What Is It?This would be a complete keycap set (all 105 keys) for Cherry MX keyboards - primarily CM Storm, Ducky, Keycool and Filco but pretty much any Cherry MX. Why all 105 for a Wyse "conversion" kit? Because it's getting to be a pain to find a good set of Wyse, and this also makes it possible to do something much fancier!
There's also the tiny issue of the spacebar and shift caps being too large, and no windows on the scroll lock or caps lock keys. Plus, let's just call a spade a spade: Wyse looks
good.
It is called:
Wyse87 - for now. Why? Based on 1987 Wyse PCET
and 87 keys. So there.
What's The Proposal?A whole new Wyse set! As in entirely new - no more searching for and restoring a 901865 or such.
Here's a photo of the Wyse keycaps as they should look (courtesy DT).Now for most folks, that right there would be cool enough. But the hope is to take it two steps further, because I'm a perfectionist like that. What that means is: the "old" Wyse font
plus adding the function layer legends (play/pause, stop, next, previous, win lock, mute, vol-, and vol+.) - function layer's gone to maximize compatibility. But Windows keys (lettered, not graphics - so "Win," "Menu"?) will be in there!
For the more soldering inclined, matching LEDs in stylish amber or green will be available as an add-on. (The more we get, the cheaper they get each!)
Why a full 87105 key set?Two big reasons. One, this eliminates the need to locate a donor keyboard completely, restore those keys, then moogle it up. Two, this allows us to play around with colors a bit and potentially step up to PBT for some keys. Now how's that for awesome?
Oh, and three? It makes it easier for everyone to get Wyse (see what I did there?) and it makes it
cheaper.
Why 105 keys? A) Just slightly more than half of you wanted that! B) Hey transplant them to a Leopold numpad! C) Simplifies ordering and maximizes compatibility.
Where Is It At?Right now, we're in step 1 of however many it takes to get this going: planning and checking interest.
Take
two now that the pipe is cleared up somewhat! Right now, everyone seems thrilled by the idea of
PBT dye-sub as long as the colors are close/exact. Don't worry, the font will be. Thus pay attention to the
PBT pricing below.
Windows need to be looked at more closely, since there's some compatibility issues there. I'd prefer not to delete them completely, because the keys will be substantially not-translucent due to the darker color. Low luminosity LEDs like Ducky won't show through without a window.
I'm STILL working on pricing currently, but here's the awesome news of the week. So far, if we were to go purely ABS and get just
50 sets ordered? That would get us to just
$0.81 per keycap - about $70 a complete set. That's just $10 more than a standard 87 key set from SP!
Mixed PBT and ABS would be around
$85 a complete set at 50 sets. (This is with 46 PBT keycaps and 41 ABS double-shot keycaps.) At 100 sets, we'd basically get PBT and ABS double-shot at straight ABS prices!
Add Amber LEDs: Up to 10, $3.50 shipped. 10-19, $2.50 shipped. Over 20, $2.00 shipped. (Amber is kinda expensive.)
Add Green LEDs: Up to 10, $2.50 shipped. 10-19, $1.75 shipped. Over 20, $1.25 shipped.
THESE ARE PRELIMINARY ESTIMATES BASED ON FULL SETS WITH CORRECTLY WINDOWED KEYS. (Also including shipping.)
Gotta get new numbers after we sort out the windows!Planning Stuff!There's a bit to discuss about what exactly we want on the keys that weren't there on the original, and obviously a consensus is necessary for group buys. Of course there's the thread, and also a handy poll on Google Docs.
CURRENT POLL:Wyse87 Planning Round 1 | Results PageWyse87 Planning Round 2! | Results Page 2Trying to figure out how best to set up the next one - any help would be appreciated!Who's With Me?Reserved!
