Author Topic: Acrylic Tenkeyless Keyboard Cases  (Read 29799 times)

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Offline litster

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« on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 13:37:35 »
Edit: if you are interested in joining a group buy for a acrylic case that fits a Filco tenkeyless keyboard for around $165 shipped CONUS, PM me.

I just realized that I have been hiding my acrylic keyboard cases in the Phantom group buy keyboard thread.

Here are a few pictures of the different acrylic keyboard cases I have made so far.











edit: added black+red case picture
« Last Edit: Sat, 18 February 2012, 18:56:52 by litster »

Offline sordna

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« Reply #1 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 13:46:02 »
Can you build a split one for a Kinesis Advantage ?
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Offline litster

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« Reply #2 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 13:50:37 »
I have a Advantage right in front of me.  It would be very difficult to do it with lasercut acrylic because of the curves the Advantage has.  Lasercutting can only cut in 2 dimensions and the acrylic thickness is the 3rd dimension.  That 3rd dimension can only be straight.

Offline aoya

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« Reply #3 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 13:58:52 »
Wow, these are incredibly cool. Do you have the tools to make one for a Leopold TKL? Alternatively, with metal?

You should consider doing a gb for these things, they are nice!

Offline jwaz

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« Reply #4 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 14:03:12 »
Love that last one Litster!

I want to do the phantom but not sure if i can afford it :(

Offline enoy21

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« Reply #5 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 15:13:34 »
Those are super nice I love the top one with the white and blue trim. I don't suppose that blue trim is LED or better yet Neon gas filled is it ?
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Offline SmallFry

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« Reply #6 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 15:16:03 »
VERY good work lister!:smile: Indeed it is a pity that the darn things are so expensive...

Offline GeorgeStorm

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« Reply #7 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 15:25:50 »
Love the white and blue
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Offline litster

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« Reply #8 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 15:45:46 »
Quote from: enoy21;488153
Those are super nice I love the top one with the white and blue trim. I don't suppose that blue trim is LED or better yet Neon gas filled is it ?

It is transparent blue acrylic.  I have also done transparent orange with black (not shown), but it isn't as good looking.

Quote from: GeorgeStorm;488161
Love the white and blue

Quote from: harrison;488127
the black+blue and clear are absolutely incredible.  it's a pitty they're so costly to cut.


I like white with transparent blue accent the best.  But the black top works with both black and white keycaps, whereas white top works better with black keycaps IMO.  I could do two color schemes, opaque white/transparent blue, and opaque black/opaque red, then you could swap the colors.  Or I can do full opaque white and opaque black and you can make zebra scheme for both cases.

Quote from: aoya;488116
Wow, these are incredibly cool. Do you have the tools to make one for a Leopold TKL? Alternatively, with metal?

No, I don't have a Leopold.  It was hard enough to try to make the case work for both Filco and Phantom.  They are supposed to be the same, but there are minor differences.

Quote from: aoya;488116
You should consider doing a gb for these things, they are nice!

Quote from: SmallFry;488156
VERY good work lister!:smile: Indeed it is a pity that the darn things are so expensive...


There are indeed expensive.  I could do a group buy.  But I did some math, it would be about $165 including material, setup fees, laser time, all the hardware to put the case together, and shipping within the USA.  I don't know if it is worth it...

Offline mmmty

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« Reply #9 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 15:49:29 »
I want it. Put me on the list. I'm #1.
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Offline enoy21

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« Reply #10 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 15:49:42 »
I recently started fiddling with some wood working and this gives me an idea of some nice wooden cases.  I love your idea of the transparent acrylic between the upper and lower which would help alleviate the curvature issue.
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Offline mmmty

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« Reply #11 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 18:14:57 »
Payment sent!! :becky:
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Offline whiskerBox

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« Reply #12 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 18:39:10 »
I still really like the clear on the bet so far! Anyways I am glad to see that Filco compatibility is still a go. Nice work Litster can't wait for the GB
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Offline GeorgeStorm

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« Reply #13 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 18:48:17 »
Would love one, but sadly just too pricey for me :(
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Offline litster

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« Reply #14 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 19:09:44 »
PM me if you are interested in getting one.  If there is enough interests, I might do a group buy.

Offline maoiste

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« Reply #15 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 19:17:29 »
What are you referring to when you say "one". Is it just the acryl case or a phantom acryl case bundle and what pricerange are we talking about if a group buy for one would indeed happen ?

