[IC?] Basic Fun HVC7: A Nintendo Tribute

[romevi]

02/24/16 update: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=73591.msg2070928#msg2070928




Original post:

Hi everyone.

I'm very much new to the keyboard community, though I've used a Unicomp since 2009. I don't own any Cherry boards, but I'm always lusting after all the cap designs I've seen on here and now I'm pretty set to buy my own soon.

Although I'm new to keyboards, I've had other lifetime hobbies. Video gaming is one of them. So, with recent events, I've decided to try my hand at making a very crude draft.

Story:
I grew up a Sony kid, having primarily PlayStations and Sega consoles in the '90s and '00s. I've always coveted my cousins' SNESes and N64s, but never got around to acquiring my own Nintendo console until I finally bought a Wii and downloaded tons of Virtual Console titles. After that Nintendo quickly became one of my favorite gaming companies, and many of those retro titles became some of my all-time favorite games.

Following that experience, I've become a retro enthusiast over the years and have joyfully hunted down old consoles to give them a new home.
Thus the inspiration for my first keyset design: Basic Fun HVC7.



If you don't know, it's based off Famicom's BASIC keyboard. I've never owned or fiddled with the keyboard or the BASIC family, but I've always loved the color scheme of the Famicom.

I've tried to stick to the exact color scheme of the keyboard, though I've updated some of the alphanumerics to give them more functional capabilities for today's usage. I think I've got the red down, though I'd like to lighten the gray a bit. I'm still working on replicating the typeface.



http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/#/layouts/f9e061a8abe23e8dc7be1c139af45b17

As for the "Esc," I've decided to give it a creamy white in accordance with the keyboard case. All of these colors are based off SP's ABS color swatches.
As you can tell, the Win keys are blank. I'm not sure what to do with those. It's still a work in progress, but I thought of throwing it out to you experts for feedback and criticism. Everything and anything is welcome.

If this has been done, or attempted, before, please let me know and I won't bother with any more work.

In light of recent events, I was thinking of giving the Win keys a balloon logo in remembrance of Satoru Iwata. Not sure yet.



I've chosen the name from BASIC, obviously, and used what I feel most Nintendo games are about: fun. Basic fun.

Anyway, let me know what you think!

[HoffmanMyster]

I like the inspiration.

I see you're using SP's ABS colors, but it looks like this would use custom legends?  Are you prepared for those costs, or would dyesubbed PBT be better?
What profile are you planning to use?

[romevi]

I like the inspiration.

I see you're using SP's ABS colors, but it looks like this would use custom legends?  Are you prepared for those costs, or would dyesubbed PBT be better?
What profile are you planning to use?

Thanks!

Because I'm a newb, I was under the impression ABS would be cheaper. Is that the case?
As for profile, I realize SA is all the rage, but the actual keyboard seems to use caps more similar to DSA.

[HoffmanMyster]

I like the inspiration.

I see you're using SP's ABS colors, but it looks like this would use custom legends?  Are you prepared for those costs, or would dyesubbed PBT be better?
What profile are you planning to use?

Thanks!

Because I'm a newb, I was under the impression ABS would be cheaper. Is that the case?
As for profile, I realize SA is all the rage, but the actual keyboard seems to use caps more similar to DSA.

I'm not all that familiar with the intricacies of SP's pricing, but I don't see a reason why ABS would be cheaper.  Neither PBT nor ABS is inherently better than the other.
IMO, the most important factor will be the legends.  If you do use custom legends of some sort, I'd definitely do PBT to save money.  If you use SP's "WYSE" legends or the Cherry Replica legends (the two they have readily available), ABS is doable.

SA is good, but there seem to be a ton of those lately.  DSA is well-liked by many, but hated by some others.

[CPTBadAss]

I think in terms of just materials, ABS caps are a bit cheaper. But what Hoff is referring to I think is the fact that you have a few custom legends (CTR, GRPH, 0 Insert) which will each require new mold inserts. I think each mold insert costs $45.

