DSA Retro Set (SHIPPED!)

[khaangaaroo]

This:  http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=40175.msg877971#msg877971

Ah excellent job. I didn't realize they were different until the larger one started rubbing up against the adjacent key. I'm really glad that was resolved during production

The casing does look like it's wood grain!  Didn't realize the black QFR has that texture--it's pretty cool.

The QFR case doesn't come stock like that. But you can do it to pretty much any plastic case: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=41445.0

[Photoelectric]

Show Image

The casing does look like it's wood grain!  Didn't realize the black QFR has that texture--it's pretty cool.

That's a custom job that he did with some wirebrushes I think. Stock QFR case texture isn't like that.

Nope, bare QFR plastic. It's a little less shiny indoors than it is in that outdoor photo.

Well, then that reply was misleading!  He said it was the stock case as seen outside, which implied no modifications =/
---

ETA: that's a good idea with brushing the casing!  I'm going to have to Plasti-dip my Storm Trigger, as it doesn't come with the nice uniform black plastic.

[khaangaaroo]

haha I never said "stock" in that post. I said "bare plastic," meaning no paint or finishes. Sorry for the confusion

[GeorgeK]

Looks pretty good with a stock gray case too.

Show Image

BTW, What's with one "return" key being slightly bigger than the other?

If you read back through the thread a bit you'll see a post from Samwisekoi where he explains that the mold was wrong but he and SP fixed it and sorted replacements

[funkymeeba]

Okay, uh. I may have a problem, and I hope it's not because I was stupid.

I had ordered a 6.25 DCS universal space bar (my e-mail confirmation says this as well), as I am putting these caps on a Leopold FC200R. I seem to have a 6.25 DSA spacebar that does not fit my keyboard, unfortunately. What should I do?

[esoomenona]

What is it that doesn't fit?

[samwisekoi]

OK, mid-day update.  Another pile of boxes hit USPS today.  This afternoon I'll do an inventory of orders left to ship.

I am going to go pull and ship replacement keycaps to the following people:

prdlm2009
   regular T
   stepped Caps Lock key (plum)

hellocodes
   7x spacebar

Hilo59
   6.25 DSA spacebar
   qty 2 tkl plum
   qty 1 plum errata

Turbo Slaab
   DSA 6.25 spacebar

funkymeeba
   6.25 DCS universal spacebar

Those do not include the N/Z and 9/6 keycaps unless I get a positive confirmation that you were actually serious and you checked with the sprues pointing at you.

 - Ron | samwisekoi

[Glod]

and you have sent notifications to all that shipped today?

[samwisekoi]

and you have sent notifications to all that shipped today?

Hah.  PayPal and Stamps.com send e-mail notifications (apparently) when they jolly well feel like it.  One member got his at 3:00am this morning, 12 hours after I generated the mailing label.

So is that a yes?

I have done what I am supposed to do to accomplish that task, yes.

 - Ron | samwisekoi

[kdash4]

Tracking says mine was delivered however, I will not be home until Friday.
Kind of regret not getting 7x spacebar as I now need it for my new keyboard.

[mashby]

I'll layout all the caps tonight when I have my Official GeekHack Laminated Key Checking and Layout Sheet, but it would appear everything is in order.

These keys are amazing and I think I'm in love. See for yourself...

The Box by Michael Ashby, on Flickr


Such A Tease by Michael Ashby, on Flickr


Peanuts by Michael Ashby, on Flickr


Bubble Wrap by Michael Ashby, on Flickr


There They Are! by Michael Ashby, on Flickr


DSA Retro Delivered by Michael Ashby, on Flickr


She's A Beauty by Michael Ashby, on Flickr


DSA Closeup by Michael Ashby, on Flickr

[Glod]

and you have sent notifications to all that shipped today?

Hah.  PayPal and Stamps.com send e-mail notifications (apparently) when they jolly well feel like it.  One member got his at 3:00am this morning, 12 hours after I generated the mailing label.

So is that a yes?

I have done what I am supposed to do to accomplish that task, yes.

 - Ron | samwisekoi

Show Image

i was just curious, cool thanks for doing all that you have done and will do

[gizzard]

Got my set yesterday.  Amazing!!

Unfortunately I got 2x F5 and no F7. 

