Author Topic: [IC] NovelPro - A New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys  (Read 97117 times)

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Offline mgsickler

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[IC] NovelPro - A New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« on: Thu, 22 February 2018, 14:12:01 »
NovelPro Keycaps

Updated - May 15, 2019

Here are some updated renders (we are still working on a couple things, such as some of legend thickness). We are using Gotham Rounded as the font. Slightly modified to make sure everything can be injection molded. Here is a comparison of different profiles home row - SA, KAT, Cherry. https://imgur.com/a/jfVlPk5
 
This render is our idea of a full kit (including some duplicate keycaps).


Side profile.







Next Steps
* Finalize Kit - Completed
* Order Sample Keycaps - Currently in process
* Get complete Accurate Quote from my manufacturer
* Get 2 keycaps made - "A" and "Caps Lock" to make sure that my manu can do the quality and detail that this project needs.


Rough Timeline
* End of March, settle on final kit - Done
* End of April, receive finalized quote for tooling - Will get finalized quote after sample keycaps
* End of May, start on A and Caps Lock Samples - Ordered
* End of 2019, start on NovelPro



Old/Outdated
More
New Profile Keycap IC
Okay long story short - I have the opportunity to create a new profile and be able to pay for the tooling. So I am seeking the community's input on this set.

Some details
* These keycaps will be made in house by me (not directly by me all the time, but I am working on a couple business partners).
    * Yes, I am basically attempting to make a small keycap factory.
* These will be thick doubleshot ABS. PBT doubleshot is too difficult to get right, and dyesub is too restrictive.
* I don't want this set to mimic or even be remotely close to the The Van's new profile - HuB. That is their project and I do not want to step on toes.


Some FAQs
Do you know how much this will cost?!?
  * Yes, like I said above, I have the opportunity to get this going.
Do you know how difficult tooling would be to get made?!?
  * Yes, I will seek out a mold making company and make sure that we get the tolerances correct
What compatibility are you looking to have?
  * I am looking to have a good sized compatibility kit with the exceptions of really obscure - such as colemak, dvorak, and nordic. At least to start off that is.
What is your timeline?
  * This is the very early parts of this project. I would like to have a profile picked out within 1-2 months. After the profile is picked I would have these 3D printed in a very high quality and get some feedback. If all goes well, we move on to the tooling. I would love to have some actual samples in 8-10 months time (thats a pretty optimistic timeline).
What is your pricing?
  * I dont have this figured out yet. The goal is to have a broad compatibility kit for under $100. That is the goal.


IC Part
Form here - https://goo.gl/forms/eBF3XdRSNz6vifoG2 - Form Closed

February 25, 2018 Update
First IC form is closed.

Results
- mid height
- sculpted
- spherical
- centered large font
- icon mods
- very close between textured and matte finish
- scooped homing


« Last Edit: Wed, 15 May 2019, 08:57:17 by mgsickler »

Offline Visionaire

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #1 on: Thu, 22 February 2018, 14:16:02 »
Very exciting to see, I am interested!

Offline Jhors2

  • Posts: 113
Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #2 on: Thu, 22 February 2018, 14:17:57 »
Filled out the IC.  I have faith in you Mike!  You always deliver a product I like.  I'd just ask that 1800/75% compatibility is there as I use both of those layouts quite a bit. 

2 x 3u spacebar for people who want to split space the newer boards that support that instead of the old 2.75u shift style setup.

I'd also encourage you very strongly to be incredibly particular about the legends.  JTK doubleshot level is just not going to cut it for me.

Good luck!
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Offline BlindAssassin111

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #3 on: Thu, 22 February 2018, 14:18:01 »
Really awesome, can't wait for this to become a reality!!! I know how much work and money will have to go into making this, and hope it all works out for you.

As long as it is spherical and sculptured, I will buy a set.

EDIT: I also second the 1800 compatibility.

