[SHIPPED] Nexus Alps slider, Nexus Top Housing

[billm]

Thanks man I appreciate that. I will. Haven't hung around here since maybe.... geez 2006? Just pulled a couple of old alps orange and alps blue keyboards out of the basement today and started thinking, hmm....

[BlindAssassin111]

Thanks man I appreciate that. I will. Haven't hung around here since maybe.... geez 2006? Just pulled a couple of old alps orange and alps blue keyboards out of the basement today and started thinking, hmm....

I wish I had an old stash of blue alps...

[parityb1t]

I just discovered this GB. You mean I missed it by under 2 weeks? Are you going to do another one? I'd like to order 2x TKL sets. Can you still add them in perhaps?

Sorry there is no room for more orders atm. There will be future rounds but that will be a couple months out.

Question. in future rounds, since moulds would have been done. do you estimate the price to be less?

[Blaise170]

I have two Blue Alps boards stashed away... Not sure if I'm going to sell them or eventually desolder them though.

[billm]

I found a stash of old alps boards back in the day for $1/ea. Unfortunately I passed many of them on to other members of this very forum.

[gbchk]

I have two Blue Alps boards stashed away... Not sure if I'm going to sell them or eventually desolder them though.

Sell em to me

[BlindAssassin111]

I have two Blue Alps boards stashed away... Not sure if I'm going to sell them or eventually desolder them though.

Sell em to me

No sell them to me!

[btym]

Well, seems I started getting together my Alps build just a few weeks too late to join this GB. :-(

How many people in this thread bought extras? I'm going to need 70 + a stab set, it would be amazing if one of you kind people could hook me up after the run is finished.

[waldorf120]

How many people in this thread bought extras? I'm going to need 70 + a stab set, it would be amazing if one of you kind people could hook me up after the run is finished.

I bought extras to help the buy go through; I can supply you with the 70 sliders + top housings, possibly also a stab set.  Hit me up when this buy finishes.

[Blaise170]

I might not want many, if not all, of mine. I've decided to go another direction with my Blue Alps project and the only other board I'd want them for is my Matias Pro.

[btym]

Great, thank you   

[procom32]

Well my project went overboard a little bit. Looks like I will need at least 14 more top housings and sliders to complete it 
So if anyone can supply me with those it would be much appreciated.


For those who want to know more about the project.
I started out making a 4x5 ALPS dactyl-manuform but it seems that that is much less space that I had originally thought.
So I went up to a 5x5, but that also seems to little, so I ended up working toward a 5x6.
I only got 50 switches thinking I would have a few left over...

[Acereconkeys]

Will there be a chanced to buy an extras on the stabilizer inserts?

[Waven]

Will there be a chanced to buy an extras on the stabilizer inserts?

I habe ordered two sets which I don't need. I can sell them to you if you want.

[Acereconkeys]

Will there be a chanced to buy an extras on the stabilizer inserts?

I habe ordered two sets which I don't need. I can sell them to you if you want.

I'm a bit confused when you say 2 do you mean 2 pairs? Or do you mean enough inserts for 2 normal boards?

[Waven]

Will there be a chanced to buy an extras on the stabilizer inserts?

I habe ordered two sets which I don't need. I can sell them to you if you want.

I'm a bit confused when you say 2 do you mean 2 pairs? Or do you mean enough inserts for 2 normal boards?

One set contains 2 inserts for each spacebar size (6.25U, 6.5U and 7U) and 14 inserts (7x2) for the other modifiers.
So in total 20 inserts.

[Acereconkeys]

...

I'm a bit confused when you say 2 do you mean 2 pairs? Or do you mean enough inserts for 2 normal boards?

One set contains 2 inserts for each spacebar size (6.25U, 6.5U and 7U) and 14 inserts (7x2) for the other modifiers.
So in total 20 inserts.

Ah I see.

In that case I'd be interested in buying 1 when they're delivered. Shoot me a pm! Sorry for sidetracking the thread.

[d.caminero]

just friendly asking, do we have any update about the project? 

[BlindAssassin111]

just friendly asking, do we have any update about the project? 

Molds are about to start, had a bunch of back and forth trying to make sure the design would be able to be made how I want.

Sliders are good, had to get them to mold in a different way to best match the switch.