Thanks

[Chicken Chaser]

I threw these on my Filco last night and I needed to put tape around the costar stabilizer white things to make them stick to the modifiers. I got away with my left shift not needing it though. I also had to shave about 3-4 keys with sandpaper to avoid bumping each other (both shifts, ", /, return). I sorta wish I ordered the DSA profile spacebar since the DCS looks off. It still looks fantastic though.

[DamienG]

I sorta wish I ordered the DSA profile spacebar since the DCS looks off. It still looks fantastic though.

DSA 6.25 spacebar is not universal (has only one set of mounting points and doesn't fit my DAS)

[)amien

[samwisekoi]

STATUS UPDATE - 14:00 THURSDAY 2013-05-08

This is the status update I promised for today.  The mail has come and gone, and hopefully everyone whose order has shipped has received a shipping notification from PayPal or Stamps.com.  Every order with a shipping label generated has actually shipped.  The following is a listing of orders that have not yet shipped for one reason or another.

The remaining orders will be addressed and shipped in the COLOR order shown below.

If your order(s) do not appear in the lists below, you should have already received a shipping notice or even the keycaps.  If not, wait until 17:01 PDT, check to see if you got one of today's shipping notices, and THEN send me a PM or an e-mail.

 - Ron | samwisekoi


BLUE: Packed and ready; just need to generate customs paperwork and a shipping label:

Retro-001	Retro-002	Retro-014	Retro-026	Retro-034
Retro-041	Retro-042	Retro-059	Retro-063	Retro-064
Retro-065	Retro-083	Retro-093	Retro-096	Retro-103
Retro-112	Retro-114	Retro-116	Retro-118	Retro-124
Retro-143	Retro-150	Retro-155	Retro-164	Retro-171
Retro-172	Retro-186	Retro-193	Retro-199	Retro-203
Retro-306	Retro-310

GREEN: Needs some individual keycaps counted; then becomes BLUE and ships.

Retro-013	Retro-035	Retro-050	Retro-058	Retro-074
Retro-077	Retro-092	Retro-099	Retro-106	Retro-138
Retro-139	Retro-159	Retro-168	Retro-178	Retro-183
Retro-194	Retro-318	Retro-319	Retro-320	Retro-333
Retro-338

YELLOW: Needs to be packed; probably had some problem with the order on packing day.

Retro-010	Retro-027	Retro-030	Retro-056	Retro-075
Retro-089	Retro-097	Retro-100	Retro-132	Retro-135
Retro-140	Retro-175	Retro-191	Retro-196	Retro-202
Retro-309	Retro-328	Retro-329	Retro-334

RED: Packed, but has a problem.  Almost certainly the problem was it wouldn't fit in its designated box.

Retro-025	Retro-062	Retro-076	Retro-079	Retro-082
Retro-091	Retro-098	Retro-108	Retro-119	Retro-121
Retro-129	Retro-131	Retro-147	Retro-161	Retro-167
Retro-170	Retro-179	Retro-185	Retro-301	Retro-314
Retro-316	Retro-321	Retro-326

[Jagriff]

My set just got here. I am very satisfied. Thanks very much to samwisekoi and Matt3o for doing this group buy!



I didn't plan on using this set with my Leopold so I just went with the 6.2 DSA spacebar, so I'm stuck using the default black one unless I can get lucky with the leftovers. There is a faint scratch on my left shift key, but it's really only noticeable if you're looking for it. Everything else is perfect. I wish there was a plum backspace that could fit in the caps lock spot to make it truly Colemak, but that's not biggie either.

[Lighthouse1]

Ah there I am in the red zone! Thanks for the update, nice organisation to know where we are.

Let me know if you need more money for a bigger box etc and I will get it straight to you.

Thanks

[bearcat]

thanks!  My order's yellow -- that explains it

These caps are the last step for my project keyboard; everything's ready, i've got ic07's firmware working, my layout finalized, and i'm just waiting for these beautiful DSA caps & their unprejudiced ideas about vertical mounting.

(Wish i'd gotten the 1.5x mod set tho! )

Thanks so much for running such an awesome GB!  This is my first one on GH, and i really appreciate the transparency, professionalism, & crystal clear communication.  So impressive.

[elton5354]

Okay, so what happens if my order is in the red?

Seriously? $25 shipping and it can't ship 2X Alpha, 1 TKL, and some scramble keys?

[aggiejy]

Going hunting!



(forgive the double post)

[DamienG]

Seriously? $25 shipping and it can't ship 2X Alpha, 1 TKL, and some scramble keys?

