for engraving refund?
I've tried to have an email correspondence with John, but no answer after several emails. I want to know what the status is for engraving cancelation is and what the status of anodized cases are since all we hear are problems with the cerakoting.
I am part of the GB but I have never received an email about update. Is it possible to add me to the distro list?
I am part of the GB but I have never received an email about update. Is it possible to add me to the distro list?
Did you order through Desk Candy or the proxies (EU or China)? I don't have the email address for proxy customers but have been forwarding all the updates to Mykeyboard and zFrontier.
Hello geekhaaaack! I haven't really been active here in a while and have focused group buy communication on email since I know for sure it will reach folks who joined the GB, but since this is an actually discussion *forum*, I will post these updates here too going forward.
I am part of the GB but I have never received an email about update. Is it possible to add me to the distro list?
Did you order through Desk Candy or the proxies (EU or China)? I don't have the email address for proxy customers but have been forwarding all the updates to Mykeyboard and zFrontier.
I ordered through Desk Candy directly. My order numbers are #65 and #69.
I am part of the GB but I have never received an email about update. Is it possible to add me to the distro list?
Did you order through Desk Candy or the proxies (EU or China)? I don't have the email address for proxy customers but have been forwarding all the updates to Mykeyboard and zFrontier.
I am part of the GB but I have never received an email about update. Is it possible to add me to the distro list?
Did you order through Desk Candy or the proxies (EU or China)? I don't have the email address for proxy customers but have been forwarding all the updates to Mykeyboard and zFrontier.
Yeah, I ordered through Desk Candy too but I havent been receiving any email updates about this GB. Yes, i've checked my Spam inbox.
I know long waits without much to say for them can be frustrating, but I've been amusing myself with a little game I like to call, "Which will arrive first?" The Modern M0110 or XDA Oblique?Just FYI: XDA Oblique won ;)
I know long waits without much to say for them can be frustrating, but I've been amusing myself with a little game I like to call, "Which will arrive first?" The Modern M0110 or XDA Oblique?Just FYI: XDA Oblique won ;)
Looking to sell my Dynamic Black Cerakote spot at face value. If you're interested hit me up.
Hey folks, just a quick update here for proof of life :)
For some context, our machinist sped up the CNC program for Modern M0110 when he did the actual production run, and while all the tops machining is pretty fantastic (honestly this is where a huge chunk of our machining budget went since you're basically paying by the minute), the bottoms came out rougher than the original prototype and my machinist will not do another pass, but at the time I thought that the level of machine marks was normal and would easily come out in sandblasting.
That turned out to be not true...and when I gave the order to my Cerakote vendor to start running the non-engraved keyboards, he basically halted after the first one because the machining marks were way too rough on the bottom and I don't want to ship them to you guys in that state. So me and my wife have been working with our Cerakote and anodizing vendor to experiment with different surface prep strategies so we ship out keyboards that live up to your expectations because lets be honest, even if it looks amazing on top and sitting on your desk, I know many of you are not going to be satisfied if the part you *can't* see isn't perfect too.
So the main updates are:
- We have anodized production samples! They actually look *amazing* and I'll try to share good photos when I have a chance to photograph them properly. The gray is going to come out with a bit more of a textured finish while the silver will come out as an ultra-smooth Apple-like finish. I'm actually really impressed with the quality and was surprised you could get such high quality anodizing done in the good ol USA (anodizing companies are a bit of a dying breed here due to environmental regulations)
- My Cerakote vendor's spray gun broke last week and he had to get a new one, so he has to redo the production sample--our proposed solution right now is to actually paint each keyboard twice so the first coat helps smooth out the surface of the bottom and second coat is the one you see. It's a bit more expensive but I hope that this will look good but I don't have 100% confirmation on it yet. The two coats will be evenly applied on both bottom and top so we don't expect to see any color inconsistencies but this is definitely something we will be monitoring once we get to real production.
Thanks everyone!
Appreciate your efforts, but man, this whole GB is like a “Made in USA” cautionary tale.
Appreciate your efforts, but man, this whole GB is like a “Made in USA” cautionary tale.
I think you guys are over reacting a bit to the anodizing, the grey looks on par with boards such as Duck, etc... if anything the silver anodizing is too smooth, yes I can’t believe I said that.
I sent an email to you John, but I really hope we can change ano color, this super rough dark Grey is not what I signed up for.
I sent an email to you John, but I really hope we can change ano color, this super rough dark Grey is not what I signed up for.
We are going to run a new sample in the same smoothness as the silver but in gray so it is closer to what everyone signed up for originally. The color is going to be lighter than the picture to match our original sample (we were working on that anyways). Thanks.
To be frank, the silver seems different than the original too. It's been sand blasted so much that the edges are all completely smooth now.
Almost 1 year since this started :cool:
Almost 1 year since this started :cool:
Good reminder! It helps to keep the time frame in perspective, I was just feeling like this GB was taking forever, but it really only has been a year, virtually no time at all for a GB, and this makes me feel better about it, thank you! This really is one of the better GBs
I would assume so too, this is definitely one of the gbs that stopped me from buying more boards...Almost 1 year since this started :cool:
Good reminder! It helps to keep the time frame in perspective, I was just feeling like this GB was taking forever, but it really only has been a year, virtually no time at all for a GB, and this makes me feel better about it, thank you! This really is one of the better GBs
Your being silly right?
Almost 1 year since this started :cool:
Good reminder! It helps to keep the time frame in perspective, I was just feeling like this GB was taking forever, but it really only has been a year, virtually no time at all for a GB, and this makes me feel better about it, thank you! This really is one of the better GBs
Your being silly right?
Almost 1 year since this started :cool:
Good reminder! It helps to keep the time frame in perspective, I was just feeling like this GB was taking forever, but it really only has been a year, virtually no time at all for a GB, and this makes me feel better about it, thank you! This really is one of the better GBs
Your being silly right?
I'm being sarcastic to make a point, yeah. How long do you think these things take? I have been part of a dozen group buys and hundreds of crowd funding projects, one year really isn't that long. I have seen a lot of products be produced and the amount of work and time that goes into it is crazy, not to mention pieces that are out of the GB runners hands, other companies, with hundreds if not thousands of other projects they have to make happen on their own deadlines... This isn't going slow at all, and it's not really taking that long, AND we are getting communication from the creator, at least more than I have gotten on most projects or GBs I have been a part of.
Try to have a little perspective.
Estimates are wrong nearly 100% of the time in these situations, that doesn't mean it's taking a long time, this is still on track to be a faster GB than most I have been a part of, and WAAAAY faster than many other crowdfunding platform projects. Nothing ever goes 'fine' with projects like this, there are always issues, there are always delays, and this one is not nearly as bad as most. Maybe if you have never been a part of something like this this feels long, maybe if you have only been a part of 4 or 5, or hell even 10 crowd funded projects maybe you think people are fooling themselves, but after you have seen hundreds of projects, on both sides of the project, across a half dozen different platforms for a bunch of different types of product, you start to really appreciate when a project has only been a year late so far.I think you've been numbed by your past GB and CF experiences.
This isn't even that bad of a gb. Like sure it isn't great and we would al like more communication but some perspective is needed. We aren't buying products from some huge company whose sole goal is to make profit. It is a one off product made by someone who is passionate about it. Desk candy is still keeping us updated and I'm pretty certain that we will eventually get the board.Tbh. This sure sounds a lot like Stockholm syndrome.
Hey guys, long time no update but actually have a lot to update you guys on. My wife (yes, I've pulled her into this madness because she's really good at managing process) and I have been busy and put a ton of miles on our car traveling between vendors.These are hott
Cerakote
TL;DR - 4 units done, rest of unengraved in progress, then will start rest after engraving
- 4 unengraved units (light sand) are DONE. They look really good with the double layer painted approached we had to take because the machinist changed his tool path for production without telling me, which was a bit of a scare for the success of actually getting this GB done.
- These are going to ship out later this week to some of the early number orders who opted out of engraving - thank you! I feel really good about actually getting these out in your hands, even if it's just a small percentage to start. Getting the momentum of finishing a certain number of orders per week is really important.
- My Cerakote guy thinks he can get the rest of the unengraved units done by end of week, but I have to take that with a grain of salt. Don't count on all the unengraved boards being shipped out within a week. Maybe two or three at best given the rate he's working.
- I am still planning to send a board to janglad which has been specially engraved for him so he can independently inspect the Cerakote finish. This board has already been painted and repainted several times in order to get the finish right, and it should be good to go the next time I visit the Cerakote vendor. I am not waiting though to ship these 4 boards because I am confident in the quality of the finish that it is a step above the review unit manofinterests reviewed and honestly don't think you guys would want me to do anything to slow down getting boards in folks hands asap. You can check out the pictures yourselves.
(Attachment Link) (Attachment Link) (Attachment Link)
Anodized
TL;DR - Polishing is in progress, engraving comes next
- Based on your feedback in the last "big" update, we are not doing the shotpeen (rougher textured) finish for grey keyboards. I still really love this finish, so we will reserve it for special projects if there are any raw leftovers after finishing this group buy.
- We tweaked the pre-anodizing finishing process and are not polishing the top piece as to better preserve the original machining (and avoid that "melted" look) but polish the bottom to clear the rough machining marks. After polishing the bottom but *not* the top, we shot blast and then anodize. You can check out the silver finish below. For gray, we are color matching the original China gray sample and should have dye back from the lab this week or next
(Attachment Link) (Attachment Link)
A quick note on emails and comms - the time I get each week to devote to Desk Candy is almost all going to M0110 production, and I'm prioritizing vendor communications and visits to keep the train rolling. There are definitely high priority customer communications I need to deal with, and I acknowledge some of slipped through the cracks while I've been heads down on production stuff. If you don't hear back from me by Wednesday, feel free to shoot a new email.
