Unicomp has manufactured a new SSK

[Maledicted]

I wonder where this is in development. The last update on Facebook is from August.

I had been wondering the same. I didn't even know they were doing updates via Facebook ... since it is Facebook, which I will never use. The comments section revealed a slightly more recent updated from SharktasticA though.

It basically just reiterated what they said previously, with no change in status.

[funkmon]

I will say that I have typed on the Mini M, and it feels good. Feels like an M. I would wager they're having difficulty getting in the quantity of PCBs and **** they need based on the preorders. This does not feel like a Matias-tier preorder. The product does exist, it's just Unicomp being Unicomp.

[skriefal]

I got "the email" today stating that it's now possible for gift certificate holders to purchase / pre-order the Mini M.  The final cost for gift certificate holders will be $105 + shipping minus the gift certificate.  Shipping is expected to start in 3-1/2 weeks on the first day of "spring" (ha!).  US orders only at this point - international will come later after regulatory approvals.

[noons]

Same! Had preordered when it was first announced. Completed the preorder/order today! Excited, been waiting a long time for this

[Buckling_Summer]

Wow !!! Great news .. IMHO Model M Space Saver,  the best keyboard in the world has been reloaded !

[Maledicted]

That's fantastic to hear. I suppose I should have stopped being lazy and preordered a few weeks ago when I last had the urge. I really shouldn't even buy another Model M to begin with though.

[funkmon]

Our buddy SharktasticA got his hands on a prototype as well and has put out a typing video.

[sharktastica]

Our buddy SharktasticA got his hands on a prototype as well and has put out a typing video.

I do indeed. Unicomp asked me to critically review an engineering sample to find any flaws to fix before shipment. I have an article coming later today with a lot of details about it. For now, enjoy this typing demo:

[funkmon]

So we can thank SharktasticA if it's great and we can organize the mob if it blows. Can't wait for the "[IC] SharktasticA witchhunt - a community-wide universal event"

[Buckling_Summer]

The video of Sharkastica has been watched with great dedication just  today!  Over!

   Very nice

Is there any mechanical difference with the buckling spring switches of the original ?

[sharktastica]

The video of Sharkastica has been watched with great dedication just  today!  Over!

   Very nice

Is there any mechanical difference with the buckling spring switches of the original ?

No, the only thing about the switches that's changed is the membrane. It now effectively supports higher rollover.

[alertArchitect]

I've never owned a Model M, but seeing as I'm located in the same city as Unicomp AND they're shipping a new TKL M soon... Might be worth it. Would need to make some space though...

[Maledicted]

I've never owned a Model M, but seeing as I'm located in the same city as Unicomp AND they're shipping a new TKL M soon... Might be worth it. Would need to make some space though...

Buckling spring is something that really needs to at least be experienced, even if you don't end up preferring it. They may let you in to see around and maybe try out a Model M. From everything I have seen, they seem to be pretty friendly people.

If you don't like some of the characteristics of the Model M, there's always the Model F.

[alertArchitect]

I've never owned a Model M, but seeing as I'm located in the same city as Unicomp AND they're shipping a new TKL M soon... Might be worth it. Would need to make some space though...

Buckling spring is something that really needs to at least be experienced, even if you don't end up preferring it. They may let you in to see around and maybe try out a Model M. From everything I have seen, they seem to be pretty friendly people.

If you don't like some of the characteristics of the Model M, there's always the Model F.

I'll put some thought into that! Honestly, I'd love to give them a shot before going in on a purchase. I don't like making uninformed decisions when the thing I'm buying is $100 or more.

And I've given some thought to looking at Model Fs, but what I'd really like to try is an IBM beamspring board. Just looks and sounds so satisfying to use, from the things I've seen. Definitely not anywhere still producing those though, to my knowledge at least!

[Maledicted]

I've never owned a Model M, but seeing as I'm located in the same city as Unicomp AND they're shipping a new TKL M soon... Might be worth it. Would need to make some space though...

Buckling spring is something that really needs to at least be experienced, even if you don't end up preferring it. They may let you in to see around and maybe try out a Model M. From everything I have seen, they seem to be pretty friendly people.

If you don't like some of the characteristics of the Model M, there's always the Model F.

I'll put some thought into that! Honestly, I'd love to give them a shot before going in on a purchase. I don't like making uninformed decisions when the thing I'm buying is $100 or more.

And I've given some thought to looking at Model Fs, but what I'd really like to try is an IBM beamspring board. Just looks and sounds so satisfying to use, from the things I've seen. Definitely not anywhere still producing those though, to my knowledge at least!

Beam spring boards are pretty complex ... and built like literal tanks. If anyone were to ever want to recreate them, they would have a hard time selling them for a profit.