Top housings have been much more work as the way I want them to be made is not economically feasible(would cost another $6k to do so). So I had to do some work to get the design to work with the current method, which isn't ideal, but they will perform as intended, and maybe one day down the road I can update the molds if demand calls for it, but I would have to make $12k in profit for that to ever happen, and I don't expect that to happen anytime in the future, but would be happy to be proven wrong lol.

I was going to wait to make the update for when the machining of the molds actually started, but that has taken much longer than expected. Sorry that there has been such a large delay, but it was definitely not expected on my end.

So hopefully machining starts Monday, as I haven't received the final DFM report from the manufacturer going over their design analysis of the parts, which tells me if they are on the same page, and how the whole setup is expected to function. Even have some mockups of what the insides of the mold will look, and they look pretty sweet, will share when I get the email.

Once the molds start I will have a better understanding of the exact time frame, but for now expect the same estimate from before but with a delay to the start of it all.

[tex_live_utility]

Just out of curiosity, what is different between the ideal top housing and the ones that are actually being made?

[BlindAssassin111]

Just out of curiosity, what is different between the ideal top housing and the ones that are actually being made?

The faces that the slider comes in contact with have to have draft angle to allow the part to come off the mold without it being damaged. The ideal way would be to keep those faces without any draft, but the method to do so would cost a lot to make as it requires a lot of extra mold pieces per part, and the mold makes 16 at a time, so if there is 4 extra parts that need to be machined per housing, it gets expensive quick.

So basically the faces have a small 1 degree angle on them, as that is the minimum they would let me use, tried to go smaller...

Nothing that will affect the switch negatively in a significant way though, just not what I was hoping.

[BlindAssassin111]

Update:

Just got notice that the first articles(initial test samples) will be here at the end of the month for the sliders and the housings a week later due to the more complex machining.

[Jhors2]

Update:

Just got notice that the first articles(initial test samples) will be here at the end of the month for the sliders and the housings a week later due to the more complex machining.

Great news!  Thank you!

[d.caminero]

just friendly asking, do we have any update about the project? 

Molds are about to start, had a bunch of back and forth trying to make sure the design would be able to be made how I want.

Sliders are good, had to get them to mold in a different way to best match the switch.

Top housings have been much more work as the way I want them to be made is not economically feasible(would cost another $6k to do so). So I had to do some work to get the design to work with the current method, which isn't ideal, but they will perform as intended, and maybe one day down the road I can update the molds if demand calls for it, but I would have to make $12k in profit for that to ever happen, and I don't expect that to happen anytime in the future, but would be happy to be proven wrong lol.

I was going to wait to make the update for when the machining of the molds actually started, but that has taken much longer than expected. Sorry that there has been such a large delay, but it was definitely not expected on my end.

So hopefully machining starts Monday, as I haven't received the final DFM report from the manufacturer going over their design analysis of the parts, which tells me if they are on the same page, and how the whole setup is expected to function. Even have some mockups of what the insides of the mold will look, and they look pretty sweet, will share when I get the email.

Once the molds start I will have a better understanding of the exact time frame, but for now expect the same estimate from before but with a delay to the start of it all.

No need to say sorry man! I was just browsing my "watched" list and thought about asking
Glad to see you've been working on this and please, do share! I'm curious about how those molds look (even if it's a render).

Update:

Just got notice that the first articles(initial test samples) will be here at the end of the month for the sliders and the housings a week later due to the more complex machining.

does that mean you will have "prototypes" of the sliders and housings?

[BlindAssassin111]

does that mean you will have "prototypes" of the sliders and housings?

I will have the first ever parts made from the molds, they will not be 100% accurate as they do the first articles before polishing the mold to the final finish, so they will be rougher than the actual products. But I will have actual parts to play with (16 of each I think as the molds make that many so I think it would have to be that many for the first test).

So once I approve those parts, the GB parts can go into production.

Updated schedule(estimated dates):
6/1 - Slider FA arrival
6/12 - Housing FA arrival(ship out a bit over a week after the sliders)
6/13 - Testing and measuring to verify parts
6/14 - If parts are good, approve and order, otherwise there will be another delay to correct any issues.
7/9 - parts ship to me, not sure how fast they will be as it depends on the size of the packages to determine if they can use DHL or we wait 3-4 weeks for them to travel via boat from china

So parts will hopefully be in your hands by the end of July, if not early August.

[gbchk]

does that mean you will have "prototypes" of the sliders and housings?

I will have the first ever parts made from the molds, they will not be 100% accurate as they do the first articles before polishing the mold to the final finish, so they will be rougher than the actual products. But I will have actual parts to play with (16 of each I think as the molds make that many so I think it would have to be that many for the first test).