You actually in Greenland? I just messed around on usps.com and it's $23.95 just to get a small priority box from USA to Greenland.  Sounds like it might almost fit but I'm guessing a handful of spacebars would easily mess that up. I'm sure Ron will figure out the best way.

[)amien

[Matt3o]

FAQ

Q: Where's my tracking? You said my order is shipped but I received no tracking! We are all gonna diiieee!
A: Stamps.com and Paypal send notification emails whenever they please, it might take some time before you receive the tracking number. You might ever receive the keys before the shipping notification.

Q: The stabilizers on my spacebar are loose they don't stick on the key! How do I fix them?
A: It seems SP molds are slightly out of standard, it's a common problem of most GBs. All you have to do is to use some teflon tape on the stabilizers, or a little piece of paper, or just be creative, but don't use glue!

Q: Why did I get two return/right and left shift?
Q: What's this "Errata" thing again?
Q: Why my return/right and left shift don't fit on my Filco?
A: I have spent $80 from my very own pocket for an ultra fast shipping to Italy of a sample pack of all DSA retro kits. I wanted to be sure that everything worked and I'm glad I did it because some keys were wrong. In less than a week we were able to sort this out with Signature Plastics but the original incorrect keys were already shipped to Ron. To make things easy we decided to just add the "Errata" set (ie: the rectified keys) to your order. So basically you get two copies of some keys, some of them are slightly out of standard but they could still work on some keyboards. do whatever you want with them.

Q: Why did I get no DCS 7u spacebars?
A: We have no DCS 7u spacebar. We decided a long ago (and informed all of you) that we would have merged all 7u DCS into the 7u DSA bucket. 7u DSA and DCS have the same stem position, so there's no need for the DCS version.

Q: Why some keys don't fit?
A: They are newly cast keys, they might be a bit hard to fit the first time. Be gentle, they are virgin. If they really don't want to fit, have a look at the stem. There might be some plastic excess that you could easily file away.

Q: Left overs! Take my money and give me left overs NAOW!!
A: We don't know how many left overs we are going to have. We cannot sell them yet. We are definitely going to sell some spares and you'll be the first to know. Sending PM to me or Ron now doesn't grant you a higher priority when we will disclose the left overs availability.

Please remember that this is not a business. You are not a customer, you are a friend.

[tjcaustin]

Okay, so what happens if my order is in the red?

Seriously? $25 shipping and it can't ship 2X Alpha, 1 TKL, and some scramble keys?

That sounds rather cheap for 3 tkl+ sets shipped international.  That's not going to fit in a small flat rate box.

[phinix]

Anyone with QFR who received caps - was there any issue with modifiers? Did you need to use any tape to tighten the caps?

[Photoelectric]

FAQQ: Left overs! Take my money and give me left overs NAOW!!
A: We don't know how many left overs we are going to have. We cannot sell them yet. We are definitely going to sell some spares and you'll be the first to know. Sending PM to me or Ron now doesn't grant you a higher priority when we will disclose the left overs availability.

Please remember that this is not a business. You are not a customer, you are a friend.

All of my fingers and toes are crossed--and it's not an easy feat!

[oneproduct]

Okay, so what happens if my order is in the red?

Seriously? $25 shipping and it can't ship 2X Alpha, 1 TKL, and some scramble keys?

That sounds rather cheap for 3 tkl+ sets shipped international.  That's not going to fit in a small flat rate box.

Out of curiosity, how do non-flat rate boxes compare? I've had two second hand pokers shipped to me in Canada from the US for $9 each and a Filco sent for $20 and you could probably fit that order inside of the box the poker comes in. I use to store two poker keycap sets in there and they fit with room to spare, though without the kind of padding that would be needed for shipping.

I do remember people talking about USPS prices having gone up earlier this year though.

[Noko]

Sorry for being one of the red group.  I guess I got carried away with adding stuff to my order.
Hopefully shipping to Canada is a little more forgivable on pricing when sizing up.

[tjcaustin]

Okay, so what happens if my order is in the red?

Seriously? $25 shipping and it can't ship 2X Alpha, 1 TKL, and some scramble keys?

That sounds rather cheap for 3 tkl+ sets shipped international.  That's not going to fit in a small flat rate box.