Offline Petch

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #4 on: Thu, 22 February 2018, 14:19:06 »
Interested but we have a lot of ABS right now, I'd prefer some quality PBT

Offline Oblotzky

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #5 on: Thu, 22 February 2018, 14:22:15 »
Maybe it would be best to figure out a profile by elimination?

E.g. I think we can scratch Cylindrical sculpted, Cherry profile by GMK already checks all the boxes, it'd be a bold move to compete with them.
Low profile spherical sculpted is being done by evan as you pointed out.
High profile spehrical sculpted exists as SA by SP and Maxkeys. MT3 expanded this to the realm of PBT.
I guess that leaves us with either uniform cylindrical or high profile sculpted cylindrical :P

Offline jdcarpe

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #6 on: Thu, 22 February 2018, 14:27:15 »
Maybe it would be best to figure out a profile by elimination?

E.g. I think we can scratch Cylindrical sculpted, Cherry profile by GMK already checks all the boxes, it'd be a bold move to compete with them.
Low profile spherical sculpted is being done by evan as you pointed out.
High profile spehrical sculpted exists as SA by SP and Maxkeys. MT3 expanded this to the realm of PBT.
I guess that leaves us with either uniform cylindrical or high profile sculpted cylindrical :P

Good point.

What about medium height sculpted spherical? That's an itch (a niche, hah!) that no one seems to scratch. Glossy smooth!
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Offline mgsickler

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #7 on: Thu, 22 February 2018, 14:31:09 »
Filled out the IC.  I have faith in you Mike!  You always deliver a product I like.  I'd just ask that 1800/75% compatibility is there as I use both of those layouts quite a bit. 

2 x 3u spacebar for people who want to split space the newer boards that support that instead of the old 2.75u shift style setup.

I'd also encourage you very strongly to be incredibly particular about the legends.  JTK doubleshot level is just not going to cut it for me.

Good luck!

Thank you! I am going to be very very picky with my tooling manufacturer. They have to be able to provide the tolerances.

Very exciting to see, I am interested!

I am super excited about this, too :)

Really awesome, can't wait for this to become a reality!!! I know how much work and money will have to go into making this, and hope it all works out for you.

As long as it is spherical and sculptured, I will buy a set.

EDIT: I also second the 1800 compatibility.

I appreciate that!

Interested but we have a lot of ABS right now, I'd prefer some quality PBT

PBT is just a really hard plastic to work with in doubleshot. And I feel that dyesub is too restrictive in color choices.

Maybe it would be best to figure out a profile by elimination?

E.g. I think we can scratch Cylindrical sculpted, Cherry profile by GMK already checks all the boxes, it'd be a bold move to compete with them.
Low profile spherical sculpted is being done by evan as you pointed out.
High profile spehrical sculpted exists as SA by SP and Maxkeys. MT3 expanded this to the realm of PBT.
I guess that leaves us with either uniform cylindrical or high profile sculpted cylindrical :P

Yea, I definitely dont want to do an exact clone of something, but I do want to have a profile that agrees with the community. My personal preference is a MX style Topre HiPro. :)


Offline BlindAssassin111

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #8 on: Thu, 22 February 2018, 14:33:52 »
Good point.

What about medium height sculpted spherical? That's an itch (a niche, hah!) that no one seems to scratch. Glossy smooth!

This is exactly what I want, EDRUG is kinda that profile, but is low quality in comparison to what I expect out of NK.

Yea, I definitely dont want to do an exact clone of something, but I do want to have a profile that agrees with the community. My personal preference is a MX style Topre HiPro. :)

This sounds perfect!!!

Offline Hokabuki

  • Posts: 169
Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #9 on: Thu, 22 February 2018, 14:39:50 »
Just filled out the IC form. I think it’s really cool that you’re willing to take this project on. Glad to be apart of it

Offline Atredl

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #10 on: Thu, 22 February 2018, 14:41:17 »
MX style Topre HiPro. :)
Now this is something I could get behind.

