geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboard Keycaps => Topic started by: OnTheBrink on Sun, 01 September 2019, 13:12:01
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I left the scene awhile ago and would revisit it here and there but holy cow. This industry BLEW UP, eh? The amount of artisan selections now with companies like Hot Keys etc. is INSANE. I see a ton of YT channels talking about customizing keyboards, channels I would never think talking about Ducky and mechanical switches.
Really well done everyone. It's so nice to see it go mainstream and now the options are ENDLESS!!
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I left the scene awhile ago and would revisit it here and there but holy cow. This industry BLEW UP, eh? The amount of artisan selections now with companies like Hot Keys etc. is INSANE. I see a ton of YT channels talking about customizing keyboards, channels I would never think talking about Ducky and mechanical switches.
Really well done everyone. It's so nice to see it go mainstream and now the options are ENDLESS!!
It really is a good time to be in the hobby. The cool thing is I no longer have that fear on missing out! There's always a great set coming up around the corner. There's often extras available from vendors. I don't have to buy something that's "kinda" like what I want, b/c I can wait and get something that is the perfect match for my tastes. :thumb: :thumb:
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I left the scene awhile ago and would revisit it here and there but holy cow. This industry BLEW UP, eh? The amount of artisan selections now with companies like Hot Keys etc. is INSANE. I see a ton of YT channels talking about customizing keyboards, channels I would never think talking about Ducky and mechanical switches.
Really well done everyone. It's so nice to see it go mainstream and now the options are ENDLESS!!
I'm in the same boat -- just came back from ~1.5 years off. I'm blow away -- even in that short amount of time everything has grown and changed and improved. That said, everything has also gotten more expensive...
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I left the scene awhile ago and would revisit it here and there but holy cow. This industry BLEW UP, eh? The amount of artisan selections now with companies like Hot Keys etc. is INSANE. I see a ton of YT channels talking about customizing keyboards, channels I would never think talking about Ducky and mechanical switches.
Really well done everyone. It's so nice to see it go mainstream and now the options are ENDLESS!!
It really is a good time to be in the hobby. The cool thing is I no longer have that fear on missing out! There's always a great set coming up around the corner. There's often extras available from vendors. I don't have to buy something that's "kinda" like what I want, b/c I can wait and get something that is the perfect match for my tastes. :thumb: :thumb:
Exactly how I feel. I just dropped a quick $100 on some caps that will have me set for months whereas I would pick up something I was 50/50 on. Don't regret it though. My orange clack and my red BBv2 to name a few are probably worth a pretty penny now. I'd never sell them of course as they remind me of being involved when this all started.
Still super nice to see how much it's grown. Can't wait to tell some boomer stories haha.
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Sometimes I think there is too much choice these days - too many manufacturers to keep track of.
But the creativity in the hobby is really flourishing, both in those making things and those deploying the products.
It's starting to feel a bit less weird having a keyboard collection and being able to talk about switches for an hour.
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Count me in on this boat. Always owned a mechanical keyboard since the ol' Filco-as-the-only-mainstream-mech-board days, but I wasn't really tuned in. Just got back into it a couple of months back, and I've just discovered GMK/SA keycaps and custom boards. Also all those youtube channels and twitch streams.
There is a part of me that hopes this doesn't get TOO mainstream, so I can feel a bit special, at the same time, the more mainstream means lower prices/better availability for everybody. I think KBDfan's Polaris' popularity is a sign of things to come.
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Count me in on this boat. Always owned a mechanical keyboard since the ol' Filco-as-the-only-mainstream-mech-board days, but I wasn't really tuned in. Just got back into it a couple of months back, and I've just discovered GMK/SA keycaps and custom boards. Also all those youtube channels and twitch streams.
There is a part of me that hopes this doesn't get TOO mainstream, so I can feel a bit special, at the same time, the more mainstream means lower prices/better availability for everybody. I think KBDfan's Polaris' popularity is a sign of things to come.
It's definitely not mainstream though. I mean, 8008 just celebrated for selling 1200 base sets. How many people are there in the world? 7 billion? Yeah, I don't think we're mainstream yet.
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60% keyboards: the last interesting thing is the PCB made from gh
Tkl: still no standard, cases and PCBs are mostly incompatible; you spend 500 bucks for a keyboard, and if you **** a soldering joint you can throw it all away
100% keyboards: I like them but nobody wants them
Gmk keycaps: infinite variations of ugly colours. Greediness of GB leaders sees no limits, they are just here for the money. Massdrop on the other end offered a nice and complete gmk wob for only 99 USD.
