[GB] Matt3o's Amazing Topre PBT Spacebars

[00zeRO]

So glad to see this concept become reality...Matt3o really knows how to get it done 

[Matt3o]

thanks guys, I'm glad the product is up to the expectations.

actually I would like to thank MD, the only company that believed in the project since the beginning. So if this was possible is mostly thank to Andrew first and Kunal later from MD.

And of course I want to thank the director and the screenwriters and all the crew members, my wonderful wife and... oh no, sorry, that's a different speech.

[romevi]

thanks guys, I'm glad the product is up to the expectations.

actually I would like to thank MD, the only company that believed in the project since the beginning. So if this was possible is mostly thank to Andrew first and Kunal later from MD.

And of course I want to thank the director and the screenwriters and all the crew members, my wonderful wife and... oh no, sorry, that's a different speech.

Andrew and kunal are top-notch guys. They seem really active in the mech side of things on Massdrop, and have consistently addressed many of the concerns there (at least from what I've seen). I wouldn't be surprised if they were active members on here, DT, and/or /r/mechanicalkeyboards.

[swimmingbird]

thanks guys, I'm glad the product is up to the expectations.

actually I would like to thank MD, the only company that believed in the project since the beginning. So if this was possible is mostly thank to Andrew first and Kunal later from MD.

And of course I want to thank the director and the screenwriters and all the crew members, my wonderful wife and... oh no, sorry, that's a different speech.

Andrew and kunal are top-notch guys. They seem really active in the mech side of things on Massdrop, and have consistently addressed many of the concerns there (at least from what I've seen). I wouldn't be surprised if they were active members on here, DT, and/or /r/mechanicalkeyboards.

Are they active on here at all?

[romevi]

thanks guys, I'm glad the product is up to the expectations.

actually I would like to thank MD, the only company that believed in the project since the beginning. So if this was possible is mostly thank to Andrew first and Kunal later from MD.

And of course I want to thank the director and the screenwriters and all the crew members, my wonderful wife and... oh no, sorry, that's a different speech.

Andrew and kunal are top-notch guys. They seem really active in the mech side of things on Massdrop, and have consistently addressed many of the concerns there (at least from what I've seen). I wouldn't be surprised if they were active members on here, DT, and/or /r/mechanicalkeyboards.

Are they active on here at all?

Oops. Meant just members. Or at least lurkers.
Was thinking "active" from their activity on MD.

[yomammary]

Just put this on my brand new RF87U.
Feels great, looks great and sounds great

[RoflCopter4]

Finally got mine in the mail. Strange as I didn't get any kind of delivery notification from Massdrop and they ignored my email asking about this, but turns out they did ship it after all.

Love them. Have noticed small blemishes on all six of them in the same spot, which was probably a problem with the original dye, and all of them have very slight warping, however the effect is barely noticeable. I have however noticed that they are a tad "friction-ey" on my HHKB. Should I lube the stabilizer stem things to solve this?

[neunelfer]

Finally got mine in the mail. Strange as I didn't get any kind of delivery notification from Massdrop and they ignored my email asking about this, but turns out they did ship it after all.

Love them. Have noticed small blemishes on all six of them in the same spot, which was probably a problem with the original dye, and all of them have very slight warping, however the effect is barely noticeable. I have however noticed that they are a tad "friction-ey" on my HHKB. Should I lube the stabilizer stem things to solve this?

Make sure they're pushed down firmly in all three spots, I found that they were a little harder to seat on the stabilizers than the original spacebar.

[CommonCurt]

Got my spacebars a few days ago, and they look really good, but they are a slightly different color then caps on my white FC660C.

[dante]

is MD going to do another drop of these?

[Bomble]

Mine are still in Transit from New York to Australia, have heard nothing but good things so far!

[Elrick]

Got my spacebars a few days ago, and they look really good, but they are a slightly different color then caps on my white FC660C.

Suspect the colours on your FC660C isn't Realforce Colours, which is what Matt3o has based them on. 

RFs are sold more throughout the world than any FC660C keyboard, hence you base the colour schemes upon the most sold.

[CommonCurt]

Got my spacebars a few days ago, and they look really good, but they are a slightly different color then caps on my white FC660C.

Suspect the colours on your FC660C isn't Realforce Colours, which is what Matt3o has based them on. 

RFs are sold more throughout the world than any FC660C keyboard, hence you base the colour schemes upon the most sold.

Yeah, to me it looks like HHKB & RF use a light greyish white, and the FC660C uses more yellow in their white.

I'll post some pictures soon to show the difference.   I'm still going to keep them because I'm sure I'll end up getting a white RF (if I can find a all 45g), or HHKB eventually.

