[GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master TKL cases r2, SHIPPING

[norbauer]

I like my keyboards at an angle, a flat keyboard is a travesty. Worst case I can put some extra feet on of my own design.

Hehe. Yeah, I'm all about the travesty. I love my keyboards dead flat. But I know I'm in a minority, hence the riser feet. 

Yours looks significantly steeper with the risers than the flat case without feet deployed. (This is a good thing from my point of view). Maybe not as steep as with the feet deployed but at least it's not flat.

Yes, subjectively that feels right to me. All I can tell you from a technical perspective, however, is what the protractor tells me about the relative angles of the Novatouch face and my case's face with the risers installed.

[zslane]

Hehe. Yeah, I'm all about the travesty. I love my keyboards dead flat. But I know I'm in a minority, hence the riser feet. 

I don't pull out the feet on my keyboards either, but that's mostly because I type on SA keycaps, and between their height and row sculpt, there's no need to lift the board up and increase the angle beyond the slight angle most keyboards have when lying flat.

Moreover, I rest my keyboards on a soft mat for its sound dampening benefits, and lifting the keyboard at an angle greatly reduces the amount of bottom surface area in contact with the mat.

[TheEerieCold]

Hey Norbauer, I'm in the same boat as TheEerie Cold. This could be the case to get for Laser, as I havent seen anything that could be a good match with Laser's colors, except for the purple that TheEerieCold noted, and your Venice Beach Color.

A Purple Powder coat (maybe with some metallic fleck in it?) would be the hawtness!

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Oh lord, that purp! That color has some serious pop, as does the pink.

[gregcake]

I could probably add an r2.5 dark gray powder finish if folks are especially keen.

HELLO GOOD SIR,

I wish to board the tactical grey hype train. Would be super keen for a grey powder finish.

Any chance of a mild texture dark grey powder coat with a texture a la enigma black?

+1 for a textured dark grey powder coat a la enigma black.

How about this one:

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It would be a special-order powder, but if a at least 2-3 people ordered it, it would offset the expense enough to do it.

All these color terms are getting a bit overloaded, but we could call it "Enigma gray."

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN

Norbauer, do you think you could give me an approximate Pantone reference for the gray?

Cheers,

[norbauer]

I could probably add an r2.5 dark gray powder finish if folks are especially keen.

HELLO GOOD SIR,

I wish to board the tactical grey hype train. Would be super keen for a grey powder finish.

Any chance of a mild texture dark grey powder coat with a texture a la enigma black?

+1 for a textured dark grey powder coat a la enigma black.

How about this one:

Show Image

Show Image

It would be a special-order powder, but if a at least 2-3 people ordered it, it would offset the expense enough to do it.

All these color terms are getting a bit overloaded, but we could call it "Enigma gray."

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN

Norbauer, do you think you could give me an approximate Pantone reference for the gray?

Cheers,

Unfortunately, I don't have a physical sample, so I'm just going off the same images you guys have seen earlier in the thread. I could order a sample, but if my prior experience requesting powder samples from the supplier in the past is any indication, it likely wouldn't arrive before the GB ordering period is over.

I did run over to the powder shop today and got a sample of the metal-flaked purple today. I think it looks pretty cool. I'll take some pics shortly and post them ASAP.

[Auk]

approximate Pantone reference for the gray?

Not possible, so I pulled an average out of the image. This is crude, but depending on how I do it I get 79, 79, 79 to 97, 97, 97 neutral gray, or a very slight bias to green + slight bias to blue (sorry I didn't make a note of the actual RGB values for each attempt.) Anyway, it seems to be neutral or cool gray.

[afrokobe]

Here is my custom powder coat tiffany blue case from this round.  Thanks so much Ryan!!!

Not sure how close this color is to the retro refrigerator color, Ill try for some pics in better light.  (was too excited so I built it immediately)

[norbauer]

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Here is my custom powder coat tiffany blue case from this round.  Thanks so much Ryan!!!

Not sure how close this color is to the retro refrigerator color, Ill try for some pics in better light.  (was too excited so I built it immediately)

I was actually amazed by how close Tiffany Blue and Retro Refrigerator are! The main difference was that yours was matte whereas Retro is more like a medium gloss. I think Retro is also a tinge more green. Your photo makes the Tiffany color look more blue than I remember it, actually. In any case, thanks for posting the pics. Glad it arrived safely!

[afrokobe]

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Here is my custom powder coat tiffany blue case from this round.  Thanks so much Ryan!!!

