geekhack
geekhack Projects => Making Stuff Together! => Topic started by: false1001 on Sun, 19 November 2017, 00:09:51
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Howdy fellow keyboard addicts. I'm yet another longtime lurker that's embarking on their first project. My first mechanical keyboard was a HHKB Pro 2, and i've never strayed since. While the customization and creative outlet that most cherry boards provide has led me to spend quite a bit of money on boards and keycaps I never use I always end up coming back to my hhkb, the topre switches and layout (most of my days are spent programming in vim and in unix shells) are an unbeatable combo regardless of the lack of customization.
So i've decided to have my cake and eat it too and try and create a topre set that is designed for the HHKB.
Reasons why I'd like to create a keycap set instead of switching the sliders:
- Most third party sliders alter the key press feeling, and although differences are slight I'm not a big fan of spending money to mod my already expensive keyboard just to use expensive alternate keycaps while losing some of what makes me love the HHKB. Novatouch sliders are almost perfect, but even more expensive and still, there's a tiny difference.
- Most cherry sets can't even come close to the quality of the stock HHKB caps. This isn't to say most cherry sets are poor quality, it's more that the HHKB stock caps are on a different level than all but the absolute highest quality third party sets I've handled.
- Stabilization of the mod keys/space bar often requires either drilling the board (hard no), or buying even more third party parts (which cost even more money) that aren't guaranteed to fit perfectly.
- I'd love to keep my arrow key and certain other function key legends, especially the media keys. This is crucial for when others use my keyboard (pair programming, friends/family at home). Plus, I'm not the greatest touch typist.
- Retain the ♢ symbol for the command key
- Because I want to
Goals for this project:
- Get some damn topre keycaps out there
- As much as possible try and match the quality and feel of the stock keys.
- Retain crucial function legend printing
- Update media keys to use symbols a la Apple keyboards
- Reduce busyness and clutter
- Better contrast for black hhkbs (drives me nuts)
- Color palettes and designs that enhance the classic HHKB look, rather than take conflict or take away from it
Challenges:
- Cost
- Finding a manufacturer that will do topre stems. I've already started this, but cost and volume so far have been an issue. I've only talked to local companies so far and I'm starting to realize there's a reason people continue to use the same manufacturers for most sets.
Here's a rough example of what I'd be interested in for the legends:
(https://i.imgur.com/5fXvH0K.png)
Right now i'd like to find a manufacturer and get the legend layout settled, then move onto colorways.
Open to any and all criticism, while I know how I use my HHKB I don't know everyone's patterns and i'd like this set to be relatively plug and play for most. Also very interested to see if someone else has tried getting topre keycaps done and what difficulties they faced. I've researched it a pretty decent amount, but I can't seem to find much information.
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Reserved
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Very cool indeed.
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If you do end up running a group buy for topre stem caps, I'd recommend not limiting it to the hhkb layout. There are a lot of realforce users that would love some aftermarket caps as well, and they might help to meet MOQs.
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If you do end up running a group buy for topre stem caps, I'd recommend not limiting it to the hhkb layout. There are a lot of realforce users that would love some aftermarket caps as well, and they might help to meet MOQs.
I'm very interested in this, but right now my focus is on getting a prototype of the hhkb layout. If this makes it to a group buy i'd probably put any extra keys TKL users need in an addon kit.
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I have tried contacting kbdfans for this kind of project but seems like they still need to make a mold for modifiers for hhkb. I wanted them a topre stem otaku set. If you check their store you can see that in a real force board they have a custom 8bit-ish alpha font which probably means they have a contact that can do dye sublimation on blank caps.
Sent from my S3 using Tapatalk
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I would be interested depending on the colorway that you settle on. I just bought an HHKB Pro 2 the other day, first Topre board and I knew going in that there isn't much customization in the way of Topre.
+1
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I have tried contacting kbdfans for this kind of project but seems like they still need to make a mold for modifiers for hhkb. I wanted them a topre stem otaku set. If you check their store you can see that in a real force board they have a custom 8bit-ish alpha font which probably means they have a contact that can do dye sublimation on blank caps.
Sent from my S3 using Tapatalk
It's looking like dye sublimation is going to have to be the way to go, at least for round one. I think if I can prove there's a market then manufacturers will be more willing to spend the time/money on the tooling. The big problem here is still the fundamental problem of sourcing topre keycaps, although it's a slightly easier problem since i'd just have to find blanks. Worst comes to worst I can just buy individual sets from elitekeyboards and get them dye subbed, but that would be pretty expensive.
I would be interested depending on the colorway that you settle on. I just bought an HHKB Pro 2 the other day, first Topre board and I knew going in that there isn't much customization in the way of Topre.
+1
As of right now the general idea would be to make the first colorway very simple and subtle to not only initially prove the market, but also to try and feel out what people want for legends and legend style without a huge emphasis on the colors used. That said, if I do go the dye sub route there might be more options than with a set made with colored plastics.
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I don't know if this project is still ongoing, but I just saw these caps today.
https://kbdfans.myshopify.com/collections/keycaps/products/kbdfans-new-arrival-topre-realforce-hhkb-capacitor-keyboard-keycaps
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I don't know if this project is still ongoing, but I just saw these caps today.
https://kbdfans.myshopify.com/collections/keycaps/products/kbdfans-new-arrival-topre-realforce-hhkb-capacitor-keyboard-keycaps
Disappoint due to alpha-only-ness and lack of yellow.
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Begging for a set for realforce 87U..