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geekhack Marketplace => Group Buys and Preorders => Topic started by: norbauer on Mon, 28 August 2017, 13:06:40

Title: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 28 August 2017, 13:06:40
With round 2 of my Cooler Master cases arriving on people's doorsteps this week, people have very kindly been messaging me to do another round. And so here we are. :)

Order page for Norbauer Cooler Master cases, Round 2.5 (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/cnc-aluminum-case-for-cooler-master-tkl-boards-round-2-5)

The case has been verified to fit the following Cooler Master TKL models (and, as yet, no others)

I've been humbled that feedback (https://shop.norbauer.com/pages/community-praise-for-our-custom-keyboard-cases) from rounds 1 and 2 has been insanely positive, and you can just Google (https://www.google.com/search?biw=1280&bih=1316&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=norbauer+case&oq=norbauer+case) around (https://www.google.com/search?biw=1280&bih=1316&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=norbatouch&oq=norbatouch) for images of the boards of happy participants.

I'm calling this round "2.5" (rather than 3) since I'm only offering two anodized finishes this time: aerospace aluminum (a natural aluminum color similar to Apple products) and tactical black. The reason for only two anodizing colors is that r1 and r2 experience has shown me that these are the two colors with by far the lowest defect rates, and for small-run products like this I honestly just can't really afford to over-order by a large number or to scrap a lot of cases. And I really hate having to disappoint people who ordered late in the queue telling them that they have to get a refund instead of a case because theirs showed up with a cosmetic defect. =\ This is a good reason to order early on in the GB, by the way. ;)

However, to compensate a bit for the limited anodizing colors, I've expanded the range of powder coat finishes available this time. Honestly, in round 2, I threw those options in as a sort of curiosity--a kind throwaway extravagance--thinking very few people would opt for them given the relatively high cost I had to charge for them. But they ended up proving really popular. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ The reason they're more expensive, incidentally, is that a lot more work goes into preparing them, and expense in coating them. The work is done both by me (prep and threading) and the coating by a high-end metal finishing shop here in Silicon Valley.

Here are the anodized finishes ($219)

(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/alu-right-side-1_1fd0ae7a-963e-4143-b5dd-841eea939eff_1024x1024.jpg?v=1503875966)

(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/black_ea5194e3-3781-4a77-ab00-a7ec018f801f_1024x1024.jpg?v=1503875966)

And here are just some of the powder finishes. ($329)

(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/retro-green-1_55f6fc61-15a3-496a-8aaf-a1cd019489c1_1024x1024.jpg?v=1503875966)

(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/enigma-black-1_dd6b341c-7444-48e0-9f2f-8d0a35428bb3_1024x1024.jpg?v=1503875966)

(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/black-wrinkle_95a1c221-de10-45c5-8914-f17bae0b2eab_1024x1024.jpg?v=1503875966)

(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/white_1024x1024_4165ec73-5adb-4d07-803c-4bc8bf3bceba_1024x1024.jpg?v=1503875966)

(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1571/5135/products/galaxy-console_2_922cf440-9c0b-4dd5-98da-ebe13fe9d83e_1024x1024.jpg?v=1503875966)
This last one is a special finish designed to evoke the characteristic color and finish on housings of computer consoles in TNG. It is meant to go with the forthcoming Galaxy Class set by Roddenberry.com (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=89651.0), set to be available on Massdrop sometime this fall.

I personally inspect and pack each case and check it thoroughly, and whenever I've found problems from the factory I've always worked with the participant to find a satisfactory resolution, as I think all previous participants would attest. Quality is always my prime concern (even when it means a slightly delay); it's very important to me as a personal point of honor not to ship products to folks that have defects. For whatever that's worth. :)

Full details are available on the Group Buy order page (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/cnc-aluminum-case-for-cooler-master-tkl-boards-round-2-5?variant=44800163848), but of course feel to use this thread for any questions. And I'll also post updates here every step of the way, as I've done with previous rounds and their respective GH threads. See also the Reddit thread (https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/6wmrnd/norbauer_cooler_master_tkl_norbatouch_cnc_cases/).

Thanks everybody. <3
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: millifoo on Tue, 29 August 2017, 12:57:15
Moving my Enigma Gray mockup over here:

(http://i.imgur.com/v6t8XQ9.jpg)

Also digging a bit more on Prismatic, shows a couple photos without flash - and they indeed look darker (and warmer):

(http://i.imgur.com/hB8DeQW.png)

I think this color will look great either way. I'm in for the GB.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 29 August 2017, 13:06:12
Thanks for sharing your excellent mock-up of the Enigma Gray!

I would be a bit skeptical of those customer photos from the Prismatic site. Phone-camera pics in random lighting situations can be very deceptive--a fact well evinced by how different those two images of the same finish look (the one on the left looks lighter than the actual finish, I think, and the one on the bottom-right looks almost black). If we are to go from the official swatch pic and that pretty good pic of the hubcaps, I think the reality is right in between.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: millifoo on Tue, 29 August 2017, 13:13:00
> I would be a bit skeptical of those customer photos from the Prismatic site

Yep, good point.  I think they're mostly good for showing metallic sheen, as well as texture (i.e. lack of high gloss).
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: autobot on Tue, 29 August 2017, 13:27:40
edit...duh
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 29 August 2017, 13:42:16
I think they're mostly good for showing metallic sheen, as well as texture (i.e. lack of high gloss).

Oh, yes. Good point, I hadn't even thought of that. The bottom-right pic in particular shows the matte finish quite well.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: vinzlr on Tue, 29 August 2017, 14:22:52
Any plans on making cases for any other keyboards in the future?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 29 August 2017, 14:25:29
Any plans on making cases for any other keyboards in the future?

My RealForce 87U (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=89451.msg2446126#msg2446126) case project is almost ready. After that I've been thinking about maybe the FC660C. (I'm obvs a Topre fiend.)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: vinzlr on Tue, 29 August 2017, 14:31:11
Any plans on making cases for any other keyboards in the future?

My RealForce 87U (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=89451.msg2446126#msg2446126) case project is almost ready. After that I've been thinking about maybe the FC660C. (I'm obvs a Topre fiend.)

Bless your soul, I don't like any of the switches CM keyboards offer but I'm very excited for a RF with a norb case!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: funkybeat7 on Tue, 29 August 2017, 14:42:00
Any chance there could be a R3 way down the road in case I find more money to spend in like 6-8 months time? haha
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: autobot on Tue, 29 August 2017, 14:46:26
Lol! Norbauer gets more exotic with the finishes with every round...

We'll be ordering cases finished in unobtanium and adamantium by round 3  :p :p :p :p
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 29 August 2017, 14:48:16
Any chance there could be a R3 way down the road in case I find more money to spend in like 6-8 months time? haha

Oh dear, I hope not. :rolleyes: This was just supposed to be a one-round project, and I keep promising myself that "this round will be the last." hehe.  It's not that I don't enjoy making this design, but it takes up a lot of bandwidth to run these things, and I'm really hoping to move onto a new design soon. I also don't have a lot of cash around to buy up a bunch in advance and carry inventory (these things are expensive), or I would just do that. But I know timing can sometimes be tough. For people in difficult financial spots, I've done some "layaway" type arrangements in the past. If you want to work something like that out, feel free to message me.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: flyingalbatross1 on Tue, 29 August 2017, 16:03:49
All three photos of the Enigma Grey look wildly different! But also all great. Looking forward to seeing what will happen in real life.

Sent from my MI 5 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: JDragon on Tue, 29 August 2017, 16:44:20
I don't need a Monte Carlo Red... I don't need a Monte Carlo Red... gosh that color looks good.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: Puddsy on Tue, 29 August 2017, 17:51:13
I don't need a Monte Carlo Red... I don't need a Monte Carlo Red... gosh that color looks good.

i'm not even a ferrari guy and i want one
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: Riu on Tue, 29 August 2017, 17:57:24
Venice Beach made me order a MasterKeys Pro S from Newegg.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: clickstops on Tue, 29 August 2017, 20:02:40
So glad to see you going for 2.5. Love my case, love these colors though.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: millifoo on Tue, 29 August 2017, 23:54:31
Found a fellow selling Teridium Prismatic powder coated gear shifts... I grabbed all his various pictures and assembled next to the official Prismatic swatch -- and... I think you're right: the color is definitely darker, just like the swatch.

(http://i.imgur.com/hiqNf4w.jpg)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: millifoo on Wed, 30 August 2017, 00:36:56
updated mockup, trying to match both the swatch from prismatic and the gear shift knob:

(http://i.imgur.com/k8RBeN9.jpg)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: FSund on Wed, 30 August 2017, 00:40:58
Any plans on making cases for any other keyboards in the future?

My RealForce 87U (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=89451.msg2446126#msg2446126) case project is almost ready. After that I've been thinking about maybe the FC660C. (I'm obvs a Topre fiend.)

This is a bit off-topic, but do you know if there is a possibility of making the FC660C case compatible with the KBD66 (https://www.massdrop.com/buy/kbd66-mechanical-keyboard-kit?mode=guest_open) keyboard? I see that the KBD66 case has some standoffs on the bottom of the case that isn't in the FC660C case, but perhaps those could be replaced by screw-in standoffs.

I have a KBD66, and could take some images of the case and pcb if you're interested.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: sneaky101 on Wed, 30 August 2017, 02:58:52
FYI Another sexual powder coat finish is Dulux Burnished Copper. It's in their Electro range. The online colour chip is very misleading so I tried to replicate its real colour with these images (https://imgur.com/a/qRsZz). That's my Teamwolf Zhuque that got prettied up a little.

I am actually tempted to buy the Aerospace case and have it powder coated. Decisions decisions!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: fine_italian_leather on Wed, 30 August 2017, 11:09:50
I asked you this in the R2 thread but I think you missed my post. Will there be spare risers sold for R2.5?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 30 August 2017, 15:20:37
I asked you this in the R2 thread but I think you missed my post. Will there be spare risers sold for R2.5?

I haven't created a page in the store for that yet, but you need some just send me a message. :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: yqliang on Wed, 30 August 2017, 15:55:16
Hi norbauer,

Very interested in your design even though I do not have a TKL keyboard yet... :))

Just want to know that other than the 3 cooler master keyboards you listed, there is absolutely no other keyboards that can fit into the case? Not a fan of all the cooler master keyboard currently available. The NovaTouch looks good but it seems like I can't find one...
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: madindehead on Wed, 30 August 2017, 16:21:01
Hi norbauer,

Very interested in your design even though I do not have a TKL keyboard yet... :))

Just want to know that other than the 3 cooler master keyboards you listed, there is absolutely no other keyboards that can fit into the case? Not a fan of all the cooler master keyboard currently available. The NovaTouch looks good but it seems like I can't find one...

The Novatouch is no longer made, so you're only option is to go 2nd hand from somewhere like the mechmarket. What don't you like about the Cooler Master TKL keyboards? If it's the RGB, you can turn it off. And the case isn't a problem ;)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Wed, 30 August 2017, 16:33:19
Hi norbauer,

Very interested in your design even though I do not have a TKL keyboard yet... :))

Just want to know that other than the 3 cooler master keyboards you listed, there is absolutely no other keyboards that can fit into the case? Not a fan of all the cooler master keyboard currently available. The NovaTouch looks good but it seems like I can't find one...

The Novatouch is no longer made, so you're only option is to go 2nd hand from somewhere like the mechmarket. What don't you like about the Cooler Master TKL keyboards? If it's the RGB, you can turn it off. And the case isn't a problem ;)

I wasn't a big fan of the Masterkeys Pro S myself due to the limited amount of switch types available. Had the switches swapped out for custom ones, problem solved but was additional work and money. There are a lot of folks who provide switch swap services which could make it a lot more bearable.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: Puddsy on Wed, 30 August 2017, 17:43:46
Would be nice if this were phantom or a87 compatible in the future to allow for some futureproofing/more options
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 30 August 2017, 17:47:00
Hi norbauer,

Very interested in your design even though I do not have a TKL keyboard yet... :))

Just want to know that other than the 3 cooler master keyboards you listed, there is absolutely no other keyboards that can fit into the case? Not a fan of all the cooler master keyboard currently available. The NovaTouch looks good but it seems like I can't find one...

It might also fit the MasterKeys S. I'm currently waiting for one to arrive today so I can confirm. :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 30 August 2017, 22:43:52
I have verified that the MasterKeys S PBT does not fit inside this case, only the MasterKeys Pro S. (I know, it's confusing.) It's an almost identical plate but just different enough (by like 2mm) that it doesn't fit on the side ledges of my case. It's almost like it was designed on purpose not to fit in my case. :rolleyes:
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: madindehead on Thu, 31 August 2017, 01:40:29
That's big disappointment. Can't help but feel that Cooler Master have shot themselves in the foot there (whilst I appreciate the amount of people buying if for a Norbauer case will be low, it's still a shame they designed it like that). I was going to buy one (had some better switch options) but now that might not happen.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: Cotay on Thu, 31 August 2017, 02:07:46
Hi norbauer,

Very interested in your design even though I do not have a TKL keyboard yet... :))

Just want to know that other than the 3 cooler master keyboards you listed, there is absolutely no other keyboards that can fit into the case? Not a fan of all the cooler master keyboard currently available. The NovaTouch looks good but it seems like I can't find one...

The Novatouch is no longer made, so you're only option is to go 2nd hand from somewhere like the mechmarket. What don't you like about the Cooler Master TKL keyboards? If it's the RGB, you can turn it off. And the case isn't a problem ;)

I wasn't a big fan of the Masterkeys Pro S myself due to the limited amount of switch types available. Had the switches swapped out for custom ones, problem solved but was additional work and money. There are a lot of folks who provide switch swap services which could make it a lot more bearable.

If only Cooler Master would offer a heavier linear switch option.  I am currently debating buying one just for this case and I can't decide if I want to bother with swapping out the switches since I have two other boards lined up for the same operation before it. I do have some MX RGB Nature Whites that are not currently allocated for anything and would go very nicely on one of these.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: yqliang on Thu, 31 August 2017, 02:20:09
Hi norbauer,

Very interested in your design even though I do not have a TKL keyboard yet... :))

Just want to know that other than the 3 cooler master keyboards you listed, there is absolutely no other keyboards that can fit into the case? Not a fan of all the cooler master keyboard currently available. The NovaTouch looks good but it seems like I can't find one...

The Novatouch is no longer made, so you're only option is to go 2nd hand from somewhere like the mechmarket. What don't you like about the Cooler Master TKL keyboards? If it's the RGB, you can turn it off. And the case isn't a problem ;)

It's because I don't like the options of the switches. I will try to see if I am lucky enough to get a 2nd hand Novatouch. Already ordered a case, it's just too gorgeous to pass on...
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: yqliang on Thu, 31 August 2017, 02:35:39
Hi norbauer,

Very interested in your design even though I do not have a TKL keyboard yet... :))

Just want to know that other than the 3 cooler master keyboards you listed, there is absolutely no other keyboards that can fit into the case? Not a fan of all the cooler master keyboard currently available. The NovaTouch looks good but it seems like I can't find one...

The Novatouch is no longer made, so you're only option is to go 2nd hand from somewhere like the mechmarket. What don't you like about the Cooler Master TKL keyboards? If it's the RGB, you can turn it off. And the case isn't a problem ;)

I wasn't a big fan of the Masterkeys Pro S myself due to the limited amount of switch types available. Had the switches swapped out for custom ones, problem solved but was additional work and money. There are a lot of folks who provide switch swap services which could make it a lot more bearable.

Yeah the switch option is pretty limited. But I kinda don't want to go through the work of swapping switches. I will see if I can get a 2nd hand Novatouch... Thanks for the advice.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: Calza on Thu, 31 August 2017, 04:43:38
I'm in!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: yqliang on Thu, 31 August 2017, 13:39:04
Hi Norbauer, I already ordered an Aerospace Aluminum but I am really digging the deep green from R2. Is it out of your consideration completely for this round?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Thu, 31 August 2017, 16:49:48
Hi Norbauer, I already ordered an Aerospace Aluminum but I am really digging the deep green from R2. Is it out of your consideration completely for this round?

I believe green and blue were the two colors that presented the most issues thus they were taken out of this GB.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: ewwgin on Fri, 01 September 2017, 00:57:47
Have been deliberating between Retro Refrigerator (for DSA HyperFuse) and Astrophysical Purple (for DSA HyperFuse and potentially, GMK Laser) over the past few days...and I still have yet to come to a decision  :'( Any opinions, anyone? And no, I cannot afford both...
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: yqliang on Fri, 01 September 2017, 01:03:45
Hi Norbauer, I already ordered an Aerospace Aluminum but I am really digging the deep green from R2. Is it out of your consideration completely for this round?

I believe green and blue were the two colors that presented the most issues thus they were taken out of this GB.

makes sense. I think norbauer mentioned he wanted less problems and faster turnaround time for this round. I will stick with the aluminum then, really can't go wrong with it.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: Cotay on Fri, 01 September 2017, 02:09:13
So a Masterkeys Pro S is now ordered and on its way to me for $88 after rebate (curse you Newegg and your California tax!). I will be desoldering the MX Blues and swapping them for Nature Whites.

Next step...decide whether to get an already powder-coated case or have my favorite Cerakote applicator in San Jose work his magic with an anodized silver one. Decisions, decisions.

EDIT: Anodized silver it is...now to pick a Cerakote color. I'm leaning towards Cobalt Kinetics Slate with double hardener to add a bit of shine:

https://www.cerakoteguncoatings.com/finishes/H-295Q/cobalt-kinetics-slate/





Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 01 September 2017, 16:28:49
EDIT: Anodized silver it is...now to pick a Cerakote color. I'm leaning towards Cobalt Kinetics Slate with double hardener to add a bit of shine:

https://www.cerakoteguncoatings.com/finishes/H-295Q/cobalt-kinetics-slate/

For Cerakote, I would actually recommend an unanodized case so that the finishing company doesn't have to blast away the oxide layer. I can just send you one of the cases fresh out of the mill, like what I'm using for powder coat. If you'd prefer that, just let me know and I'll hook you up. :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: Cotay on Fri, 01 September 2017, 16:38:25
EDIT: Anodized silver it is...now to pick a Cerakote color. I'm leaning towards Cobalt Kinetics Slate with double hardener to add a bit of shine:

https://www.cerakoteguncoatings.com/finishes/H-295Q/cobalt-kinetics-slate/

For Cerakote, I would actually recommend an unanodized case so that the finishing company doesn't have to blast away the oxide layer. I can just send you one of the cases fresh out of the mill, like what I'm using for powder coat. If you'd prefer that, just let me know and I'll hook you up. :)

I appreciate that! I'm emailing the applicator that I used for my last several barrels to see what he is going to charge and I'll let you know ASAP.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 01 September 2017, 16:50:04
Hi Norbauer, I already ordered an Aerospace Aluminum but I am really digging the deep green from R2. Is it out of your consideration completely for this round?

I believe green and blue were the two colors that presented the most issues thus they were taken out of this GB.

makes sense. I think norbauer mentioned he wanted less problems and faster turnaround time for this round. I will stick with the aluminum then, really can't go wrong with it.

I can highly recommend the "aerospace aluminum" finish (it's technically called a "clear" finishing in anodizing terminology). It's relatively inexpensive compared to the powder finishes and quite versatile—works with almost any keyset. I also don't think I've ever gotten back a clear anodized case with any significant cosmetic blemish on it. The other (non-black) anodizing dye colors are much more prone to issues, which, as TheEerieCold mentioned above, is why I'm opting not to offer those this time. And for the high-rolling keyboard dandies who want something more colorful, the exotic power options are always there. ;)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: millifoo on Fri, 01 September 2017, 22:46:10
Request: are there any top down photos (or renders) of the "Galaxy Console" powder coat? I'd like to experiment photoshopping some different keycaps onto it to it to see how they look.   Thanks!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 02 September 2017, 19:11:01
Request: are there any top down photos (or renders) of the "Galaxy Console" powder coat? I'd like to experiment photoshopping some different keycaps onto it to it to see how they look.   Thanks!

Here's a quick one.

(https://www.dropbox.com/s/os6kdnt29ftyc7z/galaxy2.jpg?raw=1)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: millifoo on Sat, 02 September 2017, 21:29:14
Perfect... thanks!

Ok, here are some mockups comparing the Enigma Gray vs Galaxy Console, using a mashup of Godspeed and Oblivion.

TBH, they all look nice to me, but I'm really liking the Galaxy Console + Godspeed Mods + Hagoromo (white) Oblivion alphas.

(https://i.imgur.com/Sjte2hb.png)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: autobot on Sun, 03 September 2017, 07:09:04
Perfect... thanks!

Ok, here are some mockups comparing the Enigma Gray vs Galaxy Console, using a mashup of Godspeed and Oblivion.

TBH, they all look nice to me, but I'm really liking the Galaxy Console + Godspeed Mods + Hagoromo (white) Oblivion alphas.

Show Image
(https://i.imgur.com/Sjte2hb.png)


I blame you for making me want enigma gray as well now. :)

I'd use it for the Dolch Sets.

Not my cup of fine tea, but I'd imagine the Galaxy Console would look the bee's knees with the SA Commodore 64 (can't think of the name) inspired caps as well!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: avid on Sun, 03 September 2017, 07:25:48
That's some nice mockups millifoo  :thumb:
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: ewwgin on Sun, 03 September 2017, 07:33:13
I'd love to see an Astrophysical Purple render/mockup! Could anyone do one? ;D
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: millifoo on Sun, 03 September 2017, 10:52:36
I'd love to see an Astrophysical Purple render/mockup! Could anyone do one? ;D

I can give it a shot:  what keycaps would you like?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: millifoo on Sun, 03 September 2017, 10:58:55
I blame you for making me want enigma gray as well now. :)

LOL

Quote
Not my cup of fine tea, but I'd imagine the Galaxy Console would look the bee's knees with the SA Commodore 64

I only have my youth to blame for me love of beige... first computer was in 1978, an Apple ][. Learned 6502 assesmbly.  Dad (who worked at HP for 25 years) got me an HP 150 in 1985. Beige. Stayed with that computer until 1988 when I got a Mac Plus. More beige!   Then an Apple FX in 1989.  Beige.

Finally graduated college, started work at Sun Microsystems on... grey workstations. However these days, they too are looking pretty beige  :p

(https://i.imgur.com/O7bZL5b.jpg)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: ewwgin on Sun, 03 September 2017, 11:06:48
I'd love to see an Astrophysical Purple render/mockup! Could anyone do one? ;D

I can give it a shot:  what keycaps would you like?
Oh wow, sweet! Hmmm...how about DSA HyperFuse / DSA Deep Space / GMK Laser? All of these keysets should match really well with the purple case. Maybe you could choose your favourite set out of the three. Thank you man, looking forward to your killer mockups!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 03 September 2017, 11:22:49
I blame you for making me want enigma gray as well now. :)

LOL

Quote
Not my cup of fine tea, but I'd imagine the Galaxy Console would look the bee's knees with the SA Commodore 64

I only have my youth to blame for me love of beige... first computer was in 1978, an Apple ][. Learned 6502 assesmbly.  Dad (who worked at HP for 25 years) got me an HP 150 in 1985. Beige. Stayed with that computer until 1988 when I got a Mac Plus. More beige!   Then an Apple FX in 1989.  Beige.

Finally graduated college, started work at Sun Microsystems on... grey workstations. However these days, they too are looking pretty beige  :p

Show Image
(https://i.imgur.com/O7bZL5b.jpg)


Oh man, me too! Early Apple products and then Star Trek: The Next Generation gave me a special affection for this this quirky (now nostalgic) design aesthetic. <3
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: autobot on Sun, 03 September 2017, 11:31:15
Reminds of my computer classes at my Catholic Elementary School, which had a bunch of donated Commodore 64 computers w/green only monitors, we'd learn to type on those massive boards, and then make vector drawings using math formulas (Logo?). Those actuation forces weren't nice to little hands!  :p :p :p

On the fun days, we get to play Oregon Trail and a robot math game on the Apple II's!

Mmmmm, beige!  :p
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: millifoo on Sun, 03 September 2017, 11:35:21

Oh wow, sweet! Hmmm...how about DSA HyperFuse

First up, Hype Fuse. Try and ignore the repeat mod keys ;)

(https://i.imgur.com/NgYQnN5.jpg)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: millifoo on Sun, 03 September 2017, 11:47:23
Next: Deep Space. I'm not sure about this one...  Who knows how close the case purple and the keycaps purple would be in real life. Closer? Farther? Dunno. Either way, too much purple for me.  :p

(https://i.imgur.com/p2V9uuC.jpg)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: millifoo on Sun, 03 September 2017, 11:55:59
And Third: GMK Lazer.  This one's clearly using MiTo's render - and I have no confidence in what the actual plastic caps will look like... I doubt they'd be this vibrant in real life... right?

(https://i.imgur.com/nhUUHZw.jpg)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: millifoo on Sun, 03 September 2017, 11:59:38
So, for me - between the three, Hyper Fuse is the winner. Just enough purple without going overboard.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: millifoo on Sun, 03 September 2017, 12:02:55
Oh man, me too! Early Apple products and then Star Trek: The Next Generation gave me a special affection for this this quirky (now nostalgic) design aesthetic. <3

Oh... I totally forgot to mention one...   even before the Apple in '78... I had an HP 25 calculator (1975) -- bless those HP employee discounts. Totally classic color scheme:

(https://i.imgur.com/L98ED8V.jpg)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: ewwgin on Mon, 04 September 2017, 02:15:50
So, for me - between the three, Hyper Fuse is the winner. Just enough purple without going overboard.
Wow, lovely mockups right there, amazing work! Thank you so much!

I'll have to agree, HyperFuse looks the best. And it just so happens that I have DSA HyperFuse laying idle. I think I may have found a case/board for it now. Not sure how will the actual GMK Laser set turn out, but i'm also digging the Laser-Astropurple combination a lot. I think I made the right choice, I have options now hehe...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: poolside on Mon, 04 September 2017, 17:19:52
Have the mating surfaces of R2 boards been coated? If so, will that apply to R2.5 cases too?

From the retro-green picture in the OP, it looks like powder-coated cases will have their interior surfaces covered. :thumb:
Will that apply to the mating surfaces too?

I'm actually still vacillating on that. This new shop I'm working with does amazing work, and they masked the samples they made for me, but only along the mating surfaces and (as you noticed), not the interior of the case. These didn't suffer any of the problems we saw on some of the edges last time because they did a more meticulous job of it, but honestly I think they can go ahead and powder coat even the mating surfaces since I adjusted the tolerances a bit to compensate. I'll do some tests while the cases are being manufactured (with a leftover case I have from r1) to figure out what the best way to get these coated is, and we can just go with whatever yields the best results. :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 04 September 2017, 17:33:20
Have the mating surfaces of R2 boards been coated? If so, will that apply to R2.5 cases too?

From the retro-green picture in the OP, it looks like powder-coated cases will have their interior surfaces covered. :thumb:
Will that apply to the mating surfaces too?

I'm actually still vacillating on that. This new shop I'm working with does amazing work, and they masked the samples they made for me, but only along the mating surfaces and (as you noticed), not the interior of the case. These didn't suffer any of the problems we saw on some of the edges last time because they did a more meticulous job of it, but honestly I think they can go ahead and powder coat even the mating surfaces since I adjusted the tolerances a bit to compensate. I'll do some tests while the cases are being manufactured (with a leftover case I have from r1) to figure out what the best way to get these coated is, and we can just go with whatever yields the best results. :)

Yes, and yes (unlike r1, where we did masking). The case is now designed with tolerances to allow coating the mating surfaces, which simply looks nicer.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: avid on Mon, 04 September 2017, 17:44:14
I actually think GMK laser would look better on a black case, since its so much purple.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: poolside on Mon, 04 September 2017, 17:53:49
Have the mating surfaces of R2 boards been coated? If so, will that apply to R2.5 cases too?

From the retro-green picture in the OP, it looks like powder-coated cases will have their interior surfaces covered. :thumb:
Will that apply to the mating surfaces too?

I'm actually still vacillating on that. This new shop I'm working with does amazing work, and they masked the samples they made for me, but only along the mating surfaces and (as you noticed), not the interior of the case. These didn't suffer any of the problems we saw on some of the edges last time because they did a more meticulous job of it, but honestly I think they can go ahead and powder coat even the mating surfaces since I adjusted the tolerances a bit to compensate. I'll do some tests while the cases are being manufactured (with a leftover case I have from r1) to figure out what the best way to get these coated is, and we can just go with whatever yields the best results. :)

Yes, and yes (unlike r1, where we did masking). The case is now designed with tolerances to allow coating the mating surfaces, which simply looks nicer.

Thanks, this is great  :thumb:
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: nineleveno on Mon, 04 September 2017, 20:08:33
Made a mockup of what Laser might look like with Retro Refrigerator... I think the contrast works pretty well, especially if the alpha legends end up being pretty close in color. Retro Photo is from MythicalWagyu in the R2 thread, keyset/background from MiTo's renders.

(https://i.imgur.com/LoBjP8n.png)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: millifoo on Tue, 05 September 2017, 12:39:47
@nineleveno, I wonder if your mockup is a bit too blue? It seems the photos I've seen show RetroRefrig being somwhere between what you show and a mint or Tiffany green.

Of course, it all depends on how your monitor is calibrated ;-).