The only innovations that I see? The Chinese innovate. There are some new companies that do all the work. For example kbdfans.
Gmmk keyboards are also very good and fairly priced. Uh, and cherry switches are now smooth.
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It's definitely not mainstream though. I mean, 8008 just celebrated for selling 1200 base sets. How many people are there in the world? 7 billion? Yeah, I don't think we're mainstream yet.
Not sure what exactly you're referring to by the "it's not mainstream", but I never said anything was definitively mainstream. Just that custom keycaps/keyboards might get there.
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Count me in on this boat. Always owned a mechanical keyboard since the ol' Filco-as-the-only-mainstream-mech-board days, but I wasn't really tuned in. Just got back into it a couple of months back, and I've just discovered GMK/SA keycaps and custom boards. Also all those youtube channels and twitch streams.
There is a part of me that hopes this doesn't get TOO mainstream, so I can feel a bit special, at the same time, the more mainstream means lower prices/better availability for everybody. I think KBDfan's Polaris' popularity is a sign of things to come.
It's definitely not mainstream though. I mean, 8008 just celebrated for selling 1200 base sets. How many people are there in the world? 7 billion? Yeah, I don't think we're mainstream yet.
That assessment just proves that GMK 8008 isn't mainstream. The number of people buying 8008 doesn't represent this hobby/industry as a whole. I didn't buy in -- not everyone buys every keyset.
The metric you should be looking at is how many individuals own a mechanical keyboard and have put some thought / effort into customizing. I would even say the Dota players who 3D print a single esc key for the rgb gaming board are counted towards this hobby.
Obviously don't have the metrics to back it up, but I'd venture to say the number's a lot higher than 1200...
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If it's for sale at Best Buy or there's youtube videos targeted towards kids so they can make their ducky keyboard look just like their favorite streamer's keyboard then it's pretty mainstream at this point. 10 years ago I wouldn't even bother to explain to someone why I prefer a Model M or paid over 100 dollars for a keyboard. Now most people at least know that there are more choices than just whatever came with your PC.
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There are a lot more budget-friendly options today vs three years ago. I remember if you wanted a case that looked like a Duck Poker or FMJ you had to pay at least $400.00. Today you can get one for $120.00.
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I guess we disagree about what “mainstream” means. PCs aren’t even a mainstream product in my eyes and haven’t been for more than a few years now.
I suppose teens and young adults who watch advertisements YouTube in their spare time know about computerz and gamez and RGB lightz and ducky keyboardz
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I left the scene awhile ago and would revisit it here and there but holy cow. This industry BLEW UP, eh? The amount of artisan selections now with companies like Hot Keys etc. is INSANE. I see a ton of YT channels talking about customizing keyboards, channels I would never think talking about Ducky and mechanical switches.
Really well done everyone. It's so nice to see it go mainstream and now the options are ENDLESS!!
Wait, are mechanical keyboards starting to become a fad, or becoming mainstream? AAH!
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If it's for sale at Best Buy or there's youtube videos targeted towards kids so they can make their ducky keyboard look just like their favorite streamer's keyboard then it's pretty mainstream at this point. 10 years ago I wouldn't even bother to explain to someone why I prefer a Model M or paid over 100 dollars for a keyboard. Now most people at least know that there are more choices than just whatever came with your PC.
The only options in my area are Cherry MX and razer. Kids and mechanical keyboards do not mix.
Whenever family comes over, i must protect my mechanical keyboard and glorious mouse in every way possible. Barricade, vault it!
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I think a big piece of it is that the tools for building creative work in this space have gotten much more accessible. KLE in particular provides a very easy entry point, and there are now plugins to automate renders, PCB specs, et cetera.
It does mean that creative work outside the KLE-supported (or automatically rendered) space may need a bit more help to get noticed; it's hard to be seen above the crowd.
Disclaimer: I'm a relative newcomer to this hobby.
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I'm still the first to make a YouTube review of a mechanical keyboard. Change my mind! lol (HHKS Type S Review)
God, time flies by so unfairly fast.
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I'm still the first to make a YouTube review of a mechanical keyboard. Change my mind! lol (HHKS Type S Review)
God, time flies by so unfairly fast.