Not sure how close this color is to the retro refrigerator color, Ill try for some pics in better light.  (was too excited so I built it immediately)

I was actually amazed by how close Tiffany Blue and Retro Refrigerator are! The main difference was that yours was matte whereas Retro is more like a medium gloss. I think Retro is also a tinge more green. Your photo makes the Tiffany color look more blue than I remember it, actually. In any case, thanks for posting the pics. Glad it arrived safely!

Haha, if I had known I would have just picked retro refrigerator. 

[forumusername]

I have tried to follow along the best I could forgive me if this has been answered.

I believe originally the cases were going to be sent directly to oco but norbauer elected to personally inspect them prior.  If this is correct have they been shipped to oco yet? 

thanks in advance.

[HighNoon]

Astrophysical purple is up on Norb's site! Now to decide between gray or purple...

[autobot]

What's the texture/gloss level on astrophysical purple?

(Fingers crossed for medium gloss/no texture)

[TheEerieCold]

What's the texture/gloss level on astrophysical purple?

(Fingers crossed for medium gloss/no texture)

From the picture sample it looks like it definitely has some texture.

[norbauer]

What's the texture/gloss level on astrophysical purple?

(Fingers crossed for medium gloss/no texture)

From the picture sample it looks like it definitely has some texture.

There is actually no texture at all; that is just an illusion created by the metallic flecks. I'd say the gloss level is a sort of satin finish, but not completely flat.

[norbauer]

I have tried to follow along the best I could forgive me if this has been answered.

I believe originally the cases were going to be sent directly to oco but norbauer elected to personally inspect them prior.  If this is correct have they been shipped to oco yet? 

thanks in advance.

That is correct, and yes, they are on their way to LA now. There was a slight shortfall from the factory for the Originative orders, however, so a few people will have to wait an extra week or two for theirs. I've been so busy today I haven't even had a chance to update Sheraton on all this yet. It's on my list for the evening. 

[autobot]

What's the texture/gloss level on astrophysical purple?

(Fingers crossed for medium gloss/no texture)

From the picture sample it looks like it definitely has some texture.

There is actually no texture at all; that is just an illusion created by the metallic flecks. I'd say the gloss level is a sort of satin finish, but not completely flat.

Sweeeeeet! Looks like I have a case for GMK Laser! 

[MythicalWagyu]

Retro Refrigerator 


Many thanks Ryan, I lub it and can't wait to perform a transplant!

[madindehead]

Damn. I can't decide between Tactical Black or Enigma Black. Also, that Astrophysical Purple would be nice for GMK Laser... Would like some better pics of that though for sure!

Also, norbauer, is it possible to order some riser feet separately this round? I don't think I will receive any with my Galactic Blue case, so would be great to have a spare set I can test with the case. Thanks!

Edit: My Galactic Blue has arrived in the UK! I hope it looks good 

Something I meant to ask: How easy is it to transplant the keyboard into the new case? Never done something like this before...

[MoebiuS451]

I received a customs invoice of 68 eur (while this object is in category 8473.30.5100 that are exempt of custom duties). Ok, instead of filling a claim, I paid to be sure that the delivery will be fast...

You still have to pay your local EU sales tax on anything over €22, and sales tax applies to the postage cost as well. Allowing for a processing fee, €68 is correct on ~€300 (item+shipping price) of goods? Contact your local tax office to query it, if it wrong I'm sure they will refund you after you fill out a form and provide receipts etc.

I am catching up on the recent pages of the topic. I didn't knew that there was issues with anodized options. So I imagine that my ordred option is not still available.

The package was quoted 295 usd (259 usd + shipping).
There is no import fees on this category of material, only sometimes 20% VAT, so I should have had 295 usd x 20%, knowing that 295 worth 247 eur today, so 48 eur. And I got 68 eur ! Well... And to catch the right contact at the custom (DHL) offices, I would have to hire at least two secretaries for a week...

My main concern is that last time I got this kind of problem with a defective object received from overseas, I returned the original package and got a second time custom fees to pay for the replacement package. So imagine that I return the actual case (maybe 35 eur shipping) and got twice 68 eur of custom fees, that's a total of 171 eur ! That's around 200 usd today, and it is the price of the case I received That's quite raging and frustrating, and a waste of time and money for everybody.

[Auk]

There is no import fees on this category of material, only sometimes 20% VAT, so I should have had 295 usd x 20%, knowing that 295 worth 247 eur today, so 48 eur.