Thanks all.
Thanks for updating us. Good to see progress and some cerakote boards finally.
Quick question:
I've never had a cerakoted object before. In the photos, there are a lot of specks on the boards. If it was paint I would be worried b/c those specks (blobs of finish? dirt?) would chip off over time from wear and tear. Is it a different story for cerakote?
(Attachment Link)
Same thing goes with rough edges like this. Is it more durable b/c of the particular cerakote finish?
(Attachment Link)
It probably just looks rougher in the photos b/c they are so close up. I understand that the finish won't be "perfect." I just wanted to have an idea of how much imperfection to expect
Thanks for updating us. Good to see progress and some cerakote boards finally.
Quick question:
I've never had a cerakoted object before. In the photos, there are a lot of specks on the boards. If it was paint I would be worried b/c those specks (blobs of finish? dirt?) would chip off over time from wear and tear. Is it a different story for cerakote?
(Attachment Link)
Same thing goes with rough edges like this. Is it more durable b/c of the particular cerakote finish?
(Attachment Link)
It probably just looks rougher in the photos b/c they are so close up. I understand that the finish won't be "perfect." I just wanted to have an idea of how much imperfection to expect
Anyone interested in my spot.PM sent!
<snip>
PM me
Looking to sell my silver ano spot.
Its been like 6-7 weeks with no update. What the heck is this
Registered an account just now to express how completely frustrating this whole GB is. I first saw this project over on Reddit maybe 18-24 months ago and fell in love with the design. And I bought the whole enchilada: case, PCB, stabs, custom serial number, switches, assembly, the whole thing. I have asked for refunds on everything except for the case at this point but I haven't seen a dollar back.Even worse for me, my order was over 1000 usd AND i shipped him blue alps, brown alps etc worth ovet 300 USD for assembly.
At this point, I am just assuming I am out the entire bill. As much as I want to support small group buys from motivated community members, I am probably only buying finished goods or going through MD/Drop for anything I buy in the future. What a mess.
Registered an account just now to express how completely frustrating this whole GB is. I first saw this project over on Reddit maybe 18-24 months ago and fell in love with the design. And I bought the whole enchilada: case, PCB, stabs, custom serial number, switches, assembly, the whole thing. I have asked for refunds on everything except for the case at this point but I haven't seen a dollar back.Even worse for me, my order was over 1000 usd AND i shipped him blue alps, brown alps etc worth ovet 300 USD for assembly.
At this point, I am just assuming I am out the entire bill. As much as I want to support small group buys from motivated community members, I am probably only buying finished goods or going through MD/Drop for anything I buy in the future. What a mess.
This GB, Alf x1.1 and xondat killed this hobby for me i have yo say, there's not much passion left.
Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk
The one aspect I do take a bit of a issue with is not how long these GBs take, but the lack of consistent communication throughout the process.
I know there isn’t always new information to report, but consistent communication can go a long way to fostering good will during long stretches of a GB.
And I think that's what I would want most at this point. Give us an update every Friday or the weekly progress, what's coming up next, and if timeline expectations have shifted again. I have to hit deadlines left and right in my own career. Just wish the GB runner would let us know what is happening with some kind of regular frequency at this point. It's absurd to wait 2-3 months between a short update. Bite the bullet and tell us what's going on already.
And I think that's what I would want most at this point. Give us an update every Friday or the weekly progress, what's coming up next, and if timeline expectations have shifted again. I have to hit deadlines left and right in my own career. Just wish the GB runner would let us know what is happening with some kind of regular frequency at this point. It's absurd to wait 2-3 months between a short update. Bite the bullet and tell us what's going on already.
Asking for a weekly update is too much. No GB runner does that, I think? Once a month would be more than enough tho. :confused:
The kotai case gb runner made weekly posts from start to end, probably the best communication I've ever seen with group buys.
Registered an account just now to express how completely frustrating this whole GB is. I first saw this project over on Reddit maybe 18-24 months ago and fell in love with the design. And I bought the whole enchilada: case, PCB, stabs, custom serial number, switches, assembly, the whole thing. I have asked for refunds on everything except for the case at this point but I haven't seen a dollar back.
At this point, I am just assuming I am out the entire bill. As much as I want to support small group buys from motivated community members, I am probably only buying finished goods or going through MD/Drop for anything I buy in the future. What a mess.
His last response was on July 10th, with one before that explaining that his time is packed with driving vendor to vendor to make ends meet and actually get the things made. He showed pictures of prototypes. Think about it, if he were scamming us, why would he bother spending more money to actually make prototypes to show us pictures of? We're all in past the point of return with any PayPal return window, so he should just run off with the money. We're all in the same boat here. Why choose to assume the worst and get upset, and in doing so cause yourself unnecessary headache and heartache, right now, for something that might not even be true? If you (and all of us) do get completely shafted, then yeah, then we'll feel bad together, if it happens. For me, I'm assuming the best, because if it works out, I didn't experience any headache or heartache through any of the process.
Registered an account just now to express how completely frustrating this whole GB is. I first saw this project over on Reddit maybe 18-24 months ago and fell in love with the design. And I bought the whole enchilada: case, PCB, stabs, custom serial number, switches, assembly, the whole thing. I have asked for refunds on everything except for the case at this point but I haven't seen a dollar back.Even worse for me, my order was over 1000 usd AND i shipped him blue alps, brown alps etc worth ovet 300 USD for assembly.
At this point, I am just assuming I am out the entire bill. As much as I want to support small group buys from motivated community members, I am probably only buying finished goods or going through MD/Drop for anything I buy in the future. What a mess.
This GB, Alf x1.1 and xondat killed this hobby for me i have yo say, there's not much passion left.
Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk
At the end of the day you gotta remember that this is just some dude who probably has a day job running this. On top of working full time managing a big group buy sounds like a giant pain in the butt. Sure, the communication hasn't been great, but giving updates all the time that say "nothing really to update right now" is just going to make people agitated as well. Patience is something you absolutely need to have for these group buys, especially if it's the person's first time doing it. I haven't seen anything here that really sets off red flags for me, and I'm pretty sure that eventually I'll end up with a keyboard that I'm very happy with.And you have to remember that this dude isn't doing this out of the kindness of his own heart. He has A LOT of our money tied up in this project. I can respect that this is a passion project being brought to life in a guy's spare time (and caveat emptor and all that), but that doesn't mean the project should be immune from any criticism or people should just be grateful to get anything at all. You may be fine with how things are progressing, but the multiple comments asking for updates and offering criticism of what's been shown so far demonstrate that there are many who aren't happy with this project. The radio silence from the GB runner on these points is what people have a problem with. I also understand when delays happen, but there's a massive difference between the way this project and say Norbauer's Norbaforce cases were run while the delays in the timeline are very similar.
I'm a little lost on what the remaining "to do" list was. I thought i was basically done except for that engraving issue and the the GB runner goes silent.
Why do I have a feeling that the VN66, also an M0110-inspired case, will probably ship before this one?Aren’t they only making like ten of the VN66?
Keeping the production within the US is the #1 mistake here IMO. Are we still waiting for that one guy to return to work? Been so long I can’t even recall anymore.
Waiting a year for a GB to finish is not unheard of, but that should not be the norm.
We're still waiting for anodization samples, so as far as I know, only 4 cerakoted boards are done, and 0 anodized boards are done.
Hey folks,
Sorry for taking a while since the last update! Things are moving along, although slower than I would have liked. Here are the salient points for you to know:
- Metal polishing for anodized units is done. We will start engraving all engraved orders this week or next. Some of the (custom) engraving files had issues and we have to edit them individually to ensure that they don’t come out weird (overlapping lines) on the laser.
- Some of the initial unengraved Cerakote keyboards have to repainted, because they had a slight discoloration on the right side. I am bringing them back to my vendor this week, and he should have the rest of the unengraved units for me. If your keyboard is good to go colorwise, then you will receive a shipping address confirmation from me soon - it has been a bit since we ran the GB and I want to double check shipping addresses for every order so we don’t have any missing keyboards :)
- I haven’t shipped the unengraved Cerakote units yet because I had to reorder some of the screws and also had to order screw taps. I have to retap each screw hole on each keyboard myself by hand to ensure that you don’t have any screws break off in the keyboard. My Cerakote vendor plugs the screw holes when they paint the keyboards, but it’s impossible to prevent 100% of the Cerakote liquid from getting in and would rather play it safe.
Please let me know if you have any questions and thanks as always for your patience.
Best regards,
John
Please don't set time expectationsAgreed, it'll just give people more to stress about and make it harder to send out updates which is I think what the people really want
Please don't set time expectations+1
Got my rose gold, looks nothing like the renders, has a noticeable scratch and brass plate is in bad condition. given the immense wait I'm quite disappointed.
images of defect and poor match to advertised render: https://imgur.com/a/ER21USe
Got my rose gold, looks nothing like the renders, has a noticeable scratch and brass plate is in bad condition. given the immense wait I'm quite disappointed.
images of defect and poor match to advertised render: https://imgur.com/a/ER21USe
Wow that looks like :eek:
Maybe if you trade your GMK Olivia with GMK Sandstorm it will be all right?
