Post by: norbauer on Tue, 21 November 2017, 10:53:41
Due specifically to GeekHack discussions, it has a USB-C detachable cable, a winkeyless option, a hard anodizing option, and a number of other features that wouldn't have been there if it weren't for the encouragement, support, and ideas of GH members like perniciouspony, richard912, exitfire401, fine_italian_leather, avid, dgneo, and many others. Thank you!
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/Norbatouch_1_of_27_1024x1024.jpg?v=1511212753)
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/Norbatouch_2_of_27_1024x1024.jpg?v=1511212753)
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/Norbatouch_15_of_27_1024x1024.jpg?v=1511212754)
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/Norbatouch_14_of_27_1024x1024.jpg?v=1511212753)
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/Norbatouch_21_of_27_1024x1024.jpg?v=1511212754)
More info at the GB page. (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/the-norbaforce)
Price is $259, with optional special finishes. I'm sorry that this one is a bit more expensive than my prior GBs for the Novatouch housings, but this one simply has been and will be a more expensive design to manufacture due to the unusual sculpted design profile of both case and risers, the custom-engineered PCB, etc. Understanding that it would cost a bit more, I intentionally made this one fancy. :)
The GB runs to December 31 at midnight, but there is an advantage to joining early, as orders may ship in batches if we go significantly over the MOQ (which is 100), and in any case I always ship in the sequence in which orders were received.
Concerned about proximity to Christmas shopping season? I know; I just didn't want to wait until 2018 to run this. For whatever it's worth, the Shopify platform I use to organize orders takes Paypal, which means that most people can use Paypal Credit and get six months without interest or payments. I know this only because I have been in similar situations in the past and used it. ;) I don't make any money from your using this; I just thought I would mention it.
Post by: ghostjuggernaut on Wed, 22 November 2017, 10:47:21
As always, CAVEAT EMPTOR (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=36773.0).
Post by: hayt on Wed, 22 November 2017, 10:52:53
Edit* - going in for the Aerospace Alu for my 87u (soon w/ 60g BKE redux domes). Love the design aesthetic of this case.
Double Edit* - now I don't know, ****, I want the black ano III too
Post by: pr0ximity on Wed, 22 November 2017, 10:56:47
Since you reverse-engineered the plate, any chance of running a GB for plates in different materials? An ABS plate would bring the Realforce a lot more in line with the HHKB in terms of feeling and sound, and a thick polycarbonate one would be very interesting indeed.
Post by: metalliqaz on Wed, 22 November 2017, 11:00:26
Post by: ghostjuggernaut on Wed, 22 November 2017, 11:01:56
Post by: Data on Wed, 22 November 2017, 11:12:32
Alas, I do not own a RealForce or I would be all over this.
Post by: clickstops on Wed, 22 November 2017, 11:15:16
Might have to find a white 55g 87u in the next couple months... that main image looks fantastic.
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 22 November 2017, 11:26:50
What exactly makes something hard anodized? It is somehow more resistant to scratches?
Hard anodizing has a significantly increased oxide layer thickness, meaning you'd have to scratch through more material to get down to the bare aluminum. The amount grown on the surface is so thick, actually, that it throws of threading tolerances, so all the holes have to be masked off by hand before they go in the tank.
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 22 November 2017, 11:42:16
Approval bump :thumb:
Thanks so much!
I have no idea which color to choose, but the question of joining is nonexistent.
I should probably make some better thumbnails of the powder coat colors.
Here are some links to higher-res shots of these same finishes from my Novatouch project
Enigma Black
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/enigma-black-1_dd6b341c-7444-48e0-9f2f-8d0a35428bb3_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Venice Beach
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/venice-beach1_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Retro Refrigerator
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/retro-green-1_55f6fc61-15a3-496a-8aaf-a1cd019489c1_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Royal Wrinkle
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/black-wrinkle_95a1c221-de10-45c5-8914-f17bae0b2eab_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Galaxy Console
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/galaxy-console_2_922cf440-9c0b-4dd5-98da-ebe13fe9d83e_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Monte Carlo Red
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/red_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Astrophysical Purple
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/astrophysical_purple_1_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Enigma Gray
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/tactical-gray_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Space Station White
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/white_7dba3ffa-8aa8-41b5-99f2-2e48d5ca1719_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Post by: PerniciousPony on Wed, 22 November 2017, 11:44:10
Here is an 86u with blockers. (https://i.imgur.com/6TxW7kr.jpg) The 86u is more symmetrical, but the 87u will work as well. AFAIK every realforce model should work with the blockers. The 86/87/89/91u boards all have the same 1u key locations that align with the blockers.
Post by: ghostjuggernaut on Wed, 22 November 2017, 11:55:39
Approval bump :thumb:
Thanks so much!I have no idea which color to choose, but the question of joining is nonexistent.
I should probably make some better thumbnails of the powder coat colors.
Here are some links to higher-res shots of these same finishes from my Novatouch project
Enigma BlackShow Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/enigma-black-1_dd6b341c-7444-48e0-9f2f-8d0a35428bb3_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Venice BeachShow Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/venice-beach1_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Retro RefrigeratorShow Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/retro-green-1_55f6fc61-15a3-496a-8aaf-a1cd019489c1_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Royal WrinkleShow Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/black-wrinkle_95a1c221-de10-45c5-8914-f17bae0b2eab_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Galaxy ConsoleShow Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/galaxy-console_2_922cf440-9c0b-4dd5-98da-ebe13fe9d83e_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Monte Carlo RedShow Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/red_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Astrophysical PurpleShow Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/astrophysical_purple_1_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Enigma GrayShow Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/tactical-gray_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Space Station WhiteShow Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/white_7dba3ffa-8aa8-41b5-99f2-2e48d5ca1719_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Im tempted by wrinkle black since its the same PC that I had on my dethkish. But galaxy console looks pretty great too.
Post by: omgar on Wed, 22 November 2017, 12:08:51
Also, will there be other color/coating options in the future? I'd love a color like this (https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/rf.png) or a light bronze option (https://s3.amazonaws.com/www.saf.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/12142128/Anodized-Finishes-Website-300x237.jpg)
:)
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 22 November 2017, 12:28:02
Excellent work! Putting myself down for one now and a second in the future. Is "aerospace aluminum" the same color pictured here (https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/Norbatouch_1_of_27_1024x1024.jpg?v=1511212753)?
Yes! Sorry if that wasn't clear. I guess the ethereal lighting and bokeh make it look plausibly white.
Also, will there be other color/coating options in the future? I'd love a color like this (https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/rf.png) or a light bronze option (https://s3.amazonaws.com/www.saf.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/12142128/Anodized-Finishes-Website-300x237.jpg)
:)
The closest to the first color you selected would simply be "Space Station White." And, sadly, I don't think light bronze is likely in the future. I've had varying results when trying to get good color matches like that in anodizing with all the (many!) vendors I've tried, so I've decided to try to play it safe and stick with colors that I know don't usually lead to QC issues.
Post by: Lansky on Wed, 22 November 2017, 12:36:25
I'm in for a tactical black as soon as the EU proxy has been set up. :D
Post by: DALExSNAIL on Wed, 22 November 2017, 13:41:58
So either enigma black or Hard ano black are the choices :-X
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 22 November 2017, 13:50:48
Looks great! Was thinking of going royal wrinkle, but the pic showed in this thread made it look a little too rough sadly.
So either enigma black or Hard ano black are the choices :-X
Sorry for the confusion, but that pic is actually of a rougher black wrinkle than will actually be used in the GB; it just happened to be the only black wrinkle finish pic I had on a keyboard. This pic probably shows better what the actual finish looks like from the powder shop I'll be using:
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1440/9434/products/10_Black_Wrinkle_grande.JPG?v=1482180580)
Post by: DillonHightower on Wed, 22 November 2017, 13:52:53
Post by: DALExSNAIL on Wed, 22 November 2017, 13:57:13
Looks great! Was thinking of going royal wrinkle, but the pic showed in this thread made it look a little too rough sadly.
So either enigma black or Hard ano black are the choices :-X
Sorry for the confusion, but that pic is actually of a rougher black wrinkle than will actually be used in the GB; it just happened to be the only black wrinkle finish pic I had on a keyboard. This pic probably shows better what the actual finish looks like from the powder shop I'll be using:Show Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1440/9434/products/10_Black_Wrinkle_grande.JPG?v=1482180580)
Royal Wrinkle it is then!
Post by: ReadmeDotTxt on Wed, 22 November 2017, 13:57:21
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 22 November 2017, 13:59:44
It looks absolutely stunning!
I'm in for a tactical black as soon as the EU proxy has been set up. :D
The EU proxy (MyKeyboard.eu) prices should now be showing up at checkout. Please somebody give it a try and let me know if it works/makes sense. :)
Post by: xondat on Wed, 22 November 2017, 14:01:05
Post by: dubious on Wed, 22 November 2017, 14:02:47
Looks great! Was thinking of going royal wrinkle, but the pic showed in this thread made it look a little too rough sadly.
So either enigma black or Hard ano black are the choices :-X
Sorry for the confusion, but that pic is actually of a rougher black wrinkle than will actually be used in the GB; it just happened to be the only black wrinkle finish pic I had on a keyboard. This pic probably shows better what the actual finish looks like from the powder shop I'll be using:Show Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1440/9434/products/10_Black_Wrinkle_grande.JPG?v=1482180580)
ahhh damn, I really liked the extra 'wrinkly' look! :D still tempting though...
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 22 November 2017, 14:05:01
Beautiful work, as always. Sorely tempted to stretch my budget and shoot for that endgame 87u!
Haha. Thanks (and sorry)!
For whatever it's worth, unlike the Novatouch cases, I'm not sure how feasible multiple runs of this one will be since it has lots more custom components (PCB, custom-molded rubber feet, etc.) and as a result has more challenging MOQ/logistics requirements. If I can afford to do so, I might over-order by a few to have some to sell in my store after the GB is delivered, but in terms of multiple GBs, I think this one would be more of a challenge to do at small quantities. So, I'm not trying to nudge anybody into getting one, but I just figured I'd say up front not to expect another run fast on the heels of the first round, even though I was able to do that with the Novatouch cases when people asked.
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 22 November 2017, 14:05:57
Looks great! Was thinking of going royal wrinkle, but the pic showed in this thread made it look a little too rough sadly.
So either enigma black or Hard ano black are the choices :-X
Sorry for the confusion, but that pic is actually of a rougher black wrinkle than will actually be used in the GB; it just happened to be the only black wrinkle finish pic I had on a keyboard. This pic probably shows better what the actual finish looks like from the powder shop I'll be using:Show Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1440/9434/products/10_Black_Wrinkle_grande.JPG?v=1482180580)
ahhh damn, I really liked the extra 'wrinkly' look! :D still tempting though...
I think it still looks pretty wrinkly, especially when light at an angle, but they shop is using a higher-quality wrinkle powder which throws off tolerances less and is more durable. This is much preferable, believe me. :)
Post by: DALExSNAIL on Wed, 22 November 2017, 14:07:25
If so it makes the decision a bit harder lol
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 22 November 2017, 14:07:33
Good luck Norb :thumb: Would pick one up if I wasn't making my own. :-*
Thanks! I can't wait to see yours too. It is not a zero-sum game in the world of RealForce cases; the more the merrier, I say! We Topre army shall together conquer the keyboard world. :cool:
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 22 November 2017, 14:07:47
Is the black on the site the hard ano?
Correct.
Post by: typischt on Wed, 22 November 2017, 14:16:29
It looks absolutely stunning!
I'm in for a tactical black as soon as the EU proxy has been set up. :D
The EU proxy (MyKeyboard.eu) prices should now be showing up at checkout. Please somebody give it a try and let me know if it works/makes sense. :)
I just tried it out as a test (since I'm still not sure about the color :D), but I think it didn't work.. I'm guessing you would see the price in Euro, correct?
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 22 November 2017, 14:18:32
It looks absolutely stunning!
I'm in for a tactical black as soon as the EU proxy has been set up. :D
The EU proxy (MyKeyboard.eu) prices should now be showing up at checkout. Please somebody give it a try and let me know if it works/makes sense. :)
I just tried it out as a test (since I'm still not sure about the color :D), but I think it didn't work.. I'm guessing you would see the price in Euro, correct?
No, the price is still in USD. Once you enter your address—assuming that address is in the EU—and click through to the final page, it should show you two shipping options: a direct international express and a domestic EU proxy option.
Post by: Lansky on Wed, 22 November 2017, 14:35:23
No, the price is still in USD. Once you enter your address—assuming that address is in the EU—and click through to the final page, it should show you two shipping options: a direct international express and a domestic EU proxy option.
It looks like it works here.
(https://i.imgur.com/QU4gMRp.png)
Post by: typischt on Wed, 22 November 2017, 14:58:54
Okay, I see. It worked with an address from another EU country.. So, I guess I will figure out the color first and then contact you, Norbauer. :)No, the price is still in USD. Once you enter your address—assuming that address is in the EU—and click through to the final page, it should show you two shipping options: a direct international express and a domestic EU proxy option.
It looks like it works here.Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/QU4gMRp.png)
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 22 November 2017, 15:00:32
Okay, I see. It worked with an address from another EU country.. So, I guess I will figure out the color first and then contact you, Norbauer. :)No, the price is still in USD. Once you enter your address—assuming that address is in the EU—and click through to the final page, it should show you two shipping options: a direct international express and a domestic EU proxy option.
It looks like it works here.Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/QU4gMRp.png)
It should be set up to work for every EU country except Iceland, so just let me know if it isn't coming up for your country. I probably just need to tweak a setting or something if not. :)
Post by: child on Wed, 22 November 2017, 15:11:45
Post by: pr0ximity on Wed, 22 November 2017, 15:27:33
Top-mounting the plate entices me quite a bit, do you notice a difference in the typing feel compared to the stock mounting? In the kustoms world top-mounting is all the rage (aside from sandwich mounts, of course).
Since you reverse-engineered the plate, any chance of running a GB for plates in different materials? An ABS plate would bring the Realforce a lot more in line with the HHKB in terms of feeling and sound, and a thick polycarbonate one would be very interesting indeed.
Bump ;)
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 22 November 2017, 15:29:47
Top-mounting the plate entices me quite a bit, do you notice a difference in the typing feel compared to the stock mounting? In the kustoms world top-mounting is all the rage (aside from sandwich mounts, of course).
Since you reverse-engineered the plate, any chance of running a GB for plates in different materials? An ABS plate would bring the Realforce a lot more in line with the HHKB in terms of feeling and sound, and a thick polycarbonate one would be very interesting indeed.
Bump ;)
I think a plastic plate would only work with a smaller keyboard like the HHKB. ABS and PC wouldn't have sufficient rigidity to hold up a full TKL's worth of switch housings, I would imagine.
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 22 November 2017, 15:30:46
Should it also work this way when checking out via Paypal?
Yes, I would imagine so, but let me know if not.
Post by: vinzlr on Wed, 22 November 2017, 15:44:39
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 22 November 2017, 16:15:00
Just placed an order for astrophysical purple! Just checking, when do we think these will ship? I'm moving early january and so I might need to change my address. Will this be doable?
Most definitely after January, as the GB doesn’t even close until Dec 31 to allow people time to get in around the holidays. ;) However, I’m always happy to change anybody’s shipping address right up until I print the shipping label. So no worries there at all.
Post by: bello2185 on Wed, 22 November 2017, 17:31:42
Post by: vinzlr on Wed, 22 November 2017, 18:40:49
Just placed an order for astrophysical purple! Just checking, when do we think these will ship? I'm moving early january and so I might need to change my address. Will this be doable?
Most definitely after January, as the GB doesn’t even close until Dec 31 to allow people time to get in around the holidays. ;) However, I’m always happy to change anybody’s shipping address right up until I print the shipping label. So no worries there at all.
Thanks! What's the best way to get ahold of you for this kind of thing? I see here you have PM's turned off so is there somewhere else I can send you my information + ask another question?
Post by: richard912 on Wed, 22 November 2017, 18:53:10
Post by: hayt on Wed, 22 November 2017, 19:03:01
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: nmur on Wed, 22 November 2017, 19:05:29
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 22 November 2017, 19:23:39
Just placed an order for astrophysical purple! Just checking, when do we think these will ship? I'm moving early january and so I might need to change my address. Will this be doable?
Most definitely after January, as the GB doesn’t even close until Dec 31 to allow people time to get in around the holidays. ;) However, I’m always happy to change anybody’s shipping address right up until I print the shipping label. So no worries there at all.
Thanks! What's the best way to get ahold of you for this kind of thing? I see here you have PM's turned off so is there somewhere else I can send you my information + ask another question?
If you look under my avatar right next to all my posts it has my email right there. :) You can also just reply to your order confirmation email.
Feel free to contact me anytime!
Post by: chakku on Wed, 22 November 2017, 19:34:31
Hi Norb, is there any way we could get a pic of how the ano 3 black case will look with the standard black RF keyset? Since I have both a white and a black RF, I’m fairly torn on if I want to do white on silver or black on black.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Also in the same boat here, leaning toward black on black but worried it could look boring.
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 22 November 2017, 20:25:17
Hi Norb, is there any way we could get a pic of how the ano 3 black case will look with the standard black RF keyset? Since I have both a white and a black RF, I’m fairly torn on if I want to do white on silver or black on black.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Also in the same boat here, leaning toward black on black but worried it could look boring.
I have a pic of the black keys 87U in a silver case. I'll try to edit together some pics tonight or tomorrow morning.
Post by: braidn on Wed, 22 November 2017, 20:44:52
Post by: nmur on Wed, 22 November 2017, 20:58:44
Incredibly excited for this and psyched we have a GB thread to chat in. Likely going space station white with Black Keys and blue mods. Should be amaze
yeah i know we're many months away from getting them but i've already planned out two keysets for silver ano case
white alphas/blue mods, both with labels
or
white alphas/pink mods, both blank
Post by: sodiumjoe on Wed, 22 November 2017, 21:33:34
Post by: Blazestorm on Wed, 22 November 2017, 21:56:48
Post by: Peiweisgreat on Wed, 22 November 2017, 22:39:55
Post by: dallman5 on Wed, 22 November 2017, 22:41:58
So am I reading this right when it says that it will come with a custom pcb?
I believe that refers to the breakout PCB for the USB C connector. A custom Topre PCB would be the dream though.
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 22 November 2017, 22:42:03
So am I reading this right when it says that it will come with a custom pcb?
Yes, but not in the sense that most keyboard people mean PCB. It is a very small printed circuit board that makes it possible to use a detachable cable with the RealForce.
Post by: Peiweisgreat on Thu, 23 November 2017, 00:26:52
So am I reading this right when it says that it will come with a custom pcb?
Yes, but not in the sense that most keyboard people mean PCB. It is a very small printed circuit board that makes it possible to use a detachable cable with the RealForce.
Cool I figured that might be the case, I just wanted to make sure thanks!
Post by: FSund on Thu, 23 November 2017, 03:51:23
Post by: Howser on Thu, 23 November 2017, 03:57:00
I'll try to edit together some pics tonight or tomorrow morning.
that would be great. i'm also having a very hard time to decide on a color :)
Post by: Burt Macklin on Thu, 23 November 2017, 06:56:41
Many thanks for setting up EU proxy!
Post by: Lansky on Thu, 23 November 2017, 08:06:50
Is the package insured when using the EU proxy? I'm assuming it is but I just want to make sure. It would break my heart if the beautiful case shows up damaged. :-\
Post by: krey on Thu, 23 November 2017, 08:12:12
time to sell my kidneys before x'mas, decide on a colour and hop on.
Post by: Techno Trousers on Thu, 23 November 2017, 09:04:00
looks fab!You might want to keep one of them.
time to sell my kidneys before x'mas, decide on a colour and hop on.
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 23 November 2017, 10:09:18
No dilemma here - tactical black it is :thumb:
Many thanks for setting up EU proxy!
My pleasure; thanks for keeping after me to arrange it! :)
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 23 November 2017, 10:11:52
So, just before I put in my order...
Is the package insured when using the EU proxy? I'm assuming it is but I just want to make sure. It would break my heart if the beautiful case shows up damaged. :-\
I would assume that this is the case, but I have messaged them to ask and will confirm when I find out.
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 23 November 2017, 10:19:25
So, just before I put in my order...
Is the package insured when using the EU proxy? I'm assuming it is but I just want to make sure. It would break my heart if the beautiful case shows up damaged. :-\
I have confirmed that they will ship with insurance. He also added that, after 3000 shipments, they've never had a package lost. :)
Post by: Lansky on Thu, 23 November 2017, 10:24:47
I have confirmed that they will ship with insurance. He also added that, after 3000 shipments, they've never had a package lost. :)
Thanks for the quick follow up, that is great news.
I'll put in my order when I get home. So hyped for this! :)
Post by: avid on Thu, 23 November 2017, 10:44:22
Now the hard decision on what i should buy. I suppose you dont happend to have a black realforce in the black case?
I know many finishes was done in the novatouch GB, is there more pictures of those? Im considering at least enigma black vs tactical black.
Post by: Blazestorm on Thu, 23 November 2017, 11:19:59
So am I reading this right when it says that it will come with a custom pcb?
Yes, but not in the sense that most keyboard people mean PCB. It is a very small printed circuit board that makes it possible to use a detachable cable with the RealForce.
Would have been cool to get some QMK in there to allow some minor remapping -> Something like Hasu's USB to USB converter (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=69169.0). I just want to add media keys/my own FN layer.
Maybe I can get one made by Hasu to go between your PCB and the Topre one, just don't solder on the big USB A connectors and hand-wire it.
Post by: Halverson on Thu, 23 November 2017, 11:22:00
Post by: hayt on Thu, 23 November 2017, 11:24:56
Very nice to see this come to GB. Time-line is perfect, might even opt for a second one :thumb:
Now the hard decision on what i should buy. I suppose you dont happend to have a black realforce in the black case?
I know many finishes was done in the novatouch GB, is there more pictures of those? Im considering at least enigma black vs tactical black.
+1 would very much like to see how the black keyset looks with the black finish options.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: Troif on Thu, 23 November 2017, 11:26:06
Also, what is the best way to obtain mx sliders in Europe? Or may be is it better to get the realforce RGB? Opinions?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 23 November 2017, 11:44:31
Hi Norb, is there any way we could get a pic of how the ano 3 black case will look with the standard black RF keyset? Since I have both a white and a black RF, I’m fairly torn on if I want to do white on silver or black on black.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hi Norb, is there any way we could get a pic of how the ano 3 black case will look with the standard black RF keyset? Since I have both a white and a black RF, I’m fairly torn on if I want to do white on silver or black on black.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Also in the same boat here, leaning toward black on black but worried it could look boring.
I'll try to edit together some pics tonight or tomorrow morning.
that would be great. i'm also having a very hard time to decide on a color :)
Hi Norb, is there any way we could get a pic of how the ano 3 black case will look with the standard black RF keyset? Since I have both a white and a black RF, I’m fairly torn on if I want to do white on silver or black on black.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Also in the same boat here, leaning toward black on black but worried it could look boring.
As promised. :) With apologies for the ****ty Photoshop work and pics of my grubby, shiny-ABS, dust-encrusted daily-driver keys. :S
Aerospace aluminum (I know, it kind of looks white in the studio lights)
(https://norbauercdn.blob.core.windows.net/webshares/califorce-case/black-keys-aerospace.jpg)
Tactical black (the keys above photoshopped in place)
(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/black-keys-on-tactical.jpg)
Post by: hayt on Thu, 23 November 2017, 11:55:01
Unfortunately this just makes my decision that much harder as the black keyset on ano iii black is insanely nice
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: salvanipour on Thu, 23 November 2017, 12:02:22
Post by: Lansky on Thu, 23 November 2017, 12:05:29
Tactical black (the keys above photoshopped in place)Show Image(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/black-keys-on-tactical.jpg)
Hnnngggg :-X
Post by: Techno Trousers on Thu, 23 November 2017, 12:52:39
How much more black could it be?Tactical black (the keys above photoshopped in place)Show Image(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/black-keys-on-tactical.jpg)
Hnnngggg :-X
The answer is none. None more black.
Post by: braidn on Thu, 23 November 2017, 13:11:50
So am I reading this right when it says that it will come with a custom pcb?
Yes, but not in the sense that most keyboard people mean PCB. It is a very small printed circuit board that makes it possible to use a detachable cable with the RealForce.
Would have been cool to get some QMK in there to allow some minor remapping -> Something like Hasu's USB to USB converter (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=69169.0). I just want to add media keys/my own FN layer.
Maybe I can get one made by Hasu to go between your PCB and the Topre one, just don't solder on the big USB A connectors and hand-wire it.
If we could get QMK running on this it would be truly end game TKL amazing but, understand if it’s not.
Post by: Devkey on Thu, 23 November 2017, 13:17:31
Post by: Howser on Thu, 23 November 2017, 13:39:30
As promised. :) With apologies for the ****ty Photoshop work and pics of my grubby, shiny-ABS, dust-encrusted daily-driver keys. :S
Aerospace aluminum (I know, it kind of looks white in the studio lights)
can you maybe compare aerospace aluminum to another keyboard that has a similar type of finish? the whitefox maybe?
and for the enigma grey, does the finish look similar to monte carlo but in grey?
whats the difference between space station and venice beach white?
on the order page it's not clear from the first 11 pictures which colors i'm looking at, is that space white or aluminum or both?
sorry if you have answered this before
Post by: clappingcactus on Thu, 23 November 2017, 13:44:44
So am I reading this right when it says that it will come with a custom pcb?
Yes, but not in the sense that most keyboard people mean PCB. It is a very small printed circuit board that makes it possible to use a detachable cable with the RealForce.
Would have been cool to get some QMK in there to allow some minor remapping -> Something like Hasu's USB to USB converter (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=69169.0). I just want to add media keys/my own FN layer.
Maybe I can get one made by Hasu to go between your PCB and the Topre one, just don't solder on the big USB A connectors and hand-wire it.
If we could get QMK running on this it would be truly end game TKL amazing but, understand if it’s not.
Already ahead of you:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=69169.msg2503651#msg2503651
Post by: vinzlr on Thu, 23 November 2017, 13:45:03
So am I reading this right when it says that it will come with a custom pcb?
Yes, but not in the sense that most keyboard people mean PCB. It is a very small printed circuit board that makes it possible to use a detachable cable with the RealForce.
Would have been cool to get some QMK in there to allow some minor remapping -> Something like Hasu's USB to USB converter (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=69169.0). I just want to add media keys/my own FN layer.
Maybe I can get one made by Hasu to go between your PCB and the Topre one, just don't solder on the big USB A connectors and hand-wire it.
If we could get QMK running on this it would be truly end game TKL amazing but, understand if it’s not.
God, I have QMK on my other board and now that I have my RF I'm realizing how much I love QMK. If we get QMK on this I will explode.
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 23 November 2017, 22:43:33
Thx Norb! Very helpful :)
Unfortunately this just makes my decision that much harder as the black keyset on ano iii black is insanely nice
I agree, actually. It's very ninja.
And it's basically what my daily driver has been for years (black keys on black anodized case). Before I made this case, I had an ultra-rare Korean RealForce housing in black type II ano, which unfortunately has gotten quite scratched up over the years due to my carelessness—hence my interest in Type III ano. I've loved that thing for years, but there has definitely been room for improvement, which is what led to this project.
Sorry for any slow replies today, btw. I've been making sous vide turkey, deep-fried brussels spouts, and engaged in other holiday festivities all day. Similarly, I'll be doing some family stuff over the next couple of days and away from my computer (my father is in town visiting), so apologies in advance for any latency in forum or email replies. I always catch up eventually. :)
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 23 November 2017, 22:47:31
So am I reading this right when it says that it will come with a custom pcb?
Yes, but not in the sense that most keyboard people mean PCB. It is a very small printed circuit board that makes it possible to use a detachable cable with the RealForce.
Would have been cool to get some QMK in there to allow some minor remapping -> Something like Hasu's USB to USB converter (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=69169.0). I just want to add media keys/my own FN layer.
Maybe I can get one made by Hasu to go between your PCB and the Topre one, just don't solder on the big USB A connectors and hand-wire it.
If we could get QMK running on this it would be truly end game TKL amazing but, understand if it’s not.
God, I have QMK on my other board and now that I have my RF I'm realizing how much I love QMK. If we get QMK on this I will explode.
So I'm used to keeping my head down and tending my little quixotic keyboard garden (projects like this), and I'm sadly pretty ignorant of a lot of the stuff that goes on elsewhere in the community (it's so hard to keep up!). Can you guys fill me in on what this QMK business is?
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 23 November 2017, 22:55:32
As promised. :) With apologies for the ****ty Photoshop work and pics of my grubby, shiny-ABS, dust-encrusted daily-driver keys. :S
Aerospace aluminum (I know, it kind of looks white in the studio lights)
can you maybe compare aerospace aluminum to another keyboard that has a similar type of finish? the whitefox maybe?
and for the enigma grey, does the finish look similar to monte carlo but in grey?
whats the difference between space station and venice beach white?
on the order page it's not clear from the first 11 pictures which colors i'm looking at, is that space white or aluminum or both?
sorry if you have answered this before
I haven't examined the anodizing on a White Fox up close, but it looks pretty much like bead-blasted clear type-II anodized aluminum, so yes, I would expect the finish to be very similar. :)
Enigma Gray and Monte Carlo red are actually totally different. Enigma Gray is just a gray (lighter) version of Enigma Black. It has a subtle texture (sort of random small specks of texture), but it's not a wrinkle texture, which is what Monte Carlo red is. This is the best picture (http://www.wallpaperinhd.net/file/10318/2880x1800/stretch/ferrari-logo-(1920x1080)-wallpaper.jpg) I've found online to show what Monte Carlo red looks like. It looks exactly like that up close.
Space station white and Venice Beach are very similar in terms of their finish (medium- to high-gloss and smooth), but of course one is white and the other is hot pink. ;)
On the order page, the first batch of photos are all aerospace aluminum. Then they're tactical black. Then it's Retro Refrigerator. I don't have photos of this case in any other finishes, because that is all the samples I had to test, so I made that final image to show other cases I've made in the past using the finishes being offered this time. I'm working on better ones. You can also have a look at my Novatouch product page (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/cnc-aluminum-case-for-cooler-master-tkl-boards-round-2-5) for more images of those powder finishes.
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 23 November 2017, 23:38:46
Post by: Stresemann on Fri, 24 November 2017, 00:58:32
Post by: FSund on Fri, 24 November 2017, 04:51:02
I just wanted to mention that I added another powder coat option by request of a few people: medium-gloss black, which I'm calling, in my fanciful way, Singularity Black. This is basically the black version of Space Station white. Unfortunately I don't have any pics of this finish at the moment, but it's a pretty straightforward one and doesn't require too much imagination to accurately know what it will look like. ;)
Thanks for doing this. I've just put in an order for a Singularity Black case.
So I'm used to keeping my head down and tending my little quixotic keyboard garden (projects like this), and I'm sadly pretty ignorant of a lot of the stuff that goes on elsewhere in the community (it's so hard to keep up!). Can you guys fill me in on what this QMK business is?
QMK is just a keyboard firmware that can be used with most of the custom pcb's out there (and those using for example a Pro Micro), those that use a Atmel AVR microcontroller.
The USB to USB adapter that is mentioned above is using the QMK firmware installed on a custom chip that has USB input and output, which will read the keypresses being sent from the keyboard that is plugged in to the adapter, and output some other keypresses based on the QMK configuration. This can be used to add lots of different functionality that is available via the QMK firmware, to a keyboard that isn't programmable. Typically this is used to remap keys (for example map Caps Lock to Ctrl), to program macro keys, and to add support for different layers (f.ex. if you hold the Tab key, the arrow keys can be mapped to Page Up, Page Down, Home and End, a very useful mapping).
Post by: nguyenhimself on Fri, 24 November 2017, 09:30:01
- Tactical black: Super black and glossy.
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/Norbatouch_15_of_27_1024x1024.jpg?v=1511212754)
- Enigma Black: I assume is pic below, so a shade lighter than Tactical Black with, uhm, medium gloss?
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/Norbatouch_16_of_27_1024x1024.jpg?v=1511212754)
- Enigma Gray: As Norbauer said, Enigma black but lighter, so I assume it's something like the below Space Gray iPhone?
(https://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2016/06/iPhone-5-vs-5s-space-gray.jpg)
- Singularity Black: I'm not entirely what "black version of Space Station white" means here, because that sounds like Tactical Black to me (Super black, super glossy).
Just a bit confused, is all. Thanks.
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 24 November 2017, 09:53:31
Man, someone has to explain to me all the different shades of black here:
- Tactical black: Super black and glossy.Show Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/Norbatouch_15_of_27_1024x1024.jpg?v=1511212754)
- Enigma Black: I assume is pic below, so a shade lighter than Tactical Black with, uhm, medium gloss?Show Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/Norbatouch_16_of_27_1024x1024.jpg?v=1511212754)
- Enigma Gray: As Norbauer said, Enigma black but lighter, so I assume it's something like the below Space Gray iPhone?Show Image(https://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2016/06/iPhone-5-vs-5s-space-gray.jpg)
- Singularity Black: I'm not entirely what "black version of Space Station white" means here, because that sounds like Tactical Black to me (Super black, super glossy).
Just a bit confused, is all. Thanks.
Hehe. Yeah, sorry, but everything you said above is wrong. I apologize for the confusion, but I’m only offering so many black colors because people have actually specifically asked for each one of them. :) Let me try to clarify.
the new Singularity Black: this is black, opaque, and fairly glossy. It is what most people think of when they think of “black powder coat.” If you got a black filing cabinet, it would probably be a finish similar to this.
Enigma black: this is black powder coat with a gentle speckled texture, creating a fairly matte appearance
Royal Wrinkle black: this is black powder coat with a more noticeable texture, which takes the form of tiny wrinkles rather than specks, also creating a fairly matte appearance.
Tactical black: this is just black anodizing of a bead-blasted surface; it is NOT glossy at all. It is like Apple space gray if you darkened the dye from 75% black (or whatever it is) to 100%. If it looks glossy in some of the photos, it is just the result of how my bright studio lights play against the surface of the metal. The finely bead-blasted texture of the surface of the tactical black case makes it diffuse light pretty well and thus not appear glossy.
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 24 November 2017, 09:54:04
Man, someone has to explain to me all the different shades of black here:
- Tactical black: Super black and glossy.Show Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/Norbatouch_15_of_27_1024x1024.jpg?v=1511212754)
- Enigma Black: I assume is pic below, so a shade lighter than Tactical Black with, uhm, medium gloss?Show Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/Norbatouch_16_of_27_1024x1024.jpg?v=1511212754)
- Enigma Gray: As Norbauer said, Enigma black but lighter, so I assume it's something like the below Space Gray iPhone?Show Image(https://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2016/06/iPhone-5-vs-5s-space-gray.jpg)
- Singularity Black: I'm not entirely what "black version of Space Station white" means here, because that sounds like Tactical Black to me (Super black, super glossy).
Just a bit confused, is all. Thanks.
Hehe. Yeah, sorry, but everything you said above is wrong. I apologize for the confusion, but I’m only offering so many black colors because people have actually specifically asked for each one of them.
Let me try to clarify.the new Singularity Black: this is black, opaque, and fairly glossy. It is what most people think of when they think of “black powder coat.” If you got a black filing cabinet or any piece of old office furniture, it would probably be a finish similar to this.
Enigma black: this is black powder coat with a gentle speckled texture, creating a fairly matte appearance
Royal Wrinkle black: this is black powder coat with a more noticeable texture, which takes the form of tiny wrinkles rather than specks, also creating a fairly matte appearance.
Tactical black: this is just black anodizing of a bead-blasted surface; it is NOT glossy at all. It is like Apple space gray if you darkened the dye from 75% black (or whatever it is) to 100%. If it looks glossy in some of the photos, it is just the result of how my bright studio lights play against the surface of the metal. The finely bead-blasted texture of the surface of the tactical black case makes it diffuse light pretty well and thus not appear glossy.
Post by: child on Fri, 24 November 2017, 10:23:05
As I said - I'm not trying to bash you, but just help with improving future buys done by you.
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 24 November 2017, 10:41:25
Ryan, not trying to bash you on this, but no one would have to present their (missed) findings and assumptions about the colors if you proceeded from the start in the most obvious way - put the description (like you just did - those are very insightful) and a few photos of each color on the buy page. Fortunately I am aiming for the simplest color possible (Aerospace Aluminum), but the first thing I've noticed on the buy page is that there is not enough information about the colors. Some of the colors look very similar (Enigma Black/Enigma Gray). Some are not shown at all. Artistic photos are nice, but they do not even have descriptions about the colors (so I wasn't even sure if the first one is Aerospace Aluminum). I understand you may not have all the colors on the cases yet, but things like showing them on Nobratouch cases also helps.
As I said - I'm not trying to bash you, but just help with improving future buys done by you.
Hehe. Feel free to bash. :) I honestly have no idea what I'm doing and am just flying by the seat of my pants here. Fortunately, that usually works for me, but it does mean sometimes needing to course-correct. So I appreciate the feedback.
Perhaps you didn't notice the last photo (which I do also mention in the text of the listing), which shows all the powder finishes with descriptions. I'm reproducing it here below:
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/Powder-Colors_1024x1024.png?v=1511219307)
But you're absolutely right that it could be clearer; I'll try to think of a good way to handle this. The only reason I didn't add full text descriptions into the listing itself was I didn't want the listing page to run too long since it's already pretty wordy.
The reason some colors aren't shown in the above mockup is they are ones that folks talked me into adding beyond my original plans, after the GB had already launched. I'll try to get photos of them before the close of the GB, but they're there just because I'm trying to accommodate special requests when possible.
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 24 November 2017, 12:35:56
child: thanks for nudging me get over my procrastination and provide more specific descriptions. ;D
Post by: foxlive on Fri, 24 November 2017, 16:25:46
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 24 November 2017, 16:57:24
It is a piece of art! I love the look of it and possible finish. My question may appear silly, but is thiscase only compatible with realforce pcb? Or is it possible to fit another tkl board with cherry mx switches. I have some zealios and a dasher sa or Budapest sa who need a case !! Thanks for your answer!
I'm sorry to report that it's Topre RealForce boards only for this one.
Post by: vinzlr on Fri, 24 November 2017, 17:43:41
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 24 November 2017, 17:46:11
Okay just fixed up my order and resubmitted for astrophysical purple. Do you think there will be any better pictures of this finish available soon? Thanks for the great stuff Norb! I can't wait for the Tactical Carry Bag and I hope I can design something worthy of your praise in the future!
I can't wait to see what you design; let me know if I can help with anything!
I do hope to have pics of the purple color before the close of the group buy, as I should be getting some Novatouch cases back in that finish from r2.5 hopefully before the end of the year. I will of course post them if so.
Thanks for the encouragement about the bag! The design is complete; I'm just now going through the somewhat arduous process of finding a factory that can make them at small quantities and not charge a million dollars.
Post by: Devkey on Fri, 24 November 2017, 18:29:13
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 24 November 2017, 18:41:35
If I want to change finishes is there a way to do that on the website or do I have to email?
Please email. :)
Post by: Vespene on Sat, 25 November 2017, 03:14:02
Post by: foxlive on Sat, 25 November 2017, 04:12:44
It is a piece of art! I love the look of it and possible finish. My question may appear silly, but is thiscase only compatible with realforce pcb? Or is it possible to fit another tkl board with cherry mx switches. I have some zealios and a dasher sa or Budapest sa who need a case !! Thanks for your answer!
I'm sorry to report that it's Topre RealForce boards only for this one.
Thanks for your answer! Toooo bad for me then :$
Post by: nevaenuf on Sat, 25 November 2017, 12:25:09
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 25 November 2017, 12:27:05
norbauer do you think the purple would go well with gmk laser?
That's a good question. I feel like selecting a complementary color is safer when it comes to keysets, as the color match will inevitably be imperfect. Honestly, I think the black anodized would be a great choice for Laser, or Enigma Gray.
Post by: vinzlr on Sat, 25 November 2017, 13:17:07
Post by: Halverson on Sat, 25 November 2017, 15:12:55
Post by: salvanipour on Sat, 25 November 2017, 21:05:57
Best colors for 10th anniversary caps?
I second this. I thought I was set on the plain aluminum but the allure of the hard anodized black really has a hold of me. Unless the powdercoated finish is stronger or a better match. Something about brushed aluminum makes me not want it to be covered in powdercoat (even though I’m a huge fan of those finishes).
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 25 November 2017, 22:37:38
Best colors for 10th anniversary caps?
I second this. I thought I was set on the plain aluminum but the allure of the hard anodized black really has a hold of me. Unless the powdercoated finish is stronger or a better match. Something about brushed aluminum makes me not want it to be covered in powdercoat (even though I’m a huge fan of those finishes).
My vote would be tactical black. :)
Post by: Halverson on Sat, 25 November 2017, 22:39:05
Best colors for 10th anniversary caps?
I second this. I thought I was set on the plain aluminum but the allure of the hard anodized black really has a hold of me. Unless the powdercoated finish is stronger or a better match. Something about brushed aluminum makes me not want it to be covered in powdercoat (even though I’m a huge fan of those finishes).
My vote would be tactical black. :)
Here I am thinking purple or refrigerator :p
Post by: salvanipour on Sat, 25 November 2017, 22:52:28
Best colors for 10th anniversary caps?
I second this. I thought I was set on the plain aluminum but the allure of the hard anodized black really has a hold of me. Unless the powdercoated finish is stronger or a better match. Something about brushed aluminum makes me not want it to be covered in powdercoat (even though I’m a huge fan of those finishes).
My vote would be tactical black. :)
Well that settles that. Picked up this keyboard while on vacation in Korea and now (or soon will) have a case that's equally meaningful to match!
Post by: richard912 on Sat, 25 November 2017, 22:58:25
Highly likely I will mod my RF with MX sliders sometime down the road.
FYI, I already have the aerospace aluminium norbatouch case.
Inputs please?
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 26 November 2017, 01:21:22
Best colors for 10th anniversary caps?
I second this. I thought I was set on the plain aluminum but the allure of the hard anodized black really has a hold of me. Unless the powdercoated finish is stronger or a better match. Something about brushed aluminum makes me not want it to be covered in powdercoat (even though I’m a huge fan of those finishes).
My vote would be tactical black. :)
Well that settles that. Picked up this keyboard while on vacation in Korea and now (or soon will) have a case that's equally meaningful to match!
Awesome. You don’t happen to speak Korean, do you? I could use some help getting the word out about these to the Korean keyboard kbd communities. ;)
Post by: FSund on Sun, 26 November 2017, 15:23:16
Perhaps some of you could provide me with some recommendation(s). My RF87 is white (so keycaps are in the white theme). Currently, the toss up is between Tactical Black and Enigma Gray. Am kind of worried the latter will be a fingerprint magnet. Also, I already have a few custom boards with gray alu cases.
Highly likely I will mod my RF with MX sliders sometime down the road.
FYI, I already have the aerospace aluminium norbatouch case.
Inputs please?
I think the white RF keycaps go incredibly well with the aerospace aluminium, and that would be my choice if I had a white RF.
[attach=1]
To be honest I almost bought a second RF in white so I could achieve that look, but decided on getting a black to match the black RF I already own instead.
Post by: salvanipour on Sun, 26 November 2017, 16:05:45
Best colors for 10th anniversary caps?
I second this. I thought I was set on the plain aluminum but the allure of the hard anodized black really has a hold of me. Unless the powdercoated finish is stronger or a better match. Something about brushed aluminum makes me not want it to be covered in powdercoat (even though I’m a huge fan of those finishes).
My vote would be tactical black. :)
Well that settles that. Picked up this keyboard while on vacation in Korea and now (or soon will) have a case that's equally meaningful to match!
Awesome. You don’t happen to speak Korean, do you? I could use some help getting the word out about these to the Korean keyboard kbd communities. ;)
I wish I did but unfortunately I was just there on a trip. I know a few Korean members on /r/MK, and even ran into one who was buying a RF at the same time I was in Yongsan. I'm sure they'd be happy to help get the word out on such an awesome product.
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 26 November 2017, 16:20:39
Best colors for 10th anniversary caps?
I second this. I thought I was set on the plain aluminum but the allure of the hard anodized black really has a hold of me. Unless the powdercoated finish is stronger or a better match. Something about brushed aluminum makes me not want it to be covered in powdercoat (even though I’m a huge fan of those finishes).
My vote would be tactical black. :)
Well that settles that. Picked up this keyboard while on vacation in Korea and now (or soon will) have a case that's equally meaningful to match!
Awesome. You don’t happen to speak Korean, do you? I could use some help getting the word out about these to the Korean keyboard kbd communities. ;)
I wish I did but unfortunately I was just there on a trip. I know a few Korean members on /r/MK, and even ran into one who was buying a RF at the same time I was in Yongsan. I'm sure they'd be happy to help get the word out on such an awesome product.
That would be awesome if you wouldn't mind reaching out to them and/or putting them in touch with me. :)
Post by: salvanipour on Sun, 26 November 2017, 16:25:23
Best colors for 10th anniversary caps?
I second this. I thought I was set on the plain aluminum but the allure of the hard anodized black really has a hold of me. Unless the powdercoated finish is stronger or a better match. Something about brushed aluminum makes me not want it to be covered in powdercoat (even though I’m a huge fan of those finishes).
My vote would be tactical black. :)
Well that settles that. Picked up this keyboard while on vacation in Korea and now (or soon will) have a case that's equally meaningful to match!
Awesome. You don’t happen to speak Korean, do you? I could use some help getting the word out about these to the Korean keyboard kbd communities. ;)
I wish I did but unfortunately I was just there on a trip. I know a few Korean members on /r/MK, and even ran into one who was buying a RF at the same time I was in Yongsan. I'm sure they'd be happy to help get the word out on such an awesome product.
That would be awesome if you wouldn't mind reaching out to them and/or putting them in touch with me. :)
Just shot them a message! We'll see what they come back with. :)
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 26 November 2017, 16:26:18
Best colors for 10th anniversary caps?
I second this. I thought I was set on the plain aluminum but the allure of the hard anodized black really has a hold of me. Unless the powdercoated finish is stronger or a better match. Something about brushed aluminum makes me not want it to be covered in powdercoat (even though I’m a huge fan of those finishes).
My vote would be tactical black. :)
Well that settles that. Picked up this keyboard while on vacation in Korea and now (or soon will) have a case that's equally meaningful to match!
Awesome. You don’t happen to speak Korean, do you? I could use some help getting the word out about these to the Korean keyboard kbd communities. ;)
I wish I did but unfortunately I was just there on a trip. I know a few Korean members on /r/MK, and even ran into one who was buying a RF at the same time I was in Yongsan. I'm sure they'd be happy to help get the word out on such an awesome product.
That would be awesome if you wouldn't mind reaching out to them and/or putting them in touch with me. :)
Just shot them a message! We'll see what they come back with. :)
Awesome. Many thanks!
Post by: rowdy on Sun, 26 November 2017, 19:58:57
Best colors for 10th anniversary caps?
Girlshark Gray, obviously.
Post by: Halverson on Sun, 26 November 2017, 19:59:58
Best colors for 10th anniversary caps?
Girlshark Gray, obviously.
<3
Post by: richard912 on Sun, 26 November 2017, 20:33:57
Yeah, aerospace alu was my first choice too in view of my white RF87. Arrrgh, decisions decisionsPerhaps some of you could provide me with some recommendation(s). My RF87 is white (so keycaps are in the white theme). Currently, the toss up is between Tactical Black and Enigma Gray. Am kind of worried the latter will be a fingerprint magnet. Also, I already have a few custom boards with gray alu cases.
Highly likely I will mod my RF with MX sliders sometime down the road.
FYI, I already have the aerospace aluminium norbatouch case.
Inputs please?
I think the white RF keycaps go incredibly well with the aerospace aluminium, and that would be my choice if I had a white RF.
(Attachment Link)
To be honest I almost bought a second RF in white so I could achieve that look, but decided on getting a black to match the black RF I already own instead.
Post by: nguyenhimself on Sun, 26 November 2017, 21:48:11
Hehe. Yeah, sorry, but everything you said above is wrong. I apologize for the confusion, but I’m only offering so many black colors because people have actually specifically asked for each one of them.
the new Singularity Black: this is black, opaque, and fairly glossy. It is what most people think of when they think of “black powder coat.” If you got a black filing cabinet or any piece of old office furniture, it would probably be a finish similar to this.
Enigma black: this is black powder coat with a gentle speckled texture, creating a fairly matte appearance
Royal Wrinkle black: this is black powder coat with a more noticeable texture, which takes the form of tiny wrinkles rather than specks, also creating a fairly matte appearance.
Tactical black: this is just black anodizing of a bead-blasted surface; it is NOT glossy at all. It is like Apple space gray if you darkened the dye from 75% black (or whatever it is) to 100%. If it looks glossy in some of the photos, it is just the result of how my bright studio lights play against the surface of the metal. The finely bead-blasted texture of the surface of the tactical black case makes it diffuse light pretty well and thus not appear glossy.
Got it. Thanks! I guess for me it comes down to either Tactical Black (matte) or Singularity Black (glossy) then.
Would you say the difference between those 2 is similar to that between the iPhone 7 Jet Black and Matte Black (but darker)?
(https://www.macitynet.it/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/iPhone-7-unboxing-1-doppia-800x600.jpg)
Or something like this:
(https://bellissimacreation.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/glossy-vs-satin-vs-matte.jpg?w=748)
Thanks a bunch. It really is a struggle #FirstWorldProblem
Post by: FSund on Mon, 27 November 2017, 02:50:25
Yeah, aerospace alu was my first choice too in view of my white RF87. Arrrgh, decisions decisionsPerhaps some of you could provide me with some recommendation(s). My RF87 is white (so keycaps are in the white theme). Currently, the toss up is between Tactical Black and Enigma Gray. Am kind of worried the latter will be a fingerprint magnet. Also, I already have a few custom boards with gray alu cases.
Highly likely I will mod my RF with MX sliders sometime down the road.
FYI, I already have the aerospace aluminium norbatouch case.
Inputs please?
I think the white RF keycaps go incredibly well with the aerospace aluminium, and that would be my choice if I had a white RF.
(Attachment Link)
To be honest I almost bought a second RF in white so I could achieve that look, but decided on getting a black to match the black RF I already own instead.
If you do go the route of swapping to MX sliders, the colors of the stock keycaps are less of an issue though.
I know I'm not helping :)
Post by: heckenjoni on Mon, 27 November 2017, 09:41:41
Post by: avid on Mon, 27 November 2017, 09:43:35
hey can anyone link me the Eu proxy GB .... i cant find it, there is nothing under GB ...
Go through norbauer sites and on check-out you can chose to go through EU instead.
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 27 November 2017, 09:49:42
hey can anyone link me the Eu proxy GB .... i cant find it, there is nothing under GB ...
Go through norbauer sites and on check-out you can chose to go through EU instead.
Yes, it's just an option at checkout on the normal GB page (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/the-norbaforce). You have to enter your European address first for the option to show up. Just let me know if you hit any snags or have any questions. :)
Post by: Lansky on Mon, 27 November 2017, 10:06:00
Post by: Lansky on Mon, 27 November 2017, 10:07:01
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 27 November 2017, 10:17:21
Ryan, just out of curiosity... How prone is the tactical black to fingerprints and smudges? Maybe compared to the stock plastic housing?
As I said to FSund by email recently, I think pretty much any black finish will show finger prints to some extent; you just have to cross that awkward threshold from where the first few get on it and they seem out of place, until it’s more or less covered--at which point you stop noticing and it's fine. ;) I say this as someone who has used a black anodized keyboard housing everyday for about five years. I think one just accepts it as part of the premise of having something badass and black. My black-keys RealForce, for example, has an extremely shined ABS spacebar that is all the more visible because of the key color. Though I have a PBT replacement for it, I've just come to embrace this "flaw" as part of the premise of having an all-black keyboard, and as a very direct, physical sign of its intimate connection to me and my body. So I leave it there as it is.
For whatever it’s worth, the more glossy the finish (like Singularity Black) the easier it also is to wipe fingerprints off of it but the more ones that are already there will be visible. So there is a trade-off. Fingerprints are nearly invisible on the textured blacks due to the way the light plays on the surface irregularities. And finger prints are totally invisible on the aerospace aluminum finish and the Galaxy Console, as best as I can tell.
Post by: Lansky on Mon, 27 November 2017, 10:28:48
As I said to FSund by email recently, I think pretty much any black finish will show finger prints to some extent; you just have to cross that awkward threshold from where the first few get on it and they seem out of place, until it’s more or less covered--at which point you stop noticing and it's fine. ;) I say this as someone who has used a black anodized keyboard housing everyday for about five years. I think one just accepts it as part of the premise of having something badass and black. My black-keys RealForce, for example, has an extremely shined ABS spacebar that is all the more visible because of the key color. Though I have a PBT replacement for it, I've just come to embrace this "flaw" as part of the premise of having an all-black keyboard, and as a very direct, physical sign of its intimate connection to me and my body. So I leave it there as it is.
For whatever it’s worth, the more glossy the finish (like Singularity Black) the easier it also is to wipe fingerprints off of it but the more ones that are already there will be visible. So there is a trade-off. Fingerprints are nearly invisible on the textured blacks due to the way the light plays on the surface irregularities. And finger prints are totally invisible on the aerospace aluminum finish and the Galaxy Console, as best as I can tell.
Thanks for the quick response.
A very in-depth and almost poetic way of looking at it, haha. I'm not too worried about it either, I was just wondering as I'm very eager to get my grubby hands all over this beauty. ^-^
Post by: clappingcactus on Thu, 30 November 2017, 10:10:41
Post by: Troif on Thu, 30 November 2017, 10:21:38
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 30 November 2017, 12:29:57
So how many people have ordered Retro Retro Refrigerator so far?
4
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 30 November 2017, 12:30:41
Hehe. Yeah, sorry, but everything you said above is wrong. I apologize for the confusion, but I’m only offering so many black colors because people have actually specifically asked for each one of them.
the new Singularity Black: this is black, opaque, and fairly glossy. It is what most people think of when they think of “black powder coat.” If you got a black filing cabinet or any piece of old office furniture, it would probably be a finish similar to this.
Enigma black: this is black powder coat with a gentle speckled texture, creating a fairly matte appearance
Royal Wrinkle black: this is black powder coat with a more noticeable texture, which takes the form of tiny wrinkles rather than specks, also creating a fairly matte appearance.
Tactical black: this is just black anodizing of a bead-blasted surface; it is NOT glossy at all. It is like Apple space gray if you darkened the dye from 75% black (or whatever it is) to 100%. If it looks glossy in some of the photos, it is just the result of how my bright studio lights play against the surface of the metal. The finely bead-blasted texture of the surface of the tactical black case makes it diffuse light pretty well and thus not appear glossy.
Got it. Thanks! I guess for me it comes down to either Tactical Black (matte) or Singularity Black (glossy) then.
Would you say the difference between those 2 is similar to that between the iPhone 7 Jet Black and Matte Black (but darker)?Show Image(https://www.macitynet.it/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/iPhone-7-unboxing-1-doppia-800x600.jpg)
Or something like this:Show Image(https://bellissimacreation.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/glossy-vs-satin-vs-matte.jpg?w=748)
Thanks a bunch. It really is a struggle #FirstWorldProblem
Yes, that is a pretty good color analogy. :)
Post by: Blazestorm on Thu, 30 November 2017, 13:28:31
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 30 November 2017, 13:29:35
I sent a PM to Hasu to see if we could get some USB-to-USB adapters made, maybe Ryan can help test them/give specs and dimensions =)
Sure; happy to help! Just LMK what you guys need. :)
Post by: Blazestorm on Thu, 30 November 2017, 13:36:44
I sent a PM to Hasu to see if we could get some USB-to-USB adapters made, maybe Ryan can help test them/give specs and dimensions =)
Sure; happy to help! Just LMK what you guys need. :)
I think mostly just need to know how much space is available near the breakout PCB, since this would sit between the Topre PCB and your breakout PCB. It should be fairly small -> http://i.imgur.com/2y06AIal.jpg
It wouldn't have the USB-A adapters anymore, so it would be a bit slimmer.
Although if someone else is familiar with designing PCBs they could help out... Hasu open-sourced his: https://github.com/tmk/USB2USB_Converter
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 30 November 2017, 23:00:20
I sent a PM to Hasu to see if we could get some USB-to-USB adapters made, maybe Ryan can help test them/give specs and dimensions =)
Sure; happy to help! Just LMK what you guys need. :)
I think mostly just need to know how much space is available near the breakout PCB, since this would sit between the Topre PCB and your breakout PCB. It should be fairly small -> http://i.imgur.com/2y06AIal.jpg
It wouldn't have the USB-A adapters anymore, so it would be a bit slimmer.
Although if someone else is familiar with designing PCBs they could help out... Hasu open-sourced his: https://github.com/tmk/USB2USB_Converter
Ah, I didn’t realize you meant inside the case. There is zero room inside of the case. It would have to be on the outside of the case, inline with the cable.
Post by: Blazestorm on Thu, 30 November 2017, 23:06:19
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 30 November 2017, 23:08:02
The pictures of the breakout board on the product page made it look like there was a little space near it. Unless that is taken up by the Topre PCB... Or maybe it could just replace the breakout board...
There is the tiniest bit of room, but that will be taken up by the internal cables. A replacement for the breakout board would of course work.
Maybe someone can make that as an after-market upgrade to my after-market upgrade.
Post by: Wetherbee on Thu, 30 November 2017, 23:40:24
Yo dawg, I heard you like breakout boards so I made a breakout board for your breakout board.
Post by: BloodToxin on Fri, 01 December 2017, 01:15:50
Can you actually feel the texture on it? Or does is it just feel like aluminum?
Post by: Sharku on Fri, 01 December 2017, 07:30:28
Post by: Wetherbee on Fri, 01 December 2017, 07:37:50
Can’t wait for Norbapold!!
I'm hoping the next drop is the Norbapad. :cool:
Post by: Wetherbee on Fri, 01 December 2017, 07:43:16
Can’t wait for Norbapold!!
I'm hoping the next drop is the Norbapad. :cool:
Actually, now that I think about it, that is a terrible name. It sounds like a feminine hygiene product.
Post by: richard912 on Fri, 01 December 2017, 09:08:20
Can’t wait for Norbapold!!
I'm hoping the next drop is the Norbapad. :cool:
Actually, now that I think about it, that is a terrible name. It sounds like a feminine hygiene product.
LOL
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 01 December 2017, 10:22:50
About to jump in on that Monte Carlo Red for my Christmas gift to myself :p
Can you actually feel the texture on it? Or does is it just feel like aluminum?
It doesn’t feel quite like bare aluminum, but it feels shockingly smooth for something that looks so textured. It’s kind of weird and hard to describe verbally, but suffice it to say it feels pretty smooth.
Post by: dubious on Fri, 01 December 2017, 13:36:28
Best colors for 10th anniversary caps?
I second this. I thought I was set on the plain aluminum but the allure of the hard anodized black really has a hold of me. Unless the powdercoated finish is stronger or a better match. Something about brushed aluminum makes me not want it to be covered in powdercoat (even though I’m a huge fan of those finishes).
My vote would be tactical black. :)
Well that settles that. Picked up this keyboard while on vacation in Korea and now (or soon will) have a case that's equally meaningful to match!
Awesome. You don’t happen to speak Korean, do you? I could use some help getting the word out about these to the Korean keyboard kbd communities. ;)
Looks like someone already posted it to kbdlab (http://kbdlab.co.kr/index.php?mid=board_gb_outside&document_srl=4845161) last week
Post by: hayt on Fri, 01 December 2017, 13:40:15
Post by: Puddsy on Fri, 01 December 2017, 14:14:52
still undecided on black on black or white on white, sum1 help
triple black
Post by: Puddsy on Fri, 01 December 2017, 14:22:03
Best colors for 10th anniversary caps?
I second this. I thought I was set on the plain aluminum but the allure of the hard anodized black really has a hold of me. Unless the powdercoated finish is stronger or a better match. Something about brushed aluminum makes me not want it to be covered in powdercoat (even though I’m a huge fan of those finishes).
My vote would be tactical black. :)
Well that settles that. Picked up this keyboard while on vacation in Korea and now (or soon will) have a case that's equally meaningful to match!
Awesome. You don’t happen to speak Korean, do you? I could use some help getting the word out about these to the Korean keyboard kbd communities. ;)
Looks like someone already posted it to kbdlab (http://kbdlab.co.kr/index.php?mid=board_gb_outside&document_srl=4845161) last week
they like it but say it's too expensive
korean community is generally a one keyboard or large collection community, as opposed to our community, which is mostly small collections
i bet there'll be a few orders though
the chinese community is where the money is, but they're not really jazzed about topre as far as i'm aware
Post by: dubious on Fri, 01 December 2017, 16:19:14
it does seem like kbdmania and otd.kr are more into premade boards, but both are mostly defunct now. kbdlab avoids anything non-custom.Best colors for 10th anniversary caps?