Offline p_blaze

  • Posts: 449
Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #11 on: Thu, 22 February 2018, 14:43:46 »
New Profile Keycap IC
Okay long story short - I have the opportunity to create a new profile and be able to pay for the tooling. So I am seeking the community's input on this set.

Some details
* These keycaps will be made in house by me (not directly by me all the time, but I am working on a couple business partners).
    * Yes, I am basically attempting to make a small keycap factory.
* These will be thick doubleshot ABS. PBT doubleshot is too difficult to get right, and dyesub is too restrictive.
* I don't want this set to mimic or even be remotely close to the The Van's new profile - HuB. That is their project and I do not want to step on toes.


Some FAQs
Do you know how much this will cost?!?
  * Yes, like I said above, I have the opportunity to get this going.
Do you know how difficult tooling would be to get made?!?
  * Yes, I will seek out a mold making company and make sure that we get the tolerances correct
What compatibility are you looking to have?
  * I am looking to have a good sized compatibility kit with the exceptions of really obscure - such as colemak, dvorak, and nordic. At least to start off that is.
What is your timeline?
  * This is the very early parts of this project. I would like to have a profile picked out within 1-2 months. After the profile is picked I would have these 3D printed in a very high quality and get some feedback. If all goes well, we move on to the tooling. I would love to have some actual samples in 8-10 months time (thats a pretty optimistic timeline).
What is your pricing?
  * I dont have this figured out yet. The goal is to have a broad compatibility kit for under $100. That is the goal.


IC Part
Form here - https://goo.gl/forms/eBF3XdRSNz6vifoG2
* Please give me some good feedback. I want this set to be a set that caters to the community. I wont be able to please everyone, but I will take in consideration
* Please also know that I understand what this entails. I have done my research, and know the importance of a good quality keycap.
* This is probably the biggest project that I have taken on for NovelKeys. It is very very important to me.

I'm thinking something between a high profile and oem/cherry profile. I feel that high profile doesn't look great on everything, but low profile is not the nicest to type on.

Offline wetnwylde

  • Posts: 7
Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #12 on: Thu, 22 February 2018, 19:06:11 »
I think spectre already has a profile he's been working on. You should get with him. Last I saw, it was DANK.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


Offline Vigrith

  • Posts: 1843
Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #13 on: Thu, 22 February 2018, 19:08:15 »
Yea, I definitely dont want to do an exact clone of something, but I do want to have a profile that agrees with the community. My personal preference is a MX style Topre HiPro. :)

Down for that.

Offline mgsickler

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #14 on: Thu, 22 February 2018, 19:56:12 »
Yea, I definitely dont want to do an exact clone of something, but I do want to have a profile that agrees with the community. My personal preference is a MX style Topre HiPro. :)

Down for that.


Yea. Maybe just a little bit shorter, but something to really cup the fingers.


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Offline Parva Ovis

  • Posts: 193
Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #15 on: Thu, 22 February 2018, 23:33:11 »
Correct me if any of this is off, but this is how things are now, profilewise, right?

- High profile
    - Spherical
        - Uniform: SA R3, Devlin K
        - Sculpted: SA, Maxkey, MT3
    - Cyclindrical
        - Uniform
        - Sculpted
    - Flat
- Mid profile
    - Spherical
        - Uniform: XDA
        - Sculpted: DSS, HuB (both unreleased), EDRUG
        - Flat:
    - Cyclindrical
        - Uniform
        - Sculpted: Cherry, OEM, Cubic, SP DCS
    - Flat
- Low profile
    - Spherical
        - Uniform: DSA, Devlin Q
        - Sculpted
    - Cyclindrical
        - Uniform
        - Sculpted
    - Flat: G20

It's my two cents that uniform cylindrical is the best way to go, but I'd be down for any of the other non-flat unfilled categories. Centered legends and icon mods would be the icing on the cake.
« Last Edit: Fri, 23 February 2018, 10:10:46 by Parva Ovis »

Offline midnight2903

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #16 on: Fri, 23 February 2018, 01:41:15 »
Topre HiPro-like or bust.