(https://i.imgur.com/pcYAOlR.jpg)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 05 September 2017, 13:20:44
@nineleveno, I wonder if your mockup is a bit too blue? It seems the photos I've seen show RetroRefrig being somwhere between what you show and a mint or Tiffany green.

Of course, it all depends on how your monitor is calibrated ;-).

Show Image
(https://i.imgur.com/pcYAOlR.jpg)


Incidentally, I also feel like the "Venice Beach" color might be a cool complement to Laser. I think I'm actually going to plan to put one of those together myself. Incidentally, I now have a sample of a case in that color and plan to take pics tonight.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: nineleveno on Tue, 05 September 2017, 14:28:18
@nineleveno, I wonder if your mockup is a bit too blue? It seems the photos I've seen show RetroRefrig being somwhere between what you show and a mint or Tiffany green.

Definitely possible. I didn't do any color correction on the original photo (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=88759.msg2483135#msg2483135), so it could be the lighting conditions or camera's color settings too -- that was just one of the few images of the case I could find that was top-down in favorable lighting conditions. I might try playing around with the colors later to get a closer match.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: energyd on Tue, 05 September 2017, 14:48:05
Wondering what keycaps to go with Retro as well. What would you recommend?

@nineleveno, I wonder if your mockup is a bit too blue? It seems the photos I've seen show RetroRefrig being somwhere between what you show and a mint or Tiffany green.

Of course, it all depends on how your monitor is calibrated ;-).

Show Image
(https://i.imgur.com/pcYAOlR.jpg)

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: millifoo on Tue, 05 September 2017, 15:33:26
Quote
Wondering what keycaps to go with Retro as well. What would you recommend?

I did this a week ago when I was considering RetroR with Abyss:

(https://i.imgur.com/QTzz39o.jpg)

But there's a real photo of Abyss on Retro floating around. I don't remember where I saw it, though.

I currently have Abyss on a black case, and can confirm that it's a lovely set in general -- I've also tried it on a silver aluminum case and looks just as good. It's all R3 which I find really nice.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: millifoo on Tue, 05 September 2017, 15:34:36
Found it:

https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/6w2avl/norbauer_x_abyss/
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: autobot on Tue, 05 September 2017, 15:56:42
@nineleveno, I wonder if your mockup is a bit too blue? It seems the photos I've seen show RetroRefrig being somwhere between what you show and a mint or Tiffany green.

Of course, it all depends on how your monitor is calibrated ;-).

Show Image
(https://i.imgur.com/pcYAOlR.jpg)


Incidentally, I also feel like the "Venice Beach" color might be a cool complement to Laser. I think I'm actually going to plan to put one of those together myself. Incidentally, I now have a sample of a case in that color and plan to take pics tonight.

I think it would look pretty amazing with Laser too! I plan on pulling the trigger on a Venice Beach case as well :p
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4347/36040761684_50a67df1d6_b.jpg)

Here's me having some fun if I put a "Rad" die-cut decal on it, with the Hiragana Kit  :)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4421/36724696012_35f2c1db1d_b.jpg)

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: autobot on Tue, 05 September 2017, 15:59:57
norbauer, you could have soo much fun with the "Norbauer & Co" graphics on the inside of the case!  :thumb:

The Venice Beach reminds me of Steve Vai's (played in Frank Zappa's band, Whitesnake) Ibanez JEM guitar in Shocking Pink.

Imagine your logo in some insane color on the inside, like the neon green accents on the guitar below!  ;)

Edit: Thanks for reminding me. I placed an order for Venice Beach! So that's my 3rd case.  :thumb:

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4424/36216609714_8184c2a646_b.jpg)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: bciamny on Tue, 05 September 2017, 16:28:16
@nineleveno, I wonder if your mockup is a bit too blue? It seems the photos I've seen show RetroRefrig being somwhere between what you show and a mint or Tiffany green.

Of course, it all depends on how your monitor is calibrated ;-).

Show Image
(https://i.imgur.com/pcYAOlR.jpg)


Incidentally, I also feel like the "Venice Beach" color might be a cool complement to Laser. I think I'm actually going to plan to put one of those together myself. Incidentally, I now have a sample of a case in that color and plan to take pics tonight.

any chance for a sample of the purple? i think i might need that in my life... :X
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: Auk on Tue, 05 September 2017, 16:38:29
any chance for a sample of the purple? i think i might need that in my life... :X

If you'll forgive the crude nature of my efforts, I did colorize PEXON's awesome Monte Carlo Red:

[attach=1]

and although a proper sample of pink is imminent:

[attach=2]

lastly a taste of gray:

[attach=3]

[attach=4]

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: jnav on Tue, 05 September 2017, 19:11:26
@nineleveno, I wonder if your mockup is a bit too blue? It seems the photos I've seen show RetroRefrig being somwhere between what you show and a mint or Tiffany green.

Of course, it all depends on how your monitor is calibrated ;-).

Show Image
(https://i.imgur.com/pcYAOlR.jpg)


Incidentally, I also feel like the "Venice Beach" color might be a cool complement to Laser. I think I'm actually going to plan to put one of those together myself. Incidentally, I now have a sample of a case in that color and plan to take pics tonight.

I think it would look pretty amazing with Laser too! I plan on pulling the trigger on a Venice Beach case as well :p
Show Image
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4347/36040761684_50a67df1d6_b.jpg)


Here's me having some fun if I put a "Rad" die-cut decal on it, with the Hiragana Kit  :)
Show Image
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4421/36724696012_35f2c1db1d_b.jpg)



I'm so loving these mock ups!!  I know these are a lot of work but any chance you could do Godspeed XDA on the white case with the Solar Alphas? I was thinking they would be worthy of a Norbauer case.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: nineleveno on Tue, 05 September 2017, 21:13:29
@nineleveno, I wonder if your mockup is a bit too blue? It seems the photos I've seen show RetroRefrig being somwhere between what you show and a mint or Tiffany green.

I might try playing around with the colors later to get a closer match.

I think I got the color pretty close:

(https://i.imgur.com/eEsHcJE.png)

I'm so loving these mock ups!!  I know these are a lot of work but any chance you could do Godspeed XDA on the white case with the Solar Alphas? I was thinking they would be worthy of a Norbauer case.

How's this? I suspect that the white would be a bit more vibrant in person, but this might give you the general idea:

(https://i.imgur.com/qbmevbJ.png)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: jnav on Tue, 05 September 2017, 22:21:51
@nineleveno, I wonder if your mockup is a bit too blue? It seems the photos I've seen show RetroRefrig being somwhere between what you show and a mint or Tiffany green.

I might try playing around with the colors later to get a closer match.

I think I got the color pretty close:

Show Image
(https://i.imgur.com/eEsHcJE.png)


I'm so loving these mock ups!!  I know these are a lot of work but any chance you could do Godspeed XDA on the white case with the Solar Alphas? I was thinking they would be worthy of a Norbauer case.

How's this? I suspect that the white would be a bit more vibrant in person, but this might give you the general idea:

Show Image
(https://i.imgur.com/qbmevbJ.png)


These are looking really badass  :p. I think the Godspeed Supernova alphas would actually work better now that I've seen the rendering. The white case has a NASA vibe to it.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: cynviloq on Tue, 05 September 2017, 23:22:20
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170906/ae7e174077f81671a04f3757abf99440.jpg)

I love the green. Very happy with both my cases so far!!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: madindehead on Wed, 06 September 2017, 02:42:48
I really can't decide on a colour for my R2.5 case!

Venice Beach might be the go to for Laser...or Retro Refrigerator. And Space Station white will look amazing with Godspeed XDA, especially as I have Supernova alphas too.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: nineleveno on Wed, 06 September 2017, 07:34:43
These are looking really badass  :p. I think the Godspeed Supernova alphas would actually work better now that I've seen the rendering. The white case has a NASA vibe to it.

I really can't decide on a colour for my R2.5 case!

Venice Beach might be the go to for Laser...or Retro Refrigerator. And Space Station white will look amazing with Godspeed XDA, especially as I have Supernova alphas too.

Here are a few more quick mockups of Space Station White + XDA Godspeed:

(https://i.imgur.com/x3ZD7j7.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/LVu6DBn.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/empYfMS.png)

I'm thinking Galaxy Console could also work well with XDA Godspeed.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: Evilocity on Wed, 06 September 2017, 16:28:06
How heavy are these cases?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 06 September 2017, 17:17:50
How heavy are these cases?

Exceedingly so. With a Novatouch installed, it weighs 4.5 pounds.

Here is a quick photo of the Venice Beach color.
(https://norbauercdn.blob.core.windows.net/webshares/coolermaster-tkl-case/venice-beach1.jpg)

I also had a bit of fun pairing a Retro Refrigerator top with a Venice Beach bottom, see here on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/BYtbS99A5wC/).
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: jnav on Wed, 06 September 2017, 17:53:26
That did it... I'm probably going to have to go for 2 of these things. Venice beach is amazing.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: autobot on Wed, 06 September 2017, 19:28:00
How heavy are these cases?

Exceedingly so. With a Novatouch installed, it weighs 4.5 pounds.

Here is a quick photo of the Venice Beach color.
Show Image
(https://norbauercdn.blob.core.windows.net/webshares/coolermaster-tkl-case/venice-beach1.jpg)


I also had a bit of fun pairing a Retro Refrigerator top with a Venice Beach bottom, see here on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/BYtbS99A5wC/).

My body is ready...
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: yqliang on Wed, 06 September 2017, 20:51:26
Hi norbauer,

I want to get some custom cables for the case. Is is micro usb? and what is the size restriction on the connector? Thank you!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: bciamny on Wed, 06 September 2017, 22:18:25
Hi norbauer,

I want to get some custom cables for the case. Is is micro usb? and what is the size restriction on the connector? Thank you!

you have to buy a keyboard that can have its case removed so that the internal can be transplated into the case. it depends on which case you decide to purchase. the first post lists the confirmed keyboards that this can be done with. :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: madindehead on Thu, 07 September 2017, 01:45:21
Wow. Venice Beach is incredible!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: autobot on Thu, 07 September 2017, 10:58:46
Is is micro usb? and what is the size restriction on the connector? Thank you!

Hopefully this helps!

Micro USB. I took some rough measurements with calipers, here's what I measured:

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4436/36250744114_08e554e274_b.jpg)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: Auk on Thu, 07 September 2017, 12:28:33
Here is a quick photo of the Venice Beach color.

nice   :thumb:

will you also have photos of Enigma Gray and Astrophysical Purple?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 07 September 2017, 14:52:35
Here is a quick photo of the Venice Beach color.

nice   :thumb:

will you also have photos of Enigma Gray and Astrophysical Purple?

Those are special order colors, sadly, which wouldn't arrive in time before the end of the group buy, so we just have to go off the swatches.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: yqliang on Thu, 07 September 2017, 16:57:54
Thank you!

Is is micro usb? and what is the size restriction on the connector? Thank you!

Hopefully this helps!

Micro USB. I took some rough measurements with calipers, here's what I measured:

Show Image
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4436/36250744114_08e554e274_b.jpg)

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Fri, 08 September 2017, 20:35:25
Took the plunge and ordered the Astrophysical Purple. Now.. to find out what kind of switches to swap in this Masterkeys board...
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: robotsokk on Fri, 08 September 2017, 23:57:47
Took the plunge and ordered the Astrophysical Purple. Now.. to find out what kind of switches to swap in this Masterkeys board...

Woot, me too! Couldn't resist... the purple, or the name. Venice Beach looks lovely, though, and I'm not usually a huge fan of pink.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: yqliang on Sat, 09 September 2017, 00:46:27
Can someone provide the exact dimension of the case please? I am getting some custom wrist rest made!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: ewwgin on Sat, 09 September 2017, 01:04:44
Took the plunge and ordered the Astrophysical Purple. Now.. to find out what kind of switches to swap in this Masterkeys board...

Woot, me too! Couldn't resist... the purple, or the name. Venice Beach looks lovely, though, and I'm not usually a huge fan of pink.
Same here! Was deciding between Astrophysical Purple and Venice Beach for an entire week. Finally decided on Astrophysical Purple. Will probably pair the case with either DSA HyperFuse or GMK Laser. I can't wait!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 09 September 2017, 11:03:03
Can someone provide the exact dimension of the case please? I am getting some custom wrist rest made!

Happily.

372.4mm wide
146.9mm deep
24.8mm tall/thick
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: madindehead on Sat, 09 September 2017, 15:39:05
Space Station White with Godspeed looks awesome. But, I had to go for a Retro Refrigerator. White cases are cool, but easier to find than Retro Refrigerator for sure :D Think I'll be picking up a Miami Dusk set to go with the Retro.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: poolside on Sat, 09 September 2017, 16:03:07
The R2.5 order page on shop.norbauer.com says that the GB is "ending midnight 10 September". Is that midnight as in end of the day (09/10 23:59pm PST) or does that mean that there are only 10 more hours to go?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 09 September 2017, 16:12:58
Space Station White with Godspeed looks awesome. But, I had to go for a Retro Refrigerator. White cases are cool, but easier to find than Retro Refrigerator for sure :D Think I'll be picking up a Miami Dusk set to go with the Retro.

Oh, sorry for the ambiguity. You can think of it as ending early on Monday morning.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: poolside on Sat, 09 September 2017, 16:20:38
Space Station White with Godspeed looks awesome. But, I had to go for a Retro Refrigerator. White cases are cool, but easier to find than Retro Refrigerator for sure :D Think I'll be picking up a Miami Dusk set to go with the Retro.

Oh, sorry for the ambiguity. You can think of it as ending early on Monday morning.

Ok, no rush then. Thanks  :thumb:
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: Stingray on Sat, 09 September 2017, 16:24:17
Hi,
I am looking at this GB with interest since R2.0. Before jumping into it, what are the Coolermaster keyboard models really compatible with this case ? It seems that the initiator of the topic has tested a CM Masterkeys PBT version (SGK-4005-KKCG1) that doesn't fit the case (mainboard is broader ?). Unfortunate because this new version provides more MX switches choices (like Green).
Is it also the case with actual Masterkeys Pro S RGB (SGK-6030-KKCR1-US) and Pro S white leds (SGK-4090-KKCR1-US) ? And with actual Rapid-i (SGK-4040-GKCR1) ?
Or do we need to stick with former versions of the compatibility list (Cm Masterkey Pro, Rapid-i and Novatouch SGK-5000-GKCT1).
Novatouch is not easy to find now but maybe I can buy one former model from a friend, of find a NOS of Masterkeys.
Thanks for any feedback !
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 09 September 2017, 19:03:48
Hi,
I am looking at this GB with interest since R2.0. Before jumping into it, what are the Coolermaster keyboard models really compatible with this case ? It seems that the initiator of the topic has tested a CM Masterkeys PBT version (SGK-4005-KKCG1) that doesn't fit the case (mainboard is broader ?). Unfortunate because this new version provides more MX switches choices (like Green).
Is it also the case with actual Masterkeys Pro S RGB (SGK-6030-KKCR1-US) and Pro S white leds (SGK-4090-KKCR1-US) ? And with actual Rapid-i (SGK-4040-GKCR1) ?
Or do we need to stick with former versions of the compatibility list (Cm Masterkey Pro, Rapid-i and Novatouch SGK-5000-GKCT1).
Novatouch is not easy to find now but maybe I can buy one former model from a friend, of find a NOS of Masterkeys.
Thanks for any feedback !

You've got those correct: Cm Masterkey Pro, Rapid-i and Novatouch. These are the boards that fit this case. :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: Cotay on Sat, 09 September 2017, 19:30:17

You've got those correct: Cm Masterkey Pro, Rapid-i and Novatouch. These are the boards that fit this case. :)

And to clarify regarding the Masterkeys Pro S, it is either the RGB or White LED version, correct?

Hi,
I am looking at this GB with interest since R2.0. Before jumping into it, what are the Coolermaster keyboard models really compatible with this case ? It seems that the initiator of the topic has tested a CM Masterkeys PBT version (SGK-4005-KKCG1) that doesn't fit the case (mainboard is broader ?). Unfortunate because this new version provides more MX switches choices (like Green).


You could always desolder the switches on the Masterkeys Pro S and install your switch of choice. That's what I'm doing with the RGB version since the LEDs are through hole SMD and don't need to be desoldered also. On the Pro S White version, the LEDs are through switch and would require one to desolder them as well, doubling the amount of effort. In my experience, when desoldering switches there is a greater danger of lifting pads from the LEDs than from the switches themselves.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 09 September 2017, 19:33:23
Hi,
I am looking at this GB with interest since R2.0. Before jumping into it, what are the Coolermaster keyboard models really compatible with this case ? It seems that the initiator of the topic has tested a CM Masterkeys PBT version (SGK-4005-KKCG1) that doesn't fit the case (mainboard is broader ?). Unfortunate because this new version provides more MX switches choices (like Green).
Is it also the case with actual Masterkeys Pro S RGB (SGK-6030-KKCR1-US) and Pro S white leds (SGK-4090-KKCR1-US) ? And with actual Rapid-i (SGK-4040-GKCR1) ?
Or do we need to stick with former versions of the compatibility list (Cm Masterkey Pro, Rapid-i and Novatouch SGK-5000-GKCT1).
Novatouch is not easy to find now but maybe I can buy one former model from a friend, of find a NOS of Masterkeys.
Thanks for any feedback !

You've got those correct: Cm Masterkey Pro, Rapid-i and Novatouch. These are the boards that fit this case. :)

And to clarify regarding the Masterkeys Pro S, it is either the RGB or White LED version, correct?

I actually didn't even know there was a White LED version. I thought that was basically the Rapid-i?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: Cotay on Sat, 09 September 2017, 19:54:54

I actually didn't even know there was a White LED version. I thought that was basically the Rapid-i?

Yeah, I guess it is essentially a Rapid-i, at least in function. Cooler Master's website lists the two version separately, one under the "Masterkeys Pro (RGB LEDs)" category and the other under the "Masterkeys Pro (Single Color)" category.

I would hope they are essentially the same PCB/Plate, but that assumption could prove dangerous.  :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 09 September 2017, 23:07:59

I actually didn't even know there was a White LED version. I thought that was basically the Rapid-i?

Yeah, I guess it is essentially a Rapid-i, at least in function. Cooler Master's website lists the two version separately, one under the "Masterkeys Pro (RGB LEDs)" category and the other under the "Masterkeys Pro (Single Color)" category.

I would hope they are essentially the same PCB/Plate, but that assumption could prove dangerous.  :)

Interesting. I would guess they're the same plate since they're the same model title, but the Masterkeys Pro S that I tested did indeed have RGB LEDs.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: Stingray on Sun, 10 September 2017, 02:01:09

I actually didn't even know there was a White LED version. I thought that was basically the Rapid-i?

Yeah, I guess it is essentially a Rapid-i, at least in function. Cooler Master's website lists the two version separately, one under the "Masterkeys Pro (RGB LEDs)" category and the other under the "Masterkeys Pro (Single Color)" category.

I would hope they are essentially the same PCB/Plate, but that assumption could prove dangerous.  :)

Interesting. I would guess they're the same plate since they're the same model title, but the Masterkeys Pro S that I tested did indeed have RGB LEDs.

In conclusion this is only the recent PBT version that didn't fit the case ?
The Masterkeys Pro S (with RGB) that proves ok is the same version that is currently sold ? (SGK-6030-KKCR1-US)
@Cotay The specs of the Rapid-i and the Masterkeys Pro S white leds seems very similar, maybe the casing presents different quality (but as we will not keep it...). It is clearly safer to stick with the Rapid-i (or a Novatouch if I find one available).
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING (Final hours)
Post by: madindehead on Sun, 10 September 2017, 06:23:59
I'm pretty sure that the Masterkeys Pro S RGB or White are the same keyboard, apart from the LEDS.

And yes, it's only the NEW PBT version that won't fit.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING (Final hours)
Post by: gregcake on Mon, 11 September 2017, 05:39:59
Hi Norbauer!

I placed an order for a royal wrinkle case. I'm having second thoughts on my choice of finish, thinking of changing it to a simple anodised black. Would you be able to do this?

Thanks!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: grandtheftspaceman on Mon, 11 September 2017, 08:28:07
Here is a quick photo of the Venice Beach color.
Show Image
(https://norbauercdn.blob.core.windows.net/webshares/coolermaster-tkl-case/venice-beach1.jpg)


I also had a bit of fun pairing a Retro Refrigerator top with a Venice Beach bottom, see here on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/BYtbS99A5wC/).

Yep, I'm gonna need one of these. Literally just got Retro Refrigerator last week too, lol.

Now to decide which one to keep... (or hunt down another Novatouch or Masterkeys Pro)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING (Final hours)
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 11 September 2017, 13:01:43
Hi Norbauer!

I placed an order for a royal wrinkle case. I'm having second thoughts on my choice of finish, thinking of changing it to a simple anodised black. Would you be able to do this?

Thanks!

Hey Greg. No problem. I got your PM and will adjust your order as soon as I catch up on my inbox. :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 11 September 2017, 14:42:15
Thanks everyone, as always, for supporting my project! The r2.5 group buy is now closed. If you missed out, I'll probably end up with some extras towards the end of the year; you can signup for notifications for a specific finish on the product page (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/cnc-aluminum-case-for-cooler-master-tkl-boards-round-2-5), or just join my email list (http://eepurl.com/cnnEwr).

I'll start working today on tallying up all the numbers and start preparing an order for the factory and powder shop. Stay tuned here for updates.

Thanks again, all. <3
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: millifoo on Mon, 11 September 2017, 15:31:23
And thank you, Mr. Norbauer, for running such a professional group buy.

Question: would it be possible to share the # of each color case (or even just by percentage)?  I'm sort of curious how "rare" my Galaxy Console will be ;-).

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 11 September 2017, 15:34:49
And thank you, Mr. Norbauer, for running such a professional group buy.

Question: would it be possible to share the # of each color case (or even just by percentage)?  I'm sort of curious how "rare" my Galaxy Console will be ;-).

Haha. Without looking up the numbers (which I haven't tabulated yet), I have glanced at the stats in Shopify as they've come through and I can confidently say: exceedingly rare. As in like <3%. :))
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: sinescroller on Tue, 12 September 2017, 06:15:02
Crap .. a Novatouch landed on my desk this morning .. argh .. Well I've signed up for notification on any spares. This looks lovely (teaches me not to be aware of EVERY GB going on on ALL of the sites at the same time :P)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, ORDERING
Post by: yqliang on Tue, 12 September 2017, 13:07:44
Show Image
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170906/ae7e174077f81671a04f3757abf99440.jpg)


I love the green. Very happy with both my cases so far!!

I want this so badly! This looks so gorgeous. But no luck this time lol.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: yqliang on Tue, 12 September 2017, 13:09:31
So glad I came across this group buy with such a quality case. Now I will be anxiously waiting for it with the Masterkeys already delivered. Great job Norbauer!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Tue, 12 September 2017, 18:35:00
And thank you, Mr. Norbauer, for running such a professional group buy.

Question: would it be possible to share the # of each color case (or even just by percentage)?  I'm sort of curious how "rare" my Galaxy Console will be ;-).

Haha. Without looking up the numbers (which I haven't tabulated yet), I have glanced at the stats in Shopify as they've come through and I can confidently say: exceedingly rare. As in like <3%. :))

Was the purple more successful? I know at least two or three of us that got it at least.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: Enoch on Wed, 13 September 2017, 14:49:14
And thank you, Mr. Norbauer, for running such a professional group buy.

Question: would it be possible to share the # of each color case (or even just by percentage)?  I'm sort of curious how "rare" my Galaxy Console will be ;-).

Haha. Without looking up the numbers (which I haven't tabulated yet), I have glanced at the stats in Shopify as they've come through and I can confidently say: exceedingly rare. As in like <3%. :))

Was the purple more successful? I know at least two or three of us that got it at least.

I got the purple, that makes one more :P
Title: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: funkybeat7 on Wed, 13 September 2017, 15:58:16

I've gotta find a Novatouch for myself in these next few months :D
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 13 September 2017, 16:14:51
And thank you, Mr. Norbauer, for running such a professional group buy.

Question: would it be possible to share the # of each color case (or even just by percentage)?  I'm sort of curious how "rare" my Galaxy Console will be ;-).

Haha. Without looking up the numbers (which I haven't tabulated yet), I have glanced at the stats in Shopify as they've come through and I can confidently say: exceedingly rare. As in like <3%. :))

Was the purple more successful? I know at least two or three of us that got it at least.

I got the purple, that makes one more :P

Those were surprisingly popular! I think like 10 or so people got one.  :confused:
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: poolside on Wed, 13 September 2017, 17:32:14
How many NT cases have been made in total over the three rounds, including Originative's orders from R1 and R2?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 13 September 2017, 18:16:41

I've gotta find a Novatouch for myself in these next few months :D

I believe that Originative has some of the only ones that are left anywhere, but I'm not sure if he's planning on ever selling them outside of cases. Might be worth contacting him though.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 13 September 2017, 18:17:59
Crap .. a Novatouch landed on my desk this morning .. argh .. Well I've signed up for notification on any spares.

I'll probably end up with a few towards the end of the year after I finally wrap the project up and tally all the numbers, make sure I've shipped everything out, and look around my house for spares. :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: funkybeat7 on Thu, 14 September 2017, 21:23:33

I've gotta find a Novatouch for myself in these next few months :D

I believe that Originative has some of the only ones that are left anywhere, but I'm not sure if he's planning on ever selling them outside of cases. Might be worth contacting him though.

I did contact Originative and alas, you were correct about them saving the boards for more of your cases haha. Oh well, I just have to try even harder on /r/mm or something!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: jnav on Fri, 15 September 2017, 00:29:48
Norbauer, I just want to say thank you for making these cases a reality, and for doing one more round for those of us who were late to the party (or wanted to go another round). I'm really looking forward to receiving the cases I purchased—they're like works of art. I know this is probably a ton of work on your end, so again, thanks for making this happen, and I'm really looking forward to watching your future projects materialize.
  :thumb:
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 15 September 2017, 16:09:29
Norbauer, I just want to say thank you for making these cases a reality, and for doing one more round for those of us who were late to the party (or wanted to go another round). I'm really looking forward to receiving the cases I purchased—they're like works of art. I know this is probably a ton of work on your end, so again, thanks for making this happen, and I'm really looking forward to watching your future projects materialize.
  :thumb:

Wow. Thank you so much for those incredibly kind words! To say that it's a ton of work doesn't begin to capture it, but ultimately it's a lot of fun and I'm always glad I did it--at least when each round is over. :) Seriously, your support and words of encouragement are enormously appreciated, jnav.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: codywanks on Fri, 15 September 2017, 16:55:57
Hi Ryan, did you get my e-mail regarding packaging?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 15 September 2017, 16:58:27
Hi Ryan, did you get my e-mail regarding packaging?

Yes, sorry; still trying to get caught up on my inbox. I should have a spare box that I could sell you, no problem. They cost me around $10 each, and I'm happy to just sell you one at that cost.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: funkybeat7 on Sat, 23 September 2017, 21:30:47
Hi everyone,

I have something I wanted to ask the people here in this thread who are more knowledgable on this topic compared to me. So I managed to get my hands on a Novatouch which is great, the downside is that the "ESC" key seems to not work. I asked the previous owner and they did not have any problems with this key. I used it in Switch Hitter and the ESC key was not registering. Now I am not very experienced in topre boards so I asked around for some advice and the consensus was that maybe there was a misaligned dome. So I looked up the best way to realign the domes and did that (the board had already been taken apart before so the warranty was already voided). Every key still works except the ESC key. I wanted to ask here what my options might be, I would like a fully functional board and am willing to pay a reasonable price to get it working as I like the topre feel and Novatouch's are hard to come by now. Would it be possible to send into Cooler Master and have them fix it and just pay the fee outright instead of relying on warranty to cover it? Thanks for any input on this situation.

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: codywanks on Sun, 24 September 2017, 17:20:25
...Every key still works except the ESC key.

Check to see if there is still a spring underneath the ESC key dome.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: funkybeat7 on Sun, 24 September 2017, 17:22:11
...Every key still works except the ESC key.

Check to see if there is still a spring underneath the ESC key dome.
Yep, I did that and there is, I've also re aligned the springs. Making sure every one is in place where it's supposed to be with its dome. Every key except the ESC is so working fine. Thanks for a the suggestion though, I'll take whatever help I can get


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: codywanks on Sun, 24 September 2017, 17:38:30
...I'll take whatever help I can get

Might be worth swapping the ESC spring with another spring (say F1) just to confirm there's nothing wrong with it.

After that, check to see if there's a damaged trace on the PCB anywhere near ESC (the top side, i.e. where the PCB mates with the dome sheet).

IINM there should be two traces starting from the 7 and 8-o'clock positions relative to the ESC white circle, heading upwards.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: millifoo on Sun, 24 September 2017, 17:41:06
Quote
I asked the previous owner and they did not have any problems with this key. (the board had already been taken apart before

If you can't get it working...

Did the previous owner disclose that they'd opened the board? IMO, it's really on them to fix this. If you paid with paypal, you have some oomph behind getting them to make this right.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: funkybeat7 on Sun, 24 September 2017, 17:59:37
...I'll take whatever help I can get

Might be worth swapping the ESC spring with another spring (say F1) just to confirm there's nothing wrong with it.

