Success! Success! Success!
I just assembled the F62 prototype complete inner assembly and can confirm that this Model F redesign project is a success! It truly deserves the Model F moniker. We will be going forward with the group buy before month end. I will definitely continue testing and making the final pre-production adjustments as the prototypes are not 100% (nor were they expected to be perfect!). I have made and will keep making design adjustments even as small as 0.1 mm to make them good.
Keys buckle correctly and are recognized on the computer - the new capacitive flippers do their job just as well as the originals so far. There are no ghost signals as of yet. The keyboard sounds eerily similar to my little used, original refurbished 77 key 4704 with Ensolite foam (the project uses Neoprene/EDPM type foam from McMaster-Carr) - you can tell the difference between the two but it was a lot closer than expected. Of course it does sound different from my worn out F's with degraded foam (the F77 original, and just about each Model F in my collection, sounds different from just about every other Model F!). The keys are crisp and have a solid amount of musicality to them like the original 77 key 4704 - far from the point where it would annoy most people in my view (some F's have more musicality, some have less).
One interesting note is that the improved manufacturing processes and tolerances have allowed for a more consistent sound to each key - granted the keys do sound different from each other and still have a mildly musical quality to them, though they are less random in their sound. These better tolerances also make for more consistent barrels. In test measurements I have noticed very low sample to sample variation.
Also the final barrel molds were completed - these samples will be with the final barrel design. Each barrel will have a number on its underside since I ordered a multi-cavity mold. IBM gave a code to each barrel so they could know when a mold cavity needed to be adjusted if it was producing out-of-spec injection-molded parts.
I will continue making the hand adjustments to the prototypes and making those adjustments in the CAD files. Before opening orders I want the prototypes to be as close to the final production units as possible and I want to take photos and make a video beforehand.
Olumin - the final version will look like the originals but is not 100% the same on the inside - for example a new USB controller instead of IBM's terminal controller. $325 is the price for the keyboard. I will also do a group buy for brand new Unicomp keys (check their web site for pricing and options available). Yes caps can be swapped with Model M or Model F caps, or Unicomp caps. Yes you have to pay taxes, fees, shipping if applicable to your country (these ship from New York). You can adjust the layout afterwards but it will be a regular Model M style layout in a 60% form factor as the default. The keyboard works once you plug in the USB cable, or you can configure it. You can set any function layer you want (any suggestions on default function layers to include with the F62/F77?). Yes you can order F1, F2 etc. front printed keycaps as long as Unicomp does not run out of stock.
