After (almost)
four three years of becoming a GeekHack member I've decided to do the
Jedi Sith thing and learn how to develop my own light saber.
While the KBParadise V60MTS, Matias 60%, and Infinity come oh so close to fulfilling my desires, I want to detail what I would like to build but would like to do so under a mentor (I seem to learn better by doing - and especially don't want to fry my computer.)
The stat(s):
1. Alps 55%'ish - more on that in a moment.
2. Compatible with the majority of 60% cases already on the market; preferably those that are super low profile.
3. Personally I don't want to **** around with 10KRO,12KRO,16KRO,18KRO,20KRO, or even NKRO: I prefer to stick with standard rock solid USB 6KRO for maximum compatibility and simplicity. If you think NKRO is possible with absolutely no compromises I'm all ears.
4. Although the board can be built with detachable cables in mind I'd like to build mine as hardwired.
Now here is where it gets interesting:
5. I want to design it around a retro minimalist aesthetic. Why? Because since becoming involved with mechanical keyboards I've had a deep personal unwavering opinion that many of the stabilized keys on a keyboard do not need to be. This means the Shifts, Backspace, and Enter key can be non-stabilized 1.25". Perhaps even the BackSpace/Enter can be 1x1's. There will be tweaks to the layout to be sure but that's the gist of it. This design will also greatly help with Signature Plastics keycap compatibility.
6. Designed around a fully onboard programmable
SpaceFN layout.
7. Hence, I do not want anything on the bottom row except a nice long 7" Matias Alps space bar since A) It's huge! Perfect for this layout B) Matias has the only easily obtainable spacebar on the market. I suppose it might also be wise to contact Tai Hao and figure out what their stem spacing is like to try and maintain compatibility. I know the initial sets for the Cherry runs had 7" space bar - not sure if that's true with Alps. This space bar will be the only stabilized key on the entire board. As of this writing I do not believe Signature Plastics has any compatible Alps Spacebars [PLEASE correct me if I am wrong.]
So is there a mentor out there that can guide me through the steps?
Keep in mind:
1. ZERO electronics experience.
hence
2. I have no soldering iron's / etc.
3. No knowledge of CAD softs.
Since I am such a blank slate I can make sure that my equipment / software will match your setup. I also have no bad habits or opinions about fabrication which means I will be doing things
your way and not questioning you.
I don't know if we can come to some financial arrangement for your time (not sure what you'd charge) - however if we worked together to create something successful I would run a IC/GB for this keyboard and in a sense make it another option available for the community (this may matter to you more than money). I could also share what I've learned with other n00bs.
Assuming I can find someone by the end of December I'd like to start working together to at the very least run an interest check on this keyboard by December 2015, with the Group Buy taking place spring 2016. I don't know if that's too aggressive or not. I am very flexible because I realize you have a life too.
Let me know what you think.