I second this. I thought I was set on the plain aluminum but the allure of the hard anodized black really has a hold of me. Unless the powdercoated finish is stronger or a better match. Something about brushed aluminum makes me not want it to be covered in powdercoat (even though I’m a huge fan of those finishes).
My vote would be tactical black. :)
Well that settles that. Picked up this keyboard while on vacation in Korea and now (or soon will) have a case that's equally meaningful to match!
Awesome. You don’t happen to speak Korean, do you? I could use some help getting the word out about these to the Korean keyboard kbd communities. ;)
Looks like someone already posted it to kbdlab (http://kbdlab.co.kr/index.php?mid=board_gb_outside&document_srl=4845161) last week
they like it but say it's too expensive
korean community is generally a one keyboard or large collection community, as opposed to our community, which is mostly small collections
i bet there'll be a few orders though
the chinese community is where the money is, but they're not really jazzed about topre as far as i'm aware
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 01 December 2017, 19:37:38
Best colors for 10th anniversary caps?
I second this. I thought I was set on the plain aluminum but the allure of the hard anodized black really has a hold of me. Unless the powdercoated finish is stronger or a better match. Something about brushed aluminum makes me not want it to be covered in powdercoat (even though I’m a huge fan of those finishes).
My vote would be tactical black.
Well that settles that. Picked up this keyboard while on vacation in Korea and now (or soon will) have a case that's equally meaningful to match!
Awesome. You don’t happen to speak Korean, do you? I could use some help getting the word out about these to the Korean keyboard kbd communities.
Looks like someone already posted it to kbdlab (http://kbdlab.co.kr/index.php?mid=board_gb_outside&document_srl=4845161) last week
they like it but say it's too expensive
korean community is generally a one keyboard or large collection community, as opposed to our community, which is mostly small collections
i bet there'll be a few orders though
the chinese community is where the money is, but they're not really jazzed about topre as far as i'm aware
Heh. Well, that's all a bit more calculated than I was intending to be. Just wanted to get the word out to as many people who might be interested as possible before the group buy ends rather than trying to accommodate lots of folks who heard about it after the fact (as has often been the case in the past). Anyway, I'm glad to see someone posted about it on a Korean site so those folks have a chance to find out about it. Thanks everyone for your help and insights. It's interesting to learn about these cultural variations of focus in the different communities.
Post by: Peiweisgreat on Sat, 02 December 2017, 17:03:56
Post by: Burt Macklin on Mon, 04 December 2017, 07:12:22
Post by: letze on Mon, 04 December 2017, 07:58:24
Thinking to be the only owner in the earth ;D
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 04 December 2017, 13:38:40
How many people order Monte Carlo Red so far?
Thinking to be the only owner in the earth ;D
4 total. :)
What are the numbers at the moment? MOQ reached?
9 to go to hit factory MOQ, so no worries there. If for some reason we didn't hit it, I would be happy to make up the gap.
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 04 December 2017, 13:45:23
Typing footage and more finish color pics coming soon.
Post by: graefeln on Mon, 04 December 2017, 15:00:30
Post by: dubious on Mon, 04 December 2017, 15:08:44
Here's a video. :D
Typing footage and more finish color pics coming soon.
This is great stuff, sir. Keep up the good work :thumb:
Will the red-wrinkle finish be as 'wrinkly' as in the ferrari pics, or more like the 'less-wrinkly' black you are offering? I really like that rough finish
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 04 December 2017, 15:17:04
Here's a video. :D
Typing footage and more finish color pics coming soon.
This is great stuff, sir. Keep up the good work :thumb:
Will the red-wrinkle finish be as 'wrinkly' as in the ferrari pics, or more like the 'less-wrinkly' black you are offering? I really like that rough finish
It really depends on how it's lit, honestly. I'm using a finish that it literally designed to mimic the finish used on Ferraris, so it should have the same level of texture, but that can look quite different in different lighting environments. If it's lit from the side, it looks more textured. If lit with even diffuse light, it can look more uniform.
Post by: eksuen on Mon, 04 December 2017, 15:24:10
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 04 December 2017, 15:24:48
Is that the astrophysical purple at 1:28?
Affirmative. I should have some still photos of that soon.
Post by: dubious on Mon, 04 December 2017, 15:28:14
Here's a video. :D
Typing footage and more finish color pics coming soon.
This is great stuff, sir. Keep up the good work :thumb:
Will the red-wrinkle finish be as 'wrinkly' as in the ferrari pics, or more like the 'less-wrinkly' black you are offering? I really like that rough finish
It really depends on how it's lit, honestly. I'm using a finish that it literally designed to mimic the finish used on Ferraris, so it should have the same level of texture, but that can look quite different in different lighting environments. If it's lit from the side, it looks more textured. If lit with even diffuse light, it can look more uniform.
that makes sense. Thanks for the quick replys, and I really appreciate all the effort and polish you put into your GBs :thumb:
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 04 December 2017, 15:34:38
Here's a video. :D
Typing footage and more finish color pics coming soon.
This is great stuff, sir. Keep up the good work :thumb:
Will the red-wrinkle finish be as 'wrinkly' as in the ferrari pics, or more like the 'less-wrinkly' black you are offering? I really like that rough finish
It really depends on how it's lit, honestly. I'm using a finish that it literally designed to mimic the finish used on Ferraris, so it should have the same level of texture, but that can look quite different in different lighting environments. If it's lit from the side, it looks more textured. If lit with even diffuse light, it can look more uniform.
that makes sense. Thanks for the quick replys, and I really appreciate all the effort and polish you put into your GBs :thumb:
Thanks! The projects are all secretly just an excuse for me to play around with stuff like learning Premiere Pro, designing packaging, and such. It's a great way to structure having creative fun while simultaneously making something cool to share with friends. :)
Post by: Puddsy on Mon, 04 December 2017, 15:38:36
Here's a video. :D
Typing footage and more finish color pics coming soon.
i like that you made a hype video for your keyboard
looks great
Post by: Lansky on Mon, 04 December 2017, 16:19:19
Nice video, Ryan! I like the BTS footage.
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 04 December 2017, 16:24:56
(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/norbaforce%20purple%20(1%20of%202).jpg)
(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/norbaforce%20purple%20(2%20of%202).jpg)
And Enigma Gray
(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/norbaforce%20enigma%20gray%20(2%20of%202).jpg)
Here compared with Enigma Black at left:
(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/norbaforce%20enigma%20gray%20(1%20of%202)a.jpg)
Note that each enigma color is itself only one color, no differently colored specks or flecks. Anything that looks like light flecks is just how the light plays off the texturally raised areas.
I tried to show the enigma grays at different exposure/lighting levels so you can see that in some cases it can look really dark, almost black, and in others more like a dark-to-medium gray.
Post by: Puddsy on Mon, 04 December 2017, 16:27:40
Post by: graefeln on Mon, 04 December 2017, 19:11:45
You need to stop designing stuff - between this and Galaxy Class, you're costing me too much!
Post by: Puddsy on Mon, 04 December 2017, 19:21:52
Broke down and went Monte Carlo red.
You need to stop designing stuff - between this and Galaxy Class, you're costing me too much!
good man
that's my favorite color
Post by: clappingcactus on Mon, 04 December 2017, 21:49:26
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 04 December 2017, 23:04:02
Hey norbauer I've emailed you a couple of times re: the custom color we'd talked about. I'm still interested if you're still willing to through the effort for me!
I haven’t forgotten, my friend.
I’m just waiting to confirm with the shop that they can do this color, but I’m confident it should be fine; you’ll hear from me soon.
Post by: DribbelDog on Tue, 05 December 2017, 04:33:11
As promised, here are a few pics of Astrophysical PurpleShow Image(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/norbaforce%20purple%20(1%20of%202).jpg)Show Image(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/norbaforce%20purple%20(2%20of%202).jpg)
And Enigma GrayShow Image(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/norbaforce%20enigma%20gray%20(2%20of%202).jpg)
Here compared with Enigma Black at left:Show Image(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/norbaforce%20enigma%20gray%20(1%20of%202)a.jpg)
Note that each enigma color is itself only one color, no differently colored specks or flecks. Anything that looks like light flecks is just how the light plays off the texturally raised areas.
I tried to show the enigma grays at different exposure/lighting levels so you can see that in some cases it can look really dark, almost black, and in others more like a dark-to-medium gray.
That purple really does look amazing. Does anyone have the Photoshop skills to show off the black caps in the purple housing?
I honestly kind of regret buying the black board at the time, somehow the black caps don't seem to work with the custom housings as well as the white ones do. I considered going all black, but then I looked around the office and realized that while for me all black might be something different, pretty much everyone working on an old membrane keyboard has an all black keyboard... Switching caps is still an options of course, and I still have a bag of MX sliders somewhere, but the bottom row kind of held me back from changing them out thus far. Anyway, I think the purple might actually look relatively good with the original black caps.
Post by: Wetherbee on Tue, 05 December 2017, 05:34:18
Post by: Lansky on Tue, 05 December 2017, 08:13:51
That purple really does look amazing. Does anyone have the Photoshop skills to show off the black caps in the purple housing?
(https://i.imgur.com/DaF80mC.png)
Post by: letze on Tue, 05 December 2017, 08:42:51
How about ivory/gray keycaps set on monte carlo red housing.That purple really does look amazing. Does anyone have the Photoshop skills to show off the black caps in the purple housing?Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/DaF80mC.png)
Please poison me ;)
Post by: Lansky on Tue, 05 December 2017, 09:14:28
How about ivory/gray keycaps set on monte carlo red housing.
Please poison me ;)
I don't think there are any pictures of the housing in Monte Carlo red yet. So I can't help you with that (for now).
Post by: DribbelDog on Tue, 05 December 2017, 09:16:13
Thank you Lansky!!! I'm starting to believe that this is what I need in my life.That purple really does look amazing. Does anyone have the Photoshop skills to show off the black caps in the purple housing?Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/DaF80mC.png)
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 05 December 2017, 10:22:59
How about ivory/gray keycaps set on monte carlo red housing.
Please poison me ;)
I don't think there are any pictures of the housing in Monte Carlo red yet. So I can't help you with that (for now).
Yes, the only person who has any of my cases in Monte Carlo red right now is pexon in the UK, and that was a Novatouch case.
Post by: vinzlr on Tue, 05 December 2017, 10:43:00
Post by: DillonHightower on Tue, 05 December 2017, 20:54:14
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 05 December 2017, 20:55:45
That Purple and laser caps would loooookkkkkk SICK.. @lansky, Care to mock up something like that for our viewing pleasure please..
I think Venice Beach would probably also be a nice complement for Laser. Plan on doing that myself. :)
Post by: DillonHightower on Tue, 05 December 2017, 21:07:25
That Purple and laser caps would loooookkkkkk SICK.. @lansky, Care to mock up something like that for our viewing pleasure please..
I think Venice Beach would probably also be a nice complement for Laser. Plan on doing that myself. :)
I agree. That will look very nice indeed.A little to stand out for my blood, but The combo will look great indeed.
Post by: loud_asian on Tue, 05 December 2017, 21:57:37
Post by: DALExSNAIL on Tue, 05 December 2017, 22:16:19
Post by: stevits on Wed, 06 December 2017, 00:42:01
That Purple and laser caps would loooookkkkkk SICK.. @lansky, Care to mock up something like that for our viewing pleasure please..
I think Venice Beach would probably also be a nice complement for Laser. Plan on doing that myself. :)
I loved Venice Beach but got spooked because the Novatouch photo is more pepto bismol than Laser magenta, would love to see a photo of the venice beach sample.
Post by: Puddsy on Wed, 06 December 2017, 00:51:36
How does the plate screw into the case? Is a new plate provided for us and we're supposed to swap in the internals?
in case you didn't see in discord, it's top mount
Post by: Lansky on Wed, 06 December 2017, 04:54:13
That Purple and laser caps would loooookkkkkk SICK.. @lansky, Care to mock up something like that for our viewing pleasure please..
I assumed you were talking about the GMK Laser caps.
(https://i.imgur.com/SmIhhLG.png)
Keep in mind that this wouldn't do the real thing any justice. :p
Post by: FSund on Wed, 06 December 2017, 07:16:18
How does the plate screw into the case? Is a new plate provided for us and we're supposed to swap in the internals?
in case you didn't see in discord, it's top mount
Link to Discord channel?
Post by: Blazestorm on Wed, 06 December 2017, 12:28:58
Post by: vinzlr on Wed, 06 December 2017, 12:37:40
Just realized the cable is only 1m. Any chance we could order longer cables? It looks really nice, but I usually do 2m cables to have some extra slack. I might even want to order extras for my phones/other stuff that's moving to USB-CAs sexy as I think his cable is I am just going to get one from one of the many cable sellers, in a custom color to match my end-result board.
Post by: bello2185 on Wed, 06 December 2017, 12:40:31
Just realized the cable is only 1m. Any chance we could order longer cables? It looks really nice, but I usually do 2m cables to have some extra slack. I might even want to order extras for my phones/other stuff that's moving to USB-C
Might be interested in this too, for my current setup 1m is not long enough to reach my PC. Another option is getting a nice sleeved cable, but unfortunately Clark Kable (where I get most of my cables) doesn’t sell these. Anybody know of any EU shops with sleeved USB-C cables?
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 06 December 2017, 12:43:18
Post by: Blazestorm on Wed, 06 December 2017, 13:09:12
So yea, I liked the design of yours. That's why I asked if we can order more of them + different lengths. I assume it's not hand-made and that's a plus for me.
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 06 December 2017, 13:16:14
I trust the mass manufactured cables over the community's custom options. My first (and only) ~$35 cable I got from a custom cable seller was defective (they replaced it, but still...). I've yet to receive a defective "bargain-bin" cable from monoprice/amazon.
So yea, I liked the design of yours. That's why I asked if we can order more of them + different lengths. I assume it's not hand-made and that's a plus for me.
Yeah, totally. I don't think the factory making them for GB does individual sales, but here (https://www.amazon.com/Alyee-Charger-Samsung-Nintendo-Macbook/dp/B076CGBLJT/ref=zg_bs_464394_35?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=P7A5RYH4ZJ8XB3JWQX6E) is a cable on Amazon that is at least very similar. Perhaps the same or a similar cable can be found in different lengths. I'll probably have some spares to offer in my shop after the GB is over if for some reason anybody needs one, but they'll all be the same 1m length.
Post by: Makami on Wed, 06 December 2017, 15:25:16
just entered for a Tactical Black one and want to express that I'm very grateful to you norbauer to make this happen and fulfill one of my dreams!
My Realforce is very excited to get that new luxury and I've to take care she is going to stay calm for the next couple of months, which will be very hard.
She is going to look even more gorgeous than now ;)
[attach=1]
Have a nice day
Post by: ihalatch on Wed, 06 December 2017, 18:57:29
Post by: mustcode on Wed, 06 December 2017, 23:57:44
Post by: Makami on Thu, 07 December 2017, 01:19:10
Which model realforce I need to buy for the winkeyless option. Is there a guide to show how to insert the mx sliders? Thanks.
Good morning,
not much time to post now. Which RF: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=92667.msg2525565#msg2525565
Kind of guide as a starting point I've written for a friend of mine one year ago: https://www.massdrop.com/talk/963/don-t-shoot-me-i-m-only-the-piano-player?mode=guest_open
Have a nice day, got to go now.
Post by: ihalatch on Thu, 07 December 2017, 03:10:42
Which model realforce I need to buy for the winkeyless option. Is there a guide to show how to insert the mx sliders? Thanks.
Good morning,
not much time to post now. Which RF: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=92667.msg2525565#msg2525565
Kind of guide as a starting point I've written for a friend of mine one year ago: https://www.massdrop.com/talk/963/don-t-shoot-me-i-m-only-the-piano-player?mode=guest_open
Have a nice day, got to go now.
Thank you very much.
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 07 December 2017, 14:06:22
Really interested in the glossy singularity black. Do we have some sample pictures of it?
Here is a swatch picture of the color I think I'm going to use, but I don't have any full cases coated in it right now.
(https://www.prismaticpowders.com/uploaded/thumbnails/db_file_img_21687_325xauto.jpg)
I decided on a fairly high gloss option for this, since we already have a good matte black finish in the form of the hard anodizing.
This option was a last-minute addition at the request of a GB participant, so I likely won't have any samples of a cases coated in it before the GB ends.
Post by: ye_cole on Thu, 07 December 2017, 19:47:05
Have you considered making a HHKB case? I would love to see a premium case like this be an option for HHKB users.
Post by: Puddsy on Thu, 07 December 2017, 20:25:45
This is completely off topic.
Have you considered making a HHKB case? I would love to see a premium case like this be an option for HHKB users.
he has and basically it's too hard
hhkb plate is integrated, so you basically have to remount the whole thing to do a case swap
Post by: ye_cole on Thu, 07 December 2017, 23:21:51
Quote
he has and basically it's too hard
hhkb plate is integrated, so you basically have to remount the whole thing to do a case swap
😥 aww
Post by: mustcode on Fri, 08 December 2017, 03:34:39
Thank you for the extra info :) Picking the color for this case is like one of the hardest decision of my life!Really interested in the glossy singularity black. Do we have some sample pictures of it?
Here is a swatch picture of the color I think I'm going to use, but I don't have any full cases coated in it right now.Show Image(https://www.prismaticpowders.com/uploaded/thumbnails/db_file_img_21687_325xauto.jpg)
I decided on a fairly high gloss option for this, since we already have a good matte black finish in the form of the hard anodizing.
This option was a last-minute addition at the request of a GB participant, so I likely won't have any samples of a cases coated in it before the GB ends.
Post by: Fadamaque on Fri, 08 December 2017, 13:59:31
Post by: letze on Sat, 09 December 2017, 09:44:07
Laser on pink case looks more dope :-*
(https://mitormk.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/tkl-8.png?w=1040)
This image was taking from Mito website
Post by: Fadamaque on Sat, 09 December 2017, 17:12:33
Post by: graefeln on Sat, 09 December 2017, 18:00:21
Post by: Puddsy on Sat, 09 December 2017, 19:41:22
Any chance Pantone 3435C (or similar) will see a return in any of your cases? Dark green is fairly uncommon and that one seems to have come out real nice.
i'm pretty sure that was a one-off
but also yes please
Post by: graefeln on Sun, 10 December 2017, 08:03:48
Any chance Pantone 3435C (or similar) will see a return in any of your cases? Dark green is fairly uncommon and that one seems to have come out real nice.
i'm pretty sure that was a one-off
but also yes please
I figured that particular color was, but am hopeful that darker shades of green in general aren't off the table - especially with Norbauer being one of the few I see willing to play with shades and textures more than the norm. Between you and I, he's got interest from at least two, right?
Post by: letze on Sun, 10 December 2017, 09:22:27
Post by: richard912 on Sun, 10 December 2017, 09:45:31
How to get paypal credit 6 month? Only for people who live in USAThat's why, I'm holding off placing my order til just before the dateline. I'm in for a tactical black
Post by: letze on Sun, 10 December 2017, 10:08:04
That's why, I'm holding off placing my order til just before the dateline. I'm in for a tactical blackNot Enigma black? ;)
More vintage and classic when pair with stock topre grey-ivory keycaps
Post by: Puddsy on Sun, 10 December 2017, 12:25:47
Any chance Pantone 3435C (or similar) will see a return in any of your cases? Dark green is fairly uncommon and that one seems to have come out real nice.
i'm pretty sure that was a one-off
but also yes please
I figured that particular color was, but am hopeful that darker shades of green in general aren't off the table - especially with Norbauer being one of the few I see willing to play with shades and textures more than the norm. Between you and I, he's got interest from at least two, right?
i've got an aesthetic to keep
black on black on black
Post by: djfunh8r on Tue, 12 December 2017, 10:56:01
Post by: ArchDill on Tue, 12 December 2017, 11:16:08
Post by: EugeneYap83 on Thu, 14 December 2017, 01:16:20
Approval bump :thumb:
Thanks so much!I have no idea which color to choose, but the question of joining is nonexistent.
I should probably make some better thumbnails of the powder coat colors.
Here are some links to higher-res shots of these same finishes from my Novatouch project
Enigma BlackShow Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/enigma-black-1_dd6b341c-7444-48e0-9f2f-8d0a35428bb3_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Venice BeachShow Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/venice-beach1_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Retro RefrigeratorShow Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/retro-green-1_55f6fc61-15a3-496a-8aaf-a1cd019489c1_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Royal WrinkleShow Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/black-wrinkle_95a1c221-de10-45c5-8914-f17bae0b2eab_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Galaxy ConsoleShow Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/galaxy-console_2_922cf440-9c0b-4dd5-98da-ebe13fe9d83e_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Monte Carlo RedShow Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/red_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Astrophysical PurpleShow Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/astrophysical_purple_1_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Enigma GrayShow Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/tactical-gray_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
Space Station WhiteShow Image(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/white_7dba3ffa-8aa8-41b5-99f2-2e48d5ca1719_1024x1024.jpg?v=1504735708)
As a person who brought CM case(black anodize) from him, I can vouch for Norbauer. One word to describe his product..... flawless!, Build like a tank and feels not going to fall apart anything soon and it would probably outlive me.
Thanks for making RealForce casing possible. I was disappointed with Novatouch despite lubing, adding silent foam rings, swapping PBT keycaps etc. It didn't feel right to me. Realforce seems to get everything right.
I'm tempted to order Monte Carlo Red but before I order it I want to know(in your opinion) if the Monte Carlo Red powder coating is 'industrial' worthly tough. Of course, I'm not expecting a tank to drive over and have the coating still in pristine condition or acid proof.
Sorry if I appeared nonsensical.
Post by: axtran on Thu, 14 December 2017, 06:40:58
Post by: richard912 on Fri, 15 December 2017, 18:24:22
Post by: HotRoderX on Sun, 17 December 2017, 02:29:12
Post by: krey on Sun, 17 December 2017, 04:36:40
can i check which of enigma black or black tactical is closer to the original case texture?
i'd ideally retain some of the original realforce feel elements.
Post by: Fadamaque on Mon, 18 December 2017, 06:04:03
Post by: Lansky on Mon, 18 December 2017, 07:43:09
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 18 December 2017, 13:55:03
How is the typing video coming along?
Haven't had a chance yet, but do hope to post one this week.
hi ryan,
can i check which of enigma black or black tactical is closer to the original case texture?
i'd ideally retain some of the original realforce feel elements.
I'd have to say Tactical Black. The originals have very little texture to speak of.
I wanted to say I am super excited. I plan to order one of these cases before the dead line. I am going to go with a Tactical black anodized. I was just wondering if the cable that was mentioned will be the same one shown in the picture? That cable looks NICE.
Thanks! Yes, the cable shown in the photos will be included.
Thanks for making RealForce casing possible. I was disappointed with Novatouch despite lubing, adding silent foam rings, swapping PBT keycaps etc. It didn't feel right to me. Realforce seems to get everything right.
I'm tempted to order Monte Carlo Red but before I order it I want to know(in your opinion) if the Monte Carlo Red powder coating is 'industrial' worthly tough. Of course, I'm not expecting a tank to drive over and have the coating still in pristine condition or acid proof.
Powder coat is certainly an industrial finishing process; this is the same finish used on Ferrari engine blocks. Powder is more susceptible to chipping if, for example, you were to drop it onto a hard floor from a desk. However, anodizing is more susceptible to scratching by very hard sharp objects. If durability is an extreme concern, I'd have to say: go with Tactical Black, but honestly both have their strong and weak points so it's probably a wash between the two options.
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 18 December 2017, 16:54:03
By the way, what are the dimensions of the case?
Case dimensions are:
385mm wide x 181mm deep x 22.5mm tall
Post by: hayt on Mon, 18 December 2017, 17:00:18
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 18 December 2017, 17:01:29
Finally committed to aerospace allu. Thanks Norb, the decision between this and ano III was painful. Can't wait for this!!!
That's a very pretty option! It's the one I'm currently using on my desk right now; it matches my iMac especially well. :) Thanks for supporting the project, haytorious!!
Post by: hayt on Mon, 18 December 2017, 17:03:46
Finally committed to aerospace allu. Thanks Norb, the decision between this and ano III was painful. Can't wait for this!!!
That's a very pretty option! It's the one I'm currently using on my desk right now; it matches my iMac especially well. :) Thanks for supporting the project, haytorious!!
By the way, any thoughts on how the new jchan bke 60g domes will pair with the alu case?
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 18 December 2017, 17:05:15
Finally committed to aerospace allu. Thanks Norb, the decision between this and ano III was painful. Can't wait for this!!!
That's a very pretty option! It's the one I'm currently using on my desk right now; it matches my iMac especially well. :) Thanks for supporting the project, haytorious!!
By the way, any thoughts on how the new jchan bke 60g domes will pair with the alu case?
Probably about the same as on any RealForce: awesomely? ;)
Post by: EugeneYap83 on Tue, 19 December 2017, 06:20:43
Powder coat is certainly an industrial finishing process; this is the same finish used on Ferrari engine blocks. Powder is more susceptible to chipping if, for example, you were to drop it onto a hard floor from a desk. However, anodizing is more susceptible to scratching by very hard sharp objects. If durability is an extreme concern, I'd have to say: go with Tactical Black, but honestly both have their strong and weak points so it's probably a wash between the two options.
Thanks for your opinion, I'm getting the Monte Carlo Red finish.
My scratches from people bracelets are my biggest concern.
Post by: richard912 on Tue, 19 December 2017, 07:01:23
Finally committed to aerospace allu. Thanks Norb, the decision between this and ano III was painful. Can't wait for this!!!Do as I do, don't wait. The suspense will kill you long before it ships. In Norbauer you must trust. Good will be the quality.
Post by: regionfree on Tue, 19 December 2017, 11:16:57
That's a very pretty option! It's the one I'm currently using on my desk right now; it matches my iMac especially well. :) Thanks for supporting the project, haytorious!!
could you please post a photo of your desk with it in front of your mac? i went with enigma black and alu, but i'm going to be using them with a macbook pro and tb display (office) and an imac (at home). would really like to see it :)
Post by: HotRoderX on Tue, 19 December 2017, 17:31:38
I am curious thought has this hit MOT? I am hoping it has!!! I know it was a 100 but I couldn't find anything. Norbaforce thanks designing such a unique and impressive chassis. I am excited to see if you end up also doing one for the FC660C Leopolds. That will be another chassis I will have to invest in!
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 19 December 2017, 17:33:30
This case if its even more premium then my Realforce 87UB55 case then I am just not sure. I am so excited I just placed my order for a Tactical Black Hard Anodized Case. I am seriously excited. This should be simply amazing. I got a feeling it will also equate to my endgame least my endgame for a while. I already love typing on my topre boards. There is something just classy about the black on black. With a few artisan's that looks amazing!
I am curious thought has this hit MOT? I am hoping it has!!! I know it was a 100 but I couldn't find anything. Norbaforce thanks designing such a unique and impressive chassis. I am excited to see if you end up also doing one for the FC660C Leopolds. That will be another chassis I will have to invest in!
Thanks so much for your support and enthusiasm! We did indeed hit the MOQ several days ago, so all is well there. :)
Post by: Devkey on Tue, 19 December 2017, 21:06:25
Post by: regionfree on Tue, 19 December 2017, 23:36:17
Are there any pics of what an 87U looks like with blocks?
I think the blocked layout will only work with the 86U as it only has 1u winkeys on both left and right side.
Post by: Wetherbee on Wed, 20 December 2017, 09:11:51
Are there any pics of what an 87U looks like with blocks?
I think the blocked layout will only work with the 86U as it only has 1u winkeys on both left and right side.
Blocked layout works fine on an 87U. There are mockups in the interest check.
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 21 December 2017, 16:40:28
Are there any pics of what an 87U looks like with blocks?
(http://i.imgur.com/HBL8B3H.jpg)
mockup by dgneo
Post by: Wetherbee on Thu, 21 December 2017, 17:59:59
Here's a typing video preview for the Norbaforce:
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 21 December 2017, 18:15:21
Here's a typing video preview for the Norbaforce:
Cool. Thanks for alerting us to this.
I am just waiting on a piece of audio equipment to arrive (tracking says tomorrow) and will post a high-fidelity typing video showing each of these four options: with riser feet, without riser feet, with sound dampening liner foam, without foam. I hope to have this done and posted by Saturday.
Post by: luminor on Fri, 22 December 2017, 02:54:35
btw love the work, thanks to make it happen for us.
Post by: DribbelDog on Fri, 22 December 2017, 05:57:48
I plan to combine the purple case with these green keycaps: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Topre-Realforce-Keycap-Full-Set-for-Realforce-87-104-Keyboard-English-Green/282663767717?epid=2229655519&hash=item41d012cea5:g:JyIAAOSwjwtZsAnw (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Topre-Realforce-Keycap-Full-Set-for-Realforce-87-104-Keyboard-English-Green/282663767717?epid=2229655519&hash=item41d012cea5:g:JyIAAOSwjwtZsAnw). Kind of going for a 'modern botanical' theme ;)
Post by: graefeln on Fri, 22 December 2017, 06:29:16
Finally placed my order for that gorgeous Astrophysical Purple. Thank you norbauer, for all your effort. My Norbatouch has been great for the past +-10 months, but I can't wait to start using my all time favorite keyboard again. Also thanks for the EU proxy, this saves me quite a bit of money and hassle. Normally I'd have to pay an additional !105! euros for taxes, fees etc, now only like 20-25 for the proxy.
I plan to combine the purple case with these green keycaps: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Topre-Realforce-Keycap-Full-Set-for-Realforce-87-104-Keyboard-English-Green/282663767717?epid=2229655519&hash=item41d012cea5:g:JyIAAOSwjwtZsAnw (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Topre-Realforce-Keycap-Full-Set-for-Realforce-87-104-Keyboard-English-Green/282663767717?epid=2229655519&hash=item41d012cea5:g:JyIAAOSwjwtZsAnw). Kind of going for a 'modern botanical' theme ;)
I just got those caps in the other day for my astrophysical order! They're a nice shade that I think will go well with the purple.
Post by: q1w2e3r4t5z on Fri, 22 December 2017, 06:35:29
Post by: DribbelDog on Fri, 22 December 2017, 08:33:40
Finally placed my order for that gorgeous Astrophysical Purple. Thank you norbauer, for all your effort. My Norbatouch has been great for the past +-10 months, but I can't wait to start using my all time favorite keyboard again. Also thanks for the EU proxy, this saves me quite a bit of money and hassle. Normally I'd have to pay an additional !105! euros for taxes, fees etc, now only like 20-25 for the proxy.
I plan to combine the purple case with these green keycaps: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Topre-Realforce-Keycap-Full-Set-for-Realforce-87-104-Keyboard-English-Green/282663767717?epid=2229655519&hash=item41d012cea5:g:JyIAAOSwjwtZsAnw (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Topre-Realforce-Keycap-Full-Set-for-Realforce-87-104-Keyboard-English-Green/282663767717?epid=2229655519&hash=item41d012cea5:g:JyIAAOSwjwtZsAnw). Kind of going for a 'modern botanical' theme ;)
I just got those caps in the other day for my astrophysical order! They're a nice shade that I think will go well with the purple.
Awesome! I'm actually quite surprised that there's someone with exactly the same plan ;). I kind of like the idea as I hope this way it still feels somewhat like a 'real' realforce...
For the purple lovers out there; there's actually a pretty nice purple (and pink) topre spacebar available here (for 7 days): https://www.massdrop.com/buy/hot-keys-project-mito-laser-artisan-keycaps (https://www.massdrop.com/buy/hot-keys-project-mito-laser-artisan-keycaps). Not too much of a MD fan, but still!
Post by: graefeln on Fri, 22 December 2017, 08:52:46
Awesome! I'm actually quite surprised that there's someone with exactly the same plan...
I wouldn't say my plan is exactly the same - I am a bit less creative than "modern botanical." I am looking forward to seeing how yours comes out honestly; similar but with a different focus.
I just plan to use the colors from Eva Unit 01 as my inspiration: purple case, black RF mods, green RF alphas, orange space bar and hopefully some blue blanks eventually as the WASD cluster.
Post by: letze on Fri, 22 December 2017, 09:35:05
Thanks for the highlight. ;)Finally placed my order for that gorgeous Astrophysical Purple. Thank you norbauer, for all your effort. My Norbatouch has been great for the past +-10 months, but I can't wait to start using my all time favorite keyboard again. Also thanks for the EU proxy, this saves me quite a bit of money and hassle. Normally I'd have to pay an additional !105! euros for taxes, fees etc, now only like 20-25 for the proxy.
I plan to combine the purple case with these green keycaps: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Topre-Realforce-Keycap-Full-Set-for-Realforce-87-104-Keyboard-English-Green/282663767717?epid=2229655519&hash=item41d012cea5:g:JyIAAOSwjwtZsAnw (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Topre-Realforce-Keycap-Full-Set-for-Realforce-87-104-Keyboard-English-Green/282663767717?epid=2229655519&hash=item41d012cea5:g:JyIAAOSwjwtZsAnw). Kind of going for a 'modern botanical' theme ;)
I just got those caps in the other day for my astrophysical order! They're a nice shade that I think will go well with the purple.
Awesome! I'm actually quite surprised that there's someone with exactly the same plan ;). I kind of like the idea as I hope this way it still feels somewhat like a 'real' realforce...
For the purple lovers out there; there's actually a pretty nice purple (and pink) topre spacebar available here (for 7 days): https://www.massdrop.com/buy/hot-keys-project-mito-laser-artisan-keycaps (https://www.massdrop.com/buy/hot-keys-project-mito-laser-artisan-keycaps). Not too much of a MD fan, but still!
Post by: Devkey on Fri, 22 December 2017, 12:13:34
i'm still torn between space station white/enigma grey/enigma black for my RF AE, need to make decision before the GB end, i'm leaning more towards the space station white to add more safe contrast to the color.
btw love the work, thanks to make it happen for us.
I'm rolling with white. I figure it's a little more unique too, to have a glossy white finish on an aluminum keyboard. I see gray ones all the time, but not pure white.
Post by: DillonHightower on Fri, 22 December 2017, 17:45:33
I do have a few different sets but was mainly wanting this board to be used with Gmk laser, And in the future troubled minds round 2 sometime next year.
Main concern with white is that it would look odd with laser, or even troubled minds, But on the other hand look great with a my toxic set, or even miami nights. This decision is killing me truley, Ive put this off till now trying to decide .
@Lansky can I ask one more favor please? A mock with the white case and laser, or and JTK Toxic.
Here is a pic of my computer for reasoning and comparison of why im torn. White to match, Purple to go with caps that I already have.
(https://i.imgur.com/H2hxjk6.jpg)
Post by: HotRoderX on Fri, 22 December 2017, 18:05:10
Post by: Rumblehotep on Fri, 22 December 2017, 19:11:21
Any aesthetics experts can help me out?
[attachimg=1]
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 22 December 2017, 19:15:38
Any chance to get a second cable additionally?
Sure. Just drop me an email. My address is in my avatar/profile.
Post by: HotRoderX on Fri, 22 December 2017, 19:18:21
Trying to decide if Galaxy, Monte Carlo, or Singularity would match Red Samurai better. Hyperglossy would gel with the lacquered look I think this set deserves but textured might look good too... grr decisions...
Any aesthetics experts can help me out?
(Attachment Link)
I would totally pass on Singularity cause I think it will look simply amazing but! Think of the finger prints, a high gloss finish is going to show finger prints like crazy. Since your keyboard is in a high traffic spot. Though shouldn't get touched a lot its still going to get touched on occasion. Personally I would go with the Tactical black for that. I think it look amazing with that set. I hope you don't mind me asking how do you like the slide adapters? did they change the sound are feel of the key's by much? I read they really affect sound and feel wondering if thats true.
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 22 December 2017, 19:21:14
Trying to decide if Galaxy, Monte Carlo, or Singularity would match Red Samurai better. Hyperglossy would gel with the lacquered look I think this set deserves but textured might look good too... grr decisions...
Any aesthetics experts can help me out?
(Attachment Link)
I would totally pass on Singularity cause I think it will look simply amazing but! Think of the finger prints, a high gloss finish is going to show finger prints like crazy. Since your keyboard is in a high traffic spot. Though shouldn't get touched a lot its still going to get touched on occasion. Personally I would go with the Tactical black for that. I think it look amazing with that set. I hope you don't mind me asking how do you like the slide adapters? did they change the sound are feel of the key's by much? I read they really affect sound and feel wondering if thats true.
Agreed on the fingerprints. I added this option on request, but this is a beautiful truly gloss finish with a dark color, meaning it will definitely show fingerprints (until it is completely covered, at which point you don’t notice again). So the options are to embrace it or be prepared to be polishing it with a soft cloth all day to wipe away the prints. If it’s just for a collection/show, however, it’s a great color.
Post by: Wetherbee on Fri, 22 December 2017, 19:39:58
I am sooo dam torn between white and purple.
Y not both? :-\
Post by: Rumblehotep on Fri, 22 December 2017, 19:41:33
So the options are to embrace it or be prepared to be polishing it with a soft cloth all day to wipe away the prints.So exactly like black lacquer then mmmmmm this is really tough to choose.
Post by: Burt Macklin on Sat, 23 December 2017, 11:30:30
And now .. the waiting game begins.
Post by: Will_26 on Sat, 23 December 2017, 18:28:16
I'll be getting my Realforce on the 25th which leaves 6 days to make a proper decision :P I'm really beginning to lean towards the white and pairing it with 9009, so I made a horrible mockup of what it might look like...
Post by: Puddsy on Sat, 23 December 2017, 19:04:06
Amazing work as always Ryan, the design is awesome.
I'll be getting my Realforce on the 25th which leaves 6 days to make a proper decision :P I'm really beginning to lean towards the white and pairing it with 9009, so I made a horrible mockup of what it might look like...
short right shift?
where can i get an RF with a short right shift and stepped caps lock
Post by: Rumblehotep on Sat, 23 December 2017, 19:34:29
I would totally pass on Singularity cause I think it will look simply amazing but! Think of the finger prints, a high gloss finish is going to show finger prints like crazy. Since your keyboard is in a high traffic spot. Though shouldn't get touched a lot its still going to get touched on occasion. Personally I would go with the Tactical black for that. I think it look amazing with that set. I hope you don't mind me asking how do you like the slide adapters? did they change the sound are feel of the key's by much? I read they really affect sound and feel wondering if thats true.
I haven't used sliders yet but yeah I hear even lubed the outcome is not as good as stock, but this is all about aesthetics right?
If I opt to stay stock I'll probably try red pbt caps if not stock white/gray.
Fingerprints don't bother me too much since they can usually just be elbow greased.
Tried a couple hours in paint with the tactical black mockup from earlier, the layout isn't exact but:
[attachimg=1]
Oh no. I think I need this to happen.
Post by: HotRoderX on Sat, 23 December 2017, 20:23:27
I would totally pass on Singularity cause I think it will look simply amazing but! Think of the finger prints, a high gloss finish is going to show finger prints like crazy. Since your keyboard is in a high traffic spot. Though shouldn't get touched a lot its still going to get touched on occasion. Personally I would go with the Tactical black for that. I think it look amazing with that set. I hope you don't mind me asking how do you like the slide adapters? did they change the sound are feel of the key's by much? I read they really affect sound and feel wondering if thats true.
I haven't used sliders yet but yeah I hear even lubed the outcome is not as good as stock, but this is all about aesthetics right?
If I opt to stay stock I'll probably try red pbt caps if not stock white/gray.
Fingerprints don't bother me too much since they can usually just be elbow greased.
Tried a couple hours in paint with the tactical black mockup from earlier, the layout isn't exact but:
(Attachment Link)
Oh no. I think I need this to happen.
Thanks for the info about the sliders and all. I think going to go with simply a set of orange topar cap's then mix and watch. Most likely arrow/WASD Modifers in orange then leave the rest of the key's in the ninja black stock. Then I got a orange fugu that will match nicely now! That can go on the board also. I love the black/orange combo so hopefully it will turn out nicely.
Post by: krey on Sun, 24 December 2017, 04:42:20
Post by: EugeneYap83 on Mon, 25 December 2017, 22:18:51
Because anything above 400SGD including shipping cost (after PayPal conversion) I would have to pay additional 7% GST import and I can't apply for GST exemption unless it's an investment precious metals
Nevermind ignore that, I would settle for red or anno black
Post by: letze on Tue, 26 December 2017, 10:47:40
Post by: Will_26 on Tue, 26 December 2017, 12:16:18
5 days left :-X
I've gone from wanting silver, to trying to choose between black or white and now I'm thinking grey... Need to make my mind up!
Post by: graefeln on Tue, 26 December 2017, 12:49:51
5 days left :-X
I've gone from wanting silver, to trying to choose between black or white and now I'm thinking grey... Need to make my mind up!
I know what you mean; I bounced around so many colors - blockers or not. Even had Norbauer change my color once and then refund me another time so that I could add blockers. He was real nice about it all though. I think it's a testament to his color choices that such an issues exists to being with.
Good luck with your choice. Ultimately, I don't think you can really go wrong with any - grey does sound like a nice, neutral color though.
Post by: HotRoderX on Tue, 26 December 2017, 13:06:30
Post by: Rumblehotep on Tue, 26 December 2017, 13:27:30
Post by: Will_26 on Tue, 26 December 2017, 14:30:25
5 days left :-X
I've gone from wanting silver, to trying to choose between black or white and now I'm thinking grey... Need to make my mind up!
I know what you mean; I bounced around so many colors - blockers or not. Even had Norbauer change my color once and then refund me another time so that I could add blockers. He was real nice about it all though. I think it's a testament to his color choices that such an issues exists to being with.
Good luck with your choice. Ultimately, I don't think you can really go wrong with any - grey does sound like a nice, neutral color though.
Exactly that, so many options is great and a first world problem at the same time. Yeah his service is top class. When a GB of his comes up is not a question of will I join it's always a question of what to choose :-)
Grey seems like it would go well with black on black keycaps which are the ones I have on my RF. I also like the idea of the Stormtrooper look and the black on black on black too! In addition the possibility of modding to MX sliders in the future means thinking of what GMK 9009 would go with among other keysets. Choices! Good luck with yours too :-) As you say whatever you end up with will be awesome.
Post by: graefeln on Tue, 26 December 2017, 14:36:19
5 days left :-X
I've gone from wanting silver, to trying to choose between black or white and now I'm thinking grey... Need to make my mind up!
I know what you mean; I bounced around so many colors - blockers or not. Even had Norbauer change my color once and then refund me another time so that I could add blockers. He was real nice about it all though. I think it's a testament to his color choices that such an issues exists to being with.
Good luck with your choice. Ultimately, I don't think you can really go wrong with any - grey does sound like a nice, neutral color though.
Exactly that, so many options is great and a first world problem at the same time. Yeah his service is top class. When a GB of his comes up is not a question of will I join it's always a question of what to choose :-)
Grey seems like it would go well with black on black keycaps which are the ones I have on my RF. I also like the idea of the Stormtrooper look and the black on black on black too! In addition the possibility of modding to MX sliders in the future means thinking of what GMK 9009 would go with among other keysets. Choices! Good luck with yours too :-) As you say whatever you end up with will be awesome.
Personally, I like the 'stormtrooper' look more than black-on-black-on-black; at the same time though, I prefer the textured look over the mid-gloss of the white. The grey seems like
a nice middle ground where you still get some contrast, but with a nice texture that will be hard to find in other cases.
As for me, I changed up to Astrophysical Purple (with blockers) and am going to run green alphas/black mods/orange space bar. Ideally, I would also like to find a decent blue WASD set.
Post by: graefeln on Tue, 26 December 2017, 14:36:48
Post by: Will_26 on Tue, 26 December 2017, 15:07:29
5 days left :-X
I've gone from wanting silver, to trying to choose between black or white and now I'm thinking grey... Need to make my mind up!
I know what you mean; I bounced around so many colors - blockers or not. Even had Norbauer change my color once and then refund me another time so that I could add blockers. He was real nice about it all though. I think it's a testament to his color choices that such an issues exists to being with.
Good luck with your choice. Ultimately, I don't think you can really go wrong with any - grey does sound like a nice, neutral color though.
Exactly that, so many options is great and a first world problem at the same time. Yeah his service is top class. When a GB of his comes up is not a question of will I join it's always a question of what to choose :-)
Grey seems like it would go well with black on black keycaps which are the ones I have on my RF. I also like the idea of the Stormtrooper look and the black on black on black too! In addition the possibility of modding to MX sliders in the future means thinking of what GMK 9009 would go with among other keysets. Choices! Good luck with yours too :-) As you say whatever you end up with will be awesome.
Personally, I like the 'stormtrooper' look more than black-on-black-on-black; at the same time though, I prefer the textured look over the mid-gloss of the white. The grey seems like
a nice middle ground where you still get some contrast, but with a nice texture that will be hard to find in other cases.
As for me, I changed up to Astrophysical Purple (with blockers) and am going to run green alphas/black mods/orange space bar. Ideally, I would also like to find a decent blue WASD set.
I think you're right and grey is probably the right choice :-) the purple one is amazing, will look awesome with those caps!
Post by: Will_26 on Tue, 26 December 2017, 15:08:31
Post by: clappingcactus on Tue, 26 December 2017, 16:30:54
As for me, I changed up to Astrophysical Purple (with blockers) and am going to run green alphas/black mods/orange space bar. Ideally, I would also like to find a decent blue WASD set.
You should instead switch to Retro Refrigerator and go for a Mystery Machine theme. :P
Post by: UnFocused on Tue, 26 December 2017, 18:48:44
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 27 December 2017, 14:59:07
This is well-worn daily-driver RealForce 87U of many years inside a Norbaforce housing. The finish shown is the textured powder coat Enigma Black.
Four configurations demonstrated:
1) No risers installed, Silverstone foam liner (not included) installed against lower plate
2) Risers installed, Silverstone foam liner (not included) installed against lower plate
3) No risers installed, no foam
4) Risers installed, no foam
The keyboard is resting on a marble surface.
I can barely tell the difference between them in person (or in the video), but my personal favorite sounding option by a slim margin would be flat + foam.
Sorry for the slightly echoic room. I plan on installing sound dampening material--just haven't gotten around to it yet.
Post by: Fadamaque on Wed, 27 December 2017, 15:25:03
Are these the 45g domes? Also, the sound probably becomes more pronounced if the keyboard is placed on a not so "dead" material as stone, i.e. wood?
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 27 December 2017, 15:28:02
Thanks for that video!
Are these the 45g domes? Also, the sound probably becomes more pronounced if the keyboard is placed on a not so "dead" material as stone, i.e. wood?
They're 30g domes, actually.
I used the stone slab on my photo shooting table because the only other table I have in my photo studio is a super cheap (basically hollow) $15 Ikea table, which would have probably created some unwanted resonance. Most desks, which are more solid, would probably sound more like the stone than that ****ty table. ;)
Post by: Fadamaque on Wed, 27 December 2017, 16:32:47
I am actually using a hollow IKEA table at the moment, so the example would be rather apt in my case! :)) :-[
Post by: regionfree on Wed, 27 December 2017, 16:50:58
+1 for norb660c
Post by: HotRoderX on Wed, 27 December 2017, 17:17:01
While waiting for this, trying to bump up the fc660c’s position in your “possible projects” queue.
+1 for norb660c
would also like to +1 this :P... as the FC660C really needs some love also!!!
Post by: hayt on Wed, 27 December 2017, 17:26:32
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 27 December 2017, 18:50:53
While waiting for this, trying to bump up the fc660c’s position in your “possible projects” queue.
+1 for norb660c
It's totally next. :cool:
BTW, Huey over at TopClack pointed out that the audio gain was a bit low on the video I posted earlier, so I've updated the YouTube link above to a version that is a bit louder.
Post by: regionfree on Wed, 27 December 2017, 19:11:51
While waiting for this, trying to bump up the fc660c’s position in your “possible projects” queue.
+1 for norb660c
It's totally next. :cool:
Oooh you better mean that! 2018 is the year of the Topre!
Post by: HotRoderX on Wed, 27 December 2017, 19:20:10
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 27 December 2017, 19:29:49
am stoked wonder what case would look best with the retro cream colored board! hmmm guess I gotta start planning. This case cost as much as the real force case?
Way too early to say the cost. It’s smaller but I also keep getting more ambitious/complicated with my designs, so I’ll probably figure out some baroque way to make it still cost a lot. =\
Post by: regionfree on Wed, 27 December 2017, 20:42:03
Way too early to say the cost. It’s smaller but I also keep getting more ambitious/complicated with my designs, so I’ll probably figure out some baroque way to make it still cost a lot. =\
I personally like your designs. It’s not the flashiness, but the restraint, and the clean lines.
Post by: Wetherbee on Wed, 27 December 2017, 20:50:13
Way too early to say the cost. It’s smaller but I also keep getting more ambitious/complicated with my designs, so I’ll probably figure out some baroque way to make it still cost a lot. =\
I personally like your designs. It’s not the flashiness, but the restraint, and the clean lines.
Sometimes great design is not what you add, but what you are left with when you have taken away ornamentation and unnecessary complication. In my opinion the genius of the Norbaforce is the unibody appearance and lack of visible seam combined with high-quality finishes with interesting textures.
Post by: HotRoderX on Wed, 27 December 2017, 20:52:08
I know most likely we won't see the FC660C cases until julyish at the earliest so if it ends up being 300 dollars. It will be worth every penny I think.
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 27 December 2017, 21:00:48
Post by: Troif on Thu, 28 December 2017, 06:08:45
Good evening,
just entered for a Tactical Black one and want to express that I'm very grateful to you norbauer to make this happen and fulfill one of my dreams!
My Realforce is very excited to get that new luxury and I've to take care she is going to stay calm for the next couple of months, which will be very hard.
She is going to look even more gorgeous than now ;)
(Attachment Link)
Have a nice day
@Makami what color did you finally choose? I am getting nervous :eek: but I am quite decided between TacticalBlack / RetroRefrigerator / SpaceStationWhite...
Post by: Troif on Thu, 28 December 2017, 06:40:36
Amazing work as always Ryan, the design is awesome.
I'll be getting my Realforce on the 25th which leaves 6 days to make a proper decision :P I'm really beginning to lean towards the white and pairing it with 9009, so I made a horrible mockup of what it might look like...
WOW! That option is sick! I really like it! Congrats.
Post by: Will_26 on Thu, 28 December 2017, 09:00:28
Amazing work as always Ryan, the design is awesome.
I'll be getting my Realforce on the 25th which leaves 6 days to make a proper decision :P I'm really beginning to lean towards the white and pairing it with 9009, so I made a horrible mockup of what it might look like...
WOW! That option is sick! I really like it! Congrats.
Thanks Troif! I've been thinking a lot about the money and effort that would need to go into converting to decent MX sliders with full compatibility, and I think it might not be worth it. Especially after receiving the board at Christmas, I am really impressed with the stock black on black caps, so going to stick with those and I think I've decided on the Grey case now to match :) Good luck with your decision!
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 28 December 2017, 11:28:42
Post by: Wetherbee on Thu, 28 December 2017, 11:52:46
Kinda weird that Manofinterests would do the review with a misaligned plate. To be fair, he did mention that there were tolerance issues with his sample that would be solved in the final run.
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 28 December 2017, 11:59:28
Great review! I assume his plate is misaligned because there is obviously an issue with alignment at 3:41, see the gap on the left compared to the one on the right. Same thing happens with my Digilog unless I reseat it a few times, but the Digilog isn't top mount. Issue doesn't appear in Norbauer's photos.
Good eye. Two points: 1) it can take a couple of attempts to get the alignment right when installing the plate because of the way that I've hung the plate from above making it a bit hard to see and screw-in the plate at the same time, and 2) I actually tweaked the spacing of the key openings a bit in the final production units (as shown in the product photography of the black anodized sample), both to make it more accurately match up with the keys themselves and also to be slightly more forgiving of accidental mis-alignments at install. My original prototype design (of which Huey's unit is an example) was a little tight right in the area that you pointed out, so I essentially shifted that divider bar ever to slightly to the right.
Post by: Wetherbee on Thu, 28 December 2017, 12:08:49
Great review! I assume his plate is misaligned because there is obviously an issue with alignment at 3:41, see the gap on the left compared to the one on the right. Same thing happens with my Digilog unless I reseat it a few times, but the Digilog isn't top mount. Issue doesn't appear in Norbauer's photos.
Good eye. Two points: 1) it can take a couple of attempts to get the alignment right when installing the plate because of the way that I've hung the plate from above making it a bit hard to see and screw-in the plate at the same time, and 2) I actually tweaked the spacing of the key openings a bit in the final production units (as shown in the product photography of the black anodized sample), both to make it more accurately match up with the keys themselves and also to be slightly more forgiving of accidental mis-alignments at install. My original prototype design (of which Huey's unit is an example) was a little tight right in the area that you pointed out, so I essentially shifted that divider bar ever to slightly to the right.
Sound great. Thanks! The extra tolerance should also help with artisan caps. Topre Reapers, Mummies and the like tend to be a bit taller or fatter and can hit aftermarket housings when pressed if the alignment isn't perfect.
It might be a good idea for folks to mount the plate with the top facing up to get proper alignment with the screws loose before committing to tightening them. The way Huey screwed the plate in with the keyboard resting on the keys is just asking for issues.
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 28 December 2017, 12:11:50
Great review! I assume his plate is misaligned because there is obviously an issue with alignment at 3:41, see the gap on the left compared to the one on the right. Same thing happens with my Digilog unless I reseat it a few times, but the Digilog isn't top mount. Issue doesn't appear in Norbauer's photos.
Good eye. Two points: 1) it can take a couple of attempts to get the alignment right when installing the plate because of the way that I've hung the plate from above making it a bit hard to see and screw-in the plate at the same time, and 2) I actually tweaked the spacing of the key openings a bit in the final production units (as shown in the product photography of the black anodized sample), both to make it more accurately match up with the keys themselves and also to be slightly more forgiving of accidental mis-alignments at install. My original prototype design (of which Huey's unit is an example) was a little tight right in the area that you pointed out, so I essentially shifted that divider bar ever to slightly to the right.
Sound great. Thanks! The extra tolerance should also help with artisan caps. Reapers, mummies and the like tend to be a bit taller and can hit aftermarket housings.
It might be a good idea for folks to mount the plate with the top facing up to get proper alignment with the screws loose before committing to tightening them. The way Huey screwed them in with the keyboard resting on the keys is asking for alsignment issues.
Yes, having assembled and disassembled these a million times by now, that is now my own preferred approach. I put the flanged plate screws all in halfway, align keys to case from the front and hold the plate in place with my fingers, flip the case/board around and then screw the plate in place. It's a bit of a delicate dance, but you only have to do it once and then you can enjoy the seamlessness (or realative seamlessness if you're into risers) for the rest of your use of the board. A fine trade-off, in my view. :)
Post by: Wetherbee on Thu, 28 December 2017, 12:36:30
Watch out Jacob Jensen, there is a new rising star in the field of industrial design. :thumb:
Post by: razor_blade on Thu, 28 December 2017, 17:55:01
As a note on the FC660C case: you would take it to 11/10, if you sold it with a Hasu controller specifically made for the case. USB C, perhaps? That would take it to a whole new level (plus USB C is just plain sexier than mini B) and add in programability, in one move. I am dreaming here, I know...
Post by: sodiumjoe on Thu, 28 December 2017, 20:26:57
Post by: richard912 on Thu, 28 December 2017, 21:11:15
Post by: luminor on Fri, 29 December 2017, 00:05:07
Post by: Peiweisgreat on Fri, 29 December 2017, 02:07:13
Post by: Makami on Fri, 29 December 2017, 04:53:29
Good evening,
just entered for a Tactical Black one and want to express that I'm very grateful to you norbauer to make this happen and fulfill one of my dreams!
My Realforce is very excited to get that new luxury and I've to take care she is going to stay calm for the next couple of months, which will be very hard.
She is going to look even more gorgeous than now ;)
(Attachment Link)
Have a nice day
@Makami what color did you finally choose? I am getting nervous :eek: but I am quite decided between TacticalBlack / RetroRefrigerator / SpaceStationWhite...
Hi buddy,
I've taken Tactical Black (hard anodized) / Standard (no blockers).
Cheers
Post by: letze on Fri, 29 December 2017, 07:38:32
Post by: Fadamaque on Fri, 29 December 2017, 12:14:45
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 29 December 2017, 12:16:30
One last idiotic question from me: Will the dip switches still work on the 87u? (For changing the caps lock/ctrl buttons)
Absolutely. You'll just need to remove the back cover to access them. I figured this was better than a cutout since surely people aren't flipping them very often.
Post by: Fadamaque on Fri, 29 December 2017, 12:21:59
Post by: tron on Fri, 29 December 2017, 15:10:26
Post by: Peddamann on Fri, 29 December 2017, 17:42:30
Post by: xondat on Fri, 29 December 2017, 17:43:26
Is it possible to source the Topre pebble/pearl caps without having to buy another Realforce? I have the black 55g Realforce with dark grey caps but would rather have the pebble/pearl caps with the white Norbaforce case.
Could probably swap with someone?
Post by: Wetherbee on Fri, 29 December 2017, 17:43:44
Enigma grey is on its way... **** my wallet :D
Only the finest for Guybrush Threepwood.
Post by: clappingcactus on Fri, 29 December 2017, 17:45:20
1) From programmability, you should try getting in touch with TerryMatthews (https://geekhack.org/index.php?action=profile;u=49485) as he ports QMK to tons of boards: https://github.com/TerryMathews . u/jetpacktuxedo on Reddit also does some porting/design work. You could even maybe contact Hasu.
I for one would be okay with a delay and an extra fee per person if it meant we'd get an upgrade to a programmable breakout circuit board.
2) Any chance you have tested multiple types of foam to determine which would be ideal for the board? If not, any links to the foam you used or would like to use if you don't recommend the one you got? So far the couple of videos I've seen have a hollow sound and I think I'll just go with the foam from the first day.
3) Any chance GB participants can be supplied with the files for the bottom/back of the keyboard in case someone (me) would like to CNC a brass version some time down the line for added weight?
Otherwise, I'm super excited to get my case down the line. :)
Post by: Wetherbee on Fri, 29 December 2017, 17:54:29
I for one would be okay with a delay and an extra fee per person if it meant we'd get an upgrade to a programmable breakout circuit board.
2) Any chance you have tested multiple types of foam to determine which would be ideal for the board? If not, any links to the foam you used or would like to use if you don't recommend the one you got? So far the couple of videos I've seen have a hollow sound and I think I'll just go with the foam from the first day.
3) Any chance GB participants can be supplied with the files for the bottom/back of the keyboard in case som
+1.
- Would love Hasu or QMK controller. In the meantime a USB-to-USB converter might work.
- Would love premium foam option.
- Would also love polished pvd brass (mirrored nickel finish) backplate to match the famous mirrored bottom of the HHKB HG.
These would all be great add-on options for later group buys and since each is discrete it wouldn't effect this GB.
Problem for Norbauer is that he is so successful he is drowning in GB requests for numpads, plates, 660C, controllers, etc etc etc. I think there is also room for others in the community to innovate as well. :) Would love to see more Realforce collabs.
Post by: shadow on Sat, 30 December 2017, 04:52:41
I have been following this case project on the forums (silently) for a long time now and its awesome that it has gone on sale - the case looks fantastic! Just wondering what you think would look best with the stock black-on-black Realforce key caps?
I really cant decide between Aerospace Aluminum, Tactical Black or Space Station White.. :-\ :'(
At some point I may also get another Realforce keyboard with white keycaps (I quite like the look of Aerospace Aluminum with white keycaps shown in the photos).. however I will stick with the black keycaps for a long time, but I am not sure about the Aerospace Aluminum with black key caps?
Im starting to sway towards the tactical black.. but so hard to decide.. and so little time left, anything that could help make up my mind would be much appreciated! :D
Thanks!
Post by: richard912 on Sat, 30 December 2017, 05:10:40
Hey,The Aerospace Aluminum will go well with just about any colorway for keycaps. I should know because I have the Norbatouch case in the same color and change keycaps regularly
I have been following this case project on the forums (silently) for a long time now and its awesome that it has gone on sale - the case looks fantastic! Just wondering what you think would look best with the stock black-on-black Realforce key caps?
I really cant decide between Aerospace Aluminum, Tactical Black or Space Station White.. :-\ :'(
At some point I may also get another Realforce keyboard with white keycaps (I quite like the look of Aerospace Aluminum with white keycaps shown in the photos).. however I will stick with the black keycaps for a long time, but I am not sure about the Aerospace Aluminum with black key caps?