After that, check to see if there's a damaged trace on the PCB anywhere near ESC (the top side, i.e. where the PCB mates with the dome sheet).

IINM there should be two traces starting from the 7 and 8-o'clock positions relative to the ESC white circle, heading upwards.

okay, I'll look closer at the PCB when I take it apart this evening. I took some photos the last time I had it apart this morning. There didn't appear to be any damage around the ESC key area. https://imgur.com/a/v7KCH
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: funkybeat7 on Sun, 24 September 2017, 18:22:32
Quote
I asked the previous owner and they did not have any problems with this key. (the board had already been taken apart before

If you can't get it working...

Did the previous owner disclose that they'd opened the board? IMO, it's really on them to fix this. If you paid with paypal, you have some oomph behind getting them to make this right.


The original selling post was on Reddit but it was removed since he put it on /mm but didn't have a price so it was removed so I no longer have access to the seller's original wording. Either way the board had been taken apart previously as the warranty sticker was missing and the obvious hole through the large sticker on the back. Also there was tape on the PCB in multiple places like he couldn't get the springs to stay where they needed to be. Since the ESC key isn't functioning would it be ridiculous to ask for my money back if I can't get it functioning this week? I did pay a fair amount for this so getting a semi non-functional board is sad. I'm going to try what another user instructed and try to orient the springs properly, also I'm going to call CM support as well and see what they could offer as I just want a functional NovaTouch.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: millifoo on Sun, 24 September 2017, 19:17:21
Quote
Also there was tape on the PCB in multiple places like he couldn't get the springs to stay where they needed to be.

If he didnt disclose all of this (the opening of the board, taping down the rubber dome sheet) - I'd ask for a full refund regardless since he wasn't up-front that he'd hacked on the keyboard. That should have been made very clear. Heck, I'd ask for a refund since the ESC doesn't work. If he says 'no', open a paypal dispute.

ProTip: in the future take a screenshot of the sales post on MM for future reference. 99.9% of deals go through without problems, but better to be safe if you turn out to be the .01%

Quote
The original selling post was on Reddit but it was removed since he put it on /mm but didn't have a price so it was removed

If it was just removed by the mods, it may still show on his user page. Go to the users home page (e.g. /u/<username>) and hit the submissions button, it may still show up there unless they deleted it on their own.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: nineleveno on Sun, 24 September 2017, 19:38:11
Quote
I asked the previous owner and they did not have any problems with this key. (the board had already been taken apart before

If you can't get it working...

Did the previous owner disclose that they'd opened the board? IMO, it's really on them to fix this. If you paid with paypal, you have some oomph behind getting them to make this right.


The original selling post was on Reddit but it was removed since he put it on /mm but didn't have a price so it was removed so I no longer have access to the seller's original wording. Either way the board had been taken apart previously as the warranty sticker was missing and the obvious hole through the large sticker on the back. Also there was tape on the PCB in multiple places like he couldn't get the springs to stay where they needed to be. Since the ESC key isn't functioning would it be ridiculous to ask for my money back if I can't get it functioning this week? I did pay a fair amount for this so getting a semi non-functional board is sad. I'm going to try what another user instructed and try to orient the springs properly, also I'm going to call CM support as well and see what they could offer as I just want a functional NovaTouch.

Was it this one? https://www.reddit.com/r/mechmarket/comments/715usd/usnch_cm_novatouch_w_paypal/

If so, this was the text of the post, according to my logs (I have RSS alerts set up for certain things in mechmarket):

Quote
Time stamp

Original box
Limited on and off use (maybe 12 total hours)
Opened a few times
Fully functional as of typing
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: funkybeat7 on Sun, 24 September 2017, 19:40:15
Quote
I asked the previous owner and they did not have any problems with this key. (the board had already been taken apart before

If you can't get it working...

Did the previous owner disclose that they'd opened the board? IMO, it's really on them to fix this. If you paid with paypal, you have some oomph behind getting them to make this right.


The original selling post was on Reddit but it was removed since he put it on /mm but didn't have a price so it was removed so I no longer have access to the seller's original wording. Either way the board had been taken apart previously as the warranty sticker was missing and the obvious hole through the large sticker on the back. Also there was tape on the PCB in multiple places like he couldn't get the springs to stay where they needed to be. Since the ESC key isn't functioning would it be ridiculous to ask for my money back if I can't get it functioning this week? I did pay a fair amount for this so getting a semi non-functional board is sad. I'm going to try what another user instructed and try to orient the springs properly, also I'm going to call CM support as well and see what they could offer as I just want a functional NovaTouch.

Was it this one? https://www.reddit.com/r/mechmarket/comments/715usd/usnch_cm_novatouch_w_paypal/

If so, this was the text of the post, according to my logs (I have RSS alerts set up for certain things in mechmarket):

Quote
Time stamp

Original box
Limited on and off use (maybe 12 total hours)
Opened a few times
Fully functional as of typing

YES! That was the one, I had actually looked at his profile prior to posting on here looking for the original wording. Thanks so much for helping as it would be harder to figure out the right action if I didn't have to original wording.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: funkybeat7 on Sun, 24 September 2017, 19:44:54
Quote
Also there was tape on the PCB in multiple places like he couldn't get the springs to stay where they needed to be.

If he didnt disclose all of this (the opening of the board, taping down the rubber dome sheet) - I'd ask for a full refund regardless since he wasn't up-front that he'd hacked on the keyboard. That should have been made very clear. Heck, I'd ask for a refund since the ESC doesn't work. If he says 'no', open a paypal dispute.

ProTip: in the future take a screenshot of the sales post on MM for future reference. 99.9% of deals go through without problems, but better to be safe if you turn out to be the .01%

Quote
The original selling post was on Reddit but it was removed since he put it on /mm but didn't have a price so it was removed

If it was just removed by the mods, it may still show on his user page. Go to the users home page (e.g. /u/<username>) and hit the submissions button, it may still show up there unless they deleted it on their own.

Okay, so Nineleveno has the original wording, I don't mind that it was opened and have no standing on it since he mentioned it before hand. I just want a functional board. If CM support can't help me tomorrow and fiddling with it trying to get the ESC key to work doesn't pan out it looks like I'll be asking for a refund. I did use paypal so I would be able to open a dispute with them and send the board back hopefully. It sucks because I am usually cautious but because the NovaTouch's are so hard to get now I jumped on it and just didn't really play it safe. Anyways it's another lesson learned. I appreciate all the advice because it really does help me a lot.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 25 September 2017, 12:46:54
Quote
Also there was tape on the PCB in multiple places like he couldn't get the springs to stay where they needed to be.

If he didnt disclose all of this (the opening of the board, taping down the rubber dome sheet) - I'd ask for a full refund regardless since he wasn't up-front that he'd hacked on the keyboard. That should have been made very clear. Heck, I'd ask for a refund since the ESC doesn't work. If he says 'no', open a paypal dispute.

ProTip: in the future take a screenshot of the sales post on MM for future reference. 99.9% of deals go through without problems, but better to be safe if you turn out to be the .01%

Quote
The original selling post was on Reddit but it was removed since he put it on /mm but didn't have a price so it was removed

If it was just removed by the mods, it may still show on his user page. Go to the users home page (e.g. /u/<username>) and hit the submissions button, it may still show up there unless they deleted it on their own.

Okay, so Nineleveno has the original wording, I don't mind that it was opened and have no standing on it since he mentioned it before hand. I just want a functional board. If CM support can't help me tomorrow and fiddling with it trying to get the ESC key to work doesn't pan out it looks like I'll be asking for a refund. I did use paypal so I would be able to open a dispute with them and send the board back hopefully. It sucks because I am usually cautious but because the NovaTouch's are so hard to get now I jumped on it and just didn't really play it safe. Anyways it's another lesson learned. I appreciate all the advice because it really does help me a lot.

Sorry to hear about your bad reddit experience in obtaining a working Novatouch; I recently bought one on eBay and had to pay waaaay to much for it. I just really wish CM would resurrect these so we don't have to pay extortionate prices for them--not that this has any chance of occurring. =\
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: funkybeat7 on Mon, 25 September 2017, 12:49:50
Quote
Also there was tape on the PCB in multiple places like he couldn't get the springs to stay where they needed to be.

If he didnt disclose all of this (the opening of the board, taping down the rubber dome sheet) - I'd ask for a full refund regardless since he wasn't up-front that he'd hacked on the keyboard. That should have been made very clear. Heck, I'd ask for a refund since the ESC doesn't work. If he says 'no', open a paypal dispute.

ProTip: in the future take a screenshot of the sales post on MM for future reference. 99.9% of deals go through without problems, but better to be safe if you turn out to be the .01%

Quote
The original selling post was on Reddit but it was removed since he put it on /mm but didn't have a price so it was removed

If it was just removed by the mods, it may still show on his user page. Go to the users home page (e.g. /u/<username>) and hit the submissions button, it may still show up there unless they deleted it on their own.

Okay, so Nineleveno has the original wording, I don't mind that it was opened and have no standing on it since he mentioned it before hand. I just want a functional board. If CM support can't help me tomorrow and fiddling with it trying to get the ESC key to work doesn't pan out it looks like I'll be asking for a refund. I did use paypal so I would be able to open a dispute with them and send the board back hopefully. It sucks because I am usually cautious but because the NovaTouch's are so hard to get now I jumped on it and just didn't really play it safe. Anyways it's another lesson learned. I appreciate all the advice because it really does help me a lot.

Sorry to hear about your bad reddit experience in obtaining a working Novatouch; I recently bought one on eBay and had to pay waaaay to much for it. I just really wish CM would resurrect these so we don't have to pay extortionate prices for them--not that this has any chance of occurring. =\

Thanks for the sympathy, I actually just got off the phone with CM about repairs and even though I was willing to cover repair costs they wouldn't be able to do it since the board has been opened and therefore not under warranty as to get it repaired I would have to have an RMA filed. I just sent the seller a message about a refund so hopefully there won't be any bad blood there in getting my money back. I'll just have to be more vigilant on what I buy in the future.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: millifoo on Thu, 28 September 2017, 16:41:12
Bummer that CM won't help. Can you imagine if a car company refused to work on your car because you opened the hood?

Anyway... back to the r2.5... Mr. N, is it too early to ask the GB is coming along? Not that I'm anxious or anything ;-).

<yes, I know... patience, grasshopper>
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 28 September 2017, 16:44:38
Anyway... back to the r2.5... Mr. N, is it too early to ask the GB is coming along? Not that I'm anxious or anything ;-).

<yes, I know... patience, grasshopper>

It's coming along quite well. The factory got the payment a few days ago and I worked out the last administrative/engineering details with the factory this week. Next week is the Mid-autumn Festival in China, but the actual machining will start as soon as they get back from the holiday. I think the boxes are either already being made or might actually even be done by now.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: funkybeat7 on Thu, 28 September 2017, 16:46:14
Anyway... back to the r2.5... Mr. N, is it too early to ask the GB is coming along? Not that I'm anxious or anything ;-).

<yes, I know... patience, grasshopper>

It's coming along quite well. The factory got the payment a few days ago and I worked out the last administrative/engineering details with the factory this week. Next week is the Mid-autumn Festival in China, but the actual machining will start as soon as they get back from the holiday. I think the boxes are either already being made or might actually even be done by now.
Hype train is chugging happily along :D


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: millifoo on Thu, 28 September 2017, 17:56:40
Speaking of the hype train (and I hate to thread-crap) - but is there an FC660c IC thread yet? I'm *very* interested in one of those.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: funkybeat7 on Thu, 28 September 2017, 19:39:51
So the deal with my NovaTouch is I got a partial refund for the board and I'm just going to keep it. Does anyone have experience with autohotkey and would be willing to give me some advice? I'd like to do something like make ESC Alt + F1.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: nineleveno on Thu, 28 September 2017, 19:58:33
So the deal with my NovaTouch is I got a partial refund for the board and I'm just going to keep it. Does anyone have experience with autohotkey and would be willing to give me some advice? I'd like to do something like make ESC Alt + F1.

I haven't done AutoHotkey in a while, but I think this should work for that (Alt+F1 = Esc):

Code: [Select]
!$F1::SendInput {Esc}
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: funkybeat7 on Thu, 28 September 2017, 20:02:13
So the deal with my NovaTouch is I got a partial refund for the board and I'm just going to keep it. Does anyone have experience with autohotkey and would be willing to give me some advice? I'd like to do something like make ESC Alt + F1.

I haven't done AutoHotkey in a while, but I think this should work for that (Alt+F1 = Esc):

Code: [Select]
!$F1::SendInput {Esc}
Thanks! I'll give it a shot, you're really coming in clutch these past few days for me :D
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: TerryMathews on Thu, 28 September 2017, 22:11:14
Bummer that CM won't help. Can you imagine if a car company refused to work on your car because you opened the hood?

That's why I recommend people not buy CoolerMaster, at least in the US. I got burned with an old CM Storm. CM USA will not do a swap or sell parts for an out of warranty board. If it's not listed on their site as an accessory, they will not sell it even if it is sold on other geography CM sites. In my case, I needed a replacement wrist rest attachment which was available from CM Europe.

I think CM USA might be a completely separate company that licensed the name a la Nintendo in a lot of countries in the 80s. At least that's the way they behave.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: funkybeat7 on Fri, 29 September 2017, 06:56:20
So the deal with my NovaTouch is I got a partial refund for the board and I'm just going to keep it. Does anyone have experience with autohotkey and would be willing to give me some advice? I'd like to do something like make ESC Alt + F1.

I haven't done AutoHotkey in a while, but I think this should work for that (Alt+F1 = Esc):

Code: [Select]
!$F1::SendInput {Esc}

The script works! Thanks so much nineleveno! At least now I can have a board that isn't missing all of its functions technically at a reduced price. Always gotta look at the bright side :D
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: millifoo on Tue, 17 October 2017, 10:23:19

Hola Sir Norbaur.. wanted to check in how the r2.5 manufacturing is coming along :-)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 17 October 2017, 15:01:50

Hola Sir Norbaur.. wanted to check in how the r2.5 manufacturing is coming along :-)

It's coming along just fine. :) The factory confirmed receipt of payment a few weeks ago and is on track to finish the machining sometime next month. The boxes are also currently being made and should be done around the same time.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: Peiweisgreat on Tue, 17 October 2017, 20:04:53

Hola Sir Norbaur.. wanted to check in how the r2.5 manufacturing is coming along :-)

It's coming along just fine. :) The factory confirmed receipt of payment a few weeks ago and is on track to finish the machining sometime next month. The boxes are also currently being made and should be done around the same time.

Nice! I was just about to check in today myself, glad that everything is going a-ok on your end.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: PurpleSkyz on Sun, 22 October 2017, 15:26:04
I need this in my life, is it still available?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: Evilocity on Sun, 22 October 2017, 15:31:49
I need this in my life, is it still available?
Originative is accepting orders!

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: PurpleSkyz on Sun, 22 October 2017, 16:35:03
I need this in my life, is it still available?
Originative is accepting orders!

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

Order placed thanks. Also just bough a brand new in box model M. I think I can see an expensive addiction pattern here...
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: Evilocity on Sat, 04 November 2017, 16:44:16
Mr. Norbauer, I sent you 2 emails about my order through your shop email. I hope you received it.

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 04 November 2017, 16:46:19
Mr. Norbauer, I sent you 2 emails about my order through your shop email. I hope you received it.

Yup, just a bit behind on my email the past couple of days due to the Galaxy Class keyset (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=92365.0) launch last week—will get back to you shortly. :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: Evilocity on Sat, 04 November 2017, 16:51:41
Mr. Norbauer, I sent you 2 emails about my order through your shop email. I hope you received it.

Yup, just a bit behind on my email the past couple of days due to the Galaxy Class keyset (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=92365.0) launch last week—will get back to you shortly. :)
Thank you sir!

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: millifoo on Sun, 05 November 2017, 13:22:15

Photoshop request from Rodde with a few more SA sets on Retro Refrige:

(https://i.imgur.com/ouVolf9.png)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: Rodde on Sun, 05 November 2017, 13:59:34

Photoshop request from Rodde with a few more SA sets on Retro Refrige:

Show Image
(https://i.imgur.com/ouVolf9.png)


Thanks again! Very helpful.

Still surprised the first three haven't popped up in real life yet, particularly Calm Depths!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: energyd on Sun, 05 November 2017, 15:47:22

Photoshop request from Rodde with a few more SA sets on Retro Refrige:

Show Image
(https://i.imgur.com/ouVolf9.png)


Thanks,
Gonna put GMK Aero on it. Should be good too.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: ihalatch on Sun, 05 November 2017, 15:48:20
Try SA Hyperfuse. It's fantastic.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: Enoch on Thu, 16 November 2017, 20:08:09
Try SA Hyperfuse. It's fantastic.
(https://scontent-ort2-2.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/21688658_271192816707544_7185032488622751744_n.jpg)
Yep, it looks great! (https://www.instagram.com/p/BZE-NxllOJe/)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: profanum429 on Sat, 18 November 2017, 14:56:54
I was wondering if there might be an extra box that I would be able to get a hold of? I've got a R1 case and a R2 Retro case and I'd love to be able to box up the spare :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 18 November 2017, 15:00:48
I was wondering if there might be an extra box that I would be able to get a hold of? I've got a R1 case and a R2 Retro case and I'd love to be able to box up the spare :)

If you don't mind one that's slightly dented, I'd be happy to send you one for like $5 + shipping. (FWIW, they actually cost like $10 per pc to produce.) Just send me an email. :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: madindehead on Sun, 19 November 2017, 07:52:27
I'm thinking about perhaps selling my spot for my Retro Refrigerator case. I can't afford it sadly. Anyone interested? I think norbauer can arrange a transfer of the buy quite easily?

Title: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 19 November 2017, 09:21:44
I'm thinking about perhaps selling my spot for my Retro Refrigerator case. I can't afford it sadly. Anyone interested? I think norbauer can arrange a transfer of the buy quite easily?

I’m happy to arrange it if someone wants to take over.

Incidentally, these are leaving the factory on Wednesday for inspection and boxing. Won’t be too long now. As usual, powder coat ones will take longer after they arrive here in California.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: energyd on Sun, 19 November 2017, 10:51:03
I'm thinking about perhaps selling my spot for my Retro Refrigerator case. I can't afford it sadly. Anyone interested? I think norbauer can arrange a transfer of the buy quite easily?

I’m happy to arrange it if someone wants to take over.

Incidentally, these are leaving the factory on Wednesday for inspection and boxing. Won’t be too long now. As usual, powder coat ones will take longer after they arrive here in California.

Do you have an estimate on when the powder coat ones would be shipped?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 19 November 2017, 10:53:44
I'm thinking about perhaps selling my spot for my Retro Refrigerator case. I can't afford it sadly. Anyone interested? I think norbauer can arrange a transfer of the buy quite easily?

I’m happy to arrange it if someone wants to take over.

Incidentally, these are leaving the factory on Wednesday for inspection and boxing. Won’t be too long now. As usual, powder coat ones will take longer after they arrive here in California.

Do you have an estimate on when the powder coat ones would be shipped?

Not specifically, unfortunately. The powder coating shop is highly variable in their turnaround times. Sometimes I'll drop stuff off and they'll turn it around in 2 days. Other times I'll drop off a batch and they'll sit on it for a month while taking care of other clients before even starting. I always try to keep leaning on them to turn things around quickly (I drop by like once a week), but they do such an amazing job compared to other shops I've found, I try not to piss them off too much. They're worth the wait. :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: energyd on Sun, 19 November 2017, 11:18:14
I'm thinking about perhaps selling my spot for my Retro Refrigerator case. I can't afford it sadly. Anyone interested? I think norbauer can arrange a transfer of the buy quite easily?

I’m happy to arrange it if someone wants to take over.

Incidentally, these are leaving the factory on Wednesday for inspection and boxing. Won’t be too long now. As usual, powder coat ones will take longer after they arrive here in California.

Do you have an estimate on when the powder coat ones would be shipped?

Not specifically, unfortunately. The powder coating shop is highly variable in their turnaround times. Sometimes I'll drop stuff off and they'll turn it around in 2 days. Other times I'll drop off a batch and they'll sit on it for a month while taking care of other clients before even starting. I always try to keep leaning on them to turn things around quickly (I drop by like once a week), but they do such an amazing job compared to other shops I've found, I try not to piss them off too much. They're worth the wait. :)

thx for the update.  :thumb: Hopefully my novatouch can get into his new home before Christamas
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: madindehead on Fri, 24 November 2017, 06:19:30
Still looking for someone who wants to buy a Retro Refrigerator case spot. Might have to post on Reddit or something, not sure how allowed that is though.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 24 November 2017, 10:18:55
Still looking for someone who wants to buy a Retro Refrigerator case spot. Might have to post on Reddit or something, not sure how allowed that is though.

It’s totally fine by me at least. :)

Incidentally, the r2.5 cases are being boxed today in Shenzhen, so I could have them as early as late next week, though perhaps the week following is more likely. I’ll get the anodized ones shipped quickly when they arrive and the ones for powder coating off to the shop.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: xine007 on Sat, 25 November 2017, 12:11:51
If anyone is interested, I have a spot in r2.5 for the tactical black anodized.  My novatouch hasn't seen as much use lately.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: floris on Sun, 26 November 2017, 08:57:05
If anyone is interested, I have a spot in r2.5 for the tactical black anodized.  My novatouch hasn't seen as much use lately.

Is the spot still available? I would like to take it.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: Idef1x on Mon, 27 November 2017, 06:54:25
Still looking for someone who wants to buy a Retro Refrigerator case spot. Might have to post on Reddit or something, not sure how allowed that is though.

I might be interested, I will throw you a PM.

EDIT: Sorry for any inconveniences - I jumped off the offer. Madindehead is still looking for a buyer for his lovely Retro Refrigerator case.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: a_ak57 on Wed, 29 November 2017, 08:32:28
Suppose I'll get in line for a Tactical Black spot if one were to open up.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 29 November 2017, 10:16:26
Quick update: the r2.5 anodized cases (and unfinished cases for powder coating in California) shipped to me today from Shenzhen. :) This means that, barring any customs delays, anodized cases will ship early December. The r2.5 powder cases will go off to the shop as soon as those arrive, and hopefully won't take too long.

After all is said and done, I'll have a few extras, which I'll throw up in my shop. If interested, you can sign up for an in-stock notification (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/cnc-aluminum-case-for-cooler-master-tkl-boards-round-2-5).
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: aeryxz on Wed, 29 November 2017, 14:32:36
Cool, signed up for a few colours. Hoping to snag an extra :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: profanum429 on Mon, 04 December 2017, 20:47:57
Has anyone thrown SA Jukebox onto a Retro Refrigerator case yet? I'm wondering if the greens are different enough that it'll look odd? Trying to decide if I want to hunt down a Jukebox set again...
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: Peiweisgreat on Fri, 08 December 2017, 03:19:25
How do the cases look? Should we be expecting any delays because some of them didnt pass your QC or is it just smooth sailing from here?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: mustcode on Fri, 08 December 2017, 03:30:29
Has anyone thrown SA Jukebox onto a Retro Refrigerator case yet? I'm wondering if the greens are different enough that it'll look odd? Trying to decide if I want to hunt down a Jukebox set again...
I did a quick google image search and I'm actually surprise there isn't more pictures of the retro refrigerator case. I heard it was one of the more popular color choice. All ya lucky owners need to get those camera rolling :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 08 December 2017, 10:23:18
How do the cases look? Should we be expecting any delays because some of them didnt pass your QC or is it just smooth sailing from here?

The cases all passed inspection by my third-party inspection firm in Shenzhen, which generally does an amazing job (and has rejected cases from this same manufacturer in the past when they weren't up to par). However, last time that firm did miss one particular category of problem that was perhaps too subtle for most people to consider it a defect (but one that, when I caught it in person, I treated as a defect anyway and offered replacements to everyone affected). So there is still always a chance I'll catch something that the inspection people didn't, which is why I prefer to personally look each one over quickly before sending it on its final way. But so far the results are encouraging. They're still in transit and I'm just waiting for them to show up at my door. :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: profanum429 on Fri, 08 December 2017, 14:37:36
Has anyone thrown SA Jukebox onto a Retro Refrigerator case yet? I'm wondering if the greens are different enough that it'll look odd? Trying to decide if I want to hunt down a Jukebox set again...
I did a quick google image search and I'm actually surprise there isn't more pictures of the retro refrigerator case. I heard it was one of the more popular color choice. All ya lucky owners need to get those camera rolling :)

Well, I couldn't resist so I got ahold of a Jukebox set and will hopefully be receiving it tomorrow. I'll post a picture of two of the Retro Refrigerator + Jukebox once I get it on the board :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: profanum429 on Sat, 09 December 2017, 20:39:23
As promised, Jukebox on a Retro Refrigerator case.

(https://i.imgur.com/LTXx2SD.jpg)

I think it turned out pretty good :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: energyd on Sat, 09 December 2017, 22:01:40
Nice! But in general I think the Retro Refrigerator is hard match
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: zslane on Sun, 10 December 2017, 11:06:47
Yeah, it doesn't appear quite green enough to match the Jukebox BBQ keycaps. Still, it's quite a striking combination.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Sun, 10 December 2017, 22:14:23
I have Calm Depths and Nautilus on the way, I plan on posting some pictures once they arrive to show what they look like with RR. From a color matching perspective, I'd say that ABS green VBV is about as close as you can get (it is used on Abyss, look at the arrow cluster). It is a hint lighter but it is still closer than BBQ. See below (spacebar is BBQ, arrow is VBV)

(https://i.imgur.com/a9uZtGW.jpg)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: aspenc4 on Mon, 11 December 2017, 05:32:03
I have Calm Depths and Nautilus on the way, I plan on posting some pictures once they arrive to show what they look like with RR. From a color matching perspective, I'd say that ABS green VBV is about as close as you can get (it is used on Abyss, look at the arrow cluster). It is a hint lighter but it is still closer than BBQ. See below (spacebar is BBQ, arrow is VBV)

Show Image
(https://i.imgur.com/a9uZtGW.jpg)


Theeriecold’s RR with Abyss is gorgeous; it’s as if the two were made for each other.

Since he won’t mention it (being the modest fellow he is), I’ll toss it out there. That board won best in show at the DC meetup last week.

If such a thing as “End Game” exists, it’s about as close as I’ve seen in person.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: regionfree on Wed, 13 December 2017, 02:43:58
everything's lining up! nautilus has shipped, and I already have my bke redux domes! just need to get a set of hyperspheres to silence these snappy domes (tried the kbdfans x-rings and they can't handle it).
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Sat, 16 December 2017, 17:57:11
Finally got a chance to put Nautilus on, I did not like the way that the yellow or novelty keys looked on it so I removed them.

(https://i.imgur.com/jjtJwRI.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/W6CJRtm.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/OlvfKml.jpg)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: zslane on Sat, 16 December 2017, 19:47:33
Nautilus probably matches up better with Galactic Blue.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Sat, 16 December 2017, 20:50:17
I agree completely, the yellow keys are somewhat off-putting on Retro but probably work well with a darker colored case. Figured I'd post a few pictures for anyone who was wondering (back in the trays it goes!)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 19 December 2017, 12:06:41
Quick update: customs clearance complete and domestic tracking is now live. It says r2.5 cases shall arrive to me at the end of this week. My domestic life is a bit busy with the holiday prep right now, but I'll try to turn the anodized cases around within just a few days of arriving to me, and get the last batch of cases destined for powder coat off to the shop before they go on holiday break.

After following up with the logistics company, it turns out that the trans-Pacific shipment took more than twice as long as it was supposed to due to some snafu in how they partitioned the weight between pallets, causing it to be broken up into two shipments that went in sequence rather than together. As always when things take longer than the estimates I was originally given by vendors, my apologies that I couldn't ship sooner. But at least I'll be getting most of these out before the end of the year, and the remaining r2.5 powder colors hopefully soon(ish) thereafter. :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: autobot on Tue, 19 December 2017, 15:47:36
Quick update: customs clearance complete and domestic tracking is now live. It says r2.5 cases shall arrive to me at the end of this week. My domestic life is a bit busy with the holiday prep right now, but I'll try to turn the anodized cases around within just a few days of arriving to me, and get the last batch of cases destined for powder coat off to the shop before they go on holiday break.

After following up with the logistics company, it turns out that the trans-Pacific shipment took more than twice as long as it was supposed to due to some snafu in how they partitioned the weight between pallets, causing it to be broken up into two shipments that went in sequence rather than together. As always when things take longer than the estimates I was originally given by vendors, my apologies that I couldn't ship sooner. But at least I'll be getting most of these out before the end of the year, and the remaining r2.5 powder colors hopefully soon(ish) thereafter. :)

No worries! Longest lead items for my builds (Astro Purp & Venice Beach) are GMK Laser. I can wait.  :p
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: weaksauce on Fri, 29 December 2017, 00:41:29
Please let me know if any spot for Tactical black are open :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 29 December 2017, 01:17:25
Please let me know if any spot for Tactical black are open :)

All but two of the eight r2.5 shipment boxes have actually already arrived and I've now shipped everything that has arrived to me. I'm just waiting for the last ones to show up. I think they were perhaps held up in customs—the freight forwarder is currently investigating and is supposed to let me know what's up ASAP.

