The latest monthly update has been posted on the project web site updates page. I have copied part of the update below.
https://www.modelfkeyboards.com/blog/Brand New Model F January 2022 Update – wrapping up the shipments of the second container shipment, third container shipment with the remaining keys and keyboards going out around end of January, and more!
Third container shipment almost ready to go!
As we start the new year 2022, I am almost entirely wrapped up with the shipments of keyboards and in stock accessories that arrived earlier this year with the second container shipment and in various express air shipments. A number of the keyboards that arrived in prior container shipments arrived with significant case damage, incorrect variation number labels, while others did not match the specifications of that variation (different color, layout, etc.) and some failed my testing requiring complete replacement of certain assemblies. So as to avoid delays and get as many keyboards out as soon as possible, I prioritized mailing out all of the “good to go” keyboards and then the other keyboards, and this month I will be spending time repairing these other keyboards and replacing entire circuitry (controller+ribbon cable+large capacitive PCB+USB cable) to continue getting out the keyboards. Recently the replacement parts arrived by express mail from the factory.
I want to note that the factory’s delay this year with production and assembly of these remaining keyboards of the early bird round was in no way a bottleneck for the 2021 keyboard shipping as the key sets and I were the two bottlenecks for the year – I was still (and still am) getting out keyboards and accessories from the prior container shipments. The only other remaining bottleneck since last year is the custom and international key sets and one-off type keys which required extensive quality control especially with all the special characters on the top and bottom areas of the key top surfaces, all of which are being finished up this month (some have already been completed). By the time I am done there will not be much downtime as we wait for the next container shipment to arrive to me. Prior to February 2021 we were still waiting on the factory to complete the new XT quality dye sublimation; orders with sublimated keys only started going out less than one year ago – will be going full speed once everything from the factory arrives (keys, etc.). The remaining sublimated keys should be completed in the coming weeks. For these reasons, I expect the pace to be far faster than it has been previously while needing to wait for sublimated keys to arrive. Once again I thank everyone for their patience with the factory and with me as I go through the backlog.
While I was busy getting everything out, the factory has been very busy producing the remaining dye sublimated key sets (including the international, front printed, and miscellaneous smaller sets and individual keys) as well as finishing assembly of the next batch of keyboards that are part of the early bird round of this project, many of which are the ISO-type keyboards and key sets that some of you have been patiently waiting for. This will all be going out as part of the third container shipment, which was not expected (initially the expectation was one round all in one container shipment, but waiting for everything to be finished would have significantly delayed the project even more). The third container shipment of all these parts and keyboards was delayed significantly this year and should be going out around the end of this month (January 2022), arriving to me around the end of March 2022, depending on port congestion. This is about a month later than what the factory was expecting in November, as noted in the prior update. It will then take several months for me to send out the remaining keyboards from this batch, which will finally bring me up to date without a backlog at that point. In other words, I expect to wrap up getting all the orders out over the coming 6-7 months from now. In this upcoming shipment, the factory is hoping to get in all the remaining keyboards that were not completed before the earlier container shipments departed the port. We are still in the early bird round; the final round is expected to start later this year. After my backlog is all gone and I’m caught up, I’m expected to open the window to order the Brand New Beam Spring Keyboards (half of the first batch of 300 is in stock currently, with the other half shipping and arriving to me in a few months from now). Please do sign up on the Beam Spring interest form noted below as that is the only way to reserve your spot in line for a Beam Spring keyboard.
And as some of you have asked me, it’s not really possible to estimate how long it will take to get up to a particular point in the backlog line because it depends on how quickly a keyboard can pass my final QC inspection and how quickly I can repair it if needed, along with the complexity of particular orders (putting together additional accessories and individual keys) slowing down the throughput time. However as noted above it should take a few months once the next batch is in hand for me to go through it, now that I won’t be waiting for parts to complete an order (so it is “all in stock”) at that time. Many folks ordered another keyboard and/or additional accessories in separate orders later on, which usually means these later orders can move ahead in line and ship in the same package as their earliest shipment. Over the past two years of mailing keyboards, some days it seems like everyone might have ordered extras while other days I can (relatively) zoom through keyboard-only orders. Either way a keyboard typically takes ~20-30 minutes to fully inspect, program, repair if needed, get the packing slip and keyboard/box birthday labels, and ship, and that time does not count gathering accessories. An electric counting scale is a big help, especially for those who order 100+ extra flippers with springs 🙂
Updates on die cast tooling
Due to the skyrocketing price of raw materials in recent years, in 2021 the project switched over to die casting instead of CNC milling each of the compact cases, despite the significant cost of the new tooling. Now both case types (compact and classic style) are die cast, not just the classic style cases which were die cast from the start of mass production. This allowed us to make the cases one solid aluminum piece + the bottom plate instead of two CNC milled aluminum pieces and the bottom plate, thus improving the construction quality of the cases. With the old design, the case screws had only 1-2mm of threads in the top part of the aluminum cases. Now the screws have several more mm of threads which should make them even more solid. (The flat bottom compact case plates are still CNC milled as it is just a flat plate)
Besides that extra parting line, the case design is identical to the original cases and inner assemblies can be switched from one case to the other. The factory completed the die cast tooling and production for the aluminum, ultra-compact cases last year. These cases will be used starting with this third container shipment.
Also by popular demand the compact cases have switched to the tougher powdercoating finish mentioned before, using a paint that most closely resembles the anodized look of the originals, as much as is possible by paint. While the anodized look of the keyboards is really nice as well, an even tougher coating should allow the newer keyboards to hold up cosmetically even longer than the anodized cases which have less scratch resistance.
Update on zinc case powdercoating
For the classic style zinc cases, the factory has gone with an improved, reformulated powdercoating finish that retains the full texture and finish of the original IBM powdercoated Model F keyboards. This should make the cases a bit more durable than those in the earlier two container shipments, though I still chose to avoid offering the ultra-tough modern powdercoating on the original style cases in order to keep the reproductions in line with the originals in appearance. As with any textured, uncoated paint the case finishes will continue to wear down over time just like the IBM originals, but should hold up better to usage.
Requests for help and expertise
I am still looking for some help on updating the open source xwhatsit controller PCB design and ideas for beam module pullers (for my updated beam module design) – please see my prior update post for more details.
What are the other very minor changes in the current shipment?
As noted earlier the bottom and top inner assemblies were modified a tiny amount to allow for a slightly tighter “sandwich” which I believe will offer a slight improvement in the snappiness of the XT-quality typing experience. Full compatibility has been maintained with existing cases and inner assembly parts so you can replace your inner assembly if needed, or switch between new and old cases and mix between old and new inner assembly plates.
The golden yellow finish of the older batch of bottom inner assembly steel plates (and of the IBM originals) has changed to a bluer finish due to a recent factory error. Since it’s inside the keyboard and not really seen I did not want to delay all the keyboards by 1-2 additional months to remanufacture these parts. For the final round I expect to go back to the original color.
The boxes have become a few inches larger to accommodate fitting a full key set inside the box. The artwork remains the same. Previously I put the key sets in separate boxes even if they were ordered with a keyboard.