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When was that video
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I'm still the first to make a YouTube review of a mechanical keyboard. Change my mind! lol (HHKS Type S Review)
God, time flies by so unfairly fast.
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When was that video
Heh, I was kidding but 2014.
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There are a lot more budget-friendly options today vs three years ago. I remember if you wanted a case that looked like a Duck Poker or FMJ you had to pay at least $400.00. Today you can get one for $120.00.
And on the other end of the spectrum, boards are going for 2k... *grumble grumble* something about empty wallet *grumble grumble*
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I'm with you guys. Been out of the hobby for a little while. I come back and now you can get custom plates really easily. People are going for 1/2 plates. I have to learn all about gaskets. There's a lot that's different..
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There are a lot more budget-friendly options today vs three years ago. I remember if you wanted a case that looked like a Duck Poker or FMJ you had to pay at least $400.00. Today you can get one for $120.00.
And on the other end of the spectrum, boards are going for 2k... *grumble grumble* something about empty wallet *grumble grumble*
Seems like it has always been like that. There were a lot less going for that than now. Now there are about 3-5+ boards at all time going for that much.
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Won't be mainstream until the big manufacturers (Dell, HP, IBM) sell PCs with mechanical keyboards as default, or as an affordable addon.
Or if Apple starts selling mechanical keyboards instead of scissor-switched monstrosities.
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I'm with you guys. Been out of the hobby for a little while. I come back and now you can get custom plates really easily. People are going for 1/2 plates. I have to learn all about gaskets. There's a lot that's different..
What are these gaskets you speak of?!
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I'm with you guys. Been out of the hobby for a little while. I come back and now you can get custom plates really easily. People are going for 1/2 plates. I have to learn all about gaskets. There's a lot that's different..
What are these gaskets you speak of?!
Gasket mounted plates. I guess it's become a big thing now. They sound good, from what people say. Everyone talks about sound these days. I haven't tried one myself.
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I'm with you guys. Been out of the hobby for a little while. I come back and now you can get custom plates really easily. People are going for 1/2 plates. I have to learn all about gaskets. There's a lot that's different..
What are these gaskets you speak of?!
Further dampening with custom cut gaskets for the kits. It is kind of snake oil to say it makes the structure more sound, but it does dampen sounds, looks premium, and changes the feel slightly if the tolerances inside the keyboard are a bit loose. With so many machined parts a standard gasket to fill the space to be a bit more uniform can be nice.
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What a time to be alive. :cool:
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I left the scene awhile ago and would revisit it here and there but holy cow. This industry BLEW UP, eh? The amount of artisan selections now with companies like Hot Keys etc. is INSANE. I see a ton of YT channels talking about customizing keyboards, channels I would never think talking about Ducky and mechanical switches.
Really well done everyone. It's so nice to see it go mainstream and now the options are ENDLESS!!
It really is a good time to be in the hobby. The cool thing is I no longer have that fear on missing out! There's always a great set coming up around the corner. There's often extras available from vendors. I don't have to buy something that's "kinda" like what I want, b/c I can wait and get something that is the perfect match for my tastes. :thumb: :thumb:
You should see the ISO-FR side of the hobby ;)
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A lot of influencers are bringing a lot of newer people to the hobby, I think the keyboard hobby in general is great, and I honestly do not mind more people. Starting to feel like living in a city instead of a village.
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A lot of influencers are bringing a lot of newer people to the hobby
Never though I'd see the day when there were keyboard influencers :) feelsgoodman
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So I just got some of the keys I ordered from Hot Keys in. Holy... cow. The quality of these artisans has really become something else eh? Removable gas masks, colors that change under light, sharp and detailed edges...
I am truly blown away. I mean, I still love my Clack and BBv2 but damn, I didn't think there could be such an improvement.
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Soldering is/was also a big barrier to entry.
I think we might have seen an uptick around the time we got more hot-swap custom boards. IMO that also encourages more sales of switches.
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So I just got some of the keys I ordered from Hot Keys in. Holy... cow. The quality of these artisans has really become something else eh? Removable gas masks, colors that change under light, sharp and detailed edges...
I am truly blown away. I mean, I still love my Clack and BBv2 but damn, I didn't think there could be such an improvement.
Removable gas masks now?
I remember getting some of the first few of these made, and trying to get the whole set. I gave up in the end - there are too many of them now.
