2020: What are your keyboard plans?

[sncbraxsc2]

- try a proper gasket mounted 60
- do more local vintage treasure hunting at estate sales and E-Recycling centers

[SpAmRaY]

Too soon

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[Sup]

It's not even 2020 yet. The GB's i joined are gonna finish in 2019 lol.

[sncbraxsc2]

Too soon

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

I was later than the last person to post such a thread Planning ahead is not a bad thing!

[SpAmRaY]

Too soon

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

I was later than the last person to post such a thread Planning ahead is not a bad thing!

2 wrongs don't make it right

But I guess for people in SA group buys 2020 or even 2021 might be appropriate.


Edit to say I don't buy many things anymore. Most of these recent keysets and keyboards are all just meh.

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[sncbraxsc2]

Too soon

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

I was later than the last person to post such a thread Planning ahead is not a bad thing!

2 wrongs don't make it right

But I guess for people in SA group buys 2020 or even 2021 might be appropriate.


Edit to say I don't buy many things anymore. Most of these recent keysets and keyboards are all just meh.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Yea, there's definitely ICs and GBs that won't be completed until then that people are joining now or maybe there are projects being undertaken now that won't come to fruition or IC for months.

I don't buy much anymore either, especially from Group Buys but there are still some experiences I would like to have and fancy PBT sets I want to stock up on. I like some of these new ergo boards too though... TT

[zslane]

The only thing I'm looking forward to in 2020 is the I:C Keystone keyboard and their Silo beamspring switches.

[Skribla]

I must own a RAMA keyboard!!

[tentboy]

spend less money

waiting on 3 boards and numerous keysets.  but I ordered most of them months ago and have had no desire to order anything since then, so i don't forsee wanting to get a ton of new stuff in the coming months/year

[Findecanor]

Launch the full version of a keyboard design I have been tinkering on for quite a while.

[ArchDill]

It's not even 2020 yet. The GB's i joined are gonna finish in 2019 lol.

Or so you think...

Please update us in 2020 

[Sintpinty]

2020: get job to pay for keebs

2020: Get IBM Model M from a Value Village

[SlipperyPeteED]

Downsize my collection to a handful of well refined finished boards. Also a one-off design would be cool.

[sncbraxsc2]

The only thing I'm looking forward to in 2020 is the I:C Keystone keyboard and their Silo beamspring switches.

These are really interesting to me as well. I was surprised by how well they imitate the sound!

At first I was underwhelmed by the case design but at least it's clean with no ridiculous branding!! Seems like it will be a hit so I hope the QC keeps up!

Launch the full version of a keyboard design I have been tinkering on for quite a while.

   Godspeed Sir

[Findecanor]

Someone posted this thread early! I was almost about to create it.

I have nothing to add. What about you?

[jacethesaltsculptor]

My current keyboard plans are to find more room to keep my keyboards, and consider buying a Model F AT if I can find a good price on one.

I'm also looking into making an Elven board for a friend, which may become a long term project goal.

and lastly, am considering building something with Kailh Box navy or Jades.

I had a previous post with ideas, these are the current ones, and will remain as such.

[Sintpinty]

My current keyboard plans are to find more room to keep my keyboards, and consider buying a Model F AT if I can find a good price on one.

I'm also looking into making an Elven board for a friend, which may become a long term project goal.

and lastly, am considering building something with Kailh Box navy or Jades.

I had a previous post with ideas, these are the current ones, and will remain as such.

I have the basement as room 🤷🏻‍♀️

[jacethesaltsculptor]

I have the basement as room 🤷🏻‍♀️

My plan is now to build a basement.

[mode]

The only thing I'm looking forward to in 2020 is the I:C Keystone keyboard and their Silo beamspring switches.

Yup, if they're good my wife will probably attempt to make a custom PCB and case for them, it'll probably involve a lot of surface mount work and expense, but if they're good switches, it'll be worthwhile.

The keystone itself doesn't interest us, she wants a slightly modernised F122ish layout.

[mkkeyboardvigilante]

Stick with my main drivers and then finally be able to try a Leopold Topre board. Almost got it for my birthday though. I also thought about giving buckling springs a try too sometime this year.