Im starting to sway towards the tactical black.. but so hard to decide.. and so little time left, anything that could help make up my mind would be much appreciated! :D
Thanks!
Post by: alisonica on Sat, 30 December 2017, 05:12:09
Hey,
I have been following this case project on the forums (silently) for a long time now and its awesome that it has gone on sale - the case looks fantastic! Just wondering what you think would look best with the stock black-on-black Realforce key caps?
I really cant decide between Aerospace Aluminum, Tactical Black or Space Station White.. :-\ :'(
At some point I may also get another Realforce keyboard with white keycaps (I quite like the look of Aerospace Aluminum with white keycaps shown in the photos).. however I will stick with the black keycaps for a long time, but I am not sure about the Aerospace Aluminum with black key caps?
Im starting to sway towards the tactical black.. but so hard to decide.. and so little time left, anything that could help make up my mind would be much appreciated! :D
Thanks!
Buy all of them, pick the one you want after you received it, sell off the rest. There will be tons of people that missed this, and new joiners too
Post by: luminor on Sat, 30 December 2017, 05:32:23
Hey,
I have been following this case project on the forums (silently) for a long time now and its awesome that it has gone on sale - the case looks fantastic! Just wondering what you think would look best with the stock black-on-black Realforce key caps?
I really cant decide between Aerospace Aluminum, Tactical Black or Space Station White.. :-\ :'(
At some point I may also get another Realforce keyboard with white keycaps (I quite like the look of Aerospace Aluminum with white keycaps shown in the photos).. however I will stick with the black keycaps for a long time, but I am not sure about the Aerospace Aluminum with black key caps?
Im starting to sway towards the tactical black.. but so hard to decide.. and so little time left, anything that could help make up my mind would be much appreciated! :D
Thanks!
Black is the hardest colour to keep clean, i learn that when i have a black car, especially if it dusty, just a tiny bit of dust you will notice it, but don't get me wrong, my favorite color is black.
Silver and white are more forgiving to maintain.
For look aesthetic silver add millennium metal scheme colour to your desk and the safest if you going to change keycaps later, if you going to use black caps for a long time, black give you that stealthy look, white will give you the "clean" feeling if you get what i mean.
and yes if you do have the dough, just get all 3 of them and see which one you like the most and sell the rest.
Post by: Lansky on Sat, 30 December 2017, 08:21:11
Hey Ryan, just watched the Top Clack review. Couple of points:
1) From programmability, you should try getting in touch with TerryMatthews (https://geekhack.org/index.php?action=profile;u=49485) as he ports QMK to tons of boards: https://github.com/TerryMathews . u/jetpacktuxedo on Reddit also does some porting/design work. You could even maybe contact Hasu.
I for one would be okay with a delay and an extra fee per person if it meant we'd get an upgrade to a programmable breakout circuit board.
2) Any chance you have tested multiple types of foam to determine which would be ideal for the board? If not, any links to the foam you used or would like to use if you don't recommend the one you got? So far the couple of videos I've seen have a hollow sound and I think I'll just go with the foam from the first day.
3) Any chance GB participants can be supplied with the files for the bottom/back of the keyboard in case someone (me) would like to CNC a brass version some time down the line for added weight?
Otherwise, I'm super excited to get my case down the line. :)
These are all great suggestions that I would love to see happen as well. :thumb:
Post by: Will_26 on Sat, 30 December 2017, 08:28:15
Hey,
I have been following this case project on the forums (silently) for a long time now and its awesome that it has gone on sale - the case looks fantastic! Just wondering what you think would look best with the stock black-on-black Realforce key caps?
I really cant decide between Aerospace Aluminum, Tactical Black or Space Station White.. :-\ :'(
At some point I may also get another Realforce keyboard with white keycaps (I quite like the look of Aerospace Aluminum with white keycaps shown in the photos).. however I will stick with the black keycaps for a long time, but I am not sure about the Aerospace Aluminum with black key caps?
Im starting to sway towards the tactical black.. but so hard to decide.. and so little time left, anything that could help make up my mind would be much appreciated! :D
Thanks!
We're having the same dilemma, I want to decide today really! Don't know if it helps seeing them all together? It didn't help me ;D
Post by: letze on Sat, 30 December 2017, 09:19:23
Get space station white and pair it with black caps to get star wars storm trooper theme :cool:Hey,
I have been following this case project on the forums (silently) for a long time now and its awesome that it has gone on sale - the case looks fantastic! Just wondering what you think would look best with the stock black-on-black Realforce key caps?
I really cant decide between Aerospace Aluminum, Tactical Black or Space Station White.. :-\ :'(
At some point I may also get another Realforce keyboard with white keycaps (I quite like the look of Aerospace Aluminum with white keycaps shown in the photos).. however I will stick with the black keycaps for a long time, but I am not sure about the Aerospace Aluminum with black key caps?
Im starting to sway towards the tactical black.. but so hard to decide.. and so little time left, anything that could help make up my mind would be much appreciated! :D
Thanks!
We're having the same dilemma, I want to decide today really! Don't know if it helps seeing them all together? It didn't help me ;D
Post by: shadow on Sat, 30 December 2017, 09:46:41
The colour shown here is the Tactical Black isnt it? https://youtu.be/ZjrVajSvpPw?t=114 (https://youtu.be/ZjrVajSvpPw?t=114)
And the black case images on the product page are also Tactical Back right? Or are some of them the other black finish (enigma black)?
If it is indeed the Tactical Black in the video, I think its actually very nice - also with white keycaps as shown there.. my worry about the Tactical Black is if its a bit on the "boring" side? As in if you cant as much notice that its not just a plastic case (without touching it)? In the video it certainly looks nice because you can see how the light reacts to it, and it doesn't look completely matte.. which is a bit more difficult to see in the pictures..
so now I'm actually swaying towards the Tactical Black.. LOL :)) :confused:
Post by: clappingcactus on Sat, 30 December 2017, 09:59:10
- Would also love polished pvd brass (mirrored nickel finish) backplate to match the famous mirrored bottom of the HHKB HG.
These would all be great add-on options for later group buys and since each is discrete it wouldn't effect this GB.
Problem for Norbauer is that he is so successful he is drowning in GB requests for numpads, plates, 660C, controllers, etc etc etc. I think there is also room for others in the community to innovate as well. :) Would love to see more Realforce collabs.
I wasn't even thinking about PVD coating, but that's a brilliant idea. If Ryan wants only one person to have the file, I'd be willing to take it on. There's a machine shop that's local to me that does great brass work (see: Mech-27 v2) and a machine shop four hours away that has done some great PVD work on my friend's car. I could swing by that second shop in mid-January to see what our options and costs would be. I'd be hesitant to work with Chinese manufacturers because I wouldn't know how to QC from 10,000 miles away and a half-day time difference and that's the highest amount of complexity I'm willing to take on (i.e. I don't want to get into laser engraving or more than two colours of the brass). While I'm at it, I'll probably also try to get a brass plate made (but this is probably a magnitude higher complexity due to having to have the screw threads installed and fabbed for the new plate).
Post by: Will_26 on Sat, 30 December 2017, 10:19:20
Get space station white and pair it with black caps to get star wars storm trooper theme :cool:Hey,
I have been following this case project on the forums (silently) for a long time now and its awesome that it has gone on sale - the case looks fantastic! Just wondering what you think would look best with the stock black-on-black Realforce key caps?
I really cant decide between Aerospace Aluminum, Tactical Black or Space Station White.. :-\ :'(
At some point I may also get another Realforce keyboard with white keycaps (I quite like the look of Aerospace Aluminum with white keycaps shown in the photos).. however I will stick with the black keycaps for a long time, but I am not sure about the Aerospace Aluminum with black key caps?
Im starting to sway towards the tactical black.. but so hard to decide.. and so little time left, anything that could help make up my mind would be much appreciated! :D
Thanks!
We're having the same dilemma, I want to decide today really! Don't know if it helps seeing them all together? It didn't help me ;D
Took the plunge and did this :) No more deciding now, I'm going Stormtrooper :)
Post by: nickheller on Sat, 30 December 2017, 10:20:23
Post by: Wetherbee on Sat, 30 December 2017, 10:24:30
- Would also love polished pvd brass (mirrored nickel finish) backplate to match the famous mirrored bottom of the HHKB HG.
These would all be great add-on options for later group buys and since each is discrete it wouldn't effect this GB.
Problem for Norbauer is that he is so successful he is drowning in GB requests for numpads, plates, 660C, controllers, etc etc etc. I think there is also room for others in the community to innovate as well. :) Would love to see more Realforce collabs.
I wasn't even thinking about PVD coating, but that's a brilliant idea. If Ryan wants only one person to have the file, I'd be willing to take it on. There's a machine shop that's local to me that does great brass work (see: Mech-27 v2) and a machine shop four hours away that has done some great PVD work on my friend's car. I could swing by that second shop in mid-January to see what our options and costs would be. I'd be hesitant to work with Chinese manufacturers because I wouldn't know how to QC from 10,000 miles away and a half-day time difference and that's the highest amount of complexity I'm willing to take on (i.e. I don't want to get into laser engraving or more than two colours of the brass). While I'm at it, I'll probably also try to get a brass plate made (but this is probably a magnitude higher complexity due to having to have the screw threads installed and fabbed for the new plate).
If you can make this happen I would order a whole bunch of these!
Post by: Muramasa on Sat, 30 December 2017, 11:21:58
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 30 December 2017, 14:32:35
Hey,
I have been following this case project on the forums (silently) for a long time now and its awesome that it has gone on sale - the case looks fantastic! Just wondering what you think would look best with the stock black-on-black Realforce key caps?
I really cant decide between Aerospace Aluminum, Tactical Black or Space Station White.. :-\ :'(
At some point I may also get another Realforce keyboard with white keycaps (I quite like the look of Aerospace Aluminum with white keycaps shown in the photos).. however I will stick with the black keycaps for a long time, but I am not sure about the Aerospace Aluminum with black key caps?
Im starting to sway towards the tactical black.. but so hard to decide.. and so little time left, anything that could help make up my mind would be much appreciated! :D
We're having the same dilemma, I want to decide today really! Don't know if it helps seeing them all together? It didn't help me ;D
My general default recommendation is tactical black. It's the one I intend to use as my daily driver. The hard ano makes it more durable than normal anodizing, and I feel that the black color can go with almost anything. I'm not overly fussy about fingerprints or dust, really, but the point someone made about Aerospace not showing fingerprints as clearly is surely technically true. However, I think the difference is pretty trivial due to the slightly matte finish created by the bead-blasted texture--which shows fingerprints much less than a glossy surface would. The difference is much more significant with the medium- and high-gloss powder coats. Those show fingerprints much more clearly, though again I personally don't mind it, and it's easily buffed away with a cloth if you're showing your boards off at a meet-up, etc. And, with perhaps the exception of gloss black, you really only notice fingerprints under bright light at certain angles (i.e., if you're really looking for it).
Problem for Norbauer is that he is so successful he is drowning in GB requests for numpads, plates, 660C, controllers, etc etc etc. I think there is also room for others in the community to innovate as well. :) Would love to see more Realforce collabs.
omg, yes this ˆˆˆ :))
It's a good problem to have, I'll concede, but there are so keyboard many things that I want to do (and that you guys want me to do) that I couldn't keep up even if I just did keyboard stuff full-time. I always try to do fun projects that accommodate stuff that I and other folks want, but I'm also more than happy to support other community members who want to develop and produce things on their own as well, including if those are things made specifically for a product I designed. This isn't a zero-sum game, and it certainly shouldn't be competitive. The more cool stuff is out there and readily available, the more we all as a community benefit. I love nothing more than collaborating with efficient and productive people.
Anybody who wants to help me develop a programmable RF breakout board, incidentally, please do get in touch. I have all the prototyping, production, commerce, and logistics infrastructure. I just don't have the time to learn all about breakout boards and how to do them properly right now.
Generally, though, (after thinking about it) I prefer to keep this particular GB as advertised and not change up the PCB or anything, just to avoid introducing risk and uncertainty into the production timeline. In the meantime, we can look at arranging some "upgrades" like a brass back cover plate (PVD would be awesome!) and a custom die-cut foam insert. These might be things that I (or someone else) could make available around the time when the cases are actually shipping. I have done laser-cut and machined brass parts from sheet stock before, so I could totally make that happen, but I don't want to steal clappingcactus's thunder here. I would welcome the help and collaboration! I'm also quite happy to share the DXF for the plate profile.
The foam insert I used was from SilverStone, btw. It was recommended to me by PerniciousPony.
Thanks for your inputs, much appreciated! :)
The colour shown here is the Tactical Black isnt it? https://youtu.be/ZjrVajSvpPw?t=114 (https://youtu.be/ZjrVajSvpPw?t=114)
And the black case images on the product page are also Tactical Back right? Or are some of them the other black finish (enigma black)?
If it is indeed the Tactical Black in the video, I think its actually very nice - also with white keycaps as shown there.. my worry about the Tactical Black is if its a bit on the "boring" side? As in if you cant as much notice that its not just a plastic case (without touching it)? In the video it certainly looks nice because you can see how the light reacts to it, and it doesn't look completely matte.. which is a bit more difficult to see in the pictures..
so now I'm actually swaying towards the Tactical Black.. LOL :)) :confused:
Yes, the case shown at that timecode in the video is Tactical Black, as well as in the main product listing.
I don't suppose these cases support other internals than Realforce boards? Like sourcing your own plate+pcb?
You'd be much better off using another case; these are quite RealForce-specific due to the unusual (slightly bonkers) nature of the RF plate and PCB design.
Hey,
I have been following this case project on the forums (silently) for a long time now and its awesome that it has gone on sale - the case looks fantastic! Just wondering what you think would look best with the stock black-on-black Realforce key caps?
I really cant decide between Aerospace Aluminum, Tactical Black or Space Station White.. :-\ :'(
At some point I may also get another Realforce keyboard with white keycaps (I quite like the look of Aerospace Aluminum with white keycaps shown in the photos).. however I will stick with the black keycaps for a long time, but I am not sure about the Aerospace Aluminum with black key caps?
Im starting to sway towards the tactical black.. but so hard to decide.. and so little time left, anything that could help make up my mind would be much appreciated! :D
Thanks!
Tactical black FTW! Unless you have a very specific need/desire for one of the powder coat options, again my default advice is: save yourself some money and go with hard ano. :)
Post by: shadow on Sat, 30 December 2017, 15:18:47
Tactical black FTW! Unless you have a very specific need/desire for one of the powder coat options, again my default advice is: save yourself some money and go with hard ano. :)
Thanks a lot for your reply, very helpful :)
There is just one thing left I am still thinking about.. if looking at the still pictures of it and you didn't know what material it is made of already, I think it could in fact be a little difficult to tell what the material it is, if it is a kind of plastic or aluminum (because of the matte and uniform appearance I think). So my question is if you can clearly see and appreciate that the Tactical Black version is indeed aluminum when seeing it in real life? :)
I hope my question makes at least a little bit sense :D
Post by: Rumblehotep on Sat, 30 December 2017, 15:22:33
Post by: Puddsy on Sat, 30 December 2017, 20:37:13
~~
Is foam superior to sorbothane?
not enough testing has been done, sorbothane hasn't been the most available material for keyboard buys recently
personally i'm a fan of foam since it's a lot easier to do than sorbothane
Post by: richard912 on Sat, 30 December 2017, 23:21:06
Post by: luminor on Sun, 31 December 2017, 01:54:14
Space White
(https://i.imgur.com/VSbrmnL.jpg)
Tactical black
(https://i.imgur.com/LeqomD2.jpg)
Post by: typischt on Sun, 31 December 2017, 09:18:54
I just tried to order but it still only shows me the international option. Maybe because my country, while located in Europe, is not in the EU?Okay, I see. It worked with an address from another EU country.. So, I guess I will figure out the color first and then contact you, Norbauer. :)No, the price is still in USD. Once you enter your address—assuming that address is in the EU—and click through to the final page, it should show you two shipping options: a direct international express and a domestic EU proxy option.
It looks like it works here.Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/QU4gMRp.png)
How should I proceed? In case you don't see this on time, I will just choose international and note it in the order.
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 31 December 2017, 10:07:07
Tactical black FTW! Unless you have a very specific need/desire for one of the powder coat options, again my default advice is: save yourself some money and go with hard ano. :)
Thanks a lot for your reply, very helpful :)
There is just one thing left I am still thinking about.. if looking at the still pictures of it and you didn't know what material it is made of already, I think it could in fact be a little difficult to tell what the material it is, if it is a kind of plastic or aluminum (because of the matte and uniform appearance I think). So my question is if you can clearly see and appreciate that the Tactical Black version is indeed aluminum when seeing it in real life? :)
I hope my question makes at least a little bit sense :D
Interesting question; it never occurred to me that someone could mistake the case for plastic. (It would be a very uncommon geometry for an injection-molded part, for one thing.) It’s hard to describe, but I think the general way that the case interacts with ambient light, even in black, is such that it doesn’t look plastic at all, but I honestly can’t really explain how or why. It just looks, well, like bead-blasted and anodized metal. Sorry for not being able to be more helpful/descriptive. :)
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 31 December 2017, 10:08:22
I just tried to order but it still only shows me the international option. Maybe because my country, while located in Europe, is not in the EU?Okay, I see. It worked with an address from another EU country.. So, I guess I will figure out the color first and then contact you, Norbauer.No, the price is still in USD. Once you enter your address—assuming that address is in the EU—and click through to the final page, it should show you two shipping options: a direct international express and a domestic EU proxy option.
It looks like it works here.Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/QU4gMRp.png)
How should I proceed? In case you don't see this on time, I will just choose international and note it in the order.
Oh, sorry. Yeah, that must be glitch in how the proxy shipping option is set up. Are you in CH? Note that I am based on the USA and do the final inspection and assembly/shipping myself, so everything outside of the US is “international.”
(In any case, feel free to order now and we can sort out any shipping cost issues after the GB closes with a refund or supplemental payment as necessary. Just send me an email.)
Sorry for any trouble.
Post by: Fadamaque on Sun, 31 December 2017, 10:32:41
So stoked! If someone could come up with a solution for programmability now, it would be perfect!
EDIT: And a big thank you to you, Mr. Norbauer, for making these cases! They look sublime!
Post by: typischt on Sun, 31 December 2017, 11:10:49
Yeah exactly, I‘m in CH. I just ordered a Aerospace and will contact you via email. Perfect, thanks!I just tried to order but it still only shows me the international option. Maybe because my country, while located in Europe, is not in the EU?Okay, I see. It worked with an address from another EU country.. So, I guess I will figure out the color first and then contact you, Norbauer.No, the price is still in USD. Once you enter your address—assuming that address is in the EU—and click through to the final page, it should show you two shipping options: a direct international express and a domestic EU proxy option.
It looks like it works here.Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/QU4gMRp.png)
How should I proceed? In case you don't see this on time, I will just choose international and note it in the order.
Oh, sorry. Yeah, that must be glitch in how the proxy shipping option is set up. Are you in CH? Note that I am based on the USA and do the final inspection and assembly/shipping myself, so everything outside of the US is “international.”
(In any case, feel free to order now and we can sort out any shipping cost issues after the GB closes with a refund or supplemental payment as necessary. Just send me an email.)
Sorry for any trouble.
Post by: shadow on Sun, 31 December 2017, 11:39:55
Interesting question; it never occurred to me that someone could mistake the case for plastic. (It would be a very uncommon geometry for an injection-molded part, for one thing.) It’s hard to describe, but I think the general way that the case interacts with ambient light, even in black, is such that it doesn’t look plastic at all, but I honestly can’t really explain how or why. It just looks, well, like bead-blasted and anodized metal. Sorry for not being able to be more helpful/descriptive. :)
I understand, I'm sure no one would mistake it for plastic when seeing it in real life :thumb: As you mention I think too it's down to the way the surface and light interacts, but that can sometimes be hard to represent and read from still images :)
I finally made up my mind and placed the order for the Tactical Black earlier today, so now it's just about the waiting.. so excited!! :D
Post by: EugeneYap83 on Sun, 31 December 2017, 12:56:02
Hey,
I have been following this case project on the forums (silently) for a long time now and its awesome that it has gone on sale - the case looks fantastic! Just wondering what you think would look best with the stock black-on-black Realforce key caps?
I really cant decide between Aerospace Aluminum, Tactical Black or Space Station White.. :-\ :'(
At some point I may also get another Realforce keyboard with white keycaps (I quite like the look of Aerospace Aluminum with white keycaps shown in the photos).. however I will stick with the black keycaps for a long time, but I am not sure about the Aerospace Aluminum with black key caps?
Im starting to sway towards the tactical black.. but so hard to decide.. and so little time left, anything that could help make up my mind would be much appreciated! :D
Thanks!
We're having the same dilemma, I want to decide today really! Don't know if it helps seeing them all together? It didn't help me ;D
Depends on what is the color of the keycaps.
If I'm using black keycaps then I would go with tactical black for the Stealth look. If I'm using while keycaps then I would go for the white case for "Crysis C.E.L.L theme" or clear anodized for Apple theme
If really take a closer look at clear anodized with black keycaps or another way around, it kinda looks more like those stainless steel keyboards used in factories or construction sites.
You can refer to link below to understand what I mean by that
https://www.spartonre.com/ruggedkeyboards/stainlesssteel-industrial-keyboards/
http://www.electronickeyboards.com/industrial-keyboards.html
Post by: Will_26 on Sun, 31 December 2017, 16:49:13
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 01 January 2018, 10:57:36
Again, thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone for being so awesome and supportive of my little project. 2018, year of Topre Conquest. Onward, thocky soldiers!
Post by: avid on Mon, 01 January 2018, 11:11:27
Curious about the silver. In the photos it looks kinda matte, or is it shiny like the norbatouch? You don't happend to have more pictures of the silver (actually prefer normal cellphone/simple photos)
https://i.imgur.com/l6ZbAhn.jpg
edit. Do singularity black looks simular to piano lacquer?
Post by: letze on Mon, 01 January 2018, 17:39:11
Landed on a tactical black in the end. :thumb: Debated between the silver, glossy black and hot pink.I believed silver is look like norbatouch picture. The advertised silver norbaforce photo was taken with studio light. Although I also prefer the look like in the studio picture.
Curious about the silver. In the photos it looks kinda matte, or is it shiny like the norbatouch? You don't happend to have more pictures of the silver (actually prefer normal cellphone/simple photos)
https://i.imgur.com/l6ZbAhn.jpg
edit. Do singularity black looks simular to piano lacquer?
If sigularity is glossy as piano lacquer or even iphone 7 jet black, it definitely carry 'premium' value
Post by: hexosehr on Tue, 02 January 2018, 16:08:05
Post by: Dee1 on Tue, 02 January 2018, 19:41:24
Congrats to everyone who got one! :)
Post by: letze on Tue, 02 January 2018, 20:32:15
Post by: Puddsy on Tue, 02 January 2018, 20:33:12
Aw man, I just got back from the holidays and realized I missed this!
Congrats to everyone who got one! :)
shoot him an email, maybe you can get squeezed in
Post by: Stresemann on Wed, 03 January 2018, 09:35:13
Just a quick New Year’s note to say thanks to everyone who made this group buy a nice success. I’ll leave the ordering page open for a bit longer, as I saw a couple of stragglers come in this morning, but I’ll be truly, finally shutting things down later today (and responding to any outstanding emails in my inbox) and preparing details for the factory then. Then, as the saying goes, let the waiting begin!
Again, thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone for being so awesome and supportive of my little project. 2018, year of Topre Conquest. Onward, thocky soldiers!
Let the waiting begin ! ahaha.
Thank you Ryan for giving life to these awesome cases you've designed.
Post by: tron on Wed, 03 January 2018, 11:27:48
Post by: Puddsy on Wed, 03 January 2018, 11:41:55
Thinking about transplanting my Hipro caps to the 87u. From what I can gather, all I have to do is transplant the hipro switch housings/stems, grind a notch in the plate for left control and desolder the left control led. Am I missing anything? Any tips for this mod?
maybe i'm out of the loop on this, but i don't think you have to transplant housings and stems
but yeah the LED has to go
Post by: Blazestorm on Wed, 03 January 2018, 11:50:28
Unfortunately not!
They are not sold separately, and in fact the caps are a little different than normal. You won't be able to mount them on anything except the Hi-Pro switch housing.
As seen here:Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/SS0Qckg.jpg)
They pop out quite a bit from the plate.
Post by: Puddsy on Wed, 03 January 2018, 12:00:31
Hi-Pro has a different slider + slider housing, so it has to be swapped w/ the caps. Although it might just be the housing, sliders might be the same.Unfortunately not!
They are not sold separately, and in fact the caps are a little different than normal. You won't be able to mount them on anything except the Hi-Pro switch housing.
As seen here:Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/SS0Qckg.jpg)
They pop out quite a bit from the plate.
TIL
Post by: ghostjuggernaut on Wed, 03 January 2018, 12:41:06
Hi-Pro has a different slider + slider housing, so it has to be swapped w/ the caps. Although it might just be the housing, sliders might be the same.Unfortunately not!
They are not sold separately, and in fact the caps are a little different than normal. You won't be able to mount them on anything except the Hi-Pro switch housing.
As seen here:Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/SS0Qckg.jpg)
They pop out quite a bit from the plate.
TIL
Im pretty sure they still work with standard sliders/housings. You will just lose some side support for the slider/keycap. Not sure if this would increase wobble though.
Edit: just read mobbos full post. Disregard.
Post by: hpfalcon on Wed, 03 January 2018, 12:42:26
Post by: alisonica on Wed, 03 January 2018, 13:15:54
Post by: Rumblehotep on Wed, 03 January 2018, 15:36:21
Noruba sensei watashino body is readyNghhh so much black marooon...
Post by: letze on Wed, 03 January 2018, 18:47:38
Thinking about transplanting my Hipro caps to the 87u. From what I can gather, all I have to do is transplant the hipro switch housings/stems, grind a notch in the plate for left control and desolder the left control led. Am I missing anything? Any tips for this mod?Check out mr livingspeedbump post somewhere. Picture included. :thumb:
Post by: clappingcactus on Wed, 03 January 2018, 19:12:17
- Typed on HiPro Nissho caps on a vanilla 89u.
Post by: Wetherbee on Wed, 03 January 2018, 19:38:10
Post by: Rumblehotep on Wed, 03 January 2018, 20:37:37
Post by: clappingcactus on Thu, 04 January 2018, 08:06:35
I thought it was hipro caps wobble but work on lowpro sliders, but hipro sliders can't use anything but hipro caps
Wobble doesn't change. The reason I don't use HiPro housings is because they require more frequent cleaning. I think in theory they're supposed to reduce wobble and protect the stems from snapping. In practice they only do the latter.
Your second fact is right. Only HiPro caps work on HiPro housings.
Post by: JDragon on Thu, 04 January 2018, 21:30:34
Post by: Will_26 on Sat, 06 January 2018, 11:54:58
Does anyone have a guide to replacing Realforce sliders with the JTK sliders? Trying to figure out if I need to make modifications to fit the stabilized keys/spacebar, and also how to lube the sliders.
This guide has a lot of info and pictures! I bookmarked it in case I decide to Mx slider swap mine https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=93076.0
Post by: Rumblehotep on Mon, 08 January 2018, 22:31:40
Got my white realforce and after a couple weeks I'm really digging the white and green pbt layout I have going for it.
So much so that I might jump on another case in astro purple for a stock topre board if they're still up.
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 08 January 2018, 23:03:36
Ryan, is this still going? I notice some buy it now options are still available on the website.
Got my white realforce and after a couple weeks I'm really digging the white and green pbt layout I have going for it.
So much so that I might jump on another case in astro purple for a stock topre board if they're still up.
Sorry for the confusion; those are just a couple of reserved items for specific GH members who just haven’t paid their invoices yet; they actually aren’t available if you try to checkout.
The order has already been placed with the factory, but I did order a few extras in a select set of options and finishes. Hopefully this won’t open the floodgates, but if anybody would like to try to get squeezed in, you can email me 1) your desired finish, 2) WKL/standard option preference, and 3) shipping address with phone number, and I can let you know if the option you want is available among the unreserved extras.
Thanks!
Post by: JDragon on Mon, 08 January 2018, 23:30:30
Does anyone have a guide to replacing Realforce sliders with the JTK sliders? Trying to figure out if I need to make modifications to fit the stabilized keys/spacebar, and also how to lube the sliders.
This guide has a lot of info and pictures! I bookmarked it in case I decide to Mx slider swap mine https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=93076.0
Thanks!
Post by: HotRoderX on Tue, 09 January 2018, 01:58:55
Post by: typischt on Tue, 09 January 2018, 03:59:04
Norbaforce I was wondering if its possible to have a instillation video done? I seen your previous video's and there really nice and a detail video specifically for the case would be nice. This will be my first time opening a topre having it shown step by step would be seriously helpful. Also one question I know it said the anodized units will ship before the powder coated units. Obviously regardless of how you answer it won't be held against ya cause I know there no definitive time frame. Was the Spring/Early Summer Estimate for those with Powder Coated units are those with Anodized finishes. I am just excited really really excited.Hey HotRoderX
Topclack already made an installation video, you can find it here: I‘m not that experienced myself but I‘m assuming that this video should be enough of a help to be able to install it properly.
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 09 January 2018, 18:11:18
Post by: HotRoderX on Tue, 09 January 2018, 23:03:39
In addition to Huey's awesome assembly video/review, I also plan to include a cool little surprise in the product box, which will guide you through the set-up process. :) I also plan to make it super easy to assemble by having all of the components that can be pre-assembled already in place as the unit comes out of the box.
Norbaforce I was wondering if its possible to have a instillation video done? I seen your previous video's and there really nice and a detail video specifically for the case would be nice. This will be my first time opening a topre having it shown step by step would be seriously helpful. Also one question I know it said the anodized units will ship before the powder coated units. Obviously regardless of how you answer it won't be held against ya cause I know there no definitive time frame. Was the Spring/Early Summer Estimate for those with Powder Coated units are those with Anodized finishes. I am just excited really really excited.Hey HotRoderX
Topclack already made an installation video, you can find it here: I‘m not that experienced myself but I‘m assuming that this video should be enough of a help to be able to install it properly.
Thanks to you both I am a bit nervous I am super super excited. I built a keyboard it can't be much harder then that. Still I am nervous this has been a huge investment but totally worth every dime.
Post by: Dee1 on Wed, 10 January 2018, 08:46:12
Post by: regionfree on Thu, 11 January 2018, 00:57:25
Post by: tron on Thu, 11 January 2018, 10:22:01
In addition to Huey's awesome assembly video/review, I also plan to include a cool little surprise in the product box, which will guide you through the set-up process. :) I also plan to make it super easy to assemble by having all of the components that can be pre-assembled already in place as the unit comes out of the box.
I'm curious what domes you plan to use in your own case. If I remember your Top Clack episode correctly, you said that you prefer lighter domes (30g uniform?). Where would one obtain all 30g or 40g uniform domes?
Post by: hpfalcon on Thu, 11 January 2018, 11:14:46
Post by: clappingcactus on Thu, 11 January 2018, 21:00:00
@ order quantities;
Brushed:
For 1: $230
For 5: $104
For 10: $100
For 20: $90
The place also contracts a Rolex (re)finisher for their PVD work, and can get Nickel and Gold done. The Nickel PVD plating would cost about $50-70ish, and the Gold PVD would cost $100-$150ish (because the Gold actual is double-plated, with a base of Nickel first). I understand this puts the highest end plate at around $250ish which is a lot, but advantages include impeccable work, great QC and turnaround time (I guarantee your plates will arrive before the case does).
I would be taking in three extra plates' worth of money just in case of accidents or mis-estimated pricings. Shipping worldwide from Canada is about $40 per piece, and I'd be 'paying myself' $15 per hour for the administrative duties (estimated 6 hours work) (and I'll actually be donating all this money to a homeless shelter local to me with a donation receipt for all to see). Any surplus cash will be listed clearly after the buy, and will be available to be forwarded in lump-sum to any buys related to Norbauer's cases (i.e. if someone wants to take on a brass plate or offer a re-anodization process or for Norbauer himself to prototype future cases etc.).
How does this sound?
edit: All prices in CAD which currently trades for 0.8USD.
Post by: Wetherbee on Thu, 11 January 2018, 21:34:17
Post by: Wetherbee on Thu, 11 January 2018, 21:40:33
Post by: graefeln on Fri, 12 January 2018, 10:13:16
Post by: bminhz on Fri, 12 January 2018, 10:30:03
Brass backplate update:
@ order quantities;
Brushed:
For 1: $230
For 5: $104
For 10: $100
For 20: $90
The place also contracts a Rolex (re)finisher for their PVD work, and can get Nickel and Gold done. The Nickel PVD plating would cost about $50-70ish, and the Gold PVD would cost $100-$150ish (because the Gold actual is double-plated, with a base of Nickel first). I understand this puts the highest end plate at around $250ish which is a lot, but advantages include impeccable work, great QC and turnaround time (I guarantee your plates will arrive before the case does).
I would be taking in three extra plates' worth of money just in case of accidents or mis-estimated pricings. Shipping worldwide from Canada is about $40 per piece, and I'd be 'paying myself' $15 per hour for the administrative duties (estimated 6 hours work) (and I'll actually be donating all this money to a homeless shelter local to me with a donation receipt for all to see). Any surplus cash will be listed clearly after the buy, and will be available to be forwarded in lump-sum to any buys related to Norbauer's cases (i.e. if someone wants to take on a brass plate or offer a re-anodization process or for Norbauer himself to prototype future cases etc.).
How does this sound?
edit: All prices in CAD which currently trades for 0.8USD.
I guess I'd be in as well. thanks again
Post by: tron on Fri, 12 January 2018, 10:38:58
Brass backplate update:
@ order quantities;
Brushed:
For 1: $230
For 5: $104
For 10: $100
For 20: $90
The place also contracts a Rolex (re)finisher for their PVD work, and can get Nickel and Gold done. The Nickel PVD plating would cost about $50-70ish, and the Gold PVD would cost $100-$150ish (because the Gold actual is double-plated, with a base of Nickel first). I understand this puts the highest end plate at around $250ish which is a lot, but advantages include impeccable work, great QC and turnaround time (I guarantee your plates will arrive before the case does).
I would be taking in three extra plates' worth of money just in case of accidents or mis-estimated pricings. Shipping worldwide from Canada is about $40 per piece, and I'd be 'paying myself' $15 per hour for the administrative duties (estimated 6 hours work) (and I'll actually be donating all this money to a homeless shelter local to me with a donation receipt for all to see). Any surplus cash will be listed clearly after the buy, and will be available to be forwarded in lump-sum to any buys related to Norbauer's cases (i.e. if someone wants to take on a brass plate or offer a re-anodization process or for Norbauer himself to prototype future cases etc.).
How does this sound?
edit: All prices in CAD which currently trades for 0.8USD.
Count me in :thumb:
Post by: Rumblehotep on Fri, 12 January 2018, 11:28:52
Brass backplate update:Definitely in for one of these!
@ order quantities;
Brushed:
For 1: $230
For 5: $104
For 10: $100
For 20: $90
The place also contracts a Rolex (re)finisher for their PVD work, and can get Nickel and Gold done. The Nickel PVD plating would cost about $50-70ish, and the Gold PVD would cost $100-$150ish (because the Gold actual is double-plated, with a base of Nickel first). I understand this puts the highest end plate at around $250ish which is a lot, but advantages include impeccable work, great QC and turnaround time (I guarantee your plates will arrive before the case does).
I would be taking in three extra plates' worth of money just in case of accidents or mis-estimated pricings. Shipping worldwide from Canada is about $40 per piece, and I'd be 'paying myself' $15 per hour for the administrative duties (estimated 6 hours work) (and I'll actually be donating all this money to a homeless shelter local to me with a donation receipt for all to see). Any surplus cash will be listed clearly after the buy, and will be available to be forwarded in lump-sum to any buys related to Norbauer's cases (i.e. if someone wants to take on a brass plate or offer a re-anodization process or for Norbauer himself to prototype future cases etc.).
How does this sound?
edit: All prices in CAD which currently trades for 0.8USD.
Post by: Devkey on Fri, 12 January 2018, 22:28:58
Post by: Wetherbee on Fri, 12 January 2018, 22:32:02
Post by: hayt on Sat, 13 January 2018, 02:08:54
Brass backplate update:
@ order quantities;
Brushed:
For 1: $230
For 5: $104
For 10: $100
For 20: $90
The place also contracts a Rolex (re)finisher for their PVD work, and can get Nickel and Gold done. The Nickel PVD plating would cost about $50-70ish, and the Gold PVD would cost $100-$150ish (because the Gold actual is double-plated, with a base of Nickel first). I understand this puts the highest end plate at around $250ish which is a lot, but advantages include impeccable work, great QC and turnaround time (I guarantee your plates will arrive before the case does).
I would be taking in three extra plates' worth of money just in case of accidents or mis-estimated pricings. Shipping worldwide from Canada is about $40 per piece, and I'd be 'paying myself' $15 per hour for the administrative duties (estimated 6 hours work) (and I'll actually be donating all this money to a homeless shelter local to me with a donation receipt for all to see). Any surplus cash will be listed clearly after the buy, and will be available to be forwarded in lump-sum to any buys related to Norbauer's cases (i.e. if someone wants to take on a brass plate or offer a re-anodization process or for Norbauer himself to prototype future cases etc.).
How does this sound?
edit: All prices in CAD which currently trades for 0.8USD.
I'm 100% in dude. Will you be posting the google form on this thread?
Thanks for your support!
Post by: HotRoderX on Sat, 13 January 2018, 02:25:38
Brass backplate update:
@ order quantities;
Brushed:
For 1: $230
For 5: $104
For 10: $100
For 20: $90
The place also contracts a Rolex (re)finisher for their PVD work, and can get Nickel and Gold done. The Nickel PVD plating would cost about $50-70ish, and the Gold PVD would cost $100-$150ish (because the Gold actual is double-plated, with a base of Nickel first). I understand this puts the highest end plate at around $250ish which is a lot, but advantages include impeccable work, great QC and turnaround time (I guarantee your plates will arrive before the case does).
I would be taking in three extra plates' worth of money just in case of accidents or mis-estimated pricings. Shipping worldwide from Canada is about $40 per piece, and I'd be 'paying myself' $15 per hour for the administrative duties (estimated 6 hours work) (and I'll actually be donating all this money to a homeless shelter local to me with a donation receipt for all to see). Any surplus cash will be listed clearly after the buy, and will be available to be forwarded in lump-sum to any buys related to Norbauer's cases (i.e. if someone wants to take on a brass plate or offer a re-anodization process or for Norbauer himself to prototype future cases etc.).
How does this sound?
edit: All prices in CAD which currently trades for 0.8USD.
Question cause seriously interested. Is the Nickle option 50-70ish on top of the cost of the brass are is it a stand alone cost? Also assuming these will have a coating to protect against tarnishing?
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 13 January 2018, 10:32:21
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: le_wraith on Sat, 13 January 2018, 12:55:04
Brass backplate update:
@ order quantities;
Brushed:
For 1: $230
For 5: $104
For 10: $100
For 20: $90
The place also contracts a Rolex (re)finisher for their PVD work, and can get Nickel and Gold done. The Nickel PVD plating would cost about $50-70ish, and the Gold PVD would cost $100-$150ish (because the Gold actual is double-plated, with a base of Nickel first). I understand this puts the highest end plate at around $250ish which is a lot, but advantages include impeccable work, great QC and turnaround time (I guarantee your plates will arrive before the case does).
I would be taking in three extra plates' worth of money just in case of accidents or mis-estimated pricings. Shipping worldwide from Canada is about $40 per piece, and I'd be 'paying myself' $15 per hour for the administrative duties (estimated 6 hours work) (and I'll actually be donating all this money to a homeless shelter local to me with a donation receipt for all to see). Any surplus cash will be listed clearly after the buy, and will be available to be forwarded in lump-sum to any buys related to Norbauer's cases (i.e. if someone wants to take on a brass plate or offer a re-anodization process or for Norbauer himself to prototype future cases etc.).
How does this sound?
edit: All prices in CAD which currently trades for 0.8USD.
i'd definitely be in for this. Can we get an estimate for how much heavier gold would be than brass (particularly given that it's gold + nickel + gold)?
Post by: Peddamann on Sat, 13 January 2018, 12:56:59
Post by: Lansky on Sun, 14 January 2018, 11:00:43
Question cause seriously interested. Is the Nickle option 50-70ish on top of the cost of the brass are is it a stand alone cost? Also assuming these will have a coating to protect against tarnishing?
i'd definitely be in for this. Can we get an estimate for how much heavier gold would be than brass (particularly given that it's gold + nickel + gold)?
I might also be interested in one of these backplates but would like to know about the above as well.
I also think a new IC/GB thread is a good idea.
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 14 January 2018, 15:01:10
The order has been placed with the factory, and they are currently working on a final sample using production tooling, after which production begins. I've been trying my best to process through the many requests I've gotten from people who want to be squeezed in (which I need to cut off, for reals, very soon). However, I've had a horrible flu for the past 10 (!) days, with little time at my computer, and as a result, keeping track of the production quantity spreadsheets, sending invoices, keeping on top of all the back-and-forth emails this generates has been a challenge. So I've decided that the simplest solution is as follows:
I HAVE TEMPORARILY RE-OPENED THE GROUP BUY, WITH LIMITED QUANTITIES/FINISHES AVAILABLE, UNTIL THIS FRIDAY (19 Jan) NOON PST (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/the-norbaforce-cnc-aluminum-housing-for-realforce-keyboards) to allow folks to essentially pre-order a sub-set of the extras that I built into the order already placed with the factory. This saves me having to generate and process a bunch of one-off invoices privately to do essentially the same thing.
So, though a limited set of finishes and options are available (particularly WKL), if you wanted to get in on this design, please do that now, through the online checkout form, rather than emailing me. :) After that point, regretfully, I won't be able to help anyone who wants a case until all the group buy orders have arrived in the US later this year.
I hope that this is helpful to some folks, and my apologies to those of you who have been awaiting overdue email replies from me. I'll be working diligently on clearing out my inbox this afternoon and pointing people here to this post.
Thanks!
PS: I finished the packaging design last week, and it's a big aesthetic upgrade over last time. Can't wait to surprise you all with it. :)
Post by: nickheller on Sun, 14 January 2018, 18:54:31
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 14 January 2018, 19:09:06
Thanks for allowing an extra shot at buying one! If silver non blocked cases are still available on the 19th I will grab one :thumb:
Don't give me too much credit since it's really just a way for me to be lazy, but still, I'm glad I'm able to help. :cool:
Post by: DribbelDog on Mon, 15 January 2018, 08:16:14
Brass backplate update:
@ order quantities;
Brushed:
For 1: $230
For 5: $104
For 10: $100
For 20: $90
The place also contracts a Rolex (re)finisher for their PVD work, and can get Nickel and Gold done. The Nickel PVD plating would cost about $50-70ish, and the Gold PVD would cost $100-$150ish (because the Gold actual is double-plated, with a base of Nickel first). I understand this puts the highest end plate at around $250ish which is a lot, but advantages include impeccable work, great QC and turnaround time (I guarantee your plates will arrive before the case does).
I would be taking in three extra plates' worth of money just in case of accidents or mis-estimated pricings. Shipping worldwide from Canada is about $40 per piece, and I'd be 'paying myself' $15 per hour for the administrative duties (estimated 6 hours work) (and I'll actually be donating all this money to a homeless shelter local to me with a donation receipt for all to see). Any surplus cash will be listed clearly after the buy, and will be available to be forwarded in lump-sum to any buys related to Norbauer's cases (i.e. if someone wants to take on a brass plate or offer a re-anodization process or for Norbauer himself to prototype future cases etc.).
How does this sound?
edit: All prices in CAD which currently trades for 0.8USD.
I'd be in for one as well (probably without coating)!
Post by: clappingcactus on Mon, 15 January 2018, 21:21:02
Post by: alisonica on Tue, 16 January 2018, 07:20:17
Hey all, I'll start an IC thread next Monday. I'm busy this week and want to do it right from the start. I'll also have price breakdowns for orders of 30/40/50 since we seem to have fair interest.
I need 5 bro
Post by: durainello on Sat, 20 January 2018, 09:28:54
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 20 January 2018, 09:33:58
Placed my order on the tactical black. I'm have a concern for the rubber feet, can we able to get some extras?
The box will include more than you need. :)
Post by: durainello on Sat, 20 January 2018, 09:38:35
Post by: regionfree on Sat, 20 January 2018, 19:23:52
Placed my order on the tactical black. I'm have a concern for the rubber feet, can we able to get some extras?
I lost my rubber feet, but the size it uses seems to be a common one, as I was able to buy 3M ones from the local shop. It won't be a problem even if you need more :)
Post by: letze on Sun, 21 January 2018, 09:59:52
Post by: YouGotRioted on Sun, 21 January 2018, 16:48:24
Post by: Hawkfriend on Mon, 22 January 2018, 17:53:48
Hey all, I'll start an IC thread next Monday. I'm busy this week and want to do it right from the start. I'll also have price breakdowns for orders of 30/40/50 since we seem to have fair interest.
this sounds amazing - count me in.
Post by: rjuju on Tue, 23 January 2018, 10:25:40
Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk
Post by: Depeche on Tue, 23 January 2018, 10:27:13
Hey all, I'll start an IC thread next Monday. I'm busy this week and want to do it right from the start. I'll also have price breakdowns for orders of 30/40/50 since we seem to have fair interest.
this sounds amazing - count me in.
+1 I'm down for this too.
Post by: UnFocused on Wed, 24 January 2018, 19:27:24
My 87U started life as the all black version, but I eventually got tired of the monochrome look and swapped the case and caps from a white 87U. I've now turned it into a pseudo anniversary edition board with the addition of the blue caps that came in today. Those are getting harder to find and more expensive, so I thought it time to grab a set before they're gone for good.
Post by: Peddamann on Mon, 29 January 2018, 07:09:06
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 29 January 2018, 09:37:04
um.... did the IC for the brass plate already start in a seperate thread? didnt find anything regarding oO
I think he just hasn't had time to get to it yet, but I'm sure he'll post here in this thread once he has.
Post by: Peddamann on Mon, 29 January 2018, 11:30:39
Post by: clappingcactus on Mon, 29 January 2018, 15:35:15
um.... did the IC for the brass plate already start in a seperate thread? didnt find anything regarding oO
I think he just hasn't had time to get to it yet, but I'm sure he'll post here in this thread once he has.
Yup, I'm not going anywhere. My graduate dissertation is due this Friday, so my life is just a mess right now, but clears up significantly soon. I've still been talking to the manufacturer (even about all the questions someone messaged me). IC up on Saturday or Sunday (depending on how much sleep I need).
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 29 January 2018, 15:37:11
um.... did the IC for the brass plate already start in a seperate thread? didnt find anything regarding oO
I think he just hasn't had time to get to it yet, but I'm sure he'll post here in this thread once he has.
Yup, I'm not going anywhere. My graduate dissertation is due this Friday, so my life is just a mess right now, but clears up significantly soon. I've still been talking to the manufacturer (even about all the questions someone messaged me). IC up on Saturday or Sunday (depending on how much sleep I need).
Man am I glad I left academia; I feel your pain. ;)
Take your time. This stuff is all supposed to be for fun, so no stress! :thumb:
Post by: sodiumjoe on Mon, 29 January 2018, 22:03:33
Post by: le_wraith on Mon, 29 January 2018, 22:20:53
I got my norbatouch over the weekend and honestly with how heavy that case is, I don't understand why you'd want to add more weight
It can never be too heavy man. Compared to my favorite board (LZ Finale 2014) the norbatouch feels featherlight.
Post by: Puddsy on Mon, 29 January 2018, 23:12:51
I got my norbatouch over the weekend and honestly with how heavy that case is, I don't understand why you'd want to add more weight
It can never be too heavy man. Compared to my favorite board (LZ Finale 2014) the norbatouch feels featherlight.
they are within 300 grams of eachother but having felt both i agree
Post by: Lansky on Tue, 30 January 2018, 05:47:51
Post by: sodiumjoe on Tue, 30 January 2018, 11:56:57
Post by: Jca666us on Fri, 09 February 2018, 01:38:37
Count me in for one.
Brass backplate update:
@ order quantities;
Brushed:
For 1: $230
For 5: $104
For 10: $100
For 20: $90
The place also contracts a Rolex (re)finisher for their PVD work, and can get Nickel and Gold done. The Nickel PVD plating would cost about $50-70ish, and the Gold PVD would cost $100-$150ish (because the Gold actual is double-plated, with a base of Nickel first). I understand this puts the highest end plate at around $250ish which is a lot, but advantages include impeccable work, great QC and turnaround time (I guarantee your plates will arrive before the case does).
I would be taking in three extra plates' worth of money just in case of accidents or mis-estimated pricings. Shipping worldwide from Canada is about $40 per piece, and I'd be 'paying myself' $15 per hour for the administrative duties (estimated 6 hours work) (and I'll actually be donating all this money to a homeless shelter local to me with a donation receipt for all to see). Any surplus cash will be listed clearly after the buy, and will be available to be forwarded in lump-sum to any buys related to Norbauer's cases (i.e. if someone wants to take on a brass plate or offer a re-anodization process or for Norbauer himself to prototype future cases etc.).
How does this sound?
edit: All prices in CAD which currently trades for 0.8USD.
Post by: Stresemann on Fri, 09 February 2018, 03:59:08
I am definitely in for one. I hope the update about this come up soon!
Count me in for one.Brass backplate update:
@ order quantities;
Brushed:
For 1: $230
For 5: $104
For 10: $100
For 20: $90
The place also contracts a Rolex (re)finisher for their PVD work, and can get Nickel and Gold done. The Nickel PVD plating would cost about $50-70ish, and the Gold PVD would cost $100-$150ish (because the Gold actual is double-plated, with a base of Nickel first). I understand this puts the highest end plate at around $250ish which is a lot, but advantages include impeccable work, great QC and turnaround time (I guarantee your plates will arrive before the case does).
I would be taking in three extra plates' worth of money just in case of accidents or mis-estimated pricings. Shipping worldwide from Canada is about $40 per piece, and I'd be 'paying myself' $15 per hour for the administrative duties (estimated 6 hours work) (and I'll actually be donating all this money to a homeless shelter local to me with a donation receipt for all to see). Any surplus cash will be listed clearly after the buy, and will be available to be forwarded in lump-sum to any buys related to Norbauer's cases (i.e. if someone wants to take on a brass plate or offer a re-anodization process or for Norbauer himself to prototype future cases etc.).
How does this sound?
edit: All prices in CAD which currently trades for 0.8USD.
Post by: tuxkey on Fri, 09 February 2018, 07:01:38
For me i use the FC660C because i like the compact form factor of it being compact and having dedicated arrow clusters. Also absolutely love the Hasu controller making it fully programmable..So i'm happy that this case isn't for the FC660C hahaha living in The Netherlands means i have to add 32% on top of the total price inc shipping .. So that's $87 on top !!!
That's a bit to much for me. it's actually robbery by the so called state. (just read "the most dangerous superstition by Larken Rose, free e-book)... still love to see this level of quality and workmanship in a world of quick fast and low quality consumption this is top notch.. My compliments.. greetings from EU..
Post by: graefeln on Fri, 09 February 2018, 07:13:02
For me i use the FC660C because i like the compact form factor of it being compact and having dedicated arrow clusters. Also absolutely love the Hasu controller making it fully programmable..So i'm happy that this case isn't for the FC660C hahaha...
Bad (good?) news man, his next case is supposed to be for the 660c and I doubt it will be any cheaper. I actually just got myself a 660c in anticipation... hope I can manage to grab a case when they come around!
Post by: phinix on Fri, 09 February 2018, 11:43:57
Thanks.
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 09 February 2018, 11:45:41
If someone who gets this sweet alu case for his 87U and would like to get rid of old plastic one, please let me know as I'm looking to buy original 87u white case/chassis.
Thanks.
Haha. How many do you need? I've got a pile. :) Feel free to email me and I can hook you up.
Post by: Puddsy on Fri, 09 February 2018, 11:46:46
If someone who gets this sweet alu case for his 87U and would like to get rid of old plastic one, please let me know as I'm looking to buy original 87u white case/chassis.
Thanks.
Haha. How many do you need? I've got a pile. :) Feel free to email me and I can hook you up.
oh man can you send me a black one? should i email you?
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 09 February 2018, 11:48:48
If someone who gets this sweet alu case for his 87U and would like to get rid of old plastic one, please let me know as I'm looking to buy original 87u white case/chassis.
Thanks.
Haha. How many do you need? I've got a pile. :) Feel free to email me and I can hook you up.
oh man can you send me a black one? should i email you?
Yeah, totally. I'm still recovering from having been away all last week and trying to get back to inbox zero and tracking a million little tasks (sorry to anyone whom I owe emails!), so if you can send me an email with your address and the request just so I don't forget, that would be awesome. :thumb:
Post by: Puddsy on Fri, 09 February 2018, 11:49:22
If someone who gets this sweet alu case for his 87U and would like to get rid of old plastic one, please let me know as I'm looking to buy original 87u white case/chassis.
Thanks.
Haha. How many do you need? I've got a pile. :) Feel free to email me and I can hook you up.
oh man can you send me a black one? should i email you?
Yeah, totally. I'm still recovering from having been away all last week and trying to get back to inbox zero and tracking a million little tasks (sorry to anyone whom I owe emails!), so if you can send me an email with your address and the request just so I don't forget, that would be awesome. :thumb:
will do right now
Post by: gilmoregrills on Mon, 12 February 2018, 05:00:34
Especially if you were to keep the capacitance formula somewhere on the case, maybe engraved if that's possible? I know nothing about case manufacturing.
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 12 February 2018, 13:08:48
I don't want to gravedig too hard but I just needed to note my interest in the FC660c case ;)
Especially if you were to keep the capacitance formula somewhere on the case, maybe engraved if that's possible? I know nothing about case manufacturing.
My design is nearly complete; I've been running prototypes here in my workshop the past couple of weeks. I hope to start an IC soon. :)
Post by: letze on Tue, 13 February 2018, 05:41:48
means between June to August? :D
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 13 February 2018, 09:56:20
"sometime in the Spring or early summer"
means between June to August? :D
That's what I was thinking, yes. In this time estimate I'm trying to choose a "safe" date, but I'm also keenly aware from experience of the amazing abilities of factories to observe Parkinson's law, so I'll keep trying to nudge things along as best as possible so we keep to the rough timeline.
Post by: HotRoderX on Tue, 13 February 2018, 11:00:28
I do wonder if our options for case colors will be similar to what the realforce case had perhaps with a added scarlet/maroon red color???
Post by: sodiumjoe on Tue, 13 February 2018, 23:59:24
Post by: thelaughingman on Sat, 17 February 2018, 10:22:36
[attachimg=1][attachimg=2]
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 17 February 2018, 13:20:17
01 Tactical black (hard anodized) - Winkeys Standard (no blocker) can be added to cart but at checkout is sold out. Every other option/combination is correct displayed as sold out on the item page, just this one is not.
(Attachment Link) (Attachment Link)
The black case you're seeing is reserved for someone, which is why it can't be purchased on checkout.
Post by: captainish on Sat, 17 February 2018, 17:04:51
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 17 February 2018, 17:07:11
Haven't been following this thread very closely, but here are some photos of my retro refrigerator prototype with soware alphas and sky dolch mods.
For those curious/confused: this was a pre-production prototype housing (including an 87U inside) that I donated for the raffle at the most recent Boston meet-up. ;D
Post by: Puddsy on Sat, 17 February 2018, 17:20:54
Haven't been following this thread very closely, but here are some photos of my retro refrigerator prototype with soware alphas and sky dolch mods.
Great keyset.
Post by: thelaughingman on Sat, 17 February 2018, 19:36:54
01 Tactical black (hard anodized) - Winkeys Standard (no blocker) can be added to cart but at checkout is sold out. Every other option/combination is correct displayed as sold out on the item page, just this one is not.
(Attachment Link) (Attachment Link)
The black case you're seeing is reserved for someone, which is why it can't be purchased on checkout.
I see, thanks for the clarification man!
Post by: idlemao on Sun, 18 February 2018, 01:03:55
Post by: durainello on Mon, 19 February 2018, 19:11:21
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 19 February 2018, 19:16:10
Will there be any updates of the production or we just wait until the items in the mail? First time buying from GB, pardon me.
Well, generally speaking, the standing update can safely be regarded as "currently being manufactured" until you get your shipping notification. However, I generally try to provide more granular updates than that here in the GH thread and elsewhere, most just for fun and general interest.
Along those lines: pre-production CAM programming and final samples are complete, but the factory elected to wait until the return from the Lunar New Year before beginning the production CNC work. Things should starting coming back online in a week or so for that.
Welcome to your first group buy, btw. I'm honored you chose my project to be your first! :)
Post by: duckboi on Sun, 25 February 2018, 13:24:39
Post by: HotRoderX on Sun, 25 February 2018, 18:25:36
Hi, sorry if i missed this somewhere, but the other side of the USB cable is USB A right? I can't wait for these to be done! :D
I don't think it was ever stated but just implied.. but yes I am 99.9% sure it will be USB-A I don't think keyboard's can even except a true full USB-C cable, and it would seriously limit comparability for everyone.
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 25 February 2018, 21:48:25
Hi, sorry if i missed this somewhere, but the other side of the USB cable is USB A right? I can't wait for these to be done! :D
Affirmative. :thumb:
Post by: nguyenhimself on Mon, 26 February 2018, 02:54:39
Saving my credit card for that FC660C case. I remembered the excitement when Mechantronico first teased (https://imgur.com/a/YKeNh) their design, only to be let down when they never followed-up on that 😣
(https://i.imgur.com/TkWD0Bq.jpg)
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 26 February 2018, 17:32:59
Hey norbauer, just PM'd you about the possibility of buying a white plastic case from your left-overs 🙂
Saving my credit card for that FC660C case. I remembered the excitement when Mechantronico first teased (https://imgur.com/a/YKeNh) their design, only to be let down when they never followed-up on that 😣Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/TkWD0Bq.jpg)
Sadly, I'm out of spare housings at the moment. Quite a few people jumped on my casual mention of that rather quickly. ;)
Last week I posted some images of the current FC660 design prototype on my Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/norbauer/). Also, Huey from the most excellent TopClack (https://topclack.com/) was over this weekend and graciously provided me some very useful feedback and encouragement on it. So I'm feeling pretty good where things are right now. I'm sending it off to CNC prototyping in metal this week.
I think I'll wait until I have a physical prototype in hand and some nice pics before starting the IC and full deatils. But, in short, I'm getting close. Got to fill my spare keyboard time with something during the long wait while the Norbaforces are being manufactured, after all. ;)
Post by: Lansky on Mon, 05 March 2018, 04:27:02
Yup, I'm not going anywhere. My graduate dissertation is due this Friday, so my life is just a mess right now, but clears up significantly soon. I've still been talking to the manufacturer (even about all the questions someone messaged me). IC up on Saturday or Sunday (depending on how much sleep I need).
Is it up yet? I still can't find anything. :-[
Post by: ramnes on Mon, 05 March 2018, 18:51:38
If you need any help or feedback please just send me a message!
Post by: Hawkfriend on Wed, 07 March 2018, 16:45:51
Yup, I'm not going anywhere. My graduate dissertation is due this Friday, so my life is just a mess right now, but clears up significantly soon. I've still been talking to the manufacturer (even about all the questions someone messaged me). IC up on Saturday or Sunday (depending on how much sleep I need).
Is it up yet? I still can't find anything. :-[
not yet. I think the guy is still busy. I'm sure we won't miss it when it goes up though.
Post by: testplsignore on Sat, 10 March 2018, 01:21:41
I know hasu makes a USB to USB version, if there's space maybe that could be adapted to fit before the USB PCB?
(Ideally you could have it all in one PCB, that would obviously be more work...)
Post by: vinzlr on Sat, 10 March 2018, 13:53:16
:(
Post by: Puddsy on Sat, 10 March 2018, 13:59:09
What sliders would y’all recommend? I tried using some jtk sliders but they’re so loose that my keys fell off
:(
kbdfans or novatouch if you can find them
Post by: Jca666us on Sat, 10 March 2018, 19:07:17
Post by: thelaughingman on Wed, 14 March 2018, 10:16:28
Post by: Peddamann on Thu, 15 March 2018, 10:57:16
ordered a 87UW55 from the uk for around 260€ -_- (320$) RIP Wallet...
last item i need are some sliders...
Post by: Lansky on Thu, 15 March 2018, 11:42:11
Post by: crtexcnndrm99 on Fri, 16 March 2018, 07:03:08
Post by: thelaughingman on Fri, 16 March 2018, 09:53:35
a good deal for a realforce 87UW55 in germany is to get ANY realforce at all :-/
ordered a 87UW55 from the uk for around 260€ -_- (320$) RIP Wallet...
last item i need are some sliders...