Offline jebbra

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #17 on: Fri, 23 February 2018, 02:51:05 »
submitted  :thumb:

Offline HotRoderX

  • Posts: 697
Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #18 on: Fri, 23 February 2018, 02:54:11 »
This might have been mentioned but perhaps a like half height SA type profile? I like the look of SA but the height kills me.. but I mean pretty much down to try any new profile. I tried Cubic and I really really love it one of my favorite profiles. Only minor tweak I do with it is round the corners so there not as sharp.

Offline Lepidus

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #19 on: Fri, 23 February 2018, 05:59:53 »
Is DSA really lower than cherry? I Always got the impression that cherry was lower, or at least most of the rows. Is it feasible to do a sculpted cylindrical keyset with a lower profile than cherry?
« Last Edit: Fri, 23 February 2018, 06:01:58 by Lepidus »

Offline mgsickler

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #20 on: Fri, 23 February 2018, 06:36:50 »
Is DSA really lower than cherry? I Always got the impression that cherry was lower, or at least most of the rows. Is it feasible to do a sculpted cylindrical keyset with a lower profile than cherry?

I can see that. Depends on what rows you are looking at. I guess a better in between would be the MT3 dev/tty set.

Offline FailureToLoad

  • Posts: 22
Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #21 on: Fri, 23 February 2018, 06:57:13 »
Maybe it would be best to figure out a profile by elimination?

E.g. I think we can scratch Cylindrical sculpted, Cherry profile by GMK already checks all the boxes, it'd be a bold move to compete with them.
Low profile spherical sculpted is being done by evan as you pointed out.
High profile spehrical sculpted exists as SA by SP and Maxkeys. MT3 expanded this to the realm of PBT.
I guess that leaves us with either uniform cylindrical or high profile sculpted cylindrical :P

Good point.

What about medium height sculpted spherical? That's an itch (a niche, hah!) that no one seems to scratch. Glossy smooth!

Yes please. OEM-ish height + spherical top is a set I've wanted for a long time. After spending entirely too much on different keycap sets, I can also say I'm a big fan of SA style thick and smooth ABS.

Offline vewy_nice

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #22 on: Fri, 23 February 2018, 07:09:03 »
It'd be cool to have a uniform cylindrical profile out there :o

And also, legends on the bottom left would set it apart from the crowd. Really cool to see so many different ideas!

Offline Parva Ovis

  • Posts: 193
Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #23 on: Fri, 23 February 2018, 10:20:54 »
Regardless of the ultimate profile that is chosen, it would be great if there were convex spacebars for the various split spacebar sizes: 2.75u, 2.25u, 2u, 1.75u, etc.

Offline jdcarpe

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #24 on: Fri, 23 February 2018, 10:38:29 »
Regardless of the ultimate profile that is chosen, it would be great if there were convex spacebars for the various split spacebar sizes: 2.75u, 2.25u, 2u, 1.75u, etc.

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Offline SpectreiiI

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #25 on: Fri, 23 February 2018, 10:38:51 »


I have been working on this for a bit. It is a superelliptical step sculpture (SSS) profile, ala Microswitch & IBM Beam Spring. It is designed to accomodate triple shot abs legends at 1.6mm uniform thickness. The dish is 1mm deep. It uses a level row 4 which is roughly 7mm in height, and a 6-degree R3 which is slightly lower than cherry. R5 is .05mm higher than cherry. The level row is the lowest that I know of (DSA is 8mm) and can be used to make a uniform set as well. The step between rows is a consistent 15-degrees, which (IMO) is ideal.