Hey folks, I've reached out to pandemic123 via email and offered them the option of a return.Hey John,
The problem here is that for the Cerakote color option, I asked for customers to give me specific Cerakote color codes (e.g., "H-142 Light Sand" in the H-series of Cerakote). Unfortunately, Rose Gold is not an official Cerakote color, and my vendor improvised. The rendering referenced in the imgur link was not meant to represent any specific Cerakote color and I'm sorry that was confusing for folks. That rendering by janglad was also shiny, and Cerakote is always a matte finish, the only way for us to get that kind of semi-gloss / shiny finish would be through anodizing or some other kind of surface finish.
Happy to answer other questions here, but I don't anticipate problems with other custom colors (where we have a specific Cerakote color code) or standard Cerakote or anodized colors. We are doing what we can with the resources we have at our disposal and are focusing on keeping the entire group buy moving.
Super jazzed to get my board! Dunno what's with all the haters.If you are down with hotswap, I know cannon keys has a nice tsangan 60% with backlight, through switch rgb, and usb-c
Anyone have a suggestion of the best PCB to get that is compatible? Would like QMK, USB C, Bluetooth (!?!?), ESC key 4XRGB (if such a thing is possible)
Thanks
Hey folks, quick update here. We are trying to run 30 engravings this week - it's a bit difficult to set up time with the engraver but we're hoping to get it done this coming Friday so we can get more Cerakote boards done. Anodizing will have to wait until *all* engraving is done for boards to be anodized because it has to be done in a single batch.
Other than that, still shipping out unengraved Cerakote boards and repainting some of them.
:thumb:
Here's a picture of a Crimson Red Cerakote keyboard for you guys. Sadly this one has to be repainted because the paint job was a bit too light on the right side and uneven (you can't see in this picture). Notice the machining marks on the inside. We feel good about getting them out on the other surfaces of the keyboard but there was pretty much no way to get them out on the inside of the bottom without ruining all definition (i.e., "sharpness" of the cuts). I think it looks kinda cool actually so you can get a feeling of the "raw" output of the manufacturing process.
:thumb:
Here's a picture of a Crimson Red Cerakote keyboard for you guys. Sadly this one has to be repainted because the paint job was a bit too light on the right side and uneven (you can't see in this picture). Notice the machining marks on the inside. We feel good about getting them out on the other surfaces of the keyboard but there was pretty much no way to get them out on the inside of the bottom without ruining all definition (i.e., "sharpness" of the cuts). I think it looks kinda cool actually so you can get a feeling of the "raw" output of the manufacturing process.
oh damn is that mine? :))
:thumb:
Here's a picture of a Crimson Red Cerakote keyboard for you guys. Sadly this one has to be repainted because the paint job was a bit too light on the right side and uneven (you can't see in this picture). Notice the machining marks on the inside. We feel good about getting them out on the other surfaces of the keyboard but there was pretty much no way to get them out on the inside of the bottom without ruining all definition (i.e., "sharpness" of the cuts). I think it looks kinda cool actually so you can get a feeling of the "raw" output of the manufacturing process.
oh damn is that mine? :))
Yeah itiswas but it doesn't pass QA, sorry dude :-[ We will hopefully have it fixed soon though! It looks really great except for the right side's defect.
Any updates?
I've always received email updates from John, but I didn't get this last one. Thanks for posting
I see what you did thereAny updates?
Yep!
"Hey folks, mini update here! I just packed a few keyboards. I'm really happy because there were a few remaining things I needed in order to make sure each order was "shippable" and complete (having all the screws, hex wrenches, polybags so the keyboard doesn't smudge, etc) so I can actually pack them as they are ready from my vendors. This took me WAY longer than I expected because I was triple checking everything (specs and quantities) and had to order from a bunch of different vendors and check a bunch of different prices and options. Anyways...since this was discussed earlier:
The big remaining TODOs are:
- Running rest of engraving (it should only take 1-2 days but it's been taking really long to triple check every file to make sure the engravings including all the custom ones don't come out messed up). We think the "standard" engraving file is good to go as of earlier this week but we'll do another test engrave on aluminum to be 100% sure.
- Anodizing everything post-engraving (including non-engraved since anodizing has to be done in one big batch)
- Cerakote all the engraved boards (plus redo some nonengraved--unfortunately some of you who opted out of engraving have to keep waiting a bit longer since some of the colors came out uneven and are unacceptable)
I know that sounds like a lot, but trust me that the engraving and anodizing vendors work really really fast and are really professional (they are legit industrial companies with real corporate clients and work really efficiently from what I've seen so far). The bottleneck is unfortunately probably going to be on me. Each order without assembly service takes me at least 30 minutes and maybe closer to an hour to pack because I am polishing each brass plate and retapping each screw hole by hand, myself. It's really hard to find anyone in my area to do that kind of work at a high level of quality in such a small quantity at a price I can afford without losing more money on the GB. So it sounds kind of ridiculous but you're getting a lot of my own sweat in each keyboard (literally since it's been in the high 80s / 90s where my workshop is in LA lately) so there will be a slow burn of rolling this out to y'all.
Just a heads up to everyone too--I am going to confirm each order before I ship. This GB has taken a while and there's been a lot of back and forth with each of you, and I can't really afford to send out the wrong orders to people at this point!
Have a great rest of your weekend everyone and hope that was useful."
Looking to purchase someones kit, pm me.
No not yet, just wanted to get that message out there quick.Looking to purchase someones kit, pm me.
Did you reach out to nuclear_wizard?
Hey DeskCandy, as we get closer to the end, can we get just quick updates, like every week or so? Even if just a sentence or two, there is no need to post an epic. It would just be nice to have a quick update of current Step, next step, and current count complete.Seconded
I respect the amount of work that has gone into this GB, and the attention to detail put into even the most minor details. Its been a pretty impressive and harrowing process, and I think many lessons were learned in dealing with Onshore vs Offshore suppliers.
That being said, the process for keeping the stakeholders informed has been quite opaque, unfortunately. Even a quick post that says, "Hey all, no updates this week, still waiting to hear from X", or something like: "Quick update, Vendor has updated Estimated time of Pickup to Y" would give us some feedback and feel on how the project is progressing.
Feel free to let me know why this would be a bad idea, but in general I find transparency is key to keep milestones on track, and to keep everyone's enthusiasm up. I am very impressed with your attention to detail on the build process from your previous updates, I am just asking for micro updates in between the major ones (if it takes longer than 5 minutes to write, its too long ;D)
Thanks man for your hard work. I am sure we are all looking forward to the next update.
Here is sort of an update:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4GeJmOAAEd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Here is sort of an update:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4GeJmOAAEd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Wow. How profoundly disappointing after the renders promised this recessed/bossed type:
(Attachment Link)
I would be happy to get my keyboard at all, I'm honestly pretty sketched out at this point
The wait would be more tolerable if there was some kind of commitment to communication. It doesn't feel great when your messages seemingly fall into a black hole :SBut but but it's an American made black hole
Ironically, this whole debacle is a demonstration of why "Made in USA" is not always a good thing.
The manufacturers in China know what they're doing because they do this day in and day out.
Ironically, this whole debacle is a demonstration of why "Made in USA" is not always a good thing.
The manufacturers in China know what they're doing because they do this day in and day out.
I mean, you're not wrong. But China manufacturing has issues as well. (as i wait here for over a year on my xeno board)
I don’t know Heroy but do know Janglad and he’s for one not a scammer and two extremely disappointed with the delay and feels **** about it. I didn’t join but have full confidence that you will receive your boards, don’t ask me when though.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Who's BOX browns do I have to lube to get an update around here?God's. Apparently
Who's BOX browns do I have to lube to get an update around here?God's. Apparently
Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk
This is beyond ridiculous, how many have actually shipped. I feel like everyone's in the dark
Im going to start bumping this thread every day, every few hours if i have to
While waiting on my light sand Cerakote I have since had gotten married, had a baby, and moved. Looking forward to an email confirming my new shipping address.Aw congratulations!
At this point it doesn't seem like constantly spamming the thread is doing much...
At this point it doesn't seem like constantly spamming the thread is doing much...
Probably not, but people are rightfully agitated that we seem to be actively ignored on a GB that's over a year delayed. What updates we do get are only a 4-5 day projection and then silence for over a month and a half at a time only for us to get an update that the 4-5 day projection hasn't even been met. We were assured (at least those of us with anodized boards) that it would move fast as soon as everything was engraved. Back in September he said that running the engraving should only take a few days, we then get a conflicting update a month later saying that he's going to do another 20 engravings the next day?! So it seems like that whenever we do get one of these rare updates, we can't even trust the accuracy of the projection. I don't think it would be ridiculous to want more transparency on whats going on with production. He really needs to just have a running counter that he posts weekly of; # of boards waiting to be engraved and # of boards waiting cerakote (no counter for anodizing since thats going to be run in one batch when all engraving is finished) and # of boards completed and shipped.
At this point it doesn't seem like constantly spamming the thread is doing much...
Probably not, but people are rightfully agitated that we seem to be actively ignored on a GB that's over a year delayed. What updates we do get are only a 4-5 day projection and then silence for over a month and a half at a time only for us to get an update that the 4-5 day projection hasn't even been met. We were assured (at least those of us with anodized boards) that it would move fast as soon as everything was engraved. Back in September he said that running the engraving should only take a few days, we then get a conflicting update a month later saying that he's going to do another 20 engravings the next day?! So it seems like that whenever we do get one of these rare updates, we can't even trust the accuracy of the projection. I don't think it would be ridiculous to want more transparency on whats going on with production. He really needs to just have a running counter that he posts weekly of; # of boards waiting to be engraved and # of boards waiting cerakote (no counter for anodizing since thats going to be run in one batch when all engraving is finished) and # of boards completed and shipped.
So.. spamming the thread helps with that?
