[GB] Alpine Winter (Shipping Replacements)

[WNovizar]

Late to the party, but I've heard that there will be reruns of this keyset soon, so does that mean I could join later?

[njbair]

Just a quick heads up nj, my gb was specifically ordered in the 1Z profile.  I wanted it to match the height of existing escape keys from sp and some of the older alphas on random boards that were also made by sp.

I was just looking over my BX mods. It looks like the Row 1 caps are 1Z, but the rest of the rows are EX. Can you confirm this?

For those who are curious, EX stems are slightly longer than the skirt of the keycap, so if you put the cap down on a flat surface and it rocks back and forth, you've got an EX cap. If the cap sits flat, the stem is slightly shorter than the skirt and you've got a 1Z cap.

[njbair]

Late to the party, but I've heard that there will be reruns of this keyset soon, so does that mean I could join later?

Sorry, but these are corrections, not reruns, which means SP is going to fulfill the original order with no additions.

[Hypersphere]

Does this mean that everyone who ordered will receive a new (corrected) order automatically? Do we need to sign up and/or return the originals?

[njbair]

Does this mean that everyone who ordered will receive a new (corrected) order automatically? Do we need to sign up and/or return the originals?

If you already have your caps, you will be getting replacements. No questions asked, no returns necessary. I don't think SP wants the defective keycaps any more than we do.

[vivalarevolución]

Does the re-run include space bars as well?  I know those had mistakes already, but not sure if they also had the stem issue resolved in the re-run.

[geniekid]

Thanks for the info!  Their explanation makes sense and their decision to rerun definitely increases my goodwill towards them.

[njbair]

Does the re-run include space bars as well?  I know those had mistakes already, but not sure if they also had the stem issue resolved in the re-run.

I was told they are going to re-run the entire order.

[vivalarevolución]

Does the re-run include space bars as well?  I know those had mistakes already, but not sure if they also had the stem issue resolved in the re-run.

I was told they are going to re-run the entire order.

Good lord.

[joey]

Does this mean that everyone who ordered will receive a new (corrected) order automatically? Do we need to sign up and/or return the originals?

If you already have your caps, you will be getting replacements. No questions asked, no returns necessary. I don't think SP wants the defective keycaps any more than we do.

If we haven't, will we get both sets?

[njbair]

Does this mean that everyone who ordered will receive a new (corrected) order automatically? Do we need to sign up and/or return the originals?

If you already have your caps, you will be getting replacements. No questions asked, no returns necessary. I don't think SP wants the defective keycaps any more than we do.

If we haven't, will we get both sets?

If you haven't gotten them yet then you're international. Which means double the sets will cost double the shipping. I guess I'll leave that up to you. I'll have to think of a way to organize that first, though.

[CPTBadAss]

What a plot twist o.O

[joey]

Does this mean that everyone who ordered will receive a new (corrected) order automatically? Do we need to sign up and/or return the originals?

If you already have your caps, you will be getting replacements. No questions asked, no returns necessary. I don't think SP wants the defective keycaps any more than we do.

If we haven't, will we get both sets?

If you haven't gotten them yet then you're international. Which means double the sets will cost double the shipping. I guess I'll leave that up to you. I'll have to think of a way to organize that first, though.

Maybe not the full set.. but it might be nice to have a few of the keys (the mountain keys etc)

[BlueNalgene]

What a plot twist o.O

Alps and plot twists seem to go hand in hand these days.

[njbair]

Does this mean that everyone who ordered will receive a new (corrected) order automatically? Do we need to sign up and/or return the originals?

If you already have your caps, you will be getting replacements. No questions asked, no returns necessary. I don't think SP wants the defective keycaps any more than we do.

If we haven't, will we get both sets?

If you haven't gotten them yet then you're international. Which means double the sets will cost double the shipping. I guess I'll leave that up to you. I'll have to think of a way to organize that first, though.

Maybe not the full set.. but it might be nice to have a few of the keys (the mountain keys etc)

I'm not against people getting caps but I have to admit I'm kind of against all the extra work of separating the existing presorted sets. And by kind of against, I mean very against.

[Hak Foo]

Once the rerun comes in, maybe someone should set up an 'aftermarket trading' thread to corral the discussion-- I'm guessing some of us won't need *all* the duplicates, and might be willing to trade their extras.

[skullydazed]

I'm not against people getting caps but I have to admit I'm kind of against all the extra work of separating the existing presorted sets. And by kind of against, I mean very against.

Just build a keycap sorting robot. It can't be that hard. )

Having done plenty of keycap set separating myself, I think it should be an all or nothing thing. Sorting one set ain't so bad, but sorting dozens is asking a lot.