They're hard to describe. I can tell that the Model F was meant to feel similar. Beam Springs almost feel like they're not connected to anything at all. Almost all you feel is perfectly smooth travel down. The tactile event itself is more clicky (as in sound) than it even is tactile, yet it is still somehow satisfying.

There was a recycling place that had a displaywriter board a few months back. They knew what they had though, so I didn't want to cough up $1,000 for it, given the layout. That was my shot to try one though.

There is this, if it ever actually comes out. It certainly has the potential to dethrone Kaihua's box clickies.

[alertArchitect]

There is this, if it ever actually comes out. It certainly has the potential to dethrone Kaihua's box clickies.

Definitely going to look into that when I get home. Work VPN autoblocks shopping sites but not GH lol

Edit: Forgot to mention this, but I also have looked into beamsprings before. Watched Chyros' video breaking them down, as well as his review of a beamspring board. Made me super interested in trying them.

[sharktastica]

Just released my article on my experience with the Mini Model M prototype:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=111415.0https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=111415.0

[fohat.digs]

Made me super interested in trying them.

The action is exquisite but the configuration is an abomination. Included in configuration is layout, which is "odd" in any variant. I am old and my muscle memory is so deeply ingrained that something that far from what I have been using for decades is pretty well out of the question. I even hate using my laptop and it has a good keyboard (an old Thinkpad 440P).

But the other component of "configuration" is height. I don't know the exact measurement but let's just say that it is 3 or 4 fingers from tabletop to key cap. If there was ever a perfect candidate for being embedded into the surface of a desk, that is it. Otherwise, you should seriously look into getting a shorter desk.
 

[funkmon]

A couple of the beamer variants aren't outrageously bad in layout, like the 5251. It's not far off from an XT. The height off the desk to start with is a pain. I tried to simulate it once and couldn't do it. I like an angle, but not that high. Maybe if the desk was higher.

In my experience with a beamer a long time ago, I remember it feeling like smooth and then punching a hole or something like that. I get why people like it but it's not for me. I might one day buy a 5251 though.

[Maledicted]

A couple of the beamer variants aren't outrageously bad in layout, like the 5251. It's not far off from an XT. The height off the desk to start with is a pain. I tried to simulate it once and couldn't do it. I like an angle, but not that high. Maybe if the desk was higher.

In my experience with a beamer a long time ago, I remember it feeling like smooth and then punching a hole or something like that. I get why people like it but it's not for me. I might one day buy a 5251 though.

In my brief testing, I couldn't really even put a finger on anything about beam springs that were really necessarily any better than buckling spring or Alps SKCM, to my tastes. A Model F isn't that much less smooth, and I think I even prefer the way that the spring weight stacks sharply just before it buckles.

Maybe I would need to spend more time with a beam spring board though.

[alertArchitect]

A couple of the beamer variants aren't outrageously bad in layout, like the 5251. It's not far off from an XT. The height off the desk to start with is a pain. I tried to simulate it once and couldn't do it. I like an angle, but not that high. Maybe if the desk was higher.

In my experience with a beamer a long time ago, I remember it feeling like smooth and then punching a hole or something like that. I get why people like it but it's not for me. I might one day buy a 5251 though.

The action is exquisite but the configuration is an abomination. Included in configuration is layout, which is "odd" in any variant. I am old and my muscle memory is so deeply ingrained that something that far from what I have been using for decades is pretty well out of the question. I even hate using my laptop and it has a good keyboard (an old Thinkpad 440P).

But the other component of "configuration" is height. I don't know the exact measurement but let's just say that it is 3 or 4 fingers from tabletop to key cap. If there was ever a perfect candidate for being embedded into the surface of a desk, that is it. Otherwise, you should seriously look into getting a shorter desk.
 

I mean, honestly, I'm not interested in trying beamsprings to use them in my everyday keyboard - I just kind of really want to experience them and what they feel like to type on. If I can get one switch to make a little fidget thing and one to tear down and look at the mechanics of just for fun every now and then, I'd be pretty satisfied overall with that level of ownership, honestly. Don't need / want more than that.

[funkmon]

Yeah I think I generally prefer the feel of BS, but I'll take that beam spring or clicky alps any day and not feel like I'm missing much. Anything else makes your fingers sad. Even Acer. Even Futaba MA, even Box clicky things.

By the by, this Mini M will be my first tenkeyless that I've used in over a decade. I wonder how it will go. I also wonder if now people are going to absolutely hammer Unicomp with requests to do their weird left handed alice layout.

[alertArchitect]

By the by, this Mini M will be my first tenkeyless that I've used in over a decade. I wonder how it will go. I also wonder if now people are going to absolutely hammer Unicomp with requests to do their weird left handed alice layout.

Not that it would do much of anything for the forseeable future. It took them this long to start making new TKLs, and that only took relatively minor modifications. Layout changes as drastic as going to Alice or 60% would require more time on top of that.