Out of curiosity, how do non-flat rate boxes compare? I've had two second hand pokers shipped to me in Canada from the US for $9 each and a Filco sent for $20 and you could probably fit that order inside of the box the poker comes in. I use to store two poker keycap sets in there and they fit with room to spare, though without the kind of padding that would be needed for shipping.

I do remember people talking about USPS prices having gone up earlier this year though.

Yeah, that's old old pricing.

First class for something like what he's got would be at least $13. Non-flat priority would probably be the best route, but even that's going to be right around $30 if my memory serves.

[elton5354]

I wouldn't say that's "rather cheap" as that is about a quarter of the price of the key caps we bought.  Plus, if this is going to go on a medium flat rate, it is going to cost $41. Is that cheap as well? I'm just saying the shipping price is ridiculous, but it's not stopping us from buying...

First class probably looks like the best choice. About $22 if the keys are 3LB..

[hashbaz]

I wouldn't say that's "rather cheap" as that is about a quarter of the price of the key caps we bought.  Plus, if this is going to go on a medium flat rate, it is going to cost $41. Is that cheap as well? I'm just saying the shipping price is ridiculous, but it's not stopping us from buying...

First class probably looks like the best choice. About $22 if the keys are 3LB..

Here's the thing though, elton.  You always complain about shipping, and every other inconvenience.  International shipping is expensive, and it's a pain, especially on this large scale that samwise has very generously been willing to take on.  Take what you can get and be grateful, and the next time you run a group buy, you can go and find a perfectly sized box and ensure the cheapest possible shipping for each and every order.  Nobody wants to listen to you complain.

[elton5354]

Here's the thing, hashbaz. You seem to like to complain about my complaints.  Just let me express my problem and you can  move along and just ignore my post.

Pm'd samwisekoi.

edit my bad english

[SmallFry]

Chillax gents. I agree that prices are expensive, but shipping, sadly, is not cheap. You are paying $100 or more for a keyboard also. Niche markets have their upsides and downsides.

[hashbaz]

Pm'd samwisekoi.

Good lad.

[mkawa]

Here's the thing, hashbaz. You seem to like to complain about my complaints.  Just let me express my problem and you can  move along and just ignore my post.

Pm'd samwisekoi.

edit my bad english

i spent 200$ and 12 hours driving across the state of california twice to pack your keys into a box that it very definitely did not fit in. i didn't even order anything in this group buy. pay for shipping under the group buy leader's terms or give your order up and let someone else have your keys.

this is a community of people who come together to make stuff that no one else ever even thought could possibly exist, and the only reason they do it is because it's fun and awesome. if your contribution to this community is just to ***** about the cost of shipping the stuff everyone else came together and made for you, then i can make you a special place you can post where absolutely no one will have to read what you write.

[ApocalypseMaow]

Got mine today! I didn't have time to check them, but I was very impressed with the check list and sign off on packing.
Thanks dudes!

[samwisekoi]

To be brief, I am trying to find the best way to ship everything to everybody.  Unfortunately the US Post Office is not cooperating.  I did in fact go to a box store to try and find that perfect box, and some people have probably already gotten their Red orders in a custom box.  For the US members, that was an extra 2 dollars that I paid.  But to accomplish the same thing across borders is not going to be inexpensive enough to fund.  Also, moving to an off-size box means 4 times the paperwork to ship to most countries, and right now Customs paperwork is holding up the show more than anything else.

So I am just going to keep shipping everything I can until I hit a wall.  I got another dozen boxes ready to leave before PayPal shipping went down on me.

So far no-one has asked anyone for extra money for shipping.  I have 300 boxes to get out the door, and each one takes 5 minutes just to create paperwork and labels.  Do the math.

The people who have gotten their keycaps seem to like them.  Anyone who was missing a single keycap has already been sent a replacement.  We will get all of these keycaps out, so please just chill.

Apparently brevity wasn't in the cards.

 - Ron I samwisekoi

[mashby]

I wouldn't say that's "rather cheap" as that is about a quarter of the price of the key caps we bought.  Plus, if this is going to go on a medium flat rate, it is going to cost $41. Is that cheap as well? I'm just saying the shipping price is ridiculous, but it's not stopping us from buying...

First class probably looks like the best choice. About $22 if the keys are 3LB..