[tofgerl]

Or train a kindergarten class to do it.

[vivalarevolución]

I'm not against people getting caps but I have to admit I'm kind of against all the extra work of separating the existing presorted sets. And by kind of against, I mean very against.

Just build a keycap sorting robot. It can't be that hard. )

Having done plenty of keycap set separating myself, I think it should be an all or nothing thing. Sorting one set ain't so bad, but sorting dozens is asking a lot.

I honestly would charge extra for the sorting process if I ever ran a keycap group buy.  I bought an SP grab bag a couple years ago and that was among the worst uses of time in my entire life.

[jbondeson]

How much do we need to fundraise to have SP presort the next batch of keysets?

[njbair]

There may be a misunderstanding here. The base kits will come pre-sorted, as per the original order. Only the blanks will need to be resorted and that's not so bad.

This discussion had to do with whether or not international buyers want to pay extra shipping for the mistaken sets, and someone suggested breaking up the mistaken sets and just sending a handful of extras from them (logo caps, for example) along with the corrected orders. I was just pointing out that I'm not thrilled about the idea of digging into all those pre-sorted mistaken orders to fish out a few special caps. I'm thinking you either pay to ship the whole thing, or only pay for the corrected set.

US buyers will end up paying shipping twice. But international orders haven't shipped yet, so I figure it's only fair to give them the option. But I don't think breaking up the mistaken sets will be an option from my standpoint.

I just had an idea, though. Once all the orders are shipped, if I end up with a bunch of leftover mistaken sets, maybe I can do a little fundraiser. It may be possible to piece together some self-consistent sets, which could then be resold in the classifieds with all proceeds going towards Geekhack's operating costs. Just an idea, but I could take my time with the sorting because nobody will be waiting on them.

[flabbergast]

I personally would prefer to get both sets (old&new); and pay for shipping whatever's needed.

[nathanrosspowell]

There may be a misunderstanding here. The base kits will come pre-sorted, as per the original order. Only the blanks will need to be resorted and that's not so bad.

This discussion had to do with whether or not international buyers want to pay extra shipping for the mistaken sets, and someone suggested breaking up the mistaken sets and just sending a handful of extras from them (logo caps, for example) along with the corrected orders. I was just pointing out that I'm not thrilled about the idea of digging into all those pre-sorted mistaken orders to fish out a few special caps. I'm thinking you either pay to ship the whole thing, or only pay for the corrected set.

US buyers will end up paying shipping twice. But international orders haven't shipped yet, so I figure it's only fair to give them the option. But I don't think breaking up the mistaken sets will be an option from my standpoint.

I just had an idea, though. Once all the orders are shipped, if I end up with a bunch of leftover mistaken sets, maybe I can do a little fundraiser. It may be possible to piece together some self-consistent sets, which could then be resold in the classifieds with all proceeds going towards Geekhack's operating costs. Just an idea, but I could take my time with the sorting because nobody will be waiting on them.

The idea of you digging through bags of caps just so someone can save a bit of money on shipping is absolutely ludicrous! That's a hard NOOOOPE.

Being international and not having my set shipped yet, I would like to get both the old and the new sets. I 110% will pay for all the additional shipping and I would also like to shoot you a humble tip. Like, the value of a pack of beer (or whatever beverage of choice) just to say cheers for all the hard work 

[luckynet]

as an international buyer, I aint keen on paying more, just send the correct set and im already happy. do what you will with the incorrect sets, i bet they are still alot of people interested in those, no matter how defective...

[tofgerl]

Well, if this is a binary choice, let's just make everyone who wants to keep the old set, whether they live in the US or internationally, say so. Make a quick google form.

[kinglukas38]

I'm ok with paying extra shipping to get both of my sets

[joey]

I'd like to know the price difference, if possible, before deciding.

[nathanrosspowell]

I'd like to know the price difference, if possible, before deciding.

You already know it.

Which means double the sets will cost double the shipping.

Whatever you paid in shipping originally, that is what you will have to pay again.

[njbair]

I'd like to know the price difference, if possible, before deciding.

You already know it.

Which means double the sets will cost double the shipping.

Whatever you paid in shipping originally, that is what you will have to pay again.

International orders have not been shipped yet. And I'm not sure that double weight = double price for all packages. Weight is only a part of the equation.

[swimmingbird]

I'm happy to get the old and new sets but would rather see the older sets sold at whatever price with the proceeds going to GH's maintenance

[merlin64]

To get around the keycap heights  I was using IBM 5140 keycaps for the alphas. But I will gladly accept a fixed set just so I can finally use Alpine Winter Keycaps.