I'll likely have a few extras up in my shop—barring any catastrophes—around the middle to end of January, if I had to guess right now. I'll announce on my list (http://norbauer.com/list) as soon as they're up.

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: weaksauce on Fri, 29 December 2017, 01:51:34
Please let me know if any spot for Tactical black are open :)

All but two of the eight r2.5 shipment boxes have actually already arrived and I've now shipped everything that has arrived to me. I'm just waiting for the last ones to show up. I think they were perhaps held up in customs—the freight forwarder is currently investigating and is supposed to let me know what's up ASAP.

I'll likely have a few extras up in my shop—barring any catastrophes—around the middle to end of January, if I had to guess right now. I'll announce on my list (http://norbauer.com/list) as soon as they're up.

Thanks for the quick reply norbauer. I will be my toes for the update.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: Darknight00z on Sat, 30 December 2017, 06:20:22
Please let me know if any spot for Tactical black are open :)

All but two of the eight r2.5 shipment boxes have actually already arrived and I've now shipped everything that has arrived to me. I'm just waiting for the last ones to show up. I think they were perhaps held up in customs—the freight forwarder is currently investigating and is supposed to let me know what's up ASAP.

I'll likely have a few extras up in my shop—barring any catastrophes—around the middle to end of January, if I had to guess right now. I'll announce on my list (http://norbauer.com/list) as soon as they're up.

Extras!! nice I will pick up another one. Will there be any powder coated extras?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: Peiweisgreat on Sat, 30 December 2017, 17:56:39
Please let me know if any spot for Tactical black are open :)

All but two of the eight r2.5 shipment boxes have actually already arrived and I've now shipped everything that has arrived to me. I'm just waiting for the last ones to show up. I think they were perhaps held up in customs—the freight forwarder is currently investigating and is supposed to let me know what's up ASAP.

I'll likely have a few extras up in my shop—barring any catastrophes—around the middle to end of January, if I had to guess right now. I'll announce on my list (http://norbauer.com/list) as soon as they're up.

Sweet hopefully mine will arive early in the next week.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: syke on Sun, 31 December 2017, 11:17:43
Arghhh... I missed all drops!!!!...

Browsing on your website, lead me here on this forum. Great work on the cases, here's me really hoping there is a round 3 very soon!!!!!
Do say YES norbauer.

Please let me know if any spot for Tactical black are open :)

All but two of the eight r2.5 shipment boxes have actually already arrived and I've now shipped everything that has arrived to me. I'm just waiting for the last ones to show up. I think they were perhaps held up in customs—the freight forwarder is currently investigating and is supposed to let me know what's up ASAP.

I'll likely have a few extras up in my shop—barring any catastrophes—around the middle to end of January, if I had to guess right now. I'll announce on my list (http://norbauer.com/list) as soon as they're up.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 31 December 2017, 11:19:24
Arghhh... I missed all drops!!!!...

Browsing on your website, lead me here on this forum. Great work on the cases, here's me really hoping there is a round 3 very soon!!!!!
Do say YES norbauer.

Please let me know if any spot for Tactical black are open :)

All but two of the eight r2.5 shipment boxes have actually already arrived and I've now shipped everything that has arrived to me. I'm just waiting for the last ones to show up. I think they were perhaps held up in customs—the freight forwarder is currently investigating and is supposed to let me know what's up ASAP.

I'll likely have a few extras up in my shop—barring any catastrophes—around the middle to end of January, if I had to guess right now. I'll announce on my list (http://norbauer.com/list) as soon as they're up.

I will likely have a few extras in the next few weeks: make sure you’re on my list (http://norbauer.com/list). :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: syke on Sun, 31 December 2017, 12:12:42
Sweet!!!  ;D

I have subscribed to your mailing list and I will be visiting your website regularly...
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Thu, 04 January 2018, 12:38:34
I don't see it mentioned anywhere but did you already drop off the cases that were to be powder coated or are you still waiting for those to arrive?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 04 January 2018, 12:40:23
I don't see it mentioned anywhere but did you already drop off the cases that were to be powder coated or are you still waiting for those to arrive?

Yes, the powder cases all arrived and were dropped off before Christmas. I was actually just down at the shop last evening and the prep work had already begun (notwithstanding the holiday break they took).

There are still two of the eight boxes that haven't arrived to me yet, but those were all anodized cases. I've got the freight forwarder investigating now. I suspect a customs hold-up, but I haven't been able to get a definitive answer yet.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: regionfree on Fri, 05 January 2018, 01:41:21
Originative has started shipping their batch, it seems. I got notification from them hours ago about the black bundle I ordered. Really excited!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: nurbs on Fri, 05 January 2018, 16:19:30

Photoshop request from Rodde with a few more SA sets on Retro Refrige:

Show Image
(https://i.imgur.com/ouVolf9.png)


Nice mockup!

Has anyone tried SP's new DSA Seafoam with this? Looks like it would match.

https://pimpmykeyboard.com/dsa-seafoam-keyset/

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Fri, 05 January 2018, 17:44:43

Photoshop request from Rodde with a few more SA sets on Retro Refrige:

Show Image
(https://i.imgur.com/ouVolf9.png)


Nice mockup!

Has anyone tried SP's new DSA Seafoam with this? Looks like it would match.

https://pimpmykeyboard.com/dsa-seafoam-keyset/

Not a great match honestly..

(https://i.imgur.com/EGIVmkG.jpg)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: PurpleSkyz on Fri, 05 January 2018, 19:10:04
Originative has started shipping their batch, it seems. I got notification from them hours ago about the black bundle I ordered. Really excited!

Originative is shipping. Got black with novatouch bundle (already owned one but wanted another cause...why not) And GMK Dolch. Im pretty excited too.

Thanks to whoever told me Originative had that deal going on in this thread when I said I needed this in my life (And norbauer obviously).
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: corygrapher on Fri, 05 January 2018, 23:21:59
Will there be a r3 in the future?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: PurpleSkyz on Mon, 08 January 2018, 12:53:41
Finally:

The black and white is a Combo of GMK Dolch and GMK Honeywell (selling the GMKs left overs if anyone is interested BTW. 'Cause case, plus keyboard, plus 2 GMK sets and import tax for one keyboard is damn expensive).

(https://i.imgur.com/v42FkIw.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/F0JBQPq.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/Vpc7XPK.jpg)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: autobot on Mon, 08 January 2018, 15:04:31
Sooooo...I splurged on HKP Laser drop, and photoshopped them on my dream board...Laaaaaser! On Astrophysical Purple!

Of course the keys would never illuminate this perfectly, but gets the idea across of my board come June. Now I just need to have a friend cut some vinyl for the RAD sticker. I'm getting super excited for next summer!:

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4664/25712558468_528c4427f1_b.jpg)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: turbosloth on Tue, 09 January 2018, 01:38:27
Any update on those last 2 boxes, are they still stuck in customs? I'm assuming mine is in there somewhere. Thanks for running this buy, Norbauer, I can't wait to finally have it in my hands.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: strigif0rm3s on Tue, 09 January 2018, 10:42:29
Arghhh... I missed all drops!!!!...

Browsing on your website, lead me here on this forum. Great work on the cases, here's me really hoping there is a round 3 very soon!!!!!
Do say YES norbauer.

Please let me know if any spot for Tactical black are open :)

All but two of the eight r2.5 shipment boxes have actually already arrived and I've now shipped everything that has arrived to me. I'm just waiting for the last ones to show up. I think they were perhaps held up in customs—the freight forwarder is currently investigating and is supposed to let me know what's up ASAP.

I'll likely have a few extras up in my shop—barring any catastrophes—around the middle to end of January, if I had to guess right now. I'll announce on my list (http://norbauer.com/list) as soon as they're up.

I will likely have a few extras in the next few weeks: make sure you’re on my list (http://norbauer.com/list). :)

Hey There Ryan,
I'm in on your Norbaforce and would love a Norbatouch. Please let me know if you have any extra.
I'm subscribed to your list. Will you announce there or just sneak them onto the store?

Thanks for all you do man, you really are appreciated by the community, especially me. hhahh. Thanks again.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: regionfree on Tue, 09 January 2018, 17:01:03
You guys might want to check Oco. I managed to grab a retro refrigerator nova bundle yesterday.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 09 January 2018, 17:54:19
Any update on those last 2 boxes, are they still stuck in customs? I'm assuming mine is in there somewhere. Thanks for running this buy, Norbauer, I can't wait to finally have it in my hands.

I keep trying to get answers, and honestly it's a bit frustrating that I haven't yet, but I won't give up. Please hang in there with me just a bit longer. Also, don't worry: if for some odd (unlikely) reason the cases are lost,  I promise to refund or replace. If that were the case and I needed to supply some folks with replacements, as much as I kind of dread the notion, I suppose I could always do a round 2.517843. >_<

FWIW, I did spend two hours on the phone with UPS yesterday, which of course the freight forwarder insisted I do (claiming UPS should have and know where the packages are), only to be told that in only the freight forwarder can initiate an investigation in situations where there hasn't been a UPS origin scan yet. So the forwarder should be contacting UPS to sort it out right now. Of course, the time delay with Asia makes everything take longer than it should, but best I can do is keep pestering them. Honestly, my suspicion is that it's sitting in the freight forwarder's warehouse, having cleared customs, and just hasn't been given to UPS for it because it somehow got pulled out of the normal processing stream, and they just need to go look for it. But it may take them a few days for them to come to that conclusion themselves. =\  I still find it totally weird that all but two of the boxes arrived just fine.

In any case, apologies for the delay.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 09 January 2018, 18:00:19
Arghhh... I missed all drops!!!!...

Browsing on your website, lead me here on this forum. Great work on the cases, here's me really hoping there is a round 3 very soon!!!!!
Do say YES norbauer.

Please let me know if any spot for Tactical black are open :)

All but two of the eight r2.5 shipment boxes have actually already arrived and I've now shipped everything that has arrived to me. I'm just waiting for the last ones to show up. I think they were perhaps held up in customs—the freight forwarder is currently investigating and is supposed to let me know what's up ASAP.

I'll likely have a few extras up in my shop—barring any catastrophes—around the middle to end of January, if I had to guess right now. I'll announce on my list (http://norbauer.com/list) as soon as they're up.

I will likely have a few extras in the next few weeks: make sure you’re on my list (http://norbauer.com/list). :)

Hey There Ryan,
I'm in on your Norbaforce and would love a Norbatouch. Please let me know if you have any extra.
I'm subscribed to your list. Will you announce there or just sneak them onto the store?

Thanks for all you do man, you really are appreciated by the community, especially me. hhahh. Thanks again.

I will announce them on the list (http://norbauer.com/list), but I want to wait until I get the two delayed boxes sorted out, so it'll likely be a couple more weeks before I tackle sorting out how many, if any, are left.

Many thanks for the kind words, and for your support of my work! I appreciate it very much. :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: strigif0rm3s on Tue, 09 January 2018, 20:02:57
Arghhh... I missed all drops!!!!...

Browsing on your website, lead me here on this forum. Great work on the cases, here's me really hoping there is a round 3 very soon!!!!!
Do say YES norbauer.

Please let me know if any spot for Tactical black are open :)

All but two of the eight r2.5 shipment boxes have actually already arrived and I've now shipped everything that has arrived to me. I'm just waiting for the last ones to show up. I think they were perhaps held up in customs—the freight forwarder is currently investigating and is supposed to let me know what's up ASAP.

I'll likely have a few extras up in my shop—barring any catastrophes—around the middle to end of January, if I had to guess right now. I'll announce on my list (http://norbauer.com/list) as soon as they're up.

I will likely have a few extras in the next few weeks: make sure you’re on my list (http://norbauer.com/list). :)

Hey There Ryan,
I'm in on your Norbaforce and would love a Norbatouch. Please let me know if you have any extra.
I'm subscribed to your list. Will you announce there or just sneak them onto the store?

Thanks for all you do man, you really are appreciated by the community, especially me. hhahh. Thanks again.

I will announce them on the list (http://norbauer.com/list), but I want to wait until I get the two delayed boxes sorted out, so it'll likely be a couple more weeks before I tackle sorting out how many, if any, are left.

Many thanks for the kind words, and for your support of my work! I appreciate it very much. :)
Sounds good. Thanks a lot man. I'll bug you in a bit

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 10 January 2018, 21:24:58
Excellent news! The factory found the remaining two boxes of anodized cases somewhere here in California and will be handing them over to UPS with haste. :) As soon as I have them, I'll turn them around ASAP.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: strigif0rm3s on Thu, 11 January 2018, 05:45:48
Excellent news! The factory found the remaining two boxes of anodized cases somewhere here in California and will be handing them over to UPS with haste. :) As soon as I have them, I'll turn them around ASAP.
I'm very excited and I didn't even have one ordered. Hoping to get one of the few remaining extras if there are any.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: playtech1 on Sat, 13 January 2018, 18:39:47
Finally got around to putting together two of my three cases (thanks Norbauer - these cases are ace!).

Was struggling to find a decent keyset for the Retro Refrigerator, until I remembered I had the Tao-Hao Miami set somewhere...

Will take the rather more sombre Enigma Black with Honeywell to work!

https://imgur.com/gallery/D51mu
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: strigif0rm3s on Sat, 13 January 2018, 18:45:26
Finally got around to putting together two of my three cases (thanks Norbauer - these cases are ace!).

Was struggling to find a decent keyset for the Retro Refrigerator, until I remembered I had the Tao-Hao Miami set somewhere...

Will take the rather more sombre Enigma Black with Honeywell to work!

https://imgur.com/gallery/D51mu
Beautiful

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: strigif0rm3s on Sat, 13 January 2018, 19:26:23
Hey all,
Looking for someone who possibly changed their minds on the case. If so, text me. 512-350-7523.
I'd love to buy it, for the right price and color.
Thanks!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: Rumblehotep on Sat, 13 January 2018, 20:12:39
You guys might want to check Oco. I managed to grab a retro refrigerator nova bundle yesterday.
Do you know the turnaround on Originative's shipping?  I snagged one of these bundles on the 6th but haven't heard anything from them since order confirmation.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: jnav on Sun, 14 January 2018, 00:08:29
Hi Ryan, sorry if I missed this in an earlier post but have you actually started shipping any of the finished r2.5 powder coat cases yet or are they still being finished at the powder coat facility? I'm seeing some posts from users with what look like powder coat finishes but maybe these are from a previous GB? Thanks!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 14 January 2018, 00:10:27
Hi Ryan, sorry if I missed this in an earlier post but have you actually started shipping any of the finished r2.5 powder coat cases yet or are they still being finished at the powder coat facility? I'm seeing some posts from users with what look like powder coat finishes but maybe these are from a previous GB? Thanks!

Yes, those are from r2. No r2.5 powder cases have shipped yet (though most of the anodized have shipped). They are, however, in process at the workshop and I can confirm that, as of Friday when I last spoke to the shop, progress was being made on them. :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: jnav on Sun, 14 January 2018, 08:50:00
Thank you!
 :thumb:
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: ZayaCaps on Wed, 17 January 2018, 23:33:39
Sad to have missed this sale, so I joined the list to make sure I catch the next. Great work norbauer :thumb:
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: strigif0rm3s on Thu, 18 January 2018, 05:22:57
Hi Ryan, sorry if I missed this in an earlier post but have you actually started shipping any of the finished r2.5 powder coat cases yet or are they still being finished at the powder coat facility? I'm seeing some posts from users with what look like powder coat finishes but maybe these are from a previous GB? Thanks!

Yes, those are from r2. No r2.5 powder cases have shipped yet (though most of the anodized have shipped). They are, however, in process at the workshop and I can confirm that, as of Friday when I last spoke to the shop, progress was being made on them. :)
Are you anticipating a few extra? If so, do you know the finishes on them?

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Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: HighNoon on Thu, 18 January 2018, 12:39:12
When you say no R2.5 powder cases have shipped yet, I assume that includes people who had R2 tactical gray replacements in a R2.5 color?

Any idea what the ETA is on those?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 18 January 2018, 12:41:53
When you say no R2.5 powder cases have shipped yet, I assume that includes people who had R2 tactical gray replacements in a R2.5 color?

Any idea what the ETA is on those?

Affirmative. The ETA would vary significantly (and somewhat randomly) based on the color you chose; some have already shipped. I just got back the Royal Wrinkle finishes yesterday, for example, and they're working their way down the list of other finishes. I believe Space Station White is next.

Incidentally, all the remaining anodized cases arrived to me yesterday afternoon, and I'll be shipping them out over the next day or so.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: HighNoon on Thu, 18 January 2018, 12:47:52
Thanks for the super quick reply Norbauer. I'm waiting on one enigma gray (r2 tactial gray replacement) and one astrophysical purple (actual r2.5 case). Hopefully those are soon in the powder shop's queue.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 18 January 2018, 12:50:33
Thanks for the super quick reply Norbauer. I'm waiting on one enigma gray (r2 tactial gray replacement) and one astrophysical purple (actual r2.5 case). Hopefully those are soon in the powder shop's queue.

No worries, and thanks again for your patience! As to the shop's ordering, I think it's up to their whim and fancy and whatever else they happen to be spraying that week (certain types of finishes require use of specific spray guns, etc.), so—for better or worse—it's always a surprise what I get back and when I get it. :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: zslane on Thu, 18 January 2018, 13:20:57
Any idea where in the queue my indigo blue case is?  :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 18 January 2018, 16:05:03
Any idea where in the queue my indigo blue case is?  :)

Yes, actually! Since that was a one-off, they mentioned in passing when I was there the other day that it was next up along with whatever larger batch they're doing at the same time.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: aspenc4 on Thu, 18 January 2018, 16:58:16
Any idea where in the queue my indigo blue case is?  :)

Yes, actually! Since that was a one-off, they mentioned in passing when I was there the other day that it was next up along with whatever larger batch they're doing at the same time.


You just made my day!!!


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Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: regionfree on Thu, 18 January 2018, 19:31:11
Finally set up my black Norbatouch from Oco :) Here's the sound test with hyperspheres.

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: Rumblehotep on Thu, 18 January 2018, 19:47:54
Sounds like a horse drawn carriage going over cobblestones in the rain, max comfy.
How do the spheres feel to you?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: strigif0rm3s on Thu, 18 January 2018, 19:54:28
Any idea where in the queue my indigo blue case is?  :)

Yes, actually! Since that was a one-off, they mentioned in passing when I was there the other day that it was next up along with whatever larger batch they're doing at the same time.
Have you found any extras yet???? If so do you know the finishes on them??

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Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: regionfree on Thu, 18 January 2018, 21:34:04
Sounds like a horse drawn carriage going over cobblestones in the rain, max comfy.
How do the spheres feel to you?

They feel okay, and I don't really feel the loss of travel/tactility that they say. It really improved the sound profile of the board. I noticed that the Novatouch's plate is thinner than Leopold/Realforce's, and that the slider housings also seem thinner than Leopold/HHKB/Realforce. I didn't like the stock sound.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Thu, 18 January 2018, 23:06:09
Getting excited.. I hope Astrophysical Purple is soon! Thanks for the update Norbauer!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: g_ken92 on Fri, 19 January 2018, 05:06:37
Hopefully there's an extra in the next couple of months. saw retro fridge available in the website but not enough fund to buy it now :/
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 19 January 2018, 13:03:19
I made a few remaining "Norbatouch" cases available as of today online (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/the-norbatouch-cnc-housing-for-cooler-master-tkl-boards) (including some spare riser feet). A handful of the anodized ones are in stock and ship within a few days. Powder will be finished-to-order (from already-completed, machined parts) with the usual turnaround of a couple of months. These are the last of the final ones I'm likely ever to make of this design (since Cooler Master has retired the underlying keyboard).

r2.5 update: I shipped the last batch of anodized cases yesterday. The r2.5 powder finishes are slowly but surely trickling out of the powder shop, and I'm shipping them as I get them. In short: I'm finally putting this one to bed! :) It's been a very fun project, but other designs and project have been calling to me, so it's nice to be wrapping things up here. Thanks, as always, everyone for your patience and support through this process. Once I get these last powder cases out the door over the coming weeks, it's on to new keyboard adventures! I hope some of you will come along with me for the ride.  :cool:
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: deterouni on Mon, 22 January 2018, 08:59:18
I made a few remaining "Norbatouch" cases available as of today online (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/the-norbatouch-cnc-housing-for-cooler-master-tkl-boards) (including some spare riser feet). A handful of the anodized ones are in stock and ship within a few days. Powder will be finished-to-order (from already-completed, machined parts) with the usual turnaround of a couple of months. These are the last of the final ones I'm likely ever to make of this design (since Cooler Master has retired the underlying keyboard).

r2.5 update: I shipped the last batch of anodized cases yesterday. The r2.5 powder finishes are slowly but surely trickling out of the powder shop, and I'm shipping them as I get them. In short: I'm finally putting this one to bed! :) It's been a very fun project, but other designs and project have been calling to me, so it's nice to be wrapping things up here. Thanks, as always, everyone for your patience and support through this process. Once I get these last powder cases out the door over the coming weeks, it's on to new keyboard adventures! I hope some of you will come along with me for the ride.  :cool:

By other projects any chance of that fc660c case?  :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 22 January 2018, 12:57:48
I made a few remaining "Norbatouch" cases available as of today online (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/the-norbatouch-cnc-housing-for-cooler-master-tkl-boards) (including some spare riser feet). A handful of the anodized ones are in stock and ship within a few days. Powder will be finished-to-order (from already-completed, machined parts) with the usual turnaround of a couple of months. These are the last of the final ones I'm likely ever to make of this design (since Cooler Master has retired the underlying keyboard).

r2.5 update: I shipped the last batch of anodized cases yesterday. The r2.5 powder finishes are slowly but surely trickling out of the powder shop, and I'm shipping them as I get them. In short: I'm finally putting this one to bed! :) It's been a very fun project, but other designs and project have been calling to me, so it's nice to be wrapping things up here. Thanks, as always, everyone for your patience and support through this process. Once I get these last powder cases out the door over the coming weeks, it's on to new keyboard adventures! I hope some of you will come along with me for the ride.  :cool:

By other projects any chance of that fc660c case?  :)

Yes.  :cool:
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: strigif0rm3s on Mon, 22 January 2018, 12:59:40
I made a few remaining "Norbatouch" cases available as of today online (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/the-norbatouch-cnc-housing-for-cooler-master-tkl-boards) (including some spare riser feet). A handful of the anodized ones are in stock and ship within a few days. Powder will be finished-to-order (from already-completed, machined parts) with the usual turnaround of a couple of months. These are the last of the final ones I'm likely ever to make of this design (since Cooler Master has retired the underlying keyboard).

r2.5 update: I shipped the last batch of anodized cases yesterday. The r2.5 powder finishes are slowly but surely trickling out of the powder shop, and I'm shipping them as I get them. In short: I'm finally putting this one to bed! :) It's been a very fun project, but other designs and project have been calling to me, so it's nice to be wrapping things up here. Thanks, as always, everyone for your patience and support through this process. Once I get these last powder cases out the door over the coming weeks, it's on to new keyboard adventures! I hope some of you will come along with me for the ride.  :cool:

By other projects any chance of that fc660c case?  :)

Yes.  :cool:
Crap. RIP wallet.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: MajorKoos on Mon, 22 January 2018, 13:23:32
FC660C case = instabuy :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: FSund on Mon, 22 January 2018, 13:53:43
Please consider adding room for the 1UP FC660C (https://1upkeyboards.com/fc660c-controller.html) controller in the upcoming case. Or, even better, include a custom controller in the box!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 22 January 2018, 13:56:04
Please consider adding room for the 1UP FC660C (https://1upkeyboards.com/fc660c-controller.html) controller in the upcoming case. Or, even better, include a custom controller in the box!

As far as I can tell, that one is a drop-in replacement for the sub-PCB that already comes with the FC660C. If so, I think all I need to do is design as normal for the included sub-PCB and the 1up controller should be compatible, no?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: autobot on Mon, 22 January 2018, 14:33:38
Please consider adding room for the 1UP FC660C (https://1upkeyboards.com/fc660c-controller.html) controller in the upcoming case. Or, even better, include a custom controller in the box!

As far as I can tell, that one is a drop-in replacement for the sub-PCB that already comes with the FC660C. If so, I think all I need to do is design as normal for the included sub-PCB and the 1up controller should be compatible, no?

Might be worth if a member with both pcb's confirm dimensions.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: energyd on Mon, 22 January 2018, 15:05:25
How I wish I could make the novatouch programmable
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: deterouni on Mon, 22 January 2018, 15:20:08
I made a few remaining "Norbatouch" cases available as of today online (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/the-norbatouch-cnc-housing-for-cooler-master-tkl-boards) (including some spare riser feet). A handful of the anodized ones are in stock and ship within a few days. Powder will be finished-to-order (from already-completed, machined parts) with the usual turnaround of a couple of months. These are the last of the final ones I'm likely ever to make of this design (since Cooler Master has retired the underlying keyboard).

r2.5 update: I shipped the last batch of anodized cases yesterday. The r2.5 powder finishes are slowly but surely trickling out of the powder shop, and I'm shipping them as I get them. In short: I'm finally putting this one to bed! :) It's been a very fun project, but other designs and project have been calling to me, so it's nice to be wrapping things up here. Thanks, as always, everyone for your patience and support through this process. Once I get these last powder cases out the door over the coming weeks, it's on to new keyboard adventures! I hope some of you will come along with me for the ride.  :cool:

By other projects any chance of that fc660c case?  :)

Yes.  :cool:

RIP Wallet! So excited. I'm in for at least 2.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: Peiweisgreat on Mon, 22 January 2018, 20:23:15
I made a few remaining "Norbatouch" cases available as of today online (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/the-norbatouch-cnc-housing-for-cooler-master-tkl-boards) (including some spare riser feet). A handful of the anodized ones are in stock and ship within a few days. Powder will be finished-to-order (from already-completed, machined parts) with the usual turnaround of a couple of months. These are the last of the final ones I'm likely ever to make of this design (since Cooler Master has retired the underlying keyboard).

r2.5 update: I shipped the last batch of anodized cases yesterday. The r2.5 powder finishes are slowly but surely trickling out of the powder shop, and I'm shipping them as I get them. In short: I'm finally putting this one to bed! :) It's been a very fun project, but other designs and project have been calling to me, so it's nice to be wrapping things up here. Thanks, as always, everyone for your patience and support through this process. Once I get these last powder cases out the door over the coming weeks, it's on to new keyboard adventures! I hope some of you will come along with me for the ride.  :cool:

By other projects any chance of that fc660c case?  :)

Yes.  :cool:

This will probably look amazing if the latest projects are any indicator. Haven't tried a 660c yet, so will add that to the list.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: macclack on Mon, 22 January 2018, 22:55:10
I made a few remaining "Norbatouch" cases available as of today online (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/the-norbatouch-cnc-housing-for-cooler-master-tkl-boards) (including some spare riser feet). A handful of the anodized ones are in stock and ship within a few days. Powder will be finished-to-order (from already-completed, machined parts) with the usual turnaround of a couple of months. These are the last of the final ones I'm likely ever to make of this design (since Cooler Master has retired the underlying keyboard).

r2.5 update: I shipped the last batch of anodized cases yesterday. The r2.5 powder finishes are slowly but surely trickling out of the powder shop, and I'm shipping them as I get them. In short: I'm finally putting this one to bed! :) It's been a very fun project, but other designs and project have been calling to me, so it's nice to be wrapping things up here. Thanks, as always, everyone for your patience and support through this process. Once I get these last powder cases out the door over the coming weeks, it's on to new keyboard adventures! I hope some of you will come along with me for the ride.  :cool:


By other projects any chance of that fc660c case?  :)

Yes.  :cool:

My mind was just blown.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: FSund on Tue, 23 January 2018, 00:35:15
Please consider adding room for the 1UP FC660C (https://1upkeyboards.com/fc660c-controller.html) controller in the upcoming case. Or, even better, include a custom controller in the box!

As far as I can tell, that one is a drop-in replacement for the sub-PCB that already comes with the FC660C. If so, I think all I need to do is design as normal for the included sub-PCB and the 1up controller should be compatible, no?

I don't have a FC660C (yet!), so I don't really know for sure. But from this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYmAb8zOPWU) it looks like you're correct, it's the same size as the original controller.