WOW RIP wallet indeed my friend! Topre keyboards in Vietnam is also a very rare sight but the price is much better. I also need NT sliders now too :p
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 16 March 2018, 13:25:35
Just out of curiosity... How many cases are being manufactured?
Around 350 were ordered, which is part of why it's going to take a while for manufacturing to be complete (the other main reason being CNY). I myself was shocked by the popularity of the design and number of orders.
One thing is for sure: I'm going to have quite an interesting week sorting, inspecting, assembling, and shipping all these things when they come here to my home office. x_X But that's all part of the fun, so I'm actually looking forward to it.
The cases will all be coming with an instruction manual with some cool hand-drawn artwork I made with an illustrator friend, and I plan to be individually numbering and signing each one—just for the lulz. We're planning on printing them on a Japanese risograph printer, to keep with the Japanese vibe of the RealForce. :cool:
Post by: duckboi on Fri, 16 March 2018, 15:57:10
The cases will all be coming with an instruction manual with some cool hand-drawn artwork I made with an illustrator friend, and I plan to be individually numbering and signing each one—just for the lulz. We're planning on printing them on a Japanese risograph printer, to keep with the Japanese vibe of the RealForce. :cool:
Very cool, I can't wait to get mine!
Post by: ihalatch on Fri, 16 March 2018, 20:01:23
Just out of curiosity... How many cases are being manufactured?
Around 350 were ordered, which is part of why it's going to take a while for manufacturing to be complete (the other main reason being CNY). I myself was shocked by the popularity of the design and number of orders.
One thing is for sure: I'm going to have quite an interesting week sorting, inspecting, assembling, and shipping all these things when they come here to my home office. x_X But that's all part of the fun, so I'm actually looking forward to it.
The cases will all be coming with an instruction manual with some cool hand-drawn artwork I made with an illustrator friend, and I plan to be individually numbering and signing each one—just for the lulz. We're planning on printing them on a Japanese risograph printer, to keep with the Japanese vibe of the RealForce. :cool:
Love ya mate. You are a creative fellow. Can't wait to put together my Norbaforce.
Post by: xondat on Fri, 16 March 2018, 20:28:36
Just out of curiosity... How many cases are being manufactured?
Around 350 were ordered
Holy ****... :eek: :eek:
Post by: hayt on Fri, 16 March 2018, 21:58:31
Just out of curiosity... How many cases are being manufactured?
Around 350 were ordered
Holy ****... :eek: :eek:
That's pretty dope. Didn't realize this many were being released into the wild.
Post by: Lansky on Sat, 17 March 2018, 05:09:33
Just out of curiosity... How many cases are being manufactured?
Around 350 were ordered, which is part of why it's going to take a while for manufacturing to be complete (the other main reason being CNY). I myself was shocked by the popularity of the design and number of orders.
One thing is for sure: I'm going to have quite an interesting week sorting, inspecting, assembling, and shipping all these things when they come here to my home office. x_X But that's all part of the fun, so I'm actually looking forward to it.
The cases will all be coming with an instruction manual with some cool hand-drawn artwork I made with an illustrator friend, and I plan to be individually numbering and signing each one—just for the lulz. We're planning on printing them on a Japanese risograph printer, to keep with the Japanese vibe of the RealForce. :cool:
Wow, congrats! That's impressive!
And that sounds really nice, can't wait till I get mine. :)
Post by: nmur on Sat, 17 March 2018, 07:45:43
Just out of curiosity... How many cases are being manufactured?
Around 350 were ordered
Holy ****... :eek: :eek:
that's like literally 1 tonne of keyboard
Post by: Kerasan on Sat, 17 March 2018, 10:22:06
Quote
The cases will all be coming with an instruction manual with some cool hand-drawn artwork I made with an illustrator friend, and I plan to be individually numbering and signing each one—just for the lulz. We're planning on printing them on a Japanese risograph printer, to keep with the Japanese vibe of the RealForce.
What?
you are from another category,
not just details but norbadetails.
Kerasan KMK Labs
Post by: dgneo on Sat, 17 March 2018, 10:43:03
Just out of curiosity... How many cases are being manufactured?
Around 350 were ordered, which is part of why it's going to take a while for manufacturing to be complete (the other main reason being CNY). I myself was shocked by the popularity of the design and number of orders.
One thing is for sure: I'm going to have quite an interesting week sorting, inspecting, assembling, and shipping all these things when they come here to my home office. x_X But that's all part of the fun, so I'm actually looking forward to it.
The cases will all be coming with an instruction manual with some cool hand-drawn artwork I made with an illustrator friend, and I plan to be individually numbering and signing each one—just for the lulz. We're planning on printing them on a Japanese risograph printer, to keep with the Japanese vibe of the RealForce. :cool:
pls tell me there's extras? :'(
Post by: regionfree on Sat, 17 March 2018, 23:32:32
in my case, I ordered 2 and I will very probably sell one off once I get them. I couldn't make up my mind between the silver alu and enigma black.
pls tell me there's extras? :'(
Post by: EugeneYap83 on Mon, 19 March 2018, 23:30:41
Just out of curiosity... How many cases are being manufactured?
Around 350 were ordered, which is part of why it's going to take a while for manufacturing to be complete (the other main reason being CNY). I myself was shocked by the popularity of the design and number of orders.
One thing is for sure: I'm going to have quite an interesting week sorting, inspecting, assembling, and shipping all these things when they come here to my home office. x_X But that's all part of the fun, so I'm actually looking forward to it.
The cases will all be coming with an instruction manual with some cool hand-drawn artwork I made with an illustrator friend, and I plan to be individually numbering and signing each one—just for the lulz. We're planning on printing them on a Japanese risograph printer, to keep with the Japanese vibe of the RealForce. :cool:
Wow! JUST WOW! You have just make me more inpatient for the case. (In a good sense).
I’ll be sure to show to my friends once I’m done building the keyboard and poison them into norba*insert projectName*.
Post by: Puddsy on Tue, 20 March 2018, 01:34:38
Just out of curiosity... How many cases are being manufactured?
Around 350 were ordered
Holy ****... :eek: :eek:
that's so ****ing many
do you even have space for that many cases? like holy ****
Post by: PurpleURP on Wed, 21 March 2018, 16:08:28
Brass backplate update:
@ order quantities;
Brushed:
For 1: $230
For 5: $104
For 10: $100
For 20: $90
The place also contracts a Rolex (re)finisher for their PVD work, and can get Nickel and Gold done. The Nickel PVD plating would cost about $50-70ish, and the Gold PVD would cost $100-$150ish (because the Gold actual is double-plated, with a base of Nickel first). I understand this puts the highest end plate at around $250ish which is a lot, but advantages include impeccable work, great QC and turnaround time (I guarantee your plates will arrive before the case does).
I would be taking in three extra plates' worth of money just in case of accidents or mis-estimated pricings. Shipping worldwide from Canada is about $40 per piece, and I'd be 'paying myself' $15 per hour for the administrative duties (estimated 6 hours work) (and I'll actually be donating all this money to a homeless shelter local to me with a donation receipt for all to see). Any surplus cash will be listed clearly after the buy, and will be available to be forwarded in lump-sum to any buys related to Norbauer's cases (i.e. if someone wants to take on a brass plate or offer a re-anodization process or for Norbauer himself to prototype future cases etc.).
How does this sound?
edit: All prices in CAD which currently trades for 0.8USD.
pmd, hopefully not too late
Post by: hayt on Wed, 21 March 2018, 16:11:47
Brass backplate update:
@ order quantities;
Brushed:
For 1: $230
For 5: $104
For 10: $100
For 20: $90
The place also contracts a Rolex (re)finisher for their PVD work, and can get Nickel and Gold done. The Nickel PVD plating would cost about $50-70ish, and the Gold PVD would cost $100-$150ish (because the Gold actual is double-plated, with a base of Nickel first). I understand this puts the highest end plate at around $250ish which is a lot, but advantages include impeccable work, great QC and turnaround time (I guarantee your plates will arrive before the case does).
I would be taking in three extra plates' worth of money just in case of accidents or mis-estimated pricings. Shipping worldwide from Canada is about $40 per piece, and I'd be 'paying myself' $15 per hour for the administrative duties (estimated 6 hours work) (and I'll actually be donating all this money to a homeless shelter local to me with a donation receipt for all to see). Any surplus cash will be listed clearly after the buy, and will be available to be forwarded in lump-sum to any buys related to Norbauer's cases (i.e. if someone wants to take on a brass plate or offer a re-anodization process or for Norbauer himself to prototype future cases etc.).
How does this sound?
edit: All prices in CAD which currently trades for 0.8USD.
pmd, hopefully not too late
Were orders being taken for these brass plates? Maybe I missed it.
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 21 March 2018, 16:11:59
Just out of curiosity... How many cases are being manufactured?
Around 350 were ordered
Holy ****... :eek: :eek:
that's so ****ing many
do you even have space for that many cases? like holy ****
lol. I'm trying not to think about this quite yet. :rolleyes: Like I said, it's going to make for an interesting week in my living room.
Post by: HotRoderX on Wed, 21 March 2018, 16:15:26
Just out of curiosity... How many cases are being manufactured?
Around 350 were ordered
Holy ****... :eek: :eek:
that's so ****ing many
do you even have space for that many cases? like holy ****
lol. I'm trying not to think about this quite yet. :rolleyes: Like I said, it's going to make for an interesting week in my living room.
I am getting more and more excited!!! I can't wait for my case to ship! Are you doing shipping in tiers? Meaning the non powder coated cases will go out a lot sooner then the powder coated ones? I got a tactical black and can't wait!!!
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 21 March 2018, 16:19:17
I am getting more and more excited!!! I can't wait for my case to ship! Are you doing shipping in tiers? Meaning the non powder coated cases will go out a lot sooner then the powder coated ones? I got a tactical black and can't wait!!!
Yes, the anodized cases will ship much sooner than the powder cases, but still not until later in the spring or summer. As expected, CNY really caused this production run to take quite a while to get rolling. But they're being machined right now.
The powder ones are basically custom-made, nearly one-by-one by a small local shop, so they take time. They're still finishing up Novatouch cases for me right now actually.
Post by: sethbc on Wed, 21 March 2018, 16:30:01
Brass backplate update:
@ order quantities;
Brushed:
For 1: $230
For 5: $104
For 10: $100
For 20: $90
The place also contracts a Rolex (re)finisher for their PVD work, and can get Nickel and Gold done. The Nickel PVD plating would cost about $50-70ish, and the Gold PVD would cost $100-$150ish (because the Gold actual is double-plated, with a base of Nickel first). I understand this puts the highest end plate at around $250ish which is a lot, but advantages include impeccable work, great QC and turnaround time (I guarantee your plates will arrive before the case does).
I would be taking in three extra plates' worth of money just in case of accidents or mis-estimated pricings. Shipping worldwide from Canada is about $40 per piece, and I'd be 'paying myself' $15 per hour for the administrative duties (estimated 6 hours work) (and I'll actually be donating all this money to a homeless shelter local to me with a donation receipt for all to see). Any surplus cash will be listed clearly after the buy, and will be available to be forwarded in lump-sum to any buys related to Norbauer's cases (i.e. if someone wants to take on a brass plate or offer a re-anodization process or for Norbauer himself to prototype future cases etc.).
How does this sound?
edit: All prices in CAD which currently trades for 0.8USD.
pmd, hopefully not too late
Were orders being taken for these brass plates? Maybe I missed it.
I still haven't seen anything on this in a while either, i'd be down.
Post by: hayt on Wed, 28 March 2018, 15:32:22
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 28 March 2018, 16:32:32
NE Updates on the brass plate avail?
We haven't heard from clappingcactus in a while. I don't want to step on his toes, as I know he was busy with school, but if for some reason he prefers not to complete the project, I'll look into making something similar available this summer, around the time when the Norbaforces ship. My current experiments on the heavy-6 (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=94774.0) have made me realize that at least doing a brushed brass backplate isn't too hard. Stainless steel with PVD coating could also be an option. I'm looking into that also right now for the Heavy-6.
Post by: alisonica on Wed, 28 March 2018, 18:32:45
NE Updates on the brass plate avail?
We haven't heard from clappingcactus in a while. I don't want to step on his toes, as I know he was busy with school, but if for some reason he prefers not to complete the project, I'll look into making something similar available this summer, around the time when the Norbaforces ship. My current experiments on the heavy-6 (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=94774.0) have made me realize that at least doing a brushed brass backplate isn't too hard. Stainless steel with PVD coating could also be an option. I'm looking into that also right now for the Heavy-6.
Nice, i'm in for this for my 5 norbaforces, also in for 2 Heavy-6.
Post by: xondat on Wed, 28 March 2018, 18:34:16
NE Updates on the brass plate avail?
We haven't heard from clappingcactus in a while. I don't want to step on his toes, as I know he was busy with school, but if for some reason he prefers not to complete the project, I'll look into making something similar available this summer, around the time when the Norbaforces ship. My current experiments on the heavy-6 (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=94774.0) have made me realize that at least doing a brushed brass backplate isn't too hard. Stainless steel with PVD coating could also be an option. I'm looking into that also right now for the Heavy-6.
Nice, i'm in for this for my 5 norbaforces, also in for 2 Heavy-6.
FIVE?!
Bloody hell. I want to see all these builds when they happen!
Post by: braidn on Wed, 28 March 2018, 22:04:08
NE Updates on the brass plate avail?
We haven't heard from clappingcactus in a while. I don't want to step on his toes, as I know he was busy with school, but if for some reason he prefers not to complete the project, I'll look into making something similar available this summer, around the time when the Norbaforces ship. My current experiments on the heavy-6 (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=94774.0) have made me realize that at least doing a brushed brass backplate isn't too hard. Stainless steel with PVD coating could also be an option. I'm looking into that also right now for the Heavy-6.
Nice, i'm in for this for my 5 norbaforces, also in for 2 Heavy-6.
Five is a pretty impressive number. Doubly so with the impressive number to acquire a single case.
Post by: Peddamann on Tue, 03 April 2018, 12:20:31
Post by: Darknight00z on Sun, 08 April 2018, 19:52:03
Post by: Puddsy on Sun, 08 April 2018, 21:38:48
Did we manage to find someone to add custom programming on the breakout PCB? My norbatouch is seriously lacking this feature.
from what xondat says in the XRF thread, it is impossible and a new pcb/firmware needs to be designed
apparently it is under development now
Post by: speedyzy on Sun, 15 April 2018, 12:45:16
Post by: xondat on Sun, 15 April 2018, 13:03:10
Did we manage to find someone to add custom programming on the breakout PCB? My norbatouch is seriously lacking this feature.
from what xondat says in the XRF thread, it is impossible and a new pcb/firmware needs to be designed
apparently it is under development now
Only just seen this so thought I'd weigh in.
To explain it best, it's important to outline why it's possible on the HHKB.
With the HHKB, you have the main PCB, which is where the domes/spring sit etc. This board has the matrix, and then is plugged into the other PCB. The other PCB has the controller on. Stock, it isn't possible to program the HHKB due to the controller, but because the side PCB is easily replaceable, you can edit it like that. It's why Hasu has a PCB replacement only for the HHKB.
The RF is different in this sense (but similar to most keyboard PCBs) where the controller and the matrix are on the whole board. This means there is no where to "intercept" the communication between the matrix and the controller, so it leaves only one option, which is to try and program the controller... But you can't, as there isn't any where to plug in or whatever. I think it's possible to solder wires to the controller, but at this point, it's too messy.
With the RF, you can have a breakout PCB to change the type of connector, but you can't edit the keycodes directly. Think of it as being read only after the information has gone through the controller.
So with the HHKB, you have this:
Key press -> matrix -> through connecting cable -> controller -> physical output
RF is:
Key press -> matrix -> controller -> physical output
Now with a breakout PCB, you can change the physical output, but you can't directly edit the keycode.
It is possible to have a small PCB that takes whatever it's given from the controller, and edit it like this, but this adds latency, and it isn't what we really want, so it'd be pointless to put time development into that.
We want to edit what the controller gives, not what the computer receives.
Why haven't there been any complete PCB replacements yet? It's incredibly complex, and there isn't any public knowledge on it. We all know Topre works using capacitive sensing, which is infinitely more complex than Cherry where it's either on or off.
Hope that explains it well :p
Disclaimer: I'm not a PCB designer, and honestly I don't understand how you'd do it, but I think I understand the reasoning of why you can't simply use a breakout board.
Post by: duynguyenle on Sun, 15 April 2018, 15:04:14
Did we manage to find someone to add custom programming on the breakout PCB? My norbatouch is seriously lacking this feature.
from what xondat says in the XRF thread, it is impossible and a new pcb/firmware needs to be designed
apparently it is under development now
Only just seen this so thought I'd weigh in.
To explain it best, it's important to outline why it's possible on the HHKB.
With the HHKB, you have the main PCB, which is where the domes/spring sit etc. This board has the matrix, and then is plugged into the other PCB. The other PCB has the controller on. Stock, it isn't possible to program the HHKB due to the controller, but because the side PCB is easily replaceable, you can edit it like that. It's why Hasu has a PCB replacement only for the HHKB.
The RF is different in this sense (but similar to most keyboard PCBs) where the controller and the matrix are on the whole board. This means there is no where to "intercept" the communication between the matrix and the controller, so it leaves only one option, which is to try and program the controller... But you can't, as there isn't any where to plug in or whatever. I think it's possible to solder wires to the controller, but at this point, it's too messy.
With the RF, you can have a breakout PCB to change the type of connector, but you can't edit the keycodes directly. Think of it as being read only after the information has gone through the controller.
So with the HHKB, you have this:
Key press -> matrix -> through connecting cable -> controller -> physical output
RF is:
Key press -> matrix -> controller -> physical output
Now with a breakout PCB, you can change the physical output, but you can't directly edit the keycode.
It is possible to have a small PCB that takes whatever it's given from the controller, and edit it like this, but this adds latency, and it isn't what we really want, so it'd be pointless to put time development into that.
We want to edit what the controller gives, not what the computer receives.
Why haven't there been any complete PCB replacements yet? It's incredibly complex, and there isn't any public knowledge on it. We all know Topre works using capacitive sensing, which is infinitely more complex than Cherry where it's either on or off.
Hope that explains it well :p
Disclaimer: I'm not a PCB designer, and honestly I don't understand how you'd do it, but I think I understand the reasoning of why you can't simply use a breakout board.
This is actually what the Hasu's TMK USB to USB converter does, iirc it doesn't add much latency, and is pretty much completely transparent to the end-user. Perhaps if you're a CSGO Pro you might notice the difference, but I reckon most mortal plebs like us wouldn't even notice a few extra miliseconds of latency when using a man-in-the-middle such as this.
Link for further info:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=74708.0
Since this is TMK-based, it probably wouldn't be too hard to port over to QMK if someone has the time and expertise to play around with it a bit.
Post by: Darknight00z on Sun, 15 April 2018, 16:30:04
Did we manage to find someone to add custom programming on the breakout PCB? My norbatouch is seriously lacking this feature.
from what xondat says in the XRF thread, it is impossible and a new pcb/firmware needs to be designed
apparently it is under development now
Appreciate the thorough insight! Thanks!
Only just seen this so thought I'd weigh in.
To explain it best, it's important to outline why it's possible on the HHKB.
With the HHKB, you have the main PCB, which is where the domes/spring sit etc. This board has the matrix, and then is plugged into the other PCB. The other PCB has the controller on. Stock, it isn't possible to program the HHKB due to the controller, but because the side PCB is easily replaceable, you can edit it like that. It's why Hasu has a PCB replacement only for the HHKB.
The RF is different in this sense (but similar to most keyboard PCBs) where the controller and the matrix are on the whole board. This means there is no where to "intercept" the communication between the matrix and the controller, so it leaves only one option, which is to try and program the controller... But you can't, as there isn't any where to plug in or whatever. I think it's possible to solder wires to the controller, but at this point, it's too messy.
With the RF, you can have a breakout PCB to change the type of connector, but you can't edit the keycodes directly. Think of it as being read only after the information has gone through the controller.
So with the HHKB, you have this:
Key press -> matrix -> through connecting cable -> controller -> physical output
RF is:
Key press -> matrix -> controller -> physical output
Now with a breakout PCB, you can change the physical output, but you can't directly edit the keycode.
It is possible to have a small PCB that takes whatever it's given from the controller, and edit it like this, but this adds latency, and it isn't what we really want, so it'd be pointless to put time development into that.
We want to edit what the controller gives, not what the computer receives.
Why haven't there been any complete PCB replacements yet? It's incredibly complex, and there isn't any public knowledge on it. We all know Topre works using capacitive sensing, which is infinitely more complex than Cherry where it's either on or off.
Hope that explains it well :p
Disclaimer: I'm not a PCB designer, and honestly I don't understand how you'd do it, but I think I understand the reasoning of why you can't simply use a breakout board.
Post by: ag36 on Wed, 25 April 2018, 16:34:16
Post by: MajorKoos on Wed, 25 April 2018, 17:10:16
Post by: Kerasan on Wed, 25 April 2018, 17:42:53
NE Updates on the brass plate avail?
We haven't heard from clappingcactus in a while. I don't want to step on his toes, as I know he was busy with school, but if for some reason he prefers not to complete the project, I'll look into making something similar available this summer, around the time when the Norbaforces ship. My current experiments on the heavy-6 (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=94774.0) have made me realize that at least doing a brushed brass backplate isn't too hard. Stainless steel with PVD coating could also be an option. I'm looking into that also right now for the Heavy-6.
Wold be great!
KMK Labs.
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 27 April 2018, 11:20:49
Here are some Aerospace Aluminum cases drying after they came out of the anodizing tank.
(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/production/bw-compressed.jpg)
We do still have some waiting left to do, however. I opted to try to something a little fancy with the packaging, and the hand-assembled boxes won't be done until likely late May. Then inspection, assembly, trans-Pacific shipment, etc. I think we're still on track with my original time estimate, however; I'm hoping early in the summer for shipment of the anodized assemblies to group buy participants. The custom powder coat cases will follow as the shop here in California turns them around.
Post by: Lansky on Fri, 27 April 2018, 12:00:48
Post by: Puddsy on Fri, 27 April 2018, 12:22:56
I just wanted to provide an update on the project. Machining of all the cases is complete and anodizing work is wrapping up in the next week or two.
Here are some Aerospace Aluminum cases drying after they came out of the anodizing tank.Show Image(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/production/bw-compressed.jpg)
We do still have some waiting left to do, however. I opted to try to something a little fancy with the packaging, and the hand-assembled boxes won't be done until likely late May. Then inspection, assembly, trans-Pacific shipment, etc. I think we're still on track with my original time estimate, however; I'm hoping early in the summer for shipment of the anodized assemblies to group buy participants. The custom powder coat cases will follow as the shop here in California turns them around.
good update
looks great
Post by: Mr_BeastQuake on Fri, 27 April 2018, 19:07:28
Post by: xondat on Fri, 27 April 2018, 19:09:39
*googles when summer starts*
June 21st for anyone wondering ;)
Can't come quicker, I want to pick one up.
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 27 April 2018, 19:13:55
*googles when summer starts*
lol. I had to do the same thing today when posting that. This is clearly—intentionally—not a particularly precise timeline, but it seems roughly correct.
It's kind of wacky that the last thing to be complete will be the packaging (same thing is happening to me with Galaxy Class right now). Maybe I need to start looking for a new box factory.
Post by: braidn on Sat, 28 April 2018, 11:06:19
I just wanted to provide an update on the project. Machining of all the cases is complete and anodizing work is wrapping up in the next week or two.
Here are some Aerospace Aluminum cases drying after they came out of the anodizing tank.Show Image(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/production/bw-compressed.jpg)
We do still have some waiting left to do, however. I opted to try to something a little fancy with the packaging, and the hand-assembled boxes won't be done until likely late May. Then inspection, assembly, trans-Pacific shipment, etc. I think we're still on track with my original time estimate, however; I'm hoping early in the summer for shipment of the anodized assemblies to group buy participants. The custom powder coat cases will follow as the shop here in California turns them around.
Absolute hype! Excited things are going smooth and the project is on target. Feeling this and the M60 are going to produce some interesting summer builds.
Post by: tanvir175 on Sat, 28 April 2018, 16:45:29
I just wanted to provide an update on the project. Machining of all the cases is complete and anodizing work is wrapping up in the next week or two.
Here are some Aerospace Aluminum cases drying after they came out of the anodizing tank.Show Image(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/production/bw-compressed.jpg)
We do still have some waiting left to do, however. I opted to try to something a little fancy with the packaging, and the hand-assembled boxes won't be done until likely late May. Then inspection, assembly, trans-Pacific shipment, etc. I think we're still on track with my original time estimate, however; I'm hoping early in the summer for shipment of the anodized assemblies to group buy participants. The custom powder coat cases will follow as the shop here in California turns them around.
Absolute hype! Excited things are going smooth and the project is on target. Feeling this and the M60 are going to produce some interesting summer builds.
>M60
>build
>cries in hotswap
Post by: HotRoderX on Sun, 29 April 2018, 02:15:00
Post by: duckboi on Sun, 29 April 2018, 06:46:32
norbauer might have answered this before but not sure can't remember. Do you know if the non powder coated board's will ship earlier then the powder coated ones?
He said that they would in the most recent update above.
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 29 April 2018, 21:25:20
norbauer might have answered this before but not sure can't remember. Do you know if the non powder coated board's will ship earlier then the powder coated ones?
He said that they would in the most recent update above.
norbauer might have answered this before but not sure can't remember. Do you know if the non powder coated board's will ship earlier then the powder coated ones?
Indeed. I generally ship anodized stuff right out within a few days of when it arrives to me—just however long it takes me to personally inspect, pack, and ship each one individually and then batch them up into a big pile for UPS/USPS/DHL to come pick up. But I've gotten pretty fast at the process. :)
Post by: HotRoderX on Mon, 30 April 2018, 01:55:18
Post by: Petch on Mon, 30 April 2018, 06:18:36
Post by: shadow on Sun, 06 May 2018, 10:42:03
Really looking forward to getting the case as well :D In your typing test video I see you used some foam inserts, and in a post a while back, you mentioned you might make such inserts available around the time when the cases are ready to ship.
Do you think you will be able to do this? I'd be very interested in such foam inserts :)
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 06 May 2018, 11:29:37
Post by: avid on Sun, 06 May 2018, 11:33:50
Question about euro orders, will they be shipped out altogether when the powder coatings are done or is there sufficient EU orders that there will be more than one deliveries?
Post by: salvanipour on Sun, 06 May 2018, 11:40:01
Post by: richard912 on Sun, 06 May 2018, 20:08:24
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 10 May 2018, 11:05:51
Any updates as to when this will ship?
Hey Richard. Since you got an anodized case, I'd say that July is a good guess. The boxes and printed enclosure are going to be the last thing completed in the whole Norbaforce assembly and as a result are unfortunately holding everything else up a bit, but we should still fall roughly within my originally envisaged timeline.
Powder cases will take longer. In the past, this has meant from one to multiple months, but I'm currently working hard to shorten my lead times on those by working with a new shop that has faster turnaround times and can do bigger volumes at once. I've had good results in small tests with them, but this has yet to be put to the test with a big batch so far. ;)
Post by: Choobies on Thu, 10 May 2018, 11:43:16
Post by: xondat on Thu, 10 May 2018, 11:45:36
Will this housing fit the Realforce 91U? Item # NG0100. Thinking about picking one up..
It should do.
Post by: shadow on Thu, 10 May 2018, 14:59:37
Oh, that’s a good question. I had entirely forgotten about this! I’ll investigate and see what’s possible. :)
Sounds good! :)
Post by: richard912 on Thu, 10 May 2018, 22:29:19
Thanks for the update, Ryan. July, should give me sufficient time to mod out my RF87.Any updates as to when this will ship?
Hey Richard. Since you got an anodized case, I'd say that July is a good guess. The boxes and printed enclosure are going to be the last thing completed in the whole Norbaforce assembly and as a result are unfortunately holding everything else up a bit, but we should still fall roughly within my originally envisaged timeline.
Powder cases will take longer. In the past, this has meant from one to multiple months, but I'm currently working hard to shorten my lead times on those by working with a new shop that has faster turnaround times and can do bigger volumes at once. I've had good results in small tests with them, but this has yet to be put to the test with a big batch so far. ;)
Post by: idlemao on Sat, 12 May 2018, 16:29:03
Post by: xondat on Sat, 12 May 2018, 16:30:39
To those who got the WKL version but have the 87u, how would you mod the board so that it fit into the case?
No, you'd just block the menu key.
(http://i.imgur.com/HBL8B3H.jpg)
Post by: HotRoderX on Sat, 12 May 2018, 16:46:49
Basically you have to remove the switch housing from the plate/board for the Win key's. I found a video on doing this that looked sorta simple like they might should just snap off but honestly not 100% sure. Since it was the only video ever found and it is gone now! Hopefully someone else can give you a better more complete answer with step by steps.
Post by: idlemao on Sat, 12 May 2018, 16:47:08
So just take out the dome/spring on the menu key basically?To those who got the WKL version but have the 87u, how would you mod the board so that it fit into the case?
No, you'd just block the menu key.Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/HBL8B3H.jpg)
Post by: xondat on Sat, 12 May 2018, 16:55:43
So just take out the dome/spring on the menu key basically?To those who got the WKL version but have the 87u, how would you mod the board so that it fit into the case?
No, you'd just block the menu key.Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/HBL8B3H.jpg)
There are modifications required, I looked into the wkl option my self.
Basically you have to remove the switch housing from the plate/board for the Win key's. I found a video on doing this that looked sorta simple like they might should just snap off but honestly not 100% sure. Since it was the only video ever found and it is gone now! Hopefully someone else can give you a better more complete answer with step by steps.
Remove the housing. The dome and spring can stay.
Basically the housings are held in by two small protruding plastic parts on the housing. It's kind of like MX, but you could better compare it to the sliders and how they have a singular bit of plastic sticking out -- it's like that basically.
How do you remove the housing? Same way as sliders. Push it out. You'll deform the plastic sticking out, but not enough so that it won't stick back in next time. I reckon you could put a housing in/out 5-6 times.
Post by: HotRoderX on Sun, 13 May 2018, 00:40:52
Post by: xondat on Sun, 13 May 2018, 08:21:11
Nice I knew it was something like that not overly complicated but not super simple either. I would assume it takes a gentle touch to get them off with out completely mangling them.
You do need a little force :))
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 13 May 2018, 10:16:33
Post by: xondat on Sun, 13 May 2018, 14:40:15
Thanks for sharing all your modding wisdom, xondat! You have a lot more experience in that domain than I do.
Happy to help where I can :-*
Post by: shadow on Wed, 16 May 2018, 15:55:51
Oh, that’s a good question. I had entirely forgotten about this! I’ll investigate and see what’s possible. :)
Did you find out anything yet? :)
Thank you!
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 16 May 2018, 15:58:47
Oh, that’s a good question. I had entirely forgotten about this! I’ll investigate and see what’s possible. :)
Did you find out anything yet? :)
Thank you!
Yes, we'd have to get a custom die made and, looking at the various MOQs for factories willing to do that, I think it might just make more sense to point people to buy the SilverStone foam on Amazon and cut it down to size themselves. ;)
Instead of the custom-cut foam, I've decided to look into another request, which is PVD-coated upgrade back-plates. I actually just sent out the specs and RFQ for that earlier today and will report back when I know something solid.
Post by: le_wraith on Wed, 16 May 2018, 16:03:42
Post by: Mr_BeastQuake on Wed, 16 May 2018, 19:31:10
Oh, that’s a good question. I had entirely forgotten about this! I’ll investigate and see what’s possible. :)
Did you find out anything yet? :)
Thank you!
Yes, we'd have to get a custom die made and, looking at the various MOQs for factories willing to do that, I think it might just make more sense to point people to buy the SilverStone foam on Amazon and cut it down to size themselves. ;)
Instead of the custom-cut foam, I've decided to look into another request, which is PVD-coated upgrade back-plates. I actually just sent out the specs and RFQ for that earlier today and will report back when I know something solid.
Anything to drive the Topre game further is a worthy cause.
Post by: ihalatch on Wed, 23 May 2018, 08:43:30
Post by: hayt on Wed, 23 May 2018, 08:51:43
****, I love my Realforce so much I don't want to discard the original case. It's time to get another one for this build :)
IMO the Realforce TKL series (87u, 86, etc) is a near perfect keyboard design. Hence why I own two of them :)
Post by: ihalatch on Wed, 23 May 2018, 09:00:56
Post by: child on Wed, 23 May 2018, 16:03:03
So for me Norbaforce is hopefully a huge upgrade to the worst element of the keyboard, which is otherwise great :thumb:
Post by: YouGotRioted on Thu, 24 May 2018, 18:33:10
****, I love my Realforce so much I don't want to discard the original case. It's time to get another one for this build :)
IMO the Realforce TKL series (87u, 86, etc) is a near perfect keyboard design. Hence why I own two of them :)
Also bought another one in anticipation of this case. Also, it's like a backup PCB in case they stop production of this model (in favor of Realforce R2).
Post by: Kerasan on Fri, 25 May 2018, 16:11:55
The design may be perfect, but the stock case is not. It is squeaky (especially after it's opened and closed again), tends to warp (I had to bend mine right after I got it to get all feet touch the desk), feets are garbage... After a year and a bit the case texture below the bottom row is completely gone for me (btw. the texture on the keys is completely fine, which shows the difference between the material of the two).
So for me Norbaforce is hopefully a huge upgrade to the worst element of the keyboard, which is otherwise great :thumb:
in my opinion the worst part of realforce is not the case but the plate, after 1 year already shows signs of oxidation.
KMK Labs.
Post by: thelaughingman on Fri, 25 May 2018, 18:36:01
[attach=1]
Post by: Luna on Fri, 25 May 2018, 22:20:38
Enigma Gray would look fabulous on my 87U Anniversary!
Post by: thelaughingman on Sat, 26 May 2018, 01:17:46
Any chance on this group buy happening again or any unsold cases?
R2 is unlikely but R1 extras will probs be available late summer. Your best bet is to subscribe to Norbauer's mailing list (https://shop.norbauer.com/) to know when there is extra.
Post by: haydoselefantes on Thu, 31 May 2018, 15:09:29
Obviously, it's way too late for this GB, but it would be really cool for a future round!
Post by: MajorKoos on Thu, 31 May 2018, 16:33:45
Over in hasu's thread, I saw MandrewDavis do a cool mod putting hasu's controller directly into the stock 87u case. (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=69169.msg2597303#msg2597303)
Obviously, it's way too late for this GB, but it would be really cool for a future round!
I have have a pair of these lined up in anticipation.
They work great.
Post by: shadow on Fri, 01 June 2018, 16:39:05
Oh, that’s a good question. I had entirely forgotten about this! I’ll investigate and see what’s possible. :)
Did you find out anything yet? :)
Thank you!
Yes, we'd have to get a custom die made and, looking at the various MOQs for factories willing to do that, I think it might just make more sense to point people to buy the SilverStone foam on Amazon and cut it down to size themselves. ;)
Instead of the custom-cut foam, I've decided to look into another request, which is PVD-coated upgrade back-plates. I actually just sent out the specs and RFQ for that earlier today and will report back when I know something solid.
Ok cool thanks for checking (sorry for my late reply) :) Could you share what the exact dimensions of the foam should be to fit in the case? Also I believe the Silverstone foam has some adhesive on the back, but can you just put it loose in there or should it stick to the back plate or something?
Thank you!
Post by: letze on Wed, 06 June 2018, 01:02:41
Any update real picture on case :D
Post by: forstsiven on Thu, 07 June 2018, 13:18:22
Any updates as to when this will ship?
Hey Richard. Since you got an anodized case, I'd say that July is a good guess. The boxes and printed enclosure are going to be the last thing completed in the whole Norbaforce assembly and as a result are unfortunately holding everything else up a bit, but we should still fall roughly within my originally envisaged timeline.
Powder cases will take longer. In the past, this has meant from one to multiple months, but I'm currently working hard to shorten my lead times on those by working with a new shop that has faster turnaround times and can do bigger volumes at once. I've had good results in small tests with them, but this has yet to be put to the test with a big batch so far. ;)
I have a one-off powder coat color: Should I expect closer to October-Dec for shipping?
Post by: salvanipour on Sun, 10 June 2018, 11:36:19
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 14 June 2018, 10:55:52
Any updates as to when this will ship?
Hey Richard. Since you got an anodized case, I'd say that July is a good guess. The boxes and printed enclosure are going to be the last thing completed in the whole Norbaforce assembly and as a result are unfortunately holding everything else up a bit, but we should still fall roughly within my originally envisaged timeline.
Powder cases will take longer. In the past, this has meant from one to multiple months, but I'm currently working hard to shorten my lead times on those by working with a new shop that has faster turnaround times and can do bigger volumes at once. I've had good results in small tests with them, but this has yet to be put to the test with a big batch so far. ;)
I have a one-off powder coat color: Should I expect closer to October-Dec for shipping?
Oh, god, I hope it won't take that long, but with these powder places it's hard to say with any absolute certainty. Assuming these arrive late July, I'm really hoping I won't still be dealing with shipping out powder cases as late of October. I should have a better sense at the end of, say, August of what the turnaround rate is on the RF cases from the new shop. This one is actually a little easier/faster than the Cooler Master cases because it's only three parts (upper housing and two risers) instead of four.
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 14 June 2018, 10:57:28
Any update on the brass/pvd backing plates? I'd love to get in on the ground level for one of those.
I'm waiting on my Heavy-6 sample in PVD steel to come back to see how we all like the finish on that. If it's good, I'll happily get a quote for an upgrade backplate. One-off prototypes in stainless with PVD coating are so insanely expensive, I just didn't want to get both made at the same time on the chance that the result isn't satisfactory—would have been a lot of wasted money. :S
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 14 June 2018, 15:17:38
Don't get too excited, however. That one person happened to live in Shenzhen, the same city in which the cases were machined, inspected, and packed, so I had his case sent to him directly rather than making the absurd trip across the Pacific to California and then directly back to Shenzhen. (Another participant in the same city will have to endure that absurdity, however, because he chose a powder coating finish, which is applied here in Silicon Valley.)
Anyway, the cases have all been inspected and are on their way to me as of tomorrow. The stated delivery time window given to me by the freight forwarder is ridiculously wide (26-43 calendar days), but even on the long end of that we're still looking at arrival to me in July.
In the meantime, I'm working on stuff like video assembly instructions and the printed package enclosure, a portion of the artwork for which was teased above by thelaughingman, and which I think you will all really enjoy. While the housings make their slow trip across the ocean, I'll also be working on the rather tedious task of putting together the hardware packets that go with each box and figuring out all the shipping supplies and such that I need to order. :)
Post by: hayt on Thu, 14 June 2018, 15:19:49
Hey all. Quick update: the first Norbaforce has actually shipped to a group buy participant!
Don't get too excited, however. That one person happened to live in Shenzhen, the same city in which the cases were machined, inspected, and packed, so I had his case sent to him directly rather than making the absurd trip across the Pacific to California and then directly back to Shenzhen. (Another participant in the same city will have to endure that absurdity, however, because he chose a powder coating finish, which is applied here in Silicon Valley.)
Anyway, the cases have all been inspected and are on their way to me as of tomorrow. The stated delivery time window given to me by the freight forwarder is ridiculously wide (26-43 calendar days), but even on the long end of that we're still looking at arrival to me in July.
In the meantime, I'm working on stuff like video assembly instructions and the printed package enclosure, a portion of the artwork for which was teased above by thelaughingman, and which I think you will all really enjoy. While the housings make their slow trip across the ocean, I'll also be working on the rather tedious task of putting together the hardware packets that go with each box and figuring out all the shipping supplies and such that I need to order. :)
Thank you for the update! I can't wait!!
Post by: Burt Macklin on Thu, 14 June 2018, 18:11:53
:thumb:
Post by: thelaughingman on Thu, 14 June 2018, 18:36:02
Hey all. Quick update: the first Norbaforce has actually shipped to a group buy participant!
Don't get too excited, however. That one person happened to live in Shenzhen, the same city in which the cases were machined, inspected, and packed, so I had his case sent to him directly rather than making the absurd trip across the Pacific to California and then directly back to Shenzhen. (Another participant in the same city will have to endure that absurdity, however, because he chose a powder coating finish, which is applied here in Silicon Valley.)
Anyway, the cases have all been inspected and are on their way to me as of tomorrow. The stated delivery time window given to me by the freight forwarder is ridiculously wide (26-43 calendar days), but even on the long end of that we're still looking at arrival to me in July.
In the meantime, I'm working on stuff like video assembly instructions and the printed package enclosure, a portion of the artwork for which was teased above by thelaughingman, and which I think you will all really enjoy. While the housings make their slow trip across the ocean, I'll also be working on the rather tedious task of putting together the hardware packets that go with each box and figuring out all the shipping supplies and such that I need to order. :)
(https://usatthebiglead.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/tom-brady-celebrating-interception-super-bowl.gif?w=1000)
Post by: richard912 on Thu, 14 June 2018, 19:10:55
Hey all. Quick update: the first Norbaforce has actually shipped to a group buy participant!
Don't get too excited, however. That one person happened to live in Shenzhen, the same city in which the cases were machined, inspected, and packed, so I had his case sent to him directly rather than making the absurd trip across the Pacific to California and then directly back to Shenzhen. (Another participant in the same city will have to endure that absurdity, however, because he chose a powder coating finish, which is applied here in Silicon Valley.)
Anyway, the cases have all been inspected and are on their way to me as of tomorrow. The stated delivery time window given to me by the freight forwarder is ridiculously wide (26-43 calendar days), but even on the long end of that we're still looking at arrival to me in July.
In the meantime, I'm working on stuff like video assembly instructions and the printed package enclosure, a portion of the artwork for which was teased above by thelaughingman, and which I think you will all really enjoy. While the housings make their slow trip across the ocean, I'll also be working on the rather tedious task of putting together the hardware packets that go with each box and figuring out all the shipping supplies and such that I need to order. :)
The end is nigh ! ! Thanks for the update
Post by: Lansky on Fri, 15 June 2018, 05:03:53
Thanks for the update, Ryan.
Post by: Puddsy on Fri, 15 June 2018, 09:18:37
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 15 June 2018, 10:21:20
(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/production/packed.png)
Oh well. Good problem to have. :D
Post by: nmur on Fri, 15 June 2018, 10:39:55
Oh man, I'm going to have my work cut out for me when these things arrive.Show Image(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/production/packed.png)
Oh well. Good problem to have. :D
sweet jesus
i'm also surprised that someone in silicon valley actually has the space to store that :))
Post by: Kerasan on Fri, 15 June 2018, 10:55:01
Oh man, I'm going to have my work cut out for me when these things arrive.Show Image(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/production/packed.png)
Oh well. Good problem to have. :D
:eek: :eek: :eek:
hype...
KMK Labs.
Post by: thelaughingman on Fri, 15 June 2018, 21:38:03
Oh man, I'm going to have my work cut out for me when these things arrive.Show Image(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/production/packed.png)
Oh well. Good problem to have. :D
NOICE!!! :eek: :eek: :eek:
Post by: EugeneYap83 on Sun, 17 June 2018, 08:15:41
Oh man, I'm going to have my work cut out for me when these things arrive.Show Image(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/production/packed.png)
Oh well. Good problem to have. :D
A good problem indeed.
The Anticipation is killing me!
Post by: alisonica on Sun, 17 June 2018, 09:12:50
Oh man, I'm going to have my work cut out for me when these things arrive.Show Image(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/production/packed.png)
Oh well. Good problem to have. :D
(https://media.giphy.com/media/yJFeycRK2DB4c/giphy.gif)
Post by: Puddsy on Mon, 18 June 2018, 22:10:24
Oh man, I'm going to have my work cut out for me when these things arrive.Show Image(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/production/packed.png)
Oh well. Good problem to have. :D
by god
Post by: atlas3686 on Tue, 19 June 2018, 03:39:41
Hey all. Quick update: the first Norbaforce has actually shipped to a group buy participant!
Don't get too excited, however. That one person happened to live in Shenzhen, the same city in which the cases were machined, inspected, and packed, so I had his case sent to him directly rather than making the absurd trip across the Pacific to California and then directly back to Shenzhen. (Another participant in the same city will have to endure that absurdity, however, because he chose a powder coating finish, which is applied here in Silicon Valley.)
Anyway, the cases have all been inspected and are on their way to me as of tomorrow. The stated delivery time window given to me by the freight forwarder is ridiculously wide (26-43 calendar days), but even on the long end of that we're still looking at arrival to me in July.
In the meantime, I'm working on stuff like video assembly instructions and the printed package enclosure, a portion of the artwork for which was teased above by thelaughingman, and which I think you will all really enjoy. While the housings make their slow trip across the ocean, I'll also be working on the rather tedious task of putting together the hardware packets that go with each box and figuring out all the shipping supplies and such that I need to order. :)
Amazing news, I hope that someone is planning to post pics...
Post by: LightningXI on Tue, 26 June 2018, 02:03:52
Can't wait nonetheless for these cases to ship! :D
Post by: tomu on Tue, 26 June 2018, 03:37:32
Sent from my LG-H871 using Tapatalk
Post by: Lansky on Tue, 26 June 2018, 04:21:16
Not sure if this is against the rules but I'm looking to sell my spot. Non-WKL Aerospace Alu
Non-WKL... Sooo... Does that mean it has the winkeys? :confused: :))
Post by: tomu on Tue, 26 June 2018, 04:41:45
no blockersNot sure if this is against the rules but I'm looking to sell my spot. Non-WKL Aerospace Alu
Non-WKL... Sooo... Does that mean it has the winkeys? :confused: :))
Sent from my LG-H871 using Tapatalk
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 26 June 2018, 10:34:34
Looking for a Aerospace Aluminum Winkeyless Blockered case. If anybody (including norbauer himself) have one to let go of, let me know.
Can't wait nonetheless for these cases to ship! :D
I'm sorry to say that I don't think I'll have any extras of WKL cases, so hopefully you'll be able to find someone in the community who wants to swap, or to sell you theirs one once the cases ship.
Post by: richard912 on Tue, 26 June 2018, 18:53:00
When can we expect shipping to commence?
Post by: tomu on Wed, 27 June 2018, 02:57:38
Sent from my LG-H871 using Tapatalk
Post by: Luna on Wed, 27 June 2018, 04:05:57
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 27 June 2018, 09:52:25
When can we expect shipping to commence?
This summer. Anodized finishes likely around or before the end of July, depending on how long these things take to make their way through customs. They are not due into the port until July 15.
Post by: letze on Wed, 27 June 2018, 10:06:49
Can we ask him to took picture of realforce assembled ;D
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 27 June 2018, 10:45:13
The guy in Shenzhen that own first case (not prototype).
Can we ask him to took picture of realforce assembled ;D
There was actually a hiccup on that one. The company that did the assembly of the products into the boxes for me sent him the wrong SKU! Unfortunately, the other cases were already on their way when we discovered this, so we couldn't just turn around send him the right one. Works out because it turns out he actually wanted a powder coat finish anyway, so he's sending it to my factory in the same town as him, which is going to apply a white powder coat finish and send it back to him in a couple of days. (Don't ask why they couldn't powder-coat all the cases; it's a long story, which I've told elsewhere. ;) )
I guess this is really my fault for not stikcing with the normal process, absurdity of shipping it both ways notwithstanding. As I've learned with powder coat and many other things relating to manufacturing, introducing little exceptions and special cases always non-linearly increases the chance of errors and problems. One day I'll learn, maybe.
Post by: tomu on Wed, 27 June 2018, 12:44:10
Sent from my LG-H871 using Tapatalk
Post by: YouGotRioted on Sat, 30 June 2018, 21:29:38
Post by: moitorpsychoo on Sun, 01 July 2018, 00:24:49
Not sure if this is against the rules but I'm looking to sell my spot. Non-WKL Aerospace Alu
Sent from my LG-H871 using Tapatalk
hey I think I pm'd you couple days back....is it still available?
by the way if anyone wants to sell transfer their spot, let me know!!!
Post by: tomu on Sun, 01 July 2018, 04:44:19
Sorry for not responding, I already have a transfer lined up, just waiting on Norbauer.Not sure if this is against the rules but I'm looking to sell my spot. Non-WKL Aerospace Alu
Sent from my LG-H871 using Tapatalk
hey I think I pm'd you couple days back....is it still available?
by the way if anyone wants to sell transfer their spot, let me know!!!
Sent from my LG-H871 using Tapatalk
Post by: moitorpsychoo on Sun, 01 July 2018, 21:35:37
Sorry for not responding, I already have a transfer lined up, just waiting on Norbauer.Not sure if this is against the rules but I'm looking to sell my spot. Non-WKL Aerospace Alu
Sent from my LG-H871 using Tapatalk
hey I think I pm'd you couple days back....is it still available?
by the way if anyone wants to sell transfer their spot, let me know!!!
Sent from my LG-H871 using Tapatalk
not a problem, congrats on the transfer!
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 02 July 2018, 18:15:29
(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/production/to-sign.jpg)
Post by: Choobies on Mon, 02 July 2018, 19:06:47
I have lot of instruction cards to sign-and-number while the cases makes their way across the waves. :confused:
I saw these in person at KeyCon and they are absolutely amazing!
Post by: Dumblescore on Mon, 02 July 2018, 19:08:14
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 02 July 2018, 19:09:12
Is there a video yet of you taking apart a Realforce and installing it into this case?
Not yet, but I hope to make one before they arrive on people's doorsteps.
EDIT: Actually, Huey did one for TopClack (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBYu2---_Pw&t=15s), although that one was with a prototype, so there will be very slight differences with the production units.
Post by: Mr_BeastQuake on Tue, 03 July 2018, 01:50:16
I have lot of instruction cards to sign-and-number while the cases makes their way across the waves. :confused:Show Image(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/production/to-sign.jpg)
Oh wow, this looks coooool ;D
Post by: Kerasan on Tue, 03 July 2018, 05:08:39
I have lot of instruction cards to sign-and-number while the cases makes their way across the waves. :confused:Show Image(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/production/to-sign.jpg)
I dont know the theme, some info?
KMK Labs.
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 03 July 2018, 11:59:29
I have lot of instruction cards to sign-and-number while the cases makes their way across the waves. :confused:Show Image(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/production/to-sign.jpg)
I dont know the theme, some info?
KMK Labs.
It's a Japanese keyboard, so the artwork is all sort of vaguely Japanese-themed. There is a bit of a subtle easter egg in the cover art, which makes it all make more sense, but I'll leave that for someone else to discover. :)
Post by: Kerasan on Tue, 03 July 2018, 12:13:16
I have lot of instruction cards to sign-and-number while the cases makes their way across the waves. :confused:Show Image(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/production/to-sign.jpg)
I dont know the theme, some info?
KMK Labs.
It's a Japanese keyboard, so the artwork is all sort of vaguely Japanese-themed. There is a bit of a subtle easter egg in the cover art, which makes it all make more sense, but I'll leave that for someone else to discover. :)
oh thanks for the explanation, you're more advanced with the illustrations of your designer friend?
(I refer artworks to produce with the Japanese printer)
KMK Labs.
Post by: ehmlis on Wed, 04 July 2018, 04:55:09
Post by: monkt on Wed, 04 July 2018, 10:00:04
Not to be that guy, but shouldn't the ハ on the sign be a バ?
Technically, yes. But if you look at that photo a little more closely, you'll also notice a copy of Marcus Aurelius almost out of sight to the left. Contemplating this "coincidence" will clear up everything.
Post by: sublyme on Wed, 04 July 2018, 13:28:37
Post by: Luna on Wed, 04 July 2018, 13:42:13
These are beautiful. Wish I would have hopped on this
Ditto. I still hope for someone willing to sell his spot for a model with winkeys.
Post by: HotRoderX on Thu, 05 July 2018, 22:03:28
I wish those that wanted to leave the best of luck might they prosper with there future endeavors.
Post by: regionfree on Thu, 05 July 2018, 23:03:41
But for those that are yet to start (eg. Heavy6), we'll probably have to follow it on KT.
Post by: Wetherbee on Thu, 05 July 2018, 23:07:18
HotRoderX is working really hard to make sure you all know how he feels about Massdrop.
Post by: HotRoderX on Thu, 05 July 2018, 23:16:25
HotRoderX is working really hard to make sure you all know how he feels about Massdrop.
where did I say anything about massdrop? All I did was simply ask if this thread would continue to be updated. I like to know how the group buy is going. Should I expect updates in this thread are via email. Has nothing to do with massdrop. I am sure I am not the only person who would like to know in all honesty.
Post by: Mr_BeastQuake on Fri, 06 July 2018, 19:34:52
I don’t think there much room to claim lack of updates.
Post by: Rumblehotep on Fri, 06 July 2018, 19:41:55
Hasn’t there been consistent updates? Like, doesn’t he have the packaging and we are waiting for the boards to finish their trans-Pacific journey. At which time, anodized boards will be shipped while powder coated boards get dropped off.Yup yup he said the boards were en route across the ocean so anodizeds should get theirs soonerish and powder coats after they get sent to their finishing shops and uh ... powder coated.
I don’t think there much room to claim lack of updates.
Pernicious Pony's norbaforce in the keycon photos looks pretty damn amazing (not to mention the grey heavy6 prototype, wow).
Post by: HotRoderX on Fri, 06 July 2018, 20:28:31
Hasn’t there been consistent updates? Like, doesn’t he have the packaging and we are waiting for the boards to finish their trans-Pacific journey. At which time, anodized boards will be shipped while powder coated boards get dropped off.
I don’t think there much room to claim lack of updates.
That was directed at me I didn't mean lack of updates. They have been a lot of really nice updates. I just was wondering if he continue to update this thread with new news. Things like him getting them. Packaging etc etc.
Post by: romevi on Fri, 06 July 2018, 22:12:16
Post by: xondat on Fri, 06 July 2018, 22:17:50
Norbauer is one of the 3 founding members of a new website, similar to GH. I'd say it's a valid thing to ask.
He's a good dude anyway, I'm sure he won't be jumping boat with unfinished buys.
Post by: Mr_BeastQuake on Sat, 07 July 2018, 01:39:13
It seems like some aren't aware:
Norbauer is one of the 3 founding members of a new website, similar to GH. I'd say it's a valid thing to ask.
He's a good dude anyway, I'm sure he won't be jumping boat with unfinished buys.
Ah, hmmm. Read the email, missed the founding of a new site thing. Feel like reasonable expectations would be to update via the usual methods unless otherwise explicitly stated.
Not really worried about it.
Post by: child on Sat, 07 July 2018, 02:53:41
Post by: letze on Sat, 07 July 2018, 05:54:36
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/SWAjXrpdYjOR7wwpscgn13SajwPQUdnXC2JEBfrgQAAKSe3W2S8LbB6qt4pSJkfD0kWmIHcLJdSmFK6klDxzygf5Gm_wEK8cVEf3vlQTRYW2zjdK9-z5Zt9r8nN_wg-dmji3jowljOOuiBxSgm0RwQ1fYY2ktW-7a9Ql2MLx0AG6ABIN3HiHv73ympEjDrzDshb1GpIx3e3o5S8p1f8qCcQI9lq3H5-TSuTT7s0LegJhsld7URxWvZ0a-3qty7D3bs5Vf-2wvIRIbcObdIj5VZdjQA3FA0aa44hXI5HToWm284t-FDuR8cK0nqVzwyl80uxSBd7PipDz-g1qHIjT5OB2VmutwNBPTeK9jBAvAf4Lr1X8M6XbOerjkCAcmA5AhZEO6i0cD08FTMzl9J2--RNKE4NW8LQrUZrmGF8QHbhVdzosEBHvqdQSKunXoErC3gCYG2vhIRCgtjpFdH0ov1zvdoMBSlbbSEPDI4rYDkCWrC93vtl19o8-zDsUu4Xc7-QCeL18Ls5oqjk5N8-bJTdVojghCyHmRyM3M5jm7ala4LB9YYQPWHh8n3E536kP4W4LMjmiR772DPXB4ciMqiYLenItxM0eFbsyZ1xEYWS2OAHkOmqNb5uxCb3tohFtEf0LTePHazSAleQmJO0VHVW_D5hMr5cD=w1660-h916-no)
Post by: Lansky on Sat, 07 July 2018, 06:24:28
Post by: xondat on Sat, 07 July 2018, 08:09:39
Which email? I didn't get any...
Input Club newsletter was the only one I'm aware of.
Post by: Lansky on Sat, 07 July 2018, 13:51:21
Which email? I didn't get any...
Input Club newsletter was the only one I'm aware of.
I got the info through Norbauer's own newsletter.
Post by: HotRoderX on Sat, 07 July 2018, 14:31:55
Post by: chuckdee on Sat, 07 July 2018, 14:38:11
Would really like a update on if this thread will continue to be actively updated related to the group buy. Once more I have no reason/desire to go to another website. Specially one I find questionable for my own reasons. That I won't get into at this time.
He's said that he will in another thread (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=96499.msg2635185#msg2635185).
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 07 July 2018, 16:17:27
Ah, hmmm. Read the email, missed the founding of a new site thing. Feel like reasonable expectations would be to update via the usual methods unless otherwise explicitly stated.
Not really worried about it.
Absolutely, and thanks for the faith. :) GeekHack has been the home of my passion here for a long time, and I'm not quite ready to jump ship entirely yet; I just thought an alternative needed to exist. I certainly won't stop updating my remaining two existing group buys. However, I'll be doing new GBs and Interest Checks over at Keebtalk.
Incidentally, just for fun, here is where the Norbaforces are right now. (The little green ship.)
(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/7-july-status.png)
Post by: Rumblehotep on Sat, 07 July 2018, 17:25:36
Post by: YouGotRioted on Sat, 07 July 2018, 19:09:51
Post by: teh_pengers on Sat, 07 July 2018, 20:38:45
Anyone interested in taking my tactical black anodized spot?
PMed
Post by: moitorpsychoo on Sun, 08 July 2018, 00:33:06
Ah, hmmm. Read the email, missed the founding of a new site thing. Feel like reasonable expectations would be to update via the usual methods unless otherwise explicitly stated.
Not really worried about it.
Absolutely, and thanks for the faith. :) GeekHack has been the home of my passion here for a long time, and I'm not quite ready to jump ship entirely yet; I just thought an alternative needed to exist. I certainly won't stop updating my remaining two existing group buys. However, I'll be doing new GBs and Interest Checks over at Keebtalk.
Incidentally, just for fun, here is where the Norbaforces are right now. (The little green ship.)Show Image(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/7-july-status.png)
ETA: 2018-7-10!!!!!
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 08 July 2018, 00:34:57
Ah, hmmm. Read the email, missed the founding of a new site thing. Feel like reasonable expectations would be to update via the usual methods unless otherwise explicitly stated.
Not really worried about it.
Absolutely, and thanks for the faith. :) GeekHack has been the home of my passion here for a long time, and I'm not quite ready to jump ship entirely yet; I just thought an alternative needed to exist. I certainly won't stop updating my remaining two existing group buys. However, I'll be doing new GBs and Interest Checks over at Keebtalk.
Incidentally, just for fun, here is where the Norbaforces are right now. (The little green ship.)Show Image(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/7-july-status.png)
ETA: 2018-7-10!!!!!
They're actually coming to the Port of Oakland (SF), not LAX, so I think it'll be July 15 that the ship goes into port, according to the schedule.
Post by: EugeneYap83 on Mon, 09 July 2018, 10:21:55
Ah, hmmm. Read the email, missed the founding of a new site thing. Feel like reasonable expectations would be to update via the usual methods unless otherwise explicitly stated.
Not really worried about it.
Absolutely, and thanks for the faith. :) GeekHack has been the home of my passion here for a long time, and I'm not quite ready to jump ship entirely yet; I just thought an alternative needed to exist. I certainly won't stop updating my remaining two existing group buys. However, I'll be doing new GBs and Interest Checks over at Keebtalk.
Incidentally, just for fun, here is where the Norbaforces are right now. (The little green ship.)Show Image(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/7-july-status.png)
ETA: 2018-7-10!!!!!
They're actually coming to the Port of Oakland (SF), not LAX, so I think it'll be July 15 that the ship goes into port, according to the schedule.
Sounds about right 2.1kn = 3.9Km/h, which is about casual walking speed.
I wish the ship would cruise much faster, like 20 times faster.
Post by: anorphirith on Mon, 09 July 2018, 17:31:23
Ah, hmmm. Read the email, missed the founding of a new site thing. Feel like reasonable expectations would be to update via the usual methods unless otherwise explicitly stated.
Not really worried about it.