[Hypersphere]

I was just now checking my Alpine Winter set. I discovered that the profile of Alpine Winter is different from that of the Matias keycap sets and vintage IBM 5140. The IBM and Matias sets match, but Alpine Winter is different from each of these other sets. I assume that this is inherent to the SP set and will be the case even with the corrected set that SP will be issuing. Is this a correct assumption?

[njbair]

I was just now checking my Alpine Winter set. I discovered that the profile of Alpine Winter is different from that of the Matias keycap sets and vintage IBM 5140. The IBM and Matias sets match, but Alpine Winter is different from each of these other sets. I assume that this is inherent to the SP set and will be the case even with the corrected set that SP will be issuing. Is this a correct assumption?

Correct. These are DCS profile, which is similar but different than the OEM profile of the other two sets you mentioned.

FYI, Cherry profile is also different, but that's not an issue for Alps boards anyway.

[Hypersphere]

@njbair: Thanks for your prompt reply! I should have realized beforehand that the SP profile would be different from the others. Thanks for confirming this.

[vivalarevolución]

Regarding international shipping prices, not sure if retail or commercial applies here:  http://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm#2521047

[Hak Foo]

Matias profile is also marginally different from Tai-Hao profile.  This is mostly visible on the bottom row.

[njbair]

Regarding international shipping prices, not sure if retail or commercial applies here:  http://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm#2521047

I think you would want Priority mail (not First Class) for tracking numbers, right?

[axtran]

USPS International FC provides shipping, as long as the receiving country supports it.

[harlw]

There may be a misunderstanding here. The base kits will come pre-sorted, as per the original order. Only the blanks will need to be resorted and that's not so bad.

This discussion had to do with whether or not international buyers want to pay extra shipping for the mistaken sets, and someone suggested breaking up the mistaken sets and just sending a handful of extras from them (logo caps, for example) along with the corrected orders. I was just pointing out that I'm not thrilled about the idea of digging into all those pre-sorted mistaken orders to fish out a few special caps. I'm thinking you either pay to ship the whole thing, or only pay for the corrected set.

US buyers will end up paying shipping twice. But international orders haven't shipped yet, so I figure it's only fair to give them the option. But I don't think breaking up the mistaken sets will be an option from my standpoint.

I just had an idea, though. Once all the orders are shipped, if I end up with a bunch of leftover mistaken sets, maybe I can do a little fundraiser. It may be possible to piece together some self-consistent sets, which could then be resold in the classifieds with all proceeds going towards Geekhack's operating costs. Just an idea, but I could take my time with the sorting because nobody will be waiting on them.

I think you could just sell them uncorrected, I doubt sorting them will bring in *that* much extra to justify the work. I like the idea though.

[Muffinbottoms]

Three cheers for SP and a moment of silence for njbair who gets to do this damn thing twice. I say we pitch in and buy him something nice.

A Pony?

[eksuen]

Three cheers for SP and a moment of silence for njbair who gets to do this damn thing twice. I say we pitch in and buy him something nice.

A Pony?

Made of diamonds, like Butt Stallion.

[merlin64]

All that packing and shipping is gonna take its toll physically.

How about we pitch in for a 1 hour massage voucher.

[harlw]

All that packing and shipping is gonna take its toll physically.

How about we pitch in for a 1 hour massage voucher.

yesssss

[BlueNalgene]

I tried to remove one of the caps today.  I applied steady upward pressure like we are supposed to do.  I ended up ripping the Matias switch apart.  At least I have spares.

Remember to be careful folks.

[njbair]

I tried to remove one of the caps today.  I applied steady upward pressure like we are supposed to do.  I ended up ripping the Matias switch apart.  At least I have spares.

Remember to be careful folks.

Indeed. I know it's tedious, but I really, really recommend trimming the corners on all SP Alps keycaps. I posted earlier about how to do this, but I know not everybody keeps up with the thread.

I'm thinking about breaking this info out into its own thread and linking in my signature. Then I can include a little instruction sheet in the package with a link to the thread.

[Badwrench]

One more thing. In responding to Melissa's questions this morning, I did a bit more investigating and uncovered some interesting info.

Here's a shot of E3E's board with some row-1 Alpine Winter blanks, with OEM keycaps to the left, and a Badwrench DCS modifier to the right:

Show Image

There is an obvious difference between heights. The AW blanks are taller than both the OEM keycaps and the Badwrench DCS keycap.

Looking at the AW sets I have on hand, and all the photos reported in, it looks like Alpine Winter's row 1 are mostly correct. This suggests that DCS row 1 is supposed to be taller than OEM.