How I wish I could make the novatouch programmable

There actually is a way to make it programmable, via Hasu's USB-to-USB protocol converter (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=72052.0).
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: syke on Tue, 23 January 2018, 11:34:58
A pity the retro refrigerator color is not available.  :-[

I made a few remaining "Norbatouch" cases available as of today online (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/the-norbatouch-cnc-housing-for-cooler-master-tkl-boards) (including some spare riser feet). A handful of the anodized ones are in stock and ship within a few days. Powder will be finished-to-order (from already-completed, machined parts) with the usual turnaround of a couple of months. These are the last of the final ones I'm likely ever to make of this design (since Cooler Master has retired the underlying keyboard).

r2.5 update: I shipped the last batch of anodized cases yesterday. The r2.5 powder finishes are slowly but surely trickling out of the powder shop, and I'm shipping them as I get them. In short: I'm finally putting this one to bed! :) It's been a very fun project, but other designs and project have been calling to me, so it's nice to be wrapping things up here. Thanks, as always, everyone for your patience and support through this process. Once I get these last powder cases out the door over the coming weeks, it's on to new keyboard adventures! I hope some of you will come along with me for the ride.  :cool:

By other projects any chance of that fc660c case?  :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: strigif0rm3s on Tue, 23 January 2018, 11:37:56
A pity the retro refrigerator color is not available.  :-[

I made a few remaining "Norbatouch" cases available as of today online (https://shop.norbauer.com/products/the-norbatouch-cnc-housing-for-cooler-master-tkl-boards) (including some spare riser feet). A handful of the anodized ones are in stock and ship within a few days. Powder will be finished-to-order (from already-completed, machined parts) with the usual turnaround of a couple of months. These are the last of the final ones I'm likely ever to make of this design (since Cooler Master has retired the underlying keyboard).

r2.5 update: I shipped the last batch of anodized cases yesterday. The r2.5 powder finishes are slowly but surely trickling out of the powder shop, and I'm shipping them as I get them. In short: I'm finally putting this one to bed! :) It's been a very fun project, but other designs and project have been calling to me, so it's nice to be wrapping things up here. Thanks, as always, everyone for your patience and support through this process. Once I get these last powder cases out the door over the coming weeks, it's on to new keyboard adventures! I hope some of you will come along with me for the ride.  :cool:

By other projects any chance of that fc660c case?  :)
I got the last one ;)

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: zslane on Tue, 23 January 2018, 11:59:51
A pity the retro refrigerator color is not available.  :-[

Maybe. I mean, very few keycap sets actually seem to match up well with it. Its shade of green turned out to be a wee bit too idiosyncratic, I think.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 23 January 2018, 12:02:12
A pity the retro refrigerator color is not available.  :-[

Maybe. I mean, very few keycap sets actually seem to match up well with it. Its shade of green turned out to be a wee bit too idiosyncratic, I think.

My view is the color is best used with a complementary set rather than trying to match it precisely to a set in terms of color. It looks beautiful with plain old white and gray key caps, for example.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: zslane on Tue, 23 January 2018, 14:58:27
Yes, I agree completely!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: zslane on Thu, 25 January 2018, 15:30:23
My indigo blue case just arrived and it is stunning! :thumb:  :D

Thank you so much for running this one-off for me, Ryan.

As soon as I get a Novatouch installed in it and some keycaps put on, I will post some photos.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 26 January 2018, 12:45:19
My indigo blue case just arrived and it is stunning! :thumb:  :D

Thank you so much for running this one-off for me, Ryan.

As soon as I get a Novatouch installed in it and some keycaps put on, I will post some photos.

Yay! I'm so glad you're happy with it. It was quite a striking color.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: HighNoon on Fri, 26 January 2018, 12:57:12
Which powder colors from R2.5 have already shipped and which are still in progress?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 26 January 2018, 13:04:28
Which powder colors from R2.5 have already shipped and which are still in progress?

I've shipped most Retros, Royal wrinkles, and Enigma blacks, but there are still a few stragglers in those due to a few I returned to the powder shop to be recoated after I inspected them. White and enigma gray are next in line.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: HighNoon on Fri, 26 January 2018, 13:11:34
Thanks for the update!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: strigif0rm3s on Fri, 26 January 2018, 13:20:29
Which powder colors from R2.5 have already shipped and which are still in progress?

I've shipped most Retros, Royal wrinkles, and Enigma blacks, but there are still a few stragglers in those due to a few I returned to the powder shop to be recoated after I inspected them. White and enigma gray are next in line.
Does that include the late-comers? I ordered an "extra" retro a week or 2 ago.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 26 January 2018, 13:25:42
Which powder colors from R2.5 have already shipped and which are still in progress?

I've shipped most Retros, Royal wrinkles, and Enigma blacks, but there are still a few stragglers in those due to a few I returned to the powder shop to be recoated after I inspected them. White and enigma gray are next in line.
Does that include the late-comers? I ordered an "extra" retro a week or 2 ago.

Yes, the extras are batched in with the r2.5 cases at the powder shop. The listing for the extras said a 1-2 months (from a week ago) for the powder coat options, which is probably a good average estimate for those that have yet to ship from r2.5 as well, though of course some, such as enigma gray, will be earlier.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: MoebiuS451 on Sat, 27 January 2018, 03:42:45
Hi Rian,
Extra items in the shop (like galactic purple) are yet produced items or items added in forecoming batches of the powdershop ?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 27 January 2018, 10:05:13
Hi Rian,
Extra items in the shop (like galactic purple) are yet produced items or items added in forecoming batches of the powdershop ?

Those are already on order with the powder shop and being produced as extras at the same time as the r2.5 cases of the same color.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: zslane on Sat, 27 January 2018, 18:39:31
Norbauer Novatouch Dasher:

[attachimg=1]

Norbauer Novatouch Nautilus:

[attachimg=2]
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: Puddsy on Sat, 27 January 2018, 18:42:44
Norbauer Novatouch Dasher:

(Attachment Link)

Norbauer Novatouch Nautilus:

(Attachment Link)

That nautilus is nice.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: strigif0rm3s on Sat, 27 January 2018, 18:43:15
Norbauer Novatouch Dasher:

(Attachment Link)

Norbauer Novatouch Nautilus:

(Attachment Link)
Sexy af

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Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: HighNoon on Sat, 27 January 2018, 19:50:18
Norbauer Novatouch Dasher:

(Attachment Link)

Norbauer Novatouch Nautilus:

(Attachment Link)

Both look awesome, congrats!

What was the process for getting a custom color? I didn't realize that was an option! I assume you paid a premium?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 27 January 2018, 22:19:00
Norbauer Novatouch Dasher:

(Attachment Link)

Norbauer Novatouch Nautilus:

(Attachment Link)

Both look awesome, congrats!

What was the process for getting a custom color? I didn't realize that was an option! I assume you paid a premium?

It's a long story, but it was basically a favor specifically for zslane due to a previous order of his getting screwed up. Unfortunately, a bunch of special one-off colors aren't something I can normally do--the amount of work and complexity just gets overwhelming. =\
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: macclack on Sun, 28 January 2018, 10:14:30
Norbauer Novatouch Dasher:

(Attachment Link)

Norbauer Novatouch Nautilus:

(Attachment Link)

Absolutely gorgeous. Dasher matches perfectly IMO.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: zslane on Sun, 28 January 2018, 12:36:59
Yeah, I am really pleased with how the indigo color matches up with the Dasher keycaps. That was the whole idea, and originally I had gone with Galactic Blue, but I think this turned out even better than Galactic Blue would have.

I also have to say that a silenced/lubed Novatouch with SA keycaps in a Norbauer case is an absolute dream to type on. I couldn't be happier!

Actually, the only thing that could possibly make me happier would be to have Realforce RGB/R2 cases from Ryan in the same colors...
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: HighNoon on Sun, 28 January 2018, 16:35:47
Norbauer Novatouch Dasher:

(Attachment Link)

Norbauer Novatouch Nautilus:

(Attachment Link)

Both look awesome, congrats!

What was the process for getting a custom color? I didn't realize that was an option! I assume you paid a premium?

It's a long story, but it was basically a favor specifically for zslane due to a previous order of his getting screwed up. Unfortunately, a bunch of special one-off colors aren't something I can normally do--the amount of work and complexity just gets overwhelming. =\

Totally understood. I'm sure running a GB like this is already a ton of effort without accommodating a bunch of custom colors. Getting excited for my tactical grey!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Sun, 28 January 2018, 20:46:27
I keep seeing new posts here and keep expecting to see "astrophysical purple has shipped" but it isn't so  :(
That color is amazing zslane, it's cool you were able to get a matching color for the set you made!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: pixelpusher on Mon, 29 January 2018, 20:04:55
So I know that these cases don't fit other keyboards than the ones listed, but hear me out.

I have two of the R1 cases.  I like them a lot.  However, I'm always saddened by the fact that I cannot put GMK caps on them.  (My are both mx boards).  Yes, I'm one of the weirdos who notices that GMK caps make contact on R3 of upside down MX switches. 

Anywhooo... what about swapping out the PCB?  I mean... that should work, right?  I've swapped the switches on one of the boards and it was pretty simple.  I'm thinking I could use the stock plate and put a mx TKL plate from LFKeyboards in it.  That PCB has a  JST-PH connector in about the same position. 

Anyone see an obvious reason why this wouldn't work?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: duynguyenle on Mon, 29 January 2018, 20:16:16
So I know that these cases don't fit other keyboards than the ones listed, but hear me out.

I have two of the R1 cases.  I like them a lot.  However, I'm always saddened by the fact that I cannot put GMK caps on them.  (My are both mx boards).  Yes, I'm one of the weirdos who notices that GMK caps make contact on R3 of upside down MX switches. 

Anywhooo... what about swapping out the PCB?  I mean... that should work, right?  I've swapped the switches on one of the boards and it was pretty simple.  I'm thinking I could use the stock plate and put a mx TKL plate from LFKeyboards in it.  That PCB has a  JST-PH connector in about the same position. 

Anyone see an obvious reason why this wouldn't work?

You want the obvious reason? Here it is:

The spacing between the main alphas cluster and the Function row is different between the Novatouch/Rapid-i and Filco keyboards, and Filco/Phantom compatible PCBs will not work with cases made for the Novatouch.

If you want to use a Filco/Phantom compatible PCB, you will need to get a Phantom-compatible PCB methinks
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: pixelpusher on Mon, 29 January 2018, 20:24:27
So I know that these cases don't fit other keyboards than the ones listed, but hear me out.

I have two of the R1 cases.  I like them a lot.  However, I'm always saddened by the fact that I cannot put GMK caps on them.  (My are both mx boards).  Yes, I'm one of the weirdos who notices that GMK caps make contact on R3 of upside down MX switches. 

Anywhooo... what about swapping out the PCB?  I mean... that should work, right?  I've swapped the switches on one of the boards and it was pretty simple.  I'm thinking I could use the stock plate and put a mx TKL plate from LFKeyboards in it.  That PCB has a  JST-PH connector in about the same position. 

Anyone see an obvious reason why this wouldn't work?

You want the obvious reason? Here it is:

The spacing between the main alphas cluster and the Function row is different between the Novatouch/Rapid-i and Filco keyboards, and Filco/Phantom compatible PCBs will not work with cases made for the Novatouch.

If you want to use a Filco/Phantom compatible PCB, you will need to get a Phantom-compatible PCB methinks


weird, i'm looking at my filco and my masterkeys and they look identical.  Maybe it's like a fraction of a mm off?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: Puddsy on Mon, 29 January 2018, 23:13:48
So I know that these cases don't fit other keyboards than the ones listed, but hear me out.

I have two of the R1 cases.  I like them a lot.  However, I'm always saddened by the fact that I cannot put GMK caps on them.  (My are both mx boards).  Yes, I'm one of the weirdos who notices that GMK caps make contact on R3 of upside down MX switches. 

Anywhooo... what about swapping out the PCB?  I mean... that should work, right?  I've swapped the switches on one of the boards and it was pretty simple.  I'm thinking I could use the stock plate and put a mx TKL plate from LFKeyboards in it.  That PCB has a  JST-PH connector in about the same position. 

Anyone see an obvious reason why this wouldn't work?

You want the obvious reason? Here it is:

The spacing between the main alphas cluster and the Function row is different between the Novatouch/Rapid-i and Filco keyboards, and Filco/Phantom compatible PCBs will not work with cases made for the Novatouch.

If you want to use a Filco/Phantom compatible PCB, you will need to get a Phantom-compatible PCB methinks


weird, i'm looking at my filco and my masterkeys and they look identical.  Maybe it's like a fraction of a mm off?

it's like .25u vs .5u, hard to tell
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: duynguyenle on Tue, 30 January 2018, 04:37:12
So I know that these cases don't fit other keyboards than the ones listed, but hear me out.

I have two of the R1 cases.  I like them a lot.  However, I'm always saddened by the fact that I cannot put GMK caps on them.  (My are both mx boards).  Yes, I'm one of the weirdos who notices that GMK caps make contact on R3 of upside down MX switches. 

Anywhooo... what about swapping out the PCB?  I mean... that should work, right?  I've swapped the switches on one of the boards and it was pretty simple.  I'm thinking I could use the stock plate and put a mx TKL plate from LFKeyboards in it.  That PCB has a  JST-PH connector in about the same position. 

Anyone see an obvious reason why this wouldn't work?

You want the obvious reason? Here it is:

The spacing between the main alphas cluster and the Function row is different between the Novatouch/Rapid-i and Filco keyboards, and Filco/Phantom compatible PCBs will not work with cases made for the Novatouch.

If you want to use a Filco/Phantom compatible PCB, you will need to get a Phantom-compatible PCB methinks


weird, i'm looking at my filco and my masterkeys and they look identical.  Maybe it's like a fraction of a mm off?

If you've got calipers sitting nearby, it's easy to verify this.

Grab your calipers and measure the stem-to-stem distance between Esc and Tilde (or Scroll Lock/home or PrtScr/Insert), and you can see for yourself that Filco has more separation between the F row and numrow
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: pixelpusher on Tue, 30 January 2018, 11:14:04
So I know that these cases don't fit other keyboards than the ones listed, but hear me out.

I have two of the R1 cases.  I like them a lot.  However, I'm always saddened by the fact that I cannot put GMK caps on them.  (My are both mx boards).  Yes, I'm one of the weirdos who notices that GMK caps make contact on R3 of upside down MX switches. 

Anywhooo... what about swapping out the PCB?  I mean... that should work, right?  I've swapped the switches on one of the boards and it was pretty simple.  I'm thinking I could use the stock plate and put a mx TKL plate from LFKeyboards in it.  That PCB has a  JST-PH connector in about the same position. 

Anyone see an obvious reason why this wouldn't work?

You want the obvious reason? Here it is:

The spacing between the main alphas cluster and the Function row is different between the Novatouch/Rapid-i and Filco keyboards, and Filco/Phantom compatible PCBs will not work with cases made for the Novatouch.

If you want to use a Filco/Phantom compatible PCB, you will need to get a Phantom-compatible PCB methinks


weird, i'm looking at my filco and my masterkeys and they look identical.  Maybe it's like a fraction of a mm off?

If you've got calipers sitting nearby, it's easy to verify this.

Grab your calipers and measure the stem-to-stem distance between Esc and Tilde (or Scroll Lock/home or PrtScr/Insert), and you can see for yourself that Filco has more separation between the F row and numrow

I see now.  Looks to be about 1.75mm different.  Oh well.  They're still nice cases for DSA and SA caps
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: HighNoon on Wed, 31 January 2018, 17:32:58
So I know that these cases don't fit other keyboards than the ones listed, but hear me out.

I have two of the R1 cases.  I like them a lot.  However, I'm always saddened by the fact that I cannot put GMK caps on them.  (My are both mx boards).  Yes, I'm one of the weirdos who notices that GMK caps make contact on R3 of upside down MX switches. 

Anywhooo... what about swapping out the PCB?  I mean... that should work, right?  I've swapped the switches on one of the boards and it was pretty simple.  I'm thinking I could use the stock plate and put a mx TKL plate from LFKeyboards in it.  That PCB has a  JST-PH connector in about the same position. 

Anyone see an obvious reason why this wouldn't work?

Can you explain a little better what you mean by "GMK caps make contact on R3 of upside down MX switches"? I bought this case to use with a Masterkeys Pro S and GMK caps so you have me worried something won't look right.

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 31 January 2018, 17:37:36
So I know that these cases don't fit other keyboards than the ones listed, but hear me out.

I have two of the R1 cases.  I like them a lot.  However, I'm always saddened by the fact that I cannot put GMK caps on them.  (My are both mx boards).  Yes, I'm one of the weirdos who notices that GMK caps make contact on R3 of upside down MX switches. 

Anywhooo... what about swapping out the PCB?  I mean... that should work, right?  I've swapped the switches on one of the boards and it was pretty simple.  I'm thinking I could use the stock plate and put a mx TKL plate from LFKeyboards in it.  That PCB has a  JST-PH connector in about the same position. 

Anyone see an obvious reason why this wouldn't work?

Can you explain a little better what you mean by "GMK caps make contact on R3 of upside down MX switches"? I bought this case to use with a Masterkeys Pro S and GMK caps so you have me worried something won't look right.

I'll let him speak for himself, of course, but I'm provisionally assuming Reece must have some kind of unusual configuration, as there are pics all over the web (https://www.google.com/search?q=norbauer+gmk&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwivnY74roPZAhUI2IMKHS4GCFcQ_AUICygC&biw=1280&bih=676) of GMK sets on my cases and if they didn't fit somehow, I think I would have heard of it by now. Maybe the key phrase there is "upside down?"
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: MajorKoos on Wed, 31 January 2018, 17:39:33
So I know that these cases don't fit other keyboards than the ones listed, but hear me out.

I have two of the R1 cases.  I like them a lot.  However, I'm always saddened by the fact that I cannot put GMK caps on them.  (My are both mx boards).  Yes, I'm one of the weirdos who notices that GMK caps make contact on R3 of upside down MX switches. 

Anywhooo... what about swapping out the PCB?  I mean... that should work, right?  I've swapped the switches on one of the boards and it was pretty simple.  I'm thinking I could use the stock plate and put a mx TKL plate from LFKeyboards in it.  That PCB has a  JST-PH connector in about the same position. 

Anyone see an obvious reason why this wouldn't work?

Can you explain a little better what you mean by "GMK caps make contact on R3 of upside down MX switches"? I bought this case to use with a Masterkeys Pro S and GMK caps so you have me worried something won't look right.

If the LED's in your switches face up (north) then the inside of the asdf row keys (R3) on GMK profile keys will make contact with the switch housings rather than bottoming out completely.  The case doesn't make any difference.

Here's an example:
http://images.bit-tech.net/content_images/2016/03/cooler-master-masterkeys-pro-l-review/mkp-8b.jpg
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: eksuen on Wed, 31 January 2018, 17:58:31
So I know that these cases don't fit other keyboards than the ones listed, but hear me out.

I have two of the R1 cases.  I like them a lot.  However, I'm always saddened by the fact that I cannot put GMK caps on them.  (My are both mx boards).  Yes, I'm one of the weirdos who notices that GMK caps make contact on R3 of upside down MX switches. 

Anywhooo... what about swapping out the PCB?  I mean... that should work, right?  I've swapped the switches on one of the boards and it was pretty simple.  I'm thinking I could use the stock plate and put a mx TKL plate from LFKeyboards in it.  That PCB has a  JST-PH connector in about the same position. 

Anyone see an obvious reason why this wouldn't work?

Can you explain a little better what you mean by "GMK caps make contact on R3 of upside down MX switches"? I bought this case to use with a Masterkeys Pro S and GMK caps so you have me worried something won't look right.

If the LED's in your switches face up (north) then the inside of the asdf row keys (R3) on GMK profile keys will make contact with the switch housings rather than bottoming out completely.  The case doesn't make any difference.

Here's an example:
http://images.bit-tech.net/content_images/2016/03/cooler-master-masterkeys-pro-l-review/mkp-8b.jpg

Much like scratchiness of switches, some people are sensitive to it and others are not or don't care. I'm among the crowd that isn't bothered by this "incompatibility" of GMK caps with north-facing LEDs.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 31 January 2018, 18:05:56
Ah, the keyboard world. Never devoid of complexity, nuance, and matters of exceedingly subjective taste. :-*
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: zslane on Wed, 31 January 2018, 18:42:38
Indeed. I have found that only SA keycaps sound and feel right to me on a Novatouch. DSA and GMK both have rather shallow internal keycap shells, and on many of the stabilized keys, the caps smack the plate, ruining the lovely thock sound of the Topre switches.

But that's okay because I absolutely love SA. I expect MT3 to be similarly sublime on a Novatouch.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: nightdriver on Wed, 31 January 2018, 20:42:01
is anyone else having static discharge issues with these guys?  i don't have any problems at all at home where i run a humidifier, but at the office it's really dry and i get shocked frequently after sitting down and putting my hands on the keyboard.  sometimes the shock is strong enough to reset the keyboard, and a couple of times it's actually confused the USB controller on my PC enough that i have to reboot to get it to recognize USB devices again.  i guess this is a liability of metal cases versus plastic, but does anyone have any ideas on how to prevent it?  would it be wise to somehow run the ground of the USB wire to the case of the keyboard or something?  it's a slight annoyance when the keyboard resets, but the fact that it's confused the USB controller a few times to the point that i had to reboot makes me worry a bit about permanent damage to either my keyboard or PC.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: nightdriver on Wed, 31 January 2018, 20:44:29
Indeed. I have found that only SA keycaps sound and feel right to me on a Novatouch. DSA and GMK both have rather shallow internal keycap shells, and on many of the stabilized keys, the caps smack the plate, ruining the lovely thock sound of the Topre switches.

But that's okay because I absolutely love SA. I expect MT3 to be similarly sublime on a Novatouch.

the stabilized novatouch sliders are known to be a tad short.  i've heard some people replace them with JTK sliders for this reason, but that sounds like way too much work to me (unless i decide to go full BKE).  for now, i've just slipped o-rings on all three stems of my stabilized keycaps and it lets me use GMK keys on my novatouch in peace.  haven't tried DSA yet but i suspect it would work the same.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Wed, 31 January 2018, 20:45:57
is anyone else having static discharge issues with these guys?  i don't have any problems at all at home where i run a humidifier, but at the office it's really dry and i get shocked frequently after sitting down and putting my hands on the keyboard.  sometimes the shock is strong enough to reset the keyboard, and a couple of times it's actually confused the USB controller on my PC enough that i have to reboot to get it to recognize USB devices again.  i guess this is a liability of metal cases versus plastic, but does anyone have any ideas on how to prevent it?  would it be wise to somehow run the ground of the USB wire to the case of the keyboard or something?  it's a slight annoyance when the keyboard resets, but the fact that it's confused the USB controller a few times to the point that i had to reboot makes me worry a bit about permanent damage to either my keyboard or PC.

This happens to me constantly, I've yet to find a proper solution except to ground the USB cable. I'm not sure what is causing it exactly but I do have self liner inside my case to prevent scratches but I don't see how that would cause it.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: nightdriver on Wed, 31 January 2018, 21:28:41
how are you grounding the USB cable?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: zslane on Thu, 01 February 2018, 12:31:32
the stabilized novatouch sliders are known to be a tad short.  i've heard some people replace them with JTK sliders for this reason...

Interesting. I will have to try that sometime (I have a whole set of JTK sliders that I'm not using for anything at the moment).
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: a_ak57 on Thu, 01 February 2018, 13:25:48
Got my tactical black case from the extras; while I was swapping my Novatouch into that I also took the time to throw in BKE Light domes and KBDfans silencing rings and boy howdy do I like this thing.  Also currently using the dev/tty caps and assessing how much I like that profile, but I can tell I'm going to have a real battle for supremacy when my Kishsaver arrives from Ellipse's group buy.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: pixelpusher on Thu, 01 February 2018, 17:33:13
is anyone else having static discharge issues with these guys?  i don't have any problems at all at home where i run a humidifier, but at the office it's really dry and i get shocked frequently after sitting down and putting my hands on the keyboard.  sometimes the shock is strong enough to reset the keyboard, and a couple of times it's actually confused the USB controller on my PC enough that i have to reboot to get it to recognize USB devices again.  i guess this is a liability of metal cases versus plastic, but does anyone have any ideas on how to prevent it?  would it be wise to somehow run the ground of the USB wire to the case of the keyboard or something?  it's a slight annoyance when the keyboard resets, but the fact that it's confused the USB controller a few times to the point that i had to reboot makes me worry a bit about permanent damage to either my keyboard or PC.

This happens to me constantly, I've yet to find a proper solution except to ground the USB cable. I'm not sure what is causing it exactly but I do have self liner inside my case to prevent scratches but I don't see how that would cause it.

I get this on all of my metal cases.  Tex low profile, m65-a, E8-V1,  Norbauer  cases, igk61, you name it.  Only some of them allow the shock to travel from the case to the PCB. Unfortunately it’s the expensive ones and I’m afraid they’re going to eventually short.

I’ve been running a humidifier 24/7 in my computer room for the last few weeks.  It’s certainly helped. I also make sure to touch a metal shelf beside my desk when I sit down.   Looking into getting an esd mat for th Same  purpose
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: pixelpusher on Thu, 01 February 2018, 21:48:50
So I know that these cases don't fit other keyboards than the ones listed, but hear me out.

I have two of the R1 cases.  I like them a lot.  However, I'm always saddened by the fact that I cannot put GMK caps on them.  (My are both mx boards).  Yes, I'm one of the weirdos who notices that GMK caps make contact on R3 of upside down MX switches. 

Anywhooo... what about swapping out the PCB?  I mean... that should work, right?  I've swapped the switches on one of the boards and it was pretty simple.  I'm thinking I could use the stock plate and put a mx TKL plate from LFKeyboards in it.  That PCB has a  JST-PH connector in about the same position. 

Anyone see an obvious reason why this wouldn't work?

Can you explain a little better what you mean by "GMK caps make contact on R3 of upside down MX switches"? I bought this case to use with a Masterkeys Pro S and GMK caps so you have me worried something won't look right.

I'll let him speak for himself, of course, but I'm provisionally assuming Reece must have some kind of unusual configuration, as there are pics all over the web (https://www.google.com/search?q=norbauer+gmk&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwivnY74roPZAhUI2IMKHS4GCFcQ_AUICygC&biw=1280&bih=676) of GMK sets on my cases and if they didn't fit somehow, I think I would have heard of it by now. Maybe the key phrase there is "upside down?"

My guess is that most of the people who use this case are using it on a Novatouch.  The issue is not present on the Novatouch keyboard because the switches (sliders) are the same on top and bottom.  It wouldn't matter if they were up or down or left or right

However, I have a Rapid-i in one and a Masterkeys pro S in another.  Both of these keyboards have switches positioned so that the leds shine on TOP of the switch, instead of the bottom.  The logo will read upside down, which is why I refer to them as upside down.  The issue is NOT the leds getting in the way.  The issue is the switch housing.  The housing drops off at a steep angle very quickly on the LED side, the side that would usually come closest to the wall of the keycap botom.  The top side, however, plateaus out for a bit.  When you place the switch upside down, this plateau makes contact with the inner wall of cherry profile (gmk, ePBT) keycaps on the "QWERTY" and "ASDF" rows.

The easiest way to hear it is to press the key down about 1/2 way and then, firmly press until it bottoms out.  On every row except the ones mentioned above, you will hear the switch bottom out inside of its housing.  On the rows I mentioned (the rows with the shortest profile caps) you will hear a different, muted noise. This noise is the sound of the keycap making contact with the switch housing, that plateau I mentioned.

It has nothing to do with the LEDs.  You can completely remove them and still feel it.

Yes, I see that WASD sells GMK caps with their VP3 boards and other boards that have upside down switches.  I have no idea why people don't take time to notice these things. I can't imagine how people can be so particular as to go through the trouble of doing things like installing o-rings and lubricating switches and never notice this glaring issue.  You can HEAR it.  You can FEEL it. 

I thought I was crazy when I first noticed it.  18 keyboards later, I'm pretty sure about it.  Luckily, I noticed this sooner than later in my collection.  I only own 4 keyboards with switches this way.

Maybe people can't feel it, like switch scratchiness. But I don't know how you can't hear it.  It removes 1/2 of the signature clack of mechanical keys :)

The good news is there are always options/workarounds.  Like I said, SA and DSA caps have no issue.  Also, OEM caps like thick Ducky caps and the new Cubic profile by Tai-Hoa work great.

Other people are aware of the issue with upside down switches.  Some makers in these forums are slowly starting to notice and correct the problem.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 01 February 2018, 22:19:06
is anyone else having static discharge issues with these guys?  i don't have any problems at all at home where i run a humidifier, but at the office it's really dry and i get shocked frequently after sitting down and putting my hands on the keyboard.  sometimes the shock is strong enough to reset the keyboard, and a couple of times it's actually confused the USB controller on my PC enough that i have to reboot to get it to recognize USB devices again.  i guess this is a liability of metal cases versus plastic, but does anyone have any ideas on how to prevent it?  would it be wise to somehow run the ground of the USB wire to the case of the keyboard or something?  it's a slight annoyance when the keyboard resets, but the fact that it's confused the USB controller a few times to the point that i had to reboot makes me worry a bit about permanent damage to either my keyboard or PC.

This happens to me constantly, I've yet to find a proper solution except to ground the USB cable. I'm not sure what is causing it exactly but I do have self liner inside my case to prevent scratches but I don't see how that would cause it.

I get this on all of my metal cases.  Tex low profile, m65-a, E8-V1,  Norbauer  cases, igk61, you name it.  Only some of them allow the shock to travel from the case to the PCB. Unfortunately it’s the expensive ones and I’m afraid they’re going to eventually short.

I’ve been running a humidifier 24/7 in my computer room for the last few weeks.  It’s certainly helped. I also make sure to touch a metal shelf beside my desk when I sit down.   Looking into getting an esd mat for th Same  purpose

Interesting. I've never experienced this, but I've heard one other report of someone having static discharges with one of my cases. It's nice in any case to confirm that it's not specific just to my cases and is just (as one would expect) an issue of sitting down to and touching a huge capacitive chunk of metal. Because I had the luxury of designing a breakout board on my subsequent RealForce cases, the case body is actually grounded on those. However, I'm not sure if that would help with the static discharge issue, as I believe the static discharge is just a case of a charge in your body finding its way from your body to a place it would rather be, either to ground or a less charged object--in the same way it would if you you were statically charged and touched a metal lamp, etc.