That Famicom keyboard has a bit of cylindrical look to it. Maybe more like DSS or KT more than DSA. DSA caps aren't as tall as the caps in the OP imo.

I too love the concept like Hoff. And I like the Iwata San tribute.

[neverused]

I've considered something similar myself, I may be interested if you get the colors right. What kind of child kits would be available?

May I suggest making the red darker as well?

[romevi]

Thanks so far, everyone! I'm going to do some more research and work on the design this week.

As for child deals, I had some thoughts about offering a cream-colored alphanumeric set to match the Famicom shell, if gray's not to your liking. I'm definitely going to tone down the red and gray, as they're not as dark as I thought last night (it was a long night).

I wasn't sure whether I should add the katakana on the alphas only and, if so, how to get them on there (pad printing?)

International kits could be available if there's enough interest and the price is right.

I wanted to get some gold on there somehow, as the Famicom's color scheme is red, gold, and cream. Maybe extra Esc and Enter keys?

[KnivesM]

I wasn't sure whether I should add the katakana on the alphas only and, if so, how to get them on there (pad printing?)

Pad printing would be the way if your doing ABS double shot, if PBT then it could be dyesubbed like everything else.

[CPTBadAss]

I wasn't sure whether I should add the katakana on the alphas only and, if so, how to get them on there (pad printing?)

Pad printing would be the way if your doing ABS double shot, if PBT then it could be dyesubbed like everything else.

I'm pretty sure you could pad print PBT and I have dyesubbed ABS caps. They're not exclusive.

[romevi]

Okay, after a few hours here's what I've come up with so far.


With colors better matched:
   (Not sure I like the balloons.)

In PBT:


And then here's one I was toying with when choosing child deal ABS color schemes:



I was messin' around with the katakana but holy ass were they a pain to get right. I have the fonts saved, but getting them aligned to perfectly match the original board was a huge pain. Still a work a progress and, again, any feedback and criticism is welcome.


Update:
Spoke with a renowned keyset designer. Going to try my hand at Inkscape this week and correct my designs.

[KnivesM]

I wasn't sure whether I should add the katakana on the alphas only and, if so, how to get them on there (pad printing?)

Pad printing would be the way if your doing ABS double shot, if PBT then it could be dyesubbed like everything else.

I'm pretty sure you could pad print PBT and I have dyesubbed ABS caps. They're not exclusive.

That wasn't what I was trying to say, but yes I suppose you could to a degree. I was meaning that it's cost prohibitive to double shot english with katakana as I'm unaware of anywhere that has the molds, and pad printing is common for ABS secondary lettering, and dyesub is the common quality method for PBT.  Plus pad printing PBT seems like a waste...

Doesn't the dye sublimation process cause the longer ABS keys to deform? 

Also did you dyesub double shot ABS? I'm curious if the double shot insert would be affected by the process. If it's unaffected by the dyesubbing then you could do a hybrid to get white legends on darker keycaps with dual legends.

[Keamdar Darkforge]

I'd go for less red modifiers in order to get a look more like the keyboard on your photo.
more like this

Also red function keys. I'm sure you tried them and maybe didn't like them but perhaps there could be an option for them.

[CPTBadAss]

More

I wasn't sure whether I should add the katakana on the alphas only and, if so, how to get them on there (pad printing?)

Pad printing would be the way if your doing ABS double shot, if PBT then it could be dyesubbed like everything else.

I'm pretty sure you could pad print PBT and I have dyesubbed ABS caps. They're not exclusive.

That wasn't what I was trying to say, but yes I suppose you could to a degree. I was meaning that it's cost prohibitive to double shot english with katakana as I'm unaware of anywhere that has the molds, and pad printing is common for ABS secondary lettering, and dyesub is the common quality method for PBT.  Plus pad printing PBT seems like a waste...

1) Doesn't the dye sublimation process cause the longer ABS keys to deform? 

2) Also did you dyesub double shot ABS?
I'm curious if the double shot insert would be affected by the process. If it's unaffected by the dyesubbing then you could do a hybrid to get white legends on darker keycaps with dual legends.