VAT is unavoidable for goods like this, but I'm guessing DHL charged you 2% of total value + €15 for the 'privilege' of the them processing this through customs for you. It's a rip off and it sucks, but as far as I know Germany is the only country in the EU that pays any attention to international law and doesn't allow postal services to make greedy profits of import processing fees 

For returning defective products overseas, either for refund or replacement,you must contact the tax office before you send the item and fill out the necessary forms. It's government so it could be slow, but as long as you do the paperwork you shouldn't end up out of pocket.

[Auk]

I am catching up on the recent pages of the topic. I didn't knew that there was issues with anodized options. So I imagine that my ordred option is not still available.

For what it's worth: I think the case received looks good in the photograph, hopefully brushed will be as good. Ryan did say earlier in this thread where the photos are posted that the brushed blue can look darker under shade vs the bead blasted, but brighter under direct light.

I'm sure he will figure out a good solution for you.

[flyingalbatross1]

When I receive an item from abroad, I get a 'handling charge' of between £8 and £15 on top of the VAT rate to be paid. This is fairly common. Do you not have a receipt showing the charge breakdown? I always get one, even before I pay the charge.

If you are sending the item back, you CAN claim the VAT back.

 Here is a guide and the forms for the UK http://www.myinternationalshopping.com/advice/reclaim-uk-customs-duty-vat-non-eu but I understand you're not in the UK but you will get similar forms from your own country as it's in the EU.

[madindehead]

@MoebiuS451

That is the Galactic Blue. norbauer had posted earlier in this thread about the Galactic Blue case, and how it does look darker under normal lighting conditions. See this link here: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=88759.msg2460033#msg2460033

I ordered the same colour and mine looks like yours (at least colour wise it is similar). Mine is brushed however.

[autobot]

Retro Refrigerator 

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Many thanks Ryan, I lub it and can't wait to perform a transplant!

So tasty! Does anybody have a retro fridge and GMK TU2-colored keycaps? I'd like to see a comparison. :)

[norbauer]

That's quite raging and frustrating, and a waste of time and money for everybody.

Is it just me or, despite all this speculative raging in public, have you not yet actually emailed me to resolve this minor shipping mistake for you? Let me know if I missed a message somewhere.

[zslane]

Edit: My Galactic Blue has arrived in the UK! I hope it looks good 

Lucky dog!

I'm still waiting for a shipping notice. I think I doomed myself when I ordered three different colors...

[norbauer]

Something I meant to ask: How easy is it to transplant the keyboard into the new case? Never done something like this before...

It's actually pretty easy--so much so that it occurs to me that I've never actually had to post any instructions yet. In general terms: 1) unscrew everything obvious, 2) move plate to new case, 3) screw everything obvious together.

To be more specific: you just take all the screws out of the bottom of the plastic case (you have to feel around, as a 1-2 of them--depending on which keyboard you have--are hidden beneath stickers). Then you pry apart the halves, which are just locked together using standard snap-fit injection-molded cantilever snaps. This can require a bit of force (and/or multiple screwdrivers inserted at once), but it's relatively straightforward. If you're impatient like me, it's possible to crack the plastic housing if you force it too much, but most people don't seem to care too much about this since the whole point of the exercise is to ditch that thing. ;) Then once you're inside, you have to unscrew from the front the screws that attach the plate to the bottom half of the plastic housing. You also have to take out the two tiny screws holding the white plastic USB bracket against the bottom of the plastic case. Remove the plate and the USB cable together and place them into the CNC case, pushing the black protruding part of USB bracket through its corresponding hole and screwing the "wings" of the USB bracket into place against the bottom of the CNC case with the two small button-head screws. Then plop the plate into the well of the CNC case and secure the plate against the bottom half of the CNC case by inserting the two flange screws in their corresponding holes. Put on the top of the case, flip over, and secure the two halves against each other with the eight socket-cap screws.

Easy enough. :) But just let me know if you hit any snags!

[norbauer]

I'm still waiting for a shipping notice. I think I doomed myself when I ordered three different colors...

Hey zslane, I don't actually have the ability to match up your GH username to your order, but feel free to message me. By this point everyone should have heard from me either with a tracking number or a message to explain either a slight delay in their finish arriving. If you haven't, please let me know. I've noticed that messages from Shopify tend to get caught in spam filters, and I did send all of those notifications through Shopify rather than my personal email.

UPDATE: OK, a person who ordered three keyboards who is based in LA. I connected the dots. :) I did send you an update email the other day, so yeah, please check your spam folder. ;) Or just PM me if that message went into the ether somehow.