[snozberries]

My plan is to stick to one or two boards for the year...and I already know that will fail.

[PlacaFromHell]

My goal is end my custom switch (or at least make a good prototype of it) and maybe find another beamspring so my 3101 doesn't feel so lonely.

[mode]

Just noticed there’s an update on the keystone keyboard, they’ve confirmed tactile switches use a metal leaf spring!!!! I was worried they’d use ****ty notch tactility.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lekashman/keystone-the-future-of-mechanical-keyboards/posts/2719411

Will definitely be buying some for my own project

[derb2k2]

get back into keyboards.

[Maledicted]

My current keyboard plans are to find more room to keep my keyboards, and consider buying a Model F AT if I can find a good price on one.

I'm also looking into making an Elven board for a friend, which may become a long term project goal.

and lastly, am considering building something with Kailh Box navy or Jades.

I had a previous post with ideas, these are the current ones, and will remain as such.

Do it. If you like clicky keyboards, you'll love the F AT. I just wish I had more than 1. I also recommend either of those thick click Box switches. I recently tricked out one old board with navies and I absolutely love them. I'll turn one of those TG3 cop keyboards into a box jade HTPC setup if they finally get delivered.

Personally, I would love some more blue alps boards, but I'm also not rich, so I may mostly be ridding old boards of their boring Cherry MX switches and upgrading them to Kailh Box thick clicks, like all good MX-compatible boards deserve. I've also been drooling over those new silo beam springs for months, but I'll probably wait for a keyboard that looks less early 2000s cubicle, hopefully with a lot more metal involved.

[Sintpinty]

My current keyboard plans are to find more room to keep my keyboards, and consider buying a Model F AT if I can find a good price on one.

I'm also looking into making an Elven board for a friend, which may become a long term project goal.

and lastly, am considering building something with Kailh Box navy or Jades.

I had a previous post with ideas, these are the current ones, and will remain as such.

Do it. If you like clicky keyboards, you'll love the F AT. I just wish I had more than 1. I also recommend either of those thick click Box switches. I recently tricked out one old board with navies and I absolutely love them. I'll turn one of those TG3 cop keyboards into a box jade HTPC setup if they finally get delivered.

Personally, I would love some more blue alps boards, but I'm also not rich, so I may mostly be ridding old boards of their boring Cherry MX switches and upgrading them to Kailh Box thick clicks, like all good MX-compatible boards deserve. I've also been drooling over those new silo beam springs for months, but I'll probably wait for a keyboard that looks less early 2000s cubicle, hopefully with a lot more metal involved.

God i wish i could afford a keyboard...

[Maledicted]

God i wish i could afford a keyboard...

Have you looked at the TG3 boards? They don't have NKRO, and some dislike their layout/caps, but they're very cheap and built like tanks. Just make sure they're BL82/BLT variants, or you've verified that whatever other oddball you find is mechanical. You can get a set of Kailh Box switches to replace the Cherry MX Blacks on it with for under $50 shipped ... on the slow boat from China, which is apparently the only option.

I forgot to add that I ordered one of the new F77s as well, when the shipment was announced, but who knows if that will even make it during 2020.

[jacethesaltsculptor]

My current keyboard plans are to find more room to keep my keyboards, and consider buying a Model F AT if I can find a good price on one.

I'm also looking into making an Elven board for a friend, which may become a long term project goal.

and lastly, am considering building something with Kailh Box navy or Jades.

I had a previous post with ideas, these are the current ones, and will remain as such.

Do it. If you like clicky keyboards, you'll love the F AT. I just wish I had more than 1. I also recommend either of those thick click Box switches. I recently tricked out one old board with navies and I absolutely love them. I'll turn one of those TG3 cop keyboards into a box jade HTPC setup if they finally get delivered.

Personally, I would love some more blue alps boards, but I'm also not rich, so I may mostly be ridding old boards of their boring Cherry MX switches and upgrading them to Kailh Box thick clicks, like all good MX-compatible boards deserve. I've also been drooling over those new silo beam springs for months, but I'll probably wait for a keyboard that looks less early 2000s cubicle, hopefully with a lot more metal involved.