[Matt3o]

Yes, the reference colors are RF and HHKB. Leopold black fortunately matches, but Leopold white does not.

[yomammary]

Finally got mine in the mail. Strange as I didn't get any kind of delivery notification from Massdrop and they ignored my email asking about this, but turns out they did ship it after all.

Love them. Have noticed small blemishes on all six of them in the same spot, which was probably a problem with the original dye, and all of them have very slight warping, however the effect is barely noticeable. I have however noticed that they are a tad "friction-ey" on my HHKB. Should I lube the stabilizer stem things to solve this?

Make sure they're pushed down firmly in all three spots, I found that they were a little harder to seat on the stabilizers than the original spacebar.

Same.

[sth]

i got an update today. it said the bars have arrived in Frankfurt (DE).
my guess is i receive them early next week

i got mine in NL  today, i hope yours reach you soon!

[Bucake]

i got mine in NL  today, i hope yours reach you soon!

oh, snap!

pls topre gods..

[Khers]

Got mine today! Unfortunately they didn't manage to sneak through customs unnoticed. Ah well, you can't win every time.

[rowdy]

Very received!

Such Space.

Many PBT.

So PBT.

Wow!

Except ... the white one sticks a bit at the bottom of the stroke.  Most times it comes back up sufficiently that the space does not repeat across the screen, but it is definitely noticable whilst typing, and feels odd.  The black one (and the stock space bar) do not exhibit this issue.

Anyone else experienced this?

[Elrick]

Very received!

Such Space.

Many PBT.

So PBT.

Wow!

Except ... the white one sticks a bit at the bottom of the stroke.  Most times it comes back up sufficiently that the space does not repeat across the screen, but it is definitely noticable whilst typing, and feels odd.  The black one (and the stock space bar) do not exhibit this issue.

Anyone else experienced this?

(Attachment Link)

(Attachment Link)

Rowds, you got yours first before me  .

The RFs are now sad because there is no upgrade just yet, see what happens when you deny them their PBT spacers.

[rowdy]

Very received!

Such Space.

Many PBT.

So PBT.

Wow!

Except ... the white one sticks a bit at the bottom of the stroke.  Most times it comes back up sufficiently that the space does not repeat across the screen, but it is definitely noticable whilst typing, and feels odd.  The black one (and the stock space bar) do not exhibit this issue.

Anyone else experienced this?

(Attachment Link)

(Attachment Link)

Rowds, you got yours first before me  .

The RFs are now sad because there is no upgrade just yet, see what happens when you deny them their PBT spacers.

Yours shouldn't be too far behind!

[Polymer]

Except ... the white one sticks a bit at the bottom of the stroke.  Most times it comes back up sufficiently that the space does not repeat across the screen, but it is definitely noticable whilst typing, and feels odd.  The black one (and the stock space bar) do not exhibit this issue.

Anyone else experienced this?

Based on what others have said, you need to make sure it is set properly on all three points..which if not, seems to add some added friction because I'd imagine the stabilizer is off...

Hoping to get mine soon...

[rowdy]

Except ... the white one sticks a bit at the bottom of the stroke.  Most times it comes back up sufficiently that the space does not repeat across the screen, but it is definitely noticable whilst typing, and feels odd.  The black one (and the stock space bar) do not exhibit this issue.

Anyone else experienced this?

Based on what others have said, you need to make sure it is set properly on all three points..which if not, seems to add some added friction because I'd imagine the stabilizer is off...

Hoping to get mine soon...

It was, I removed it and tried the black one, and the original.  I've tried the white one three separate times now, and pressed both sides and the middle, and it consistently gets stuck about half way up on most presses.

[yomammary]

Except ... the white one sticks a bit at the bottom of the stroke.  Most times it comes back up sufficiently that the space does not repeat across the screen, but it is definitely noticable whilst typing, and feels odd.  The black one (and the stock space bar) do not exhibit this issue.

Anyone else experienced this?

Based on what others have said, you need to make sure it is set properly on all three points..which if not, seems to add some added friction because I'd imagine the stabilizer is off...

Hoping to get mine soon...

It was, I removed it and tried the black one, and the original.  I've tried the white one three separate times now, and pressed both sides and the middle, and it consistently gets stuck about half way up on most presses.

I'm currently using the white one and do not have that problem. But it's not on a HHKB.

[geniekid]

Except ... the white one sticks a bit at the bottom of the stroke.  Most times it comes back up sufficiently that the space does not repeat across the screen, but it is definitely noticable whilst typing, and feels odd.  The black one (and the stock space bar) do not exhibit this issue.