The anodized and powder-coated surface of the case means the surfaces are not conductive per se (you can verify this with a multi-meter, which I have done), but a big hunk of aluminum is still probably more capacitive than most objects in one's environment and thus this kind of static discharge can happen (in the same way that it happens when you get statically charged and touch another uncharged person, even if that person is insulated from the ground). You could try adding insulation between the bottom of the PCB and the case, such as with foam, but if it's a strong discharge, it might not prevent the jump to the PCB. Obviously, there is no electrical contact between the PCB's circuitry and the housing, but that's when it comes to the low-power charges that float around in USB devices. When it comes to static discharges, I believe those can be much stronger and can thus arc relatively greater distances.

If anybody else knows solutions that have been used on other CNC cases, I'd love to hear them. The requisite accessories of the keyboard hobby are extensive enough as it is for us to have to add a home humidifier onto the list. ;) I guess the seasonal upside is that humidity generally gets better once the winter is over and static discharges become less likely.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: zslane on Fri, 02 February 2018, 11:52:34
It's pretty dry this time of year in Los Angeles, and I've not experienced any static discharge from my powder-coated cases. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: nightdriver on Fri, 02 February 2018, 15:50:09
for now, i've added shelf liner to the whole bottom and sorbothane washers in the corners.  seems to make it happen at least less often.  i'm probably going to try a bigger sheet of sorbothane.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: Puddsy on Fri, 02 February 2018, 18:38:08
for now, i've added shelf liner to the whole bottom and sorbothane washers in the corners.  seems to make it happen at least less often.  i'm probably going to try a bigger sheet of sorbothane.

put it on a desk mat with a rubber bottom, should make it harder for the keyboard to ground

although, just speculation
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: energyd on Fri, 02 February 2018, 21:03:34
Just realized that I got the R2 RR case instead of R2.5, is that the left over from last round?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 02 February 2018, 21:19:38
Just realized that I got the R2 RR case instead of R2.5, is that the left over from last round?

They're all made from the same pool of parts at the powder coater, as they got a running start on r2.5 by coating the few remaining r2 components before they started using the r2.5 milled parts, which arrived a bit later. The parts from those two rounds are all made to the same specs and no effort was taken to keep them separate, so I don't believe that any distinction is meaningful.

In some of the powder coated cases you can see a residual imprint on the interior of the laser-engraved country of origin label, which is perhaps what led you to this conclusion if you got one of those, but this is just because I ordered extra anodized cases (which are required to have the laser engraving), knowing that some would not pass my QC checks due to anodizing spots and would instead go to powder coating to be refinished. This was true of both rounds, however, so even if you saw the residual imprint on the interior, it isn't a clear indicator of which round it came from. It's also (FWIW) not a sign of any defect, as the powder coating refinishing process is completely effective and quite rigorous.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: energyd on Fri, 02 February 2018, 22:15:44
Just realized that I got the R2 RR case instead of R2.5, is that the left over from last round?

They're all made from the same pool of parts at the powder coater, as they got a running start on r2.5 by coating the few remaining r2 components before they started using the r2.5 milled parts, which arrived a bit later. The parts from those two rounds are all made to the same specs and no effort was taken to keep them separate, so I don't believe that any distinction is meaningful.

In some of the powder coated cases you can see a residual imprint on the interior of the laser-engraved country of origin label, which is perhaps what led you to this conclusion if you got one of those, but this is just because I ordered extra anodized cases (which are required to have the laser engraving), knowing that some would not pass my QC checks due to anodizing spots and would instead go to powder coating to be refinished. This was true of both rounds, however, so even if you saw the residual imprint on the interior, it isn't a clear indicator of which round it came from. It's also (FWIW) not a sign of any defect, as the powder coating refinishing process is completely effective and quite rigorous.

Thanks for the explanation! The case itself is flawless, I'm just curious. One thing I noticed though is that the board could move a little inside the case when I hold and move the case back and forth. I guess it can be resolved by putting some foam-rubber cushion?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 02 February 2018, 22:26:48
Just realized that I got the R2 RR case instead of R2.5, is that the left over from last round?

They're all made from the same pool of parts at the powder coater, as they got a running start on r2.5 by coating the few remaining r2 components before they started using the r2.5 milled parts, which arrived a bit later. The parts from those two rounds are all made to the same specs and no effort was taken to keep them separate, so I don't believe that any distinction is meaningful.

In some of the powder coated cases you can see a residual imprint on the interior of the laser-engraved country of origin label, which is perhaps what led you to this conclusion if you got one of those, but this is just because I ordered extra anodized cases (which are required to have the laser engraving), knowing that some would not pass my QC checks due to anodizing spots and would instead go to powder coating to be refinished. This was true of both rounds, however, so even if you saw the residual imprint on the interior, it isn't a clear indicator of which round it came from. It's also (FWIW) not a sign of any defect, as the powder coating refinishing process is completely effective and quite rigorous.

Thanks for the explanation! The case itself is flawless, I'm just curious. One thing I noticed though is that the board could move a little inside the case when I hold and move the case back and forth. I guess it can be resolved by putting some foam-rubber cushion?

My pleasure. :)

Yes, the play between the plate and case is intentional tolerance to account for observed manufacturing variances in the CM plates. However, many people tend to do just as you suggest: a bit of shelf liner or other foam will hold it firmly in place (and also has an added effect of improved acoustical qualities).  :cool:
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: macclack on Tue, 06 February 2018, 00:17:13
Any idea when the remaining powder coated cases are looking like they'll ship  ;D
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: HighNoon on Tue, 06 February 2018, 08:02:33
Any idea when the remaining powder coated cases are looking like they'll ship  ;D

Was just thinking about this. C'mon enigma gray and astrophysical purple!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: deterouni on Tue, 06 February 2018, 09:19:30
Any idea when the remaining powder coated cases are looking like they'll ship  ;D

Was just thinking about this. C'mon enigma gray and astrophysical purple!

Also waiting on a grey.  I am also a replacement from the r2 gb.  Its been a really long wait, but I'm sure it will be worth it.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Tue, 06 February 2018, 09:44:27
I was also wondering. I believe he was out of town last week so hopefully he can get us an update today.  ;D
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 06 February 2018, 10:26:47
I was also wondering. I believe he was out of town last week so hopefully he can get us an update today.  ;D

Yup, just arrived back in the Bay Area late last night. I'll be catching up on emails and stopping down at the powder shop later today. Please stand by for a further update soon. :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: zslane on Tue, 06 February 2018, 11:50:19
Its been a really long wait, but I'm sure it will be worth it.

Ryan's cases are definitely worth the wait. Having said that, knowing they are worth it in the end does not really ease the discomfort associated with the really long waiting period, so I feel your pain.

Hell, I'm still waiting for Round 6 keycaps that I ordered nearly 2.5 years ago. Will they be worth it in the end? To me, absolutely, but the interminable waiting still drives me insane, and I hate it with the white hot intensity of a million suns.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 06 February 2018, 11:56:54
Its been a really long wait, but I'm sure it will be worth it.

Ryan's cases are definitely worth the wait. Having said that, knowing they are worth it in the end does not really ease the discomfort associated with the really long waiting period, so I feel your pain.

Hell, I'm still waiting for Round 6 keycaps that I ordered nearly 2.5 years ago. Will they be worth it in the end? To me, absolutely, but the interminable waiting still drives me insane, and I hate it with the white hot intensity of a million suns.

The wait time for a Ferrari is two years. I say embrace the pleasure of anticipating getting an ultra-rare niche weird thing that other less patient people can't readily have. :) When I participate in pre-orders and group buys (both inside the keyboard world and in other domains), this is how I like to think about it anyway. Since the realities of ultra-small-scale manufacturing mean there's not much that can be done about it anyway, might as well try to view the proverbial glass as half-full.  :cool:
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: arhetue on Wed, 07 February 2018, 08:42:36
Realized I never posted pics of my round 1 custom anodized cobalt blue - Ryan, I don't recall but was this the only/first blue housing?

Here it is, my Norbauer custom anodized brushed blue v1 housing; holding a silenced, lubed, 55g domeswapped novatouch; using Dangerzone with a Junktown Esc

https://imgur.com/a/XdiQp
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 07 February 2018, 10:07:22
I spoke with the powder coater yesterday and while I was away in NYC last week they did manage to finish up some more cases. However, they still have a few more enigma gray cases to finish, so I'm waiting for the full batch to be ready before I drive there to pick them up. I encouraged them to make that this week, but we'll see. :rolleyes:

Realized I never posted pics of my round 1 custom anodized cobalt blue - Ryan, I don't recall but was this the only/first blue housing?

If it was from Round 1, it was probably among the first couple, yes. I had actually forgotten that I did blue in the first round at all! Your setup looks awesome.

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: zslane on Sat, 10 February 2018, 11:55:21
Space Station White Norbatouch (silenced) + Plum Numpad w/ MT3 /dev/tty keycaps:

[attachimg=1]

I'm still getting used to the Hi-Pro dishing, but overall I have to say that this is the best feeling and sounding keyboard I own at this point. It's a match made in keyboard heaven.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: MajorKoos on Sat, 10 February 2018, 12:02:48
Space Station White Norbatouch (silenced) + Plum Numpad w/ MT3 /dev/tty keycaps:

(Attachment Link)

I'm still getting used to the Hi-Pro dishing, but overall I have to say that this is the best feeling and sounding keyboard I own at this point. It's a match made in keyboard heaven.

Did you do anything special in terms of lubing the sliders?
I find my SA profile keys tend to stick a bit right at the top :(
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: zslane on Sat, 10 February 2018, 13:05:56
I did not lube the sliders, no. They were already slightly lubed from the factory. I did, however, lube the stabilizer arms under the plate. I have not noticed any scratchiness or sticky slider behavior.

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: Peiweisgreat on Sat, 10 February 2018, 15:03:32
Dang the astro purp cases would be last haha. Probably because of the low number of orders, but I can smell the sweet sweet norbatouch goodness from here. Super excited to finally be getting my case in soon. Might give me a reason to start using my novatouch again haha.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: zslane on Sat, 10 February 2018, 15:49:05
These Norbauer cases really enhance the performance of a Novatouch. I think it's because they provide such a rigid platform for the board, and so the resulting tactility feels more pronounced than when the board sits in its (more flexible) plastic case. Plus, with the shelf-padding I put in the bottom of the case, lots of extraneous noise is deadened, and the experience of typing on this keyboard with really thick, high-profile PBT keycaps is absolutely sublime.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Sat, 10 February 2018, 16:18:21
Dang the astro purp cases would be last haha. Probably because of the low number of orders, but I can smell the sweet sweet norbatouch goodness from here. Super excited to finally be getting my case in soon. Might give me a reason to start using my novatouch again haha.
I am just as excited for my astrophysicial purple, I've got some serious plans once it arrives.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: MajorKoos on Sat, 10 February 2018, 18:45:37
I did not lube the sliders, no. They were already slightly lubed from the factory. I did, however, lube the stabilizer arms under the plate. I have not noticed any scratchiness or sticky slider behavior.

Got ya.  That gives me hope.
I'm assuming a thin lube?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: zslane on Sat, 10 February 2018, 20:09:42
I use Krytox GPL 205 for lubing stabilizer arms.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: regionfree on Sun, 11 February 2018, 21:27:38
Noticed that the plate of the novatouch is thinner than the leopold and realforce plates, and thus produce a higher pitched sound. The topre housings could also be removed from the plate without damaging the housings.

Would be nice if we could get replacement plates for this.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: MajorKoos on Mon, 12 February 2018, 14:52:36
It looks like there are a few cases left in the store?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Mon, 12 February 2018, 17:17:10
Correct, I believe those were the leftovers that he said he would have done at the same time as the rest. Looks like only purple and tan are left though.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: MajorKoos on Mon, 12 February 2018, 17:37:53
Correct, I believe those were the leftovers that he said he would have done at the same time as the rest. Looks like only purple and tan are left though.

Thanks :)
I grabbed the last gray one - couldn't wait.

Has anyone done a drawing of the plate for the Novatouch yet?
Thinking of brass...
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: HighNoon on Tue, 13 February 2018, 15:25:34
Any update on the remaining powder colors?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 13 February 2018, 21:28:32
Any update on the remaining powder colors?

Got all or most of the enigma grays today, and some whites. I'll pack those up tomorrow.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: strigif0rm3s on Wed, 14 February 2018, 05:39:25
Any update on the remaining powder colors?

Got all or most of the enigma grays today, and some whites. I'll pack those up tomorrow.
What about the "extra" retro refrigerators (i ordered late) Did they ship? Thanks!

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: deterouni on Wed, 14 February 2018, 06:55:42
Any update on the remaining powder colors?

Got all or most of the enigma grays today, and some whites. I'll pack those up tomorrow.

Oh man so excited! Thanks for the consistent updates. It's extremely refreshing.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: flyingalbatross1 on Thu, 15 February 2018, 05:49:50
Got my shipping notification today, Engima Grey winging it's way to the UK!

Now i've got to go and get another CM Pro S because I gave my original one away  ;D

Just in time for XDA Godspeed which should be arriving soon-ish as well.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: phinix on Fri, 16 February 2018, 08:00:38
I love Royal Wrinkle- any plans for round 3? Would Royal Wrinkle be available?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Fri, 16 February 2018, 10:38:17
I love Royal Wrinkle- any plans for round 3? Would Royal Wrinkle be available?
There will be no more rounds, this was the last one.

On that note, are the purple cases the last batch to be done? Only asking as that was the remaining color that was purchasable on your website up until earlier this week. I'd love to have mine before the end of the month but we are at the mercy of the shop it seems.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 16 February 2018, 12:05:31
I love Royal Wrinkle- any plans for round 3? Would Royal Wrinkle be available?
There will be no more rounds, this was the last one.

On that note, are the purple cases the last batch to be done? Only asking as that was the remaining color that was purchasable on your website up until earlier this week. I'd love to have mine before the end of the month but we are at the mercy of the shop it seems.

Honestly, the extras that were available on the online store isn't an indication of anything, really, other than the numbers I somewhat randomly allocated at the outset. We are indeed at the mercy of the shop, but I talk to them multiple times a week and I know they're doing their best. I'd expect purple to be up next month, as Galaxy Console and RR are before it, and they seem to be going at the rate of one color batch per week on average these days. I'm going to go down to the shop next week to film the Galaxy Console coating and will of course post footage here once I have a chance to edit it together. Once you guys see how much work and care goes into powder coating these cases, I think you'll appreciate why it takes a while. :)

I love Royal Wrinkle- any plans for round 3? Would Royal Wrinkle be available?

It's one of my favorites too, but I'm sorry to say that I have no r3 planned. My working plan is to do designs from now on as sort of one-time limited edition type affairs. Not only is it more creatively satisfying for me to be able to tackle different types of projects rather than what can sometimes feel like just running a production assembly line, but it also allows me to serve a wider array of desires and people--plus, I feel it kind of makes the cases I do make a bit more rare and special. As I've always said way back to the IC for r1, my goal is not to make commodities or to try to maximize number of sales but to try to create some cool and super-niche objects that might not otherwise exist.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: MoebiuS451 on Sun, 18 February 2018, 02:29:10
Any update on the remaining powder colors?

Got all or most of the enigma grays today, and some whites. I'll pack those up tomorrow.

On its way !  :thumb:

Ryan, can you provide the repartition of colors made on each round ? Seems that there was no Ferrari motor red at all ?
The picture was a mockup or a pre-serie ?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: HighNoon on Sun, 18 February 2018, 09:23:22
Any update on the remaining powder colors?

Got all or most of the enigma grays today, and some whites. I'll pack those up tomorrow.

On its way !  :thumb:

Ryan, can you provide the repartition of colors made on each round ? Seems that there was no Ferrari motor red at all ?
The picture was a mockup or a pre-serie ?

IIRC it was an available color in R2.5 but no one ordered it.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: Puddsy on Sun, 18 February 2018, 13:22:04
Any update on the remaining powder colors?

Got all or most of the enigma grays today, and some whites. I'll pack those up tomorrow.

On its way !  :thumb:

Ryan, can you provide the repartition of colors made on each round ? Seems that there was no Ferrari motor red at all ?
The picture was a mockup or a pre-serie ?

IIRC it was an available color in R2.5 but no one ordered it.

only pexon, but yeah
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: energyd on Mon, 19 February 2018, 10:58:40
Space Station White Norbatouch (silenced) + Plum Numpad w/ MT3 /dev/tty keycaps:

(Attachment Link)

I'm still getting used to the Hi-Pro dishing, but overall I have to say that this is the best feeling and sounding keyboard I own at this point. It's a match made in keyboard heaven.

agree, only thing I'd like to have is programmability
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: millifoo on Wed, 21 February 2018, 16:57:34
I'm going to go down to the shop next week to film the Galaxy Console coating and will of course post footage here once I have a chance to edit it together. Once you guys see how much work and care goes into powder coating these cases, I think you'll appreciate why it takes a while. :)

Oh, excellent! Can't wait to see this!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: macclack on Wed, 21 February 2018, 18:48:22
Got my space station white case yesterday. I had high expectations for the quality of these cases, but I totally underestimated. They're suuuuper well-made. Nice job Ryan.  :thumb:
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: adsfqwer on Wed, 21 February 2018, 23:21:03

It's one of my favorites too, but I'm sorry to say that I have no r3 planned. My working plan is to do designs from now on as sort of one-time limited edition type affairs. Not only is it more creatively satisfying for me to be able to tackle different types of projects rather than what can sometimes feel like just running a production assembly line, but it also allows me to serve a wider array of desires and people--plus, I feel it kind of makes the cases I do make a bit more rare and special. As I've always said way back to the IC for r1, my goal is not to make commodities or to try to maximize number of sales but to try to create some cool and super-niche objects that might not otherwise exist.

I totally understand your position. Making the same things forever wouldn't be very satisfying. I just signed up to say these cases are cool AF and I hope it inspires someone else to carry the torch.

Damn, I step out of the keyboard game for a bit and I miss this *and* dev/tty MT3  :eek:
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: HighNoon on Thu, 22 February 2018, 17:08:28
https://imgur.com/gallery/hREQe (https://imgur.com/gallery/hREQe)

Got my enigma grey R2 replacement case yesterday! Long wait but it was worth it. Perfect match for GMK Carbon. Thanks Ryan!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: zslane on Thu, 22 February 2018, 17:27:56
https://imgur.com/gallery/hREQe (https://imgur.com/gallery/hREQe)

Got my enigma grey R2 replacement case yesterday! Long wait but it was worth it. Perfect match for GMK Carbon. Thanks Ryan!

Nice!

I think Carbon looks great matched up with a dark gray case. I'm looking forward to setting up the same thing when my SA Carbon (r2) keycaps arrive and I can put them on my tactical gray case.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: deterouni on Fri, 23 February 2018, 08:36:10
Hey Ryan. I got my grey case in yesterday, and I absolutely love it!  Thanks for doing this, and be a complete professional throughout the whole process. Your an amazing GB runner and the community is lucky to have you. Cheers!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 23 February 2018, 13:11:28
https://imgur.com/gallery/hREQe (https://imgur.com/gallery/hREQe)

Got my enigma grey R2 replacement case yesterday! Long wait but it was worth it. Perfect match for GMK Carbon. Thanks Ryan!

Hey Ryan. I got my grey case in yesterday, and I absolutely love it!  Thanks for doing this, and be a complete professional throughout the whole process. Your an amazing GB runner and the community is lucky to have you. Cheers!

Thanks so much for the kind words and for supporting my project, guys. I'm so glad you got the cases and like them! :)

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: MoebiuS451 on Sun, 25 February 2018, 06:28:06
Received it yesterday !

(https://reho.st/preview/self/f9f03f493f4d877c1eef9951192e4ffff957b5c7.jpg) (https://reho.st/self/f9f03f493f4d877c1eef9951192e4ffff957b5c7.jpg)

Newton compliant
(https://reho.st/preview/self/58a22c8c0bab17d7a5f0b58453dda861a0c60498.jpg) (https://reho.st/self/58a22c8c0bab17d7a5f0b58453dda861a0c60498.jpg)(https://reho.st/preview/self/2d418865f56033640a6a88d9d04936de3b22270a.jpg) (https://reho.st/self/2d418865f56033640a6a88d9d04936de3b22270a.jpg)(https://reho.st/preview/self/0ecb7364b8d573c398354dafb397aa2d0a8b65b1.jpg) (https://reho.st/self/0ecb7364b8d573c398354dafb397aa2d0a8b65b1.jpg)(https://reho.st/preview/self/5b0cd907c333bb12a43b2d4b8b650af1f6be267a.jpg) (https://reho.st/self/5b0cd907c333bb12a43b2d4b8b650af1f6be267a.jpg)(https://reho.st/preview/self/5bcffaecf3000478b19b01a6f210d01f5b9f167f.jpg) (https://reho.st/self/5bcffaecf3000478b19b01a6f210d01f5b9f167f.jpg)(https://reho.st/preview/self/ed6513190d28cd6e5cc72b0e6527af95b3de4d02.jpg) (https://reho.st/self/ed6513190d28cd6e5cc72b0e6527af95b3de4d02.jpg)(https://reho.st/preview/self/8d6242c2628787f4d07cfd22be7dadaa88586c5c.jpg) (https://reho.st/self/8d6242c2628787f4d07cfd22be7dadaa88586c5c.jpg)(https://reho.st/preview/self/96b64f07ec1e612de8ca5bcce8baa8e32d74548b.jpg) (https://reho.st/self/96b64f07ec1e612de8ca5bcce8baa8e32d74548b.jpg)

With miTo XDA PBT keycaps.
It was worth the wait !
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: zslane on Sun, 25 February 2018, 11:16:53
That looks fantastic!

You know, I always wondered what the larger screws were for; it never occurred to me that they were meant to help secure the board to the bottom section.
Title: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: aspenc4 on Mon, 26 February 2018, 05:34:27
Ryan, thanks so much for your work on this; it’s the epitome of perfect as far as I’m concerned.

https://imgur.com/a/PFaK8
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: eksuen on Mon, 26 February 2018, 13:12:06
Ryan, thanks so much for your work on this; it’s the epitome of perfect as far as I’m concerned.

https://imgur.com/a/PFaK8

That's a nice color!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: HighNoon on Wed, 28 February 2018, 13:41:16
Which colors are still remaining to be shipped out for R2.5? Love my enigma grey and can't wait to see my astrophysical purple one.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Wed, 28 February 2018, 17:50:47
I believe it's Astrophysical Purple, Galaxy Console, Venice Beach. I don't think there were any Monte Carlo Red cases ordered.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: macclack on Wed, 28 February 2018, 18:11:47
Can't wait to see Venice Beach in person.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Fri, 02 March 2018, 13:56:17
Can't wait to see Venice Beach in person.
Interested to see how those turn out as well, hoping we see them soon!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: yqliang on Fri, 02 March 2018, 19:49:35
Finally get my lazy ass to take some pictures.  ;D

SA Hyperfuse with custom wrist rest and USB cable
[attach=1]

And the Godspeed that just came in today... So clean!
[attach=2]
[attach=3]

Thank you Norbauer for such an amazing case!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 02 March 2018, 19:50:38
Finally get my lazy ass to take some pictures.  ;D

SA Hyperfuse with custom wrist rest and USB cable
(Attachment Link)

And the Godspeed that just came in today... So clean!
(Attachment Link)
(Attachment Link)

Thank you Norbauer for such an amazing case!

Those are some truly excellent photos! Thanks for sharing. :D
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: Artist on Sat, 03 March 2018, 17:17:06
Oh man, i'm so in need of this for my 2 years old Novatouch collecting dust on the shelves...

Is there any chances of a R3? Or is there anybody which has an extra and want to passover? Tks😑😑😑
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Thu, 08 March 2018, 15:09:10
Hey Ryan, not trying to bug you too much but do you have any updates on the remaining colors?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: Peiweisgreat on Thu, 08 March 2018, 15:30:30
Hey Ryan, not trying to bug you too much but do you have any updates on the remaining colors?

Don't worry friend the wait is killing me too.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: HighNoon on Thu, 08 March 2018, 15:33:12
I'd like an update as well. I'm in a big hurry to set my astrophysical purple case on the shelf and stare at it for another 3 months until laser arrives.
Title: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: trikoi00 on Thu, 08 March 2018, 19:10:45
Thanks Ryan. Here are my cases
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180309/c85e148820739d861dfb9db01dbf48fd.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180309/4fe5188b9b5ea6ae1c50776632153c92.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180309/867abc4aff5144ff35d701ccb63f2174.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180309/73d22f40ca5b5f90ada3c8dd54f717df.jpg)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Thu, 08 March 2018, 20:01:36
Thanks Ryan. Here are my cases
Show Image
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180309/867abc4aff5144ff35d701ccb63f2174.jpg)


I've seen this somewhere before.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: trikoi00 on Thu, 08 March 2018, 20:05:52
Haha, u are right. I take inspiration from the net.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: yqliang on Thu, 08 March 2018, 22:04:08
What are the kaycaps in the first and second photo?

Thanks Ryan. Here are my cases
Show Image
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180309/c85e148820739d861dfb9db01dbf48fd.jpg)
Show Image
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180309/4fe5188b9b5ea6ae1c50776632153c92.jpg)
Show Image
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180309/867abc4aff5144ff35d701ccb63f2174.jpg)

Show Image
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180309/73d22f40ca5b5f90ada3c8dd54f717df.jpg)



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: a_ak57 on Thu, 08 March 2018, 22:06:12
What are the kaycaps in the first and second photo?

Thanks Ryan. Here are my cases
Show Image
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180309/c85e148820739d861dfb9db01dbf48fd.jpg)
Show Image
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180309/4fe5188b9b5ea6ae1c50776632153c92.jpg)
Show Image
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180309/867abc4aff5144ff35d701ccb63f2174.jpg)

Show Image
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180309/73d22f40ca5b5f90ada3c8dd54f717df.jpg)



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

First set is GMK 9009 and the second is GMK Muted.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: yqliang on Thu, 08 March 2018, 22:09:01
Thank you sir!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: flyingalbatross1 on Sat, 10 March 2018, 10:25:13
Loving my Enigma Grey board in the new case, here it is with XDA Godspeed! It's been added to my collection as another endgame,

(https://i.imgur.com/asXz1bo.jpg)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: MajorKoos on Sat, 10 March 2018, 11:19:31
Loving my Enigma Grey board in the new case, here it is with XDA Godspeed! It's been added to my collection as another endgame,

Show Image
(https://i.imgur.com/asXz1bo.jpg)


That looks great.
Better than it does with SA Godspeed IMO.
I think it's the lighter shade of blue which does the trick.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 11 March 2018, 23:38:12
Thanks for all the cool build posts, everyone!

Small update: the powder shop was down all of last week due to a mechanical failure in their oven. I'll call this week to harass them some more to keep things moving. :) I was supposed to go film them powder coating some cases last week, but that got moved to this week for the aforementioned reason.

As a general rule of thumb, though, if you haven't gotten your ship notification yet, you can consider "they're working on it" to be the standing update. I promise, I won't forget about you guys. No need to keep pinging me every few days for an update, because I sadly really can't ever really add anything interesting beyond having to keep saying that. ;)

(The update that really matters will come in the form of a tracking number. And, yes, it will definitely come.)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: regionfree on Wed, 14 March 2018, 12:11:24
hi ryan. the retro fridge bundles from originative are also in the batch? thanks for the update!

Thanks for all the cool build posts, everyone!

Small update: the powder shop was down all of last week due to a mechanical failure in their oven. I'll call this week to harass them some more to keep things moving. :) I was supposed to go film them powder coating some cases last week, but that got moved to this week for the aforementioned reason.

As a general rule of thumb, though, if you haven't gotten your ship notification yet, you can consider "they're working on it" to be the standing update. I promise, I won't forget about you guys. No need to keep pinging me every few days for an update, because I sadly really can't ever really add anything interesting beyond having to keep saying that. ;)

(The update that really matters will come in the form of a tracking number. And, yes, it will definitely come.)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 14 March 2018, 12:13:57
hi ryan. the retro fridge bundles from originative are also in the batch? thanks for the update!

Thanks for all the cool build posts, everyone!

Small update: the powder shop was down all of last week due to a mechanical failure in their oven. I'll call this week to harass them some more to keep things moving. :) I was supposed to go film them powder coating some cases last week, but that got moved to this week for the aforementioned reason.

As a general rule of thumb, though, if you haven't gotten your ship notification yet, you can consider "they're working on it" to be the standing update. I promise, I won't forget about you guys. No need to keep pinging me every few days for an update, because I sadly really can't ever really add anything interesting beyond having to keep saying that. ;)

(The update that really matters will come in the form of a tracking number. And, yes, it will definitely come.)