I like the cut of yer jib, It's in the cards to get one in time (Maybe in the next month? or tax season?), I'm beginning to think looking at the prices that it's probably wiser to get one now, it may not be possible in the coming years, the prices on these keyboards in general is going way up, especially if it's an F.

I'd love to feel alps one of these days, I got to make it out to a meetup to feel some of these rare switches, right now everything I order is on Ebay and sent to far South Arizona, so I'm about as far out of the way as humanly possible. This also means I'm quite alone when it comes to enthusiasts, sure there's a few at my job, but they buy one and sit on it, they aren't too interested in the state of the art.

Also thanks for introducing me to silo beam springs, I've never heard of them until just now. I'm VERY interested in those. Thank you!

[jacethesaltsculptor]

God i wish i could afford a keyboard...

Keep that eagle eye out for deals! It's how I got my ducky years back, I got it for 60 bucks shipped. I posted a WTB on R/Mechmarket and got a guy in Louisiana who was keen to part with it.

I didn't honestly think anyone would entertain that idea even back then. I've loved that keyboard ever since.

Two of my keyboard gifts have been Unicomps on the cheap from there as well. (60 and 70, for effectively brand new.)

[wmcbrine]

1. De-yellow my classic Mac keyboards.
2. Find a way to adapt my TRS-80 Model 12 keyboards to USB.
3. Maybe pick up a Model F, if I can get one without breaking the bank.

[Maledicted]

God i wish i could afford a keyboard...

Keep that eagle eye out for deals! It's how I got my ducky years back, I got it for 60 bucks shipped. I posted a WTB on R/Mechmarket and got a guy in Louisiana who was keen to part with it.

I didn't honestly think anyone would entertain that idea even back then. I've loved that keyboard ever since.

Two of my keyboard gifts have been Unicomps on the cheap from there as well. (60 and 70, for effectively brand new.)

I got lucky. I found my F AT for $140. There was one I was watching on Ebay just a few weeks back where the auction ended at $180 (I missed it). Those are the cheapest I have seen though in recent months. I have been trying to keep an eye out for a buddy I know as well. I sent him a picture and the poor guy was like, "I've been looking for one of those for years!". He works at a recycling place.

You never know on prices. It seems to me that the model M's value has been waning. Maybe that's because of the rise in popularity of the F AT, maybe the emergence of Kailh box switches, maybe the upcoming silo beam springs, maybe a combination of all 3. Who knows, maybe silo can dethrone even the model F.

I would love to go to a meetup as well. If you're ever in Wisconsin, hit me up on blue alps.

You're very welcome on silo beam spring. Short of somebody perfectly recreating blue alps, I see it as our only real chance to bring back the feel/quality of mechanical keyboards of old (at an affordable price). Those new hall effect switches need some broad market adoption first though.

I agree on the deals. I have gotten mechanicals for less than $20 before, just have to keep an eye out. There were some Unicomp battlecruisers on Ebay for just over $30 recently.

[jacethesaltsculptor]

I got lucky. I found my F AT for $140. There was one I was watching on Ebay just a few weeks back where the auction ended at $180 (I missed it). Those are the cheapest I have seen though in recent months. I have been trying to keep an eye out for a buddy I know as well. I sent him a picture and the poor guy was like, "I've been looking for one of those for years!". He works at a recycling place.

You never know on prices. It seems to me that the model M's value has been waning. Maybe that's because of the rise in popularity of the F AT, maybe the emergence of Kailh box switches, maybe the upcoming silo beam springs, maybe a combination of all 3. Who knows, maybe silo can dethrone even the model F.

I would love to go to a meetup as well. If you're ever in Wisconsin, hit me up on blue alps.

You're very welcome on silo beam spring. Short of somebody perfectly recreating blue alps, I see it as our only real chance to bring back the feel/quality of mechanical keyboards of old (at an affordable price). Those new hall effect switches need some broad market adoption first though.