1) I'm not sure what the length of the ABS keys has to do with deformation or dye-subbing. I thought that Originative had dye-subbed ABS caps, but I was mistaken. Regardless, I'm fairly sure you can dye-sub ABS.

2) I didn't do it personally no. I have no idea how that would work but I don't see why you couldn't produce say a Hangul set with double-shot primary legends and dye-subbed secondary legends.

[romevi]

I'd go for less red modifiers in order to get a look more like the keyboard on your photo.
more like this

Also red function keys. I'm sure you tried them and maybe didn't like them but perhaps there could be an option for them.

That's a good idea. I'm still working on it. I've been taking my time to make sure I have the colors right. I don't own the actual keyboard, so I've been poring over a bunch of photos to get the colors down right. I may get a board to have the physical thing, but even then it may be discolored from age so I figured using a bunch of photos to get the medium color would be best.

So far I'm thinking of doing ABS doubleshot with pad-printed Japanese letters. Not sure if anyone would want that, but I'm trying to stay true to the keyboard.

After doing a mockup of the cream alphas, I'm digging that color scheme more, so I may try and do that as an option, as well as the ones you suggested.

[Keamdar Darkforge]

yeah i just knocked that up in like two mins by rearranging your layout. i'm sure you have spent more time thinking about the layout than i have i just thought smaller patches of red keys would match the spacing and placement of the red keys on the original better. though there will be some that prolly will want most of their modifiers the red colour. your layout is actually an ok try at a middle ground between the two styles.

I think you should definitely try to get the kanjis on the alphas. it would really make this set unique and not just another light with some red colour scheme. It'll take a bit of investigating to figure out what sort of printing you'll need and if it will be worth it i the end. pad printing is cheap but may not be worth it cause keyboard aficionados don't like it much. Double shot is adored but is super expensive per unique key, and you have nearly for 104 needing to unique. dye sub seems to be a good middle ground between the two.

Also it may be worth checking how standard those keys are to a real japanese layout. while there will be a some people just buying this set to have the kanji's for the look of it. if it also is functional for a japanese keyboard layout that could a useful feature. I suspect they will differ but how much i dunno.

Btw i really like the balloons. great tribute and gets some 'fun' into the set without adding something too copyrighted like actual mario or something. even quite like the clipart you found, it just looks bad in black. make them the red colour and they will be fun again 

[KnivesM]

More

I wasn't sure whether I should add the katakana on the alphas only and, if so, how to get them on there (pad printing?)

Pad printing would be the way if your doing ABS double shot, if PBT then it could be dyesubbed like everything else.

I'm pretty sure you could pad print PBT and I have dyesubbed ABS caps. They're not exclusive.

That wasn't what I was trying to say, but yes I suppose you could to a degree. I was meaning that it's cost prohibitive to double shot english with katakana as I'm unaware of anywhere that has the molds, and pad printing is common for ABS secondary lettering, and dyesub is the common quality method for PBT.  Plus pad printing PBT seems like a waste...

1) Doesn't the dye sublimation process cause the longer ABS keys to deform? 

2) Also did you dyesub double shot ABS?
I'm curious if the double shot insert would be affected by the process. If it's unaffected by the dyesubbing then you could do a hybrid to get white legends on darker keycaps with dual legends.

1) I'm not sure what the length of the ABS keys has to do with deformation or dye-subbing. I thought that Originative had dye-subbed ABS caps, but I was mistaken. Regardless, I'm fairly sure you can dye-sub ABS.

2) I didn't do it personally no. I have no idea how that would work but I don't see why you couldn't produce say a Hangul set with double-shot primary legends and dye-subbed secondary legends.

Yea after you mentioned it I looked it up and found someone had dye-subbed ABS but the longer ABS keys like shift, enter, backspace ect warp a lot during the dye-subbing process.
Just like the longer PBT keys will warp with some dye-subbing places but to a higher degree, since ABS deforms at lower temps than PBT.