So once I approve those parts, the GB parts can go into production.

Updated schedule(estimated dates):
6/1 - Slider FA arrival
6/12 - Housing FA arrival(ship out a bit over a week after the sliders)
6/13 - Testing and measuring to verify parts
6/14 - If parts are good, approve and order, otherwise there will be another delay to correct any issues.
7/9 - parts ship to me, not sure how fast they will be as it depends on the size of the packages to determine if they can use DHL or we wait 3-4 weeks for them to travel via boat from china

So parts will hopefully be in your hands by the end of July, if not early August.

Awesome! Thanks for sharing the timeline with us. Out of curiosity, which types of Alps will you be testing these parts with? I'm most interested in how they feel/sound in white Alps as that's what I'm planning on modding with these.

[BlindAssassin111]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing the timeline with us. Out of curiosity, which types of Alps will you be testing these parts with? I'm most interested in how they feel/sound in white Alps as that's what I'm planning on modding with these.

You are in luck, I have 2 Omnikeys with white, an AEKII with Cream, two AT101's with SKCM black(one click modded), as well as a bunch of the retooled matias quiet clicks, and a single SKCM Brown. May also have some blue alps by that point, not sure yet.

So I think my testing will be thorough enough.   

[tjcaustin]

I'm super sad I missed this.  Hopefully, I can pick up some when they're out in the world.

[BlindAssassin111]

Update:

The first parts were made, but were out of spec, so there is a delay until 6/12.

[evangs]

Well, seems I started getting together my Alps build just a few weeks too late to join this GB. :-(

How many people in this thread bought extras? I'm going to need 70 + a stab set, it would be amazing if one of you kind people could hook me up after the run is finished.

I believe I purchased 70. I don't remember if I got a stab set. I'll sell you the 70 though

[d.caminero]

Update:

The first parts were made, but were out of spec, so there is a delay until 6/12.

Did you ever receive the prototypes? Is that date to start the production? or to check the new parts?

I'm just curious (and a bit hyped as well)

[BlindAssassin111]

Update:

The first parts were made, but were out of spec, so there is a delay until 6/12.

Did you ever receive the prototypes? Is that date to start the production? or to check the new parts?

I'm just curious (and a bit hyped as well)

Sorry, was a bit tired when I typed that and it came out vague.

I haven't received the first samples as they need to correct the molds to within spec before they send them out. Then I will be able to verify if they are correct before production.

[d.caminero]

sounds great, let us know something!

[SJHL]

I can't wait.

That being said, Im looking for extra sliders and stabilizer set if anyone has any extras.

[BlindAssassin111]

Update:

Got the update from the manufacturer, the samples for the sliders should be shipping out now and the housings hopefully soon.

There will be more information soon, good and bad news though...

[gbchk]

Update:

Got the update from the manufacturer, the samples for the sliders should be shipping out now and the housings hopefully soon.

There will be more information soon, good and bad news though...

why bad?

[tanvir175]

Update:

Got the update from the manufacturer, the samples for the sliders should be shipping out now and the housings hopefully soon.

There will be more information soon, good and bad news though...

why bad?

SoonTM

[d.caminero]

Update:

Got the update from the manufacturer, the samples for the sliders should be shipping out now and the housings hopefully soon.

There will be more information soon, good and bad news though...

why bad?

SoonTM

Don't tease us

[Mcnos]

If anyone is looking to sell their order, I'd be up for discussion!

[BlindAssassin111]

Update:
The first samples will be here monday, my rep is on vacation so it took a bit longer to get them shipped out.

Still going to wait for the parts before I dive into the news I mentioned prior.

[stu-rem]

Update:
The first samples will be here monday, my rep is on vacation so it took a bit longer to get them shipped out.

Still going to wait for the parts before I dive into the news I mentioned prior.

Nice to see some progress, thanks!
(resumes waiting impatiently for "the news"...)

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

[BlindAssassin111]

Update:

Samples have arrived! The color of the sliders looks really awesome in person and that is great news as I wasn't sure how well it would translate from CAD render to real life. I assembled a few on my TKC1800 with alps, and they are super smooth.

