[GB] TRIFL alpha - custom keycap profile | Closed, fulfilling

[rutomoda]

TRIFL alpha Group Buy open until March, 5th

TRI:angular FL:at – The uniform keycap profile with triangular finger dishes.

Open from January, 20th 2023 to March, 5th 2023.

Available at https://shop.rutomoda.com

Fulfillment target: Q2 2023, 100% made in Germany

For more information, see the buyer's guide.

Overview
After more than 2 years of refinement, prototyping and research (Original IC) they are finally ready! This is the group buy for the TRIFL keycaps!

The keycaps will be 3D printed using the Multi Jet Fusion process and will be sintered from PA12 / nylon powder. The order will be compiled after group buy end and submitted to my manufacturer here in Germany. They usually run on a lead time of around 7 work days. Shipping can hopefully start in March and will be first in first out. Shipping method will be DHL Warenpost so I can offer affordable global shipping.
Colors
Natural stone grey


Dyed black


Wear

Due to the printed caps being porous and the black ink being acetone soluble, grey caps will darken with use, black caps will lighten with use and black caps will lose ink when washed. For the best used look, wash black caps in a washing bag after several months of use in a regular washing machine on the synthetics setting.

Black caps come at a slight premium because of the added dyeing process.

The keycaps are printed front first, back last, with a layer height of 80 micron (roughly 3 thou). Due to the properties of the printing process, this leads to a smoothing on the front curvature making layer lines over the whole keycaps invisible, but generating tiny visible layer stepping on the back of the keycap. This look was an deliberate artistic choice and preferred over other printing orientations as it presents very cleanly from the front while also showing off the 3D printed origins on the back side:

Kits
The base kits are meant to provide easy and quick coverage of the most common keyboard layouts. All kits are available in natural stone grey as well as dyed black.
Core Alpha (grey:79€ black:83€)


Modifier (grey:47€ black:49€)


Braille (grey:54€ black:57€)


40s Alpha (grey:52€ black:55€)


Arrows (grey:18€ black:19€)


Homing (grey:18€ black:19€)


Novelties (grey:18€ black:19€)

Packs
To cover more layouts the following packs are also available in stone grey and dyed black:

• 8x 1U (grey:14.50€ black:15€)
• 4x 1.25U (both: 9€)
• 4x 1.5U (both: 10€)
• 2x 1.75U (both: 5.50€)
• 2x 2U (both: 6€)
• 2x 2.25U (both: 6.50€)
• 1x 2.75U (both: 3.50€)
• 1x 3U (both: 4€)
• 1x 6U (both: 6€)
• 1x 6.25U (both: 6€)
• 1x 7U (both: 7€)
• 8x 1U Novelty (grey:18€ black:19€)

If you don't know which kits to order, post your layout and I will help you out!

For more pictures and information see https://shop.rutomoda.com

[HoffmanMyster]

Approved

[DerBonk]

So excited about these. They look dope and the Braille kit is such an neat idea.

[rutomoda]

"Learn touch typing with Braille" is kind of the idea.

[rutomoda]

Since someone had this question on the Discord: if you don't know which kits to order, post your layout and I will help you out!

Added this to the main post as well. Kitting is a bit unusual to allow for more flexibility.

[rutomoda]

Here are some really pretty microscope pictures showing of the surface quality:

[DerBonk]

It really looks like stone, little keycap pebbles. Looking forward to trying them out!

[vhaarr]

Would you consider adding a numpad set with the usual modifier variations?

[rutomoda]

Currently I have no plan to add a dedicated numpad kit. You can already can get the needed caps from packs.

Numpad kits are kind of fickle, as I would have to account for one and two color versions as well as sensibly cover four and five row versions. To keep things a bit simpler and more managable on my side I decided against offering dedicated kits.

[rutomoda]

A quick update for early supporters:

The orders from the first four-ish weeks have been printed and are at my location. Yesterday I finished most of the packaging design work for the individual kits, this weekend I am going to wrap that up, hopefully including the box print and then I can start QAing and packing the orders. I hope to get the first few shipments out by next week.

Non-EU orders might have to wait an additional week to get shipped, because I am still waiting to get my EORI number for export tax things. I am sorry for fumbling the application here! I had a processing time of maybe a week in mind, turns out it's a couple of weeks due to covid.

I am also working on a second buy-in window with simplified and reduced options to give anyone with analysis paralysis some ease of mind. I managed to get reviews lined up, so that should go live once the review kits are on their way (next-ish week hopefully as well).

[rutomoda]

All the wave 1 keycaps. I can finally start packing!

Wave 2 will be ordered next week.

There is going to be a short wave 3 GB window after I managed to get everything shipped out. And then I'm off to the next project!

[rutomoda]

GB closed!

A huge Thank You to everyone that joined!

I am going to do my best to get you your keycaps as soon as possible!

[rutomoda]

Mid March Update:

• On the weekend with the help of my wife I got roughly 20% / a little bit less than half of all dyed black keycaps packed.
• The seal stickers' glue is sadly a bit too weak so I needed to add an extra dab of super glue to make them stick, which adds an extra step and slows the whole process a bit.
• I am currently working with the first batch of keycaps I already ordered in February. I need to finish packing that first batch before I can order the second batch, because I already found a small error with an order amount in my first batch, due to me forgetting to update one of the cells in my excel sheet.
• I am aiming to send first batch orders (order number 1015 and below) in the next two weeks, but I am going through a decent cold since yesterday, so I cannot 100% promise hitting that target.
  My EORI-number-application is still just "in progress" and taking way longer than anticipiated. I need that number for customs declaration of non-EU-exports. My hope is for the application process to conclude next week the latest, but German bureaucracy can be quite slow at times.