If your post ended after the first clause, it would have made sense. Why is there a "but" required?Hes just venting his frustration... Quite don't see the huge issue over doing that...
Significant post made by /u/janglad over at Reddit about the problems and current status.
Link: https://reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/e6ztih/what_do_you_as_a_buyer_in_a_mismanaged_group_buy/f9xzreo
Post text:
I guess it’s more than time to make a public statement about this. I, perhaps foolishly, avoided this in the past in an effort to prevent unnecessary confusion and drama.
Context
For context let me give a little backstory, it was well over 2 years ago that I saw this post by John / Heroyjenkins / Deskcandy. Since I'm quite the fan of Apple design I was very interested in this project. I noticed though that the CAD design shown off was quite lacking and figured I could help with that. I reached out to John asking if he'd be interested in partnering up and he was! So I got to work and started to work on what is now Modern M0110. From early on the division of labour was pretty clear, I'd be handling CAD design, rendering, marketing and such and John would be handling factory contacts, manufacturing, orders and logistics. There definitely was some overlap here with John making some adjustments in the CAD file or me reaching out to proxies but still, 99% of work was divided this way since it just made most sense based on our skill sets.
Factories
After we finished the CAD work we got our first prototypes made at a factory in China. Their communication was pretty good (I was on CC in email and also spoke to them) but the prototypes did have some issues. We worked with them to try and fix them for production but then we had a seemingly better idea, make everything in the US. This seemed like the way to go since we were under the impression this would make QC easier, would mean less hassle when communicating, ... . In retrospect this obviously wasn't the case.
(As a side note, a couple weeks after receiving my M0110 prototype I requested a quote from the original China factory for another project. I received a reply to this over one year later basically saying "We had some troubles at management so sorry for the late reply, here's your quote please still work with us". Seems like we also dodged quite the bullet by not going with them...)
Either way back to the US side of things. John found a CNC and Cerakote shop local to him which seemed like great options. We started working on a prototype. This was eventually sent to Manofinterests for review. There were some obvious issues with the finishing there some of which I noticed in pictures sent before. These were going to be fixed in the production run though so I agreed and we started working on the GB.
GB/manufacturing
The GB ended up being a great success with ~150 units sold, at this time I was still very confident in the CNC and cerakote shop chosen so I didn't view the extra volume as an issue. Soon though this began to change. The CNC shop had all kind of delays, from him losing his CAD license to the electricity going out and other weird issues. This set back the GB a long time already, but in the end they did deliver and all cases have been CNCd for months now. Then arrived the biggest issue, Cerakote.
There were all kind of issues from it not sticking properly to unevenness and more. Biggest issue is though that seemingly almost none are being made. After all these Cerakote issues on the prototype I specifically asked multiple times for me to get a sample before the production began so I could check out the quality. To this day I have not received this, the only MM0110 I have is the original China prototype from 2 years ago. I think I have seen 3 posts of people receiving their MM0110 here on Reddit or on Geekhack, but sadly they seem to have many of the same issues with the coating that Manofinterest's board had all that time ago.
Issue is, I don't have any contact info for the factories. I never was in contact with the CNC shop or the Cerakote shop used for the GB. This is in hindsight a big, big, big mistake caused by overconfidence combined with the "division of labour" I talked about before. From the brief contact I've had with DK lately it seems like the CNC guy also messed up by running his machines to quickly resulting in deep machine marks which makes coating harder.
I want to make it completely clear that I'm not trying to shift blame here. I made big mistakes by being too naive in factories and in general, this is a mistake I have not and will not make again. I also wholeheartedly do not believe there were any bad intentions here from Deskcandy's side. He was just as excited and passionate as me to get these boards to you but things obviously went south. Getting this all fixed must take a lot of time and energy especially combined with a demanding day job. I think that just like me he figured this'd all be a lot easier and wasn't prepared for the borderline chaos that'd be production.
In the end this situation is not fun for anyone. It's not for for buyers for obvious reasons, it's not fun for me to have this product that I can't be proud of at all and it's not fun for John since I know this has also caused a lot of stress and frustration for him.
I realise this might not be the reply people are looking for since it's more of a story than an update on current affairs but frankly I also have very little idea on how production is going at the moment and felt it might be worthwhile to give some more context on this. I truly am very very sorry for how this all is going and I hope more units will be properly finished and shipped out soon. I reached out to John over Discord again to ask how all production is going and will update once I have more info.
Here is sort of an update:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4GeJmOAAEd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Wow. How profoundly disappointing after the renders promised this recessed/bossed type:
(Attachment Link)
Thanks for the update. Engraving looks nice to me. So, it sounds like about another month for the manufacturer and a few weeks for you to get things out, right? So late Jan early Feb perhaps?
I like the '2018' on the engraving considering some of them will probably be engraved in 2020engraving is finished on all units afaik
Updates?yeah how's the cerakoting going... the engraving was kinda a joke, we opted out to get our stuff earlier. now we still wait but got no engraving... and no refund either.... borderline s...
Hey guys, sorry about lack of updates. All of the keyboards as of today are now engraved and with all the surface finishing vendors, so besides a more unengraved boards for me to pack and ship out, there isn't anything I can really do until my vendors are done with their work. The anodizing vendor is a pretty big and professional business (they've been around since the 90s and have a solid track record) and I expect them to be close to their time estimate of ~3 weeks but I have to QC the custom gray color before I let them finish everything. That sample just came in end of last week.
Cerakote is a wild card because my vendor is a small shop and they do small batches, so I'll try to manage the situation best I can and pack orders as they're ready.
If you want to see photos of the engravings, feel free to check out our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deskcandy.xyz/
Hey guys, sorry about lack of updates. All of the keyboards as of today are now engraved and with all the surface finishing vendors, so besides a more unengraved boards for me to pack and ship out, there isn't anything I can really do until my vendors are done with their work. The anodizing vendor is a pretty big and professional business (they've been around since the 90s and have a solid track record) and I expect them to be close to their time estimate of ~3 weeks but I have to QC the custom gray color before I let them finish everything. That sample just came in end of last week.
Cerakote is a wild card because my vendor is a small shop and they do small batches, so I'll try to manage the situation best I can and pack orders as they're ready.
If you want to see photos of the engravings, feel free to check out our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deskcandy.xyz/
This was about a month ago. You expected the anodizing to take three weeks. Can you please provide us updates here?
thanks for the update John. Are all cerakoted boards done?
Unfortunately this includes the remake I requested of your keyboard since it didn't come out OK at all the first time :(
Thanks again for your patience and enjoy the pics.
Yes it actually looks really great! Will try to post a photo soon...I have learned with the lighter Cerakote colors I have to be very careful about handling them and use gloves to avoid smudging. When I can clear a clean space I will bring it out for pictures and tapping to prep for shipment. It is a great color and I am excited to get it into your hands asap.Question time: Why not get some of these out now?
Received mine!
John, can we please get an update? In early December, you committed to updates "every week or two." Curious mainly on (1) how many boards have gone out since your last update, (2) next steps on the boards that haven't gone out yet, and (3) ideally, some sense of how many may ship in the next two weeks.
You committed to transparency. In a GB that has gone off the rails this much, it's the least you can deliver for all of us at this point.
In the meantime, we'll keep working on shipping out orders as they are completed, so please keep on the lookout for address and order confirmation emails from us.
Show Image(https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a02c663268b961642ad2bbf/5a7d764b419202218cf13f33/5a7d7657419202218cf14047/1518171744816/DSC_2073.jpg?format=1500w)
off topic, what keycaps are this?
kinda sure GMK muteShow Image(https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a02c663268b961642ad2bbf/5a7d764b419202218cf13f33/5a7d7657419202218cf14047/1518171744816/DSC_2073.jpg?format=1500w)
off topic, what keycaps are this?
Packages of new boards has been eaten by the Corona virus overlord. Tru stori
Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk
Packages of new boards has been eaten by the Corona virus overlord. Tru stori
Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk
Joking aside, I thought this board was made in the US, no?
:eek: Got my tracking! Sooooooo ready to finally get this board.
:eek: Got my tracking! Sooooooo ready to finally get this board.
Did you get cerakote or anodized?
Of course it arrives and I have no clue what to build it with...Looks really good, how is the qc on it?Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/HaWiH6g.jpg)
Of course it arrives and I have no clue what to build it with...Looks really good, how is the qc on it?Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/HaWiH6g.jpg)
What about the Ano ones? What more needs to be done for them before it can be shipped? It seems to me that only the Ceratoke ones that are still work in progress.
What about the Ano ones? What more needs to be done for them before it can be shipped? It seems to me that only the Ceratoke ones that are still work in progress.
Still waiting on grey anodizing. I've been working with the ano company to try and prevent more failed QC units by trying a different hanging method, but they didn't respond to me last week, guessing because of the virus :( Not sure if grey anodizing will get delayed but I'll leave an update here once I learn more.
What about the Ano ones? What more needs to be done for them before it can be shipped? It seems to me that only the Ceratoke ones that are still work in progress.
Still waiting on grey anodizing. I've been working with the ano company to try and prevent more failed QC units by trying a different hanging method, but they didn't respond to me last week, guessing because of the virus :( Not sure if grey anodizing will get delayed but I'll leave an update here once I learn more.
What about silver ano boards?
What about the Ano ones? What more needs to be done for them before it can be shipped? It seems to me that only the Ceratoke ones that are still work in progress.
Still waiting on grey anodizing. I've been working with the ano company to try and prevent more failed QC units by trying a different hanging method, but they didn't respond to me last week, guessing because of the virus :( Not sure if grey anodizing will get delayed but I'll leave an update here once I learn more.