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It feels like popular tech personalities and streamers are finally diving deeper into the hobby and becoming more interested. Pretty interesting time to be in the hobby, I'm very interested to see where things go in the next few years.
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So I just got some of the keys I ordered from Hot Keys in. Holy... cow. The quality of these artisans has really become something else eh? Removable gas masks, colors that change under light, sharp and detailed edges...
I am truly blown away. I mean, I still love my Clack and BBv2 but damn, I didn't think there could be such an improvement.
Removable gas masks now?
I remember getting some of the first few of these made, and trying to get the whole set. I gave up in the end - there are too many of them now.
Yeah! You can remove the gasmask to reveal the skull behind. It's badass! https://www.hotkeysproject.com/products/skull-face?category=5cd2f29024fa3b00356950fd
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Soldering is/was also a big barrier to entry.
I think we might have seen an uptick around the time we got more hot-swap custom boards. IMO that also encourages more sales of switches.
I would be sad if that's actually the reason
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Soldering is/was also a big barrier to entry.
I think we might have seen an uptick around the time we got more hot-swap custom boards. IMO that also encourages more sales of switches.
I would be sad if that's actually the reason
I'd agree that it's definitely a big reason that more people were willing to get into custom mechanical keyboards. Not only in the simple barrier of soldering a keyboard yourself, but the fact that the board has less permanence when you pick a switch. Now people who don't really know what they want yet can just buy all kinds of switches to try out. Probably leading people even more down the rabbit hole.
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Soldering is/was also a big barrier to entry.
I think we might have seen an uptick around the time we got more hot-swap custom boards. IMO that also encourages more sales of switches.
I would be sad if that's actually the reason
I'd agree that it's definitely a big reason that more people were willing to get into custom mechanical keyboards. Not only in the simple barrier of soldering a keyboard yourself, but the fact that the board has less permanence when you pick a switch. Now people who don't really know what they want yet can just buy all kinds of switches to try out. Probably leading people even more down the rabbit hole.
You know guys... this is some thing that you just can't do with membrane..
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Yeah. Seems a little more dialed/specific than it used to be. I have been out of the game for 2 years, and the change is crazy.
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I'd never think that i get addicted to mechanical keyboards if it wasn't for pcmasterrace and reddit
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Soldering is/was also a big barrier to entry.
I think we might have seen an uptick around the time we got more hot-swap custom boards. IMO that also encourages more sales of switches.
I would be sad if that's actually the reason
Why? It makes the hobby a lot more accessible.
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So I just got some of the keys I ordered from Hot Keys in. Holy... cow. The quality of these artisans has really become something else eh? Removable gas masks, colors that change under light, sharp and detailed edges...
I am truly blown away. I mean, I still love my Clack and BBv2 but damn, I didn't think there could be such an improvement.
Bruh
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Soldering is/was also a big barrier to entry.
I think we might have seen an uptick around the time we got more hot-swap custom boards. IMO that also encourages more sales of switches.
I would be sad if that's actually the reason
Why? It makes the hobby a lot more accessible.
Sad in that soldering is a relatively easy skill to pick up and has so many applications! Even if people wont use the skill elsewhere, it's always nice to learn something new. Maybe sad is the wrong word, but I would be sad if something relatively innocuous is preventing people from getting into the hobby.
If anything, I would claim taking the hour or and learning to solder makes the hobby *even more* accessible. I could be alone in that opinion. Shrug
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I think it's more than just learning the how. It requires you to research and invest in tools, establish a work area, spend time lubing and then soldering switches; there is no immediate gratification. All that for something that may just be a passing fancy. I came along at the time when HS was starting to mainstream a bit. The CTRL was the catalyst, and had it not been for HS, I probably would not have dove so deep down the rabbit hole. All the new boards I purchased are solder; however, they're a long ways away from arriving at my doorstep.
I enjoy seeing the new IC's but I wouldn't mind if the GB's would slow up a bit and vendors could front for significant extras. Phosphorous, Dracula, Camping R2, Iron 65, Jelly Key, Cafe, Terra, Coral, Crimson Cadet, Key 65, Firefly, Equinox, Bingsu, etc. are going on this month, plus tons of artisans. Too much wants! Yo so no dinero!
If there's an apocalypse, I hope I can use GMK as currency...