I am still in the process of finishing the models. If you are interested in collaborating, I would be open to it.
« Last Edit: Fri, 23 February 2018, 10:51:53 by SpectreiiI »

Offline MatchstickMan

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #26 on: Fri, 23 February 2018, 12:06:08 »
Regardless of the ultimate profile that is chosen, it would be great if there were convex spacebars for the various split spacebar sizes: 2.75u, 2.25u, 2u, 1.75u, etc.

And a 3u option may be great for a lot of custom builds that I've seen recently.
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Offline BobCarltheThird

  • Posts: 239
Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #27 on: Fri, 23 February 2018, 12:39:52 »
A doubleshot ABS version of EDRUG's MIX profile would be amazing.
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Offline mgsickler

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #28 on: Fri, 23 February 2018, 13:24:45 »
Show Image


I have been working on this for a bit. It is a superelliptical step sculpture (SSS) profile, ala Microswitch & IBM Beam Spring. It is designed to accomodate triple shot abs legends at 1.6mm uniform thickness. The dish is 1mm deep. It uses a level row 4 which is roughly 7mm in height, and a 6-degree R3 which is slightly lower than cherry. R5 is .05mm higher than cherry. The level row is the lowest that I know of (DSA is 8mm) and can be used to make a uniform set as well. The step between rows is a consistent 15-degrees, which (IMO) is ideal.

I am still in the process of finishing the models. If you are interested in collaborating, I would be open to it.

Yea, let me keep getting some feedback, but I will definitely want to talk about it with you.

Offline SpectreiiI

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #29 on: Fri, 23 February 2018, 15:16:57 »

Here is a sample render of an R2 1U triple.

EDIT: Just realized the legend is upside down. Oh well, you get the point ;D
« Last Edit: Fri, 23 February 2018, 23:55:26 by SpectreiiI »

Offline a_ak57

  • Posts: 499
Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #30 on: Fri, 23 February 2018, 21:26:58 »
A mid-height version of Hi-Pro or MT3 would be neat I think.  I'm aware there are low/medium sculpted spherical profiles popping around now like HuB and EDRUG, but they don't seem to be as "cuppy" as Hi-Pro or MT3. 

Offline wetnwylde

  • Posts: 7
Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #31 on: Fri, 23 February 2018, 21:46:57 »
A mid-height version of Hi-Pro or MT3 would be neat I think.  I'm aware there are low/medium sculpted spherical profiles popping around now like HuB and EDRUG, but they don't seem to be as "cuppy" as Hi-Pro or MT3.
MT3 is superelliptical and has a dish depth of 1.1mm, as opposed to .7mm for most spherical caps (SA, DSA, clones). Not that you can't make a low profile spherical set just as deep as MT3, but they will never be as cuppy because the sides will still be too low to make contact with anything short of shrek fingers.

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« Last Edit: Fri, 23 February 2018, 21:51:15 by wetnwylde »

Offline mgsickler

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #32 on: Sat, 24 February 2018, 08:49:51 »
Show Image

Here is a sample render of an R2 1U triple.

EDIT: Just realized the legend is upside down. Oh well, you get the point ;D

I like that. PM'ing. Not sure I am actually able to PM you. My sent messages arent going through. Anyways, shoot me an email - mike@novelkeys.xyz I would love to talk to you more about this.
« Last Edit: Sat, 24 February 2018, 09:33:16 by mgsickler »

Offline a_ak57

  • Posts: 499
Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #33 on: Sat, 24 February 2018, 15:36:46 »
A mid-height version of Hi-Pro or MT3 would be neat I think.  I'm aware there are low/medium sculpted spherical profiles popping around now like HuB and EDRUG, but they don't seem to be as "cuppy" as Hi-Pro or MT3.
MT3 is superelliptical and has a dish depth of 1.1mm, as opposed to .7mm for most spherical caps (SA, DSA, clones). Not that you can't make a low profile spherical set just as deep as MT3, but they will never be as cuppy because the sides will still be too low to make contact with anything short of shrek fingers.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


Yeah maybe I shouldn't have mentioned MT3, but I think Hi-Pro could be done on a medium height.  I guess what I'm kind of getting at is something like a full set of deep dish keycaps.  But I'm not sure how many people besides me would actually enjoy that.