Also, very nice pictures.

Offline demik

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« Reply #16 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 19:44:20 »
would love a white and red one similar to the white and blue one
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Offline litster

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« Reply #17 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 19:49:46 »
I mean if you are interested in getting one acrylic case for $165, PM me.

Offline whiskerBox

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« Reply #18 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 22:32:17 »
[ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 37301[/ATTACH]

can I get one this color?? hideous right, but perfect!
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Offline litster

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« Reply #19 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 22:56:36 »
Quote from: whiskerBox;488409
(Attachment Link) 37301[/ATTACH]

can I get one this color?? hideous right, but perfect!

LOL!  Probably not.  It will either be white/blue or black/blue.  I can't even find red arcylic at the right thickness.  Any color outside of black and white, there are only 1 or 2 thicknesses to choose from and most often they are not at the thickness I need.  Sorry.

Offline whiskerBox

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« Reply #20 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 22:58:33 »
Thats a shame :( I am not really a fan of either of those color combos to be honest.
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Offline noodles256

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« Reply #21 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 22:58:48 »
litster is becoming one good keyboard-er
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Offline litster

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« Reply #22 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 23:01:17 »
Quote from: noodles256;488425
litster is becoming one good keyboard-er

But I can't satisfy the whiskerBoxer!

Offline whiskerBox

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« Reply #23 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 23:03:05 »
The whiskerBoxer will still probably buy one of your dumb colored cases!
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Offline mmmty

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« Reply #24 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 23:17:05 »
Can I get mine in orange/green?
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Offline demik

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« Reply #25 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 23:20:06 »
in for carolina blue and hot pink.
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Offline litster

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« Reply #26 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 23:21:01 »
I could do custom color if cut them all myself, but I can't, because I can't cut them all myself.  Because of that, doing one-off colors would be even more expensive.

Offline litster

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« Reply #27 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 23:22:13 »
Quote from: whiskerBox;488428
The whiskerBoxer will still probably buy one of your dumb colored cases!

I love you for that!  My whiskerBoxer!

Offline demik

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« Reply #28 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 23:22:35 »
i'm just messing =p

im fine with black/white, white/black.

do you have a set date for this? i just spent a ton of money so im looking to buy towards the end of the month o.O
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Offline mkawa

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« Reply #29 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 23:25:03 »
awesome! bit pricey for me though -- for not much more than that one could probably have a similar design done in aluminum...

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Offline litster

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« Reply #30 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 23:47:06 »
Quote from: demik;488438
i'm just messing =p

im fine with black/white, white/black.

do you have a set date for this? i just spent a ton of money so im looking to buy towards the end of the month o.O


You've got time.  It will be at least the end of this month.

Offline litster

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« Reply #31 on: Wed, 11 January 2012, 23:48:09 »
Quote from: mkawa;488442
awesome! bit pricey for me though -- for not much more than that one could probably have a similar design done in aluminum...

Very true.  I will pay you $250 if you can ship me an aluminum case to put one of my Filcos in.

Offline DanGWanG

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« Reply #32 on: Thu, 12 January 2012, 00:30:11 »
Can you make one with black and red?

Offline litster

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« Reply #33 on: Thu, 12 January 2012, 00:55:37 »
Transparent red, possibly.  Opaque red, no.  And transparent red would be more expensive.  Like I said, I can't do one-offs.  For a group buy to work, all will need to be in the same color combo, unless we have a huge demand to support multiple color schemes.

Offline DanGWanG

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« Reply #34 on: Thu, 12 January 2012, 01:38:14 »
Create a member poll :) and lets vote, produce, ???, profit!

Offline litster

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« Reply #35 on: Thu, 12 January 2012, 01:41:27 »
Hehe, maybe when we have more people joining the group.

Offline TheProfosist

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« Reply #36 on: Sat, 14 January 2012, 04:00:42 »
Thats cheaper than i was expecting actually. I will now have to inform the people im building for of the cost.

Offline Msan

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« Reply #37 on: Sat, 14 January 2012, 09:39:03 »
I am very interested. Is there any black + black left?

Offline litster

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« Reply #38 on: Mon, 23 January 2012, 16:23:39 »
I think I have enough for a minimum number needed for the first batch.  Please consider this is closed.  Will send more info later.