I agree on the deals. I have gotten mechanicals for less than $20 before, just have to keep an eye out. There were some Unicomp battlecruisers on Ebay for just over $30 recently.

 

140?! I'd kill for that price. Everything I see on an AT keeps them around 300 Bucks, which is not small nosh.

I need to make friends at a recycling place, I feel like that's just a smart move with getting keyboards.

[mounds]

Top exciting projects:
1) ASK55 - bringing m0116 and various 55% keyboards into the modern QMK world, without the Teensy resto-fit
2) Silo switches; will they deliver on the hype
3) Phoenix stems; will Aristotle 2.0 actually deliver on the hopes and dreams of all the vintage Aristotle fans 

There's a number of interesting GB going, and a number of landmark projects. I've never been a fan of mainstream consumption, but if it keeps landing us some neat projects, sign me up. Most recently committed to glossy KAM project 'Little Pilot' and excited to see what this fringe GB delivers on as far as finish, typeset clarity, and fitment on my numerous ortho boards 

So far 2020 is looking damn good.

[Maledicted]

140?! I'd kill for that price. Everything I see on an AT keeps them around 300 Bucks, which is not small nosh.

I need to make friends at a recycling place, I feel like that's just a smart move with getting keyboards.

Honestly, all I ever got from that guy as far as keyboards go is a Model M, and I got my second Model M for cheaper on Ebay. They don't seem to get many interesting mechanical boards, unless they've sold a lot of them without my knowledge. Stacks and stacks of Dell Bigfoots, the odd old Mac keyboard (I think he's got one with salmon alps right now), an old Wyse with Cherry MX Blacks, and that's all that was notable recently. I apparently missed another Model F on Ebay recently that went for close to $180 again. You just have to watch that place like a hawk. I know a more scarcely-supplied/watched source, but that's where I got my previously-mentioned F AT, and a DC-2014 (on which I currently type) for $100. I'll be sure to reveal it once I have every mechanical keyboard I could possibly want. lol.

My brother used to work at Goodwill and he told me recently that if they got any keyboards in with cut cables, they went straight into the compactor, mechanical or not. He couldn't convince management to sell them. Imagine all of the beautiful keyboards that are destroyed for no good reason.

[jacethesaltsculptor]

Honestly, all I ever got from that guy as far as keyboards go is a Model M, and I got my second Model M for cheaper on Ebay. They don't seem to get many interesting mechanical boards, unless they've sold a lot of them without my knowledge. Stacks and stacks of Dell Bigfoots, the odd old Mac keyboard (I think he's got one with salmon alps right now), an old Wyse with Cherry MX Blacks, and that's all that was notable recently. I apparently missed another Model F on Ebay recently that went for close to $180 again. You just have to watch that place like a hawk. I know a more scarcely-supplied/watched source, but that's where I got my previously-mentioned F AT, and a DC-2014 (on which I currently type) for $100. I'll be sure to reveal it once I have every mechanical keyboard I could possibly want. lol.

My brother used to work at Goodwill and he told me recently that if they got any keyboards in with cut cables, they went straight into the compactor, mechanical or not. He couldn't convince management to sell them. Imagine all of the beautiful keyboards that are destroyed for no good reason.

At least it sounds like a fun thing to look through, I've only been able to buy online, I've never been able to walk into a physical location to look at cool keyboards and decide to buy one, even if it be a recycling place. I do remember when the Dell Bigfeet went out of style, and saw them all getting crushed, still hearing about them geting smashed nowadays is strange, It's so far past their time.

I do need to watch that place better, I barely missed a 5251 Beamspring, I posted about it in another of the forums here, and it went for 50 bucks, it was a little roughed up, but what a crown jewel!

I'll wait with bated breath, I want to know your secret source.  )

AHHHHH, I can only imagine what the world has lost that way.

[HungerMechanic]

If the rumors of Zeal PC building ALPS-style switches with MX stems are true, I'd like to get a board with those.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7CRBr2nw3R/

[jacethesaltsculptor]

If the rumors are true of Zeal PC building ALPS-style switches with MX stems are true, I'd like to get a board with those.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7CRBr2nw3R/

So clickly! I'm interested.