Anyone else experienced this?

Based on what others have said, you need to make sure it is set properly on all three points..which if not, seems to add some added friction because I'd imagine the stabilizer is off...

Hoping to get mine soon...

It was, I removed it and tried the black one, and the original.  I've tried the white one three separate times now, and pressed both sides and the middle, and it consistently gets stuck about half way up on most presses.

I'm currently using the white one and do not have that problem. But it's not on a HHKB.

I'm using a white spacebar on my HHKB.  At first it was quite sluggish (though it never actually stuck) but after a couple days of use it broke in nicely.  I can't tell the difference between the PBT and the original one any more.  Not sure if this will work for you since yours seems stickier than mine but it's worth a try.

[Bucake]

muhahahahahaha



muhahahahaha

edit: thanks matt3o

[Bevo]

Not as smooth as i would have liked but a nice product nonetheless.Perhaps needs some breaking in.  Both of mine were not entirely straight but can't really tell the difference on the board.

[Polymer]

Bit concerned about the warped space bars since that was the whole reason these were ABS to begin with right? 

Hoping someone can figure out an easy way to heat and get em straight...that'd make them perfect...

[trees]

Bit concerned about the warped space bars since that was the whole reason these were ABS to begin with right? 

Hoping someone can figure out an easy way to heat and get em straight...that'd make them perfect...

I previously put a large book on mine and gently heated it with a blow drier on low for a minute or two. Then let it cool with the book on it still.

[Hypersphere]

Except ... the white one sticks a bit at the bottom of the stroke.  Most times it comes back up sufficiently that the space does not repeat across the screen, but it is definitely noticable whilst typing, and feels odd.  The black one (and the stock space bar) do not exhibit this issue.

Anyone else experienced this?

Just checking -- Do you have the auxiliary spring installed under the spacebar?

[Polymer]

Bit concerned about the warped space bars since that was the whole reason these were ABS to begin with right? 

Hoping someone can figure out an easy way to heat and get em straight...that'd make them perfect...

I previously put a large book on mine and gently heated it with a blow drier on low for a minute or two. Then let it cool with the book on it still.

I was going to try something very similar...but thanks for the information...

[strict]

Bit concerned about the warped space bars since that was the whole reason these were ABS to begin with right? 

Hoping someone can figure out an easy way to heat and get em straight...that'd make them perfect...

Can confirm the hair dyer trick. My Granite PBT set arrived with almost every key >1.5u warped like crazy. I was able to straighten them all out by heating them up nice and hot with a hair dryer and slowly bending/tweaking them as needed. Take your time and make sure not to over-do it, its better to make multiple smaller attempts than it is to try and do it all at once.

[Elrick]

muhahahahahaha

Show Image

muhahahahaha

edit: thanks matt3o :D

Bucake you lucky DAWG.

Now your RFs can all be elevated into the stratosphere of Thorpie Perfection  8) .

[Bevo]

I think im going to go back to the ABS spacebar. The fell of the new spacebar doesn't do it for me.

[rowdy]

Except ... the white one sticks a bit at the bottom of the stroke.  Most times it comes back up sufficiently that the space does not repeat across the screen, but it is definitely noticable whilst typing, and feels odd.  The black one (and the stock space bar) do not exhibit this issue.

Anyone else experienced this?

Just checking -- Do you have the auxiliary spring installed under the spacebar?

Yes.  It was there originally, and is still there now.

I've been using the black space bar since yesterday, and it's fine.

geniekid mentioned breaking in the space bar - I'll put the white one back on and see what happens after a day or two.

[Bucake]

Now your RFs can all be elevated into the stratosphere of Thorpie Perfection  .

eh? i'm just saving these to sell for 1 million dollars in 40 years

I think im going to go back to the ABS spacebar. The fell of the new spacebar doesn't do it for me.

!admin_ban "Bevo"

[Elrick]

Yes.  It was there originally, and is still there now.

I've been using the black space bar since yesterday, and it's fine.

geniekid mentioned breaking in the space bar - I'll put the white one back on and see what happens after a day or two.

Rowdy, have you tried lube on that white spacer yet?

Maybe giving a little KY on the noisy/tight fitting part will help alleviate some of it's rough action (know from personal experience here).

[Bevo]

I think im going to go back to the ABS spacebar. The fell of the new spacebar doesn't do it for me.

!admin_ban "Bevo"
[/quote]

[rowdy]

Yes.  It was there originally, and is still there now.

I've been using the black space bar since yesterday, and it's fine.

geniekid mentioned breaking in the space bar - I'll put the white one back on and see what happens after a day or two.