Offline hazeluff

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« Reply #39 on: Mon, 23 January 2012, 17:51:51 »
They look so nice, but the cost is really high = (. I used to have like a "craft" class, and remembering paying only like 20-30 bucks for 2-3 A3 sized sheets of 9mm thick acrylic.
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Offline litster

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« Reply #40 on: Mon, 23 January 2012, 17:54:06 »
yep, acrylic is not that expensive, cutting it is.  A sheet of acrylic doesn't make a case.

Offline hazeluff

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« Reply #41 on: Mon, 23 January 2012, 17:55:46 »
Quote from: litster;497138
yep, acrylic is not that expensive, cutting it is.  A sheet of acrylic doesn't make a case.

Damn the lazer cutter.

Yeah, my school had one...spent so much time making random stuff with it. I should invest in one and like cut stuff for you guys. Only if I had money...time to buy the lottery?
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Offline digitalleftovers

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« Reply #42 on: Wed, 25 January 2012, 13:43:38 »
Quote from: hazeluff;497140
Damn the lazer cutter.

Yeah, my school had one...spent so much time making random stuff with it. I should invest in one and like cut stuff for you guys. Only if I had money...time to buy the lottery?

I thought the same thing.  I probably won't be taking the plunge any time soon, but its worth noting that some of these are less than people spend on their gaming rigs.  This company (full spectrum lasers) touts that you can do small production work with some of their less expensive models.  Reviews of the table top models indicate that consistent calibration is the biggest concern, and probably why you would want the more expensive ones.  But still, you could have one of these AND a 3D printer for less than 4K.  Thats pretty awesome.

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Offline hazeluff

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« Reply #43 on: Wed, 25 January 2012, 14:07:34 »
Quote from: digitalleftovers;498822
I thought the same thing.  I probably won't be taking the plunge any time soon, but its worth noting that some of these are less than people spend on their gaming rigs.  This company (full spectrum lasers) touts that you can do small production work with some of their less expensive models.  Reviews of the table top models indicate that consistent calibration is the biggest concern, and probably why you would want the more expensive ones.  But still, you could have one of these AND a 3D printer for less than 4K.  Thats pretty awesome.

http://fslaser.com/products/lasers

You mean lazer cutter yeah? Hmm that cheapest model they have is like just wide enough to work with a sheet of acrylic for a TKL.

3D printers are cheaper. I might take the plunge for one at some point. Printerbot/Makerbot. = / still like $1K for one tho.
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Offline Shogunner

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« Reply #44 on: Wed, 25 January 2012, 14:12:36 »
Man, having once of these keyboard roofs would be fantastic. I've been looking around and can't find any that would work with my new WASD though. I may just be blind.

It's dimensions are about 44.1cm wide, 20.7cm long, and 5.1cm in height w/ the wrist rest on.

Any suggestions?

Offline TheProfosist

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« Reply #45 on: Wed, 25 January 2012, 14:14:05 »
EK has fullsize keyboard roofs

Offline pitashen

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« Reply #46 on: Sat, 28 January 2012, 15:15:01 »
I would really like to own one in black instead of white.
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Offline Gawkbasher

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« Reply #47 on: Sat, 28 January 2012, 15:42:01 »
I'm thinking that somebody motivated enough to buy a Laser Cutter could make some good money on this forum. :D

Anyhow, I've found some shops that will aggressively price laser cutting services.  Litster, do you mind if I inquire about the cost per minute of cutting time with the shop you're using?  

I might be able to recommend an alternative, depending or I might want to know who you're using so I can use them too on other projects :)
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Offline tsangan

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« Reply #48 on: Sat, 28 January 2012, 15:43:46 »
Quote from: hazeluff;498848
You mean lazer cutter yeah? Hmm that cheapest model they have is like just wide enough to work with a sheet of acrylic for a TKL.

3D printers are cheaper. I might take the plunge for one at some point. Printerbot/Makerbot. = / still like $1K for one tho.
Makerbot is so damn cool, I almost plunged to just to get one, you see the small cupcakes and the companion cubes they made?
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Offline Gawkbasher

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« Reply #49 on: Sat, 28 January 2012, 15:45:10 »
Quote from: Shogunner;498852
Man, having once of these keyboard roofs would be fantastic. I've been looking around and can't find any that would work with my new WASD though. I may just be blind.

It's dimensions are about 44.1cm wide, 20.7cm long, and 5.1cm in height w/ the wrist rest on.

Any suggestions?

Did you see this thread? http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?25786-Looking-for-a-keyboard-roof-maybe-make-one&highlight=roof
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