[IC] GMK-200: add-on mods for WoB and more | data analyzed, ON INDEFINITE HOLD

[tex_live_utility]

GMK-200
Modifiers-only GMK addon kit with a retro monochrome aesthetic
Interest check poll | Mockup/render album (updated 2019-04-23)

Update 2019-03-26: Fixed mistakes in kit mockups.
Update 2019-04-17: Added SoWaRe mockup and Korean Beige 40% mockup.
Update 2019-04-23: Added Violet Tendencies render.
Update 2019-04-23: Posted initial survey results.

This is GMK-200, a modifiers-only kit based on the vintage Sinclair PC-200, using GMK stock colors 2B and WS1. It was originally meant to be paired with GMK White on Black, like the original PC-200 keyboard, but I've found that it also looks good with several other GMK sets.

I know that we are flooded with GMK interest checks right now. To that end, pricing will be essential to the success of this kit. I expect that this will be a "minimal" set, offering basic compatibility but nothing exotic. That said, I'm also proposing an Ortho/40s kit. If the price is right, a sufficiently generic ortho/40s kit could be a gateway to GMK for users who have been otherwise held back by their love of unusually small keyboards. I will not push either kit to GB if I believe the price is too high, but I am willing to run one without the other.

As pointed out by befbef, this set could also help adapt OG doubleshot sets to a modern layout, both WoB and classic beige.

Thank you to CQ_Cumbers / https://kbrenders.com and Pngu / https://keycaprenders.com for the handsome automated renders.

IC survey results as of 2019-04-23:

[dimo]

down. Price will be important (:

[RETURNISO]

Nice!!!, just need ISO compat

[tex_live_utility]

Nice!!!, just need ISO compat

Thanks! Please do check out the IC form, I have an ISO question in there

[RETURNISO]

Awesome!

[LightningXI]

Interested. Can't go wrong with Grey.

[Rayndalf]

This is a great idea. I have dreams of the Ortho life, but trying to scrape together enough blanks in a complementary color is no where near as elegant as this is, and the retro inspiration only makes it better.

I just hope this is a ways off since so many great sets are competing for my attention (are there normally this many top notch GMK sets running? This is madness for the wallet )

[king.keebs]

Glad to see some love for forties users, I'm in!

[vicissitude]

Like this old-fashion style.

[bengine]

The legends used by the render look slightly different from legends used by the kit design.

So which one is the correct legend?

[befbef]

This is perfect to convert German OG Cherry sets into Ansi.

[chameleon]

Hi! Love this! Would buy! Can this exist now?

[tex_live_utility]

The legends used by the render look slightly different from legends used by the kit design.

So which one is the correct legend?

The render is closer to correct. The kit design is just to demonstrate what keys are included. The legends will be like in GMK Muted and 9009.

This is a great idea. I have dreams of the Ortho life, but trying to scrape together enough blanks in a complementary color is no where near as elegant as this is, and the retro inspiration only makes it better.

I just hope this is a ways off since so many great sets are competing for my attention (are there normally this many top notch GMK sets running? This is madness for the wallet )

Yes, you have plenty of time.

This is perfect to convert German OG Cherry sets into Ansi.

Great idea! Added to the OP. It will look good with both the classic beige and WoB.

[azhdar]

Filled the IC.
ISO kit (with AltGr keys) + Icon legens and you'll have my interest.

[tex_live_utility]

Filled the IC.
ISO kit (with AltGr keys) + Icon legens and you'll have my interest.

AltGr will be in the base kit. Updated mockup to reflect this.

Full icon modifiers for the bottom row are not on the table. However I am not at all attached to the "Super" key and would be happy to replace it with an icon like the Sun diamond.

[_GMK_]

I use ISO and I hate alt gr. Just give us the essential 4 ISO keys and that's fine.

[tex_live_utility]

I use ISO and I hate alt gr. Just give us the essential 4 ISO keys and that's fine.

What are the four keys? This is a modifier-only kit so I am only aware of the return key and 1.25 left shift.

[azhdar]

Filled the IC.
ISO kit (with AltGr keys) + Icon legens and you'll have my interest.

AltGr will be in the base kit. Updated mockup to reflect this.

Full icon modifiers for the bottom row are not on the table. However I am not at all attached to the "Super" key and would be happy to replace it with an icon like the Sun diamond.