Rowdy, have you tried lube on that white spacer yet?

Maybe giving a little KY on the noisy/tight fitting part will help alleviate some of it's rough action (know from personal experience here).

Not yet, although the original space bar and the black PBT space bar work perfectly, just the white PBT space bar seems hesitant to return all the way up, and sounds muted when pressed.

[HungryPillow]

I just received my space bars and they feel great! However, they seem to have a bit of discoloration to them with the black one being the most obvious. Does everyone else have this as well or is it just me?

[swimmingbird]

I just received my space bars and they feel great! However, they seem to have a bit of discoloration to them with the black one being the most obvious. Does everyone else have this as well or is it just me?

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From what I've seen in the thread you can clean it off

[HoffmanMyster]

I think im going to go back to the ABS spacebar. The fell of the new spacebar doesn't do it for me.

!admin_ban "Bevo"

    How rude

Also, on topic, my spacebars are still at my parent's, but I got a few already thanks to livingspeedbump (had a big bag at his meetup).    Good stuff. 

[Elrick]

Mrs says there is a Plain Brown Coloured Box shoved into the Mailbox at the bottom of the driveway and she says it's from MassDrop.

Hence it looks like they've finally arrived, I can hear all my RFs screaming for these babies  . 

Good work Matt3o, it looks like you've delivered on an all PBT spacer set that is the envy of all Thorpie lovers everywhere (except for those that are seriously disturbed, wanting to still use ABS.......yuck).

[Bevo]

Mrs says there is a Plain Brown Coloured Box shoved into the Mailbox at the bottom of the driveway and she says it's from MassDrop.

Hence it looks like they've finally arrived, I can hear all my RFs screaming for these babies  . 

Good work Matt3o, it looks like you've delivered on an all PBT spacer set that is the envy of all Thorpie lovers everywhere (except for those that are seriously disturbed, wanting to still use ABS.......yuck).

Each to their own i guess. I preferred the smoother ABS feel of the the original spacebar. Perhaps the PBT one needs some lube.

[Charizard]

Anyone have an extra black one they would be willing to part with? Willing to pay handsomely

[Polymer]

So mine came in today....

The red matches the normal RF Red set which I guess is the same red as the special edition ctrl-esc pack which is different than the standalone red esc which is a much darker red.                                                                                 

All different degrees of fitting...the biggest test is when you've pressed it all the way on with the stabilizer some are really really stuck..some are not..Like my black one is perfect as long as it isn't pressed all the way into the stabilizer.

Sounds wise...sounds a bit better...not sure if it is from the PBT or because there slightly more friction or because the stabilizers are actually connected tighter but it feels better.  The ABS one actually does feel like this on some RF's when you get a perfect fit but tends to get looser and looser so we'll see how this one is.  The one I'm using right now was a little clanky at first but I re-seated it and it was great...

update:  I took a hairdryer to some of them they seem to get soft easily and seem to fit better..still takes a bit of tinkering here and there...and my fingers hurt from popping them out because they're attached to the stabilizers pretty solidly...probably 2 times more force needed to pop them off vs. the regular spacebar..

After seeing this..I can see why they went ABS..I actually think there is less noise not necessarily because of the PBT (that is one thing) but because there is some additional friction with the stabilizer that is keeping it from clanking around....Trying to get these perfectly straight is a bit of a pain as well..I can only imagine it was worse when they first tried than now...

That said, I'm loving the overall feel and the fact that it won't shine up as easily (I hope).  I'm really happy this happened and thanks to Matto for all the hard work..great stuff...

Hoping to see some other colors in the future . 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

[fanpeople]

Mine came today, perfection has been improved upon 

[HungryPillow]

I just received my space bars and they feel great! However, they seem to have a bit of discoloration to them with the black one being the most obvious. Does everyone else have this as well or is it just me?

Show Image

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From what I've seen in the thread you can clean it off

I've tried cleaning it with some soap and water but it doesn't come off. It looks like a discoloration in the material itself and not just a stain mark.

[Polymer]

Mine had similar marks...they just rubbed out..they were on all of mine...

Definitely when I compare the two (Stock ABS and PBT), the ABS one is cleaner..perfectly straight and the overall construction is of higher quality...

But the PBT one is still really good..and it feels better to use...

Any slight differences are gone when you put it on the keyboard..and the difference in how they feel is significant. 

[fanpeople]

I like the PBT spacebar, I think it is a little louder than the ABS. But I like the PBT sound better. In saying that I am considering putting a silencing ring on the spacebar only as I think it may be just a little too loud. Does anyone else think this or am I just crazy?