Offline mgsickler

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #34 on: Sun, 25 February 2018, 08:16:52 »
First IC form is closed.

Results
- mid height
- sculpted
- spherical
- centered large font
- icon mods
- very close between textured and matte finish
- scooped homing




Offline midnight2903

  • Posts: 344
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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #35 on: Sun, 25 February 2018, 08:18:59 »
First IC form is closed.

Results
- mid height
- sculpted
- spherical
- centered large font
- icon mods
- very close between textured and matte finish
- scooped homing

Centered large font, NotLikeThis

Offline mgsickler

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #36 on: Sun, 25 February 2018, 08:48:31 »
Centered large font, NotLikeThis

The people have spoken!

I am actually in works with SpectreiiI and his profile. It is very similar to what I had originally wanted, and it seems to line up with what the community wants as well.

Offline KaosJ

  • Posts: 1054
Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #37 on: Sun, 25 February 2018, 09:15:13 »
First IC form is closed.

Results
- mid height
- sculpted
- spherical
- centered large font
- icon mods
- very close between textured and matte finish
- scooped homing

With HUB coming, idk if you should really follow these advices.   

I don't remember exactly what was in the form, but was the "large area" throwed away? 
« Last Edit: Sun, 25 February 2018, 09:17:11 by KaosJ »




Offline KaosJ

  • Posts: 1054
Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #38 on: Sun, 25 February 2018, 09:20:47 »
Show Image


I have been working on this for a bit. It is a superelliptical step sculpture (SSS) profile, ala Microswitch & IBM Beam Spring. It is designed to accomodate triple shot abs legends at 1.6mm uniform thickness. The dish is 1mm deep. It uses a level row 4 which is roughly 7mm in height, and a 6-degree R3 which is slightly lower than cherry. R5 is .05mm higher than cherry. The level row is the lowest that I know of (DSA is 8mm) and can be used to make a uniform set as well. The step between rows is a consistent 15-degrees, which (IMO) is ideal.

I am still in the process of finishing the models. If you are interested in collaborating, I would be open to it.

I like this one, however i would change the last 2 rows, the difference in height (which is present on cherry) doesn't make any sense on current angles of modern keyboards imho.   





Offline mgsickler

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  • Posts: 847
Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #39 on: Sun, 25 February 2018, 09:39:18 »

With HUB coming, idk if you should really follow these advices.   

I don't remember exactly what was in the form, but was the "large area" throwed away?


I think HuB and the profile that I am looking at are definitely different enough to coexist. And there are things that I may not do exactly as the community has voted. I’m actually leaning towards text mods vs icon. 

I’m not sure what you mean by large area? The form never changed, so I think I got all the answers down.

Offline KaosJ

  • Posts: 1054
Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #40 on: Sun, 25 February 2018, 09:44:46 »

With HUB coming, idk if you should really follow these advices.   

I don't remember exactly what was in the form, but was the "large area" throwed away?


I think HuB and the profile that I am looking at are definitely different enough to coexist. And there are things that I may not do exactly as the community has voted. I’m actually leaning towards text mods vs icon. 

I’m not sure what you mean by large area? The form never changed, so I think I got all the answers down.

There wasn't like a question about "large surface area" vs Cherry-like (e.g. small surface)? 




Offline mgsickler

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #41 on: Sun, 25 February 2018, 10:01:01 »

There wasn't like a question about "large surface area" vs Cherry-like (e.g. small surface)?

There was not.

Offline KaosJ

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #42 on: Sun, 25 February 2018, 10:04:35 »

There wasn't like a question about "large surface area" vs Cherry-like (e.g. small surface)?

There was not.