What about silver ano boards?
All done except for 2 or 3 that failed QC and I'm waiting to be redone. I've been shipping out silver anodized boards and prob a few folks here who have received tracking info, if not their keyboard.
What about the Ano ones? What more needs to be done for them before it can be shipped? It seems to me that only the Ceratoke ones that are still work in progress.
Still waiting on grey anodizing. I've been working with the ano company to try and prevent more failed QC units by trying a different hanging method, but they didn't respond to me last week, guessing because of the virus :( Not sure if grey anodizing will get delayed but I'll leave an update here once I learn more.
What about silver ano boards?
All done except for 2 or 3 that failed QC and I'm waiting to be redone. I've been shipping out silver anodized boards and prob a few folks here who have received tracking info, if not their keyboard.
Ah, I have not received shipping info yet. Mine might be one of those 2 or 3. RIP! haha. Thank you for the response!
are there any extras?
Let's see if these ship out before the clone that Drop just put up, lol ;D
https://drop.com/buy/ryloo-studio-hello-m0110-mechanical-keyboard-kit?utm_placement=0&referer=F5P4WS&mode=guest_open&utm_campaign=Automated%20Daily%20Promotional%202020-04-06&utm_source=SparkPost&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Daily%20Promotional&utm_content=1586173558027.312288741767944407526328
Admittedly, cerakote is not an option on Drop.
Apparently the Drop clone uses a non-standard PCB that doesn't have alps support, so there's that. I'll still die a little inside when they start shipping before we get our units though :(
I still believe the Modern 0110 will come out much nicer than the Drop board, although the longer wait time.
@Deskcandy
Hey John, I would like to get an update on the European orders. Are you also shipping those out one by one or do we have to wait until all are finished? Also I might be moving in a couple of months depending on how the current covid situation turns out and would like to know if I have to contact my keyboard or you if that happens.
Cheers
So my light sand engraved board is just one of a couple that aren’t shipped? I had only seen one of these posted so far. Guess it’s just the luck of the draw.
Let's see if these ship out before the clone that Drop just put up, lol ;D
https://drop.com/buy/ryloo-studio-hello-m0110-mechanical-keyboard-kit?utm_placement=0&referer=F5P4WS&mode=guest_open&utm_campaign=Automated%20Daily%20Promotional%202020-04-06&utm_source=SparkPost&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Daily%20Promotional&utm_content=1586173558027.312288741767944407526328
Admittedly, cerakote is not an option on Drop.
Yay!
(Attachment Link) (Attachment Link)
Yay!
(Attachment Link) (Attachment Link)
Hope you enjoy it!!
Great to hear :)
Also just PSA to everyone with light sand Cerakote units and light shaded custom colors. The light sand color attracts dust and gets smudged by finger oils very easily, but it's also easy to clean off using a soft cloth (e.g. microfiber) or paper towel and a mild cleaner - I use orange cleaner from the hardware store.
It's been on my mind lately since I go through a lot of gloves and masks (for sanding / clear coating plates) when prepping orders and now those are getting harder to find. Be safe out there everyone!
Have any black cerakote boards gone out? Still waiting on mine
Any update at all on the gray ano units? Any chance we can get a more exhaustive update on the units/colors/finishes that are still pending, John?
(Attachment Link)
This keyboard is VERY heavy but super nice. I love it a lot already.
(Attachment Link)
This keyboard is VERY heavy but super nice. I love it a lot already.
For switches, I'm using 55g everglides, filmed and lubed with 204.(Attachment Link)
This keyboard is VERY heavy but super nice. I love it a lot already.
Nice build. I like that we can judge the cerakote color against the alphas of godspeed. What switches are you using?
Ladies and Gentlemen, the hype is real and worth the wait. A very lovely keyboard as well as tribute to the M0110.
(Attachment Link)
(Attachment Link)
Ladies and Gentlemen, the hype is real and worth the wait. A very lovely keyboard as well as tribute to the M0110.
(Attachment Link)
(Attachment Link)
Nice build!! Curious, what switches did you go with for the build?
Ladies and Gentlemen, the hype is real and worth the wait. A very lovely keyboard as well as tribute to the M0110.
(Attachment Link)
(Attachment Link)
Ladies and Gentlemen, the hype is real and worth the wait. A very lovely keyboard as well as tribute to the M0110.
(Attachment Link)
(Attachment Link)
Nice build!! Curious, what switches did you go with for the build?
Well, I had the assembly service so you put them in for me. ;)
Outemu sky switches, 68g. Never tried them before and I have to say I’m very happy with how they feel.
Unfortunately for me, and I’m embarrassed to confess this, but I’ve messed my pcb up a bit at the moment.
I got it in my head that I wanted a stepped capslock key so I removed that switch and re-soldered in the appropriate spot. Then I flashed the board with my custom layout and..... well, now it’s not working for me on Mac or Windows. (Though it was working briefly ) I plan to take the bottom case off again to see if I just made a contact short or something. Unfortunately, with my work schedule this will have to wait for the weekend. My dumb fault, I’ll get it sorted though hopefully.
Hey folks, couple quick updates.Count me in for an extra! I need one of these in my life
- Just hit 40 units shipped! This is just over 25% of the GB. Primarily concentrated in the US, so this is about 45% of orders placed directly through me in the US. Still have a long way to go, but I'm really happy about getting this far and things definitely seem to be picking up momentum towards the finish here.
- I am confirming ALL orders before shipping. It's just way too risky to ship a $500 keyboard to someone and have an issue with someone's old address or not having access to an office etc. So please please please, look out for my order confirmation emails (from john@deskcandy.xyz) and if you haven't received one already and you have a silver or light sand unit (which are mostly in stock now), then don't hesitate to reach out to me first to speed things up. A couple folks have not responded to me, including an international order which makes me nervous, but I'll put some extra effort in after giving y'all time to respond to find everyone and get a confirmation before I ship.
- I haven't shipped anything to proxies yet. Given everything going on and also cutting down on complexity somewhat, I am working out a game plan with zFrontier and Mykeyboard but looks like I'll send them their entire orders once they are complete. Since their orders span across all colors, this probably will come at the very end. Sorry to my friends in Europe in China, I am working my butt off to get you your keyboards asap!
- Somehow ended up with a surplus of a dozen or so extra light sand unengraved units from my Cerakote vendor going a bit crazy on the light sand :cool:. I will probably sell these as extras at the end of the GB (keeping them in reserves in case I need to swap out bottoms or tops if there are QC issues I didn't catch already). Was hoping if I had extras I'd do some cool unique colors or something but if I've learned anything from this GB, it's keep it simple. So yeah, if you're interested in extras, light sand unengraved units are probably coming in a month or two (or three :p) There may also be some B-stock units, where the raw aluminum parts got dented or dinged along the way (luckily I can fix surface finishing issues more easily with direct access to those vendors here in Socal) and for those I may do what's called a "shotpeen" finish where they fire a bunch of small metal balls at the part to give it a really cool textured finish. It's definitely not for everyone but I think it's a really unique look and hides ****ty machining issues well.
- If you've received your keyboard already, post it here! Want to see all your dope builds and see how you guys are pairing keysets with Modern M0110. The grey/beige classic sets work really great but particularly interested to see if folks make more ambitious keycap sets work as well ;)
Stay safe everyone!
- Somehow ended up with a surplus of a dozen or so extra light sand unengraved units from my Cerakote vendor going a bit crazy on the light sand :cool:. I will probably sell these as extras at the end of the GB (keeping them in reserves in case I need to swap out bottoms or tops if there are QC issues I didn't catch already). Was hoping if I had extras I'd do some cool unique colors or something but if I've learned anything from this GB, it's keep it simple. So yeah, if you're interested in extras, light sand unengraved units are probably coming in a month or two (or three :p) There may also be some B-stock units, where the raw aluminum parts got dented or dinged along the way (luckily I can fix surface finishing issues more easily with direct access to those vendors here in Socal) and for those I may do what's called a "shotpeen" finish where they fire a bunch of small metal balls at the part to give it a really cool textured finish. It's definitely not for everyone but I think it's a really unique look and hides ****ty machining issues well.
Any additional plates for sale? I'd really love to pick one up.
- Somehow ended up with a surplus of a dozen or so extra light sand unengraved units from my Cerakote vendor going a bit crazy on the light sand :cool:. I will probably sell these as extras at the end of the GB (keeping them in reserves in case I need to swap out bottoms or tops if there are QC issues I didn't catch already). Was hoping if I had extras I'd do some cool unique colors or something but if I've learned anything from this GB, it's keep it simple. So yeah, if you're interested in extras, light sand unengraved units are probably coming in a month or two (or three :p) There may also be some B-stock units, where the raw aluminum parts got dented or dinged along the way (luckily I can fix surface finishing issues more easily with direct access to those vendors here in Socal) and for those I may do what's called a "shotpeen" finish where they fire a bunch of small metal balls at the part to give it a really cool textured finish.
Any additional plates for sale? I'd really love to pick one up.
- Somehow ended up with a surplus of a dozen or so extra light sand unengraved units from my Cerakote vendor going a bit crazy on the light sand :cool:. I will probably sell these as extras at the end of the GB (keeping them in reserves in case I need to swap out bottoms or tops if there are QC issues I didn't catch already). Was hoping if I had extras I'd do some cool unique colors or something but if I've learned anything from this GB, it's keep it simple. So yeah, if you're interested in extras, light sand unengraved units are probably coming in a month or two (or three :p) There may also be some B-stock units, where the raw aluminum parts got dented or dinged along the way (luckily I can fix surface finishing issues more easily with direct access to those vendors here in Socal) and for those I may do what's called a "shotpeen" finish where they fire a bunch of small metal balls at the part to give it a really cool textured finish.