To be clear, I wasn't speaking of bottom row full Icon. But for Shifts Caps lock BackSpace Enter Tab. On the mockup you have right now all is fine but the CAPS LOCK.

[hayt]

I could be down

[kustom3]

Cool set, gave me a Goupil G3 vibe before reading your presentation.

[_GMK_]

For the next round... The 2b gray alphas.

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=85593.0

[Lbibass]

I really enjoy the way that this set looks. I think it would go great with OG alphas!

[voxkey]

This looks great!

[Sintpinty]

Wow this looks cool! Gray and black are nice colors that go together.

[yaya]

For the next round... The 2b gray alphas.

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=85593.0

Yes please.  Would love a full set in this colorway.

[equalunique]

I would love a GMK-200 ortho/40s kit with enough mods so I wouldnt have to buy the main GMK-200 mod kit AND a GMK WoB set just for a 48-key board...

Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk

[tex_live_utility]

I would love a GMK-200 ortho/40s kit with enough mods so I wouldnt have to buy the main GMK-200 mod kit AND a GMK WoB set just for a 48-key board...

Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk

I considered this. Please fill out the interest check poll if you have the time. That will help determine the feasibility of a standalone kit.

[equalunique]

I would love a GMK-200 ortho/40s kit with enough mods so I wouldnt have to buy the main GMK-200 mod kit AND a GMK WoB set just for a 48-key board...

Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk

I considered this. Please fill out the interest check poll if you have the time. That will help determine the feasibility of a standalone kit.

Done! Thanks!

Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk

[pilotxj]

Oh man that Taro pairing.  I love it.  I am in.

[equalunique]

If only the GMK Korean Beige Add-On Kit had a full alpha set instead of a partial one. It could then be combined with this to make a full keyboard.

Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk

[LightningXI]

Will this have support for 1800/CP and 65/75% layouts?

[lilip]

How about R3 control 

[Hawkfriend]

I'd be interested definitely.

[Puddsy]

i like it but i want to see renders with more colors

hyperfuse and soware in particular

[tex_live_utility]

How about R3 control 

Will this have support for 1800/CP and 65/75% layouts?

Please fill out the IC form, it asks about all three of these.

The current kit is a bare minimum mock-up.

Also keep in mind that GMK modifier kits are expensive. SkIIdata orange mods were almost as much as the base kit. I am trying to avoid that scenario, unless the demand for the extra keys is really there.

[RETURNISO]

Filled out the IC, at very late EU time... hope it makes sense  would be amazing if the colors match space cadet alphas and legends 

[tex_live_utility]

i like it but i want to see renders with more colors

hyperfuse and soware in particular

Good ideas, will try to get color codes for them.

Also someone in the IC form asked for a 40s mockup. Will try to do that as well.

[Rayndalf]

Any update on this? I understand if its just dormant (waiting for the surge of GMK sets to subside), but I'd hate for such a promising concept to be forgotten

[Uryftw]

I am interested in this. Neat idea.

[tex_live_utility]

To whoever requested a 40% mockup in the IC responses, I added one to the Imgur album, paired with Korean Beige.

Any update on this? I understand if its just dormant (waiting for the surge of GMK sets to subside), but I'd hate for such a promising concept to be forgotten

Definitely not dead. Dormant for the time being.

I didn't get that many responses to the initial IC poll, so I will clearly have to spam this in more places.

Plans for the near future:

1. Process and analyze IC responses
2. Incorporate feedback into kit design
3. Set up a basic rendering pipeline so I can produce nicer stuff than KLE Render without having to pay a ton of money
4. Get a quote from GMK

i like it but i want to see renders with more colors

hyperfuse and soware in particular

SoWaRe attached (and added to the Imgur album).

If you happen to know which Hyperfuse colors were used in one round or another, let me know. Information on actual color codes is scarce from older GBs.

[tex_live_utility]

Still alive

Hoping to get more data in the IC form before I send off a kit for quotes. Let your voice be heard!

Tentative changes:

• Add R3 1.75u Control for HHKB layout
• Add ISO Return and 1.25u Shift for ISO
• Add R3 1u Esc (ortho/40s)

Since the numpad mods involve more than a couple of keys, I will wait until I've analyzed the IC survey data to see what people are willing to pay for it.

Edit: threw together a render with Pngu's KeycapRenders.com tool. Caps Lock legend is wrong but the colors look great to me.