[norbauer]

Retro Refrigerator 

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Many thanks Ryan, I lub it and can't wait to perform a transplant!

You are most exceedingly welcome! Thank you so much for your exceedingly kind support through this whole thread, MythicalWagyu. I'm so glad you like it! :)

[millifoo]

Ah-ha! Here's where you all are chatting. I've been over on reddit missing all the fun here.

Anyway, I've mocked up to the best of my ability how I hope Enigma Gray will look... more or less. The two "samples" embedded in the image both come from the Prismatic site, with a quick attempt at while balance.  The sampes from prismatic appear to be taken with a flash - as such I suspect the "real" color will be somewhat darker.

[norbauer]

Ah-ha! Here's where you all are chatting. I've been over on reddit missing all the fun here.

Anyway, I've mocked up to the best of my ability how I hope Enigma Gray will look... more or less. The two "samples" embedded in the image both come from the Prismatic site, with a quick attempt at while balance.  The sampes from prismatic appear to be taken with a flash - as such I suspect the "real" color will be somewhat darker.

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Hey millifoo! I'm glad I was able to able to drag you over here to GH. Welcome!

I would agree that in practice the Enigma Gray could potentially look slightly darker than your mock-up, depending on the lighting environment, but I think that's a pretty great facsimile, especially of the texture. Somebody clearly knows his way around Photoshop.

[norbauer]

Round 2.5 now has its own proper thread now (just approved a few moments ago). Perhaps let's move discussion of r2.5 over there, and this thread can serve for feedback and questions concerning r2.

[pexon]

Hot damn, if the red comes out anything like a Ferrari block thats going to be epic. Please stop it Norbauer, you're making me wanting to spend way too much  )

[norbauer]

Hot damn, if the red comes out anything like a Ferrari block thats going to be epic. Please stop it Norbauer, you're making me wanting to spend way too much  )

lol. Sorry; figuring out how to get interesting colors and finishes is my favorite part of these projects!

The Monte Carlo Red powder is actually used to repair and refinish actual Ferraris. It was recommended to me by the powder shop, which primarily specializes in serving people who do all sorts of fancy automotive customizations.

[pexon]

Good lord that sounds incredible, I am already thinking how I could make it work 

[autobot]

So many cool sets can go with the Monte Carlo...

Red Alert, Honeywell, WoB, BoW, Classic 

[forumusername]

Norbauer Thank you for constantly communicating and taking extra care with this GB.

I have read what you've said concerning the OCO orders (thanks for answering my question yesterday).

I wonder how I can ensure that my individual order within the orders to OCO was not effected and is en route to me.

Sorry if I haven't pieced this together correctly but I'm getting a little bit antsy since everyone appears to have tracking information or some other communication from you by now. Cheers

[pootsounds]

He sent them to O.co I think we'll get tracking info from O.co directly once they ship out from them. This is an educated guess though.

[norbauer]

Norbauer Thank you for constantly communicating and taking extra care with this GB.

I have read what you've said concerning the OCO orders (thanks for answering my question yesterday).

I wonder how I can ensure that my individual order within the orders to OCO was not effected and is en route to me.

Sorry if I haven't pieced this together correctly but I'm getting a little bit antsy since everyone appears to have tracking information or some other communication from you by now. Cheers

The cases are probably arriving to Originative today, since it's just a trip from SF to LA. I would just give them a couple of extra days to let you know the status of your order.

[pootsounds]

I have tried to follow along the best I could forgive me if this has been answered.

I believe originally the cases were going to be sent directly to oco but norbauer elected to personally inspect them prior.  If this is correct have they been shipped to oco yet? 

thanks in advance.

That is correct, and yes, they are on their way to LA now. There was a slight shortfall from the factory for the Originative orders, however, so a few people will have to wait an extra week or two for theirs. I've been so busy today I haven't even had a chance to update Sheraton on all this yet. It's on my list for the evening. 

If you can, could you elaborate on the short fall? Was it a specific color or just a few cases? I ordered a black from them after the gb was over so I'm guessing that I'm on the far end of the priority list. Just curious, I don't mind the wait.

[norbauer]

I have tried to follow along the best I could forgive me if this has been answered.

I believe originally the cases were going to be sent directly to oco but norbauer elected to personally inspect them prior.  If this is correct have they been shipped to oco yet? 

thanks in advance.

That is correct, and yes, they are on their way to LA now. There was a slight shortfall from the factory for the Originative orders, however, so a few people will have to wait an extra week or two for theirs. I've been so busy today I haven't even had a chance to update Sheraton on all this yet. It's on my list for the evening. 