Here is what I was talking about, they concluded the same thing. As an alternitive to pad printing alpha keys with cryllic/kanji/katakana dye-sub could be a possibility especially if IMSTO was to do it since he has a better dye-subbing process than most with less warping on PBT caps.

[romevi]

Super necro bump!

Betcha totally forgot about this one, eh? Well, I didn't! Been working on this off and on since my last post, but half of it was working with Inkscape. As you can tell by the shot below, I didn't do a great job. I'm pretty well versed with Photoshop, but Adobe's software doesn't recognize the fonts/typefaces. I took the fonts used by someone who pulled them from the original keyboard, and altered them a bit to reflect more modern boards.
Haven't tried Illustrator yet as I don't have a license.

Please forgive the poor quality. The main thing I wanted to focus on was the text and placement, and the coloring doesn't work as well in Inkscape as I'd like.
At this point, however, with SP's latest shifts, I don't think I'll see this into production. For now, it's a neat little layout I've been tinkering with, so maybe mods can move it to a more appropriate subforum. Once I get the text placement placed perfectly, I may order a set from WASD and see how it looks in person.

[William_S_Jones]

Thumbs up on your idea. I grew up a big Nintendo enthusiast. I'm now bringing my kids up on Nintendo too. I first made sure that I introduced them to computers first. Back to this keycap set I hope to see it in the future, it's nice!

[LXXXIX]

Cool idea. I like it.

Though having mixed colors for the bottom row might put some people off. Also, have you figured out costs?

[romevi]

Thanks; it's a work in progress, while most of it is me learning how to use Inkscape. If I were able to transfer the fonts into Photoshop, I would've had this done months ago. The latest mock-up is an atrocity, but the legends, I think, satisfy me.

As for the bottom row, I kept it that way to coincide with how the original keyboard's legends looked:


I may alter it. I also am already thinking of an optional alpha scheme.

As for pricing, I'm nowhere near that yet. As mentioned above, I'm not sure I'll run this with SP yet due to their recent changes, but that's not set in stone. My plan is to master Inkscape so that the mock-ups appear more presentable, think of child kits, and then maybe order a set from WASD to see how they appear in at least one physical form.

If anyone has tips on how to use Inkscape, or transfer the appropriate fonts into Photoshop, I'm all ears. 

[HoffmanMyster]

As for the bottom row, I kept it that way to coincide with how the original keyboard's legends looked:
(Attachment Link)

I may alter it. I also am already thinking of an optional alpha scheme.

It's a slight deviation from the original board, but I think doing a red spacebar, both shifts, and backspace (or maybe enter) as the only red keys in the 60% area would look more pleasing.

[romevi]

This may be a lot easier with today's technology and market. 

[Halverson]

This may be a lot easier with today's technology and market. 

Will it be for the switch?

[romevi]

This may be a lot easier with today's technology and market. 

Will it be for the switch?

I will add an add-on pack for the Switch and call it Girlshark Gray.

[Halverson]

This may be a lot easier with today's technology and market. 

Will it be for the switch?

I will add an add-on pack for the Switch and call it Girlshark Gray.

*snaps fingers*

[meniscus-]

Interested. Any plans to reverse dye sub so that we can have white and red legends?

[xondat]

Interested. Any plans to reverse dye sub so that we can have white and red legends?

Check the dates instead of commenting carelessly?

[a_ak57]

Hell, saw the OP's name then "I'm very much new to the keyboard community" and was pretty confused for a moment.  Though it wouldn't be bad if this idea were resurrected.

[romevi]

Haha, thanks peeps. Everyone was new at some point!

This project has been in the back of my mind, so maybe it's a sign I should get on it.
At the time making a set like this seemed futile, but with all the possibilities nowadays maybe it's actually doable.

[meniscus-]

Interested. Any plans to reverse dye sub so that we can have white and red legends?

Check the dates instead of commenting carelessly?

*looks at date*
 

[romevi]

Interested. Any plans to reverse dye sub so that we can have white and red legends?

Check the dates instead of commenting carelessly?

*looks at date*
 

It's been only three years...