[tex_live_utility]

IC survey analysis added!

Based on these numbers so far... I'm not sure. I don't think even a base set is feasible at, say $60, unless we strip it down to almost nothing.

But the sample is small right now -- please fill out the form if you're interested!

Edit: more data analysis coming.

[Rayndalf]

"Half the size, half the price" is what many people are thinking, but forget how GMK pricing favors larger kits.

That said if its between $80 for mods and $120 for a full set, I'd happily buy the full enchilada and make an inverted set with the remains of it and the WOB kit

[tex_live_utility]

"Half the size, half the price" is what many people are thinking, but forget how GMK pricing favors larger kits.

That said if its between $80 for mods and $120 for a full set, I'd happily buy the full enchilada and make an inverted set with the remains of it and the WOB kit

That's a good point. For an extra $40 you get a whole alphas kit that should also (in theory) look good with a lot of other modifiers.

[byoliven]

The 40% kit is a good match for my GMK HF Redux on Minivan！

[cherrymxsilent@gmail.com]

This grey set is really nice. Given that recently I've seen a wob set on massdrop sold for 99 USD, I'm absolutely sure that you can do a 90 USD complete set. Just cover iso, ansi, wkl and standard bottom row, like in the old times, when men where men and keyboard just had two layouts.

[Dolas]

any chance of getting a \| key added to the kit? The lack of symmetry with the 1 alpha colored key in the mod area drives me insane when building a 60%

[cherrymxsilent@gmail.com]

any chance of getting a \| key added to the kit? The lack of symmetry with the 1 alpha colored key in the mod area drives me insane when building a 60%

Mmm that's often a duplicate if you use ISO. Probably another key world be better, for example <>

[vicissitude]

Hope GB is coming soon.

[Dolas]

any chance of getting a \| key added to the kit? The lack of symmetry with the 1 alpha colored key in the mod area drives me insane when building a 60%

Mmm that's often a duplicate if you use ISO. Probably another key world be better, for example <>

The current kit doesn't have ISO enter so........

[Aznguyen316]

Interested in basic minimal kit thanks

[cherrymxsilent@gmail.com]

any chance of getting a \| key added to the kit? The lack of symmetry with the 1 alpha colored key in the mod area drives me insane when building a 60%

Mmm that's often a duplicate if you use ISO. Probably another key world be better, for example <>

The current kit doesn't have ISO enter so........

LOL. Double LOL. Triple LOL.

[tex_live_utility]

I see the financial appeal in just running a monotone 2B/WS1 set.

However I'm not sure what you'd really use the gray alphas for -- they don't look that great on their own in my opinion. I made KLE mockups with WoB, Retro/9009, and Taro, and they all look weird to me. Retro/9009 has a kind of "sand camo" look that might be appealing to certain people. But maybe you all like them more than I do.

any chance of getting a \| key added to the kit? The lack of symmetry with the 1 alpha colored key in the mod area drives me insane when building a 60%

Mmm that's often a duplicate if you use ISO. Probably another key world be better, for example <>

The current kit doesn't have ISO enter so........

LOL. Double LOL. Triple LOL.

As I mentioned a few posts up, I am considering adding ISO keys.

That said, if you take a look at the IC data so far we are very much "on the edge" in terms of willingness to pay. Maybe that 1 key inflates the price of the set $5; as much as I sympathize with you, that $5 might push more people away from buying the kit. ISO might be worth including, if only in homage to the original. Extra mod-colored alternates, maybe or maybe not. As always, the best way to express your interest would be to fill out the IC form and mention it in the comments at the end.

I will put it on the list of "nice to have" keys if somehow this IC really takes off and/or the quote from GMK comes back lower than expected.

[yaya]

I'd rock a full set of it... This render has L9 alphas I think.

[tex_live_utility]

Not a bad look.

What about WS1/CR alphas? Reminiscent of a "lite" version of Honeywell or Oblivion Hagoromo. A few people on Discord were saying good things about this pairing.

BTW this render was made by manzel on Discord (thank you!)

[cherrymxsilent@gmail.com]

I'd rock a full set of it... This render has L9 alphas I think.

Super nice. Like old beamsprings

[tex_live_utility]

Interest for this is light and pricing is probably too high. I won't lock the thread but consider this project on indefinite hold, until further notice.

However, I will try reaching out to JTK at some point.

[Sintpinty]

Oh no