[OtherBarry1992]

Get my hands on the Pulse SA set I've been wanting for years.

[mode]

If the rumors of Zeal PC building ALPS-style switches with MX stems are true, I'd like to get a board with those.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7CRBr2nw3R/

With that and the silo command using a leaf spring it seems like 2020 will be the year of the alps clone! This is a trendy I can fully get behind, even if I do come to regret investing so much time and effort into getting nexus sliders working well.

[Maledicted]

At least it sounds like a fun thing to look through, I've only been able to buy online, I've never been able to walk into a physical location to look at cool keyboards and decide to buy one, even if it be a recycling place. I do remember when the Dell Bigfeet went out of style, and saw them all getting crushed, still hearing about them geting smashed nowadays is strange, It's so far past their time.

I do need to watch that place better, I barely missed a 5251 Beamspring, I posted about it in another of the forums here, and it went for 50 bucks, it was a little roughed up, but what a crown jewel!

I'll wait with bated breath, I want to know your secret source.  )

AHHHHH, I can only imagine what the world has lost that way.

Recycling facilities are fun. They just won't all let you rummage around, or even buy anything. There was a place in town that basically told me not to come back before I had even finished picking out things to buy. I think they were nervous that I would somehow scavenge somebody's data, even though I said they can keep all of their hard drives. It was that or the fact they had no idea what they were selling. They kept raising the prices on my stack of i5s, i7s, and Xeons, and I kept saying, "alright". lol. I think that's half of the problem though. Most places have no idea what they have, they just see the scrap value and toss it into a gaylord. By the time they get filtered out to actual electronics recyclers, it can already be pretty mangled. I would imagine your luck would be better in a major metropolitan area. I haven't tried driving down to Milwaukee or anything yet myself. I imagine the hostility may be present there as well.

I saw that beamspring post. Somebody got the steal of their life. Don't worry though, we've got the Silo beamsprings to look forward to.

If the rumors of Zeal PC building ALPS-style switches with MX stems are true, I'd like to get a board with those.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7CRBr2nw3R/

What we really need is an exact recreation of blue alps. I wouldn't even care what the stems are like so long as they were available for ballpark prices similar to modern switches in cherry-like housings.

[jacethesaltsculptor]

Recycling facilities are fun. They just won't all let you rummage around, or even buy anything. There was a place in town that basically told me not to come back before I had even finished picking out things to buy. I think they were nervous that I would somehow scavenge somebody's data, even though I said they can keep all of their hard drives. It was that or the fact they had no idea what they were selling. They kept raising the prices on my stack of i5s, i7s, and Xeons, and I kept saying, "alright". lol. I think that's half of the problem though. Most places have no idea what they have, they just see the scrap value and toss it into a gaylord. By the time they get filtered out to actual electronics recyclers, it can already be pretty mangled. I would imagine your luck would be better in a major metropolitan area. I haven't tried driving down to Milwaukee or anything yet myself. I imagine the hostility may be present there as well.

I saw that beamspring post. Somebody got the steal of their life. Don't worry though, we've got the Silo beamsprings to look forward to.

I wish we had a sizeable one on the border here, I have to drive up to Tucson or Phoenix if I want to see one, and the first is quite a bit of a drive, the second is a day trip.  But that jives with what I've heard about them. I dream of mine being like the one that Chyrosran who does videos and posts here regularly had. It sounds amazing getting tons of cool old keyboards and seeing what is and isn't good, and getting them working again.

I'm all about those Silos now. I hope they stick some on a big keyboard.

[Maledicted]

I wish we had a sizeable one on the border here, I have to drive up to Tucson or Phoenix if I want to see one, and the first is quite a bit of a drive, the second is a day trip.  But that jives with what I've heard about them. I dream of mine being like the one that Chyrosran who does videos and posts here regularly had. It sounds amazing getting tons of cool old keyboards and seeing what is and isn't good, and getting them working again.

I'm all about those Silos now. I hope they stick some on a big keyboard.