Brass or acrylic? I'm not going to use my acrylic plate (with foam insert). [/list]
I will have extra plates for sale but going to wait to list them until all or almost all orders are shipped to be on the safe(r) side. Probably mostly extra brass plates but maybe some extra acrylic too.
I will have extra plates for sale but going to wait to list them until all or almost all orders are shipped to be on the safe(r) side. Probably mostly extra brass plates but maybe some extra acrylic too.
I really should get in the habit of getting extra plates in the first place, I don’t know why I haven’t done so.
If extras do run out, will files be provided the plate making services out there?
I really should get in the habit of getting extra plates in the first place, I don’t know why I haven’t done so.
If extras do run out, will files be provided the plate making services out there?
You can download the plate design here! https://github.com/deskcandy/modern-m0110
I will have extra plates for sale but going to wait to list them until all or almost all orders are shipped to be on the safe(r) side. Probably mostly extra brass plates but maybe some extra acrylic too.
Yeah, John, I would ask that you wait until *all* units have shipped. It wouldn't be fair for people who received their board a year ago to already be able to get extra plates while many of us have yet to even see the keyboard, see how it sounds, etc. We have no idea if we would need a new, replacement, or second plate until we actually (finally, hopefully) receive ours.
I haven’t built a keyboard yet, so apologies if this is stupid, but why do you need extra plates? Do they break over time? I understand buying extra PCBs, but plates don’t seem quite as consumable of a partI really should get in the habit of getting extra plates in the first place, I don’t know why I haven’t done so.
If extras do run out, will files be provided the plate making services out there?
You can download the plate design here! https://github.com/deskcandy/modern-m0110
First reason. Plates can be off different materials, which might influence the typing feel.I haven’t built a keyboard yet, so apologies if this is stupid, but why do yuh need extra plates? Do they break over time? I understand buying extra PCBs, but plates don’t seem quite as consumable of a partI really should get in the habit of getting extra plates in the first place, I don’t know why I haven’t done so.
If extras do run out, will files be provided the plate making services out there?
You can download the plate design here! https://github.com/deskcandy/modern-m0110
I haven’t built a keyboard yet, so apologies if this is stupid, but why do yuh need extra plates? Do they break over time? I understand buying extra PCBs, but plates don’t seem quite as consumable of a partI really should get in the habit of getting extra plates in the first place, I don’t know why I haven’t done so.
If extras do run out, will files be provided the plate making services out there?
You can download the plate design here! https://github.com/deskcandy/modern-m0110
I haven’t built a keyboard yet, so apologies if this is stupid, but why do you need extra plates? Do they break over time? I understand buying extra PCBs, but plates don’t seem quite as consumable of a partI really should get in the habit of getting extra plates in the first place, I don’t know why I haven’t done so.
If extras do run out, will files be provided the plate making services out there?
You can download the plate design here! https://github.com/deskcandy/modern-m0110
Just got mine on thursday, built it with og doubleshots and filmed 70g sakura everglides. Has a few small imperfections but I'm super happy with it, sounds just like the original!
Those who have already gotten theirs, how's the finish on the bottom for the cerakote units? I hear there's some slight pitting on certain areas..
Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk
John, would you happen to have the fixed layout ANSI plate file?
The one in github is the universal one.
This whole saga is making me concerned about the state of US manufacturing sector though. Deskcandy, if you get some time, can you do a short list of "lessons learned" for those who may want to do a similar GB in the US? There is much experience here that could be helpful, and pitfalls that could be avoided by those who wish to follow in your footsteps.
This whole saga is making me concerned about the state of US manufacturing sector though. Deskcandy, if you get some time, can you do a short list of "lessons learned" for those who may want to do a similar GB in the US? There is much experience here that could be helpful, and pitfalls that could be avoided by those who wish to follow in your footsteps.
I bet there isn't all that much to it. Basically in China manpower is plentiful and inexpensive. More importantly factories and raw materials are shared in ways that aren't done here. In China a small batch is very profitable because machinists are available to run small jobs on machines that have been paid for and amortized by the factory on raw materials that the government helps procure at rock bottom prices.
In the US and the West in general, small jobs are not very profitable. Finding a machine shop that can do this kind of job on time and at a reasonable cost is like finding a needle in a haystack. And even then it will still cost more than China. Witness the latest round of cases from Norbauer. A machine shop will charge you minimum $75/hour for machining here in the US.
Might be worth talking to the Honeyboards guys about how to find a machine shop that can do this kind of job, since they do it themselves.
This whole saga is making me concerned about the state of US manufacturing sector though. Deskcandy, if you get some time, can you do a short list of "lessons learned" for those who may want to do a similar GB in the US? There is much experience here that could be helpful, and pitfalls that could be avoided by those who wish to follow in your footsteps.
I bet there isn't all that much to it. Basically in China manpower is plentiful and inexpensive. More importantly factories and raw materials are shared in ways that aren't done here. In China a small batch is very profitable because machinists are available to run small jobs on machines that have been paid for and amortized by the factory on raw materials that the government helps procure at rock bottom prices.
In the US and the West in general, small jobs are not very profitable. Finding a machine shop that can do this kind of job on time and at a reasonable cost is like finding a needle in a haystack. And even then it will still cost more than China. Witness the latest round of cases from Norbauer. A machine shop will charge you minimum $75/hour for machining here in the US.
Might be worth talking to the Honeyboards guys about how to find a machine shop that can do this kind of job, since they do it themselves.
Yeah this is a lot of it. I'll do my own write up at some point once the GB is wrapped up, but yea China factories get access to government-subsidized materials and the whole ecosystem here in the states (especially in southern california) is geared towards aerospace where customers are not as price sensitive but "made in USA" and tight tolerances and adherence to certified processes is a high priority, so the only machine shops that will do a project like a small run of keyboards are sort of leftovers that either didn't make it or tried to carve out some kind of other niche. Although as a counterpoint, my Cerakote vendor is also a gun parts shop and they started machining their own products in-house and have insane margins (if you want to feel better about how much keyboards cost, Google customized/Cerakotes glock slides or sights lol) so it works. Keyboards are relatively cheap compared to gun parts even though the manufacturing process is super similar and pistol parts are way smaller.
The shop I worked with is a "prototyping" focused shop but does not have a tight working relationship with folks who run other parts of the process and would not manage that part of the process for me (labor too expensive), so I had to do a lot of things myself that "factories" in China will manage internally. I still have a full-time job and don't have a truck, warehouse, or forklift so managing vendor meetings and material movement was bit of a challenge lol.
I accepted lower margins because I thought paying more for manufacturing in the US would mean less QC issues, but I think I ended up paying more than I needed to for manufacturing AND had more QC issues than if I had gone to China. More to come in a later postmortem :D
are you going to sell these “defected” cases as b stock or what’s your plan with them?
I can't even really think about B-stock that much because there's still so much work left to finish shipping A-stock orders.
I tried downloading the default/universal plate file to make a custom plate on Laserboost and neither I or Laserboost could get the file to work. Has anyone else had success with it? I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong or if there's an issue with the file.
I tried downloading the default/universal plate file to make a custom plate on Laserboost and neither I or Laserboost could get the file to work. Has anyone else had success with it? I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong or if there's an issue with the file.
Could you describe the issues you're having? I know Fusion can be wonky with DXF export. I checked this before and it looked fine when I imported it into both Fusion360 and Illustrator (altho I do know nothing about Illustrator).
I tried downloading the default/universal plate file to make a custom plate on Laserboost and neither I or Laserboost could get the file to work. Has anyone else had success with it? I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong or if there's an issue with the file.
You might be downloading from Github wrong. Made that same mistake initially too. Anyway I have uploaded the file to MEGA to simplify things, so here you go (https://mega.nz/file/DR5hAbwB#GcuKR2R7M58vRDN9r9Hjta9WEou4nPsjZAbQNi_UfXI)!
Yeah it's the one uploaded by Deskcandy, so if that one supports alps then yeah. I only added the Mega mirror cos people were having trouble downloading from Github.
You might be downloading from Github wrong. Made that same mistake initially too. Anyway I have uploaded the file to MEGA to simplify things, so here you go (https://mega.nz/file/DR5hAbwB#GcuKR2R7M58vRDN9r9Hjta9WEou4nPsjZAbQNi_UfXI)!
Is this one Alps compatible? Are people interested in cutting the plates together to lower the price? I can contact LaserBoost to see if we can do a mini-GB.
I tried downloading the default/universal plate file to make a custom plate on Laserboost and neither I or Laserboost could get the file to work. Has anyone else had success with it? I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong or if there's an issue with the file.
Could you describe the issues you're having? I know Fusion can be wonky with DXF export. I checked this before and it looked fine when I imported it into both Fusion360 and Illustrator (altho I do know nothing about Illustrator).
I tried downloading the default/universal plate file to make a custom plate on Laserboost and neither I or Laserboost could get the file to work. Has anyone else had success with it? I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong or if there's an issue with the file.
Could you describe the issues you're having? I know Fusion can be wonky with DXF export. I checked this before and it looked fine when I imported it into both Fusion360 and Illustrator (altho I do know nothing about Illustrator).
Hi, I sent the GitHub link to laser boost's support team to see if they could download it and use it. Here was their response:
---
We can not open the file from the github, do you have the file in another version /format?
Thanks!
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I'm just not knowledgeable enough to be able to troubleshoot or provide more detail than that... I'll be the first to admit it's probably something I'm doing wrong.