Absolutely, and thanks for the faith. :) GeekHack has been the home of my passion here for a long time, and I'm not quite ready to jump ship entirely yet; I just thought an alternative needed to exist. I certainly won't stop updating my remaining two existing group buys. However, I'll be doing new GBs and Interest Checks over at Keebtalk.
Incidentally, just for fun, here is where the Norbaforces are right now. (The little green ship.)Show Image(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/7-july-status.png)
ETA: 2018-7-10!!!!!
They're actually coming to the Port of Oakland (SF), not LAX, so I think it'll be July 15 that the ship goes into port, according to the schedule.
that's a very strange position for the ship to be in if they're going to LAX, they don't follow the earth's curvature & they're way too high, I'm assuming the ship's position is randomized to avoid pirate attacks haha
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 09 July 2018, 17:43:59
Ah, hmmm. Read the email, missed the founding of a new site thing. Feel like reasonable expectations would be to update via the usual methods unless otherwise explicitly stated.
Not really worried about it.
Absolutely, and thanks for the faith. :) GeekHack has been the home of my passion here for a long time, and I'm not quite ready to jump ship entirely yet; I just thought an alternative needed to exist. I certainly won't stop updating my remaining two existing group buys. However, I'll be doing new GBs and Interest Checks over at Keebtalk.
Incidentally, just for fun, here is where the Norbaforces are right now. (The little green ship.)Show Image(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/7-july-status.png)
ETA: 2018-7-10!!!!!
They're actually coming to the Port of Oakland (SF), not LAX, so I think it'll be July 15 that the ship goes into port, according to the schedule.
that's a very strange position for the ship to be in if they're going to LAX, they don't follow the earth's curvature & they're way too high, I'm assuming the ship's position is randomized to avoid pirate attacks haha
Ha. I had a similar thought, but these ships all have real-time, publicly-available satellite tracking. Maybe pirates don’t know how to work the internet tho.
Post by: tron on Fri, 13 July 2018, 11:03:40
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 13 July 2018, 12:20:06
Quick question about the Enigma Gray powder coat color. Will it be closer to the medium/pantone gray in the video or darker like the swatch example? I may end up trading mine if it comes out too dark.
This one is hard to characterize verbally since it depends pretty heavily on the lighting environment. In direct sunlight it looks like a medium gray, but in a more shady environment it looks darker, more like the swatch image. Sorry, I realize this doesn't help too much. =\ It's always really hard to give a feel for a finish from photos, since both monitors vary greatly and also the lighting situations in which people will actually be using the keyboards.
Post by: duckboi on Fri, 13 July 2018, 17:16:28
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 13 July 2018, 17:17:39
Thanks for that latest update, getting excited for this!
Me too. It'll probably take a couple more weeks or so to get to me, but at least the shipment is supposed to be here in the Bay Area as of tomorrow!
Post by: vinzlr on Fri, 13 July 2018, 18:12:40
Thanks for that latest update, getting excited for this!
Me too. It'll probably take a couple more weeks or so to get to me, but at least the shipment is supposed to be here in the Bay Area as of tomorrow!
And this shipment does not contain the powder coated boards correct?
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 13 July 2018, 18:34:06
Thanks for that latest update, getting excited for this!
Me too. It'll probably take a couple more weeks or so to get to me, but at least the shipment is supposed to be here in the Bay Area as of tomorrow!
And this shipment does not contain the powder coated boards correct?
It does. They just haven't been powder coated yet. ;) That happens here in California.
Post by: HotRoderX on Fri, 13 July 2018, 21:49:48
Thanks for that latest update, getting excited for this!
Me too. It'll probably take a couple more weeks or so to get to me, but at least the shipment is supposed to be here in the Bay Area as of tomorrow!
Would you say most likely shipping around August/September?
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 14 July 2018, 11:41:14
Thanks for that latest update, getting excited for this!
Me too. It'll probably take a couple more weeks or so to get to me, but at least the shipment is supposed to be here in the Bay Area as of tomorrow!
Would you say most likely shipping around August/September?
Yes, that range should safely include both the anodized and powder cases, with the anodized going out first.
Post by: vinzlr on Sat, 14 July 2018, 12:01:59
Thanks for that latest update, getting excited for this!
Me too. It'll probably take a couple more weeks or so to get to me, but at least the shipment is supposed to be here in the Bay Area as of tomorrow!
And this shipment does not contain the powder coated boards correct?
It does. They just haven't been powder coated yet. ;) That happens here in California.
Thanks for the clarification! I can't wait to get mine :)
Post by: titanium on Sat, 14 July 2018, 12:06:30
Post by: chakku on Sat, 14 July 2018, 20:01:40
Post by: le_wraith on Sat, 14 July 2018, 20:04:34
R2s seem like a slap in the face to Realforce owners. They're more like a Type Heaven with Realforce branding slapped on (especially the Realforce RGB which didn't even come with PBT caps).Have you tried the non - RGB version? It's super nice. And has APC.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Post by: hayt on Sat, 14 July 2018, 20:04:35
R2s seem like a slap in the face to Realforce owners. They're more like a Type Heaven with Realforce branding slapped on (especially the Realforce RGB which didn't even come with PBT caps).
Agreed. It feels like they stripped away the heart and soul of what makes the realforce design language so special. Hard pass.
Post by: Wetherbee on Sat, 14 July 2018, 20:26:55
The Norbaforce most impresses because it looks both old and new at the same time. It is the juxtaposition of a classic but represents forward movement. It addresses what is weak about the classic Realforce, and the combination elevates the industrial design into art, somehow almost mid-century modern. The killer feature that Norbauer introduces here is the seamless front on his cases. It turns a keyboard into more of an industrial object, seamless in appearance. It was my biggest complaint about the digilog besides the ass-ugly feet which Norbauer also addressed.
The XRF series is going to be another contemporary expression of the timeless Realforce design with only an 18mm front which many will find more comfortable to type on, with some really innovative features coming for enthusiasts that are blowing my mind, including the promise of interchangeable parts which will help all Topre enthusiasts regardless of which keyboard you prefer. I'm also very excited to see how the TGR-Zooey turns out. Clappingcactus did some great work researching brass backplates for the Norbaforce and I'm excited to hear that Norbauer will be offering them, hopefully with a mirror polish and protective PVD coating for that HHKB HG throwback.
I suspect the Realforce RGB TKL when it is released will exceed the new Novatouch in design (the price and competition in the RGB market will likely never make it as popular) and Norbauer has position himself very well to capture the market that will demand metal cases for it, which I suspect will also be interchangeable with the R2 since the cases will be exactly the same specifications. Tolerances are tight, the RGB (non-TKL) has proven to have some of the smoothest MX stabilizer sliders available anywhere, and the combination of APC, per-key RGB, and genuine Topre switches mean that you have a zero-compromises board that you can still tweak to your hearts desire. In my mind the Norbaforce WKL demands the Tsangan layout of the 86U (at least in the US). The last problem we have to solve is how to get a stepped caps working to complete that vintage look, and Bro Caps has come through with center-stem Topre artisans that will fill that niche, although they are unfortunately unprinted due to their material and the colors don't match any of the Topre manufactured keycaps (although arguably the resin material is even nicer to touch than PBT). Also exciting is kbdfans announcing the very first aftermarket Topre keyset inspired by the 9009 colorway, although I don't think they understand that they need to support 6.25u spacebars for the R2 and 7u spacebars for the WKL 86u layouts - they only seem to be targeting the 87u/HHKB Market and missing some important enthusiast molds (a center-stem caps would seal the deal).
My hope is that Norbauer keeps his promise to not run the Norbaforce cases again because I want to see him move forward and continue to innovate rather than spend his time echoing back to his past work as a designer. I have no qualms, though, that he will still be wildly successful when he decides to do a run for the R2/RGB TKL (when announced), which I just see as inevitable given his position in the market. The XRF is also going to be a major contender if it comes out as well as I think it will, so for those folks who are sad that they missed out on a Norbaforce, keep your eyes open and set the XRF thread to watch/notify.
Post by: muika on Sun, 15 July 2018, 04:59:44
[/quote]
Yes, that range should safely include both the anodized and powder cases, with the anodized going out first.
[/quote]
Thanks. Can’t wait.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Post by: Kerasan on Sun, 15 July 2018, 05:21:28
I find the tolerances on the R2 to be much tighter and, although plastic, the case is much more solid and less hollow than the creaky 86/87/88/89/91U cases. APC is also a good feature. Overall I'm very impressed with the R2. It may not have that vintage charm of an 11-year old design but there are clear and undisputable improvements to overall build quality. Aesthetically I prefer the rounder edges of the older design but I do like the new LED placement. Ironically the feature I used to hate, the huge forehead on the Realforce, is now so endearing to me that I prefer it. I've come full-circle. I don't think that newcomers to the hobby will appreciate that vintage forehead as much as us old timers. It was only there due to laziness or limitations of PCB design at the time when the 86U was originally conceived.. but now it is an almost timeless callback to classic big-forehead designs like OG Cherry and Model M. Newcomers will also appreciate that Topre has finally capitulated to implementing the Standard ANSI layout on the R2.
The Norbaforce most impresses because it looks both old and new at the same time. It is the juxtaposition of a classic but represents forward movement. It addresses what is weak about the classic Realforce, and the combination elevates the industrial design into art, somehow almost mid-century modern. The killer feature that Norbauer introduces here is the seamless front on his cases. It turns a keyboard into more of an industrial object, seamless in appearance. It was my biggest complaint about the digilog besides the ass-ugly feet which Norbauer also addressed.
The XRF series is going to be another contemporary expression of the timeless Realforce design with only an 18mm front which many will find more comfortable to type on, with some really innovative features coming for enthusiasts that are blowing my mind, including the promise of interchangeable parts which will help all Topre enthusiasts regardless of which keyboard you prefer. I'm also very excited to see how the TGR-Zooey turns out. Clappingcactus did some great work researching brass backplates for the Norbaforce and I'm excited to hear that Norbauer will be offering them, hopefully with a mirror polish and protective PVD coating for that HHKB HG throwback.
I suspect the Realforce RGB TKL when it is released will exceed the new Novatouch in design (the price and competition in the RGB market will likely never make it as popular) and Norbauer has position himself very well to capture the market that will demand metal cases for it, which I suspect will also be interchangeable with the R2 since the cases will be exactly the same specifications. Tolerances are tight, the RGB (non-TKL) has proven to have some of the smoothest MX stabilizer sliders available anywhere, and the combination of APC, per-key RGB, and genuine Topre switches mean that you have a zero-compromises board that you can still tweak to your hearts desire. In my mind the Norbaforce WKL demands the Tsangan layout of the 86U (at least in the US). The last problem we have to solve is how to get a stepped caps working to complete that vintage look, and Bro Caps has come through with center-stem Topre artisans that will fill that niche, although they are unfortunately unprinted due to their material and the colors don't match any of the Topre manufactured keycaps (although arguably the resin material is even nicer to touch than PBT). Also exciting is kbdfans announcing the very first aftermarket Topre keyset inspired by the 9009 colorway, although I don't think they understand that they need to support 6.25u spacebars for the R2 and 7u spacebars for the WKL 86u layouts - they only seem to be targeting the 87u/HHKB Market and missing some important enthusiast molds (a center-stem caps would seal the deal).
My hope is that Norbauer keeps his promise to not run the Norbaforce cases again because I want to see him move forward and continue to innovate rather than spend his time echoing back to his past work as a designer. I have no qualms, though, that he will still be wildly successful when he decides to do a run for the R2/RGB TKL (when announced), which I just see as inevitable given his position in the market. The XRF is also going to be a major contender if it comes out as well as I think it will, so for those folks who are sad that they missed out on a Norbaforce, keep your eyes open and set the XRF thread to watch/notify.
Always enlightening interventions when talking about topre
bottom case steel / brass pvd
custom plate steel / brass pvd
would be great
KMK Labs.
Post by: Wetherbee on Sun, 15 July 2018, 05:25:08
bottom case steel / brass pvd
custom plate steel / brass pvd
would be great
Maybe possible in the near future. :eek:
Post by: Kerasan on Sun, 15 July 2018, 05:29:19
bottom case steel / brass pvd
custom plate steel / brass pvd
would be great
Maybe possible in the near future. :eek:
oh, I dont know that curious proverb, but I've got the sense and I hope it's like you say, my realforce has a plate already oxidized in the corners after only 2 years, it needs this.
Post by: Wetherbee on Sun, 15 July 2018, 05:32:46
oh, I dont know that curious proverb, but I've got the sense and I hope it's like you say, my realforce has a plate already oxidized in the corners after only 2 years, it needs this.
Agreed. Topre didn't seal the steel. I have a stack of keyboards with rusting plates. A PVD coating would do wonders to seal oxidation away from the metal.
Post by: Kerasan on Sun, 15 July 2018, 05:35:48
oh, I dont know that curious proverb, but I've got the sense and I hope it's like you say, my realforce has a plate already oxidized in the corners after only 2 years, it needs this.
Agreed. Topre didn't seal the steel. I have a stack of keyboards with rusting plates. A PVD coating would do wonders to seal oxidation away from the metal.
it would be a must have for me and I think for many other guys, we just have to wait and hope ehehehe
KMK Labs.
Post by: EugeneYap83 on Mon, 16 July 2018, 00:04:53
bottom case steel / brass pvd
custom plate steel / brass pvd
would be great
Maybe possible in the near future. :eek:
oh, I dont know that curious proverb, but I've got the sense and I hope it's like you say, my realforce has a plate already oxidized in the corners after only 2 years, it needs this.
Is your steel plate comes with black coating?
I currently own the white version and plate is begaining to rust within a year.
Recently I brought the black version and kinda worried that it might rust as well dispite the coating.
Post by: Lansky on Mon, 16 July 2018, 04:38:12
Is your steel plate comes with black coating?
I currently own the white version and plate is begaining to rust within a year.
Recently I brought the black version and kinda worried that it might rust as well dispite the coating.
I have a black 88U and it suffers from the same issue.
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 16 July 2018, 23:25:00
The Norbaforce most impresses because it looks both old and new at the same time. It is the juxtaposition of a classic but represents forward movement. It addresses what is weak about the classic Realforce, and the combination elevates the industrial design into art, somehow almost mid-century modern. The killer feature that Norbauer introduces here is the seamless front on his cases. It turns a keyboard into more of an industrial object, seamless in appearance. It was my biggest complaint about the digilog besides the ass-ugly feet which Norbauer also addressed.
Thanks for noticing and appreciating all these details. Many of them come directly out of evolving sensibilities that grew out of my Novatouch project and lessons learned from it. Others are just my getting better at expressing my own aesthetic preferences in object form (I'm a huge admirer midcentury modern design, so I was happy to see you cite that).
Clappingcactus did some great work researching brass backplates for the Norbaforce and I'm excited to hear that Norbauer will be offering them, hopefully with a mirror polish and protective PVD coating for that HHKB HG throwback.
He and I were actually discussing this today. I got a PVD back-plate sample recently and it looks great (and is crazy heavy). I just want to focus on getting the actual Norbaforces out the door and then I'll tackle the two "supplemental" projects of the numpad and PVD upgrade back-plates. I'm currently experimenting with rose gold and other non-black PVD finishes, both for the Heavy-6 and Norbaforce backplates.
My hope is that Norbauer keeps his promise to not run the Norbaforce cases again because I want to see him move forward and continue to innovate rather than spend his time echoing back to his past work as a designer. I have no qualms, though, that he will still be wildly successful when he decides to do a run for the R2/RGB TKL (when announced), which I just see as inevitable given his position in the market. The XRF is also going to be a major contender if it comes out as well as I think it will, so for those folks who are sad that they missed out on a Norbaforce, keep your eyes open and set the XRF thread to watch/notify.
Hehe. You're perhaps ascribing more intentionality to my market "positioning" than I could rightly claim credit for, but if Topre comes out with a good RGB TKL, I'll certainly be interested in making something for it, if only because I'll personally be very interested in the board itself. I have a 100% RGB currently sitting connected to one of the ancillary computers in my office, and I don't love it but I don't hate it either. I also have similar feelings about the Novatouch. They're both really close to the RealForce feeling, but not quite there for me. I'm not sure if it's an issue of tolerances or just something inherent to the MX-compatible stem geometry, but they both feel and sound a bit different to me. There is a certain ineffable magic in the RealForce. I just hope Topre will come out with something that somehow retains that and allows me to use interesting MX keycaps. :) The dream persists.
Also, I think xondat is both personally very nice and does really cool work, so I don't want to compete/contend at at all. I think there's more than room for both designs. Maybe we can both collaborate on something at some point.
I don't think I ever went so far as to promise per se not to do another run of Norbaforces, but I would say that at this point I definitely have some significant hesitation. This project has been monumentally long and somewhat complicated given the various components coming from various different vendors, so even though we're in the home stretch now, I'm not super keen to repeat it immediately. As you say, I'd rather focus on more interesting new design challenges. But I can also be a bit of a pushover when it comes to this, and I can only answer so many emails telling people no before I start to feel bad. So we'll see. Someday/maybe.
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 16 July 2018, 23:29:43
Post by: EugeneYap83 on Tue, 17 July 2018, 07:55:40
Is your steel plate comes with black coating?
I currently own the white version and plate is begaining to rust within a year.
Recently I brought the black version and kinda worried that it might rust as well dispite the coating.
I have a black 88U and it suffers from the same issue.
Bummer :(. I was hoping that wouldn't be an issue. The humidity in my area terribly high.
He and I were actually discussing this today. I got a PVD back-plate sample recently and it looks great (and is crazy heavy). I just want to focus on getting the actual Norbaforces out the door and then I'll tackle the two "supplemental" projects of the numpad and PVD upgrade back-plates. I'm currently experimenting with rose gold and other non-black PVD finishes, both for the Heavy-6 and Norbaforce backplates.
Great!.Looking forward to owning PVD back-plate. (If I understand correctly)
May I ask if you could add an option of having left Crtl to have a proper Square cutout(Picture 1) instead of a square with corner folded cutout(Picture 2)?
It would make fitting HiPro slider housing on left ctrl key much easier without the need of using power tools
Picture 1
(http://imgur.com/ri08ARr.jpeg)
Picture 2
(http://imgur.com/BYghStO.jpeg)
PS: I hope I'm talking about the correct subject of backplates.
Post by: tron on Tue, 17 July 2018, 09:26:53
Post by: MajorKoos on Tue, 17 July 2018, 10:09:04
You don't need power tools to mod the plate. I modified the plate in about 15 minutes with this metal file set from Amazon- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FJQ9XKG/ref=sspa_dk_detail_7?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07FJQ9XKG&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=1713835751726239774&pf_rd_r=TCVM1BV9TSD8XFE8XN6H&pd_rd_wg=s9jTn&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&pd_rd_w=DSAwG&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pd_rd_r=35fbb80c-89cd-11e8-a9f0-db3dc51fc8a8 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FJQ9XKG/ref=sspa_dk_detail_7?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07FJQ9XKG&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=1713835751726239774&pf_rd_r=TCVM1BV9TSD8XFE8XN6H&pd_rd_wg=s9jTn&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&pd_rd_w=DSAwG&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pd_rd_r=35fbb80c-89cd-11e8-a9f0-db3dc51fc8a8)
Same deal here - a hand file was more than sufficient for the task.
Took less than 15 min to do the deed.
Post by: EugeneYap83 on Tue, 17 July 2018, 12:24:36
You don't need power tools to mod the plate. I modified the plate in about 15 minutes with this metal file set from Amazon- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FJQ9XKG/ref=sspa_dk_detail_7?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07FJQ9XKG&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=1713835751726239774&pf_rd_r=TCVM1BV9TSD8XFE8XN6H&pd_rd_wg=s9jTn&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&pd_rd_w=DSAwG&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pd_rd_r=35fbb80c-89cd-11e8-a9f0-db3dc51fc8a8 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FJQ9XKG/ref=sspa_dk_detail_7?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07FJQ9XKG&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=1713835751726239774&pf_rd_r=TCVM1BV9TSD8XFE8XN6H&pd_rd_wg=s9jTn&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&pd_rd_w=DSAwG&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pd_rd_r=35fbb80c-89cd-11e8-a9f0-db3dc51fc8a8)
You don't need power tools to mod the plate. I modified the plate in about 15 minutes with this metal file set from Amazon- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FJQ9XKG/ref=sspa_dk_detail_7?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07FJQ9XKG&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=1713835751726239774&pf_rd_r=TCVM1BV9TSD8XFE8XN6H&pd_rd_wg=s9jTn&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&pd_rd_w=DSAwG&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pd_rd_r=35fbb80c-89cd-11e8-a9f0-db3dc51fc8a8 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FJQ9XKG/ref=sspa_dk_detail_7?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07FJQ9XKG&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=1713835751726239774&pf_rd_r=TCVM1BV9TSD8XFE8XN6H&pd_rd_wg=s9jTn&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&pd_rd_w=DSAwG&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pd_rd_r=35fbb80c-89cd-11e8-a9f0-db3dc51fc8a8)
Same deal here - a hand file was more than sufficient for the task.
Took less than 15 min to do the deed.
Thank for the tip.
But since I'm planning to purchase the PVD plate anyway it would nice to have that option without needing to damage PVD plate in order to fit the Hipro housings.
Post by: tron on Tue, 17 July 2018, 12:33:44
Thank for the tip.
But since I'm planning to purchase the PVD plate anyway it would nice to have that option without needing to damage PVD plate in order to fit the Hipro housings.
[/quote]
I'm 99% sure the backplate is for the Norbaforce case and not the switch plate (please correct me if I'm wrong). Perhapse a PVD switch plate will be an option on the Noxary XRF when it comes into fruition.
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 17 July 2018, 12:41:45
Thank for the tip.
But since I'm planning to purchase the PVD plate anyway it would nice to have that option without needing to damage PVD plate in order to fit the Hipro housings.
I'm 99% sure the backplate is for the Norbaforce case and not the switch plate (please correct me if I'm wrong). Perhapse a PVD switch plate will be an option on the Noxary XRF when it comes into fruition.
[/quote]
You are correct, tron. The premise of a PVD steel back plate on the housing is similar to that of brass weights: namely, for weight/aesthetics.
Post by: Kerasan on Tue, 17 July 2018, 12:51:22
Thank for the tip.
But since I'm planning to purchase the PVD plate anyway it would nice to have that option without needing to damage PVD plate in order to fit the Hipro housings.
I'm 99% sure the backplate is for the Norbaforce case and not the switch plate (please correct me if I'm wrong). Perhapse a PVD switch plate will be an option on the Noxary XRF when it comes into fruition.
I'm very interested in the bottom of the case and I'll definitely be in, but then a plate for the switches is not among your projects? (actually having already done xondat would be wasteful in terms of time and effort)
KMK Labs.
You are correct, tron. The premise of a PVD steel back plate on the housing is similar to that of brass weights: namely, for weight/aesthetics.
[/quote]
Post by: xondat on Tue, 17 July 2018, 13:01:37
Thank for the tip.
But since I'm planning to purchase the PVD plate anyway it would nice to have that option without needing to damage PVD plate in order to fit the Hipro housings.
I'm 99% sure the backplate is for the Norbaforce case and not the switch plate (please correct me if I'm wrong). Perhapse a PVD switch plate will be an option on the Noxary XRF when it comes into fruition.
If there is interest for a PVD finish then it's doable :)
Thoughtful analysis as always, Wetherbee.The XRF is also going to be a major contender if it comes out as well as I think it will, so for those folks who are sad that they missed out on a Norbaforce, keep your eyes open and set the XRF thread to watch/notify.
Also, I think xondat is both personally very nice and does really cool work, so I don't want to compete/contend at at all. I think there's more than room for both designs. Maybe we can both collaborate on something at some point.
:-* :-*
I'm planning on making my stuff compatible with stock, so as long as neither of us change anything, then is that a collab? :))
Post by: EugeneYap83 on Thu, 19 July 2018, 07:50:07
Thank for the tip.
But since I'm planning to purchase the PVD plate anyway it would nice to have that option without needing to damage PVD plate in order to fit the Hipro housings.
I'm 99% sure the backplate is for the Norbaforce case and not the switch plate (please correct me if I'm wrong). Perhapse a PVD switch plate will be an option on the Noxary XRF when it comes into fruition.
[/quote]
I didn't know until you mentioned about Noxary XRF. Thanks for bring that up.
Post by: hayt on Thu, 19 July 2018, 08:34:11
Post by: tron on Thu, 19 July 2018, 10:24:30
Thank for the tip.
But since I'm planning to purchase the PVD plate anyway it would nice to have that option without needing to damage PVD plate in order to fit the Hipro housings.
I'm 99% sure the backplate is for the Norbaforce case and not the switch plate (please correct me if I'm wrong). Perhapse a PVD switch plate will be an option on the Noxary XRF when it comes into fruition.
I didn't know until you mentioned about Noxary XRF. Thanks for bring that up.
[/quote]
NP. I hope the parts are interchangeable because I do prefer the industrial/retro futuristic Norbaforce design. The Noxary XRF looks a bit too much like a typical MX custom IMO, however, I will reserve final judgement until I see the actual prototype pictures.
Post by: letze on Thu, 19 July 2018, 18:57:39
I have a quick update btw. I've confirmed the cases are now in the Port of Oakland and loaded off the ship. Now comes the hardest part of the wait: the last little bit. If previous experience is any indication, this involves filling out and scanning lots forms, paying a million little (and some not-so-little) fees for services with nonsensical names, and the tedious wait for customs clearance before scheduling final delivery. Shouldn't be too long now though.That's good to hear
Post by: durainello on Thu, 19 July 2018, 18:59:15
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 19 July 2018, 19:52:26
My white version rusted as well. After i gotten my 10th AE with the black coating, i lubed the entire plate with a thin layer of CorrosionX, it might trap dust and not look pretty but better than rusting.
Wow. It's disappointing to hear that Topre parts are susceptible to corrosion like this, though happily I've never encountered it. At the same time, as a maker, I find it oddly slightly reassuring to know that every manufactured good, even on the very high end, has its imperfections and problems from time to time. :)
Regarding the Norbaforces, by the way, I'm still awaiting the release of the cargo from the Port, but the logistics company is keeping me in the loop daily, so I know they're working on it.
Post by: EugeneYap83 on Fri, 20 July 2018, 11:20:36
If there is interest for a PVD finish then it's doable :)
I'm looking forward to it.
Are you planning to just sell the switch plate alone as an option?
Please excuses my shameless question.
Post by: xondat on Fri, 20 July 2018, 11:42:00
If there is interest for a PVD finish then it's doable :)
I'm looking forward to it.
Are you planning to just sell the switch plate alone as an option?
Please excuses my shameless question.
Yes, I think it's important to make the parts fully compatible with each other (Norbaforce, stock, etc). Otherwise it just splits the community up and I see no benefit to that :p
Anywa, I don't want to gunk up this thread so any more questions should go here https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=93088.150 :-*
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 27 July 2018, 18:45:30
Oh, and the powder coat units should have that process begin on Monday before I head to Vegas. :thumb:
Post by: Burt Macklin on Fri, 27 July 2018, 19:34:55
Thanks for the update :thumb:
Any idea when EU people can expect them?
Post by: richard912 on Fri, 27 July 2018, 19:49:34
The Norbaforces have arrived (https://instagram.com/p/BlwPb97DCUQ/)! Of course, they cleared customs and arrived, without warning, at a somewhat inopportune moment, as I’m at the Seattle keyboard meetup this weekend and then a conference next week, but participants who got anodized units can expect tracking numbers just over a week from now (week of 6 August). This is because I hand-inspect, assemble, sign, and number each one myself before shipping them out individually. :)
Oh, and the powder coat units should have that process begin on Monday before I head to Vegas. :thumb:
Thanks for the update!
Post by: hayt on Fri, 27 July 2018, 20:50:09
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 27 July 2018, 22:15:46
Wonderful news!
Thanks for the update :thumb:
Any idea when EU people can expect them?
EU folks who used the proxy will have to wait until all the powder coated cases are complete so the single batch shipment of both anodized and power cases can go the Belgium. I've upgraded to a much more production style powder vendor and their promised turnaround is relatively fast compared to the past shops I've used (one month), especially for such a large order. However, I never believe factories anymore when they promise turnaround times. =\ I should have a more specific estimate in a couple of weeks.
Post by: Lansky on Sat, 28 July 2018, 07:09:13
Super excited!
Post by: atlas3686 on Mon, 30 July 2018, 02:10:12
The Norbaforces have arrived (https://instagram.com/p/BlwPb97DCUQ/)! Of course, they cleared customs and arrived, without warning, at a somewhat inopportune moment, as I’m at the Seattle keyboard meetup this weekend and then a conference next week, but participants who got anodized units can expect tracking numbers just over a week from now (week of 6 August). This is because I hand-inspect, assemble, sign, and number each one myself before shipping them out individually. :)
Oh, and the powder coat units should have that process begin on Monday before I head to Vegas. :thumb:
Amazing news, does this go for international non-proxy anodized customers too?
Post by: chakku on Mon, 30 July 2018, 17:09:06
The Norbaforces have arrived (https://instagram.com/p/BlwPb97DCUQ/)! Of course, they cleared customs and arrived, without warning, at a somewhat inopportune moment, as I’m at the Seattle keyboard meetup this weekend and then a conference next week, but participants who got anodized units can expect tracking numbers just over a week from now (week of 6 August). This is because I hand-inspect, assemble, sign, and number each one myself before shipping them out individually. :)
Oh, and the powder coat units should have that process begin on Monday before I head to Vegas. :thumb:
Will we get the opportunity to change our delivery address before you send it out as I think you mentioned near the beginning of the preordering stage?
Post by: Puddsy on Mon, 30 July 2018, 22:31:24
The Norbaforces have arrived (https://instagram.com/p/BlwPb97DCUQ/)! Of course, they cleared customs and arrived, without warning, at a somewhat inopportune moment, as I’m at the Seattle keyboard meetup this weekend and then a conference next week, but participants who got anodized units can expect tracking numbers just over a week from now (week of 6 August). This is because I hand-inspect, assemble, sign, and number each one myself before shipping them out individually. :)
Oh, and the powder coat units should have that process begin on Monday before I head to Vegas. :thumb:
nice
Post by: Retrospects on Mon, 30 July 2018, 23:12:45
Post by: donhonk on Wed, 01 August 2018, 17:08:22
The Norbaforces have arrived (https://instagram.com/p/BlwPb97DCUQ/)! Of course, they cleared customs and arrived, without warning, at a somewhat inopportune moment, as I’m at the Seattle keyboard meetup this weekend and then a conference next week, but participants who got anodized units can expect tracking numbers just over a week from now (week of 6 August). This is because I hand-inspect, assemble, sign, and number each one myself before shipping them out individually. :)
Oh, and the powder coat units should have that process begin on Monday before I head to Vegas. :thumb:
Will we get the opportunity to change our delivery address before you send it out as I think you mentioned near the beginning of the preordering stage?
Also have this question, as I've moved in the time after ordering!
Post by: mrkevint on Thu, 02 August 2018, 11:17:52
I'd prefer a black finish (due to my key caps) but I'm open to whatever is out there. Please PM me if you are interested!
Post by: Luna on Thu, 02 August 2018, 16:43:58
Post by: alisonica on Fri, 03 August 2018, 17:42:15
I should have a more specific estimate in a couple of weeks.
Anyone wants to get rid of his Norbaforce with Winkey (so no blockers)?
So Ryan CNC'd this Pantone Winkey Norbaforce for me, but it was supposed to be Winkeyless in my original order, he was very responsible and replaced my order with another Winkeyless, and I assured him that people would be looking for extras. et voilà :p
I'm not sure if he still has it though.
Post by: 4everJayWalking on Fri, 03 August 2018, 18:39:15
Post by: letze on Fri, 03 August 2018, 21:17:10
Just shoot him an email mention you want to change address. Be quick as I believe next week he will start shipping for anodized case :-*The Norbaforces have arrived (https://instagram.com/p/BlwPb97DCUQ/)! Of course, they cleared customs and arrived, without warning, at a somewhat inopportune moment, as I’m at the Seattle keyboard meetup this weekend and then a conference next week, but participants who got anodized units can expect tracking numbers just over a week from now (week of 6 August). This is because I hand-inspect, assemble, sign, and number each one myself before shipping them out individually. :)
Oh, and the powder coat units should have that process begin on Monday before I head to Vegas. :thumb:
Will we get the opportunity to change our delivery address before you send it out as I think you mentioned near the beginning of the preordering stage?
Post by: Luna on Fri, 03 August 2018, 22:56:04
Anyone wants to get rid of his Norbaforce with Winkey (so no blockers)?
So Ryan CNC'd this Pantone Winkey Norbaforce for me, but it was supposed to be Winkeyless in my original order, he was very responsible and replaced my order with another Winkeyless, and I assured him that people would be looking for extras. et voilà :p
I'm not sure if he still has it though.
Thanks for letting me know, I’ll PM him.
What color would it be?
Post by: salvanipour on Sat, 04 August 2018, 16:27:51
Post by: alisonica on Sat, 04 August 2018, 20:39:22
Anyone wants to get rid of his Norbaforce with Winkey (so no blockers)?
So Ryan CNC'd this Pantone Winkey Norbaforce for me, but it was supposed to be Winkeyless in my original order, he was very responsible and replaced my order with another Winkeyless, and I assured him that people would be looking for extras. et voilà :p
I'm not sure if he still has it though.
Thanks for letting me know, I’ll PM him.
What color would it be?
It was supposed to be Pantone, but i'm pretty sure it hasn't reached the paint shop yet.
Post by: xondat on Sat, 04 August 2018, 20:46:03
Anyone wants to get rid of his Norbaforce with Winkey (so no blockers)?
So Ryan CNC'd this Pantone Winkey Norbaforce for me, but it was supposed to be Winkeyless in my original order, he was very responsible and replaced my order with another Winkeyless, and I assured him that people would be looking for extras. et voilà :p
I'm not sure if he still has it though.
Thanks for letting me know, I’ll PM him.
What color would it be?
It was supposed to be Pantone, but i'm pretty sure it hasn't reached the paint shop yet.
Pantone isn't a color, it's the company that manage color standards..?
Post by: Luna on Sun, 05 August 2018, 02:54:03
Pantone isn't a color, it's the company that manage color standards..?
That’s what I thought.
Post by: Lansky on Sun, 05 August 2018, 04:35:51
Curious about the opportunity for weighted brass/PVD plates. Definitely don’t want to miss out on being able to make this case even more robust.
Ay, same here. That combined with xondat's brass/PVD plate and we're reaching end-game level within the Realforce realm.
Post by: Choobies on Sun, 05 August 2018, 16:49:03
Pantone isn't a color, it's the company that manage color standards..?
That’s what I thought.
My guess is he means it was going to be colored in a Pantone of his choice, but he didn't specify which one to us.
Post by: hayt on Tue, 07 August 2018, 10:17:26
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 07 August 2018, 10:23:25
Anxiously awaiting a tracking notification :eyes:
I’m back from the conference today and will be packing/shipping all day. :)
Post by: Lansky on Tue, 07 August 2018, 12:05:36
I’m back from the conference today and will be packing/shipping all day. :)
You absolute tease, you! ;D
Post by: vinzlr on Tue, 07 August 2018, 13:21:52
Anxiously awaiting a tracking notification :eyes:
I’m back from the conference today and will be packing/shipping all day. :)
Sorry if I missed this somewhere. Do you think the powder coated cases will be shipping this month or the next?
Thanks!
Post by: atlas3686 on Wed, 08 August 2018, 01:44:31
Anxiously awaiting a tracking notification :eyes:
I’m back from the conference today and will be packing/shipping all day. :)
Damn that's exciting! Also so jealous of the conference, saw Patrick Stewart was there!
Post by: moitorpsychoo on Wed, 08 August 2018, 01:48:30
Hey Ryan! Have you check your emails lately? I’m sure you are very busy, I emailed you about changing address 2 days ago but haven’t heard from you yetAnxiously awaiting a tracking notification :eyes:
I’m back from the conference today and will be packing/shipping all day.
don’t want to miss the case since I moved to another city Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 08 August 2018, 15:15:17
Hey Ryan! Have you check your emails lately? I’m sure you are very busy, I emailed you about changing address 2 days ago but haven’t heard from you yetAnxiously awaiting a tracking notification :eyes:
I’m back from the conference today and will be packing/shipping all day.
I believe that I've replied to all outstanding emails requesting address updates as of yesterday. If you haven't heard back from me confirming an address update that your requested, please send an email to shop@norbauer.com to ensure it didn't slip through the cracks somehow. :)
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 08 August 2018, 15:17:33
Anxiously awaiting a tracking notification :eyes:
I’m back from the conference today and will be packing/shipping all day. :)
Sorry if I missed this somewhere. Do you think the powder coated cases will be shipping this month or the next?
Thanks!
For powder, very likely next month rather than this. The finishing process on those has begun, but there are so many colors in this run (by popular demand)—it'll likely take some time.
Post by: HotRoderX on Wed, 08 August 2018, 15:23:38
Post by: Rumblehotep on Wed, 08 August 2018, 16:00:13
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 08 August 2018, 21:07:55
Few quick questions. How are these shipping and do we get a email from paypal are directly from your website? I am so excited I keep checking my email every few hours.
You'll get an email from Shopify. Note that I've been issuing the labels today, but the batch pickup won't be until Friday (I'm in San Diego tomorrow).
Post by: regionfree on Wed, 08 August 2018, 21:22:44
Post by: awhitedev on Thu, 09 August 2018, 06:05:25
Goooooot my shipping notification for the aluminum set! Waiting on the black one now :D Excited for this!
I'm jealous! Out of curiosity when did you place your order? I imagine they are going out in the order of when the order was received right?
Post by: Fadamaque on Sat, 11 August 2018, 04:13:24
Post by: awhitedev on Sat, 11 August 2018, 07:11:34
Goooooot my shipping notification for the aluminum set! Waiting on the black one now :D Excited for this!
I'm jealous! Out of curiosity when did you place your order? I imagine they are going out in the order of when the order was received right?
I got my notification yesterday! I ordered mine on 11/25. The hype!
Post by: Mr_BeastQuake on Sat, 11 August 2018, 10:13:20
Still no shipping confirmation here. Ordered 12.31.2017.
Did you use a proxy? Norbauer commented above with information on that.
Post by: Fadamaque on Sat, 11 August 2018, 10:54:24
Still no shipping confirmation here. Ordered 12.31.2017.
Did you use a proxy? Norbauer commented above with information on that.
Norway is not a part of the EU, so I did not use the proxy.
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 11 August 2018, 13:32:17
Still no shipping confirmation here. Ordered 12.31.2017.
Did you use a proxy? Norbauer commented above with information on that.
Norway is not a part of the EU, so I did not use the proxy.
I take care to ship in sequence that orders were placed where possible, but sometimes for logistical reasons I have to break things up between US and international orders or between certain SKUs (though even in those cases I got in order sequence). I'm still finishing up shipping the last few international orders in the the aerospace finishes, which I'll probably finish up today.
Please also note that, thanks to new Shopify functionality, you most likely won't actually get the tracking number email until the day that the package is picked up. All of the labels that I printed yesterday (Friday) afternoon and evening after the USPS and UPS pickups occurred, for example, won't actually send shipping notifications until Monday. Fadamque, you may be in that category, as I specifically remember printing a few Norway orders late last night.
BTW, omg, so many keyboard boxes. x_X The UPS guy burst out in laughter yesterday when I opened my garage door.
Here are just the first two piles:
(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/production/shipping-1.jpg)
(https://cdn.norbauer.com/webshares/califorce-case/production/shipping-2.jpg)
Post by: le_wraith on Sat, 11 August 2018, 13:46:33
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Post by: Fadamaque on Sat, 11 August 2018, 13:51:31
Post by: fine_italian_leather on Sat, 11 August 2018, 14:07:33
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 11 August 2018, 14:41:41
Oh, wow, thanks for the update, Norbauer! A friend of mine had received his shipping info, although he ordered much later than me, so I i kind of panicked a wee bit. Sorry!
Hehe. No need to apologize! Sorry for causing confusion.
That's a lot of keyboards. Must have felt good to get them out of the house and on their way.
Seriously. Now just got to get the powder coat ones taken care of. But the break in between the two batches is surely for the best. It has been an exhausting week and I could use a rest before needing to build another huge mountain of those boxes. :D
I'm in San Francisco and got tactical black... Hoping I might get a nice surprise next week!
Unless you had it in a combined order with powder-coated cases, you might well get it either today or Monday. I believe all the domestic orders went out via USPS or UPS yesterday afternoon.
I'm currently working on an unboxing/assembly video to show how things to together. Hopefully I'll have time to get it up before folks start getting their boxes.
Post by: Fadamaque on Sat, 11 August 2018, 14:59:45
Post by: Kerasan on Sat, 11 August 2018, 15:01:23
Quote
I'm currently working on an unboxing/assembly video to show how things to together. Hopefully I'll have time to get it up before folks start getting their boxes.
oh yes, we are all curious :p
KMK Labs.
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 11 August 2018, 15:11:07
Are there any special tools needed for the job?
the only thing you'll need that isn't included in the box is a Phillips-head screwdriver for the grounding screw in the RealForce plate.
Post by: chakku on Sat, 11 August 2018, 15:39:06
Also fingers crossed I get my notification on Monday, ordered 25/11/17
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 12 August 2018, 17:31:53
Was there any further testing done with foams for damping or is the Silverstone stuff still the best bet?
Also fingers crossed I get my notification on Monday, ordered 25/11/17
Silverstone is what I'm using on mine and I quite like it.
I have been editing the assembly/instructions video today and still have a few anodized cases to ship. Hopefully I'll have a chance to finish those up tonight, but there's a chance the last few (which I believe are all international, aerospace aluminum) won't get shipped until tomorrow (i.e., shipping Tuesday), depending on how long this video takes to edit together. ;)
Post by: chakku on Sun, 12 August 2018, 19:45:01
Silverstone is what I'm using on mine and I quite like it.
This stuff? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040JHMH6/
but there's a chance the last few (which I believe are all international, aerospace aluminum) won't get shipped until tomorrow (i.e., shipping Tuesday)
Hmm, my one was Tactical Black, I requested the address change last week and you did mention it would be shipping then, not part of that last batch?
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 12 August 2018, 20:02:49
Silverstone is what I'm using on mine and I quite like it.
This stuff? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040JHMH6/
Affirmative.
Hmm, my one was Tactical Black, I requested the address change last week and you did mention it would be shipping then, not part of that last batch?
I've probably already shipped it then and you should get the notification on Monday. If for some reason you don't get a notification on Monday, just send me an email to shop@norbauer.com and I'll investigate. :D
Post by: HotRoderX on Sun, 12 August 2018, 20:32:44
Silverstone is what I'm using on mine and I quite like it.
This stuff? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040JHMH6/
Affirmative.Hmm, my one was Tactical Black, I requested the address change last week and you did mention it would be shipping then, not part of that last batch?
I've probably already shipped it then and you should get the notification on Monday. If for some reason you don't get a notification on Monday, just send me an email to shop@norbauer.com and I'll investigate. :D
Does the silverstone stuff mute the thock are just the reverb? I like the thock
Post by: chakku on Sun, 12 August 2018, 21:57:53
Affirmative.
I've probably already shipped it then and you should get the notification on Monday. If for some reason you don't get a notification on Monday, just send me an email to shop@norbauer.com and I'll investigate. :D
Thanks Ryan, I hope you enjoy your well earned rest in between shipments in the meantime.
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 13 August 2018, 08:30:44
Silverstone is what I'm using on mine and I quite like it.
This stuff? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040JHMH6/
Affirmative.Hmm, my one was Tactical Black, I requested the address change last week and you did mention it would be shipping then, not part of that last batch?
I've probably already shipped it then and you should get the notification on Monday. If for some reason you don't get a notification on Monday, just send me an email to shop@norbauer.com and I'll investigate. :D
Does the silverstone stuff mute the thock are just the reverb? I like the thock
Oh, the thock is definitely still there. It just cuts down on internal case echo a bit, if that's a thing you notice (I generally don't ).
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 13 August 2018, 08:32:01
Thanks Ryan, I hope you enjoy your well earned rest in between shipments in the meantime.
Hehe. Thanks very much! I'll rest later this week. :)
Here is the assembly/unboxing video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWuaunik_9g), by the way. Finally finished it up late last night.
Post by: Lansky on Mon, 13 August 2018, 09:19:22
You're not making the wait any easier! ;D
Post by: Kerasan on Mon, 13 August 2018, 09:23:03
Thanks Ryan, I hope you enjoy your well earned rest in between shipments in the meantime.
Hehe. Thanks very much! I'll rest later this week. :)
Here is the assembly/unboxing video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWuaunik_9g), by the way. Finally finished it up late last night.
WOW... :eek:
I have only one question, is there also a custom cable or is it no longer included?
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTbUGrizO6uxAeeGzY3dNx7SPggHL_rFpfn7Tb5F1yOk5nzEoZJ)
KMK Labs.
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 13 August 2018, 09:48:44
Of course, the factory hasn’t offered a refund for all those (relatively expensive) cables with the high defect rate. And I didn’t have time to get identical replacements without holding the cases for shipment longer than would have been optimal. -_- Apologies to anyone who was particularly keen on the original cable. (I was too.)
Post by: thelaughingman on Mon, 13 August 2018, 10:02:40
The pictured cable is included. However, on arrival of the production units, last week I did some testing and found a high functional defect rate on those cables. (Many of them simply don’t work when plugged in, despite the samples from the factory having worked perfectly.) So I scrambled to source another few hundred USB-C cables from a company here in California, which I have also included in the box, along with a custom-printed card explaining why two cables are included. The metal-ended cable you get may work, but in my experience it’s a bit of a crapshoot, but a backup cable is included just in case. My tests of those cables have yet to find one that doesn’t work.
Of course, the factory hasn’t offered a refund for all those (relatively expensive) cables with the high defect rate. And I didn’t have time to get identical replacements without holding the cases for shipment longer than would have been optimal. -_- Apologies to anyone who was particularly keen on the original cable. (I was too.)
awww!!! I ordered an extra metal cable too :( so does that means I get 4 cables total now? and both metal cables might not work?
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 13 August 2018, 10:18:27
The pictured cable is included. However, on arrival of the production units, last week I did some testing and found a high functional defect rate on those cables. (Many of them simply don’t work when plugged in, despite the samples from the factory having worked perfectly.) So I scrambled to source another few hundred USB-C cables from a company here in California, which I have also included in the box, along with a custom-printed card explaining why two cables are included. The metal-ended cable you get may work, but in my experience it’s a bit of a crapshoot, but a backup cable is included just in case. My tests of those cables have yet to find one that doesn’t work.
Of course, the factory hasn’t offered a refund for all those (relatively expensive) cables with the high defect rate. And I didn’t have time to get identical replacements without holding the cases for shipment longer than would have been optimal. -_- Apologies to anyone who was particularly keen on the original cable. (I was too.)
awww!!! I ordered an extra metal cable too :( so does that means I get 4 cables total now? and both metal cables might not work?
For the few people who contacted me to get an extra cable, I will be emailing you directly to figure out a good solution, but I was planning on just refunding folks for those.
Post by: thelaughingman on Mon, 13 August 2018, 10:25:45
The pictured cable is included. However, on arrival of the production units, last week I did some testing and found a high functional defect rate on those cables. (Many of them simply don’t work when plugged in, despite the samples from the factory having worked perfectly.) So I scrambled to source another few hundred USB-C cables from a company here in California, which I have also included in the box, along with a custom-printed card explaining why two cables are included. The metal-ended cable you get may work, but in my experience it’s a bit of a crapshoot, but a backup cable is included just in case. My tests of those cables have yet to find one that doesn’t work.
Of course, the factory hasn’t offered a refund for all those (relatively expensive) cables with the high defect rate. And I didn’t have time to get identical replacements without holding the cases for shipment longer than would have been optimal. -_- Apologies to anyone who was particularly keen on the original cable. (I was too.)
awww!!! I ordered an extra metal cable too :( so does that means I get 4 cables total now? and both metal cables might not work?
For the few people who contacted me to get an extra cable, I will be emailing you directly to figure out a good solution, but I was planning on just refunding folks for those.
Not sure how "few" is that, but maybe you could test enough "few" metal cable and allocate working ones to those who ordered extra? So then that becomes 3 total cables: 1 metal - untested, might work, might not; 1 replacement; and 1 metal - tested, working. Otherwise I'll wait for your email as always :thumb:
Post by: Kerasan on Mon, 13 August 2018, 11:18:38
they are never good experiences...
however the video increases the hype :p
KMK Labs.
Post by: child on Mon, 13 August 2018, 11:58:15
Post by: anorphirith on Mon, 13 August 2018, 12:55:03
Of course, the factory hasn’t offered a refund for all those (relatively expensive) cables with the high defect rate.hi, just by curiosity, do you have any recourse for this ? in the future how can you prevent this from happening ? there should be a way to keep these Chinese manufacturers in check
Post by: Latto on Mon, 13 August 2018, 12:59:09
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 13 August 2018, 14:29:30
Of course, the factory hasn’t offered a refund for all those (relatively expensive) cables with the high defect rate.hi, just by curiosity, do you have any recourse for this ? in the future how can you prevent this from happening ? there should be a way to keep these Chinese manufacturers in check
Honestly, as much as I hate to say it, the only recourse really is to keep trying to work less frequently with Chinese factories. I'm still waiting on a reply from the cable factory to my video documentation of the issues with the first batch of cables, but I've encountered similar problems with other such factories in the past. Whenever I ask for a refund or replacement in such circumstances, their usual reply is "every product has a defect rate" and then to offer of some trivial discount on a future order. Obviously, this creates a bad set of incentives, so I've never taken a factory up on such an offer. One could technically sue them in China, but that would far exceed the cost of the cables. I could technically also have put in place a China-side inspection process (like I do on the housings and breakout PCBs themselves) to test the functionality of the cables, but a) it never entered my imagination that such a simple, standard component could have such a huge defect rate and b) again, it would add a lot to the unit cost.
In short, I just had to take the loss and do my best to fix the problem quickly on my own, which meant paying around $1500 to buy alternative cables and getting cards printed to include in the box to explain to folks why they're getting two cables.
I have a fairly good relationship with the factory that does the machining in China and, as most people know, I'm a very vocal supporter of free international trade. However, I find myself increasingly worn down by the prevalent culture of "quality fade" in China in particular (competing on low prices and then making up for it by increasingly and knowingly slipping in rejects). It's a well-known phenomenon that seems specific to the business culture of that country (which I've been reading about a lot lately) and not even something that generalizes to Asia more broadly.
I do my best to insulate people from all the quality problems associated with sourcing stuff in China (which is why I order far more units than I need and personally inspect everything by hand before it goes out), but it all takes its toll, which is why I'm currently working to try to arrange to machine the Heavy-6 (my next housing) here in California, even if it means things cost way more. My goal in my keyboard projects is to create everyday art objects of insanely high quality, and I sadly find myself increasingly feeling that vendors that are part of Chinese business culture to be incompatible with that objective.
Just to needle people who are blindly opposed to free trade, I put "Proudly Made in China" on my boxes, but I suppose I really should have put "A proud product of US-international collaboration," both since a fair amount of the work actually happens here in the US, and because while I'm all about the globalism, when it comes to Chinese manufacturing practices, it's not always a source of delight.
Fortunately, I fight these battles and take the hits on all this so you guys don't have to. :D I take care to make sure that stuff that goes out my front door is something I can be proud of, no matter where it was manufactured or what the defect rate coming out of the factory.
Ryan, do you have a better estimate about powder coated cases? Although mine is anodized I did not realize I'll have to wait for powder coated ones if ordered via a proxy :(
I'm still waiting on a confirmed timeline from the powder coating factory. Their quote said around a month from start of work, but they're currently sourcing all the various powders and tallying up the parts I sent them, after which that clock should begin ticking. :) If you'd like to switch to regular delivery, just send an email to shop@norbauer.com and I'll take care of it for you.
Post by: Mr_BeastQuake on Mon, 13 August 2018, 19:03:52
Post by: nmur on Mon, 13 August 2018, 19:06:02
Just unpacked my Norbaforce a couple minutes ago. I am pretty blown away on the quality of everything from the box to the hard anodization to the instructions and everything in between. Very happy customer here.
wow, already! very jealous
can't wait to see pics coming in
Post by: le_wraith on Mon, 13 August 2018, 19:15:24
Is there any way for someone who got both anodized & powder-coated to pay extra shipping expedite delivery of the anodized?
Thanks!
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 13 August 2018, 19:16:35
Ryan,
Is there any way for someone who got both anodized & powder-coated to pay extra shipping expedite delivery of the anodized?
Thanks!
Yup, it's no problem. I saw your email and will get back to you as soon as I'm done with today's last batch of packing and shipping. :)
Post by: typischt on Tue, 14 August 2018, 01:28:00
[...]
In short, I just had to take the loss and do my best to fix the problem quickly on my own, which meant paying around $1500 to buy alternative cables and getting cards printed to include in the box to explain to folks why they're getting two cables.
[...]
I'm sure that if you'd ask people, whether they would be willing to pay for the extra cable, a lot would not mind! I'd surely be willing to pay a little extra for that!
Post by: Lansky on Tue, 14 August 2018, 05:17:58
Just unpacked my Norbaforce a couple minutes ago. I am pretty blown away on the quality of everything from the box to the hard anodization to the instructions and everything in between. Very happy customer here.
Oof, lucky man!
Where are the pictures, doe?! ;D
Post by: thelaughingman on Tue, 14 August 2018, 09:24:45
Post by: Mr_BeastQuake on Tue, 14 August 2018, 09:48:32
Just unpacked my Norbaforce a couple minutes ago. I am pretty blown away on the quality of everything from the box to the hard anodization to the instructions and everything in between. Very happy customer here.
Oof, lucky man!
Where are the pictures, doe?! ;D
Still waiting on some stuff to finish the build I be doin. . . pictures would be ultimate potato.
Post by: w0odyallen on Tue, 14 August 2018, 14:16:29
The unboxing experience was a genuine delight.
The video was super helpful and made setting it up a breeze.
This is a thing of beauty. Made my favorite board even better ;)
Here's the before and after shot.
(https://i.imgur.com/jmTd18h.jpg)
PS for what it's worth, my metal cable works just fine
Post by: Mr_BeastQuake on Tue, 14 August 2018, 14:25:58
Post by: le_wraith on Tue, 14 August 2018, 15:07:07
Ryan,
Is there any way for someone who got both anodized & powder-coated to pay extra shipping expedite delivery of the anodized?
Thanks!
Yup, it's no problem. I saw your email and will get back to you as soon as I'm done with today's last batch of packing and shipping. :)
Thank you!
Post by: thelaughingman on Tue, 14 August 2018, 20:42:54
I haven't got any emails, my order is anodized and with extra metal cable. Should I be worried now?
Got the email & refund for the extra cable just now. Ryan always comes through :thumb:
Post by: richard912 on Tue, 14 August 2018, 20:57:11
Post by: letze on Tue, 14 August 2018, 21:29:28
I received shipping notification for my hard ano black unit. Any day now . . .Same here. Received it.
Post by: regionfree on Tue, 14 August 2018, 22:06:18
Post by: richard912 on Tue, 14 August 2018, 22:24:54
Thanks Ryan, I hope you enjoy your well earned rest in between shipments in the meantime.
Hehe. Thanks very much! I'll rest later this week. :)
Here is the assembly/unboxing video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWuaunik_9g), by the way. Finally finished it up late last night.
Excellent instructional video there Mr Norbauer! Btw, how much of a gap is there between PCB and back cover of the case? Hope it will be able to accommodate a layer of dampening sheet
Post by: durainello on Wed, 15 August 2018, 11:06:01
(http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q171/lesliehan80/20180815_184947.jpg)
(http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q171/lesliehan80/20180815_224036.jpg)
Post by: salvanipour on Wed, 15 August 2018, 12:04:08
Christmas came early.
Awesome! I have an anniversary edition as well with the red WASD, so it's nice to see what this will look like.
Post by: Genuine.Senpai on Wed, 15 August 2018, 23:49:57
Post by: thelaughingman on Thu, 16 August 2018, 00:28:59
Is there any reasonable chance that there will be another production run of these cases? I'm fairly new to the site and there is a handful of products that I wanted to grab, only to find out that they're well past their purchase time.
Topre is discontinuing the RF R1 and goes with the RF R2 that doesn't work with this case so more likely than not there won't be another run. Having said that, CM discontinued the Novatouch a long time ago and Ryan just recently ran a 4th round of the Norbatouch for it. The moral story here is if you could find enough people to ask Ryan for another run then he might do it :)
Post by: mmdango on Thu, 16 August 2018, 02:06:14
Is there any reasonable chance that there will be another production run of these cases? I'm fairly new to the site and there is a handful of products that I wanted to grab, only to find out that they're well past their purchase time.
Topre is discontinuing the RF R1 and goes with the RF R2 that doesn't work with this case so more likely than not there won't be another run. Having said that, CM discontinued the Novatouch a long time ago and Ryan just recently ran a 4th round of the Norbatouch for it. The moral story here is if you could find enough people to ask Ryan for another run then he might do it :)
I too would love another run :)
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 16 August 2018, 16:58:53
You can sign up on my email list (http://norbauer.com/list) to find be the first to know when those are available. (Based on all the inquiries I've gotten, I would expect them to sell out more or less instantly.)
Post by: chakku on Thu, 16 August 2018, 17:06:19
Topre is discontinuing the RF R1
I didn't realize they were discontinuing this in favor of the glorified Type Heaven! Better stock up on these because I can't imagine my board lasting forever, even if the Norbaforce case does..
Post by: anorphirith on Thu, 16 August 2018, 18:01:15
thanks
Post by: thelaughingman on Thu, 16 August 2018, 18:42:54
Topre is discontinuing the RF R1
I didn't realize they were discontinuing this in favor of the glorified Type Heaven! Better stock up on these because I can't imagine my board lasting forever, even if the Norbaforce case does..
87u JIS layouts are already marked as discontinued on RF website as R2 JIS was released a while back http://www.realforce.co.jp/products/index_ended.html (http://www.realforce.co.jp/products/index_ended.html). So it's safe to assume that with R2 ANSI being released now, in a few weeks/months 87u ANSI would be discontinued as well.
Post by: richard912 on Thu, 16 August 2018, 19:04:07
Topre is discontinuing the RF R1
I didn't realize they were discontinuing this in favor of the glorified Type Heaven! Better stock up on these because I can't imagine my board lasting forever, even if the Norbaforce case does..
I'm all set since I have 2 units of RF87. One's been modded with KBDFan sliders while the other is stock. Both are 55g.
Post by: Rumblehotep on Thu, 16 August 2018, 20:49:12
I'm all set since I have 2 units of RF87. One's been modded with KBDFan sliders while the other is stock. Both are 55g.Same here although both are stock atm, now I feel vindicated for my lack of self control months ago
Post by: Dubbvis on Thu, 16 August 2018, 22:47:13
One issue, however. It appears that one side of my plate will not mount flush to the case. It feels like the mounting holes were not deep enough to fully accommodate the screws that were included. Unfortunately, I do not have any washers that would fit and I do not currently have access to tools that would let me grind/cut off enough of the screw to rectify the problem. So the left side of my board bottoms out against the screws and then rebounds up to click against the case housing after I remove the pressure of typing.
I'm talking about around 1-1.5 mm of wiggle so it's not huge, but it is noticeable.
Anyone else notice this? I can deal with it in the interim until I have access to one of the fixes that I listed above, and it's literally the only imperfection I can find.
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 17 August 2018, 09:54:33
Got mine today, looks/feels/sounds like a dream.
One issue, however. It appears that one side of my plate will not mount flush to the case. It feels like the mounting holes were not deep enough to fully accommodate the screws that were included. Unfortunately, I do not have any washers that would fit and I do not currently have access to tools that would let me grind/cut off enough of the screw to rectify the problem. So the left side of my board bottoms out against the screws and then rebounds up to click against the case housing after I remove the pressure of typing.
I'm talking about around 1-1.5 mm of wiggle so it's not huge, but it is noticeable.
Anyone else notice this? I can deal with it in the interim until I have access to one of the fixes that I listed above, and it's literally the only imperfection I can find.
Well, that’s not supposed to happen. :) Send me an email over at shop@norbauer.com and let’s figure out a fix. I do have washers that are probably the exact size you need.
Post by: awhitedev on Fri, 17 August 2018, 15:55:35
Thanks Norbauer for your amazing work. You are awesome!
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 17 August 2018, 16:00:32
Got mine today! Absolutely beautiful packaging... I'm super excited to put this together this weekend. The only "issue" I've seen so far is that a screw appears to have gotten loose during shipping and it was rolling around in the case. It doesn't appear to have scratched or damaged the case though so it's all good!
Thanks Norbauer for your amazing work. You are awesome!
hehe. My pleasure!