You may have to travel a great distance, but at least you shouldn't have to worry too much about corrosion in a place like Arizona. The very computer I got for $25 from the same recycler I mentioned, which I'm currently typing on, already had rust on it and they had left it outside for just a few days. Which is another funny thing. Not only what people recycle, but what is not even sorted out. Perfectly working Dell 3010, took it home, plugged it in, and it worked. All of those cpus have so far worked, most of the handful of 2-4gb sticks of ddr3 I bought for $2 each worked. I upgraded my gaming rig from an i5-3570k to an i7-3770 that I bought there ... for $7.

It is seriously ridiculous.

[jacethesaltsculptor]

I wish we had a sizeable one on the border here, I have to drive up to Tucson or Phoenix if I want to see one, and the first is quite a bit of a drive, the second is a day trip.  But that jives with what I've heard about them. I dream of mine being like the one that Chyrosran who does videos and posts here regularly had. It sounds amazing getting tons of cool old keyboards and seeing what is and isn't good, and getting them working again.

I'm all about those Silos now. I hope they stick some on a big keyboard.

You may have to travel a great distance, but at least you shouldn't have to worry too much about corrosion in a place like Arizona. The very computer I got for $25 from the same recycler I mentioned, which I'm currently typing on, already had rust on it and they had left it outside for just a few days. Which is another funny thing. Not only what people recycle, but what is not even sorted out. Perfectly working Dell 3010, took it home, plugged it in, and it worked. All of those cpus have so far worked, most of the handful of 2-4gb sticks of ddr3 I bought for $2 each worked. I upgraded my gaming rig from an i5-3570k to an i7-3770 that I bought there ... for $7.

It is seriously ridiculous.

Alright in addition to finding more space, my 2020 plans are visit a recycler in the big cities. I NEEED to do this. (Those prices are bonkers.)

[HungerMechanic]

Yes, 2020 could be a very big year for Cherry switches, not only with Zeal's announcement and the similar ALPS-style developments, but with Cherry pushing out a new 'low-cost' switch:

https://www.anandtech.com/show/15367/ces-2020-cherry-unveils-viola-mechanical-switch-for-lowcost-keyboards

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/cherry-viola-switch-mechanical-keyboard-budget

It's intended to compete with cheaper membrane keyboards, apparently, and is said to be 'less tactile' than usual. That's disturbing, but the BOX-like design gives me some hope. If they end up with something like BOX Browns in their tactile department, it could be beneficial for Cherry users.

[Maledicted]

Alright in addition to finding more space, my 2020 plans are visit a recycler in the big cities. I NEEED to do this. (Those prices are bonkers.)

I should probably stress that I got prices like that from a general recycler, the sort of place that you take scrap metal. Those people had no idea what they had, just that it weighed a certain amount in a certain category, so that translated to how much they could get for a gaylord full of it when selling it to an electronics recycler. If you specifically try electronics recyclers, if they're anything like the place my friend works at, they may at least have some idea of what they have and try to sell it at used market value.

[eternalmetal]

My plans for 2020:

• Get the new Model F remake that has been in production for roughly 4 years - achieved.
• Get an IBM Model M - in process.
• Get a keyboard with those new beamspring switches - TBD.  Ive patiently waited for the Model F remake from the start, so I can wait for this.
  

So far 2020 seems to be my year for keyboards.  Maybe ill dabble in some of the newer switches that arent retro, but I tend to doubt it since im pretty close to attaining my keyboard grails.

[livewirerc]

I'm happy to say at this point I've settled on my One True Layout: HHKB. This will be a year of divesting myself of keyboards I no longer use, getting other friends involved in the hobby, and maybe finally finding the perfect keycap set for my M60-A.

Oh yeah, and buying another HHKB Professional Hybrid Type-S once they come back in stock, because this thing is damn near PERFECT. In black this time.

[treeleaf64]

Just noticed there’s an update on the keystone keyboard, they’ve confirmed tactile switches use a metal leaf spring!!!! I was worried they’d use ****ty notch tactility.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lekashman/keystone-the-future-of-mechanical-keyboards/posts/2719411

Will definitely be buying some for my own project

YESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!