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Offline jdcarpe

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #43 on: Sun, 25 February 2018, 14:52:08 »
Polls are great, but design by committee is usually counterproductive. You have to be a little like Steve Jobs and give the people what they don’t yet know that they want. I guess what I’m saying is that sometimes you have to make unpopular decisions and go with them, because you know what works, even if it goes against popular opinion.

Really looking forward to whatever you come up with!
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Offline Puddsy

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #44 on: Sun, 25 February 2018, 14:56:18 »
Polls are great, but design by committee is usually counterproductive. You have to be a little like Steve Jobs and give the people what they don’t yet know that they want. I guess what I’m saying is that sometimes you have to make unpopular decisions and go with them, because you know what works, even if it goes against popular opinion.

Really looking forward to whatever you come up with!

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Offline mgsickler

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #45 on: Sun, 25 February 2018, 15:05:53 »
Polls are great, but design by committee is usually counterproductive. You have to be a little like Steve Jobs and give the people what they don’t yet know that they want. I guess what I’m saying is that sometimes you have to make unpopular decisions and go with them, because you know what works, even if it goes against popular opinion.

Really looking forward to whatever you come up with!

design by vote almost always ends with nobody happy

Polls are great, but design by committee is usually counterproductive. You have to be a little like Steve Jobs and give the people what they don’t yet know that they want. I guess what I’m saying is that sometimes you have to make unpopular decisions and go with them, because you know what works, even if it goes against popular opinion.

Really looking forward to whatever you come up with!


Yea its definitely not going to be just want the community wants, but I did want to have a baseline to go off. Things will hopefully start moving quick. I have lots of meetings set up, and am really excited to see what happens.

Offline dr_derivative

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #46 on: Sun, 25 February 2018, 16:02:27 »
Show Image


I have been working on this for a bit. It is a superelliptical step sculpture (SSS) profile, ala Microswitch & IBM Beam Spring. It is designed to accomodate triple shot abs legends at 1.6mm uniform thickness. The dish is 1mm deep. It uses a level row 4 which is roughly 7mm in height, and a 6-degree R3 which is slightly lower than cherry. R5 is .05mm higher than cherry. The level row is the lowest that I know of (DSA is 8mm) and can be used to make a uniform set as well. The step between rows is a consistent 15-degrees, which (IMO) is ideal.

I am still in the process of finishing the models. If you are interested in collaborating, I would be open to it.

I like this one, however i would change the last 2 rows, the difference in height (which is present on cherry) doesn't make any sense on current angles of modern keyboards imho.   

Show Image


IMO there does need to be a small difference in height, otherwise it becomes too similar to a uniform profile. Although this is very much a matter of personal preference.

One thing I would change is to make the height difference more consistent between rows. Currently there's a huge step down from R4 to R5, while there's pretty much no step between R0 and R1.

The diagram shows what I mean. Cherry profile does have a reasonably consistent step size between rows.

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Offline cijanzen

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #47 on: Sun, 25 February 2018, 16:55:01 »
I think the poll is a great idea and a good way to gauge where the community is at. Whether the poll is actually followed is up to Mike and I’m sure (like anything) some people will love it and some will hate it. Personally I’m in total agreement with the poll results so I’d be happy to get caps that follow that recipe!

Offline Parva Ovis

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #48 on: Sun, 25 February 2018, 17:13:08 »
My biggest issue with the poll as it was is that a combination of the most popular aspects isn't necessarily the most popular combination, But, the results as they are seem like a good combination to go with, and I'm definitely interested in it, even though I voted for uniform cylindrical.   :)

Offline mgsickler

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Re: [IC] New Keycap Profile from NovelKeys
« Reply #49 on: Sun, 25 February 2018, 17:49:14 »
My biggest issue with the poll as it was is that a combination of the most popular aspects isn't necessarily the most popular combination, But, the results as they are seem like a good combination to go with, and I'm definitely interested in it, even though I voted for uniform cylindrical.   :)


I think the good news with this profile I’m working on is that down the road there will be a possibility of making a uniform profile.