I tried downloading the default/universal plate file to make a custom plate on Laserboost and neither I or Laserboost could get the file to work. Has anyone else had success with it? I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong or if there's an issue with the file.
Could you describe the issues you're having? I know Fusion can be wonky with DXF export. I checked this before and it looked fine when I imported it into both Fusion360 and Illustrator (altho I do know nothing about Illustrator).I tried downloading the default/universal plate file to make a custom plate on Laserboost and neither I or Laserboost could get the file to work. Has anyone else had success with it? I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong or if there's an issue with the file.
You might be downloading from Github wrong. Made that same mistake initially too. Anyway I have uploaded the file to MEGA to simplify things, so here you go (https://mega.nz/file/DR5hAbwB#GcuKR2R7M58vRDN9r9Hjta9WEou4nPsjZAbQNi_UfXI)!
This might be stupid but did you try sending them the file directly? People sometimes find the way to download a single file from GitHub confusing....And I guess I'm one of those people :D
This might be stupid but did you try sending them the file directly? People sometimes find the way to download a single file from GitHub confusing....And I guess I'm one of those people :D
I guess I should figure out how to use GitHub
This might be stupid but did you try sending them the file directly? People sometimes find the way to download a single file from GitHub confusing....And I guess I'm one of those people :D
I guess I should figure out how to use GitHub
Dont feel bad, I had the exact same problem with the file and Laserboost. Apparently I don't know how to use github either.
(In my defense, trying to get the plate file there is my only experience with it.)
And we now enter year three.I thought 07/01/2018 to 07/01/2020 is two years only?
Some of these will go to Europe, but proxies aren't taking units until their shipment is 100% complete so EU and China will probably be among the last ones fulfilled unfortunately.Nice. Looking forward to getting mine. :)
Here's a pic of the gray.
Some of these will go to Europe, but proxies aren't taking units until their shipment is 100% complete so EU and China will probably be among the last ones fulfilled unfortunately.
Here's a pic of the gray.
You need to start publishing lists of orders (with initials) with estimated shipping dates. This **** is officially out of control stupid.
You need to start publishing lists of orders (with initials) with estimated shipping dates. This **** is officially out of control stupid.
What a nicely and politely worded friendly message lmao.
Being toxic ain’t gonna help anyone bruh
Very nice, can we get a sound test by any chance?
Hopefully that means mine is almost ready! (I was the one that snatched #069)
Just got my order. Everything looks pretty good. Plate has some scratches and the base shows all of the machining marks through the cerakote, but I won’t see those in use.
The bummer I had was using the throwback alps set. Apparently no one ever noticed that SPs DCS alps space bar isn’t fully compatible with alps switches. It only allows about 2/3 of the switch travel before contact between the underneath of the space bar and the switch top housing. Rotation doesn’t help because alps switches are symmetrical, unlike MX.
I guess I can do a non-matching MX space bar.
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Edit
I think I found out a way to make it work. It seems the issue is that the cap stem doesn’t have the cross supports around it to keep the stem from going too deep into the switch. So if you are careful when you put the cap on the switch and only press it down partially it fixes the issue.
I’ll upload some pics when I get it finished. I got serial Number 72!
Came in today, it's nice and heavy ;D
(Attachment Link)
Came in today, it's nice and heavy ;D
(Attachment Link)
Yes, it seems everything I've been involved with concerning cerakote has been a nightmare. But again, the light sand finish on my board is hands down the best cerakote finish I've had so far. (I own 3 others). So, props to your eye and the finisher's skills.
Perhaps powdercoat is the way to go. Of course, I assume that has a lot of ramifications on board design. I've been in the hobby for several years now, and I can remember from day 1 wanting something like my Modern M0110. So happy to have it.
Yes, it seems everything I've been involved with concerning cerakote has been a nightmare. But again, the light sand finish on my board is hands down the best cerakote finish I've had so far. (I own 3 others). So, props to your eye and the finisher's skills.
Perhaps powdercoat is the way to go. Of course, I assume that has a lot of ramifications on board design. I've been in the hobby for several years now, and I can remember from day 1 wanting something like my Modern M0110. So happy to have it.
I've been a pretty big a-hole at times, both in this thread and on Reddit, about this GB. But I'll be damned if my anodized board isn't one of the most impressive pieces I've ever seen in this hobby. I know you're probably taking a bath on the financials in this. But your QC is much appreciated. Timeline has been rough but holy hell was it in a weird way actually worth it.
hopefully it'll inspire other designers to many in the US itself (I'm not from the US), which would really help local businesses in the USIt will not. Many issues were caused exactly by local manufacturers.
Hey folks,AHHH!! Does this mean I can get an extra someone soon?
Just wanted to announce that we just reached a critical milestone - all Cerakote finishing is complete!! There are 8 anodized units left to finish and then this GB will be complete and I can ship proxy orders!
If you ordered directly from Desk Candy and have NOT received your order confirmation email and you think this is in error, please contact me asap!
Thanks everyone
Its TWO YEARS.. T W O YEARS. I've been waiting two years for this.If you would like I would gladly take it off your hands for your price and I would love it every single day
Its TWO YEARS.. T W O YEARS. I've been waiting two years for this.If you would like I would gladly take it off your hands for your price and I would love it every single day
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Within the next week or so. Will be posting here and also sending an email to the newsletter to announce when units are going live and put behind a timer to make it fair instead of randomly doing it. Will try to give about 2 days notice :)Shouldn't you wait until all people got their case? Maybe you need to replace one or two.
Look 4 posts above yoursWithin the next week or so. Will be posting here and also sending an email to the newsletter to announce when units are going live and put behind a timer to make it fair instead of randomly doing it. Will try to give about 2 days notice :)Shouldn't you wait until all people got their case? Maybe you need to replace one or two.
Would the instant60 pcb by cannon keys work with this case?
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Would the instant60 pcb by cannon keys work with this case?
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Within the next week or so. Will be posting here and also sending an email to the newsletter to announce when units are going live and put behind a timer to make it fair instead of randomly doing it. Will try to give about 2 days notice :)Shouldn't you wait until all people got their case? Maybe you need to replace one or two.
Any chance of picking up an extra plate foam? Need one for my MX build.I second that need some foam!
Mine is here! It is absolutely beautiful! The engraving has some artifacts but overall it’s lovely! I made the dumb mistake of not having any caps at the ready to put on it, so now I need to figure out what caps go best with grey and maybe even fit the theme. I’m open to suggestions!
Any chance of picking up an extra plate foam? Need one for my MX build.I second that need some foam!
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Mine is here! It is absolutely beautiful! The engraving has some artifacts but overall it’s lovely! I made the dumb mistake of not having any caps at the ready to put on it, so now I need to figure out what caps go best with grey and maybe even fit the theme. I’m open to suggestions!
Yeah, the underside of mine looks nothing like yours. Mill-path galore over here. :-XAny chance of picking up an extra plate foam? Need one for my MX build.I second that need some foam!
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Wait, where did you guys get the plate foam from?
Looks really really good, just wish there were options for ctrl.You can do what I do and put control where caps lock is. Most sets have a control key where caps is. Or you could have control where one of the windows keys are
Why did i have to get into this hobby months after all the coolest GB's close...This sucks. Group buys suck. Everything sucks. (Yes, i am in full on pouting mode here. What do you want from me? I'm a millennial, I'm supposed to be entitled to anything i want...LOL)
In all seriousness, with seemingly how popular this hobby, and some of the GB's are becoming, why doesn't someone just open up some kind of custom keyboard specialty shop, and carry some stock of the more popular group buys.
Why did i have to get into this hobby months after all the coolest GB's close...This sucks. Group buys suck. Everything sucks. (Yes, i am in full on pouting mode here. What do you want from me? I'm a millennial, I'm supposed to be entitled to anything i want...LOL)
In all seriousness, with seemingly how popular this hobby, and some of the GB's are becoming, why doesn't someone just open up some kind of custom keyboard specialty shop, and carry some stock of the more popular group buys.
Try TX Keyboards or Novelkeys. Probably the closest thing I can think of to someone carrying stock on anything custom. As I'm sure someone at Deskcandy can attest to, these things are a **** ton of work and probably an insanely difficult business model to achieve a meaningful profit. There are easier ways to make money that scale more easily and don't inflict so much brain damage.
Hey Deskcandy, just curious about the status of proxy orders, have they all been shipped? I'm unable to get in touch with the people at MyKeyboard
Is there a plate file?Yea check the GitHub
Do you mind sharing the color profile/information for the light sand? I have an aluminum numpad that I was hoping to sandblast and cerakote in light sand to match the M0110.
How can we get notified of gb start? Will there be an email? If so, how do I get on that list?Hey man sorry but this group buy was held two years ago. The pictures you see are just extras that will be sold on a first come first serve basis
Where do I buy this!!
any chance you could share an example of a b-stock? curious to see the grade of quality we can expect from them (level of blemish and such)
thanks!
Any update from mykeyboard? They should have them by now, right?
Any update from mykeyboard? They should have them by now, right?
Mykeyboard's order was delivered at their location in Belgium two weeks ago on 11/2. I can't really control what they do from here but I just pinged David from Mykeyboard and hope he can give you guys an update.
Just got a message back from the guys at MyKeyboard:Looks like they did not. Have not even got a pre shipping notification.
"Hello, We are shipping out all the order on Monday-Tuesday the coming week."
Just got a message back from the guys at MyKeyboard:Looks like they did not. Have not even got a pre shipping notification.
"Hello, We are shipping out all the order on Monday-Tuesday the coming week."