And, yeah, for some reason the assembly folks decided to be "helpful" and just very loosely screw in place the four flange screws rather than fully attaching them (since they have to be removed and re-installed by the end user), but the downside of this is that occasionally they can work loose during transit. Fortunately, though, as in your case, this is unlikely to cause any damage, especially since the parts of the case that are visible during actual use are all protected by being in direct contact with EVA foam.
Anyway, thanks again, and enjoy the install process. :)
Post by: HotRoderX on Fri, 17 August 2018, 18:26:33
Post by: hayt on Fri, 17 August 2018, 18:39:17
What are the odds that we could ever see a brass plate addition for this?
Here is a sneak peak with my matching CNC'd BBv2 <3
[attachimg=1]
Post by: salvanipour on Fri, 17 August 2018, 19:25:10
Thanks, Norb! I would say the wait was soo worth it :) Really enjoyed the process of following along from time of interest check through to the group buy. And absolutely this case creates a deeper and danker "thock" than the standard plastic case.
What are the odds that we could ever see a brass plate addition for this?
100% agreed, this makes a classy board even better. I imagine a brass plate for this would be quite large and obscenely heavy and I LOVE the idea. Also I was a bit rushed and didn't center my board that nicely so having the back plate off already would be super convenient for me to make adjustments.
Post by: UnFocused on Fri, 17 August 2018, 21:01:46
One issue, however. It appears that one side of my plate will not mount flush to the case.
I noticed the same thing with mine. I didn't have any washers around, so I just made my own with bits of cardboard and everything is rock solid.
Post by: duckboi on Sat, 18 August 2018, 08:32:36
I noticed a similar thing as well. However I am still really enjoying this case and don't really have any major issues with it. Thanks a ton Norbauer! ;D ;DOne issue, however. It appears that one side of my plate will not mount flush to the case.
I noticed the same thing with mine. I didn't have any washers around, so I just made my own with bits of cardboard and everything is rock solid.
Post by: TieuNgu on Sat, 18 August 2018, 10:32:45
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 18 August 2018, 14:45:09
One issue, however. It appears that one side of my plate will not mount flush to the case.
I noticed the same thing with mine. I didn't have any washers around, so I just made my own with bits of cardboard and everything is rock solid.
Hehe. That's actually a great idea. I'm glad you found a quick and easy solution. :) These seems like a rare occurrence, but one that a couple people have emailed me about, so I thought I would give some advice here.
For anyone else seeing this phenomenon, I have some other recommendations. (I haven't actually encountered it myself on any of the housings I've installed, so to some extent I'm speculating.) It's possible that there is some slight bowing in the RealForce plate or that there is some variation in plate thickness among RF models. However, I think the more likely scenario is that there is some aluminum debris in the bottom of one or more or the tapped holes. The tapping of holes creates small aluminum chips and if the machine shop isn't careful to use compressed air to clear each hole and then to verify that it's actually clear, some debris can remain in there that will keep the screw from fully seating into the hole. While I generally add safety margins to most holes on my housings to leave a little extra room for any such debris, on these four particular holes I had to shave down that extra safety margin a bit from 2mm to only 0.2mm to avoid making the case too bulky. (Alas, the engineering constraints imposed by hanging a plate from above and reverse-engineering around somebody else's design are non-trivial.) So my advice would be first to open up your case and look at the bottom of those screw holes to see if you see any aluminum chips. If so, you can try clearing out the hole with compressed air (or a lens blower), or maybe even a tooth pick + gravity with the case turned upside down. If you're able to remove any such obstructions, it should make it possible for the screw to bottom out properly in its hole.
If that doesn't do the trick, it's possible that the holes on a few of the cases weren't milled as deep as they ought to have been. However, since they all ran with the exact same CAM program, chances of that seem lower to me. (You can actually check with a depth gauge on a caliper; it should be 5.2mm +/- 0.1mm) In that situation, the only solution would be some kind of shim—either the cardboard approach mentioned above, or I happen to know that these shims from McMaster (https://www.mcmaster.com/#98089a373/=1e7obc9) (or any conforming to those or similar specs) will do the trick, because on an early prototype those holes were spec'd too shallow and I used those shims as a solution. Another approach, of course, would be to grind down the screw length a bit with sand paper, a belt sander, a file, or what have you. You could probably also just buy some M4 screws that are 5mm or 4mm long and use those than the supplied 6mm screws. Almost any hardware store should something along those lines; it doesn't have to be exactly the same style of screw I used.
If anybody needs any help beyond this, just shoot me an email at shop@norbauer.com and I'll be happy to assist. I do have a few of the shims left in my shop, which I could send.
Post by: hayt on Sat, 18 August 2018, 18:44:32
[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
[attachimg=3]
[attachimg=4]
[attachimg=5]
[attachimg=6]
Post by: Lansky on Sun, 19 August 2018, 05:32:04
Following up w a little photoshoot <3
That looks so good! Can’t wait to get mine.
Post by: awhitedev on Sun, 19 August 2018, 06:17:55
I did notice that the case sits at a much flatter angle than the stock case, even with the attached risers. Anyone have any recommendations for increasing the angle? I was considering getting some tall rubber feet like so:
https://www.amazon.com/BCP-12pcs-Bumpers-Rubber-21x12mm/dp/B01FLLD7Y8/
Post by: nanook_the_great on Sun, 19 August 2018, 13:06:43
Post by: UnFocused on Sun, 19 August 2018, 15:04:57
(https://i.imgur.com/4nBW4dG.png)
Post by: FSund on Mon, 20 August 2018, 05:29:14
Just finished installing my case. While I had it apart I also took the opportunity to install some silencing rings and lube the mod stabilizers. What a difference! Really transformed an already great keyboard to a whole new level.
I was thinking of doing the same thing myself when I get my case. Do you have any good videos showing how the rings are installed?
Post by: Burt Macklin on Mon, 20 August 2018, 06:09:02
Pop the slider out of the housing, put a ring on the slider,
and push it back in - as simple as that.
Post by: Edge.d on Mon, 20 August 2018, 23:37:10
Btw, love seeing everyone's custom boards, keep the pics coming! The RF is such a classic and imo the best tenkeyless ever made.
Post by: atlas3686 on Tue, 21 August 2018, 04:44:39
Following up w a little photoshoot <3 this board
(Attachment Link)
(Attachment Link)
(Attachment Link)
(Attachment Link)
(Attachment Link)
(Attachment Link)
Looking good, cannot wait for mine to arrive.
Post by: chakku on Tue, 21 August 2018, 19:33:54
Post by: FSund on Wed, 22 August 2018, 01:44:08
Package arrived in the country, now customs just need to decide how hard they're going to sting me before they give it to me.. :-X
I feel your pain. My package has been sitting in customs since Thursday!
Post by: atlas3686 on Wed, 22 August 2018, 02:47:24
Package arrived in the country, now customs just need to decide how hard they're going to sting me before they give it to me.. :-X
I feel your pain. My package has been sitting in customs since Thursday!
Yup, since Tuesday last week for me and I will be really lucky if I get it this week :(
Post by: thelaughingman on Wed, 22 August 2018, 07:00:12
Package arrived in the country, now customs just need to decide how hard they're going to sting me before they give it to me.. :-X
I feel your pain. My package has been sitting in customs since Thursday!
Yup, since Tuesday last week for me and I will be really lucky if I get it this week :(
Mine got to custom late yesterday afternoon. Hopefully I can get it derlivered early next week. Oh that 2.2kg of goodness :p
Post by: dgneo on Wed, 22 August 2018, 07:34:36
Post by: nmur on Wed, 22 August 2018, 09:38:09
any wkl versions available? really wanna see pics of one
i'm waiting on a silver WKL for my 86U
i am surprised that i haven't seen others yet though
Post by: awhitedev on Wed, 22 August 2018, 13:51:23
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075KZBR2Y/
There's three different sizes included in the bag... I personally found the tallest feet attached to the very end of the case to be just right for me.
Post by: hayt on Thu, 23 August 2018, 08:40:51
Two questions:
1) I might have missed this, do you make the PCB cable adapters with a USB Mini in place of USB C? If so, may I order one from you?
2) What are your thoughts on a run of brass bottom plates? I know someone else had mentioned this but seemed to have gone quiet. Is this something that you are considering?
TY,
hayt
Post by: Lansky on Thu, 23 August 2018, 10:16:25
2) What are your thoughts on a run of brass bottom plates? I know someone else had mentioned this but seemed to have gone quiet. Is this something that you are considering?
I can't find it in the thread, but I remember that Ryan mentioned that he was waiting for PVD samples for the Heavy6. And in case they turned out good, he'd look into making PVD back plates for the Norbaforces.
Post by: dallman5 on Thu, 23 August 2018, 10:18:12
(https://imgur.com/Xx5BOyD.jpg)
Anyway, a little bit about the board; it's a Realforce 86U dome-swapped to uniform 45g along with silent purple sliders. It features Nissho KB106DE alphas with Realforce 104UK modifier keycaps. And finally, housing this beast is a winkeyless Tactical Black Norbaforce case. Thanks Norbauer!
Post by: Lansky on Thu, 23 August 2018, 10:20:33
Just posted this on reddit, so my apologies for the cross-post. But I saw some people were looking for some pictures of the WKL variant, so I figured I'd link it here as well.Show Image(https://imgur.com/Xx5BOyD.jpg)
Anyway, a little bit about the board; it's a Realforce 86U dome-swapped to uniform 45g along with silent purple sliders. It features Nissho KB106DE alphas with Realforce 104UK modifier keycaps. And finally, housing this beast is a winkeyless Tactical Black Norbaforce case. Thanks Norbauer!
That is one sexy board, my friend. Well done!
Post by: hayt on Thu, 23 August 2018, 10:22:31
2) What are your thoughts on a run of brass bottom plates? I know someone else had mentioned this but seemed to have gone quiet. Is this something that you are considering?
I can't find it in the thread, but I remember that Ryan mentioned that he was waiting for PVD samples for the Heavy6. And in case they turned out good, he'd look into making PVD back plates for the Norbaforces.
Maybe i'm a dummy, what exactly is PVD?
Post by: Lansky on Thu, 23 August 2018, 10:30:41
Maybe i'm a dummy, what exactly is PVD?
Physical vapor deposition. I'm by no means an expert on this matter, but it's a way of treating the brass to protect it from corrosion or oxidation. Untreated brass will "wear" quite quickly and can end up looking pretty bad (though some people like the "patina" it gets) over time. It's also quite prone to the oils from your hands, so fingerprints are very visible.
I'm sure someone with more knowledge on the subject can pitch in. :)
Post by: nuclear_wizard on Thu, 23 August 2018, 14:34:32
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 23 August 2018, 15:50:33
Hi Norb,
Two questions:
1) I might have missed this, do you make the PCB cable adapters with a USB Mini in place of USB C? If so, may I order one from you?
2) What are your thoughts on a run of brass bottom plates? I know someone else had mentioned this but seemed to have gone quiet. Is this something that you are considering?
I am afraid I don't have any adapters for USB C to Mini, but if that exists I'm sure third parties would do it better than I would anyway. USB-C is there merely because so many people clambered for it in the IC. ;)
I am still planning on doing a very small round of heavy back plates, though they will likely be PVD steel rather than brass, since the PVD coaters don't like to do brass because it has to be under-plated before they can PVD coat it. And you can actually get brass PVD coated such that it looks like brass but doesn't oxidize like brass does. (Steel and brass are similar in weight.) I've been searching far and wide for good PVD vendors. I found one that can do black well but not really any other colors. I may just leave it at that, but I'm still investigating.
Just posted this on reddit, so my apologies for the cross-post. But I saw some people were looking for some pictures of the WKL variant, so I figured I'd link it here as well.Show Image(https://imgur.com/Xx5BOyD.jpg)
Anyway, a little bit about the board; it's a Realforce 86U dome-swapped to uniform 45g along with silent purple sliders. It features Nissho KB106DE alphas with Realforce 104UK modifier keycaps. And finally, housing this beast is a winkeyless Tactical Black Norbaforce case. Thanks Norbauer!
Awesome. Thanks for sharing this! The WKL variants are quite rare; only a handful of people opted for those (understandably, given the work in customizing the board that is required.)
Any updates to the timeline for powder coat cases? It seems like it's been a while since the last update on those, and I'm getting antsy seeing all the pics of the ano cases.
The powder finishes definitely require a special degree of patience. :) The powder workshop was waiting for all the powder to come into stock and they'll begin production, which is stated to take 1-2 months. I don't like to bug them too much, but I'll check in with them next week to ensure that all the powder came in and that they're ready to go or have already begun work. FWIW, I generally expect powder coating shops to take longer than the timelines they quote. -_-
Post by: hayt on Thu, 23 August 2018, 16:00:26
Hi Norb,
Two questions:
1) I might have missed this, do you make the PCB cable adapters with a USB Mini in place of USB C? If so, may I order one from you?
2) What are your thoughts on a run of brass bottom plates? I know someone else had mentioned this but seemed to have gone quiet. Is this something that you are considering?
I am afraid I don't have any adapters for USB C to Mini, but if that exists I'm sure third parties would do it better than I would anyway. USB-C is there merely because so many people clambered for it in the IC. ;)
I am still planning on doing a very small round of heavy back plates, though they will likely be PVD steel rather than brass, since the PVD coaters don't like to do brass because it has to be under-plated before they can PVD coat it. And you can actually get brass PVD coated such that it looks like brass but doesn't oxidize like brass does. (Steel and brass are similar in weight.) I've been searching far and wide for good PVD vendors. I found one that can do black well but not really any other colors. I may just leave it at that, but I'm still investigating.
Thanks as always for your great communication! I would 100% be in for a PVD Coated Steel plate, black would be totally fine too. Would it be possible to request custom engraving? Or maybe the #/350 that corresponds to the packaging?
Post by: nuclear_wizard on Thu, 23 August 2018, 20:32:26
Any updates to the timeline for powder coat cases? It seems like it's been a while since the last update on those, and I'm getting antsy seeing all the pics of the ano cases.
The powder finishes definitely require a special degree of patience. :) The powder workshop was waiting for all the powder to come into stock and they'll begin production, which is stated to take 1-2 months. I don't like to bug them too much, but I'll check in with them next week to ensure that all the powder came in and that they're ready to go or have already begun work. FWIW, I generally expect powder coating shops to take longer than the timelines they quote. -_-
It takes as long as it takes to get a quality product. Just wondering about updates, but it seems like everything is on track.
More time to get the boards/keysets ready for those sweet cases anyways. Found one set of NT sliders, but planning for 2 boards. Hopefully jchan's new silencing "rings" turn out to be quality.
Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
Post by: mrkantz on Thu, 23 August 2018, 21:00:30
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
Post by: atlas3686 on Fri, 24 August 2018, 02:33:22
Just posted this on reddit, so my apologies for the cross-post. But I saw some people were looking for some pictures of the WKL variant, so I figured I'd link it here as well.Show Image(https://imgur.com/Xx5BOyD.jpg)
Anyway, a little bit about the board; it's a Realforce 86U dome-swapped to uniform 45g along with silent purple sliders. It features Nissho KB106DE alphas with Realforce 104UK modifier keycaps. And finally, housing this beast is a winkeyless Tactical Black Norbaforce case. Thanks Norbauer!
Wow, love it. Need some hiPro caps in my life.
Post by: Lansky on Fri, 24 August 2018, 03:21:20
The powder finishes definitely require a special degree of patience. :) The powder workshop was waiting for all the powder to come into stock and they'll begin production, which is stated to take 1-2 months. I don't like to bug them too much, but I'll check in with them next week to ensure that all the powder came in and that they're ready to go or have already begun work. FWIW, I generally expect powder coating shops to take longer than the timelines they quote. -_-
I'm guessing there's no chance to have the anodized cases shipped to the EU proxy by themselves before the powder coated ones are finished? ;D
Post by: Idef1x on Fri, 24 August 2018, 03:48:02
Sorry if this has been asked before, but is another round planned for the Norbaforce? :)
Post by: Lansky on Fri, 24 August 2018, 03:56:37
@norbauer
Sorry if this has been asked before, but is another round planned for the Norbaforce? :)
My current plan is not to do another run of these--certainly at least in the short to medium term. However, I do plan to have some in-stock extras available for shipment at some point in the coming month or two. (I think I'll wait until I have the powder cases back and put the extras all up at the same time.)
You can sign up on my email list (http://norbauer.com/list) to find be the first to know when those are available. (Based on all the inquiries I've gotten, I would expect them to sell out more or less instantly.)
Post by: Idef1x on Fri, 24 August 2018, 04:10:54
@norbauer
Sorry if this has been asked before, but is another round planned for the Norbaforce? :)My current plan is not to do another run of these--certainly at least in the short to medium term. However, I do plan to have some in-stock extras available for shipment at some point in the coming month or two. (I think I'll wait until I have the powder cases back and put the extras all up at the same time.)
You can sign up on my email list (http://norbauer.com/list) to find be the first to know when those are available. (Based on all the inquiries I've gotten, I would expect them to sell out more or less instantly.)
Arh that is unfortunate - I should have entered at the first run. Thanks for the info Lansky!
Post by: FSund on Fri, 24 August 2018, 06:21:39
Post by: Fadamaque on Fri, 24 August 2018, 08:09:35
Post by: MAR82 on Sun, 26 August 2018, 06:07:46
The powder finishes definitely require a special degree of patience. :) The powder workshop was waiting for all the powder to come into stock and they'll begin production, which is stated to take 1-2 months. I don't like to bug them too much, but I'll check in with them next week to ensure that all the powder came in and that they're ready to go or have already begun work. FWIW, I generally expect powder coating shops to take longer than the timelines they quote. -_-
Hi Ryan, I really thank you for all the work you put into these projects.
The cases are looking really good, and that's part of the issue I'm having right now. I'm seeing all these awesome boards be posted and I just really wish I could get mine. I ordered an anodized finish because when I talked to you, you strongly recommended it to me for quicker turnaround times since I was one of the last people to get their Norbatouch case last round. But needing to wait since I'm in Europe and seeing your last update on how long the power coating will still take, I'm going nuts. Please let me now of there is anything we can do so I can get that case a bit sooner.
Thanks
Post by: Lansky on Sun, 26 August 2018, 06:33:13
The powder finishes definitely require a special degree of patience. :) The powder workshop was waiting for all the powder to come into stock and they'll begin production, which is stated to take 1-2 months. I don't like to bug them too much, but I'll check in with them next week to ensure that all the powder came in and that they're ready to go or have already begun work. FWIW, I generally expect powder coating shops to take longer than the timelines they quote. -_-
Hi Ryan, I really thank you for all the work you put into these projects.
The cases are looking really good, and that's part of the issue I'm having right now. I'm seeing all these awesome boards be posted and I just really wish I could get mine. I ordered an anodized finish because when I talked to you, you strongly recommended it to me for quicker turnaround times since I was one of the last people to get their Norbatouch case last round. But needing to wait since I'm in Europe and seeing your last update on how long the power coating will still take, I'm going nuts. Please let me now of there is anything we can do so I can get that case a bit sooner.
Thanks
Send him an email. He previously mentioned that it's no problem to switch to the regular shipping option (the non-proxy one), just keep in mind that you'll have to cover the extra import costs.
Post by: donhonk on Sun, 26 August 2018, 21:59:43
WOOP, Thanks!
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 26 August 2018, 22:23:28
The powder finishes definitely require a special degree of patience. :) The powder workshop was waiting for all the powder to come into stock and they'll begin production, which is stated to take 1-2 months. I don't like to bug them too much, but I'll check in with them next week to ensure that all the powder came in and that they're ready to go or have already begun work. FWIW, I generally expect powder coating shops to take longer than the timelines they quote. -_-
Hi Ryan, I really thank you for all the work you put into these projects.
The cases are looking really good, and that's part of the issue I'm having right now. I'm seeing all these awesome boards be posted and I just really wish I could get mine. I ordered an anodized finish because when I talked to you, you strongly recommended it to me for quicker turnaround times since I was one of the last people to get their Norbatouch case last round. But needing to wait since I'm in Europe and seeing your last update on how long the power coating will still take, I'm going nuts. Please let me now of there is anything we can do so I can get that case a bit sooner.
Thanks
I'm currently looking into sending the anodized ones ahead to MyKeyboard.eu. It'll still take a while to go through the whole process, however, so if you need it ASAP, as mentioned above, feel free to email me and we can make alternate arrangements for you.
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 26 August 2018, 22:23:41
Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/EyTAkPY.jpg)
WOOP, Thanks!
Sexy spacebar.
Post by: FSund on Mon, 27 August 2018, 02:56:25
I had the same issue with the pcb securing screws as some others have mentioned, where they didn't go far enough in to secure the pcb (or the screws were too short). I couldn't find any metal shavings/residue in the holes, so I don't think that was the issue. But I did see some signs of the threads not going all the way to the bottom of the holes. Perhaps this is the real reason for this issue? Or perhaps the 88UB pcb's are thinner than 87's. I didn't think of measuring the thickness of my pcb while i had it out though.
I fixed this with some nylon washers.
One minor issue with the risers and rubber feet is that the risers interfere with the rubber feet on the short sides of the case.
[attach=1]
This is mainly an issue if going from no risers (and all rubber feet installed) to risers installed, since two of the rubber feet would have to me removed.
But I think there is enough material in the risers that it would have been possible to make a small notch/pocket for the rubber feet on top of the risers, so that both could be installed at the same time. But hindsight is 20/20, and it's hard to think of everything when designing something like this.
I will probably always have risers installed anyway, so this is not really an issue for me.
Finally the risers could have been a tad higher in my opinion. Although this might improve if I used a wrist rest, so I'll have to get one to try it out.
But I think it might be possible to make some higher risers in the same design as the current risers, something like this amazing paint illustration shows:
[attach=2]
Taller risers for Norbaforce GB anyone??
These are all very small gripes, and I'm overall extremely pleased with the final product. The feel and finish of this thing is fantastic, and the case combined with KBDfans silencing rings has brought my RF to a HHKB-level of tactility and feel.
Here's a final image of my (current) endgame!
Which my wife promptly took off with, claiming she needed it for productivity or something like that.
[attach=3]
Post by: Lansky on Mon, 27 August 2018, 03:56:53
I'm currently looking into sending the anodized ones ahead to MyKeyboard.eu. It'll still take a while to go through the whole process, however, so if you need it ASAP, as mentioned above, feel free to email me and we can make alternate arrangements for you.
Awww, you're basically making my dream come true, Ryan. This is awesome news! ;D
Post by: thelaughingman on Mon, 27 August 2018, 08:32:58
[attachimg=1][attachimg=2]
Post by: Burt Macklin on Mon, 27 August 2018, 09:47:08
I'm currently looking into sending the anodized ones ahead to MyKeyboard.eu. It'll still take a while to go through the whole process, however, so if you need it ASAP, as mentioned above, feel free to email me and we can make alternate arrangements for you.
Thanks, man,
that's great to hear :thumb:
Post by: donhonk on Mon, 27 August 2018, 10:37:37
Sexy spacebar.
Thank you! My first aftermarket case and its amazing. Can't wait for whatever your next thing is, curious if you still wanna tackle the corian idea cause it sounds so unique.
Post by: salvanipour on Mon, 27 August 2018, 10:40:06
Post by: nmur on Mon, 27 August 2018, 10:52:14
Speaking of spacebars I noticed a dearth of decent spacebar options for Topre keyboards. The PBT ones I've come across are hit or miss in quality. It would be interesting if one of the top custom designer (Salvun, Rama, Norbauer) could come up with a nice aluminum Topre spacebar.
metal keycaps are too heavy
PBT aftermarket spacebars are about as good as we'll get for now, but you can fix ones that are slightly misshapen with some heat
Post by: duckboi on Mon, 27 August 2018, 15:45:28
Speaking of spacebars I noticed a dearth of decent spacebar options for Topre keyboards. The PBT ones I've come across are hit or miss in quality. It would be interesting if one of the top custom designer (Salvun, Rama, Norbauer) could come up with a nice aluminum Topre spacebar.
metal keycaps are too heavy
PBT aftermarket spacebars are about as good as we'll get for now, but you can fix ones that are slightly misshapen with some heat
Personally my favorite has always been the stock ABS space, all the pbt ones ive tried have felt strange and sounded bad too. :shrug:
Post by: Polymer on Mon, 27 August 2018, 15:49:48
Post by: salvanipour on Mon, 27 August 2018, 17:11:59
Post by: PurpleURP on Mon, 27 August 2018, 19:56:49
The powder finishes definitely require a special degree of patience. :) The powder workshop was waiting for all the powder to come into stock and they'll begin production, which is stated to take 1-2 months. I don't like to bug them too much, but I'll check in with them next week to ensure that all the powder came in and that they're ready to go or have already begun work. FWIW, I generally expect powder coating shops to take longer than the timelines they quote. -_-
So what do you think norbauer, will powder coated cases be ready in time for norcal meet up Nov 10?
Post by: Dumblescore on Mon, 27 August 2018, 20:28:12
Some thoughts after installing my RF 88UB in the case, and using it for a couple of days.Oh man. I didn’t even realize it was that sleek! I may end up needing a wrist rest but I’m going to love it to death once it’s here!
I had the same issue with the pcb securing screws as some others have mentioned, where they didn't go far enough in to secure the pcb (or the screws were too short). I couldn't find any metal shavings/residue in the holes, so I don't think that was the issue. But I did see some signs of the threads not going all the way to the bottom of the holes. Perhaps this is the real reason for this issue? Or perhaps the 88UB pcb's are thinner than 87's. I didn't think of measuring the thickness of my pcb while i had it out though.
I fixed this with some nylon washers.
One minor issue with the risers and rubber feet is that the risers interfere with the rubber feet on the short sides of the case.
(Attachment Link)
This is mainly an issue if going from no risers (and all rubber feet installed) to risers installed, since two of the rubber feet would have to me removed.
But I think there is enough material in the risers that it would have been possible to make a small notch/pocket for the rubber feet on top of the risers, so that both could be installed at the same time. But hindsight is 20/20, and it's hard to think of everything when designing something like this.
I will probably always have risers installed anyway, so this is not really an issue for me.
Finally the risers could have been a tad higher in my opinion. Although this might improve if I used a wrist rest, so I'll have to get one to try it out.
But I think it might be possible to make some higher risers in the same design as the current risers, something like this amazing paint illustration shows:
(Attachment Link)
Taller risers for Norbaforce GB anyone??
These are all very small gripes, and I'm overall extremely pleased with the final product. The feel and finish of this thing is fantastic, and the case combined with KBDfans silencing rings has brought my RF to a HHKB-level of tactility and feel.
Here's a final image of my (current) endgame!
Which my wife promptly took off with, claiming she needed it for productivity or something like that.
(Attachment Link)
Post by: thelaughingman on Mon, 27 August 2018, 22:01:56
Now, here comes the not so great part:
1. On my left side riser feet, the inner wall of the screw hole got a big dent in it. Like maybe the tip of the drill hit it or something?
[attachimg=1]
2. The screw holes on the case got some weird white residue, some got smudges and discolorisation like this
[attachimg=2]
3. There are small scratches in 2 out of 4 corners of the cases:
[attachimg=3][attachimg=5]
4. I also notice the issue of the screws that hold the plate. I tightened all 4 screws all the way and in the end, if I push strongly from the PCB side, the plate+PCB can still move. I haven't added any washers or check the threads yet, since it doesn't move if pushed from the keycap side. Next time I do some modding I'll check back at it and report later
All in all, it's a great product. It's hefty, looks great, feels great, and typing on it feels awesome. Just that my unboxing experience was a bit dented (pun intended :p) by those visual imperfections (though as I preface, they are never visible once the board is assembled). Oh, almost forgot to mention the fancy cable works for me too. It seems like people are reporting the cable works for them too? So really tough luck on those that got the faulty ones. And here is the picture of the final product, thanks so much Ryan :thumb:
[attachimg=4]
Post by: gabbbe on Tue, 28 August 2018, 00:33:20
Can I buy a tkl pcb e use this case? If yes, what pieces do you recommend for a build?
Thank you!
Post by: nmur on Tue, 28 August 2018, 00:48:40
It might be a dumb question but I don't have a RealForce keyboard.
Can I buy a tkl pcb e use this case? If yes, what pieces do you recommend for a build?
Thank you!
no, this is just for Realforces
Post by: MAR82 on Tue, 28 August 2018, 12:39:13
MoreThe powder finishes definitely require a special degree of patience. :) The powder workshop was waiting for all the powder to come into stock and they'll begin production, which is stated to take 1-2 months. I don't like to bug them too much, but I'll check in with them next week to ensure that all the powder came in and that they're ready to go or have already begun work. FWIW, I generally expect powder coating shops to take longer than the timelines they quote. -_-
Hi Ryan, I really thank you for all the work you put into these projects.
The cases are looking really good, and that's part of the issue I'm having right now. I'm seeing all these awesome boards be posted and I just really wish I could get mine. I ordered an anodized finish because when I talked to you, you strongly recommended it to me for quicker turnaround times since I was one of the last people to get their Norbatouch case last round. But needing to wait since I'm in Europe and seeing your last update on how long the power coating will still take, I'm going nuts. Please let me now of there is anything we can do so I can get that case a bit sooner.
Thanks
I'm currently looking into sending the anodized ones ahead to MyKeyboard.eu. It'll still take a while to go through the whole process, however, so if you need it ASAP, as mentioned above, feel free to email me and we can make alternate arrangements for you.
If you're planning on doing a first shipment of the anodized cases, I should be able to wait that long. If not please let us know and I will request an earlier shipping. Thanks
Post by: nmur on Wed, 29 August 2018, 07:28:11
(https://i.imgur.com/1xuWTiD.jpg)
more pics here (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=40658.msg2653890#msg2653890)
Post by: Will_26 on Wed, 29 August 2018, 09:12:03
used it today at work, super satisfied with it!Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/1xuWTiD.jpg)
more pics here (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=40658.msg2653890#msg2653890)
That's awesome!
Post by: q1w2e3r4t5z on Wed, 29 August 2018, 10:46:08
I'm currently looking into sending the anodized ones ahead to MyKeyboard.eu. It'll still take a while to go through the whole process, however, so if you need it ASAP, as mentioned above, feel free to email me and we can make alternate arrangements for you.Hello Ryan,
I mailed you ~2 days ago regarding the same topic. Are there maybe any updates?
Post by: anorphirith on Tue, 04 September 2018, 18:59:26
wow this is next level pickiness, a dent in a whole at the bottom of the case ?! seriously
1. On my left side riser feet, the inner wall of the screw hole got a big dent in it. Like maybe the tip of the drill hit it or something?
2. The screw holes on the case got some weird white residue, some got smudges and discolorisation like this
3. There are small scratches in 2 out of 4 corners of the cases:
4. I also notice the issue of the screws that hold the plate. I tightened all 4 screws all the way and in the end, if I push strongly from the PCB side, the plate+PCB can still move. I haven't added any washers or check the threads yet, since it doesn't move if pushed from the keycap side. Next time I do some modding I'll check back at it and report later
Post by: xondat on Tue, 04 September 2018, 19:06:01
wow this is next level pickiness, a dent in a whole at the bottom of the case ?! seriously
Whilst it is picky, they are legitimate issues, and noting them down can help Norbauer in the future to improve quality.
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 04 September 2018, 19:18:32
The powder finishes definitely require a special degree of patience. :) The powder workshop was waiting for all the powder to come into stock and they'll begin production, which is stated to take 1-2 months. I don't like to bug them too much, but I'll check in with them next week to ensure that all the powder came in and that they're ready to go or have already begun work. FWIW, I generally expect powder coating shops to take longer than the timelines they quote. -_-
So what do you think norbauer, will powder coated cases be ready in time for norcal meet up Nov 10?
I just spoke with the powder coating folks today and they said they believe that 4-6 weeks is a good estimate at this point.
So I finished installing the Norbaforce last night. Let me put this out of the way: the outer shell and all visible areas when the keyboard is on the table are spotless! ...
I too am disappointed by even invisible imperfections that are hidden inside the case and (crazy though it can sometimes make me, and definitely makes my manufacturers), I actually am always working to reduce even hidden cosmetic variations of this kind. However, within the bounds of the pricing I've been using in the past, the deal I've worked out with the factory to keep the cosmetic quality of the exterior of the housing as high as possible without raising the price too much (higher cosmetic standards often just means throwing more units away), is that I won't reject a case if there are minor to moderate cosmetic blemishes on surfaces that can't be seen during normal use of the housing. I'm increasingly leaning in the direction of using more expensive manufacturers so we can improve even this relatively non-problematic types of cosmetic variations, but suffice it to say that the types of issues you described are within the bounds of what I at least have agreed with the factory would be acceptable. It's always a delicate balance between having to charge more (and disappoint some people who won't be able to afford it) and relaxing standards a bit and having to disappoint people who want and expect the product to arrive in the form of a Platonic archetype. When I buy stuff, I actually tend to fall more into the latter category myself, so for whatever it's worth, on my next project I'm probably just going to have higher prices (i.e., paying more to use a better manufacturer and finishing vendors) so I have more leverage to demand higher cosmetic standards. However, that all being said, I still feel pretty comfortable about the balance I struck on the Norbaforces. I hope the issues, no matter how minor or invisible, aren't too much of a disappointment. After all, the payoff to these projects is entirely psychological and aesthetic, so you get to decide what hits those buttons for you. :)
MoreThe powder finishes definitely require a special degree of patience. :) The powder workshop was waiting for all the powder to come into stock and they'll begin production, which is stated to take 1-2 months. I don't like to bug them too much, but I'll check in with them next week to ensure that all the powder came in and that they're ready to go or have already begun work. FWIW, I generally expect powder coating shops to take longer than the timelines they quote. -_-
Hi Ryan, I really thank you for all the work you put into these projects.
The cases are looking really good, and that's part of the issue I'm having right now. I'm seeing all these awesome boards be posted and I just really wish I could get mine. I ordered an anodized finish because when I talked to you, you strongly recommended it to me for quicker turnaround times since I was one of the last people to get their Norbatouch case last round. But needing to wait since I'm in Europe and seeing your last update on how long the power coating will still take, I'm going nuts. Please let me now of there is anything we can do so I can get that case a bit sooner.
Thanks
I'm currently looking into sending the anodized ones ahead to MyKeyboard.eu. It'll still take a while to go through the whole process, however, so if you need it ASAP, as mentioned above, feel free to email me and we can make alternate arrangements for you.
If you're planning on doing a first shipment of the anodized cases, I should be able to wait that long. If not please let us know and I will request an earlier shipping. Thanks
I am currently waiting on some details that I have requested from MyKeyboard.eu and could be ready to ship as early as this week when I get them.
Post by: chakku on Wed, 05 September 2018, 03:26:24
Post by: thelaughingman on Wed, 05 September 2018, 06:30:53
wow this is next level pickiness, a dent in a whole at the bottom of the case ?! seriously
1. On my left side riser feet, the inner wall of the screw hole got a big dent in it. Like maybe the tip of the drill hit it or something?
2. The screw holes on the case got some weird white residue, some got smudges and discolorisation like this
3. There are small scratches in 2 out of 4 corners of the cases:
4. I also notice the issue of the screws that hold the plate. I tightened all 4 screws all the way and in the end, if I push strongly from the PCB side, the plate+PCB can still move. I haven't added any washers or check the threads yet, since it doesn't move if pushed from the keycap side. Next time I do some modding I'll check back at it and report later
yep, that's me :p
Post by: thelaughingman on Wed, 05 September 2018, 06:42:44
I too am disappointed by even invisible imperfections that are hidden inside the case and (crazy though it can sometimes make me, and definitely makes my manufacturers), I actually am always working to reduce even hidden cosmetic variations of this kind. However, within the bounds of the pricing I've been using in the past, the deal I've worked out with the factory to keep the cosmetic quality of the exterior of the housing as high as possible without raising the price too much (higher cosmetic standards often just means throwing more units away), is that I won't reject a case if there are minor to moderate cosmetic blemishes on surfaces that can't be seen during normal use of the housing. I'm increasingly leaning in the direction of using more expensive manufacturers so we can improve even this relatively non-problematic types of cosmetic variations, but suffice it to say that the types of issues you described are within the bounds of what I at least have agreed with the factory would be acceptable. It's always a delicate balance between having to charge more (and disappoint some people who won't be able to afford it) and relaxing standards a bit and having to disappoint people who want and expect the product to arrive in the form of a Platonic archetype. When I buy stuff, I actually tend to fall more into the latter category myself, so for whatever it's worth, on my next project I'm probably just going to have higher prices (i.e., paying more to use a better manufacturer and finishing vendors) so I have more leverage to demand higher cosmetic standards. However, that all being said, I still feel pretty comfortable about the balance I struck on the Norbaforces. I hope the issues, no matter how minor or invisible, aren't too much of a disappointment. After all, the payoff to these projects is entirely psychological and aesthetic, so you get to decide what hits those buttons for you. :)
Thank you for the detailed write-up, cannot say I didn't expect it. And having a bit more insight into your thinking about the project/product is definitely beneficial to everybody. I fall into the latter category as well, as mentioned multiple times in the post, I'm very very happy with the case I received and I'll make damn sure to show it off as often as possible (already got quite a few "ooh" & "aahh" from the picture I shared) ;D
Post by: strigif0rm3s on Wed, 05 September 2018, 09:01:17
Curious how some of you are altering Left Ctrl key/slider/housing to get cherry slider/keycaps on it?
Just curious, something i've been trying to get perfected for a while now.
I want to put my GMK camping on my Norbaforce. I've tried messing with the sliders to get it to fit, but never get it PERFECT. (although i get it on there, just doesn't FEEL right.)
Any tips appreciated.
Thanks!!
Post by: MajorKoos on Wed, 05 September 2018, 14:19:48
Hey all,
Curious how some of you are altering Left Ctrl key/slider/housing to get cherry slider/keycaps on it?
Just curious, something i've been trying to get perfected for a while now.
I want to put my GMK camping on my Norbaforce. I've tried messing with the sliders to get it to fit, but never get it PERFECT. (although i get it on there, just doesn't FEEL right.)
Any tips appreciated.
Thanks!!
Yeah, the left control.
I used a file to modify the hole so it fits a standard housing like the rest of the switches.
Then I replaced the housing with one from a broken novatouch.
(I also swapped all the 2U housings with their NT counterparts so I didn't have to drill anything).
Post by: richard912 on Sat, 08 September 2018, 01:14:09
Post by: ihalatch on Sat, 08 September 2018, 04:42:53
(http://i.imgur.com/cV5GXiA.jpg) (https://imgur.com/cV5GXiA)
(http://i.imgur.com/1V4DVWb.jpg) (https://imgur.com/1V4DVWb)
Post by: Lansky on Sat, 08 September 2018, 04:54:01
Show Image
Show Image
(http://i.imgur.com/j2DqpE6.jpg) (https://imgur.com/j2DqpE6)
(http://i.imgur.com/cV5GXiA.jpg) (https://imgur.com/cV5GXiA)
(http://i.imgur.com/1V4DVWb.jpg) (https://imgur.com/1V4DVWb)
The WKL version looks so nice. There doesn't seem to be a lot of them around, though. I wonder how many were ordered? :)
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 08 September 2018, 13:03:05
Show ImageShow Image(http://i.imgur.com/j2DqpE6.jpg) (https://imgur.com/j2DqpE6)
(http://i.imgur.com/cV5GXiA.jpg) (https://imgur.com/cV5GXiA)
(http://i.imgur.com/1V4DVWb.jpg) (https://imgur.com/1V4DVWb)
The WKL version looks so nice. There doesn't seem to be a lot of them around, though. I wonder how many were ordered? :)
Nice photos, ihalatch!
Lansky, I think WKL was like maybe 5% of the orders. ;)
Post by: Lansky on Sat, 08 September 2018, 13:34:27
Lansky, I think WKL was like maybe 5% of the orders. ;)
Wow, that's a surprisingly low number. I was expecting something closer to a 50/50 split. :)
Post by: avid on Thu, 13 September 2018, 10:15:03
Lansky, I think WKL was like maybe 5% of the orders. ;)
Wow, that's a surprisingly low number. I was expecting something closer to a 50/50 split. :)
People want WKL, but 86u is rare/expensive and most own a 87u.
Post by: dallman5 on Thu, 13 September 2018, 10:32:16
Lansky, I think WKL was like maybe 5% of the orders. ;)
Wow, that's a surprisingly low number. I was expecting something closer to a 50/50 split. :)
People want WKL, but 86u is rare/expensive and most own a 87u.
FWIW, I think the 87U looks surprisingly good in the WKL housing as well
Post by: MajorKoos on Thu, 13 September 2018, 11:01:34
Lansky, I think WKL was like maybe 5% of the orders. ;)
Wow, that's a surprisingly low number. I was expecting something closer to a 50/50 split. :)
People want WKL, but 86u is rare/expensive and most own a 87u.
I don't get WKL at all.
Is it a linux thing?
Post by: pixelpusher on Thu, 13 September 2018, 11:09:35
Lansky, I think WKL was like maybe 5% of the orders. ;)
Wow, that's a surprisingly low number. I was expecting something closer to a 50/50 split. :)
People want WKL, but 86u is rare/expensive and most own a 87u.
I don't get WKL at all.
Is it a linux thing?
It's an aesthetic thing for some. I've grown to appreciate it for the larger left Alt that I use a lot when gaming. That and the fact I won't accidentally hit the windows key when gaming. I just rebind the right alt to the windows key if I feel like I need it for things like window management (win + arrows), widows explorer (win + E) and other hotkeys.
Post by: Lansky on Thu, 13 September 2018, 11:28:15
I'm currently looking into sending the anodized ones ahead to MyKeyboard.eu. It'll still take a while to go through the whole process...
Any updates on this? :)
Post by: hayt on Thu, 13 September 2018, 11:31:08
Lansky, I think WKL was like maybe 5% of the orders. ;)
Wow, that's a surprisingly low number. I was expecting something closer to a 50/50 split. :)
People want WKL, but 86u is rare/expensive and most own a 87u.
FWIW, I think the 87U looks surprisingly good in the WKL housing as well
Agreed! Kicking myself for not getting a WKL
Post by: MajorKoos on Thu, 13 September 2018, 11:31:58
Lansky, I think WKL was like maybe 5% of the orders. ;)
Wow, that's a surprisingly low number. I was expecting something closer to a 50/50 split. :)
People want WKL, but 86u is rare/expensive and most own a 87u.
I don't get WKL at all.
Is it a linux thing?
It's an aesthetic thing for some. I've grown to appreciate it for the larger left Alt that I use a lot when gaming. That and the fact I won't accidentally hit the windows key when gaming. I just rebind the right alt to the windows key if I feel like I need it for things like window management (win + arrows), widows explorer (win + E) and other hotkeys.
Lansky, I think WKL was like maybe 5% of the orders. ;)
Wow, that's a surprisingly low number. I was expecting something closer to a 50/50 split. :)
People want WKL, but 86u is rare/expensive and most own a 87u.
I don't get WKL at all.
Is it a linux thing?
It's an aesthetic thing for some. I've grown to appreciate it for the larger left Alt that I use a lot when gaming. That and the fact I won't accidentally hit the windows key when gaming. I just rebind the right alt to the windows key if I feel like I need it for things like window management (win + arrows), widows explorer (win + E) and other hotkeys.
Ahh, so it's like having a neck tattoo and a stretching.
Looks cool, but limits one's options for productive work.
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 13 September 2018, 15:59:22
I'm currently looking into sending the anodized ones ahead to MyKeyboard.eu. It'll still take a while to go through the whole process...
Any updates on this? :)
They have shipped to MyKeyboard.eu.
Post by: Lansky on Thu, 13 September 2018, 17:16:42
I'm currently looking into sending the anodized ones ahead to MyKeyboard.eu. It'll still take a while to go through the whole process...
Any updates on this? :)
They have shipped to MyKeyboard.eu.
Sweet, I can't wait! Thanks for the update, Ryan.
Post by: q1w2e3r4t5z on Fri, 14 September 2018, 12:41:33
Post by: xondat on Fri, 14 September 2018, 12:46:48
Show ImageShow Image(http://i.imgur.com/j2DqpE6.jpg) (https://imgur.com/j2DqpE6)
(http://i.imgur.com/cV5GXiA.jpg) (https://imgur.com/cV5GXiA)
(http://i.imgur.com/1V4DVWb.jpg) (https://imgur.com/1V4DVWb)
The WKL version looks so nice. There doesn't seem to be a lot of them around, though. I wonder how many were ordered? :)
Nice photos, ihalatch!
Lansky, I think WKL was like maybe 5% of the orders. ;)
Damn, that's massive to think about... MX seems to be about 75% WKL for me.
Post by: Darknight00z on Fri, 14 September 2018, 15:57:05
Show Image
Show Image
(http://i.imgur.com/j2DqpE6.jpg) (https://imgur.com/j2DqpE6)
(http://i.imgur.com/cV5GXiA.jpg) (https://imgur.com/cV5GXiA)
(http://i.imgur.com/1V4DVWb.jpg) (https://imgur.com/1V4DVWb)
Stunning!
But that mx hhkb has caught my eye. Anyone know what board that is?
Post by: ihalatch on Fri, 14 September 2018, 19:55:26
Show ImageShow Image(http://i.imgur.com/j2DqpE6.jpg) (https://imgur.com/j2DqpE6)
(http://i.imgur.com/cV5GXiA.jpg) (https://imgur.com/cV5GXiA)
(http://i.imgur.com/1V4DVWb.jpg) (https://imgur.com/1V4DVWb)
Stunning!
But that mx hhkb has caught my eye. Anyone know what board that is?
Tokyo 60. Have a look at Massdrop. It's still on.
Post by: regionfree on Sat, 15 September 2018, 00:29:08
[attach=1]
[attach=2]
[attach=3]
Post by: chakku on Sat, 15 September 2018, 00:53:38
Also a lot of the components on my PCB are on the bottom face rather than the top like Norbauer's video installation guide, luckily these components such as the caps just dig themselves a hole in the foam.
Post by: ihalatch on Sat, 15 September 2018, 01:39:08
Black plate and caps go really well with the sandblasted aluminum 😁
(Attachment Link)
(Attachment Link)
(Attachment Link)
Wow, that looks awesome.
Post by: le_wraith on Sat, 15 September 2018, 02:11:21
Post by: child on Sat, 15 September 2018, 04:47:55
Anyone else not quite having the PCB sit still in the enclosure? When I was hitting keys around the bottom right of the board (right shift, right ctrl, arrow keys, etc) there was an audible noise made from presumably the PCB itself moving up and down slightly. I tightened the screws as much as possible without pushing it to the point of breaking, but it still persisteted. My current fix was to add a second layer of the foam just to the bottom of the backplate to pad it a bit more and push up against the PCB, which has helped it tremendously.
I also had this problem and thought about adding foam, but I believe this is not a proper fix, because it just dampens the noise and doesn't prevent it. Instead I went with the washers on plate-mounting screws. Even though only one of those visibly did not hold the plate/PCB tightly, the rattling/noise went away only after I put washers on all of them.
Btw. I also have some outstanding capacitors (took me a while to figure out you don't mean key caps ;)) at the bottom of PCB, so rest assured it's ok.
Post by: chakku on Sat, 15 September 2018, 05:17:35
Anyone else not quite having the PCB sit still in the enclosure? When I was hitting keys around the bottom right of the board (right shift, right ctrl, arrow keys, etc) there was an audible noise made from presumably the PCB itself moving up and down slightly. I tightened the screws as much as possible without pushing it to the point of breaking, but it still persisteted. My current fix was to add a second layer of the foam just to the bottom of the backplate to pad it a bit more and push up against the PCB, which has helped it tremendously.
I also had this problem and thought about adding foam, but I believe this is not a proper fix, because it just dampens the noise and doesn't prevent it. Instead I went with the washers on plate-mounting screws. Even though only one of those visibly did not hold the plate/PCB tightly, the rattling/noise went away only after I put washers on all of them.
Btw. I also have some outstanding capacitors (took me a while to figure out you don't mean key caps ;)) at the bottom of PCB, so rest assured it's ok.
My foam is doing a little more than just dampening it, I have to push the backplate down when I'm screwing it on so it's a squeeze in there and is pushing hard against the PCB. The problem definitely doesn't persist for me any longer but it's good to see there are alternatively solutions, especially if people don't like it lined with foam.
Now I just need to lube some of these stabilizers to get rid of that rattle..
Post by: Stresemann on Sat, 15 September 2018, 07:04:16
very happy with it.
Again, thank you for providing such a awesome looking housing :D
Cheers and have a good one everybody.
Post by: MajorKoos on Sat, 15 September 2018, 11:50:24
Lansky, I think WKL was like maybe 5% of the orders. ;)
Wow, that's a surprisingly low number. I was expecting something closer to a 50/50 split. :)
People want WKL, but 86u is rare/expensive and most own a 87u.
I don't get WKL at all.
Is it a linux thing?
It's an aesthetic thing for some. I've grown to appreciate it for the larger left Alt that I use a lot when gaming. That and the fact I won't accidentally hit the windows key when gaming. I just rebind the right alt to the windows key if I feel like I need it for things like window management (win + arrows), widows explorer (win + E) and other hotkeys.Lansky, I think WKL was like maybe 5% of the orders. ;)
Wow, that's a surprisingly low number. I was expecting something closer to a 50/50 split. :)
People want WKL, but 86u is rare/expensive and most own a 87u.
I don't get WKL at all.
Is it a linux thing?
It's an aesthetic thing for some. I've grown to appreciate it for the larger left Alt that I use a lot when gaming. That and the fact I won't accidentally hit the windows key when gaming. I just rebind the right alt to the windows key if I feel like I need it for things like window management (win + arrows), widows explorer (win + E) and other hotkeys.
So more of a gaming thing then I guess.
Makes sense because I can't live without my windows key at work.
Post by: letze on Sun, 16 September 2018, 04:02:32
[attachimg=1]
Also took this opportunity to put some BKE domes/lube slider housing & stab/install silencing ring
Overall really beautiful housing. :D
Happy to inform metal cable works.
Few things however can be improved for next round gb (if have)
1. One of the keyboard plate screw cannot hold the plate firmly [Even after super tighten it :eek:]. Can push pcb towards and make some vibration+noise.
Solution: Use washer between screw and plate.
[attachimg=2]
2. Some smudges + tiny scratch on the case rear cover. While case front cover 100% free from this problem.
3. Increase height of the casing (personal opinion just a lil bit higher ;))
Post by: chakku on Sun, 16 September 2018, 16:40:57
Post by: letze on Sun, 16 September 2018, 19:45:10
What size washers are you using? I'm not at home currently to measure up but may as well pop in to the hardware store on the way home to pick some up to throw it and make sure that my PCB is in stable.The standard one I believe. The washer packaging doesn't mention any dimension.
Take note this is biggest washer that fit well into casing. Any bigger you will have trouble to fit it.
Go for smaller size if cannot find similar as mine.
Safety precaution if you can bring ruler and one of plate screw to test at hardware store :thumb:
[attachimg=1]
Post by: chakku on Sun, 16 September 2018, 20:13:57
EDIT: Store was out of M4s but M3s work fine if you don't need the washer to spread the load any more, they're exactly the same size as the screw head. Don't forget to go nylon or stainless steel and not brass.
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 16 September 2018, 23:00:38
Anyone else not quite having the PCB sit still in the enclosure? When I was hitting keys around the bottom right of the board (right shift, right ctrl, arrow keys, etc) there was an audible noise made from presumably the PCB itself moving up and down slightly. I tightened the screws as much as possible without pushing it to the point of breaking, but it still persisteted. My current fix was to add a second layer of the foam just to the bottom of the backplate to pad it a bit more and push up against the PCB, which has helped it tremendously.
I also had this problem and thought about adding foam, but I believe this is not a proper fix, because it just dampens the noise and doesn't prevent it. Instead I went with the washers on plate-mounting screws. Even though only one of those visibly did not hold the plate/PCB tightly, the rattling/noise went away only after I put washers on all of them.
Btw. I also have some outstanding capacitors (took me a while to figure out you don't mean key caps ;)) at the bottom of PCB, so rest assured it's ok.
Yes, this phenomenon (for those who are seeing it) can be easily fixed with washers (m4) or shorter machine screws (M4, 5mm length). Foam would be used for entirely different purposes. :)
Incidentally, note that all powder coated cases (when they're ready) will now ship with nylon washers in case one's particular plate and housing require them. I regret that I didn't have time to source them in to ship with the anodized cases, but for all the cases yet to ship we can consider this a solved problem. (It doesn't hurt to use the washers even if your plate and housing don't experience the issue, but definitely install them on all four plate screws, not just one.)
Post by: Lansky on Mon, 17 September 2018, 05:40:45
Post by: Burt Macklin on Mon, 17 September 2018, 06:05:04
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 17 September 2018, 13:19:09
Post by: Lansky on Mon, 17 September 2018, 16:29:02
The EU housings also got washers, btw. They arrived just in time for me to include them.
I actually thought about asking you earlier but figured it was too late for you to include them. But that is great news! :thumb:
Post by: richard912 on Mon, 17 September 2018, 22:00:07
Thanks, looks like M4 washers should do it.I've used a size 8 lock washer with mine. Just one corner since the other 3 were fine
EDIT: Store was out of M4s but M3s work fine if you don't need the washer to spread the load any more, they're exactly the same size as the screw head. Don't forget to go nylon or stainless steel and not brass.
Post by: Lansky on Tue, 18 September 2018, 04:11:02
Wonderful news, finally :thumb:
I just got received my tracking info! Almost there now! ;D
Post by: Makami on Sat, 22 September 2018, 13:16:02
received mine yesterday and just finished installment, potatoe picture:
[attachimg=1]
Only small complaint, 2 of the 10 screws for the backplate had been turned round, luckily a small screwdriver and patience worked to solve that.
Overall i'm very happy and want to thank you Ryan for this piece of perfection!
Have a nice weekend
Post by: salvanipour on Sun, 23 September 2018, 23:11:41
I have to say that they really, really made a big difference, especially by the right arrow key. The whole board feels much more solid now.
Also got the Silverstone foam. The keyboard sounds pretty good with the bottom open to the desk, as there isn't any kind of resonance trapped inside of the case. I haven't cut the foam yet and the plate is still out. The foam is kind of cheap and the paper backing is really bad. For $20 I expected better.
Hopefully a PVD or just solid brass backplate will tie this thing off nicely. The washers alone really made a huge difference in an already great case.
Post by: tanvir175 on Sun, 23 September 2018, 23:39:02
Even better if you have an 86u or ub :eek: :eek: :eek:
Post by: Lansky on Mon, 24 September 2018, 05:47:12
So I went to Home Depot today and got a pack of M5 washers for 54 cents. The M5 washers had the exact same outer diameter as the provided screws that hold the board in the case.
I have to say that they really, really made a big difference, especially by the right arrow key. The whole board feels much more solid now.
Also got the Silverstone foam. The keyboard sounds pretty good with the bottom open to the desk, as there isn't any kind of resonance trapped inside of the case. I haven't cut the foam yet and the plate is still out. The foam is kind of cheap and the paper backing is really bad. For $20 I expected better.
Hopefully a PVD or just solid brass backplate will tie this thing off nicely. The washers alone really made a huge difference in an already great case.
I used the washers that Ryan included (I was in the EU proxy) and it does make a difference.
If you don't like the Silverstone foam, I can recommend this:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1-Roll-200X50cm-36sqft-Car-Sound-Deadening-Cotton-Heat-Insulation-Pad-Foam-Material-Automotive-Interior-Accessories/32874486930.html
I had to cut out some holes for the capacitors and the ground wire, but it's a very snug fit which makes the board feel super dense and "muted". The thock is great now. I left the paper on so it's easy to remove in case I need to take the board apart again.
(https://i.imgur.com/uE32Z4Y.jpg)
Post by: salvanipour on Mon, 24 September 2018, 10:08:32
Post by: MajorKoos on Mon, 24 September 2018, 12:05:10
Solid recommendation! I may swing by the crafts store after work and just find a piece of regular craft foam that I can throw in with no adhesive. I think my Leopold has something similar inside that is held with just friction.
Shelf liner is always an option.
This stuff:
[attachimg=1]
Post by: salvanipour on Mon, 24 September 2018, 12:40:25
Post by: awhitedev on Mon, 24 September 2018, 15:06:39
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 24 September 2018, 16:25:10
How soon are we expecting the extras to be available for sale? :cool:
I'm holding off until all the powder coat cases from the group buy ship, so likely late October or shortly thereafter. Sorry to leave everyone hanging, but I don't feel right sending out cases to people who didn't participate in the group buy until everyone who was in it and waited so long has gotten theirs.
Post by: Kurisu666 on Mon, 24 September 2018, 18:36:42
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 24 September 2018, 18:41:12
I was wondering if there would be an option to purchase a spare type-c daughterboard for the Norbaforce. I actually take it too and from work everyday and It’s going to be plugged and unplugged quite a few times throughout its lifetime and I’m worried that one of these days that it will wear out and become loose. I have one of the magnetic micro USB attachments for another keyboard but they are definitely hit or miss when it comes to reliability. Thank you!
Got your email and will reply to it soon, but in short: yes, no problem. :)
Post by: Kurisu666 on Mon, 24 September 2018, 18:55:40
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 24 September 2018, 19:32:22
Great! Also both cables worked for me! It one you originally included didn't work for like 20 minutes and all of a sudden worked after changing the USB port it was in then started working on all of them :/ go figure...
Yeah, there is some kind of weird circumstance with USB hubs where the cable seems to cause problems for some small subset of people and not all of them, but I haven't been able to figure out what the common factor is. The problem has thankfully proven much more rare than I had feared, however; most people report the cable just working, which is great! :)
Post by: Burt Macklin on Tue, 25 September 2018, 03:21:35
A bit pressed for time, though, I probably won't do anything with it
before the weekend (planning to swap BKE domes in, while I'm at it) ..
so, more waiting.
But from what I could tell just by looking at (and touching) it -
it feels brilliant.
The packaging is also something else,
very nice design and premium feel all the way.
Great job, Norbauer :thumb:
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 25 September 2018, 11:52:39
Got my case yesterday!
A bit pressed for time, though, I probably won't do anything with it
before the weekend (planning to swap BKE domes in, while I'm at it) ..
so, more waiting.
But from what I could tell just by looking at (and touching) it -
it feels brilliant.
The packaging is also something else,
very nice design and premium feel all the way.
Great job, Norbauer :thumb:
Yay! Thanks for the great feedback. I'm glad I was able to get these to the EU folks in advance of the powder cases.
Post by: xauser on Thu, 27 September 2018, 14:05:51
[attach=1]
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 27 September 2018, 16:16:41
I just want to say thank you to ryan for that great case and mykeyboard.eu for the proxy service. I built my keyboard yesterday and am very happy with it.
(Attachment Link)
Thanks for for the kind words, xauser, and for sharing the lovely pic—much appreciated. :thumb:
Post by: Troif on Fri, 28 September 2018, 00:14:13
Finally after waiting a lot here in Europe I received my NorbaForce WKL Black ano case... the presentation was sublime.
Now I am an expert disassembling it, as I did it THREE times.
My explanation:
1 - follow the Norbauer instructions in his video. Those are great.
2 - WKL people out there: you need to take courage and take out the pcb to COMPLETELY remove the 2 Win keys (I mean the membrane, the spring, the switch and the slider) because the first time I thought it was enough just taking out the keys (assemble again), then I took out the slider (assemble again), and finally I had to take out completely the switch (assemble again). If not, the case does not fit at all in place.
3 - finally when all was in its place I realized that the sound was ECOEING a lot... where’s the Thock??? Eps! There is a solution!!! I installed a foam piece of Sobortane that incredibly dampened the noise.
4 - NOW really that is a Real Thing. It sounds incredible and love the feeling. THANKS NORBAUER FOR MAKING IT A REALITY.
P.S: My new in box FC660C is waiting for you now...
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180928/e0e8409bc49483635b2e3d9604b7b6e9.jpg)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Post by: Lansky on Fri, 28 September 2018, 03:57:22
3 - finally when all was in its place I realized that the sound was ECOEING a lot... where’s the Thock??? Eps! There is a solution!!! I installed a foam piece of Sobortane that incredibly dampened the noise.
4 - NOW really that is a Real Thing. It sounds incredible and love the feeling. THANKS NORBAUER FOR MAKING IT A REALITY.
I agree! Adding some sort of dampening material in the bottom of the case is a definite must. After that it sounds glorious. :thumb:
Post by: Choobies on Fri, 28 September 2018, 08:44:35
So I went to Home Depot today and got a pack of M5 washers for 54 cents. The M5 washers had the exact same outer diameter as the provided screws that hold the board in the case.
I have to say that they really, really made a big difference, especially by the right arrow key. The whole board feels much more solid now.