Some of them already shipped to Originative a while ago, but yes the remaining ones are still in the batch currently being worked on by the powder coater. Retro has proved a particular challenge in this run for some reason, and I've had them re-do quite a few of them where I caught minor flaws. (Non-texture finishes are always more of a challenge on parts like these because the smoother finishes show the tiniest flaws more readily, and most powder coaters aren't used to anyone caring about such minor details as us keyboard nerds tend to do.) They've been experimenting with methods of avoiding those issues, however, and I believe/hope they've got it mostly figured out now. :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: Giorgio on Fri, 16 March 2018, 06:38:46
Sorry for the OT. I've got a problem with a novatouch with gmk keycaps. There is some interference and heavy contact between the plate-barrels and the keycaps, so the backspace key and the ISO enter key make a very annoying noise that I've reduced with some tape. Can someone suggest me how to sligthly cut/shave the plastic of the barrels to eliminate this noise? thanks
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: regionfree on Sat, 17 March 2018, 23:29:28
i'm getting this with cherry caps, and dsa caps. i think the slider housings are just not meant for these profiles, but OEM profile keys are fine it seems.

You can remedy this by sanding the housings bit by bit until they stop making contact during the keypress. You can also try raising the keycaps as well by using the o rings included. I did this on my novatouch backspace key with 2 rings on top of each other.

Sorry for the OT. I've got a problem with a novatouch with gmk keycaps. There is some interference and heavy contact between the plate-barrels and the keycaps, so the backspace key and the ISO enter key make a very annoying noise that I've reduced with some tape. Can someone suggest me how to sligthly cut/shave the plastic of the barrels to eliminate this noise? thanks
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: macclack on Mon, 19 March 2018, 15:54:41
I finally finished my build with the space station white case. All I can say is WOW. Everything about this case is amazing. Thank you again for making these possible Norbauer!

As a P.S., I noticed the case had a slight echo-chamber effect when typing, probably because of the switches I'm using (box burnt oranges) so I lined the inside of the bottom with white foam. Fixed.

[attachimg=1]
[attach=2]
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: Giorgio on Mon, 19 March 2018, 17:43:43
i'm getting this with cherry caps, and dsa caps. i think the slider housings are just not meant for these profiles, but OEM profile keys are fine it seems.

You can remedy this by sanding the housings bit by bit until they stop making contact during the keypress. You can also try raising the keycaps as well by using the o rings included. I did this on my novatouch backspace key with 2 rings on top of each other.

Sorry for the OT. I've got a problem with a novatouch with gmk keycaps. There is some interference and heavy contact between the plate-barrels and the keycaps, so the backspace key and the ISO enter key make a very annoying noise that I've reduced with some tape. Can someone suggest me how to sligthly cut/shave the plastic of the barrels to eliminate this noise? thanks

Thanks, I'd like to understand what part should I sand. I'll make another thread since there are no answers
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: zslane on Sat, 24 March 2018, 17:47:27
Carbon NorbaTouch (with Plum numpad):

[attachimg=1]
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Sun, 25 March 2018, 01:07:10
For those of us who are still waiting..

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/364956663867768832/427346479213051914/unknown.png)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 25 March 2018, 18:02:28
Hehe. Well, naturally they would all have gotten that email too. ;)

At any rate, by way of a bit of supplemental information, one of my tasks this week is to investigate another high-quality local powder shop to parallelize some of the work and hopefully turn projects around more quickly. The guys I'm currently using are great and I'll continue to consume as much of their bandwidth as available, but their slow and inconsistent turnaround times are a source of some frustration to me, so I'm looking at maybe splitting work between them and a second shop. I'm very fortunate in that where here in Silicon Valley (somewhat unusually for most place in the US) we have a number of good shops with experience doing consumer products. I'll be doing some test parts this week. The most promising shop I'm looking at is one that does all the powder coating for Mission Bicycle, a maker of high-end custom bikes in downtown San Francisco.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: Puddsy on Sun, 25 March 2018, 22:17:21
Hehe. Well, naturally they would all have gotten that email too. ;)

At any rate, by way of a bit of supplemental information, one of my tasks this week is to investigate another high-quality local powder shop to parallelize some of the work and hopefully turn projects around more quickly. The guys I'm currently using are great and I'll continue to consume as much of their bandwidth as available, but their slow and inconsistent turnaround times are a source of some frustration to me, so I'm looking at maybe splitting work between them and a second shop. I'm very fortunate in that where here in Silicon Valley (somewhat unusually for most place in the US) we have a number of good shops with experience doing consumer products. I'll be doing some test parts this week. The most promising shop I'm looking at is one that does all the powder coating for Mission Bicycle, a maker of high-end custom bikes in downtown San Francisco.

excited to see the results of this test
Title: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: mkarlsson on Mon, 26 March 2018, 14:21:16
Anyone interested in an R2.5 enigma gray case PM me. I am located in Spain.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 02 April 2018, 18:24:11
I continue on a weekly basis to keep after the powder shop to deliver the remaining cases. While I was there this weekend, they let me film coating some of the Galaxy Console cases.

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: funkybeat7 on Mon, 02 April 2018, 18:27:05
I continue on a weekly basis to keep after the powder shop to deliver the remaining cases. While I was there this weekend, they let me film coating some of the Galaxy Console cases.

Neato, I'm super excited for when they finish up. Just working on the virtue of patience for now though :D


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: Puddsy on Mon, 02 April 2018, 18:30:56
I continue on a weekly basis to keep after the powder shop to deliver the remaining cases. While I was there this weekend, they let me film coating some of the Galaxy Console cases.


neat lil vid

i should learn more about how that process works
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: jay6889 on Mon, 02 April 2018, 19:48:51
awesome Vid.

Such a shame that i missed this GB. :( :(

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: Artist on Tue, 03 April 2018, 01:05:53
Anyone interested in an R2.5 enigma gray case PM me. I am located in Spain.

PMed you, still looking around if anyone's interested in selling their case as I missed this GB :( !!!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: mkarlsson on Tue, 03 April 2018, 07:46:22
Anyone interested in an R2.5 enigma gray case PM me. I am located in Spain.

PMed you, still looking around if anyone's interested in selling their case as I missed this GB :( !!!

PMed you back
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: autobot on Mon, 09 April 2018, 08:50:02
Hehe. Well, naturally they would all have gotten that email too. ;)

At any rate, by way of a bit of supplemental information, one of my tasks this week is to investigate another high-quality local powder shop to parallelize some of the work and hopefully turn projects around more quickly. The guys I'm currently using are great and I'll continue to consume as much of their bandwidth as available, but their slow and inconsistent turnaround times are a source of some frustration to me, so I'm looking at maybe splitting work between them and a second shop. I'm very fortunate in that where here in Silicon Valley (somewhat unusually for most place in the US) we have a number of good shops with experience doing consumer products. I'll be doing some test parts this week. The most promising shop I'm looking at is one that does all the powder coating for Mission Bicycle, a maker of high-end custom bikes in downtown San Francisco.

Thanks for the update! It's kind of a trade off, whereas a busy shop can be an indicator of high quality, but the downside is slow turnaround.

Any updates from the alternative shop? If yes, will they be able to match the colors you specified in the beginning of the group buy? I'm guessing it's a matter of them ordering the same powder for application.

Personally, so long as I get my two cases (Astrophysical & Venice) before Laaaaaazer arrives, I'll just patiently wait.  :thumb:
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 09 April 2018, 09:47:13
Hehe. Well, naturally they would all have gotten that email too. ;)

At any rate, by way of a bit of supplemental information, one of my tasks this week is to investigate another high-quality local powder shop to parallelize some of the work and hopefully turn projects around more quickly. The guys I'm currently using are great and I'll continue to consume as much of their bandwidth as available, but their slow and inconsistent turnaround times are a source of some frustration to me, so I'm looking at maybe splitting work between them and a second shop. I'm very fortunate in that where here in Silicon Valley (somewhat unusually for most place in the US) we have a number of good shops with experience doing consumer products. I'll be doing some test parts this week. The most promising shop I'm looking at is one that does all the powder coating for Mission Bicycle, a maker of high-end custom bikes in downtown San Francisco.

Thanks for the update! It's kind of a trade off, whereas a busy shop can be an indicator of high quality, but the downside is slow turnaround.

Any updates from the alternative shop? If yes, will they be able to match the colors you specified in the beginning of the group buy? I'm guessing it's a matter of them ordering the same powder for application.

Personally, so long as I get my two cases (Astrophysical & Venice) before Laaaaaazer arrives, I'll just patiently wait.  :thumb:

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but the alternative shop said they'd have the sample cases done and call me last Monday, which is now a week ago as of today and I haven't heard from them yet. So that doesn't bode well. I could call them to check in about it, but I've kind of intentionally been waiting for them to call me just to see how long it takes.

In good news, I now have all the Galaxy Console cases back, along with a few final Monte Carlo red, Enigma Gray, and Royal Wrinkle from the trusty-but-slow shop. I plan to ship those today or tomorrow, and that should close out those those colors. Next up should be the remaining Retro Refrig. and White, and then Purple.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: funkybeat7 on Mon, 09 April 2018, 09:50:30
Hehe. Well, naturally they would all have gotten that email too. ;)

At any rate, by way of a bit of supplemental information, one of my tasks this week is to investigate another high-quality local powder shop to parallelize some of the work and hopefully turn projects around more quickly. The guys I'm currently using are great and I'll continue to consume as much of their bandwidth as available, but their slow and inconsistent turnaround times are a source of some frustration to me, so I'm looking at maybe splitting work between them and a second shop. I'm very fortunate in that where here in Silicon Valley (somewhat unusually for most place in the US) we have a number of good shops with experience doing consumer products. I'll be doing some test parts this week. The most promising shop I'm looking at is one that does all the powder coating for Mission Bicycle, a maker of high-end custom bikes in downtown San Francisco.

Thanks for the update! It's kind of a trade off, whereas a busy shop can be an indicator of high quality, but the downside is slow turnaround.

Any updates from the alternative shop? If yes, will they be able to match the colors you specified in the beginning of the group buy? I'm guessing it's a matter of them ordering the same powder for application.

Personally, so long as I get my two cases (Astrophysical & Venice) before Laaaaaazer arrives, I'll just patiently wait.  :thumb:

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but the alternative shop said they'd have the sample cases done and call me last Monday, which is now a week ago as of today and I haven't heard from them yet. So that doesn't bode well. I could call them to check in about it, but I've kind of intentionally been waiting for them to call me just to see how long it takes.

In good news, I now have all the Galaxy Console cases back, along with a few final Monte Carlo red, Enigma Gray, and Royal Wrinkle from the trusty-but-slow shop. I plan to ship those today or tomorrow, and that should close out those those colors. Next up should be the remaining Retro Refrig. and White, and then Purple.

WOOOO I am excited for my Retro Refrigerator case!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: macclack on Mon, 09 April 2018, 16:58:05
I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but the alternative shop said they'd have the sample cases done and call me last Monday, which is now a week ago as of today and I haven't heard from them yet. So that doesn't bode well. I could call them to check in about it, but I've kind of intentionally been waiting for them to call me just to see how long it takes.

In good news, I now have all the Galaxy Console cases back, along with a few final Monte Carlo red, Enigma Gray, and Royal Wrinkle from the trusty-but-slow shop. I plan to ship those today or tomorrow, and that should close out those those colors. Next up should be the remaining Retro Refrig. and White, and then Purple.

Hi, thanks for the update. I didn't see anything about the Venice Beach cases. Are those being produced at the alternative shop?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 10 April 2018, 10:25:10
I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but the alternative shop said they'd have the sample cases done and call me last Monday, which is now a week ago as of today and I haven't heard from them yet. So that doesn't bode well. I could call them to check in about it, but I've kind of intentionally been waiting for them to call me just to see how long it takes.

In good news, I now have all the Galaxy Console cases back, along with a few final Monte Carlo red, Enigma Gray, and Royal Wrinkle from the trusty-but-slow shop. I plan to ship those today or tomorrow, and that should close out those those colors. Next up should be the remaining Retro Refrig. and White, and then Purple.

Hi, thanks for the update. I didn't see anything about the Venice Beach cases. Are those being produced at the alternative shop?

The numbers on Venice Beach quite small, but it's definitely among the remaining ones too, to be done around the same time as the Astrophysical Purple ones. Their general strategy has been to focus on the larger batches first and then work their way down to the smaller number colors.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: millifoo on Tue, 10 April 2018, 10:30:02
In good news, I now have all the Galaxy Console cases back

OMG.... it's xmas all over again! I can't wait!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 17 April 2018, 21:18:09
I did finally hear back from the second powder shop, and the results they delivered back were perfect, even if a week or two behind when they said. I've got them running the remaining Space Station cases from r2.5 for me this week, and we'll see how those turn out. (Smooth finishes are always more sensitive than textured ones.) If that goes well also, I'll give them the remaining Retros and Venice Beach while the first shop finishes up the Astrophysicals—and, with any luck we might have these last straggler cases banged out pretty fast.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: HighNoon on Tue, 17 April 2018, 21:20:21
I did finally hear back from the second powder shop, and the results they delivered back were perfect, even if a week or two behind when they said. I've got them running the remaining Space Station cases from r2.5 for me this week, and we'll see how those turn out. (Smooth finishes are always more sensitive than textured ones.) If that goes well also, I'll give them the remaining Retros and Venice Beach while the first shop finishes up the Astrophysicals—and, with any luck we might have these last straggler cases banged out pretty fast.

Great news, thanks for the update! Maybe you should open your own powder shop and actually get **** done on schedule ;)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Tue, 17 April 2018, 21:27:07
I did finally hear back from the second powder shop, and the results they delivered back were perfect, even if a week or two behind when they said. I've got them running the remaining Space Station cases from r2.5 for me this week, and we'll see how those turn out. (Smooth finishes are always more sensitive than textured ones.) If that goes well also, I'll give them the remaining Retros and Venice Beach while the first shop finishes up the Astrophysicals—and, with any luck we might have these last straggler cases banged out pretty fast.

Great news, thanks for the update! Maybe you should open your own powder shop and actually get **** done on schedule ;)

It had become sufficiently frustrating keeping after these guys that that the thought had actually occurred to me. :rolleyes:
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: autobot on Wed, 18 April 2018, 07:24:50
Nice! So what keycap sets are people looking to match with their Venice Beach cases?

Might just pair mine with Sky Dolch/Magenta mods while I wait for Laser.  :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: ihalatch on Wed, 18 April 2018, 08:22:02
Got my case this week. Ryan, you are a wizard extraordinaire. This elegant, clean symmetry,  the powder coating ... everything is just exceptional! I'm speechless. I wish all my black keyboards were Norbauer enigmatic - the texture is amazing. Can't wait to get the Norbaforce. Hope the tactical black, hard anodization is as attractive as this one. Sorry for the iPhone pics. ****, I can't stop looking at the keyboard. There must be something very wrong with me :) I'm still waiting for a Glorious PC Gaming Race Wooden Wrist Rest. Any suggestions for a good tall wrist rest for the Norbaforce? They are quite tall I guess?
(http://i.imgur.com/9qRlKp1.jpg) (https://imgur.com/9qRlKp1)
(http://i.imgur.com/f2FfRv0.jpg) (https://imgur.com/f2FfRv0)
(http://i.imgur.com/ieRWOub.jpg) (https://imgur.com/ieRWOub)
(http://i.imgur.com/gr4ZkVY.jpg) (https://imgur.com/gr4ZkVY)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: macclack on Wed, 18 April 2018, 22:35:10
Nice! So what keycap sets are people looking to match with their Venice Beach cases?

Might just pair mine with Sky Dolch/Magenta mods while I wait for Laser.  :)

Mine's going to sit and wait patiently for Laser.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: tanvir175 on Fri, 27 April 2018, 14:41:43
This case won't work with a Realforce 87U, will it? I just bought a Norbatouch thinking it was a Norbaforce lol. Stupid mistake since those are still in manufacturing phase.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: xondat on Fri, 27 April 2018, 14:43:22
This case won't work with a Realforce 87U, will it? I just bought a Norbatouch thinking it was a Norbaforce lol. Stupid mistake since those are still in manufacturing phase.

No it won't.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: tanvir175 on Fri, 27 April 2018, 14:47:13
This case won't work with a Realforce 87U, will it? I just bought a Norbatouch thinking it was a Norbaforce lol. Stupid mistake since those are still in manufacturing phase.

No it won't.

Alright, thanks! Do you happen to know of any PCB's that work with the case or will I have to get a CM Pro S or CM Novatouch?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: Puddsy on Fri, 27 April 2018, 14:52:20
This case won't work with a Realforce 87U, will it? I just bought a Norbatouch thinking it was a Norbaforce lol. Stupid mistake since those are still in manufacturing phase.

No it won't.

Alright, thanks! Do you happen to know of any PCB's that work with the case or will I have to get a CM Pro S or CM Novatouch?

you will have to get a pro M or NT
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: tanvir175 on Fri, 27 April 2018, 14:58:34
This case won't work with a Realforce 87U, will it? I just bought a Norbatouch thinking it was a Norbaforce lol. Stupid mistake since those are still in manufacturing phase.

No it won't.

Alright, thanks! Do you happen to know of any PCB's that work with the case or will I have to get a CM Pro S or CM Novatouch?

you will have to get a pro M or NT

That's a bummer. Thanks! Pretty sure it's Pro S, though. Pro M is pretty different.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Fri, 27 April 2018, 15:56:15
Oh man... I saw new posts in this thread and got excited... oh well.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: funkybeat7 on Fri, 27 April 2018, 15:57:13
Hi Ryan,

Do you think I can get my hopes up for next week? With regards to the RR cases that is


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: raylus on Fri, 27 April 2018, 15:57:15
Oh man... I saw new posts in this thread and got excited... oh well.

same here.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 27 April 2018, 16:45:25
Hi Ryan,

Do you think I can get my hopes up for next week? With regards to the RR cases that is

Probably not next week but perhaps a week or two thereafter. Sorry if I already said this here in the thread before, but I've decided to send the Retros up to a new shop I've found up in SF. They're even more expensive than the other place and they're kind of a long drive for me, but they're the only other shop I've been able to find in the Bay Area that understands how (and cares) to do a consumer-grade finish.

So far, based on my test runs, they tend to take on average a week or two longer than their promised timelines, but that's about ten (!) times faster than the other shop at this point, so I'm starting to move the remaining batches up there. It's a bit of a delicate situation because the cases themselves are at the first shop still and have already been bead-blasted and prepped there. But they realize they've kind of utterly failed me on this project in terms of turnaround times and understand that I want to start moving some of the work elsewhere as a result.

The new shop is finishing up the final Space Station cases for me this week and I'm taking the remaining Retros up there to be coated next, either this afternoon or Monday morning. The other shop has been sitting on those for like two months now. >_< And I've been bugging them just about every other day during this whole period.

My current plan is that the purples will still be done by the first shop, as I already paid for and shipped that special powder order to them. However, I'll bail on them for even that if it ends up taking more than a week or two longer.

In case anybody wonders why I charge so much for the powder finishes, this is why. ;) If they weren't so cool, I'd stop offering them altogether in future projects, but when I finally do get the parts back, I always get a giddy thrill about how cool they look (especially the textured ones), which makes me want to persist.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: funkybeat7 on Fri, 27 April 2018, 16:50:23
Hi Ryan,

Do you think I can get my hopes up for next week? With regards to the RR cases that is

Probably not next week but perhaps a week or two thereafter. Sorry if I already said this here in the thread before, but I've decided to send the Retros up to a new shop I've found up in SF. They're even more expensive than the other place and they're kind of a long drive for me, but they're the only other shop I've been able to find in the Bay Area that understands how (and cares) to do a consumer-grade finish.

So far, based on my test runs, they tend to take on average a week or two longer than their promised timelines, but that's about ten (!) times faster than the other shop at this point, so I'm starting to move the remaining batches up there. It's a bit of a delicate situation because the cases themselves are at the first shop still and have already been bead-blasted and prepped there. But they realize they've kind of utterly failed me on this project in terms of turnaround times and understand that I want to start moving some of the work elsewhere as a result.

The new shop is finishing up the final Space Station cases for me this week and I'm taking the remaining Retros up there to be coated next, either this afternoon or Monday morning. The other shop has been sitting on those for like two months now. >_< And I've been bugging them just about every other day during this whole period.

My current plan is that the purples will still be done by the first shop, as I already paid for and shipped that special powder order to them. However, I'll bail on them for even that if it ends up taking more than a week or two longer.

In case anybody wonders why I charge so much for the powder finishes, this is why. ;) If they weren't so cool, I'd stop offering them altogether in future projects, but when I finally do get the parts back, I always get a giddy thrill about how cool they look (especially the textured ones), which makes me want to persist.


Yea I understand, I knew you were moving the RR cases and another color to the new shop but didn't know what logistics were involved so I was curious. Either way i'll be patient since I've seen the finished product in person before so I'm okay with waiting. Thanks for the prompt response!  :thumb:
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: syke on Sat, 05 May 2018, 17:54:51
These cases needs to be mass produced... too much demand, too little supply
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: Artist on Thu, 10 May 2018, 06:07:42
These cases needs to be mass produced... too much demand, too little supply


YES, I am still in need of one, in case anybody want to pass over their case please PM me.
Tks a lot!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: syke on Thu, 10 May 2018, 10:27:59
Likewise, anyone wants to let go of one, PM me!!!!!!!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 10 May 2018, 10:36:27
These cases needs to be mass produced... too much demand, too little supply

I am amazed that there is still so much desire for this housing, which only fits discontinued and utterly hard-to-find keyboards, but I still hear so often from people that want them that I'd consider (yet another!) another small run within the next month or so. Perhaps I might do it to coincide with my Heavy-6 group buy so I can ship them together. However, I am still waiting to ship out the last few powder coat colors from r2.5 and, just as a point of personal honor, I really don't feel right running another group buy until at least I've finished and shipped out the preceding round. But stayed tuned. I'll announce on my email list (http://norbauer.com/list) if and when I do round of these and of course will post a thread here too.

On the subject of powder coat, I'll likely drastically reduce the number of powder coat colors available to the two most popular from subsequent rounds (retro refrigerator and one of the enigmas, likely). I still adore the powder coat finishes, but they really consume a huge amount of time from me to get done and coordinate, and they cause a lot of delays—due to the, shall we say, somewhat "informal" approach that powder coating shops seem take to schedules and work organization. I can't believe I still have a few people waiting for their powder coated cases from r2.5, and that is a source of some guilt on my part that I would rather avoid in future. :) Fortunately, I've switched to a new powder coater that seems to have much better turnaround times and the same or better quality, but they are more of a production shop and can't work in really small numbers, so I'll have to converge on fewer powder finish options if I do decide to do another run of these—for better or worse. 

Thanks anyway, everyone, for still liking and wanting this first design of mine. I am a little puzzled, but flattered, and I'll do my best to accommodate if possible. :D
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: macclack on Thu, 10 May 2018, 17:16:34
These cases needs to be mass produced... too much demand, too little supply

I am amazed that there is still so much desire for this housing, which only fits discontinued and utterly hard-to-find keyboards, but I still hear so often from people that want them that I'd consider (yet another!) another small run within the next month or so. Perhaps I might do it to coincide with my Heavy-6 group buy so I can ship them together. However, I am still waiting to ship out the last few powder coat colors from r2.5 and, just as a point of personal honor, I really don't feel right running another group buy until at least I've finished and shipped out the preceding round. But stayed tuned. I'll announce on my email list (http://norbauer.com/list) if and when I do round of these and of course will post a thread here too.

On the subject of powder coat, I'll likely drastically reduce the number of powder coat colors available to the two most popular from subsequent rounds (retro refrigerator and one of the enigmas, likely). I still adore the powder coat finishes, but they really consume a huge amount of time from me to get done and coordinate, and they cause a lot of delays—due to the, shall we say, somewhat "informal" approach that powder coating shops seem take to schedules and work organization. I can't believe I still have a few people waiting for their powder coated cases from r2.5, and that is a source of some guilt on my part that I would rather avoid in future. :) Fortunately, I've switched to a new powder coater that seems to have much better turnaround times and the same or better quality, but they are more of a production shop and can't work in really small numbers, so I'll have to converge on fewer powder finish options if I do decide to do another run of these—for better or worse. 

Thanks anyway, everyone, for still liking and wanting this first design of mine. I am a little puzzled, but flattered, and I'll do my best to accommodate if possible. :D

Honestly I'm not that surprised. These things are reaching near legendary status based on comments I see. I absolutely love mine. 
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: valniro on Sat, 12 May 2018, 16:15:57
R3? YES PLEASE!!!!!!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Sat, 12 May 2018, 16:37:30
Speaking of 2.5, does that mean you have plans to move all powdercoat cases to this new shop to have them completed that you didn't already mention above? It seems like your original shop doesn't care about these ever getting done. I remember you saying just about everything was moving to the new shop except purple & retro due to prep work already being done and the cases just waiting to be completed. Is that still the case? May 10th marked the 8th month for this GB and I'm sure you're just as ready for it to conclude as the rest of us. You deserve a medal and a nice break for this much BS.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 12 May 2018, 19:31:56
Speaking of 2.5, does that mean you have plans to move all powdercoat cases to this new shop to have them completed that you didn't already mention above? It seems like your original shop doesn't care about these ever getting done. I remember you saying just about everything was moving to the new shop except purple & retro due to prep work already being done and the cases just waiting to be completed. Is that still the case?

Yes, I've been migrating the last few finishes over right now to the new shop, but FWIW the old shop did finally finish up the purple ones while I was away in Boston. (I was back in Massachusetts for the last two weeks getting my house there ready to sell, so apologies that I may have been less responsive than usual.)

(https://norbauercdn.blob.core.windows.net/webshares/coolermaster-tkl-case/purple.jpg)

I'm sure you're just as ready for it to conclude as the rest of us. You deserve a medal and a nice break for this much BS.

Hehe. I don't know about my deserving a medal, but you guys who are still waiting for cases certainly deserve recognition for being so ridiculously patient as I've worked through the issues with these powder coaters dragging their heels. It's a great consolation to me how happy everyone is when they finally get their powder finishes, but it really bothers me keeping people waiting, especially since the vast, vast majority were shipped out literally months ago. =\

Regarding your other point, I really don't know what happened with the first shop, but you're right that they "just don't care about these ever getting done" is probably the best way to put it. I even started to pay them extra per unit just to try to convince them to turn parts around faster or more reliably, to no avail. I think they just got bored of doing keyboard cases or something (they're mostly focused on vintage cars). They were doing pretty well for a while but then just completely stalled out for like six weeks and delivered me zero cases during the period, despite my constant urging. They started the trickle again subsequently, but I quickly realized after that it was time to start looking for a new vendor.

Fortunately, it looks like we're back in powder motion again, however, with the new place. And just in time, since I have a huge pile of Norbaforces headed my way soon. Assuming that cases I pick up on Monday don't have any problems, then I think the only thing we have left are a couple of one-off stragglers and Venice Beach.

Phew.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Sat, 12 May 2018, 19:44:54
Speaking of 2.5, does that mean you have plans to move all powdercoat cases to this new shop to have them completed that you didn't already mention above? It seems like your original shop doesn't care about these ever getting done. I remember you saying just about everything was moving to the new shop except purple & retro due to prep work already being done and the cases just waiting to be completed. Is that still the case?

Yes, I've been migrating the last few finishes over right now to the new shop, but FWIW the old shop did finally finish up the purple ones while I was away in Boston. (I was back in Massachusetts for the last two weeks getting my house there ready to sell, so apologies that I may have been less responsive than usual.)

Show Image
(https://norbauercdn.blob.core.windows.net/webshares/coolermaster-tkl-case/purple.jpg)


You have no idea how much that picture excites me.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: funkybeat7 on Sat, 12 May 2018, 22:09:38
Speaking of 2.5, does that mean you have plans to move all powdercoat cases to this new shop to have them completed that you didn't already mention above? It seems like your original shop doesn't care about these ever getting done. I remember you saying just about everything was moving to the new shop except purple & retro due to prep work already being done and the cases just waiting to be completed. Is that still the case?

Yes, I've been migrating the last few finishes over right now to the new shop, but FWIW the old shop did finally finish up the purple ones while I was away in Boston. (I was back in Massachusetts for the last two weeks getting my house there ready to sell, so apologies that I may have been less responsive than usual.)

Show Image
(https://norbauercdn.blob.core.windows.net/webshares/coolermaster-tkl-case/purple.jpg)


I'm sure you're just as ready for it to conclude as the rest of us. You deserve a medal and a nice break for this much BS.

Hehe. I don't know about my deserving a medal, but you guys who are still waiting for cases certainly deserve recognition for being so ridiculously patient as I've worked through the issues with these powder coaters dragging their heels. It's a great consolation to me how happy everyone is when they finally get their powder finishes, but it really bothers me keeping people waiting, especially since the vast, vast majority were shipped out literally months ago. =\

Regarding your other point, I really don't know what happened with the first shop, but you're right that they "just don't care about these ever getting done" is probably the best way to put it. I even started to pay them extra per unit just to try to convince them to turn parts around faster or more reliably, to no avail. I think they just got bored of doing keyboard cases or something (they're mostly focused on vintage cars). They were doing pretty well for a while but then just completely stalled out for like six weeks and delivered me zero cases during the period, despite my constant urging. They started the trickle again subsequently, but I quickly realized after that it was time to start looking for a new vendor.

Fortunately, it looks like we're back in powder motion again, however, with the new place. And just in time, since I have a huge pile of Norbaforces headed my way soon. Assuming that cases I pick up on Monday don't have any problems, then I think the only thing we have left are a couple of one-off stragglers and Venice Beach.