Show Image

But if that's the case, why is Badwrench's ESC key sitting so low on E3E's keyboard?

Based on this data, it looks to me like this heights issue was present on Badwrench's modifiers as well. Only nobody noticed it because there are very few modifier keys next to each other. Anyone care to take a look at their Badwrench sets?

That's odd.  I don't see any height difference from my set to this one:
(Attachment Link)

Do note that without first trimming the flashing from the stems, they are very tight and take more force than most people feel comfortable using to push them all the way in.  I have a video tutorial uploading now and will post it when it is done.

As far as overall height differences, It is mostly the qwer row keys that are most noticable (R,Y,U,P), but also the G, K, V, B, and M keys.  None of my mods are off and the heights of the non-offending keys from this set match the height of mine perfectly. 
(Attachment Link)



Edit:  Tutorial Video.

I tried to remove one of the caps today.  I applied steady upward pressure like we are supposed to do.  I ended up ripping the Matias switch apart.  At least I have spares.

Remember to be careful folks.

Indeed. I know it's tedious, but I really, really recommend trimming the corners on all SP Alps keycaps. I posted earlier about how to do this, but I know not everybody keeps up with the thread.

I'm thinking about breaking this info out into its own thread and linking in my signature. Then I can include a little instruction sheet in the package with a link to the thread.

Check the video I did 

It took me about an hour to do the entire set.

[njbair]

One more thing. In responding to Melissa's questions this morning, I did a bit more investigating and uncovered some interesting info.

Here's a shot of E3E's board with some row-1 Alpine Winter blanks, with OEM keycaps to the left, and a Badwrench DCS modifier to the right:

Show Image

There is an obvious difference between heights. The AW blanks are taller than both the OEM keycaps and the Badwrench DCS keycap.

Looking at the AW sets I have on hand, and all the photos reported in, it looks like Alpine Winter's row 1 are mostly correct. This suggests that DCS row 1 is supposed to be taller than OEM.

Show Image

But if that's the case, why is Badwrench's ESC key sitting so low on E3E's keyboard?

Based on this data, it looks to me like this heights issue was present on Badwrench's modifiers as well. Only nobody noticed it because there are very few modifier keys next to each other. Anyone care to take a look at their Badwrench sets?

That's odd.  I don't see any height difference from my set to this one:
(Attachment Link)

Do note that without first trimming the flashing from the stems, they are very tight and take more force than most people feel comfortable using to push them all the way in.  I have a video tutorial uploading now and will post it when it is done.

As far as overall height differences, It is mostly the qwer row keys that are most noticable (R,Y,U,P), but also the G, K, V, B, and M keys.  None of my mods are off and the heights of the non-offending keys from this set match the height of mine perfectly. 
(Attachment Link)



Edit:  Tutorial Video.

I tried to remove one of the caps today.  I applied steady upward pressure like we are supposed to do.  I ended up ripping the Matias switch apart.  At least I have spares.

Remember to be careful folks.

Indeed. I know it's tedious, but I really, really recommend trimming the corners on all SP Alps keycaps. I posted earlier about how to do this, but I know not everybody keeps up with the thread.

I'm thinking about breaking this info out into its own thread and linking in my signature. Then I can include a little instruction sheet in the package with a link to the thread.

Check the video I did 

It took me about an hour to do the entire set.

I must have missed that video, either because it was an edit or because it doesn't show up in Tapatalk. But thanks for sharing it.

Your method is different than mine--I actually sliced off two corners, using a downward motion with the blade instead of pulling back. But the key is to only do two corners. I think my way was probably faster, if a bit trickier. Either way, an hour's time is a small price to pay to avoid the eternal frustration of a broken stem.

[njbair]

Hey all, just a quick non-update update. Nothing new to report. My last correspondence with SP was exactly one month ago (Feb. 24), which means based on a six-week lead time we've still got a couple of weeks to wait before the replacement keycaps arrive.

Just to be clear, everybody is getting a replacement set, no questions asked. Everyone will be re-invoiced for shipping costs. If you are an international buyer, since you have not received your caps yet I will present you with two options: 1) pay shipping for both sets (correct & defective), or just pay shipping for the corrected sets. The choice is totally up to you.

If I have any defective sets left over, I can try to piece together some complete sets from those, and sell them in the classifieds with 100% of the proceeds going back to Geekhack.

So let's all hang tight, and thanks as always for your patience!

[kinglukas38]

Thanks for the update Nj! If theres a defective monarch numpad no one wants put me first in line 

[geniekid]

Thanks njbair