Also got the Silverstone foam. The keyboard sounds pretty good with the bottom open to the desk, as there isn't any kind of resonance trapped inside of the case. I haven't cut the foam yet and the plate is still out. The foam is kind of cheap and the paper backing is really bad. For $20 I expected better.
Hopefully a PVD or just solid brass backplate will tie this thing off nicely. The washers alone really made a huge difference in an already great case.
I used the washers that Ryan included (I was in the EU proxy) and it does make a difference.
If you don't like the Silverstone foam, I can recommend this:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1-Roll-200X50cm-36sqft-Car-Sound-Deadening-Cotton-Heat-Insulation-Pad-Foam-Material-Automotive-Interior-Accessories/32874486930.html
I had to cut out some holes for the capacitors and the ground wire, but it's a very snug fit which makes the board feel super dense and "muted". The thock is great now. I left the paper on so it's easy to remove in case I need to take the board apart again.Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/uE32Z4Y.jpg)
Thanks for this suggestion! This seems like the best value sound-dampening option I've seen yet. Ordered some for myself :D
Post by: Rumblehotep on Fri, 28 September 2018, 12:55:04
Post by: Kurisu666 on Fri, 28 September 2018, 21:27:09
My time constructing the WKL NorbaForce yesterday: (2-3hours)
Finally after waiting a lot here in Europe I received my NorbaForce WKL Black ano case... the presentation was sublime.
Now I am an expert disassembling it, as I did it THREE times.
My explanation:
1 - follow the Norbauer instructions in his video. Those are great.
2 - WKL people out there: you need to take courage and take out the pcb to COMPLETELY remove the 2 Win keys (I mean the membrane, the spring, the switch and the slider) because the first time I thought it was enough just taking out the keys (assemble again), then I took out the slider (assemble again), and finally I had to take out completely the switch (assemble again). If not, the case does not fit at all in place.
3 - finally when all was in its place I realized that the sound was ECOEING a lot... where’s the Thock??? Eps! There is a solution!!! I installed a foam piece of Sobortane that incredibly dampened the noise.
4 - NOW really that is a Real Thing. It sounds incredible and love the feeling. THANKS NORBAUER FOR MAKING IT A REALITY.
P.S: My new in box FC660C is waiting for you now...Show Image(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180928/e0e8409bc49483635b2e3d9604b7b6e9.jpg)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
I did the same thing with the "take out a few things and take out more" parts of the Win/Menu keys until even the dome and spring were out haha. I put gaffe tape over the plate in those spots on the switch plate so stuff doesn't get inside (probably unnecessary) and shoved some packing foam into the back where there was a lot of empty space. I use mine at work on a thick solid hard wood desk and the thock has become an even more satisfying THUMP while keeping the RF refinement that my Norbatouch doesn't quite have. For some reason my Norbatouch (BKE Lights) feels better at home on a cushy desk mat and the Norbaforce is better at work on the hard desk. I think the foam and the surface it's on really brings out the best of the Norbaforce. All in all a fantastic typing experience and I didn't even lube or silence the board, it's all stock aside from the case!
Post by: chakku on Fri, 28 September 2018, 21:33:22
(https://i.imgur.com/dNR7PYP.jpg)
Post by: letze on Sat, 29 September 2018, 03:17:54
Got my Norbaforce all wireless now too. A black cable would probably fit better but I don't have a short one on hand.Please find black cable for full dark knight theme. ;DShow Image(https://i.imgur.com/dNR7PYP.jpg)
Hope in the future Norbauer can find a way to make powder coated vanta black color :thumb:
Post by: 5inn3d- on Sat, 29 September 2018, 05:27:56
Got my Norbaforce all wireless now too. A black cable would probably fit better but I don't have a short one on hand.Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/dNR7PYP.jpg)
can you share how you made it wireless??
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 29 September 2018, 12:30:57
My time constructing the WKL NorbaForce yesterday: (2-3hours)
Finally after waiting a lot here in Europe I received my NorbaForce WKL Black ano case... the presentation was sublime.
Now I am an expert disassembling it, as I did it THREE times.
My explanation:
1 - follow the Norbauer instructions in his video. Those are great.
2 - WKL people out there: you need to take courage and take out the pcb to COMPLETELY remove the 2 Win keys (I mean the membrane, the spring, the switch and the slider) because the first time I thought it was enough just taking out the keys (assemble again), then I took out the slider (assemble again), and finally I had to take out completely the switch (assemble again). If not, the case does not fit at all in place.
3 - finally when all was in its place I realized that the sound was ECOEING a lot... where’s the Thock??? Eps! There is a solution!!! I installed a foam piece of Sobortane that incredibly dampened the noise.
4 - NOW really that is a Real Thing. It sounds incredible and love the feeling. THANKS NORBAUER FOR MAKING IT A REALITY.
P.S: My new in box FC660C is waiting for you now...Show Image(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180928/e0e8409bc49483635b2e3d9604b7b6e9.jpg)
Thanks for those kind words and for the helpful info, Troif!
Post by: chakku on Sat, 29 September 2018, 14:14:51
Got my Norbaforce all wireless now too. A black cable would probably fit better but I don't have a short one on hand.Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/dNR7PYP.jpg)
can you share how you made it wireless??
http://handheldsci.com/kb + Powerbank + Bluetooth dongle (Got an ASUS BT-400, wasn't confident in the BT on my motherboard being adequate for connectivity)
Post by: shadow on Tue, 02 October 2018, 16:56:58
While waiting for my case to arrive I wanted to get the dampening mat ready for installing the case (I purchased the Silverstone dampening), so I would like to ask you if you could let me know the dimensions I need to cut the foam for it to fit?
Also in your video demonstrating the dampening, did you just put the foam in there loose, or did you stick it to the back plate?
Many thanks!
Post by: chakku on Thu, 04 October 2018, 03:48:01
Hi Ryan,
While waiting for my case to arrive I wanted to get the dampening mat ready for installing the case (I purchased the Silverstone dampening), so I would like to ask you if you could let me know the dimensions I need to cut the foam for it to fit?
Also in your video demonstrating the dampening, did you just put the foam in there loose, or did you stick it to the back plate?
Many thanks!
Not the cleanest cut (but I don't see it unless I take the backplate off anyway!) but here's how I did mine, did end up sticking it to the backplate since I don't plan on replacing it as I like how it works. Also the double stacked/layered bits were from before I got the washers so the foam would push against the PCB and mitigate some of that movement.
The foam does a damn good job of imprinting the PCB components ;)
(https://i.imgur.com/4RmYAIw.jpg)
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 07 October 2018, 16:44:22
Hi Ryan,
While waiting for my case to arrive I wanted to get the dampening mat ready for installing the case (I purchased the Silverstone dampening), so I would like to ask you if you could let me know the dimensions I need to cut the foam for it to fit?
Also in your video demonstrating the dampening, did you just put the foam in there loose, or did you stick it to the back plate?
Many thanks!
158mm x 358mm would probably be a safe dimension to use. Might just be easier to wait for the plate to arrive though and lay it out by eye. :)
Post by: AppleVsAndroid on Tue, 09 October 2018, 16:23:17
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 09 October 2018, 16:34:51
Is there an update for the round "pi" cases to be shipped?
I think you've got the wrong thread. ;) You probably want this one (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=96300.0). Anyway, those are slated to ship later this year. Last I heard, the machining was complete and they're in the finishing stage.
Post by: AppleVsAndroid on Tue, 09 October 2018, 16:56:28
Post by: thinkriver on Tue, 09 October 2018, 17:05:13
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 09 October 2018, 17:06:17
(Attachment Link) (Attachment Link)
Thanks for sharing! Cool wrist rest. :)
Post by: thinkriver on Tue, 09 October 2018, 17:17:16
(Attachment Link) (Attachment Link)
Thanks for sharing! Cool wrist rest. :)
Thank you to reply my post, I like you work very much.
I wish one day you want to work on a project for Topre to MX adapter. Currently, all the Topre to MX adapters on the market are not good enough.
Post by: dantambok on Tue, 09 October 2018, 20:32:16
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 09 October 2018, 20:40:48
Long shot but are there any extras available?
There will be a tiny few available after all the group buy units ship (only powder coat finishes remain to ship), likely around the end of this month. You can sign up on my email list, linked in my signature, to be among the first to be notified when they go up.
Post by: dantambok on Tue, 09 October 2018, 20:52:31
Post by: phinix on Sat, 13 October 2018, 05:34:26
Long shot but are there any extras available?
There will be a tiny few available after all the group buy units ship (only powder coat finishes remain to ship), likely around the end of this month. You can sign up on my email list, linked in my signature, to be among the first to be notified when they go up.
Any chance those remains could be enigma black or royal wrinkle black?
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 13 October 2018, 12:09:22
Long shot but are there any extras available?
There will be a tiny few available after all the group buy units ship (only powder coat finishes remain to ship), likely around the end of this month. You can sign up on my email list, linked in my signature, to be among the first to be notified when they go up.
Any chance those remains could be enigma black or royal wrinkle black?
Yes, at least a couple of both.
Post by: phinix on Sat, 13 October 2018, 12:29:49
Long shot but are there any extras available?
There will be a tiny few available after all the group buy units ship (only powder coat finishes remain to ship), likely around the end of this month. You can sign up on my email list, linked in my signature, to be among the first to be notified when they go up.
Any chance those remains could be enigma black or royal wrinkle black?
Yes, at least a couple of both.
Awesome! I have subscribed, hopefully will catch one.
I love the vintage look of those two.
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 13 October 2018, 15:04:04
Long shot but are there any extras available?
There will be a tiny few available after all the group buy units ship (only powder coat finishes remain to ship), likely around the end of this month. You can sign up on my email list, linked in my signature, to be among the first to be notified when they go up.
Any chance those remains could be enigma black or royal wrinkle black?
Yes, at least a couple of both.
Awesome! I have subscribed, hopefully will catch one.
I love the vintage look of those two.
Me too! I'm particularly fond of the Royal Wrinkle. I used to have a vintage Royal typewriter when I was a kid that had that exact same finish. :)
Post by: regionfree on Sun, 14 October 2018, 00:57:51
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 14 October 2018, 02:15:34
@norbauer would the remaining powder coated cases be shipped out before christmas? trying to figure out how to receive the shipment.
I'm supposed to get them back around the end of this month, so I would certainly hope so. :)
Post by: regionfree on Sun, 14 October 2018, 10:00:40
@norbauer would the remaining powder coated cases be shipped out before christmas? trying to figure out how to receive the shipment.
I'm supposed to get them back around the end of this month, so I would certainly hope so. :)
great, thanks! christmas wouldn't be complete otherwise :D
Post by: Butter on Tue, 16 October 2018, 16:30:25
@norbauer would the remaining powder coated cases be shipped out before christmas? trying to figure out how to receive the shipment.
I'm supposed to get them back around the end of this month, so I would certainly hope so. :)
Hi, is the powder coating case still on schedule to be back by the end of this month? Thanks.
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 16 October 2018, 19:50:35
@norbauer would the remaining powder coated cases be shipped out before christmas? trying to figure out how to receive the shipment.
I'm supposed to get them back around the end of this month, so I would certainly hope so. :)
Hi, is the powder coating case still on schedule to be back by the end of this month? Thanks.
According to the factory, yes. It'll probably take me a week or so sort, inspect, pack, and ship, however, so I'd say early November is the safer bet, even assuming the factory delivers exactly when it said it would (and factories so rarely do).
Post by: Ye11ow on Fri, 26 October 2018, 11:00:42
Post by: trikoi00 on Fri, 26 October 2018, 20:52:12
Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 26 October 2018, 23:20:10
Post by: Will_26 on Sat, 27 October 2018, 09:00:47
Quick update: I just spoke to the powder coating workshop and they said that the cases are ready! I'll be arranging a rendezvous with their truck somewhere over in Palo Alto next week to pick them up. Then give me maybe a week or two to get everything inspected and packed up and sent out after that. Nearing the finish line though! :cool:
Amazing news! Thanks for the update Ryan. Been very hard not to pick up an aftermarket Ano one in the meantime just to have my hands on one. Can't wait! :D
Post by: shadow on Sat, 27 October 2018, 10:12:35
I received the case a little while ago, and I just wanted to let you know how awesome it is! The finish is exceptional, it just oozes high quality both inside and outside (and it certainly cant be mistaken for plastic as I asked about way back in this thread LOL :))). Also the packaging was very impressive. It really makes my keyboard so much more solid, and it feels really nice and sturdy to type on - especially with the sound dampening foam inside.
The only minor thing I noticed is that it tilts/wobbles ever so slightly (with the feet installed at least).. like its not entirely planar when placed on a flat table. If I take a thin piece of paper, fold it once, and put it under one of the feet it goes away. Do you have a better idea to fix this? (it really isn't much of a problem though!)
But a very happy customer here! Thank you a lot for making this case :thumb:
Post by: brizzzle on Tue, 30 October 2018, 02:20:14
Quick update: I just spoke to the powder coating workshop and they said that the cases are ready! I'll be arranging a rendezvous with their truck somewhere over in Palo Alto next week to pick them up. Then give me maybe a week or two to get everything inspected and packed up and sent out after that. Nearing the finish line though! :cool:
Great news! Can't wait to get my case.
Post by: PurpleURP on Wed, 31 October 2018, 16:22:46
Quick update: I just spoke to the powder coating workshop and they said that the cases are ready! I'll be arranging a rendezvous with their truck somewhere over in Palo Alto next week to pick them up. Then give me maybe a week or two to get everything inspected and packed up and sent out after that. Nearing the finish line though! :cool:
Hey norbauer, sent you a DM
Post by: phinix on Sat, 03 November 2018, 06:13:35
Quick update: I just spoke to the powder coating workshop and they said that the cases are ready! I'll be arranging a rendezvous with their truck somewhere over in Palo Alto next week to pick them up. Then give me maybe a week or two to get everything inspected and packed up and sent out after that. Nearing the finish line though! :cool:
Cool. When would be the extra ones ready? around same time or like next week?
Also, those extra ones - are they going to be available from your site or Europe proxy as well?
Post by: strigif0rm3s on Wed, 07 November 2018, 13:58:24
Quick update: I just spoke to the powder coating workshop and they said that the cases are ready! I'll be arranging a rendezvous with their truck somewhere over in Palo Alto next week to pick them up. Then give me maybe a week or two to get everything inspected and packed up and sent out after that. Nearing the finish line though! :cool:They about ready to ship? Thanks so much!!!!
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Post by: Choobies on Wed, 07 November 2018, 14:07:11
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 08 November 2018, 11:42:23
Check it! https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp2doypH7vU/
You beat me to it posting here. :) I've been busy inspecting, sorting, kitting, and packing the powder coated cases, which arrived early this week. My goal is to have everything shipped out by Wednesday of next week at the latest, when I have to head out of town to LA for DesignerCon. Any remaining extras should be posted when I return from my trip the following week, which I'll announce on my email list (http://norbauer.com/list).
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 08 November 2018, 11:44:45
But a very happy customer here! Thank you a lot for making this case :thumb:
Thanks for the great feedback. Regarding the phenomenon you mentioned, shoot me an email by replying to your order confirmation and I'll be happy to help you troubleshoot. :)
Post by: phinix on Thu, 08 November 2018, 14:23:05
Check it! https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp2doypH7vU/
You beat me to it posting here. :) I've been busy inspecting, sorting, kitting, and packing the powder coated cases, which arrived early this week. My goal is to have everything shipped out by Wednesday of next week at the latest, when I have to head out of town to LA for DesignerCon. Any remaining extras should be posted when I return from my trip the following week, which I'll announce on my email list (http://norbauer.com/list).
Does it mean that those extra cases will be available to buy in few weeks?
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 08 November 2018, 14:27:50
Check it! https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp2doypH7vU/
You beat me to it posting here. :) I've been busy inspecting, sorting, kitting, and packing the powder coated cases, which arrived early this week. My goal is to have everything shipped out by Wednesday of next week at the latest, when I have to head out of town to LA for DesignerCon. Any remaining extras should be posted when I return from my trip the following week, which I'll announce on my email list (http://norbauer.com/list).
Does it mean that those extra cases will be available to buy in few weeks?
Yes, my plan is to have them up when I get back from LA, sometime week after next, but we'll see how it goes. :)
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 10 November 2018, 11:33:52
I am imposing a high cosmetic inspection standard for the powder coat and, even after over-ordering by quite a lot, I have rejected slightly more cases than I have orders. As such, I would like to ask if anyone who ordered the following colors is flexible on his or her order.
- Retro Refrigerator (shortfall of 4)
- Venice Beach (shortfall of 2)
- Space Station White (shortfall of 2)
- Enigma Black (shortfall of 2)
In addition to my enormous gratitude and a full refund, I would give anyone who was willing to let go of their order or to switch to another color a 30% discount on a future order. (And, yes, I will at some point in 2019 probably be doing a new version of this case that is compatible with both the 87U and the new R2 cases, assuming that proves technically feasible.) If interested, please email me directly (shop@norbauer.com) and we can work something out.
Otherwise, I'll just have to go in the order in which the orders were placed and cancel the orders affected by the shortfall, which I'll start doing Sunday evening. The shortfall is very small in all of those colors, so it would only take a few people to volunteer to ensure nobody gets his order involuntarily cancelled, which I will hate to have to do.
FWIW, I will not be running the glossy Retro Refrigerator or Venice Beach powders again in any of my project due to their high reject rates. Instead, I'll be switching to a version with a matte finish, which doesn't seem to suffer from these problems. Rejecting powder cases is stupid expensive, because the powder coating shop almost always blames the powder itself for being "finicky" and doesn't refund me the cost, but I just don't want to ship cases out to people with cosmetic aberrations that I deem unacceptable. (Powder coating with smooth, glossy finishes always has some irregularities inherently that are impossible fully to avoid, but having looked at hundreds and hundreds of powder-coated cases from various applicators, I have a pretty good feel for what is and isn't up to par.)
Post by: Dumblescore on Sat, 10 November 2018, 11:37:00
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 10 November 2018, 11:44:17
I’m not in too much of a rush to get mine (White I believe) — if you’re planing to make these ever again, I’ll be happy to get one later.
Cool. Could you please send an email to shop@norbauer.com? I don't have a way to link GH usernames to orders. :)
Post by: dario on Sat, 10 November 2018, 12:42:12
And, yes, I will at some point in 2019 probably be doing a new version of this case that is compatible with both the 87U and the new R2 cases
Woud you please explain (even if it's a very short explanation) how would you be able to do that? I've seen you mentioning this before, but I'm still not sure what do you mean.
R2 is significantly shorter (both the case and PCB), and in fact, this is it's main selling point - not having big ugly forrhead like R1.
Post by: Rumblehotep on Sat, 10 November 2018, 12:55:35
Ryan you said you will not be running glossy Retro Refrigerator/Venice Beach again and will only do the matte finish in future coatings.
Will this retroactively affect the round pi Norbatouches?
Post by: Will_26 on Sat, 10 November 2018, 12:56:07
Hey all. I've now completed unpacking and inspection of all the cases, which took a bit longer than I expected, but I believe I'm still on track to get all of the cases shipped before I head out to LA for DesignerCon on Wednesday. These colors came out looking beautiful, and I'm particularly impressed by the look of Monte Carlo Red, Royal Wrinkle, and Galaxy Console on this case design. I have already kitted and boxed three of the colors and hope to finish the rest today after I get back from the NorCal keyboard meetup in San Jose. If I don't manage to get to everything on Tuesday night, I'll update here, but I remain optimistic/determined.
I am imposing a high cosmetic inspection standard for the powder coat and, even after over-ordering by quite a lot, I have rejected slightly more cases than I have orders. As such, I would like to ask if anyone who ordered the following colors is flexible on his or her order.
- Retro Refrigerator (shortfall of 4)
- Venice Beach (shortfall of 2)
- Space Station White (shortfall of 2)
- Enigma Black (shortfall of 2)
In addition to my enormous gratitude and a full refund, I would give anyone who was willing to let go of their order or to switch to another color a 30% discount on a future order. (And, yes, I will at some point in 2019 probably be doing a new version of this case that is compatible with both the 87U and the new R2 cases, assuming that proves technically feasible.) If interested, please email me directly (shop@norbauer.com) and we can work something out.
Otherwise, I'll just have to go in the order in which the orders were placed and cancel the orders affected by the shortfall, which I'll start doing Sunday evening. The shortfall is very small in all of those colors, so it would only take a few people to volunteer to ensure nobody gets his order involuntarily cancelled, which I will hate to have to do.
FWIW, I will not be running the glossy Retro Refrigerator or Venice Beach powders again in any of my project due to their high reject rates. Instead, I'll be switching to a version with a matte finish, which doesn't seem to suffer from these problems. Rejecting powder cases is stupid expensive, because the powder coating shop almost always blames the powder itself for being "finicky" and doesn't refund me the cost, but I just don't want to ship cases out to people with cosmetic aberrations that I deem unacceptable. (Powder coating with smooth, glossy finishes always has some irregularities inherently that are impossible fully to avoid, but having looked at hundreds and hundreds of powder-coated cases from various applicators, I have a pretty good feel for what is and isn't up to par.)
Thanks for the update. Damn, cancelling orders for people that have waited 11 months for this case isn't ideal. Could you not offer the rejected cases at a fair reduced price to the people who would lose their orders? I waited till right till the end of the group buy to choose my colour and see it is one of the colours listed with a shortfall, so am expecting to be affected. I also expect even with the 30% discount for the next round I would not be interested in joining again due to the potential of waiting another 18-24 months for a case. I would probably be interested in still keeping my spot for a rejected case if the imperfections and discount were reasonable.
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 10 November 2018, 13:56:13
Will this retroactively affect the round pi Norbatouches?
Yes, I'll send out an email and let people know that changing to matte is probably the best strategy. Folks could either switch to another color, cancel, or just opt for the matte version.
I would probably be interested in still keeping my spot for a rejected case if the imperfections and discount were reasonable.
Send me an email letting me know you'd be interested in one of the rejects and I can send you some photos. I do plan to get them refinished and don't generally like sending cases out in the wild that aren't up to my standards, regardless of how long production takes, so I tend to be hesitant to do this. But the rejects in this case are still pretty good, so I'd be willing to make an exception.
Regarding the latency, for whatever it's worth, I'm not likely to be doing large group buys like this again in future. I'm hoping to move to having smaller quantities of in-stock items that I simply produce in advance. They'll be more expensive, but it avoids these types of headaches.
Post by: Will_26 on Sat, 10 November 2018, 15:31:13
Will this retroactively affect the round pi Norbatouches?
Yes, I'll send out an email and let people know that changing to matte is probably the best strategy. Folks could either switch to another color, cancel, or just opt for the matte version.I would probably be interested in still keeping my spot for a rejected case if the imperfections and discount were reasonable.
Send me an email letting me know you'd be interested in one of the rejects and I can send you some photos. I do plan to get them refinished and don't generally like sending cases out in the wild that aren't up to my standards, regardless of how long production takes, so I tend to be hesitant to do this. But the rejects in this case are still pretty good, so I'd be willing to make an exception.
Regarding the latency, for whatever it's worth, I'm not likely to be doing large group buys like this again in future. I'm hoping to move to having smaller quantities of in-stock items that I simply produce in advance. They'll be more expensive, but it avoids these types of headaches.
Thanks Ryan. I will send you an email :) I would potentially be willing to give up my spot for a reject depending on condition or a colour change.
Post by: Allo on Sat, 10 November 2018, 20:21:06
Send me an email letting me know you'd be interested in one of the rejects and I can send you some photos. I do plan to get them refinished and don't generally like sending cases out in the wild that aren't up to my standards, regardless of how long production takes, so I tend to be hesitant to do this. But the rejects in this case are still pretty good, so I'd be willing to make an exception.
Will you be selling B-stock cases? I'd love to get a retro refrigerator, even if it is not perfect.
Post by: Ye11ow on Mon, 12 November 2018, 11:14:55
Hey all. I've now completed unpacking and inspection of all the cases, which took a bit longer than I expected, but I believe I'm still on track to get all of the cases shipped before I head out to LA for DesignerCon on Wednesday. These colors came out looking beautiful, and I'm particularly impressed by the look of Monte Carlo Red, Royal Wrinkle, and Galaxy Console on this case design. I have already kitted and boxed three of the colors and hope to finish the rest today after I get back from the NorCal keyboard meetup in San Jose. If I don't manage to get to everything on Tuesday night, I'll update here, but I remain optimistic/determined.
I am imposing a high cosmetic inspection standard for the powder coat and, even after over-ordering by quite a lot, I have rejected slightly more cases than I have orders. As such, I would like to ask if anyone who ordered the following colors is flexible on his or her order.
- Retro Refrigerator (shortfall of 4)
- Venice Beach (shortfall of 2)
- Space Station White (shortfall of 2)
- Enigma Black (shortfall of 2)
In addition to my enormous gratitude and a full refund, I would give anyone who was willing to let go of their order or to switch to another color a 30% discount on a future order. (And, yes, I will at some point in 2019 probably be doing a new version of this case that is compatible with both the 87U and the new R2 cases, assuming that proves technically feasible.) If interested, please email me directly (shop@norbauer.com) and we can work something out.
Otherwise, I'll just have to go in the order in which the orders were placed and cancel the orders affected by the shortfall, which I'll start doing Sunday evening. The shortfall is very small in all of those colors, so it would only take a few people to volunteer to ensure nobody gets his order involuntarily cancelled, which I will hate to have to do.
FWIW, I will not be running the glossy Retro Refrigerator or Venice Beach powders again in any of my project due to their high reject rates. Instead, I'll be switching to a version with a matte finish, which doesn't seem to suffer from these problems. Rejecting powder cases is stupid expensive, because the powder coating shop almost always blames the powder itself for being "finicky" and doesn't refund me the cost, but I just don't want to ship cases out to people with cosmetic aberrations that I deem unacceptable. (Powder coating with smooth, glossy finishes always has some irregularities inherently that are impossible fully to avoid, but having looked at hundreds and hundreds of powder-coated cases from various applicators, I have a pretty good feel for what is and isn't up to par.)
I didn't get an email - does this mean that my retro refrigerator order is safe?
edit: dang
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 14 November 2018, 02:48:08
Also, I hate to continue in my apparent pattern of being a sort of anti-Father Christmas these past couple of days, but I'm sorry to say that it looks like I won't be able to ship out the remaining Norbaforces until I get back from LA early next week. I've spent the past several days kitting up and packing the housings and trying to work around the QC shortfall on those few colors (accepting voluntary cancellations and sending notifications for others), which has all taken way more time than I could ever have guessed. I have now completed that work and everything is stacked up and ready to go, but I have only gotten to actually printing shipping labels for a few of the boards so far (you've already gotten a shipping notification if you were among those). I promise, I've been at this pretty much non-stop since the powder cases arrived (with a brief pause for NorCal keyboard meetup activities); the work has just taken way longer than I anticipated.
The housings will be safe and well-guarded while I'm away, but I just ran out of time to print the remaining before I have to leave for DesignerCon tomorrow (message me if you're going to be there, btw, and maybe we can meet up!) I know you guys who are left have been waiting a long time and I hate to make you wait a bit longer, but my trip was planned a long time ago (before I knew exactly when the powder units would be done) and is tied to an event on a particular date.
I'll write a long post mortem on the many things I learned from this group buy after all is said and done. I'm generally really happy with how things came out and how well the design has been received by the community, but suffice it to say I'm really looking forward to being finally done with this marathon project next week. :)
Post by: nuclear_wizard on Wed, 14 November 2018, 14:11:44
Hey all. I just wanted to provide an update. Firstly, if you haven't gotten an email from me concerning a cancellation, you should be all set; your order isn't affected by the shortfall and you have a Norbaforce with your name on it.
Also, I hate to continue in my apparent pattern of being a sort of anti-Father Christmas these past couple of days, but I'm sorry to say that it looks like I won't be able to ship out the remaining Norbaforces until I get back from LA early next week. I've spent the past several days kitting up and packing the housings and trying to work around the QC shortfall on those few colors (accepting voluntary cancellations and sending notifications for others), which has all taken way more time than I could ever have guessed. I have now completed that work and everything is stacked up and ready to go, but I have only gotten to actually printing shipping labels for a few of the boards so far (you've already gotten a shipping notification if you were among those). I promise, I've been at this pretty much non-stop since the powder cases arrived (with a brief pause for NorCal keyboard meetup activities); the work has just taken way longer than I anticipated.
The housings will be safe and well-guarded while I'm away, but I just ran out of time to print the remaining before I have to leave for DesignerCon tomorrow (message me if you're going to be there, btw, and maybe we can meet up!) I know you guys who are left have been waiting a long time and I hate to make you wait a bit longer, but my trip was planned a long time ago (before I knew exactly when the powder units would be done) and is tied to an event on a particular date.
I'll write a long post mortem on the many things I learned from this group buy after all is said and done. I'm generally really happy with how things came out and how well the design has been received by the community, but suffice it to say I'm really looking forward to being finally done with this marathon project next week. :)
No complaints here. I've waited this long, so what's another week or so. Have fun at the con!
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 14 November 2018, 14:27:44
No complaints here. I've waited this long, so what's another week or so. Have fun at the con!
Hehe. Thanks for your patience and understanding, and I pretty much figured that if folks have stuck with it this far, another few days probably won't be disastrous, but still wish I had been able to get to everything before I left. :)
Post by: Rumblehotep on Fri, 16 November 2018, 23:02:54
The taper is a bit of a paradox, from the top down it looks straight but from the front it flares out, neato.
Got my astro purple installed, typing on it right now in fact, and even though I was going to hold off to do a domeswap for the singularity I couldn't wait and wanted to try it stock.
Set everything up in the same manner and ... nothing works? Checked cables and redid screws, nothing.
If I take the realforce and daughter board out of the case, just connected to each other via the ribbon cable with no ground, THEN it works.
If I hold the daughterboard up against the case and connect the cable through the usb-c hole, also works.
The second I use one of the two screws to secure the daughterboard to the case the keyboard won't register.
I'm not very component savvy but does this mean the case is shorting out the board? The base aluminum is a little exposed around the holes.
Tried some tape over the holes since that helped with shorts on some other cases but no luck.
Has anyone had this sort of problem before?
edit: after many many many unscrewings and dropped screws I've deduced the problem is making sure the daughter board is FLUSH TIGHT with the case, gotta make sure that port is right up in there... phew~!
Also you were right about the gloss black, it seems to summon dust and fingerprints out of thin air but good lord I love it, it's so black
Very, very pleased! Also all cables work :thumb:
Thank you very much for all your work on this project!
Post by: Uleet on Sat, 17 November 2018, 02:01:57
Post by: chakku on Sun, 18 November 2018, 01:15:59
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 19 November 2018, 11:46:41
Quote from: chakku link=topic=92667.msga2680923#msg2680923 date=1542525359
May sound a bit farfetched, but if you intend to support the 87U and R2 boards, assuming it is feasible, do you believe it could be possible to make an adapter to fit the R2 boards in the current Norbaforce or are they completely incompatible? I haven't actually seen somebody tear down the R2 boards, though I admit I haven't explored the entirety of the internet to find photos of the PCBs.
Screw placement is off by like 1-2mm, and the connector has a different configuration for the ground wire, so the existing Norbaforce design can't be made cross-compatible with the R2s. However, I may be able to dream something up for a future design that is. I want to get the last of the group buy orders out the door before I start daydreaming too hard about such things, however. :)
Ryan I got my cases in today and they're beyond my expectations. The packaging, notes, diagrams, everything is a treat to pick apart.
The taper is a bit of a paradox, from the top down it looks straight but from the front it flares out, neato.
Got my astro purple installed, typing on it right now in fact, and even though I was going to hold off to do a domeswap for the singularity I couldn't wait and wanted to try it stock.
Set everything up in the same manner and ... nothing works? Checked cables and redid screws, nothing.
If I take the realforce and daughter board out of the case, just connected to each other via the ribbon cable with no ground, THEN it works.
If I hold the daughterboard up against the case and connect the cable through the usb-c hole, also works.
The second I use one of the two screws to secure the daughterboard to the case the keyboard won't register.
I'm not very component savvy but does this mean the case is shorting out the board? The base aluminum is a little exposed around the holes.
Tried some tape over the holes since that helped with shorts on some other cases but no luck.
Has anyone had this sort of problem before?
edit: after many many many unscrewings and dropped screws I've deduced the problem is making sure the daughter board is FLUSH TIGHT with the case, gotta make sure that port is right up in there... phew~!
Also you were right about the gloss black, it seems to summon dust and fingerprints out of thin air but good lord I love it, it's so black
Very, very pleased! Also all cables work :thumb:
Thank you very much for all your work on this project!
Glad you were able to sort out the issue on your own while I was away! And thanks so much for the kind words. I'm so glad you like both your cases. :D
I've discovered that the cable issue—which I addressed by including a spare alternative cable in every box—mainly seems to affect the high-build powder coats (i.e., those with textures), as it shortens the distance between cable and USB connector by just a minuscule distance but enough to throw off the connection sometimes, especially since the special Norbaforce cables vary a bit more in terms of connector length. The solutions are, as you suggested, to ensure that your breakout PCB is seated as close as possible to the interior wall of the case or to use the provided alternative cable, which conforms more regularly to the spec for connector length. Another good solution for the DIY-minded would be to sand down/away the powder coat layer on the interior of the case around the connector through-hole to allow the breakout PCB to get closer to the interior of the housing.
Post by: Viking_Robot on Tue, 20 November 2018, 15:07:44
Post by: regionfree on Tue, 20 November 2018, 22:18:24
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 20 November 2018, 23:39:39
For those who haven't yet gotten tracking numbers, those should arrive in your email either tomorrow or Monday (Thursday-Sunday is a holiday here in the US). This last batch of orders is shipping through my new fulfillment warehouse, which should be better at pretty much everything—especially international shipments and general turnaround time—compared to me shipping stuff out of my living room—which is how I have somehow managed to do all my design production runs up to this point. :rolleyes:
Post by: Pluto19 on Wed, 21 November 2018, 00:30:00
Post by: whalematrontron on Wed, 21 November 2018, 01:39:42
Post by: Lansky on Wed, 21 November 2018, 03:12:43
Post by: thelaughingman on Wed, 21 November 2018, 03:21:11
Post by: ihalatch on Wed, 21 November 2018, 05:09:40
(http://i.imgur.com/lsJjUZG.jpg) (https://imgur.com/lsJjUZG)
(http://i.imgur.com/8dvjqtq.jpg) (https://imgur.com/8dvjqtq)
(http://i.imgur.com/fJyhMTu.jpg) (https://imgur.com/fJyhMTu)
Post by: Peddamann on Sat, 24 November 2018, 07:22:43
ORDER #1607 here... didnt get any email up until now, am i one of those happy handful of orders with special circumstances?
thx
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 25 November 2018, 00:56:29
Hi @norbauer
ORDER #1607 here... didnt get any email up until now, am i one of those happy handful of orders with special circumstances?
thx
Your order is in the EU proxy, so you'll get your tracking number from MyKeyboard.eu once they ship them within the EU.
Post by: linxinyuan on Mon, 26 November 2018, 11:16:03
Post by: forstsiven on Mon, 26 November 2018, 13:32:54
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 26 November 2018, 14:32:49
When I check my order today, it says "Order #1688
Order canceled". I thought orders didn't get canceled after Nov were safe. Do you have any solution for me?
Have no fear. This is just a quirk of how the fulfillment system works for orders that are older than one-month. In order to push orders from Shopify into the fulfillment system that are older than 30 days, I have to assign a new order number to them, which will invalidate your old order-tracking URL. This problem will be solved for new orders going forward, but it's just a quirky technical by-product of the new workflow working with older orders. Don't worry; if your order needed to have been cancelled (which is exceedingly rare), I would have contacted you directly.
I just confirmed with the shipping folks that that the last of the Norbaforce orders should be going out today. You should get a tracking number from them directly, but I'm working on confirming that these actually do go out today. This is the first time I'm doing this, so we're still working out some of the technical details. :D
Post by: Hawkfriend on Wed, 28 November 2018, 05:04:25
Here's a potato - hopefully i can take some better pictures soon!
[attach=1]
Post by: Kerasan on Wed, 28 November 2018, 08:03:13
just want to say thanks Ryan, this case is absolutely beyond my expectations. The shimmer of the enigma finish has to be be seen to believed. I've just finished building it - this is some seriously impressive quality, the only problem was with the cable (dang). Thanks again, this is my topre endgame for sure.
Here's a potato - hopefully i can take some better pictures soon!
(Attachment Link)
only switch plate custom is missing :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :))
KMK Labs.
Post by: Peddamann on Wed, 28 November 2018, 10:46:29
Hi @norbauer
ORDER #1607 here... didnt get any email up until now, am i one of those happy handful of orders with special circumstances?
thx
Your order is in the EU proxy, so you'll get your tracking number from MyKeyboard.eu once they ship them within the EU.
ahh thx :)
Post by: klove4252 on Wed, 28 November 2018, 12:20:23
just want to say thanks Ryan, this case is absolutely beyond my expectations. The shimmer of the enigma finish has to be be seen to believed. I've just finished building it - this is some seriously impressive quality, the only problem was with the cable (dang). Thanks again, this is my topre endgame for sure.
Here's a potato - hopefully i can take some better pictures soon!
(Attachment Link)
That is a beautiful finish. I'm even more excited for mine to come in now.
Post by: funkybeat7 on Sat, 01 December 2018, 15:39:42
Post by: Darknight00z on Sat, 01 December 2018, 16:01:36
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 02 December 2018, 00:34:54
Where do you guys get shipping notification? My order just says cancelled, and Ryan has explained that.
Were you in the EU proxy?
Post by: omjak on Sun, 02 December 2018, 05:19:37
Shipping went from "Expected" yesterday to "Pending" :( The wait continues.
Same here... apparently some internal issues at fedex - mine is stuck in Illinois since Friday (doesn't seem to be weather related) ":( The wait continues."
Sunday , 12/02/2018
4:05 am NORTHLAKE, IL - In transit
Saturday , 12/01/2018
4:03 pm NORTHLAKE, IL - In transit
3:58 am NORTHLAKE, IL - In transit
Friday , 11/30/2018
3:46 pm NORTHLAKE, IL - In transit
Post by: omjak on Sun, 02 December 2018, 05:24:19
https://abcnews.go.com/US/dozens-injured-22-tornadoes-reported-central-illinois/story?id=59555813
Post by: Rumblehotep on Sun, 02 December 2018, 12:09:47
[attach=1]
[attach=2]
[attach=3]
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 02 December 2018, 12:11:12
Post by: PurpleURP on Sun, 02 December 2018, 14:29:16
BKE Heavy Domes
Novatouch sliders
Kbd fans silencing rings
SA Carbon
Hammer Spacebar
Mechcables Carbon USB-C cable
(https://imgur.com/F25mF6E.jpg)
Super happy with the results! Thanks to Norbauer for a successful group buy!
Post by: Kerasan on Sun, 02 December 2018, 15:33:55
Realforce 87u
Enigma Gray Norbaforce Case
BKE Heavy Domes
Novatouch sliders
Kbd fans silencing rings
SA Carbon
Hammer Spacebar
Mechcables Carbon USB-C cableShow Image(https://imgur.com/F25mF6E.jpg)
Super happy with the results! Thanks to Norbauer for a successful group buy!
it does not seem enigma gray
KMK Labs.
Post by: Lansky on Mon, 03 December 2018, 02:56:20
Realforce 87u
Enigma Gray Norbaforce Case
BKE Heavy Domes
Novatouch sliders
Kbd fans silencing rings
SA Carbon
Hammer Spacebar
Mechcables Carbon USB-C cableShow Image(https://imgur.com/F25mF6E.jpg)
Super happy with the results! Thanks to Norbauer for a successful group buy!
it does not seem enigma gray
KMK Labs.
Yes, looks more like Royal Wrinkle.
Post by: lzlzh035 on Mon, 03 December 2018, 03:39:45
[attachimg=1]
Post by: PurpleURP on Mon, 03 December 2018, 12:49:41
Realforce 87u
Enigma Gray Norbaforce Case
BKE Heavy Domes
Novatouch sliders
Kbd fans silencing rings
SA Carbon
Hammer Spacebar
Mechcables Carbon USB-C cableShow Image(https://imgur.com/F25mF6E.jpg)
Super happy with the results! Thanks to Norbauer for a successful group buy!
it does not seem enigma gray
KMK Labs.
Yes, looks more like Royal Wrinkle.
Ok its actually Aperture which was used on heavy 6
Post by: MajorKoos on Mon, 03 December 2018, 14:28:59
[attach=1]
Post by: cyberpigg on Tue, 04 December 2018, 00:33:27
Love the color and instructions were super easy to follow. Had to post some shots to show the love of the board. The fancy usb cable was good for me as well. Best packaging of a product I've ever seen.
First pic with my normal room light, bit yellow ish. Second pic I used the vivid cool setting on iphone to mimic a whiter light.
Post by: nmur on Tue, 04 December 2018, 02:57:52
Received mine last week. Didn't have a chance to put it together till now.
Love the color and instructions were super easy to follow. Had to post some shots to show the love of the board. The fancy usb cable was good for me as well. Best packaging of a product I've ever seen.
First pic with my normal room light, bit yellow ish. Second pic I used the vivid cool setting on iphone to mimic a whiter light.
nice board and nice bots
Post by: regionfree on Tue, 04 December 2018, 06:09:30
(https://i.imgur.com/sp1HFB4.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/J1N0DMs.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/yEAtkzv.jpg)
Post by: oh_chesteroni on Tue, 04 December 2018, 11:00:41
Post by: anorphirith on Tue, 04 December 2018, 13:17:52
Post by: Wetherbee on Tue, 04 December 2018, 13:37:36
I thought USB-C is only the connector type.
The protocol standard is USB 2.0 regardless of the connector type (USB-C or USB-A).
Post by: Viking_Robot on Tue, 04 December 2018, 20:47:54
Post by: Himoremic on Wed, 05 December 2018, 04:55:33
I just finished assembling the keyboard nice finish but apparently the breakout PCB is not actually USB-C compliant, it only works with USB-A to USB-C cables, and not with USB-C to USB-C cables. so it's pretty much an old USB cable with a USB-C connector on one end... it's definitely not future proof since it will never work with a USB-C to USB-C cable... :( :( :( Also one of the reasons I bought the case is to avoid using a USB-A to USB-C adapter on my laptop which looks like I won't be able to avoid
Yes i can confirm this issue too. First I thought the Mac doesn't support RF.
Works just fine on Windows with USB C to USB A. Looks like I have to live a dongle life for several more years :))
Anyway, the Norbaforce is absolutely S T U N N I N G !
Post by: omjak on Wed, 05 December 2018, 05:03:52
Realforce 87u
Enigma Gray Norbaforce Case
BKE Heavy Domes
Novatouch sliders
Kbd fans silencing rings
SA Carbon
Hammer Spacebar
Mechcables Carbon USB-C cableShow Image(https://imgur.com/F25mF6E.jpg)
Super happy with the results! Thanks to Norbauer for a successful group buy!
it does not seem enigma gray
KMK Labs.
Yes, looks more like Royal Wrinkle.
Ok its actually Aperture which was used on heavy 6
@PurpleURP
is this Norbaforce Aperture in matte finish?
The photos on the Heavy 6 Aperture appear glossy... curious if this is the exact finish - looks amazing!!!
Post by: cyberpigg on Wed, 05 December 2018, 10:08:30
I just finished assembling the keyboard nice finish but apparently the breakout PCB is not actually USB-C compliant, it only works with USB-A to USB-C cables, and not with USB-C to USB-C cables. so it's pretty much an old USB cable with a USB-C connector on one end... it's definitely not future proof since it will never work with a USB-C to USB-C cable... :( :( :( Also one of the reasons I bought the case is to avoid using a USB-A to USB-C adapter on my laptop which looks like I won't be able to avoid
Yes i can confirm this issue too. First I thought the Mac doesn't support RF.
Works just fine on Windows with USB C to USB A. Looks like I have to live a dongle life for several more years :))
Anyway, the Norbaforce is absolutely S T U N N I N G !
Nice purple combo. I like the enter key.
Post by: poodude on Wed, 05 December 2018, 21:55:03
Post by: anorphirith on Thu, 06 December 2018, 13:55:17
Yes i can confirm this issue too. First I thought the Mac doesn't support RF.
Works just fine on Windows with USB C to USB A. Looks like I have to live a dongle life for several more years :))
Anyway, the Norbaforce is absolutely S T U N N I N G !
:(((((((((( dreams broken
Post by: Kerasan on Thu, 06 December 2018, 14:40:55
is there a date for European shipments?
KMK Labs.
Post by: Eiji Murakami on Sat, 08 December 2018, 00:15:23
It is a very wonderful texture ;)
Galaxy Console(91UDK-G) and Enigma Gray(91UG-S).
Thanks Ryan ;)
Post by: AFluffyMobius on Sun, 09 December 2018, 11:47:21
Anyway cheers!
PS- a friend of mine gave me the GALACTICA thing about 5 years ago but i never had a good place to stick it on to until now. Just a fun little thing is all~
(https://i.imgur.com/EAbyJcf.jpg)
Post by: Puddsy on Sun, 09 December 2018, 12:18:23
Just want to give a heartfelt thanks to Norbauer and the wonderful Realforce case. It's all i've ever wanted and after 4 years of using my Realforce 55g, it has found a new home and life in your custom cases. I have basically begun to purge all my other keyboards for everyday use, except this and one other one for playing around with MX keycaps from time to time (incidentally, a Norbatouch)
Anyway cheers!
PS- a friend of mine gave me the GALACTICA thing about 5 years ago but i never had a good place to stick it on to until now. Just a fun little thing is all~Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/EAbyJcf.jpg)
that's p rad
Post by: tron on Sun, 09 December 2018, 15:25:32
Post by: funkybeat7 on Sun, 09 December 2018, 16:01:16
(https://i.imgur.com/FcV60I9.jpg)
BKE Heavies are perfect, so tactile!
P.S. Don't mind the fuzzies, my cats leave fur all over the place!
Post by: online on Mon, 10 December 2018, 03:49:30
Post by: Will_26 on Mon, 10 December 2018, 15:48:27
is there a date for European shipments?
KMK Labs.
+1. Mykeyboard any update on the shipment to you?
Post by: tanvir175 on Mon, 10 December 2018, 16:02:22
Post by: Darknight00z on Mon, 10 December 2018, 16:10:05
Post by: Darknight00z on Mon, 10 December 2018, 16:11:41
is there a date for European shipments?
KMK Labs.
+1. Mykeyboard any update on the shipment to you?
I've just asked them on the discord server. Norbaforces have arrived at their offices. So hopefully shipping soonTM Hype! Finally nearly 1 year.
Post by: tanvir175 on Mon, 10 December 2018, 16:20:57
Honestly, I hope Norbauer makes a new case for the R2 without the forehead or tackle the hhkb
I would not prefer that since it'll exclude RF R1 owners who didn't buy during R1. He could be trying to make it compatible with both RF R1 and R2 TKL's, though, but that would still mean a 4head for all.
Post by: poodude on Tue, 11 December 2018, 00:27:14
Post by: online on Tue, 11 December 2018, 09:50:26
The forehead is what makes the Realforce iconic. Otherwise it would just look like a generic case. This is why I really don't like the new redesign.
+1
Love the forehead.
Post by: Darknight00z on Tue, 11 December 2018, 14:01:03
I think conducting a poll for forehead Norbaforce, no forehead R2 or hhkb might help to see what people want.
Or unless Norbauer has other plans in mind.
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 11 December 2018, 14:56:43
is there a date for European shipments?
KMK Labs.
+1. Mykeyboard any update on the shipment to you?
I'm pretty sure that they should already all have shipped. I already spoke to someone in Italy whose order somehow got missed in the proxy (data export issue from Shopify, I think), to whom I'm sending the order directly, so perhaps that was you, Kerasan? Will_26, or anyone else in the proxy who hasn't gotten his or her case yet or at least a tracking number, feel free to email me (shop@norbauer.com) and I'll be happy to follow up with MyKeyboard.eu and to double-check that your order made it into the spreadsheet that went over to MyKeyboard.
Post by: AFluffyMobius on Tue, 11 December 2018, 17:21:53
Maybe its very selfish of me, since I've got a Norbaforce on the way. And I want R2 as well but with a new design.
I think conducting a poll for forehead Norbaforce, no forehead R2 or hhkb might help to see what people want.
Or unless Norbauer has other plans in mind.
If more Norbaforce cases are coming for a second round, we're going to have to call it something other than "R2" or im going to get very confused lol. Maybe like Norbaforce Cycle2 or Series2 for second run of OG Realforce cases (if that ever comes to fruition).
In turn Norbaforce cases for Realforce R2 can just be called Norbaforce R2.
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 11 December 2018, 17:33:30
Post by: stevits on Thu, 13 December 2018, 00:36:19
Post by: Eiji Murakami on Thu, 13 December 2018, 06:00:21
The two models I bought this time was a wonderful finish.
Next time GB begins, I'd like to order a WKL model.
I hope to be able to make a full size case if possible.
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 13 December 2018, 10:21:17
is there a date for European shipments?
KMK Labs.
+1. Mykeyboard any update on the shipment to you?
I'm pretty sure that they should already all have shipped. I already spoke to someone in Italy whose order somehow got missed in the proxy (data export issue from Shopify, I think), to whom I'm sending the order directly, so perhaps that was you, Kerasan? Will_26, or anyone else in the proxy who hasn't gotten his or her case yet or at least a tracking number, feel free to email me (shop@norbauer.com) and I'll be happy to follow up with MyKeyboard.eu and to double-check that your order made it into the spreadsheet that went over to MyKeyboard.
Actually, it turns out that MyKeyboard didn't ship these until today. I misunderstood their previous communication to me; apologies for the confusion. Folks who were in the proxy should have gotten tracking numbers a few hours ago.
Post by: omjak on Thu, 13 December 2018, 18:10:26
Thanks Ryan.
Post by: Howser on Fri, 14 December 2018, 06:24:35
love the box and the guide, it's details like this that sells the hole "experience"
Post by: phinix on Fri, 14 December 2018, 17:34:44
Post by: Kerasan on Tue, 18 December 2018, 08:34:18
probably the most beautiful cases I've ever seen. the enigma gray finish is wonderful especially under direct light.
Only note the backplate I was a little disappointed, I would have preferred more thick. compared to the norbatouch it makes it too light and you can hear a little echo sound
KMK Labs.
Post by: Lansky on Tue, 18 December 2018, 12:25:11
Show Image(http://i63.tinypic.com/2hpu9o3.jpg)
probably the most beautiful cases I've ever seen. the enigma gray finish is wonderful especially under direct light.
Only note the backplate I was a little disappointed, I would have preferred more thick. compared to the norbatouch it makes it too light and you can hear a little echo sound
KMK Labs.
Make sure you use some sort of dampening material for the case. It made a pretty significant difference. The board had a relatively hollow sound before putting it in. Now it's a much more muted and "dense" sound.
Post by: Audiobs on Wed, 19 December 2018, 19:24:20
To answer the semi-implicit question from above, btw, if I do a second run it would definitely have a vintage-style "forehead." To me, that's a big part of the wacky/awesome RealForce aesthetic, which I'd love to preserve.
In fact, I implore you to also make a version of this for Novatouch, or better yet, for generic TKL. :)
Post by: Lansky on Thu, 20 December 2018, 03:30:07
Only note the backplate I was a little disappointed, I would have preferred more thick. compared to the norbatouch it makes it too light and you can hear a little echo sound
Speaking of the backplate...
Ryan, are you still planning on making a stainless steel or brass backplate for the Norbaforce? And maybe a new switchplate too? I know a lot of people would be interested in that, especially considering the well-known rust issue on the default plate. :rolleyes:
Post by: Kerasan on Thu, 20 December 2018, 03:57:04
Only note the backplate I was a little disappointed, I would have preferred more thick. compared to the norbatouch it makes it too light and you can hear a little echo sound
Speaking of the backplate...
Ryan, are you still planning on making a stainless steel or brass backplate for the Norbaforce? And maybe a new switchplate too? I know a lot of people would be interested in that, especially considering the well-known rust issue on the default plate. :rolleyes:
Quote
KMK Labs.
Post by: DribbelDog on Thu, 20 December 2018, 15:15:54
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7804/46380111562_824764fce7_k.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4837/45485635935_a011cd2ef1_k.jpg)
This is my result (EU proxy - received the case last week). The quality of the case is excellent, unlike any keyboard case I've personally seen (including the Norbatouch). Packaging was also gorgeous. Thank you for all your hard work Ryan. The color combination turned out even more extreme than I probably anticipated, but I do think it turned out gorgeous. I also feel it's a rather unique color combination; I'm glad I picked up these green Topre caps when they were still decently available. The keyboards sounds a lot better than stock to me, and I'm not using any foam.
The lovely end result almost makes me forget how long it took to get here. I do feel a year worth of waiting and frantically checking Geekhack was a bit too much for me personally. We only have so many years in our lifetime, and next time I would probably take the turnaround time into more serious consideration.
The fancy USB cable works, although the next step up would probably be to find a cable that complements this beauty.
If a brass plate is still up for consideration, I'd definitely be in.
Thanks again for all of the hard work!
Post by: tanvir175 on Fri, 21 December 2018, 10:23:46
Only note the backplate I was a little disappointed, I would have preferred more thick. compared to the norbatouch it makes it too light and you can hear a little echo sound
Speaking of the backplate...
Ryan, are you still planning on making a stainless steel or brass backplate for the Norbaforce? And maybe a new switchplate too? I know a lot of people would be interested in that, especially considering the well-known rust issue on the default plate. :rolleyes:
Quote
KMK Labs.
Didn't know Ryan was ever planning this :o
That would be greatly appreciated since the OP of this post https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=97096.0 (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=97096.0) isn't responding to messages about the thread and I've been told that he has abandoned the project and is unwilling to share/sell the plate files.
Post by: hammerbrotha on Fri, 21 December 2018, 12:46:18
Post by: omjak on Fri, 21 December 2018, 21:45:48
(enigma gray available ...if you hurry)
Post by: pixelpusher on Sat, 22 December 2018, 12:55:18
check out shop.norbauer.com/
(enigma gray available ...if you hurry)
I think it’s just messed up. When you go to check out it says out of stock
Post by: phinix on Sat, 22 December 2018, 16:32:23
Post by: thelaughingman on Sat, 22 December 2018, 23:13:59
check out shop.norbauer.com/
(enigma gray available ...if you hurry)
I think it’s just messed up. When you go to check out it says out of stock
probably Ryan is saving that for a specific customer :) it happened before
Post by: Puddsy on Sat, 22 December 2018, 23:58:33
check out shop.norbauer.com/
(enigma gray available ...if you hurry)
I think it’s just messed up. When you go to check out it says out of stock
probably Ryan is saving that for a specific customer :) it happened before
yeah that's what i figured it was
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 26 December 2018, 14:42:46
I am indeed still contemplating steel back-plates, but things got more complicated since I'm also looking at doing a revision of the Norbaforce design to that would fit both the 87U family and the new R2 boards that are more readily available. Depending on what kind of pricing I can figure out, I might simply get all of those made with steel back-plates. The blocking thing on that, however, is the Heavy-6 Monolith. I'm getting those PVD coated here in California and I want to wait to see how those come out before committing to another larger run of steel parts. A switch-plate, however, would be considerably more tricky and probably not a top 2019 priority for me, as I've got a lot of projects going on at the moment and/or about to be launched, all the while having a bit of New Year's resolution to figure out how to get this keyboard thing not lose me money on every run and also not to be a source of stress and endless time-urgency. :) As such, I'm trying to focus on doing small runs of in-stock stuff that people can buy and have ship more-or-less immediately. Group buys seem nice superficially in that they help you with cash-flow if you don't have money to front for a project, but they're a ton more work and actually care a lot more risk than simply producing something and selling it when it's ready. If you produce something in advance, nobody gets impatient about delays or delivery times (i.e. less stress), and you can actually price the thing based on what you know it actually cost to make (i.e., less risk of losing money overall on the project due to unanticipated expenses).
Anyway, my plan is to try to do these sorts of things in 2019 in a way that works better for everybody. It probably means more limited supply of stuff that I make and probably slightly higher per-unit prices due to making in smaller in-stock batches, but I think it'll be a better experience for people getting the objects I make as well as for me. As always, if you want to be the first to be notified of when I stuff have in stock, you can always join my email list (http://norbauer.com/list), which is where I share such things first, including a couple of Norbaforce-related accessories I have coming in the next couple of weeks. ;)
Post by: Kerasan on Wed, 26 December 2018, 14:59:38
Hey everybody! I hope you had a great Christmas if you celebrate it. For some reason GeekHack sometimes just stops sending me new-post notifications occasionally on threads (I think it's when I look at a new post linked from an GeekHack on my phone and am not logged in on that device), so I didn't see all these posts since my last post several weeks ago until now, but they were a delight to read. I adore that green and purple keycap combination and really appreciate all the kind words everybody had to share.
I am indeed still contemplating steel back-plates, but things got more complicated since I'm also looking at doing a revision of the Norbaforce design to that would fit both the 87U family and the new R2 boards that are more readily available. Depending on what kind of pricing I can figure out, I might simply get all of those made with steel back-plates. The blocking thing on that, however, is the Heavy-6 Monolith. I'm getting those PVD coated here in California and I want to wait to see how those come out before committing to another larger run of steel parts. A switch-plate, however, would be considerably more tricky and probably not a top 2019 priority for me, as I've got a lot of projects going on at the moment and/or about to be launched, all the while having a bit of New Year's resolution to figure out how to get this keyboard thing not lose me money on every run and also not to be a source of stress and endless time-urgency. :) As such, I'm trying to focus on doing small runs of in-stock stuff that people can buy and have ship more-or-less immediately. Group buys seem nice superficially in that they help you with cash-flow if you don't have money to front for a project, but they're a ton more work and actually care a lot more risk than simply producing something and selling it when it's ready. If you produce something in advance, nobody gets impatient about delays or delivery times (i.e. less stress), and you can actually price the thing based on what you know it actually cost to make (i.e., less risk of losing money overall on the project due to unanticipated expenses).
Anyway, my plan is to try to do these sorts of things in 2019 in a way that works better for everybody. It probably means more limited supply of stuff that I make and probably slightly higher per-unit prices due to making in smaller in-stock batches, but I think it'll be a better experience for people getting the objects I make as well as for me. As always, if you want to be the first to be notified of when I stuff have in stock, you can always join my email list (http://norbauer.com/list), which is where I share such things first, including a couple of Norbaforce-related accessories I have coming in the next couple of weeks. ;)
will the steel backplate be available only for the new norbaforce design or even for the existing one?
KMK Labs.
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 26 December 2018, 15:01:47
Hey everybody! I hope you had a great Christmas if you celebrate it. For some reason GeekHack sometimes just stops sending me new-post notifications occasionally on threads (I think it's when I look at a new post linked from an GeekHack on my phone and am not logged in on that device), so I didn't see all these posts since my last post several weeks ago until now, but they were a delight to read. I adore that green and purple keycap combination and really appreciate all the kind words everybody had to share.
I am indeed still contemplating steel back-plates, but things got more complicated since I'm also looking at doing a revision of the Norbaforce design to that would fit both the 87U family and the new R2 boards that are more readily available. Depending on what kind of pricing I can figure out, I might simply get all of those made with steel back-plates. The blocking thing on that, however, is the Heavy-6 Monolith. I'm getting those PVD coated here in California and I want to wait to see how those come out before committing to another larger run of steel parts. A switch-plate, however, would be considerably more tricky and probably not a top 2019 priority for me, as I've got a lot of projects going on at the moment and/or about to be launched, all the while having a bit of New Year's resolution to figure out how to get this keyboard thing not lose me money on every run and also not to be a source of stress and endless time-urgency. :) As such, I'm trying to focus on doing small runs of in-stock stuff that people can buy and have ship more-or-less immediately. Group buys seem nice superficially in that they help you with cash-flow if you don't have money to front for a project, but they're a ton more work and actually care a lot more risk than simply producing something and selling it when it's ready. If you produce something in advance, nobody gets impatient about delays or delivery times (i.e. less stress), and you can actually price the thing based on what you know it actually cost to make (i.e., less risk of losing money overall on the project due to unanticipated expenses).
Anyway, my plan is to try to do these sorts of things in 2019 in a way that works better for everybody. It probably means more limited supply of stuff that I make and probably slightly higher per-unit prices due to making in smaller in-stock batches, but I think it'll be a better experience for people getting the objects I make as well as for me. As always, if you want to be the first to be notified of when I stuff have in stock, you can always join my email list (http://norbauer.com/list), which is where I share such things first, including a couple of Norbaforce-related accessories I have coming in the next couple of weeks. ;)
will the steel backplate be available only for the new norbaforce design or even for the existing one?