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I think it's more than just learning the how. It requires you to research and invest in tools, establish a work area, spend time lubing and then soldering switches; there is no immediate gratification. All that for something that may just be a passing fancy. I came along at the time when HS was starting to mainstream a bit. The CTRL was the catalyst, and had it not been for HS, I probably would not have dove so deep down the rabbit hole. All the new boards I purchased are solder; however, they're a long ways away from arriving at my doorstep.
I enjoy seeing the new IC's but I wouldn't mind if the GB's would slow up a bit and vendors could front for significant extras. Phosphorous, Dracula, Camping R2, Iron 65, Jelly Key, Cafe, Terra, Coral, Crimson Cadet, Key 65, Firefly, Equinox, Bingsu, etc. are going on this month, plus tons of artisans. Too much wants! Yo so no dinero!
If there's an apocalypse, I hope I can use GMK as currency...
If there's an apocolyspe i could live off of grass and dandelions, yummy
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If it's so mainstream, how come a custom-made SA keyset is so damn pricey? I can't imagine there is an extant patent on the SA profile, people seem to want it, and very few people seem to make it. I'm trying to convince a local-to-me keycap maker that they'd make bank on SA-profile backlight-etched keycaps.
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I left the scene awhile ago and would revisit it here and there but holy cow. This industry BLEW UP, eh? The amount of artisan selections now with companies like Hot Keys etc. is INSANE. I see a ton of YT channels talking about customizing keyboards, channels I would never think talking about Ducky and mechanical switches.
Really well done everyone. It's so nice to see it go mainstream and now the options are ENDLESS!!
I'm in the same boat -- just came back from ~1.5 years off. I'm blow away -- even in that short amount of time everything has grown and changed and improved. That said, everything has also gotten more expensive...
It depends. The baseline quality for custom stuff has gone through the roof. KBDFans (https://kbdfans.com/) is cranking out high-end custom keyboard kits at previously unheard-of prices. Gateron switches are now really good and are almost half the price of Cherry. If the prices seem higher it's because there are more budget options and the custom stuff can drift towards more premium options.
Edit: GMK prices have gone up but that's because GMK apparently raised their prices. And international manufacturing and shipping has gotten more expensive as well.
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I left the scene awhile ago and would revisit it here and there but holy cow. This industry BLEW UP, eh? The amount of artisan selections now with companies like Hot Keys etc. is INSANE. I see a ton of YT channels talking about customizing keyboards, channels I would never think talking about Ducky and mechanical switches.
Really well done everyone. It's so nice to see it go mainstream and now the options are ENDLESS!!
I'm in the same boat -- just came back from ~1.5 years off. I'm blow away -- even in that short amount of time everything has grown and changed and improved. That said, everything has also gotten more expensive...
It depends. The baseline quality for custom stuff has gone through the roof. KBDFans (https://kbdfans.com/) is cranking out high-end custom keyboard kits at previously unheard-of prices. Gateron switches are now really good and are almost half the price of Cherry. If the prices seem higher it's because there are more budget options and the custom stuff can drift towards more premium options.
Edit: GMK prices have gone up but that's because GMK apparently raised their prices. And international manufacturing and shipping has gotten more expensive as well.
Ok go on
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I left this hobby in 2013, and I lost all my GH account details along with it.
I'm just surprised that there are so many different switches, keysets and artisan keys nowadays.
Stock artisan keys at 70-80usd, 1000usd custom keyboards, custom switches... it's insane, I'm struggling to catch up, and my wallet is in pain.
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I'm designing a keyboard. That's the easy -ish part. I'm actually putting together a modular design -- the intent is for the main keyboard (including cursor keys), the F-keys on the left, and the Number Pad on the right to be separate modules. If that's not feasible or desired, that's OK -- I can put it all in one. No bit.
Colors...also not too bad, looking for something easy on the eyes, not too intense.
But trying to source keycaps for this thing? Absolutely heartbreaking. I don't see any way to feasibly get a set made :(. I want SA, doubleshot. Don't care about ABS/PBT. Either will work. I just don't want to settle for pad-print or laser-etch on it.
I'm going for a retro-geek-ish feel on this board. I really want to have
- non-generic F-keys
- LINE FEED
- split upper-right key for ~` and |\ and put Backspace where |\ is currently.
I can *design this* and make it work, but I won't be able to find a key cap set for it :(
I'm VERY new to all this, really, and I need some help. The amount of information out there is overwhelming, so I would really appreciate some assistance from someone who knows something.
should I:
- quit while I'm still ahead?
- post this someplace besides this thread?
- ???