geekhack
geekhack Marketplace => Group Buys and Preorders => Topic started by: rutomoda on Wed, 01 February 2023, 14:57:37
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(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0617/7829/7022/files/TRIFL_1024x1024.gif)
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 (https://shop.rutomoda.com)
Fulfillment target: Q2 2023, 100% made in Germany
For more information, see the buyer's guide (http://).
Overview
After more than 2 years of refinement, prototyping and research (Original IC (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=112653)) 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
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0617/7829/7022/files/PXL_20210728_071502496_1024x1024.jpg)
Dyed black
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0617/7829/7022/files/PXL_20210728_071452900_1024x1024.jpg)
Wear
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0617/7829/7022/files/used_caps_overview_1024x1024.png)
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:
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0617/7829/7022/files/IMGP0582_1024x1024.jpg)
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€)
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0617/7829/7022/products/kit-core-alpha-black.png)
Modifier (grey:47€ black:49€)
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0617/7829/7022/products/kit-core-mods-black.png)
Braille (grey:54€ black:57€)
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0617/7829/7022/products/kit-braille-flat-black-1.png)
40s Alpha (grey:52€ black:55€)
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0617/7829/7022/products/kit-core-40s-black.png)
Arrows (grey:18€ black:19€)
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0617/7829/7022/products/kit-arrows-black.png)
Homing (grey:18€ black:19€)
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0617/7829/7022/products/kit-homing-black.png)
Novelties (grey:18€ black:19€)
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0617/7829/7022/products/kit-novelty-black.png)
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 (https://shop.rutomoda.com)
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Approved :thumb:
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So excited about these. They look dope and the Braille kit is such an neat idea.
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"Learn touch typing with Braille" is kind of the idea.
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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.
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Here are some really pretty microscope pictures showing of the surface quality:
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0617/7829/7022/files/WIN_20230205_17_06_27_Pro_1024x1024.jpg)
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0617/7829/7022/files/WIN_20230205_17_09_20_Pro_1024x1024.jpg)
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It really looks like stone, little keycap pebbles. Looking forward to trying them out!
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Would you consider adding a numpad set with the usual modifier variations?
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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.
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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).
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(https://i.redd.it/htxgt1g2erla1.jpg)
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!
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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!
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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.
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Start April Update:
- Sadly I went through a major cold infection the last three weeks, so progress isn't as far as I wanted it to be.
- I am figuring out the last details of international shipping. All the registration processes should be complete, now I just need to confirm which document goes where so export and import customs both can quickly process the shipments.
- Batch 1 keycaps are completely bagged. I now can do the calculations for batch 2 manufacturing, which I will do this week. Manufacturing then should take around 7 work days.
- Batch 2 is around 50% bigger, so it is going to be a little more work. My current, maybe a tad optimistic aim is to have all shipments on the road by the end of April.
- Today I dropped the first five EU orders at the post office. These do not need to go through customs and I wanted to at least finish some orders by the end of March. These orders should have received confirmation:
- #1003
- #1007
- #1008
- #1009
- #1010
- For the shipments I also finished the design of the boxes, if you want to have a peek check out my Instagram!
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Start of May Update:
- First of all, sorry, things are taking so long! I myself wanted to be done with all the orders by now and I really do not like to keep you waiting for so long! Thank you for your continued patience!
- DHL deleted some accounting related data over easter, making it unusable for roughly a week for me until it got fixed. Currently there still seems to be a problem regarding currency conversion from South Korean Won to Euro, which makes it impossible to just print the shipping label to South Korea, because the order value is way off.
- All batch 1 orders have been shipped, that's all orders up to and including #1015, aside from the one South Korean order #1006 for stated reasons.
- Today I finally figured out how to attach the DHL tracking number to the webshop order. I should have done so sooner, but was so blindly focused on getting the packages out, I completely ignored that that could be an easy option. If you are part of the batch 1 order numbers and have neither received a package nor tracking number, please do reach out!
- All batch 2 keycaps are at my place and I am now in the several hours long process of manually sorting and QA'ing all of them.
- I used the DHL down time and have already prepared all the boxes and other packing materials, so once the keycaps are sorted, I should be able to get them send out rather quickly.
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Final Update:
- All orders but one have been sent out! Thank you so much for joining and supporting this passion project of mine! You should have received a shipping notification with the tracking number by now.
- Some people may have received a shipping notification although they already received their orders. I had shipped everything last week and then did the manual transfer from DHL to Shopify today.
- The single UK order is currently being held up due to an admin issue on the UK customs' side. This resulted in my UK VAT number needing to be renewed, which is again taking forever to process.
- There will be a TRIFL round 2, just in case you want more TRIFL caps. I will sent a notification on socials and the newsletter.