KMK Labs.
They would also be available separately. The idea is that if I batch it with a larger order where all the units have steel back-plates, I'll be able to order extras beyond those that go with the assemblies to be sold separately at a much lower price than if I just ordered a few of them. However, steel parts are crazy expensive (mostly due to the fabrication cost, not the material), so doing all steel backplates might raise the overall price way too much. I'm waiting on some quotes. :)
Post by: atlas3686 on Fri, 11 January 2019, 07:19:26
Something like this could even be an option for those of us that like the seamless case and don't want to ruin it but just an idea.
(https://www.pfu.fujitsu.com/hhkeyboard/hhkbprohg/images/gai_06_l.jpg)
Post by: Butter on Fri, 11 January 2019, 10:49:42
Post by: phinix on Fri, 11 January 2019, 12:03:53
Post by: Lansky on Sun, 13 January 2019, 06:42:49
Anyone know where I can get a batter looking USB C cable that work with Norbaforce. So far I try 2 other USB C cable none of them work.
I'm using this cheap USB-C cable from Ikea. It's been working flawlessly.
(https://i.imgur.com/AJI1ORt.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Rs8VjII.jpg)
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 13 January 2019, 11:44:02
Anyone know where I can get a batter looking USB C cable that work with Norbaforce. So far I try 2 other USB C cable none of them work.
I'm using this cheap USB-C cable from Ikea. It's been working flawlessly.
Ooh. That's a really nice pairing of cable and finish!
Any extras or leftovers???
I currently have a batch being coated right now, supposedly complete next week (but factory timeline promises are almost invariably wrong/lies). Once they're boxed and assembled, I put them into stock and send out an email notification on my list. There aren't very many, unfortunately, though. =\
Post by: Eiji Murakami on Sun, 13 January 2019, 20:26:03
I am using L type USB cable.
It turns to either left or right.
And it is a mechanism to connect with the magnet.
The magnet is strong and will not come off.
Post by: Choobies on Mon, 14 January 2019, 06:38:35
Hello everyone!
I am using L type USB cable.
It turns to either left or right.
And it is a mechanism to connect with the magnet.
The magnet is strong and will not come off.
What caps are you using for the alphas? Those are sweet.
Post by: Eiji Murakami on Mon, 14 January 2019, 07:10:38
I bought this.Hello everyone!
I am using L type USB cable.
It turns to either left or right.
And it is a mechanism to connect with the magnet.
The magnet is strong and will not come off.
What caps are you using for the alphas? Those are sweet.
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07BLK7KF5/?coliid=I2NM4GOQ5RDCJN&colid=7ZX7TUUVU0L3&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Post by: Choobies on Mon, 14 January 2019, 07:11:51
I bought this.Hello everyone!
I am using L type USB cable.
It turns to either left or right.
And it is a mechanism to connect with the magnet.
The magnet is strong and will not come off.
What caps are you using for the alphas? Those are sweet.
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07BLK7KF5/?coliid=I2NM4GOQ5RDCJN&colid=7ZX7TUUVU0L3&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Oh whoops, I meant the blue keycaps!
Post by: Eiji Murakami on Mon, 14 January 2019, 08:16:09
I bought this.Hello everyone!
I am using L type USB cable.
It turns to either left or right.
And it is a mechanism to connect with the magnet.
The magnet is strong and will not come off.
What caps are you using for the alphas? Those are sweet.
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07BLK7KF5/?coliid=I2NM4GOQ5RDCJN&colid=7ZX7TUUVU0L3&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Oh whoops, I meant the blue keycaps!
I'm sorry.
This is what I bought a long time ago.
It may not be sold now.
It has five colors of red, yellow, orange, white, and blue. (JIS)
ANSI also had other pink and light green as well.
There is a picture of this keyboard one page forward.
Post by: tanvir175 on Mon, 14 January 2019, 14:04:09
I bought this.Hello everyone!
I am using L type USB cable.
It turns to either left or right.
And it is a mechanism to connect with the magnet.
The magnet is strong and will not come off.
What caps are you using for the alphas? Those are sweet.
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07BLK7KF5/?coliid=I2NM4GOQ5RDCJN&colid=7ZX7TUUVU0L3&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Oh whoops, I meant the blue keycaps!
https://deskthority.net/wiki/Topre_Realforce#Full_sets
I don't think the sets are sold anymore, though.
Post by: eksuen on Mon, 14 January 2019, 16:54:16
(https://i.imgur.com/lylDxpl.jpg)
Post by: clappingcactus on Mon, 14 January 2019, 19:50:22
Post by: Wetherbee on Mon, 14 January 2019, 21:20:55
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 15 January 2019, 19:19:02
Have we confirmed there is no support for USB-C to USB-C? Is this an issue that can be corrected with an updated PCB? Perhaps clappingcactus' suggestion would fix this issue as well.
I'll need to revise the PCB anyway for R2 compatibility, so I'm happy to include USB-C to USB-C in the requirements next time around. (It never even occurred to me that they wouldn't do this by default.) I don't actually myself own any computers that have a USB-C port, and I've gotten differing reports of what the problem is, so any further follow-up information or confirmation that anyone can provide would be appreciated, as it'll help me in talking with the folks who would be helping me design the new breakout PCB (i.e., in describing to them what the problem is).
Post by: codywanks on Wed, 16 January 2019, 14:00:05
...figure out how to get this keyboard thing not lose me money on every run
:confused:
This really shouldn't be happening, and Ryan is the last person it should happen to. I have to say I'm a bit concerned.
Post by: clappingcactus on Wed, 16 January 2019, 14:38:36
...figure out how to get this keyboard thing not lose me money on every run
:confused:
This really shouldn't be happening, and Ryan is the last person it should happen to. I have to say I'm a bit concerned.
Agreed. Ryan your prices are fairly towards the lower end of the spectrum given the quality/customization options and especially given that you design cases for keyboards that no one else is working on (with a realistic deadline in mind). You should really look at slapping a flat $20 or even $50 fee on top of your current prices to make sure you end up in the green. That, or partner with Massdrop. You already handle all of your R&D etc. so there shouldn't be an IP transfer requirement to just run GBs through their system. Throw a poll up on there in the next week or two and let it get votes for the next 6-8 months until you're ready to run your next big project.
Post by: Puddsy on Wed, 16 January 2019, 14:43:38
...figure out how to get this keyboard thing not lose me money on every run
:confused:
This really shouldn't be happening, and Ryan is the last person it should happen to. I have to say I'm a bit concerned.
nobody runs GBs for the money, but ryan should at least be breaking even for how good the end product is
Post by: naasfu on Wed, 16 January 2019, 15:26:38
I currently have a batch being coated right now, supposedly complete next week (but factory timeline promises are almost invariably wrong/lies). Once they're boxed and assembled, I put them into stock and send out an email notification on my list. There aren't very many, unfortunately, though. =\
hey norbauer, what colors will be available? gotta make some decisions. :)
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 16 January 2019, 20:55:05
...figure out how to get this keyboard thing not lose me money on every run
:confused:
This really shouldn't be happening, and Ryan is the last person it should happen to. I have to say I'm a bit concerned.
Agreed. Ryan your prices are fairly towards the lower end of the spectrum given the quality/customization options and especially given that you design cases for keyboards that no one else is working on (with a realistic deadline in mind). You should really look at slapping a flat $20 or even $50 fee on top of your current prices to make sure you end up in the green. That, or partner with Massdrop. You already handle all of your R&D etc. so there shouldn't be an IP transfer requirement to just run GBs through their system. Throw a poll up on there in the next week or two and let it get votes for the next 6-8 months until you're ready to run your next big project.
nobody runs GBs for the money, but ryan should at least be breaking even for how good the end product is
Thanks, guys! I really appreciate that. Firstly, if for some reason anybody is particularly preoccupied with the continued financial viability of my projects, I cordially invite them to pick up a Norbaforce keyring (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/norbaforce-keyrings). :D (Though hopefully no appeal to altruism is necessary; I actually think they're pretty cool—check out the video.)
Anyway, I've actually been doing a lot of meditating on this very subject over the past few weeks: namely, my level of commitment to continuing to do keyboard projects after shipping my current on-order group buys (Heavy-6 and Norbaforce Round 3.14). Puddsy's point is well taken, but I believe that if one wants to do anything truly creatively ambitious or interesting, the resources of a profitable enterprise make it much more feasible. As such, I think profitability is a worthwhile goal, even though I haven't yet quite hit that mark. It would simply make it possible to do cooler stuff, and more sustainably.
As such, I had been intending to double-down and make some 2019 investments in my keyboard work/infrastructure in hopes of figuring how to turn it into a more sustainable business that could become a primary focus of my time. However, I still sort of vacillate every day on whether that's a worthwhile goal. This is perhaps a good occasion to muse out loud on the subject and, in so doing, to clarify my own thoughts for myself. And maybe some of you will just be curious to learn a bit of the background of these projects, so I'll indulge in a bit of navel-gazing below.
I enjoy making keyboard-related stuff enormously, but there are two things that make it sometimes quite discouraging. The first one is just the economics. I tend to focus on the quality of the end product and its creative properties, which means hiring various third-party firms to help me with stuff like inspections, logistics, etc., so that I can meet my own standards of cosmetic of quality and the seemingly insatiable demand for me to make more housings available. However, compared to most consumer products, these are fantastically small-scale projects, so I have very little price negotiation leverage with manufacturers and, when it comes to the non-manufacturing vendors, I often find myself carrying the same overhead of an operation that has millions of dollars a year in revenue (whereas my projects aren't even the tiniest fraction of that). For example, my monthly carrying costs for the business, whether or not I sell anything that month, is easily something like $2000+. This includes a bookkeeping firm and accounting software system that are required to comply with IRS requirements, inventory/COGS tracking software (which is shockingly expensive), third-party sourcing and inspection firm, MailChimp subscription, SurveyMonkey subscription, web hosting, Shopify subscription and fees, warehousing and fulfillment fees, etc., etc.. On top of all that, California requires over $1000 in yearly state and local fees just to be able to have a business here, before you take in your first dollar. So that means that, in any given year, even before I've sold a single item, I start out down $25,000. And I can't just sell $25,000 in housings to cover that, because the majority of the retail price on a given item goes to direct costs related to manufacture. That $25k needs to be margin after manufacturing costs are paid. All this just to break even. And the problem with group buys is that you price them in advance, so you have to have an ironclad handle on what all your costs are going to be before you actually go into production. Any slight miscalculations or surprises and it all comes directly out of that margin, easily pushing a project from the black into the red. So I can find myself investing hundreds of hours of work on a project and a over year of stress, worry, and fighting with factories for quality, as I did with the Norbaforce project, and at the end of the day finding myself actually paying for the privilege of contributing my time and taking all that financial risk—all due to factors entirely out of my control. Even for the most temperamentally entrepreneurial of folks, this can be a bit demoralizing.
The second issue is that when you're not physically manufacturing the stuff yourself, it's nearly impossible to get manufacturers to care about the quality of the end product as much as you do. The ways factories will try to screw and cheat you are truly endless, and witnessing this firsthand regularly makes me despair for our species. Factories all seem to care only about inputs and not outputs; that is, if they went through the motions of making your parts, regardless of whether what comes out at the other end looks good, they figure they've done their piece and will do everything they can to collect their payment before you have any chance to do anything about it. Factories will regularly deliver parts, representing them as good to go, that absolutely no honest, non-blind human being inspecting the part would have passed as cosmetically acceptable—just hoping that you somehow won't notice, or that the cost will have been so high of shipping and importing them that you won't want to go to the bother and expense of returning them because doing so would cost more than it's worth. With the exception of a couple of trusted US manufacturers (which, sadly, don't make machined parts), this has happened to varying degrees on literally every manufacturing run I've ever done on any product, keyboard and otherwise. Factory visits, QC docs, third-party inspection firms, reiterating my high quality standards across endless conversations before production begins: none of it seems to prevent it from happening. I'm constantly switching factories and searching for better ones after previous ones prove themselves to be somewhere on the incompetent-malicious spectrum; I've explored in detail working with probably about 50 different factories just this year on keyboard related projects alone. I regularly see reject rates as high as 50%, and getting it fixed often happens partially or entirely at my own expense, all the while stressing out as I watch shipping timelines slip, again entirely outside of my control and in spite of effusive assurances beforehand by factories that they're different and nothing like that could possibly happen with them. When I feel like I'm letting people down by potentially slipping delivery timelines and all the vendors I'm working with are figuring out how to pass off inferior product as acceptable is when I really start to feel like it's not fun anymore. I've been having one of those weeks this week, actually. But I know from experience that this feeling also usually passes, and in the end I always figure out how to ensure that only good stuff goes out to people who support my projects.
As to how to start making this process less miserable and someday actually financially self-sustaining over the long term, I have a few ideas. Firstly, I really need to get away from the group buy model. For one thing, it's a lot of overhead responding to requests to change addresses, people selling slots and wanting to switch buyers, changing their mind and cancelling their orders or wanting to switch finishes, and responding to the unending barrage of "any updates?" messages on six different social media platforms (I always push out updates whenever there's anything important actually to report). But, even more importantly, group buys make pricing the product an act of total guesswork, as unforeseen costs always seem to creep into every project, no matter how much experience I accumulate and try to account for things that went wrong on the last project. Producing in advance and then selling in small in-stock batches would make sensible costing and pricing possible. The trouble, of course, is that doing in-stock inventory means making guesses about how popular something is going to be, and also taking a big personal financial risk. The landed cost of a batch of keyboard housings, even around the factory MOQ, can easily run around $40k and well upwards, which to my mind is a lot of money to front, especially when you don't know whether and how many people will actually buy the thing. I recently decided to take this plunge experimentally with my TKL carry bags (coming into inventory any day now, or so I am promised), but I don't really know if I'll sell only 10 or if the whole 200 will sell in a matter of hours like some of my other stuff has. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Regarding clappingcactus's suggestion: I'm afraid that switching to Massdrop might only worsen the problems I've described above. It only creates more layers of indirection, money-vacuuming middlemen, and loss of accountability for quality to the final end factory. I don't personally have anything against Massdrop and have only had largely positive dealings with them, especially the lower-levels folks like Yanbo, formerly Kunal, and now my old pal Elbert who works there. However, I'm sufficiently enmeshed in the keyboard community to have heard quite a few truly compelling horror stories from fellow designer-creators (many of them quite well-known in the keyboard world) who have sworn off the notion of ever working with Massdrop after whatever that person's last project was with them. It's enough to give one pause. And, in any event, I simply just don't want to give up control over the QC process and have something arrive on people's doorsteps that's junk, but with my name on it.
Another obvious suggestion would be trying to source outside of Asia, something I have tried endlessly over the past two years to arrange. I don't source products abroad in order to save money; I do it because it's the only way I can find factories even willing to consider the work. Low-volume consumer products with high cosmetic standards are something most US machine shops don't want to touch with a 99.5-foot pole. The ones that are left here in the States prefer exclusively to work with high-paying aerospace and medical customers who don't care about a little scratch here or there because they're functional parts. When, after exhaustive searches, I have been able to find factories that are even willing to quote the job, it varies anywhere from 2-10x the China price (no joke). But a $300-400 housing is already pretty bonkers. It's also very hard to find shops that do finishing work (such as blasting, polishing, anodizing, etc.) at all here, regardless of price.
Anyway, I don't really have any great answers on these subjects yet beyond to persist. I do keep getting better at finding ways of playing the various strengths and weaknesses of certain factories off each other: for example, I have one factory that can do stainless steel cost-effectively but is awful at finishing, so I arrange to get them to make the parts and then ship them to another trusted shop on a different continent to do the finishing work. I use a different place for CNC milling billet aluminum, and yet another for machined sheet goods. And I've been working with a company that does computerized inspection processes that are quite rigorous that might prevent me from personally doing all the final inspections by hand in person. Combining that with more in-stock stuff and fewer group buys (when finances permit) might make things more sustainable. I also have some other big new product ideas that could help bankroll ongoing keyboard work, but I won't bore anyone with those details here, as it's all still very much in development.
Anyway, since a few of you seemed interested, I thought I'd give the full back-story to my rather off-hand comment before. Any thoughts are, as ever, welcome.
Post by: clappingcactus on Wed, 16 January 2019, 22:47:50
On the business front: Why run a company out of California at all? Nowadays (I'm part of the photography community) people who only have an online store-front really try to host companies out of Estonia. You don't pay tax during non-revenue generating periods, and the monthly overhead for having an intermediary compliant company to provide physical addresses and government facing paperwork is on the scale of 100EUR a month. You can still have and hold physical products in California for your final QC, but as long as you do everything above board in Estonia, you can 'run' your company from anywhere in the world. On the Shopify front: Is your whole website hosted with Shopify or are you on their $9 'shopify button' plan? If you want to cut some costs there let me know, some of my best friends work at Shopify (their main HQ are in my city), I can't help you get a discount but I can connect you to someone who can help you work everything exactly as it is right now on their bottom tier plan. This is all assuming that you don't sell enough boards in person to effectively count as 'doing business IN the USA'.
When it comes to manufacturing, there are a few new community options. Have you considered teaming up with ALF? Their delivery windows are poor, but they do work with the community intensively, and if you're okay with the model of footing bills upfront, maybe ALF will let you find some middle-ground (like pay half up front and receive half of the machined cases, receive second half after a GB, otherwise they're free to send it to China under their own GB). The folks on https://www.reddit.com/r/Skookum/ also do a lot of small batch in-house US-local machining.
Sorry. I'm sure this is stressful for you, and upsetting. You're one of the community's favourite makers, and I'm sure you know it. As soon as the month rolls over and I have next month's disposable keyboard budget, I'm buying at least one of your gorgeous keychains. I'll also buy one of your bags as long as you have a recommendation for foam to fit a 60% :P. I'd like to echo codywanks when they say that this shouldn't happen to you. You're awesome, and support the community with so much and I hope you know the community would support you back if you made this kind of struggle clearer. It might seem shameless, but you can start providing some 'value-added' incentives for these revenue-generating side-gigs like the keyring (i.e. purchasers have first dibs in your next sale, or get a vote on what your next project could be) or on the carry-bag (i.e. purchasers get an extended colour change or upgrade window in your next sale - that way your 'overhead' on the admin side is still compensated somehow). I hadn't considered that the keyring could be more than a passion project to you, but now that I know, I will support it. I'm sure if you tell everyone, everyone would do the same.
Post by: poodude on Wed, 16 January 2019, 23:11:18
It feels like these Chinese factories are taking advantage of you due to being on the other side of the world. Being native to China and able to personally inspect progress would give them far less leverage.
Just reading this would make me want to throw in the towel, so I think most people would appreciate your dedication.
Hopefully you find a business model that works for everyone involved.
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 16 January 2019, 23:34:17
Sorry. I'm sure this is stressful for you, and upsetting. You're one of the community's favourite makers, and I'm sure you know it. As soon as the month rolls over and I have next month's disposable keyboard budget, I'm buying at least one of your gorgeous keychains. I'll also buy one of your bags as long as you have a recommendation for foam to fit a 60% :P. I'd like to echo codywanks when they say that this shouldn't happen to you. You're awesome, and support the community with so much and I hope you know the community would support you back if you made this kind of struggle clearer. It might seem shameless, but you can start providing some 'value-added' incentives for these revenue-generating side-gigs like the keyring (i.e. purchasers have first dibs in your next sale, or get a vote on what your next project could be) or on the carry-bag (i.e. purchasers get an extended colour change or upgrade window in your next sale - that way your 'overhead' on the admin side is still compensated somehow). I hadn't considered that the keyring could be more than a passion project to you, but now that I know, I will support it. I'm sure if you tell everyone, everyone would do the same.Thanks, as always, for the kind words. :)
I hope it didn't sound like I was complaining at all. I don't even mind losing a bit of money on projects like this when it comes to that; I can afford it. I feel very fortunate to be able to undertake these projects and to be part of such an awesome community of folks who are always so kindly cheerleading me on. When I first got into keyboards, I could only dream of being able to do stuff like I'm able to do now. I was really only attempting to answer why exactly these projects have, in aggregate, lost money overall so far, since I just kind of mentioned it in passing previously. I just thought I would provide the full context.
Thanks for the suggestions regarding company registration and Shopify, but alas I've looked into both and, for various reasons that probably wouldn't be interesting to anyone, I'm kind of stuck with the current situation. To put it briefly, I need the higher tier of Shopify than the lowest one because the higher per-transaction rate on the lower tier doesn't justify the cost savings, and also registering the company elsewhere (including just in another state) doesn't make a lot of sense. I talked to a lawyer about it before registering and there's just really no way of getting around a California registration and getting a local municipality business license that is actually advantageous. Those two are relatively minor costs, in any case. Like most people, I just hate ongoing monthly rolling fees that bill whether you're actually using them or making money each month. It creates this time pressure that makes it hard to walk away take a break for a month or something—because you feel like you are pointlessly burning cash. Sadly, it turns out that running a business isn't something that you can really half-way do very well, unless of course it's somehow extremely lucrative.
For a 60%, you might actually be better off picking up the Heavy-6 ballistic carry brief (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/heavy-6). It doesn't have the modular num pad bag option but otherwise is analogous to the TKL bag, just with a smaller form factor. It's also in stock and shipping now (unless bundled with a Heavy-6 group buy order). The TKL bags are currently en route to the new fulfillment warehouse I'm using from the first one I tried (which sucked).
You know, I also actually thought about some kind of "early access" email list that would come from supporting side projects like the keyring. Still mulling on that one. :)
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 16 January 2019, 23:42:21
That was extremely interesting and insightful, thank you for sharing.
It feels like these Chinese factories are taking advantage of you due to being on the other side of the world. Being native to China and able to personally inspect progress would give them far less leverage.
Just reading this would make me want to throw in the towel, so I think most people would appreciate your dedication.
Hopefully you find a business model that works for everyone involved.
Alas, it's a very common problem to companies of sizes anything below that of large mega-corporations who can operate their own facilities in China directly (like Apple). I recently read the excellent book Poorly Made in China by Paul Midler, which at least gave me the solace of knowing that all the problems and run-arounds I've dealt with are more or less par for the course for small businesses sourcing products in China and not just something I'm personally doing wrong or being naive about—which is what I had initially feared. I've founded and sold three companies in the past, one of which had an office in New Delhi, so it's not exactly like I'm new to international commerce or cross-cultural issues, or business operations in general.
Thanks for the encouragement though. As I say, I keep persisting as best I can, and each time I do learn a little bit that I can apply to the next time, so it's not entirely futile. Now that I think about it, I've learned soooo much about consumer products manufacturing, international sourcing, and logistics in the past few years, and a lot of that has come from keyboard stuff. I have done large runs of consumer products for other well-known national brands during this period as well, but nowhere am I as involved in the process at even level as in the keyboard projects. It's a lot of fun learning about this stuff, even if it sometimes causes headaches. Admittedly, some of that probably comes from being a bit of a perfectionist and perhaps caring a bit too much, but that too is a big part of the fun. :D
Post by: jshufelt on Thu, 17 January 2019, 08:14:57
Post by: Puddsy on Thu, 17 January 2019, 09:10:39
That description of the under-the-hood economics of a group buy ought to be required reading for anyone considering running one, or joining one. Thanks for sharing this hard-won information (and the Midler recommendation).
It is ridiculously difficult for how much you get out of it. I've got framework for another one right now and I'm seriously considering just not doing it because I don't know if I can commit that time right now.
Post by: thelaughingman on Thu, 17 January 2019, 10:08:08
More
...figure out how to get this keyboard thing not lose me money on every run
:confused:
This really shouldn't be happening, and Ryan is the last person it should happen to. I have to say I'm a bit concerned.Agreed. Ryan your prices are fairly towards the lower end of the spectrum given the quality/customization options and especially given that you design cases for keyboards that no one else is working on (with a realistic deadline in mind). You should really look at slapping a flat $20 or even $50 fee on top of your current prices to make sure you end up in the green. That, or partner with Massdrop. You already handle all of your R&D etc. so there shouldn't be an IP transfer requirement to just run GBs through their system. Throw a poll up on there in the next week or two and let it get votes for the next 6-8 months until you're ready to run your next big project.nobody runs GBs for the money, but ryan should at least be breaking even for how good the end product is
Thanks, guys! I really appreciate that. Firstly, if for some reason anybody is particularly preoccupied with the continued financial viability of my projects, I cordially invite them to pick up a Norbaforce keyring (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/norbaforce-keyrings). :D (Though hopefully no appeal to altruism is necessary; I actually think they're pretty cool—check out the video.)
Anyway, I've actually been doing a lot of meditating on this very subject over the past few weeks: namely, my level of commitment to continuing to do keyboard projects after shipping my current on-order group buys (Heavy-6 and Norbaforce Round 3.14). Puddsy's point is well taken, but I believe that if one wants to do anything truly creatively ambitious or interesting, the resources of a profitable enterprise make it much more feasible. As such, I think profitability is a worthwhile goal, even though I haven't yet quite hit that mark. It would simply make it possible to do cooler stuff, and more sustainably.
As such, I had been intending to double-down and make some 2019 investments in my keyboard work/infrastructure in hopes of figuring how to turn it into a more sustainable business that could become a primary focus of my time. However, I still sort of vacillate every day on whether that's a worthwhile goal. This is perhaps a good occasion to muse out loud on the subject and, in so doing, to clarify my own thoughts for myself. And maybe some of you will just be curious to learn a bit of the background of these projects, so I'll indulge in a bit of navel-gazing below.
I enjoy making keyboard-related stuff enormously, but there are two things that make it sometimes quite discouraging. The first one is just the economics. I tend to focus on the quality of the end product and its creative properties, which means hiring various third-party firms to help me with stuff like inspections, logistics, etc., so that I can meet my own standards of cosmetic of quality and the seemingly insatiable demand for me to make more housings available. However, compared to most consumer products, these are fantastically small-scale projects, so I have very little price negotiation leverage with manufacturers and, when it comes to the non-manufacturing vendors, I often find myself carrying the same overhead of an operation that has millions of dollars a year in revenue (whereas my projects aren't even the tiniest fraction of that). For example, my monthly carrying costs for the business, whether or not I sell anything that month, is easily something like $2000+. This includes a bookkeeping firm and accounting software system that are required to comply with IRS requirements, inventory/COGS tracking software (which is shockingly expensive), third-party sourcing and inspection firm, MailChimp subscription, SurveyMonkey subscription, web hosting, Shopify subscription and fees, warehousing and fulfillment fees, etc., etc.. On top of all that, California requires over $1000 in yearly state and local fees just to be able to have a business here, before you take in your first dollar. So that means that, in any given year, even before I've sold a single item, I start out down $25,000. And I can't just sell $25,000 in housings to cover that, because the majority of the retail price on a given item goes to direct costs related to manufacture. That $25k needs to be margin after manufacturing costs are paid. All this just to break even. And the problem with group buys is that you price them in advance, so you have to have an ironclad handle on what all your costs are going to be before you actually go into production. Any slight miscalculations or surprises and it all comes directly out of that margin, easily pushing a project from the black into the red. So I can find myself investing hundreds of hours of work on a project and a over year of stress, worry, and fighting with factories for quality, as I did with the Norbaforce project, and at the end of the day finding myself actually paying for the privilege of contributing my time and taking all that financial risk—all due to factors entirely out of my control. Even for the most temperamentally entrepreneurial of folks, this can be a bit demoralizing.
The second issue is that when you're not physically manufacturing the stuff yourself, it's nearly impossible to get manufacturers to care about the quality of the end product as much as you do. The ways factories will try to screw and cheat you are truly endless, and witnessing this firsthand regularly makes me despair for our species. Factories all seem to care only about inputs and not outputs; that is, if they went through the motions of making your parts, regardless of whether what comes out at the other end looks good, they figure they've done their piece and will do everything they can to collect their payment before you have any chance to do anything about it. Factories will regularly deliver parts, representing them as good to go, that absolutely no honest, non-blind human being inspecting the part would have passed as cosmetically acceptable—just hoping that you somehow won't notice, or that the cost will have been so high of shipping and importing them that you won't want to go to the bother and expense of returning them because doing so would cost more than it's worth. With the exception of a couple of trusted US manufacturers (which, sadly, don't make machined parts), this has happened to varying degrees on literally every manufacturing run I've ever done on any product, keyboard and otherwise. Factory visits, QC docs, third-party inspection firms, reiterating my high quality standards across endless conversations before production begins: none of it seems to prevent it from happening. I'm constantly switching factories and searching for better ones after previous ones prove themselves to be somewhere on the incompetent-malicious spectrum; I've explored in detail working with probably about 50 different factories just this year on keyboard related projects alone. I regularly see reject rates as high as 50%, and getting it fixed often happens partially or entirely at my own expense, all the while stressing out as I watch shipping timelines slip, again entirely outside of my control and in spite of effusive assurances beforehand by factories that they're different and nothing like that could possibly happen with them. When I feel like I'm letting people down by potentially slipping delivery timelines and all the vendors I'm working with are figuring out how to pass off inferior product as acceptable is when I really start to feel like it's not fun anymore. I've been having one of those weeks this week, actually. But I know from experience that this feeling also usually passes, and in the end I always figure out how to ensure that only good stuff goes out to people who support my projects.
As to how to start making this process less miserable and someday actually financially self-sustaining over the long term, I have a few ideas. Firstly, I really need to get away from the group buy model. For one thing, it's a lot of overhead responding to requests to change addresses, people selling slots and wanting to switch buyers, changing their mind and cancelling their orders or wanting to switch finishes, and responding to the unending barrage of "any updates?" messages on six different social media platforms (I always push out updates whenever there's anything important actually to report). But, even more importantly, group buys make pricing the product an act of total guesswork, as unforeseen costs always seem to creep into every project, no matter how much experience I accumulate and try to account for things that went wrong on the last project. Producing in advance and then selling in small in-stock batches would make sensible costing and pricing possible. The trouble, of course, is that doing in-stock inventory means making guesses about how popular something is going to be, and also taking a big personal financial risk. The landed cost of a batch of keyboard housings, even around the factory MOQ, can easily run around $40k and well upwards, which to my mind is a lot of money to front, especially when you don't know whether and how many people will actually buy the thing. I recently decided to take this plunge experimentally with my TKL carry bags (coming into inventory any day now, or so I am promised), but I don't really know if I'll sell only 10 or if the whole 200 will sell in a matter of hours like some of my other stuff has. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Regarding clappingcactus's suggestion: I'm afraid that switching to Massdrop might only worsen the problems I've described above. It only creates more layers of indirection, money-vacuuming middlemen, and loss of accountability for quality to the final end factory. I don't personally have anything against Massdrop and have only had largely positive dealings with them, especially the lower-levels folks like Yanbo, formerly Kunal, and now my old pal Elbert who works there. However, I'm sufficiently enmeshed in the keyboard community to have heard quite a few truly compelling horror stories from fellow designer-creators (many of them quite well-known in the keyboard world) who have sworn off the notion of ever working with Massdrop after whatever that person's last project was with them. It's enough to give one pause. And, in any event, I simply just don't want to give up control over the QC process and have something arrive on people's doorsteps that's junk, but with my name on it.
Another obvious suggestion would be trying to source outside of Asia, something I have tried endlessly over the past two years to arrange. I don't source products abroad in order to save money; I do it because it's the only way I can find factories even willing to consider the work. Low-volume consumer products with high cosmetic standards are something most US machine shops don't want to touch with a 99.5-foot pole. The ones that are left here in the States prefer exclusively to work with high-paying aerospace and medical customers who don't care about a little scratch here or there because they're functional parts. When, after exhaustive searches, I have been able to find factories that are even willing to quote the job, it varies anywhere from 2-10x the China price (no joke). But a $300-400 housing is already pretty bonkers. It's also very hard to find shops that do finishing work (such as blasting, polishing, anodizing, etc.) at all here, regardless of price.
Anyway, I don't really have any great answers on these subjects yet beyond to persist. I do keep getting better at finding ways of playing the various strengths and weaknesses of certain factories off each other: for example, I have one factory that can do stainless steel cost-effectively but is awful at finishing, so I arrange to get them to make the parts and then ship them to another trusted shop on a different continent to do the finishing work. I use a different place for CNC milling billet aluminum, and yet another for machined sheet goods. And I've been working with a company that does computerized inspection processes that are quite rigorous that might prevent me from personally doing all the final inspections by hand in person. Combining that with more in-stock stuff and fewer group buys (when finances permit) might make things more sustainable. I also have some other big new product ideas that could help bankroll ongoing keyboard work, but I won't bore anyone with those details here, as it's all still very much in development.
Anyway, since a few of you seemed interested, I thought I'd give the full back-story to my rather off-hand comment before. Any thoughts are, as ever, welcome.
Most people buying Realforces or Novatouches for the keyboards itself and their uses.
I bought a Realforce and a Novatouch just so I could put them into your cases, ONLY THEN I'm satisfied. Looking back I wish I could have joined the Heavy-6 GB then (no budget :( ) and if I did, I would have to go out and hunt an F660C later just to use it in your case - that would be 3/3 right there.
It's always a pleasure to read through your sharing but this one is quite sobering indeed. All I could offer is some cheerleading for you, anticipation for your next project and the vote with my wallet whenever it may come :thumb:
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 18 January 2019, 18:00:20
Post by: Eiji Murakami on Fri, 18 January 2019, 22:54:35
For those who have been asking for or are interested in Norbaforce stainless steel PVD-coated back-plates, please vote here (https://airtable.com/shr7nUjsWYdiCdj3f) so I can have a sense of whether it might be worth doing. I now have finally worked out a series of vendors whom I trust to do it. :)
That's excellent.
I hope that this project will be realized soon.
Post by: phinix on Thu, 31 January 2019, 18:16:18
Anyone know where I can get a batter looking USB C cable that work with Norbaforce. So far I try 2 other USB C cable none of them work.
I'm using this cheap USB-C cable from Ikea. It's been working flawlessly.
Ooh. That's a really nice pairing of cable and finish!Any extras or leftovers???
I currently have a batch being coated right now, supposedly complete next week (but factory timeline promises are almost invariably wrong/lies). Once they're boxed and assembled, I put them into stock and send out an email notification on my list. There aren't very many, unfortunately, though. =\
Will these extras be also available via mykeyboard.eu or only via your shop?
Any news on those extras?
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 31 January 2019, 18:30:15
Anyone know where I can get a batter looking USB C cable that work with Norbaforce. So far I try 2 other USB C cable none of them work.
I'm using this cheap USB-C cable from Ikea. It's been working flawlessly.
Ooh. That's a really nice pairing of cable and finish!Any extras or leftovers???
I currently have a batch being coated right now, supposedly complete next week (but factory timeline promises are almost invariably wrong/lies). Once they're boxed and assembled, I put them into stock and send out an email notification on my list. There aren't very many, unfortunately, though. =\
Will these extras be also available via mykeyboard.eu or only via your shop?
Any news on those extras?
Only my shop this time around. Powder coating is now complete on those extras, but I decided to order new back-plates because I wasn't happy with the ones I had left (anodizing defects). Those will arrive after Lunar New Year celebrations are complete in China, so unfortunately we're probably looking at late Feb or March.
Post by: hervuli on Thu, 31 January 2019, 21:28:22
Anyone know where I can get a batter looking USB C cable that work with Norbaforce. So far I try 2 other USB C cable none of them work.
I'm using this cheap USB-C cable from Ikea. It's been working flawlessly.
Ooh. That's a really nice pairing of cable and finish!Any extras or leftovers???
I currently have a batch being coated right now, supposedly complete next week (but factory timeline promises are almost invariably wrong/lies). Once they're boxed and assembled, I put them into stock and send out an email notification on my list. There aren't very many, unfortunately, though. =\
Will these extras be also available via mykeyboard.eu or only via your shop?
Any news on those extras?
Only my shop this time around. Powder coating is now complete on those extras, but I decided to order new back-plates because I wasn't happy with the ones I had left (anodizing defects). Those will arrive after Lunar New Year celebrations are complete in China, so unfortunately we're probably looking at late Feb or March.
Any update on the level of interest in the upgraded steel Norbaforce backplates? Very interested in those :)
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 02 February 2019, 14:36:55
Anyone know where I can get a batter looking USB C cable that work with Norbaforce. So far I try 2 other USB C cable none of them work.
I'm using this cheap USB-C cable from Ikea. It's been working flawlessly.
Ooh. That's a really nice pairing of cable and finish!Any extras or leftovers???
I currently have a batch being coated right now, supposedly complete next week (but factory timeline promises are almost invariably wrong/lies). Once they're boxed and assembled, I put them into stock and send out an email notification on my list. There aren't very many, unfortunately, though. =\
Will these extras be also available via mykeyboard.eu or only via your shop?
Any news on those extras?
Only my shop this time around. Powder coating is now complete on those extras, but I decided to order new back-plates because I wasn't happy with the ones I had left (anodizing defects). Those will arrive after Lunar New Year celebrations are complete in China, so unfortunately we're probably looking at late Feb or March.
Any update on the level of interest in the upgraded steel Norbaforce backplates? Very interested in those :)
33 survey responses so far. I'll likely order a batch of roughly that number as soon as my preferred machine shop for steel parts comes back online after Lunar New Year celebrations this month. I'll just have these in limited numbers in my shop at some point when they're done/ready. I'm trying to avoid group buys going forward just to make life a bit less stressful for me. :)
Post by: hervuli on Sat, 02 February 2019, 19:57:47
Any update on the level of interest in the upgraded steel Norbaforce backplates? Very interested in those :)
33 survey responses so far. I'll likely order a batch of roughly that number as soon as my preferred machine shop for steel parts comes back online after Lunar New Year celebrations this month. I'll just have these in limited numbers in my shop at some point when they're done/ready. I'm trying to avoid group buys going forward just to make life a bit less stressful for me. :)
Awesome.
Just built my royal wrinkle black Norbaforce incidentally. Hypersphered, lubed, dome-swapped with BKE Redux Extremes. It's lovely!
[attach=1]
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 02 February 2019, 20:06:53
Any update on the level of interest in the upgraded steel Norbaforce backplates? Very interested in those :)
33 survey responses so far. I'll likely order a batch of roughly that number as soon as my preferred machine shop for steel parts comes back online after Lunar New Year celebrations this month. I'll just have these in limited numbers in my shop at some point when they're done/ready. I'm trying to avoid group buys going forward just to make life a bit less stressful for me. :)
Awesome.
Just built my royal wrinkle black Norbaforce incidentally. Hypersphered, lubed, dome-swapped with BKE Redux Extremes. It's lovely!
(Attachment Link)
Oooh. Love that Royal Wrinkle black. That keycap and cable pairing is perfect.
Post by: Wetherbee on Sun, 03 February 2019, 12:20:52
Post by: method_ on Sun, 03 February 2019, 17:02:18
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 03 February 2019, 17:03:57
Where's that survey? ;D
Voilà. (https://airtable.com/shr7nUjsWYdiCdj3f)
Post by: idlemao on Thu, 21 February 2019, 23:41:21
Post by: thelaughingman on Sat, 23 February 2019, 00:46:49
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfP4G3NFUEI/ (https://www.instagram.com/p/BfP4G3NFUEI/)
Post by: mrkantz on Sat, 23 February 2019, 08:52:42
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
Post by: Audiobs on Sat, 23 February 2019, 11:37:03
Post by: phinix on Sat, 23 February 2019, 16:07:38
A rewal beauty.
I have mounted in it my 55g modded standard bottom orw Realforce with SA Carbon and it looks stunnig.
One thing - does anyone would prefer to have the case a bit higher?
I have used to use my RF on its feet and have a feelign that I could have it raised a bit more, like maybe double the height.
What do you guys think?
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 24 February 2019, 10:19:01
I got my black royal wrinkle and have to say that this product is out of this world! Quality is freaking amazing.
A rewal beauty.
I have mounted in it my 55g modded standard bottom orw Realforce with SA Carbon and it looks stunnig.
One thing - does anyone would prefer to have the case a bit higher?
I have used to use my RF on its feet and have a feelign that I could have it raised a bit more, like maybe double the height.
What do you guys think?
One solution I've been working on for this sort of thing is leather desk mats with CNC machined inserts at different angles so we don't have to rely on risers. I still haven't worked out all the details yet, but I did make a prototype myself I was pretty happy with. I still want to do it, but I haven't yet found a factory that is proficient both at CNC machining hardwood and also doing really high-end leather work. Quest continues.
Post by: Kerasan on Sun, 24 February 2019, 12:59:49
I got my black royal wrinkle and have to say that this product is out of this world! Quality is freaking amazing.
A rewal beauty.
I have mounted in it my 55g modded standard bottom orw Realforce with SA Carbon and it looks stunnig.
One thing - does anyone would prefer to have the case a bit higher?
I have used to use my RF on its feet and have a feelign that I could have it raised a bit more, like maybe double the height.
What do you guys think?
One solution I've been working on for this sort of thing is leather desk mats with CNC machined inserts at different angles so we don't have to rely on risers. I still haven't worked out all the details yet, but I did make a prototype myself I was pretty happy with. I still want to do it, but I haven't yet found a factory that is proficient both at CNC machining hardwood and also doing really high-end leather work. Quest continues.
oh this is very interesting
KMK Labs.
Post by: idlemao on Sun, 24 February 2019, 17:34:29
Were these the recent ones put out?Anyone know where I can get a batter looking USB C cable that work with Norbaforce. So far I try 2 other USB C cable none of them work.
I'm using this cheap USB-C cable from Ikea. It's been working flawlessly.
Ooh. That's a really nice pairing of cable and finish!Any extras or leftovers???
I currently have a batch being coated right now, supposedly complete next week (but factory timeline promises are almost invariably wrong/lies). Once they're boxed and assembled, I put them into stock and send out an email notification on my list. There aren't very many, unfortunately, though. =\
Will these extras be also available via mykeyboard.eu or only via your shop?
Any news on those extras?
Only my shop this time around. Powder coating is now complete on those extras, but I decided to order new back-plates because I wasn't happy with the ones I had left (anodizing defects). Those will arrive after Lunar New Year celebrations are complete in China, so unfortunately we're probably looking at late Feb or March.
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 24 February 2019, 21:24:49
Were these the recent ones put out?Anyone know where I can get a batter looking USB C cable that work with Norbaforce. So far I try 2 other USB C cable none of them work.
I'm using this cheap USB-C cable from Ikea. It's been working flawlessly.
Ooh. That's a really nice pairing of cable and finish!Any extras or leftovers???
I currently have a batch being coated right now, supposedly complete next week (but factory timeline promises are almost invariably wrong/lies). Once they're boxed and assembled, I put them into stock and send out an email notification on my list. There aren't very many, unfortunately, though. =\
Will these extras be also available via mykeyboard.eu or only via your shop?
Any news on those extras?
Only my shop this time around. Powder coating is now complete on those extras, but I decided to order new back-plates because I wasn't happy with the ones I had left (anodizing defects). Those will arrive after Lunar New Year celebrations are complete in China, so unfortunately we're probably looking at late Feb or March.
No. The replacement plates are still being made, so the bulk of NF are still several weeks off.
Post by: thelaughingman on Mon, 25 February 2019, 08:59:08
No, Laughing is correct, there were some Harvard Sq Norbaforce available. That link is just the color sample. He can confirm if he bought one. Now I know why he calls himself theLaughingMan...
Exactly like you said, Harvard square was available for both Norbaforce & Norbatouch. The link was attached to both listing to demonstrate the colour. I didn't buy one but I check the shop every time Ryan sends out an email just for fun :)))))
Post by: nuclear_wizard on Wed, 06 March 2019, 17:12:39
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190306/a5e13f4d1750e1ec370ece65c1bb9d28.jpg)
Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
Post by: Audiobs on Wed, 06 March 2019, 18:19:18
Finally got this bad boy all put together and on the desk. It could eventually use some sorbothane (and a fix for the left control key being a bit wonky), but I'm extremely happy with the case. Thanks a million Ryan!Show Image(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190306/a5e13f4d1750e1ec370ece65c1bb9d28.jpg)
Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
Very Noice! Which finish is that? Did you use Novatouch Sliders? I am going to build mine with a 91u with Hasu USB.
Post by: TheMnBN on Thu, 07 March 2019, 17:56:27
Any update from Mr. Norbauer himself? Last time I checked, we are still waiting on replacement plates.
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 08 March 2019, 17:41:45
I missed the GB and am now (im)patiently waiting for extras to be up for sale. Checking my email and shop site several times a day has become more and more habitual :p.
Any update from Mr. Norbauer himself? Last time I checked, we are still waiting on replacement plates.
Still waiting, alas. I got the pre-production sample earlier this week and it looked fine, so they're underway now. Chinese New Year always grinds everything to a half for like two months. =\
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 08 March 2019, 17:42:26
Finally got this bad boy all put together and on the desk. It could eventually use some sorbothane (and a fix for the left control key being a bit wonky), but I'm extremely happy with the case. Thanks a million Ryan!Show Image(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190306/a5e13f4d1750e1ec370ece65c1bb9d28.jpg)
Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
Oh man, what an excellent keycap and finish pairing!
Post by: TheMnBN on Sat, 09 March 2019, 02:58:04
I missed the GB and am now (im)patiently waiting for extras to be up for sale. Checking my email and shop site several times a day has become more and more habitual :p.
Any update from Mr. Norbauer himself? Last time I checked, we are still waiting on replacement plates.
Still waiting, alas. I got the pre-production sample earlier this week and it looked fine, so they're underway now. Chinese New Year always grinds everything to a half for like two months. =\
Thank you for the update! I totally get the CNY effect so delays are understandable. Do you mind sharing the color availability for the extras? All the powder-coated finishes are lovely but I do have some personal biases ;)
Post by: nuclear_wizard on Mon, 11 March 2019, 12:04:02
Finally got this bad boy all put together and on the desk. It could eventually use some sorbothane (and a fix for the left control key being a bit wonky), but I'm extremely happy with the case. Thanks a million Ryan!Show Image(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190306/a5e13f4d1750e1ec370ece65c1bb9d28.jpg)
Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
Very Noice! Which finish is that? Did you use Novatouch Sliders? I am going to build mine with a 91u with Hasu USB.
The finish is Galaxy Console. I used a few NT sliders for this build (leftovers from a Singularity Black build that I could post some pics of too), but mostly this was put together with KBDFans sliders. Your board sounds like an interesting project, good luck with it!
Finally got this bad boy all put together and on the desk. It could eventually use some sorbothane (and a fix for the left control key being a bit wonky), but I'm extremely happy with the case. Thanks a million Ryan!Show Image(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190306/a5e13f4d1750e1ec370ece65c1bb9d28.jpg)
Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
Oh man, what an excellent keycap and finish pairing!
Thanks! I'm pretty happy with how it turned out! I have a few other keysets (nuclear data, SA Chocolatier) I'll likely put on the board when I get too familiar with this look.
Post by: arrowM on Tue, 26 March 2019, 02:28:10
Post by: bunanapeel on Tue, 02 April 2019, 17:10:14
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 02 April 2019, 17:14:37
I really really really hope that I can get an extra board since I wasn't in this hobby when this was going on. Will you send an email out on your mailing list when you put the extras up? Thanks in advance! ;D
Yes, absolutely. Still impatiently waiting on those replacement back-plates ("any day now", according to machine shop) but these are otherwise ready to go.
Post by: TheMnBN on Tue, 02 April 2019, 19:02:52
Post by: JDragon on Thu, 18 April 2019, 12:50:01
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 19 April 2019, 11:25:49
Does anyone know why my Norbaforce won't work on my desktop but will on my laptop (both Win10)? Is this some sort of USB driver issue?
How odd. RealForces can behave strangely on Macs sometimes, but usually it's plug-n-play on Windows. What cable are you using?
Post by: TheMnBN on Fri, 19 April 2019, 22:10:13
Also where did that mysterious rose gold version come from though? :D
Post by: rxmemory on Fri, 19 April 2019, 23:36:35
I just realized Norbaforce was restocked.
I got myself a Tactical Black Norbaforce.
I have been waiting for the restock for a long time >< Cant wait@@!!!!
Post by: TheMnBN on Sat, 20 April 2019, 01:05:31
TheMnBN Thank you for your post~~
I just realized Norbaforce was restocked.
I got myself a Tactical Black Norbaforce.
I have been waiting for the restock for a long time >< Cant wait@@!!!!
Glad it helped! I've waited quite persistently for the extras also.
Post by: ossetepo on Sat, 20 April 2019, 12:19:02
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 20 April 2019, 12:21:51
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 20 April 2019, 12:23:46
I'm working to develop a design that is compatible with the 87U family of Realforces and the new R2 models, along with a few other minor tweaks/improvements.
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 20 April 2019, 15:28:20
Post by: Puddsy on Sat, 20 April 2019, 15:40:12
If anybody is interested in a second round, by the way, please fill out the survey (https://airtable.com/shrjRcH0VA6VLWaON).
I'm working to develop a design that is compatible with the 87U family of Realforces and the new R2 models, along with a few other minor tweaks/improvements.
filled
been thinking about buying one of the r2s and this would probably put me over the edge
Post by: JDragon on Sat, 20 April 2019, 16:36:17
Does anyone know why my Norbaforce won't work on my desktop but will on my laptop (both Win10)? Is this some sort of USB driver issue?
How odd. RealForces can behave strangely on Macs sometimes, but usually it's plug-n-play on Windows. What cable are you using?
I tried both cables that came with it, none worked on my desktop but both worked on my laptop. I can't understand this at all. It shows up on my desktop as Realforce 87U in device manager but just refuses to work.
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 20 April 2019, 16:45:46
Does anyone know why my Norbaforce won't work on my desktop but will on my laptop (both Win10)? Is this some sort of USB driver issue?
How odd. RealForces can behave strangely on Macs sometimes, but usually it's plug-n-play on Windows. What cable are you using?
I tried both cables that came with it, none worked on my desktop but both worked on my laptop. I can't understand this at all. It shows up on my desktop as Realforce 87U in device manager but just refuses to work.
Ah, in that case your issue may reach into Windows internals/configuration, which is a bit beyond my realm of familiarity.
Do other external keyboards work on your desktop? Does the same RealForce work when plugged directly into the desktop using the native RealForce cable, bypassing the Norbaforce breakout PCB?
Post by: TheMnBN on Sat, 20 April 2019, 17:49:08
So I guess there have been people constantly refreshing that page for the past six months. TheMnBN posted like three minutes after I quietly put those units into inventory. :o
I was actually checking out the TKL bag on your shop site and somehow, unconsciously scrolled the page all the way down. Well, before long I'm one step closer to being a Norbaforce owner. :cool:
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 20 April 2019, 20:16:39
So I guess there have been people constantly refreshing that page for the past six months. TheMnBN posted like three minutes after I quietly put those units into inventory. :o
I was actually checking out the TKL bag on your shop site and somehow, unconsciously scrolled the page all the way down. Well, before long I'm one step closer to being a Norbaforce owner. :cool:
Haha. OK, that makes more sense. :cool:
Post by: Hawkfriend on Mon, 22 April 2019, 19:25:02
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 22 April 2019, 19:36:47
oh man did i miss out on stainless steel backplates??
No, those come later. :)
Post by: Hawkfriend on Mon, 22 April 2019, 19:52:55
oh man did i miss out on stainless steel backplates??
No, those come later. :)
much excite :thumb:
Post by: JDragon on Tue, 23 April 2019, 20:08:33
Does anyone know why my Norbaforce won't work on my desktop but will on my laptop (both Win10)? Is this some sort of USB driver issue?
How odd. RealForces can behave strangely on Macs sometimes, but usually it's plug-n-play on Windows. What cable are you using?
I tried both cables that came with it, none worked on my desktop but both worked on my laptop. I can't understand this at all. It shows up on my desktop as Realforce 87U in device manager but just refuses to work.
Ah, in that case your issue may reach into Windows internals/configuration, which is a bit beyond my realm of familiarity.
Do other external keyboards work on your desktop? Does the same RealForce work when plugged directly into the desktop using the native RealForce cable, bypassing the Norbaforce breakout PCB?
Yeah it worked when it was a stock Realforce. I’m going to buy a new USB-C cable off the “Benson approved” list and try with that one.
Post by: ninjapirate on Sun, 28 April 2019, 17:03:51
(https://i.redd.it/ctp3nqs8d2v21.jpg)
Post by: typischt on Sun, 28 April 2019, 18:21:30
Just got my Aperture finish case in, gorgeous!Show Image(https://i.redd.it/ctp3nqs8d2v21.jpg)
Wow, this looks gorgeous! Love the texture of the board and also how it looks with the black keycaps!
In hindsight, I think I would not go with the "regular" silver again. Don't get me wrong, it is still super nice, clean and of nice quality (and the pictures of it were the reason why I decided to buy one in the first place. They looked so good! And actually, now that I think about it, I even think these photos were the reason why I hunted down a grey realforce in the first place, I think month before this buy actually started XD). But the all those special colors are just too nice to buy "just" a silver one (even tho I didn't want to have a black one with white / grey keycaps anyways).
Post by: ninjapirate on Mon, 29 April 2019, 05:47:59
Just got my Aperture finish case in, gorgeous!Show Image(https://i.redd.it/ctp3nqs8d2v21.jpg)
Wow, this looks gorgeous! Love the texture of the board and also how it looks with the black keycaps!
In hindsight, I think I would not go with the "regular" silver again. Don't get me wrong, it is still super nice, clean and of nice quality (and the pictures of it were the reason why I decided to buy one in the first place. They looked so good! And actually, now that I think about it, I even think these photos were the reason why I hunted down a grey realforce in the first place, I think month before this buy actually started XD). But the all those special colors are just too nice to buy "just" a silver one (even tho I didn't want to have a black one with white / grey keycaps anyways).
Yeah the finish came out really nice. Planning to try some mx sliders and BKE heavies so I can use my other caps, I'm thinking Tokyo Nights or Carbon Bones would look pretty sweet on this.
Post by: phinix on Mon, 29 April 2019, 18:08:23
Just got my Aperture finish case in, gorgeous!Show Image(https://i.redd.it/ctp3nqs8d2v21.jpg)
Wow, this looks gorgeous! Love the texture of the board and also how it looks with the black keycaps!
In hindsight, I think I would not go with the "regular" silver again. Don't get me wrong, it is still super nice, clean and of nice quality (and the pictures of it were the reason why I decided to buy one in the first place. They looked so good! And actually, now that I think about it, I even think these photos were the reason why I hunted down a grey realforce in the first place, I think month before this buy actually started XD). But the all those special colors are just too nice to buy "just" a silver one (even tho I didn't want to have a black one with white / grey keycaps anyways).
Yeah the finish came out really nice. Planning to try some mx sliders and BKE heavies so I can use my other caps, I'm thinking Tokyo Nights or Carbon Bones would look pretty sweet on this.
Oh yeah, I bet Carbon Bones will look awesome on it. I would also try out that new SA Laser that is coming out soon.
I have Royal black version, currently using it with Carbon, amazing combo.
Post by: phorx on Tue, 30 April 2019, 07:37:21
Post by: Lansky on Tue, 30 April 2019, 10:02:34
Could a R2 Realforce be mounted in this housing? I know that the pcb included with the Norbaforce isn’t compatible, just wondering if I could get it to fit securely.
No, but he'll soon be making a Mark II version that'll fit the R2.
Post by: pixelpusher on Tue, 30 April 2019, 19:38:11
Could a R2 Realforce be mounted in this housing? I know that the pcb included with the Norbaforce isn’t compatible, just wondering if I could get it to fit securely.
https://www.keebtalk.com/t/ic-the-norbaforce-mark-ii
Post by: Rumblehotep on Tue, 30 April 2019, 22:41:49
Lil' buggers are real soft, especially the silver/circle ones and I've stripped a couple.
Need to reseat my enter key dome (only activates in the very middle) and though pliers worked for removal I'd rather use a fresh screw.
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 04 May 2019, 10:40:28
Just got my Aperture finish case in, gorgeous!Show Image(https://i.redd.it/ctp3nqs8d2v21.jpg)
What an amazing photo! Thanks for sharing. :D
Post by: Latto on Sat, 04 May 2019, 16:47:26
After much ado here's my build. Topre endgame for me. Thanks Ryan!!
Post by: phorx on Sat, 04 May 2019, 18:55:24
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 24 May 2019, 16:39:13
They're all in the Aperture finish, which has proved very popular on subsequent designs but wasn't actually available in the original Norbaforce GB. It's what appears in Latto's photo above.
Post by: ihalatch on Sat, 25 May 2019, 04:25:20
Hi all. Just wanted to say that I'm down to the last three Norbaforce Round 1 extras (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/the-norbaforce-cnc-aluminum-housing-for-realforce-keyboards), one of which is a WKL housing.
They're all in the Aperture finish, which has proved very popular on subsequent designs but wasn't actually available in the original Norbaforce GB. It's what appears in Latto's photo above.
Will there be another run with the Aperture finish? It'll be great if you can make it mate next time.
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 25 May 2019, 12:39:37
Hi all. Just wanted to say that I'm down to the last three Norbaforce Round 1 extras (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/the-norbaforce-cnc-aluminum-housing-for-realforce-keyboards), one of which is a WKL housing.
They're all in the Aperture finish, which has proved very popular on subsequent designs but wasn't actually available in the original Norbaforce GB. It's what appears in Latto's photo above.
Will there be another run with the Aperture finish? It'll be great if you can make it mate next time.
I think next time I'll probably try another similar but not identical hammertone finish, just for the sake of variety. Haven't gotten so far along as finalizing colors yet, however, as I'm still several months off from being able even to start a GB.
Post by: phinix on Sat, 08 June 2019, 17:12:56
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 08 June 2019, 22:50:13
what is the angle of Norbaforce?
3 degrees with risers attached. 0 degrees without.
Post by: phinix on Sun, 09 June 2019, 08:31:50
Thanks, I forgot that one:)what is the angle of Norbaforce?
3 degrees with risers attached. 0 degrees without.
Post by: phinix on Sat, 15 June 2019, 12:21:51
what is the angle of Norbaforce?
3 degrees with risers attached. 0 degrees without.
Quick question - will new round 2 version be different from R1?
For example would it have different angle? Maybe higher feet?
Or will it be 3 degrees with risers, same as first round?
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 15 June 2019, 12:57:45
Post by: pixelpusher on Sat, 15 June 2019, 16:19:20
All external features will be the same as Mark I other than a slightly differently sized USB through-hole.
What about finishes? Anything new planned?
Post by: phorx on Sat, 15 June 2019, 18:19:12
All external features will be the same as Mark I other than a slightly differently sized USB through-hole.
What about finishes? Anything new planned?
Praying for astrophysical purple to make a return
Post by: profanum429 on Sat, 29 June 2019, 23:37:38
(https://i.imgur.com/uzSedO1.jpg)
I love it!
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 30 June 2019, 01:52:52
Incidentally, I just today put up a GB for some stainless steel PVD rear cover plates (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/norbaforce-stainless-steel-rear-cover-weight) for the Norbaforce. They act as weights and (modest) sound dampeners.
Post by: keyberzerker on Sun, 30 June 2019, 06:53:46
Awesome; thanks for the feedback profanum429!
Incidentally, I just today put up a GB for some stainless steel PVD rear cover plates (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/norbaforce-stainless-steel-rear-cover-weight) for the Norbaforce. They as weights and (modest) sound dampeners.
Wow...I just got the Gold brushed one...
Now I need that Norbaforce Mark II For my R2 in Astrophysical purple or at least Motorsport Yellow.
Post by: profanum429 on Sun, 30 June 2019, 08:13:40
Awesome; thanks for the feedback profanum429!
Incidentally, I just today put up a GB for some stainless steel PVD rear cover plates (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/norbaforce-stainless-steel-rear-cover-weight) for the Norbaforce. They as weights and (modest) sound dampeners.
Hah, I was just thinking about that last night. In for a brushed gold one :)
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 30 June 2019, 11:15:11
Awesome; thanks for the feedback profanum429!
Incidentally, I just today put up a GB for some stainless steel PVD rear cover plates (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/norbaforce-stainless-steel-rear-cover-weight) for the Norbaforce. They as weights and (modest) sound dampeners.
Wow...I just got the Gold brushed one...
Now I need that Norbaforce Mark II For my R2 in Astrophysical purple or at least Motorsport Yellow.
I do indeed plan to include Astrophysical among the Mark II options. :)
Post by: profanum429 on Mon, 15 July 2019, 12:27:12
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 15 July 2019, 12:29:35
Hopefully there was enough interest in the PVD backplates that they get made :) I’m also on the lookout for an aerospace aluminum WKL case if anyone has a spare! :)
There definitely was! I forgot to send a reminder email to my list, so I extended the group buy (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/norbaforce-stainless-steel-rear-cover-weight) close until Wednesday, but I'll be submitting the order before the week is over. :)
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 15 October 2019, 11:34:45