Yeah, International shipping from the US got really expensive this year and messed up a lot of Group Buys as a result of it. I've also seen a hit in my business for customers that we have in Canada. A total pain in the ass. Seeing your name on the "Red List" totally sucks and it probably doesn't help seeing those of us in the US posting pictures that we've already received our keys either. 

It is unfortunate that you have the additional burden of having to pay more for shipping and having to wait a longer for your order to arrive because you live in Greenland. This key cap set is amazing, but what's more amazing to me is the care and attention that the organizers and volunteers have put into this group buy.

The professionalism, from start to finish has been amazing and it has carried all the way through to the packaging. My order clearly didn't fit in the standard box, but because I'm in the US, it must have been easier to figure out an alternative packaging option. It was expertly packaged and my keys arrived in pristine condition. I'm sure yours will arrive in much the same way.

When I hear about the lengths that matt3o went through: expedited shipping to Italy, testing the keys, finding the problems, submitting the changes to Signature Plastics, including the extra keys, etc -- all to ensure that we have the best possible DSA key cap set at the lowest possible price. Then when you look at how much time, effort, and additional expense went into the packaging process, I am in awe. Truly, I am awestruck.

If I compare this community effort to what I see from companies trying to make a profit doing the same thing, such as Originative, Vortex, etc., they all fall short -- WAY SHORT. There are plenty of threads on the forum that detail the errors and pitfalls, so there's no need to rehash, but you get my point.

To think that a community effort that's been completely run by volunteers were able to deliver such an outstanding experience is a true testimony to what GeekHack.or is capable of.

To everyone that is on the list and having to wait -- I know it's not what you want to hear, but it will be worth the additional wait.

[metalliqaz]

Aww man something was wrong with my keys?  Boo

[Hak Foo]

The low profile is definitely a different experience when you're used to other caps.



<nitpicking>
I think the layout would have looked better if the Commodore logo was a little smaller; it was smaller on the old VIC 20/64 keyboards

I recall early discussions proposed an orange function set.  This was more like the VIC 20's function keys; may have carried on to early 64s, but I can't say.
</nitpicking>

[Elrick]

The low profile is definitely a different experience when you're used to other caps.

Theoretically speaking, these key-caps should enable you to break some type speed records.

When all the caps are at the same height it's easier to select any word/number quickly.  Hence it's a typists dream when you get used to the layout and spread of the keys.  I was never a fan of different gradient keys because they just slowed you down, but not with these guys.

You're lucky to get these, a lot of us are only dreaming about owning these  .

[Pazuru]

Hey, should I have received any kind of notice about my order by now? You posted a list with the remaining orders, and they have numbers, and some people seem to know which theirs are, but I haven't received any info about mine. Am I even getting a set? 

[oluf]

This group buy has been amazing! I am looking forward to the next one.. Thank you!

[Sai]

wow. it really is a nice shot. need to learn some photography. 

[bearcat]

Pazuru,

Don't fret, check your e-mail for things from Ron   The order verificiation e-mail had the order number in it:  the e-mail subject is "Retro DSA Order Verification for {x}", where {x} is your nick.

it's from the address 'gb at samwisekoi'

hope this helps

[Pazuru]

Pazuru,

Don't fret, check your e-mail for things from Ron   The order verificiation e-mail had the order number in it:  the e-mail subject is "Retro DSA Order Verification for {x}", where {x} is your nick.

it's from the address 'gb at samwisekoi'

hope this helps

ya, I haven't gotten anything from that email address.

[DamienG]

http://lab.cubiq.org/retro/status.php doesn't list anything with your nick Best to pm Ron.

[)amien

[Glod]

damn in the yellow

i was hoping i would be the first to take shots on these on an ergodox but it doesn't look like that's going to happen 

oh well, i'm out much of the month so this will probably end up coming to me when i'm out on another short business trip, hopefully my wife won't hide them from me.

[mkawa]

This group buy has been amazing! I am looking forward to the next one.. Thank you!

sweet shot and board! we were all amazed at how many varieties of this set looked so good on so many boards while we were packing the keys. matt3o did a fantastic job picking the colors for this set.

[Larken]

damn in the yellow

i was hoping i would be the first to take shots on these on an ergodox but it doesn't look like that's going to happen 

oh well, i'm out much of the month so this will probably end up coming to me when i'm out on another short business trip, hopefully my wife won't hide them from me.

it would be funny if you went home and found the caps already installed..... on her board. those caps look so much like chocolate, she might think its a gift for her. evil grin.