And the bad news I was eluding to earlier is the slider samples...I received a FAI report, which goes over every measurement for each sample to check if they are within the tolerances given. That is where the main issue lies, I gave them a spec of ±0.05mm, which was always stated on the drawings and even in email. But somehow on the report the tolerance was changed to ±0.10mm, double the tolerance I wanted. Which brings about issues with some dimensions being to small and others too large. Almost every dimension, when checked against the correct tolerance, was very out of spec, meaning every slider sample is basically impossible to tell performance from. They wobble like crazy because the MX mount is too small, out of spec, half of the wobble is just from that, otherwise they should wobble the same as alps do.

Other bad news, the ejector pin impressions seem to catch on the switch plate leaf spring, which sucks because I mentioned it to them a while back, and had the mold design changed to fix that issue. But I will take the blame for that because I just never followed up with that to make sure it wasn't going to be an issue after the change, after the above tolerance issue happened, I wish I would have.

What does this mean? I am not 100% sure yet, because the first issue may mean new molds need to be made as any dimension too large can't be fixed as there is no way to add material back onto the mold. The second issue may be able to be fixed easily, it may not, but if new molds are made, this could be fixed at the same time to never cause an issue. I am waiting on a reply with the FAI report for the top housing, as well as an answer to this question. I just didn't want to leave everyone out of the loop even if I was partially to blame for an issue.

TL;DR: Samples look nice and are smooth. Manu didn't read drawings, doubled tolerance, almost all dimensions are way too small or large. Ejector pin impressions catch on the switch plate leaf, sucks, caught first time, didn't the second. May need new molds, not sure yet. Waiting on a reply from manu to figure this out. Sorry...

[gbchk]

That sucks to hear If molds need to be remade, does that mean extra cost or just a delay?

[BlindAssassin111]

That sucks to hear If molds need to be remade, does that mean extra cost or just a delay?

I don't expect to pay, and rightfully so as they messed up. It would just suck to have to delay because of something so stupid in the first place.

[Kevadu]

Take the time to get it done right.  Delays suck sure but these thibgs happen.

[midnight2903]

Update:

Samples have arrived! The color of the sliders looks really awesome in person and that is great news as I wasn't sure how well it would translate from CAD render to real life. I assembled a few on my TKC1800 with alps, and they are super smooth.

And the bad news I was eluding to earlier is the slider samples...I received a FAI report, which goes over every measurement for each sample to check if they are within the tolerances given. That is where the main issue lies, I gave them a spec of ±0.05mm, which was always stated on the drawings and even in email. But somehow on the report the tolerance was changed to ±0.10mm, double the tolerance I wanted. Which brings about issues with some dimensions being to small and others too large. Almost every dimension, when checked against the correct tolerance, was very out of spec, meaning every slider sample is basically impossible to tell performance from. They wobble like crazy because the MX mount is too small, out of spec, half of the wobble is just from that, otherwise they should wobble the same as alps do.

Other bad news, the ejector pin impressions seem to catch on the switch plate leaf spring, which sucks because I mentioned it to them a while back, and had the mold design changed to fix that issue. But I will take the blame for that because I just never followed up with that to make sure it wasn't going to be an issue after the change, after the above tolerance issue happened, I wish I would have.

What does this mean? I am not 100% sure yet, because the first issue may mean new molds need to be made as any dimension too large can't be fixed as there is no way to add material back onto the mold. The second issue may be able to be fixed easily, it may not, but if new molds are made, this could be fixed at the same time to never cause an issue. I am waiting on a reply with the FAI report for the top housing, as well as an answer to this question. I just didn't want to leave everyone out of the loop even if I was partially to blame for an issue.

TL;DR: Samples look nice and are smooth. Manu didn't read drawings, doubled tolerance, almost all dimensions are way too small or large. Ejector pin impressions catch on the switch plate leaf, sucks, caught first time, didn't the second. May need new molds, not sure yet. Waiting on a reply from manu to figure this out. Sorry...

Any pics of the sample colors?

[BlindAssassin111]

Any pics of the sample colors?

I don't have the best lighting in my house so it is kinda hard to get a nice picture.

[82d28a]

Try just taking a picture outside during the day. How about the 3d printed parts? Any news on those? When is the next update expected?

[BlindAssassin111]

Try just taking a picture outside during the day. How about the 3d printed parts? Any news on those? When is the next update expected?

I can try tomorrow, which was the plan. I haven't done the 3D printed parts order just yet as I wanted to get the main parts squared away first, will place the order pretty soon. No idea when the next update is going to be as I am waiting on other people to answer my questions.

[stoic-lemon]

Sucks to hear the bad news. I still believe!