Phew.

Retro Refrigerator and Aerospace come to me!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: dantambok on Sat, 12 May 2018, 22:13:53
Does anyone want to let go of their slot? I badly need one. :(
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: syke on Sun, 13 May 2018, 03:28:36
Speaking of 2.5, does that mean you have plans to move all powdercoat cases to this new shop to have them completed that you didn't already mention above? It seems like your original shop doesn't care about these ever getting done. I remember you saying just about everything was moving to the new shop except purple & retro due to prep work already being done and the cases just waiting to be completed. Is that still the case? May 10th marked the 8th month for this GB and I'm sure you're just as ready for it to conclude as the rest of us. You deserve a medal and a nice break for this much BS.

Please have the Tactical Black, Enigma Gray, Tactical Gray (No Brushed), Retro Refrigerator, Warm Gray or Aerospace Aluminium available for the next round. I am looking to cop at least 2 cases and any combination of those few would be perfect.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: Peiweisgreat on Sun, 13 May 2018, 20:49:49
Speaking of 2.5, does that mean you have plans to move all powdercoat cases to this new shop to have them completed that you didn't already mention above? It seems like your original shop doesn't care about these ever getting done. I remember you saying just about everything was moving to the new shop except purple & retro due to prep work already being done and the cases just waiting to be completed. Is that still the case?

Yes, I've been migrating the last few finishes over right now to the new shop, but FWIW the old shop did finally finish up the purple ones while I was away in Boston. (I was back in Massachusetts for the last two weeks getting my house there ready to sell, so apologies that I may have been less responsive than usual.)

Show Image
(https://norbauercdn.blob.core.windows.net/webshares/coolermaster-tkl-case/purple.jpg)


You have no idea how much that picture excites me.

I feel you on that one my man, the wait for our cases have been killer. At least we can trust someone like Ryan to make sure everything comes out immaculate. I'm sure when all of us get our cases we will see that the wait was worth it.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: HighNoon on Wed, 16 May 2018, 12:10:04
Finally! Astrophysical purple arrives Monday! It still beat GMK Laser to the finish line so all is well.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: Peiweisgreat on Fri, 18 May 2018, 16:07:47
Got hit with this while I was at work. Boy oh boy I can't wait to get home.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Fri, 18 May 2018, 17:53:06
The wait is finally over! I've been so excited for this moment ever since I placed my order. Put R6 Violett Cream on it until Laser arrives, also had to include some GAF. This case is very difficult to take photos of... the purple looks much closer to the mods in person.

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/961/42198854111_6b706e0e2b_k.jpg)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: MajorKoos on Fri, 18 May 2018, 18:00:12
The wait is finally over! I've been so excited for this moment ever since I placed my order. Put R6 Violett Cream on it until Laser arrives, also had to include some GAF. This case is very difficult to take photos of... the purple looks much closer to the mods in person.

Show Image
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/961/42198854111_6b706e0e2b_k.jpg)


Astrophysical Purple looks awesome :)
Good to see it in the wild at last.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Fri, 18 May 2018, 18:59:18
Yeah, I'm having fun  :D

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/961/27328654487_cc807e4fba_k.jpg)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: raylus on Fri, 18 May 2018, 23:23:35
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180519/336f669d027cf28e6b4f8c692a949201.jpg)Thanks Ryan!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: raylus on Fri, 18 May 2018, 23:24:48
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180519/3f013a29929654ee39ef514762a926d7.jpg)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: Peiweisgreat on Fri, 18 May 2018, 23:29:54
[attachimg=1]
Yeah, I'm having fun  :D

Show Image
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/961/27328654487_cc807e4fba_k.jpg)


We did it my dude they are here and they are beautiful!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: Rumblehotep on Sat, 19 May 2018, 10:33:44
Is there a german word for Sharp Intake of Breath at Seeing the Perfect Shade of Purple?
There should be.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: macclack on Sat, 19 May 2018, 16:06:34
Show Image
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180519/3f013a29929654ee39ef514762a926d7.jpg)



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Space Station looks great with XDA Godspeed caps.  :thumb:
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: autobot on Wed, 23 May 2018, 11:55:21
:drool:

The wait was really worth it. Bravo, norbauer!

Wow, just wow...can't wait for my Venice Beach case!

Astro Purp will get MasterKeys Pro S RGB w/red switches. Venice will get blue switches (make it sound as loud as it looks!).

The wait for Laser will be agonizing...

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/971/41582189954_299ce6ffb1_b.jpg)

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/961/41582190204_196361d1bc_b.jpg)

One step closer to this...
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4664/25712558468_528c4427f1_b.jpg)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: autobot on Wed, 23 May 2018, 11:56:04
edit - mods please delete
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: FSund on Wed, 23 May 2018, 16:02:09
This case is from round 1, but just wanted to share some photos of my daily driver

[attach=1]
[attach=2]
[attach=3]
[attach=4]
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: HighNoon on Wed, 23 May 2018, 22:11:42
Got my astrophysical purple set up! I did notice that the pcb/plate rattles around in the housing a bit. Definitely more noisy than my Enigma Gray case. Not sure what the difference would be. Anyone else experience this? Have a good solution? For now I just jammed a piece of paper in the gap between the pcb/plate and the case but that feels kinda jank on such an expensive board.

(https://imgur.com/ejJ3AIe.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/rSB8M1H.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/O11r7Xr.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/CPovmFF.jpg)
Title: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 23 May 2018, 22:13:57
Got my astrophysical purple set up! I did notice that the pcb/plate rattles around in the housing a bit. Definitely more noisy than my Enigma Gray case. Not sure what the difference would be. Anyone else experience this? Have a good solution? For now I just jammed a piece of paper in the gap between the pcb/plate and the case but that feels kinda jank on such an expensive board.

Show Image
(https://imgur.com/ejJ3AIe)


Show Image
(https://imgur.com/ejJ3AIe)


Show Image
(https://imgur.com/O11r7Xr)


Show Image
(https://imgur.com/CPovmFF)


This is intentional, to accommodate observed variations in tolerances between Cooler Master plates. Easily solved by placing a strip of shelf liner along the little shelf where the plate edge sits.

Also: are you using the flanged plate hold-down screws?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: HighNoon on Wed, 23 May 2018, 22:17:44
Wow that was a fast reply, thanks Norbauer. Yes I am using all the screws including the flanged plate hold-down screws.

I'll see if I can find some shelf liner, thanks. Did you change any tolerances between r2 and r2.5? My gray is from R2 (well kinda 2.5) and the purple is obviously R2.5.

Just out of curiosity I put my Hyperfuse board in the gray case and it was perfect, but the Carbon board shook around a little bit in the purple case.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 23 May 2018, 22:23:25
Wow that was a fast reply, thanks Norbauer. Yes I am using all the screws including the flanged plate hold-down screws.

I'll see if I can find some shelf liner, thanks. Did you change any tolerances between r2 and r2.5? My gray is from R2 (well kinda 2.5) and the purple is obviously R2.5.

Just out of curiosity I put my Hyperfuse board in the gray case and it was perfect, but the Carbon board shook around a little bit in the purple case.

The dimensions are actually the same across all runs.

Remember that enigma gray is a texture finish and purple a relatively smooth one, so that may also account for some of the difference.

But in general there is just some variation between CM plates that I had to account for in that ledge size. Fortunately on boards where the plate is a bit smaller, the foam shelf liner trick works perfectly. I’ve had to do that on a couple of mine. I also put it in the whole bottom of the case too and I feel like it improves the sound generally.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: HighNoon on Wed, 23 May 2018, 22:59:10
I figured the dimensions would be the same. I think you nailed it with the texture vs. smooth thing. That has to play a small part in the fit of the plate. I'm not even sure the gap in my purple case is large enough to stick shelf liner in there but I'll try. I'll also try some in the bottom of the case, thanks for the suggestion.

I love the color and finish of the case. Thanks for a great product as always!

Also I saw there's a R3 on your site... did this happen already and I missed it?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Thu, 24 May 2018, 07:36:18
So I figured I'd drop a suggestion for anyone who wants to reduce noise and have a more solid feeling board. Instead of using shelf liner I'd suggest using Audimate's Peacemaker sound barrier material. It's a rubber material that's just the right amount of thickness that also provides some noise reduction. I've been using it for a few days, and so far it's been great. The only drawback is the smell which does go away after time. I let the material air out a bit before putting it into the case, don't smell anything now. It's a relatively cheap material you can buy directly from their website.

https://www.audimute.com/peacemaker-soundproof-sound-deadening-insulation (https://www.audimute.com/peacemaker-soundproof-sound-deadening-insulation)
The cheapest option on their site is more than enough for 4 or 5 cases.

(http://i.imgur.com/wHIFD6U.jpg)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: HighNoon on Thu, 24 May 2018, 10:01:15
Thanks for the suggestion! I definitely want to add some kind of dampening material to my cases (and also my K-Type) but have seen a lot of different recommendations regarding material including shelf liner, sorbothane, silver stone foam, and now this audimute foam. Can anyone that’s used some or all of these provide some insight into what the best option is? Is there even much of a difference?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: macclack on Thu, 24 May 2018, 13:58:46
Thanks for the suggestion! I definitely want to add some kind of dampening material to my cases (and also my K-Type) but have seen a lot of different recommendations regarding material including shelf liner, sorbothane, silver stone foam, and now this audimute foam. Can anyone that’s used some or all of these provide some insight into what the best option is? Is there even much of a difference?

My understanding of sorbothane is that it's better used for applications where something is sitting directly on it to reduce vibration noise, like a noisy generator or electric motor. It's not necessarily better than other materials at reducing the acoustics created by a hollowed out space like a keyboard case, other than just reducing the amount of empty space. I say that because it's fairly expensive. 

I used some very inexpensive foam material purchased from Michael's and it worked fairly well. Here's a photo of the application: https://imgur.com/a/jhhKI

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: HighNoon on Thu, 24 May 2018, 15:24:35
Thanks for the suggestion! I definitely want to add some kind of dampening material to my cases (and also my K-Type) but have seen a lot of different recommendations regarding material including shelf liner, sorbothane, silver stone foam, and now this audimute foam. Can anyone that’s used some or all of these provide some insight into what the best option is? Is there even much of a difference?

My understanding of sorbothane is that it's better used for applications where something is sitting directly on it to reduce vibration noise, like a noisy generator or electric motor. It's not necessarily better than other materials at reducing the acoustics created by a hollowed out space like a keyboard case, other than just reducing the amount of empty space. I say that because it's fairly expensive. 

I used some very inexpensive foam material purchased from Michael's and it worked fairly well. Here's a photo of the application: https://imgur.com/a/jhhKI



Thanks for the info. I didn't realize sorbothane was expensive but you're definitely right... at least compared to normal foam.  I think I'll try some of the SilveStone foam and see how that works.

I assume people use SF01 since it is flat as opposed to SF02 which has an egg crate pattern?

SF01: https://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=270&area=en

SF02: https://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=715&area=en
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: TheEerieCold on Thu, 24 May 2018, 19:25:14
Do keep in mind that the Audimute Peacemaker isn't foam, it's hybrid rubber material so the sound reduction, while minimal, is probably better than a foam material. It also adds an extra bit of weight over the foams which I think contributes to the "solid" feeling overall and has a tad more grip so there is less movement of the plate. Highly recommended for the price, plus the shipping was free.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Thu, 24 May 2018, 21:35:27
Quick update.

Firstly, thanks to all who posted the awesome Astrophysical Purple pics. I'm gratified that everyone else is as happy with how those came out as I am.

I sent out the last of the Retro Refrigerator cases this week—unfortunately had to cancel a couple of those orders (always in the sequence in which they were placed) because I got a few back with minor cosmetic issues, and simply wouldn't feel right having to ask those two or three people to have to wait another 3-4 weeks while I got them stripped and recoated. The last handful of cases from r2.5 are Venice Beach, which I'm slated to get back and ship next week. I've gotten into a pretty good rhythm with the new powder coating shop, and I think it's going to work out well going forward.

Also, because I (astonishingly), keep getting emails asking if I'll do another run, I've put up an IC to gauge interest (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=95786.0). I'm not quite sure we could hit the MOQs, but frankly I'm always surprised by people's interest in and enthusiasm for my stuff, so we'll see.  :rolleyes:
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: razor_blade on Fri, 25 May 2018, 10:37:31
Quick update.

Firstly, thanks to all who posted the awesome Astrophysical Purple pics. I'm gratified that everyone else is as happy with how those came out as I am.

I sent out the last of the Retro Refrigerator cases this week—unfortunately had to cancel a couple of those orders (always in the sequence in which they were placed) because I got a few back with minor cosmetic issues, and simply wouldn't feel right having to ask those two or three people to have to wait another 3-4 weeks while I got them stripped and recoated. The last handful of cases from r2.5 are Venice Beach, which I'm slated to get back and ship next week. I've gotten into a pretty good rhythm with the new powder coating shop, and I think it's going to work out well going forward.

Also, because I (astonishingly), keep getting emails asking if I'll do another run, I've put up an IC to gauge interest (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=95786.0). I'm not quite sure we could hit the MOQs, but frankly I'm always surprised by people's interest in and enthusiasm for my stuff, so we'll see.  :rolleyes:

I'm hoping that my Retro Refrigerator + Novatouch from Originative wasn't on that list! OH NOES!!!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 25 May 2018, 11:14:21
Quick update.

Firstly, thanks to all who posted the awesome Astrophysical Purple pics. I'm gratified that everyone else is as happy with how those came out as I am.

I sent out the last of the Retro Refrigerator cases this week—unfortunately had to cancel a couple of those orders (always in the sequence in which they were placed) because I got a few back with minor cosmetic issues, and simply wouldn't feel right having to ask those two or three people to have to wait another 3-4 weeks while I got them stripped and recoated. The last handful of cases from r2.5 are Venice Beach, which I'm slated to get back and ship next week. I've gotten into a pretty good rhythm with the new powder coating shop, and I think it's going to work out well going forward.

Also, because I (astonishingly), keep getting emails asking if I'll do another run, I've put up an IC to gauge interest (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=95786.0). I'm not quite sure we could hit the MOQs, but frankly I'm always surprised by people's interest in and enthusiasm for my stuff, so we'll see.  :rolleyes:

I'm hoping that my Retro Refrigerator + Novatouch from Originative wasn't on that list! OH NOES!!!

I think it was actually only three orders total that I had to cancel, but unfortunately one of them was Originative's order, which included more than one unit.

It's kind of a long story, but in case you're curious, I'll give you all the details. The situation is probably also a big part of why the r2.5 cases took as long as they did in the first place. The first batch of r2.5 Retros I got back from the old powder shop had some cosmetic flaws on the powder coat surface. I told the shop that the quality wasn't up to the standards of us keyboard nerds, and they said they understood and would strip and refinish them. They seemed fine with this at the time, but I think they must have been secretly frustrated or resentful of it or something, because from that point forward they started dragging their heels and taking forever to turn around parts to me. (A job that was supposed to take 1-2 weeks literally dragged on for months, and eventually their work on the cases more or less just ground to a halt.) This is always the tricky dance when working with shops on keyboard projects. I am generally very picky about finishes and details (and I have to be, because so are all of you :p). This is all good and well and I have no intention of changing on that front, but there is always the risk of alienating the shop and having them give up on us in frustration at our "impossible standards," especially since keyboard projects are usually minuscule quantities for most production shops and thus sort of already on the border of being worth it for many vendors. (I usually have to cajole and negotiate primarily on the issue of lowering MOQs.)

Anyway, as mentioned in previous posts, I recently transitioned to another powder shop after searching long and hard for another that could do equivalent or better quality work. They turned around all the cases I shipped recently, such as the purples and whites, within their promised timelines (an extreme rarity for any powder shop!) and the quality was great. However, the batch of refinished Retros I got back had the same cosmetic issues as before. After some significant amount of investigation and experimentation with the new shop, we've been able to form a pretty good hypothesis as to what was happening on those. The new shop posits that the old one was using contaminated blast media. I thought maybe this was just a cop out and an excuse to blame somebody else. However, this week we conducted a test where we coated, side-by-side, an anodized case and one of the blasted cases from the old shop. The anodized case came out perfectly but the case blasted by the old shop had the same cosmetic issues as all the others before. This would seem to support the hypothesis.

As such, I think no amount of stripping and refinishing the new cases is going to solve the problem, so I've just had to declare "powder-coat bankruptcy" on those and I think I'm just going to have to scrap those parts. I sent a message (and refund) to Sheraton last night saying as much. If he wants to get some more cases in any potential next round with fresh parts, I'll be happy to make them for him, but I just couldn't in good conscience ask anyone to wait longer while still holding onto their money.

It really pains me to have to not be able to supply and cancel even a single order, but fortunately I've only had to do this in less than like 1% of orders ever, so even though I spent a lot of time talking about when things go wrong, don't get the wrong impression: it's actually vanishingly rare. As you can see from the thread above and all the previous GB threads, the vast, vast majority of GB participants got their cases long ago and seem quite happy. :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: boxfrommoon on Fri, 25 May 2018, 14:27:49
It is finally here! This was a round 2 replacement case so wait was quite long but totally worth it. The astrophysical purple case is beautiful! It is hard to describe how excited I am to finally rock this with my NovaTouch. (Semi) glossy metallic flecked finish is literally out of this world! Even though there were problems with my original order and then long delays with powder coating my replacement case Norbauer handled all of that exceptionally well. He was always answering questions and sending updated via email or posting here. If someone ever thinks whether to join Norbauer GB, you should not be worried at all. He took care of everything very professionally because he really cares about this community.

Thank you Ryan! Now I have something truly special sitting on my work desk!

(https://i.imgur.com/YEV7CW2.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/naeqByH.jpg)

NovaTouch is modded with BKE Redux Light domes and hyperspheres, GMK Plum modifiers + GMK HyperFuse Redux alphas
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Fri, 25 May 2018, 14:36:00
He was always answering questions and sending updated via email or posting here. If someone ever thinks whether to join Norbauer GB, you should not be worried at all. He took care of everything very professionally because he really cares about this community.

That really means a lot to me; thank you so much! I try my best, and I'm always working on getting better.

Love the pics, love the bokeh, btw.  :D
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: regionfree on Fri, 25 May 2018, 16:00:33
Just received the email from Oco cancelling the retro refrigerator bundle I purchased. Went for the full refund. Somewhat happy as I’ve already made too many purchases.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: Rumblehotep on Fri, 25 May 2018, 17:43:35
Just got my refund notice on the retro bundle from originative, bummer.
At least that frees up some room for the Heavy-6.

Ryan I can't tell you enough how great it is to read the diligence you have with investigating details and providing constant transparency in your group buys, and for that I look forward to joining future projects without hesitation.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: regionfree on Fri, 25 May 2018, 18:41:38
Just got my refund notice on the retro bundle from originative, bummer.
At least that frees up some room for the Heavy-6.

Oh man. Yeah. Ordered the all-black fc just for the heavy 6.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: autobot on Sun, 17 June 2018, 07:03:54
Any update on Venice Beach?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 17 June 2018, 13:07:34
Any update on Venice Beach?

Yes, I got them back last week. I immediately had to leave for a brief trip to LA, however, but I'll get back packed up and sent out as soon as I get back early this week.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: regionfree on Mon, 18 June 2018, 03:31:24
Any update on Venice Beach?

Yes, I got them back last week. I immediately had to leave for a brief trip to LA, however, but I'll get back packed up and sent out as soon as I get back early this week.

good god. you guys are so lucky. you're getting norbauer himself with your venice beach cases. if I knew about this, I would've gotten that, too!
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: autobot on Mon, 18 June 2018, 07:20:49
LOLOLOLOL

That would be awesome though, I’d love to talk design with him over some coffee.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: OmegaZero55 on Mon, 18 June 2018, 16:02:49
Just got my refund notice on the retro bundle from originative, bummer.
Yeah, I was one of the ones that got cancelled too. At least it sounds like we'll get another chance very soon.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: HighNoon on Wed, 01 August 2018, 13:49:17
I'm experiencing an odd issue with my Masterkeys Pro S in my astrophysical purple case and I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced the same. Once in a while (sometimes multiple times a day, sometimes every few days) I'll sit down at my computer after not using it for a while and the keyboard will be unresponsive. If I have the backlight on, only roughly 40% of the keys will be lit up. If i unplug and re-plug the board it will be perfectly fine. This has happened now with two different Masterkeys Pro S boards (one blue, one brown) in my astrophysical purple case. I've tried both boards in their respective stock cases and they were perfectly fine for a week+.

Maybe the PCB is touching the metal case somewhere and that's causing the issue? I'm really not sure...
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 01 August 2018, 16:33:13
I'm experiencing an odd issue with my Masterkeys Pro S in my astrophysical purple case and I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced the same. Once in a while (sometimes multiple times a day, sometimes every few days) I'll sit down at my computer after not using it for a while and the keyboard will be unresponsive. If I have the backlight on, only roughly 40% of the keys will be lit up. If i unplug and re-plug the board it will be perfectly fine. This has happened now with two different Masterkeys Pro S boards (one blue, one brown) in my astrophysical purple case. I've tried both boards in their respective stock cases and they were perfectly fine for a week+.

Maybe the PCB is touching the metal case somewhere and that's causing the issue? I'm really not sure...

The powder coated finish is non-conductive and it's designed such that the electrical components on the PCB don't touch the housing, so my guess is that's very unlikely that this issue is caused by the case itself. Are you saying that you observe this issue very regularly on the CNC housing and then transfer it back to the plastic housing and it goes away and never recurs after over a week of use? If so, are you maybe using a foam liner in the housing that might be touching the PCB components on the under-side of the PCB?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: HighNoon on Wed, 01 August 2018, 16:39:12
I'm experiencing an odd issue with my Masterkeys Pro S in my astrophysical purple case and I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced the same. Once in a while (sometimes multiple times a day, sometimes every few days) I'll sit down at my computer after not using it for a while and the keyboard will be unresponsive. If I have the backlight on, only roughly 40% of the keys will be lit up. If i unplug and re-plug the board it will be perfectly fine. This has happened now with two different Masterkeys Pro S boards (one blue, one brown) in my astrophysical purple case. I've tried both boards in their respective stock cases and they were perfectly fine for a week+.

Maybe the PCB is touching the metal case somewhere and that's causing the issue? I'm really not sure...

The powder coated finish is non-conductive and it's designed such that the electrical components on the PCB don't touch the housing, so my guess is that's very unlikely that this issue is caused by the case itself. Are you saying that you observe this issue very regularly on the CNC housing and then transfer it back to the plastic housing and it goes away and never recurs after over a week of use? If so, are you maybe using a foam liner in the housing that might be touching the PCB components on the under-side of the PCB?

Yep that's exactly what I'm saying. I am using a liner in the housing but it's basically rubber so I wouldn't imagine it's very conductive.

Here's a link to the material - https://www.audimute.com/peacemaker-soundproof-sound-deadening-insulation

I suppose I'll try removing the material for a few days and see if that makes any difference.

Thanks for the quick help as always Norbauer.

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Wed, 01 August 2018, 16:55:13
I'll try removing the material for a few days and see if that makes any difference.

Cool. Yes, please do and let me know what you find out. It's possible that some of the leads on your PCB were maybe not trimmed short enough (I've noticed pretty loose tolerances and QC on CM boards of various models in the past) and are hanging down low enough to contact the case, but again even that shouldn't be an issue since the powder shouldn't be conductive.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: Puddsy on Wed, 01 August 2018, 21:27:46
I'll try removing the material for a few days and see if that makes any difference.

Cool. Yes, please do and let me know what you find out. It's possible that some of the leads on your PCB were maybe not trimmed short enough (I've noticed pretty loose tolerances and QC on CM boards of various models in the past) and are hanging down low enough to contact the case, but again even that shouldn't be an issue since the powder shouldn't be conductive.

what a bizarre issue, could it be something with the USB cable/port maybe? if it's mini b those can have issues

or a static buildup thing?

weird
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: pixelpusher on Sat, 02 February 2019, 14:49:23
Some new Norbatouches available in silver and black from oco:

https://originative.co/

https://www.originativeco.com/products/cnc-masterkeys-s
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 02 February 2019, 14:51:25
Some new Norbatouches available in silver and black from oco:

https://originative.co/

https://www.originativeco.com/products/cnc-masterkeys-s

Actually, those aren't Norbatouches! The Masterkys S PBT has a slightly different design than all other Cooler Master cases, including similarly-named things like the MasterKeys Pro S. Note the 3 LED holes, for example, and there are other internal differences relating to the cable bracket. It won't work with the Novatouch or anything other than the specific keyboard that OCo is pairing it with. It was a design I made special for them.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: pixelpusher on Sat, 02 February 2019, 18:02:03
Thanks for explaining, sir
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Sat, 02 February 2019, 18:25:53
Thanks for explaining, sir

No worries! Just didn't want anyone to get one and end up being disappointed because they thought it was something it isn't. :)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: macclack on Sun, 03 February 2019, 10:39:14
Some new Norbatouches available in silver and black from oco:

https://originative.co/

https://www.originativeco.com/products/cnc-masterkeys-s

Actually, those aren't Norbatouches! The Masterkys S PBT has a slightly different design than all other Cooler Master cases, including similarly-named things like the MasterKeys Pro S. Note the 3 LED holes, for example, and there are other internal differences relating to the cable bracket. It won't work with the Novatouch or anything other than the specific keyboard that OCo is pairing it with. It was a design I made special for them.

This is pretty awesome. I picked one up. Going to take a shot at Cerakoting it.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 03 February 2019, 11:00:19
Some new Norbatouches available in silver and black from oco:

https://originative.co/

https://www.originativeco.com/products/cnc-masterkeys-s

Actually, those aren't Norbatouches! The Masterkys S PBT has a slightly different design than all other Cooler Master cases, including similarly-named things like the MasterKeys Pro S. Note the 3 LED holes, for example, and there are other internal differences relating to the cable bracket. It won't work with the Novatouch or anything other than the specific keyboard that OCo is pairing it with. It was a design I made special for them.

This is pretty awesome. I picked one up. Going to take a shot at Cerakoting it.

Incidentally, if anyone is looking for the OG Norbatouch, which is compatible with a wider range of keyboards, I should have a powder-coated batch of those ready to ship in March, including a return of the Retro Refrigerator and Venice Beach colors in a new matte finish. Also adding Aperture from the Heavy-6 run.
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: KingzandBean on Sun, 03 February 2019, 11:42:19
Some new Norbatouches available in silver and black from oco:

https://originative.co/

https://www.originativeco.com/products/cnc-masterkeys-s

Actually, those aren't Norbatouches! The Masterkys S PBT has a slightly different design than all other Cooler Master cases, including similarly-named things like the MasterKeys Pro S. Note the 3 LED holes, for example, and there are other internal differences relating to the cable bracket. It won't work with the Novatouch or anything other than the specific keyboard that OCo is pairing it with. It was a design I made special for them.

This is pretty awesome. I picked one up. Going to take a shot at Cerakoting it.

Incidentally, if anyone is looking for the OG Norbatouch, which is compatible with a wider range of keyboards, I should have a powder-coated batch of those ready to ship in March, including a return of the Retro Refrigerator and Venice Beach colors in a new matte finish. Also adding Aperture from the Heavy-6 run.
...extras available for sale ? Will that info be emailed out to the mailing list or do I need to check back here in March?

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master &quot;Norbatouch&quot; TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Sun, 03 February 2019, 11:43:53
Some new Norbatouches available in silver and black from oco:

https://originative.co/

https://www.originativeco.com/products/cnc-masterkeys-s

Actually, those aren't Norbatouches! The Masterkys S PBT has a slightly different design than all other Cooler Master cases, including similarly-named things like the MasterKeys Pro S. Note the 3 LED holes, for example, and there are other internal differences relating to the cable bracket. It won't work with the Novatouch or anything other than the specific keyboard that OCo is pairing it with. It was a design I made special for them.

This is pretty awesome. I picked one up. Going to take a shot at Cerakoting it.

Incidentally, if anyone is looking for the OG Norbatouch, which is compatible with a wider range of keyboards, I should have a powder-coated batch of those ready to ship in March, including a return of the Retro Refrigerator and Venice Beach colors in a new matte finish. Also adding Aperture from the Heavy-6 run.
...extras available for sale ? Will that info be emailed out to the mailing list or do I need to check back here in March?

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

It'll be announced on my mailing list (link in my signature below). These will be Round 3.14 extras. Those are currently en route to me, with anodized supposed to be ready to go out as soon as they arrive here in California. Subsequent powder-coating will take a month or so before the extras are available. (I don't anticipate any anodized extras.)
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: phinix on Sat, 30 March 2019, 20:18:04
Now, after I have Norbaforce, I'm thinking to get Norbatouch for NT:)

Norbatouch has micro-USB, right?
Is it possible to somehow swap it with USB-C, like in Norbaforce?
Title: Re: [GB] CNC Alum. Cooler Master "Norbatouch" TKL cases r2.5, SHIPPED/MANUFACTURING
Post by: norbauer on Mon, 01 April 2019, 15:52:35
Norbatouch has micro-USB, right?
Is it possible to somehow swap it with USB-C, like in Norbaforce?

Yes, it has Micro USB and unfortunately it isn't possible to switch with USB-C. Older USB standards won't be going anywhere for a long time. :)