Ortho/dox BluesA DSS/DSA keycap set with an Ortho/Ergo compatibility focusLast Updated: 19 Nov 2019
Important Links:Introduction & OriginsThis is my first-ever Interest Check, and I'm very new to this process. I'm a software developer from North Carolina, and I'm an amateur board game designer. After buying an Ergodox to replace my MS Ergo keyboard, I found myself going further and further down the mechanical keyboard rabbit hole.
Ortho/dox Blues itself began as a pun. I wanted to make a sculpted keycap set with high Ortho & Ergodox compatibility, and I knew I wanted to use some variation of the portmanteau "Orthodox" in the name. Initially, I began building a set using liturgical colors from the Eastern Orthodox church, but eventually I landed on a fairly simple blue gradient design.
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| Color gradient, outdoor lighting | Color gradient, indoor lighting |
I currently use
DSS Dolch on my Ergodox, and I've grown to really love the texture and sculpting of DSS keycaps. I noticed that there were very few DSS group buys on this forum or on Reddit, so it seemed like a great new market to experiment with.
DSS keycaps are doubleshot ABS plastic, and they're produced by Signature Plastics. DSS keycap tops are spherical and have a slightly rough texture, almost identical to DSA keycaps. Unlike DSA, DSS is a
sculpted profile; the overall positioning and angle of each row in DSS is a bit closer to that of the OEM or Cherry profile.
So why is DSA part of this set? It has to do with the bottom row. As part of the
survey I ran a few weeks ago, I found that the Ortho/Ergo audience is pretty evenly split between those who prefer a flatter bottom row (like SA R3) versus those who prefer an angled bottom row (like GMK R4). Because the tops and overall shapes of DSA and DSS caps are very similar, and because the DSA uniform profile is highly versatile for vertical caps, it made sense to me that providing an option to mix the two profiles might be a pragmatic approach for an Ortho/Ergo keycap set.
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| DSS with DSA as bottom row | DSS with DSS R4 as bottom row |
First and foremost, this set is meant to be Ortho/Ergo
focused, but not Ortho/Ergo
exclusive. That does mean that the kit design is a bit upside-down from what you might see elsewhere. Instead of setting up kits such that TKL users buy just one kit while everyone else buys add-ons, here the Ortho and Ergo users can get away with buying just the Core kit, while it's the row-staggered keyboards that need additional kits.
The Core kit is similar to what other Interest Checks might call an Assembly kit: it provides enough keycaps to provide baseline coverage for a wide range of Ortho and Ergo layouts (Ergodox, Iris, Sol, Ergodash, etc.).
REMINDERAll images of kits are just simple renders, charts, and simulations. The font used will be SP's standard Gorton Modified, which is not exactly the same as what is rendered. Kit contents are not final and are subject to change.
Kits & Descriptions on Imgur| Core Kit |
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| Mainstream Mods | Numpad |
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| Compatibility Blanks | Extra Blanks |
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| Typist Kit |
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| 1u Legends | 1.5u Legends |
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| International Kit | Novelties (Work in Progress) |
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Proposed Novelty Artwork| 1.5u Novelty | 1u Novelty |
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To-do List- Finalize Vendor for US (DONE)
MK Ultra will be acting as my vendor for the US. - Finalize Vendor for Europe
I have spoken with a potential EU-based vendor as well, but that agreement has not been finalized - Estimate Kit Pricing and MOQ (MOSTLY DONE)
I have been in consultation with Signature Plastics and MK Ultra to estimate kit pricing and determine MOQ for each kit. The core kit will have a higher MOQ of 150, while other kits will vary (most at 50). - Finalize Kit Design (MOSTLY DONE)
Based on survey results and estimated pricing, several of the original kits in the IC have been revised or merged. - Finalize Novelties (2/3 DONE)
The artwork for the Novelties needs to be finished. Two of three have been designed. The third, currently labeled "peacock feather" in the thumbnail, may not end up being a peacock feather at all. - Photorealistic Renders (Optional)
I haven't found anyone who can do photorealistic renders of DSS keycaps yet, but I'd be willing to pay for someone to take that task on. The DSS caps shouldn't be too hard to simulate using DSA as a base, but I realized I was way out of my league when trying to do so myself in Blender. - Get Samples (Optional)
If photorealistic renders aren't a realistic option, then photographs of the actual keycaps could be! Assuming this IC goes well, I'll be in contact with SP to see if a subset of the core set can be run as a one-off for pictures.
KLE-Render Examples of Potential LayoutsBaseline Ergodox
(requires only the Core kit)
Boardwalk
(baseline requires only Core, this example includes 1.5u Legends and Novelties)
TKL with ISO
(requires Core, Mainstream Mods, and ISO)
Planck with Workman Layout
(requires Core and Typist kits)
UT47.2
(requires Core and Compatibility Blanks)