If you can, could you elaborate on the short fall? Was it a specific color or just a few cases? I ordered a black from them after the gb was over so I'm guessing that I'm on the far end of the priority list. Just curious, I don't mind the wait.

The factory simply didn't send enough cases, but they have replacements on the way. They were only one black case short, so you would only have to wait a bit longer if you were the very last person in the queue.

[MythicalWagyu]

Few quick shots of the 'fridge post-transplant:

More

[clappingcactus]

So for my build I'm now sitting on:

Retro Refridgerator (here)
Novatouch (here)
BKE Domes (in the mail)
KBDfans Silencing Rings (in the mail)
Keycaps (abyss in the mail, oblivion being ordered on the 31st)

Still such a long way off until this particular build is complete.

I'm looking at maybe one more two mods:

Foam for the bottom of the case. I've seen people use Dynamat and EP0M foam. Anyone have any suggestions as to other options or whether either of those that I already mentioned are a bad idea? Someone in another thread said they managed to get a 1mm thick piece of foam in the case, but I feel like I can sneak in more.

I'm thinking of combining the Hasu USB-to-USB controller with the magnetic USB from earlier in the thread, but has anyone tested if the Hasu can fit inside the case in addition to the controller and USB port already in there? I guess I can always manually check once I have my case open, but I wanted to see if anyone has already tried. It would be kind of kickass to just have magnetic USB receivers at home and at work and just slide my keyboard into place to be used, fully reprogrammed and ready.

[consolation]

I put 1 mm thick acoustic foam in, there's plenty of space for more, but I really couldn't tell the difference - the case is very dense, so once you stop any resonance, there's no point in adding more. Frankly, generic cotton wool would work just as well imho, it's just that I could get the acoustic liner free from work. Virtually all the sound is going to come through the front plate, unless you hit the board with the hammer or something - so as long as you can break up the inside surface, you've done all you can practically do - because of the small size you only have to worry about high frequencies (the ping really).

edit - my bad, I measured an off cut, it's ~2mm thick - generic open cell, dense acoustic foam; you can get it by the roll from China. I really doubt you'll get a noticable difference with expensive stuff; but, if someone can prove otherwise - I'd be keen to see your results.

[pexon]

Keep the photos coming everyone! My Galactic Blue has finally cleared customs and is out for delivery, I am so excited 

[yonghf]

Wow, I actually shared it in the R1 thread but here's mine! Really nice build quality

[MoebiuS451]

That's quite raging and frustrating, and a waste of time and money for everybody.

Is it just me or, despite all this speculative raging in public, have you not yet actually emailed me to resolve this minor shipping mistake for you? Let me know if I missed a message somewhere.

Hi,
I do not understand the content and tone of this answer but OK. Keep in mind that we have 10 hours jet lag, that I'm not a native english speaker, and that at work I do not have the documents or the physical package on hand.
This topic was indicated in its first page as the entry point for GB tracking and follow-up.
So be it. I send you an email.

[child]

Round 2.5 now has its own proper thread now (just approved a few moments ago). Perhaps let's move discussion of r2.5 over there, and this thread can serve for feedback and questions concerning r2.

Too bad I won't even get a chance to take a look at my round 2 case before round 2.5 ends

[zslane]

I really doubt you'll get a noticable difference with expensive stuff; but, if someone can prove otherwise - I'd be keen to see your results.

I don't know if there would be any difference between "cheap" and "expensive" stuff either, but I can say that putting 2.5mm sorbothane rubber sheets/strips--which I imagine qualifies as expensive--inside my walnut Datamancer 60% case did wonders for killing the high-frequency echo that was emanating from inside it. Sorbothane is also very heavy, and it added a nice heft to an otherwise light case.

But I don't feel any of that is necessary for a NovaTouch inside one of these Norbauer cases. If you add silencing rings to the sliders, the keyboard doesn't make any noise except the thock that we all know and love.

[NJDEN]

This might be an incredibly stupid question, but... are the screws for holding down the plastic USB bracket, and screws for anchoring the board into the case included with the kit, or do we need to use the screws from the plastic case?

I got my board this morning as I was walking out of the house. After quickly trying to assemble it before leaving I noticed the screws from the original plastic case won't work for holding in the plastic USB bracket into the new case since they are too small. I didn't see any screws included with the case other than the ones used to hold the two haves together. If there are some included screws I might have just missed them as I was in a rush to leave this morning. If not, what screw size do I need since I'm pretty sure the ones from the keyboard will not fit.