I’ve just ordered one of the extras from Desk Candy, and I’ve now noticed the engraving service. Is there anyone you can recommend in the EU who can do the engraving service? I’d love to have mine personalised (particularly the bottom left corner, where the Apple logo would have gone).
Did you get an update? I also asked and got nothing (as usual).Any update from mykeyboard? They should have them by now, right?
Mykeyboard's order was delivered at their location in Belgium two weeks ago on 11/2. I can't really control what they do from here but I just pinged David from Mykeyboard and hope he can give you guys an update.
Answer was: soon.Did you get an update? I also asked and got nothing (as usual).Any update from mykeyboard? They should have them by now, right?
Mykeyboard's order was delivered at their location in Belgium two weeks ago on 11/2. I can't really control what they do from here but I just pinged David from Mykeyboard and hope he can give you guys an update.
There is nothing strange about that but I understand your worries.Sounds good. Looking forward to it.
Prophets just started shipping and on top of that we dont limit shipping to a single GB either.
All orders are actually fully prepared to pack and the majority may actually be out today together with a large number of Prophets and daily orders.
would anyone be interested in a fr4 GB. Im planning on getting some plates made using the universal file
would anyone be interested in a fr4 GB. Im planning on getting some plates made using the universal file
I'd be down.
I got mine saturday and have to say that I am disappointed. It has dings and scratches in various places on the top and bottom parts as you can see in the attached files. The ones on the the bottom don't bother me that much because I don't see them when I use it but still at this price they should not be there and the whole thing is just not as clean as promised.I did not get it yet, but should I get such a quality I would send it back. This is not even b-stock, IMHO.
Another thing that is not directly about ModernM0110 but I'm going to include it since I saw that somebody from mykeyboard is active in the thread:
I ordered the whole package with ModernM0110, the XD60, Matias switches, GMK stabilizers and a walnut wristrest. Of those things things the stabilizers were not delivered and the wristrest is not level so that it wobbles while using it, which is very frustrating. All in all I don't feel I got what I paid for...
I got mine saturday and have to say that I am disappointed. It has dings and scratches in various places on the top and bottom parts as you can see in the attached files. The ones on the the bottom don't bother me that much because I don't see them when I use it but still at this price they should not be there and the whole thing is just not as clean as promised.I did not get it yet, but should I get such a quality I would send it back. This is not even b-stock, IMHO.
Another thing that is not directly about ModernM0110 but I'm going to include it since I saw that somebody from mykeyboard is active in the thread:
I ordered the whole package with ModernM0110, the XD60, Matias switches, GMK stabilizers and a walnut wristrest. Of those things things the stabilizers were not delivered and the wristrest is not level so that it wobbles while using it, which is very frustrating. All in all I don't feel I got what I paid for...
I joined multiple GBs so far. Even much cheaper board had none of these issues, never got a case with so many problems. We should not forget that M0110 was not a cheap case.I got mine saturday and have to say that I am disappointed. It has dings and scratches in various places on the top and bottom parts as you can see in the attached files. The ones on the the bottom don't bother me that much because I don't see them when I use it but still at this price they should not be there and the whole thing is just not as clean as promised.I did not get it yet, but should I get such a quality I would send it back. This is not even b-stock, IMHO.
Another thing that is not directly about ModernM0110 but I'm going to include it since I saw that somebody from mykeyboard is active in the thread:
I ordered the whole package with ModernM0110, the XD60, Matias switches, GMK stabilizers and a walnut wristrest. Of those things things the stabilizers were not delivered and the wristrest is not level so that it wobbles while using it, which is very frustrating. All in all I don't feel I got what I paid for...
This is the inherent risk of groupbuys that people forget about.
I joined multiple GBs so far. Even much cheaper board had none of these issues, never got a case with so many problems. We should not forget that M0110 was not a cheap case.I got mine saturday and have to say that I am disappointed. It has dings and scratches in various places on the top and bottom parts as you can see in the attached files. The ones on the the bottom don't bother me that much because I don't see them when I use it but still at this price they should not be there and the whole thing is just not as clean as promised.I did not get it yet, but should I get such a quality I would send it back. This is not even b-stock, IMHO.
Another thing that is not directly about ModernM0110 but I'm going to include it since I saw that somebody from mykeyboard is active in the thread:
I ordered the whole package with ModernM0110, the XD60, Matias switches, GMK stabilizers and a walnut wristrest. Of those things things the stabilizers were not delivered and the wristrest is not level so that it wobbles while using it, which is very frustrating. All in all I don't feel I got what I paid for...
This is the inherent risk of groupbuys that people forget about.
The vendor and producer are still accountable for acceptable quality, this should not be a risk for the buyer, regardless of GB or in stock purchase at some store.
Wondering how mykeyboard (I guess it is from them) would send this as a-stock. Could it be damaged during transportation (at least the dents)?
But lets see, I'm still waiting on it. Hope the long QC time is not an indicator that the quality is bad in general.
It’s really luck of the draw. Now every board is as bad as the pictures they show. My board came out almost flawlessly. Really happy with the quality and the product in general. For me it was more than worth the wait. But I can see how QC should have been much better. I don’t blame the manufacturer as much as I blame the OP for not doing a proper and quality QCI joined multiple GBs so far. Even much cheaper board had none of these issues, never got a case with so many problems. We should not forget that M0110 was not a cheap case.I got mine saturday and have to say that I am disappointed. It has dings and scratches in various places on the top and bottom parts as you can see in the attached files. The ones on the the bottom don't bother me that much because I don't see them when I use it but still at this price they should not be there and the whole thing is just not as clean as promised.I did not get it yet, but should I get such a quality I would send it back. This is not even b-stock, IMHO.
Another thing that is not directly about ModernM0110 but I'm going to include it since I saw that somebody from mykeyboard is active in the thread:
I ordered the whole package with ModernM0110, the XD60, Matias switches, GMK stabilizers and a walnut wristrest. Of those things things the stabilizers were not delivered and the wristrest is not level so that it wobbles while using it, which is very frustrating. All in all I don't feel I got what I paid for...
This is the inherent risk of groupbuys that people forget about.
The vendor and producer are still accountable for acceptable quality, this should not be a risk for the buyer, regardless of GB or in stock purchase at some store.
Wondering how mykeyboard (I guess it is from them) would send this as a-stock. Could it be damaged during transportation (at least the dents)?
But lets see, I'm still waiting on it. Hope the long QC time is not an indicator that the quality is bad in general.
I bet none of them tried to make the board in the US though.
With groupbuys, it's always buyer beware. Everything is made in small batches and, unless they have extras, you get whatever you get unfortunately.
It’s really luck of the draw. Now every board is as bad as the pictures they show. My board came out almost flawlessly. Really happy with the quality and the product in general. For me it was more than worth the wait. But I can see how QC should have been much better. I don’t blame the manufacturer as much as I blame the OP for not doing a proper and quality QCI joined multiple GBs so far. Even much cheaper board had none of these issues, never got a case with so many problems. We should not forget that M0110 was not a cheap case.I got mine saturday and have to say that I am disappointed. It has dings and scratches in various places on the top and bottom parts as you can see in the attached files. The ones on the the bottom don't bother me that much because I don't see them when I use it but still at this price they should not be there and the whole thing is just not as clean as promised.I did not get it yet, but should I get such a quality I would send it back. This is not even b-stock, IMHO.
Another thing that is not directly about ModernM0110 but I'm going to include it since I saw that somebody from mykeyboard is active in the thread:
I ordered the whole package with ModernM0110, the XD60, Matias switches, GMK stabilizers and a walnut wristrest. Of those things things the stabilizers were not delivered and the wristrest is not level so that it wobbles while using it, which is very frustrating. All in all I don't feel I got what I paid for...
This is the inherent risk of groupbuys that people forget about.
The vendor and producer are still accountable for acceptable quality, this should not be a risk for the buyer, regardless of GB or in stock purchase at some store.
Wondering how mykeyboard (I guess it is from them) would send this as a-stock. Could it be damaged during transportation (at least the dents)?
But lets see, I'm still waiting on it. Hope the long QC time is not an indicator that the quality is bad in general.
I bet none of them tried to make the board in the US though.
With groupbuys, it's always buyer beware. Everything is made in small batches and, unless they have extras, you get whatever you get unfortunately.
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I think this is a silver unit, at least it is way more silver than the TR60 I also have, sadly I couldn't check because it doesn't say anything in the invoice from mykeyboard. I have already contacted them on saturday(09.01.2021) however I have not received a response yet. I will try to contact them again tomorrow though. I appreciate you offering to do something.
I would like to give you some advice in case you ever decide to do something like a groupbuy again or work with customers directly: You seriously have to work on your communication. I will cut you some slack because it was okay at first and towards the end but there were patches of months without updates if I remember correctly. People just want to know whats going on, not making progress is okay and saying that the workshops have not communticated is also okay but you have to tell your customers. I don't think anybody thought this would go 100 percent smoothly. Not having updates is an update worth mentioning, I'm pretty shure there are other people also thinking this way.
I got one of the "b-stocks" (or whatever the ones that were a 100 cheaper were refereed to) and i can not, for the life of me, find anything wrong with it.... I would not of cared, becasue I plan on painting it anyway, but i geuss i just lucked out (or am blind).
I don't have any replacement boards with which to do an exchange (there were no gray extras) but if you reach out to Mykeyboard I'm happy to talk to them and see if there's anything we can do.
I have now contacted mykeyboard on th 09.01.2021 and on the 18.01.2021(dd.mm.yyyy) however I still have no response. I find this very unprofessional from their side. Maybe if you reached out too they would finally do something.