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geekhack Marketplace => Interest Checks => Topic started by: Piperaceae on Sun, 25 May 2025, 11:04:03

Title: [IC] GMK MTNU Electronic Control
Post by: Piperaceae on Sun, 25 May 2025, 11:04:03
(https://i.imgur.com/yBhq7So.jpeg)
Ingot TKL by TimeRelapse

FEEDBACK FORM (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1DCCbRsDz5cNAVgb9TAZ2ir5R9ldPUUlczLndFK6wNes)

KBDFans Interest Check Page (https://kbdfans.com/collections/interest-checks/products/mtnu-electronic-control)


About
MTNU Electronic Control is inspired by the Electronic Control Systems T-03 display terminal, an obscure Australian system designed to control theatrical lighting, circa 1977. Few were made, and even fewer survive to this day. Were it not for a... graphic restoration video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xffIohMseVg) that went viral a few years ago, almost no one would know about or remember this system today.


(https://i.imgur.com/zsnIK3C.jpeg)
Saturn60 by Ace Keyboard Co.

(https://i.imgur.com/9zd1KdT.jpeg)
Petrichor by Alchemist Keyboard


Design Notes
My past sets have been throwback works of monumental excess, with lots of custom legends, and extensive coverage for layouts used by maybe three people globally. SA History of Violets sold in eleven different kits! Not this time. Electronic Control is a minimalist monokit for 2025. What does that mean?


(https://i.imgur.com/rCnJpio.jpeg)
"Vintage legends? What is this, the time of Charlemagne?!"


This is a very plain, simple adaptation of the ECS T-03 colorway for MTNU. Unless you consider a couple UK keys extravagant (I don't, especially if I want to sell this there) or think a 6u bar is just too much, there's not much more that can be pruned here.


Wait, You're Doing MTNU Again?!
I've previously mocked this up in SA, DSA, DCS, and DSS profiles; running informal interest checks for those versions on the SPKeyboards Discord and others. But I've already designed a lot of sets through SP, and have more still coming up. MTNU is a nut I've yet to crack, and I take it as a challenge.

People think I don't like the profile, but that's not true at all. It does feel tougher to run, for various reasons. But unlike with MTNU Selectresque, where I was pretty attached to its (admittedly weird and pricey) quirks, there's nothing here but a set of nice colors - no thematic necessities beyond that to increase the cost. I'm hoping that makes this a less iffy proposition for vendors and buyers.


Colors and Materials:
(https://i.imgur.com/KkUQls8.png)
GMK PBT doubleshot, in stock XP3 red, X2B grey, and XW1 white.
Potential accent color is XCV yellow.


Vendors:
TBD


Pricing:
TBD, but along the lines of other MTNU monokits in the age of tariffs (so $160ish, probably.)


Dates:
TBD


Kitting:
Minimalist version:
(https://i.imgur.com/fSNdNok.jpeg)
Basic coverage with Tsangan, split bar, Numpad, HHKB support, UK ISO, and the beloved R2 up arrow.

With accents:
(https://i.imgur.com/udFP0Jf.jpeg)
See question in the feedback form about including these.


Board Renders:
(https://i.imgur.com/MxXe42G.jpeg)
M1 by Monsgeek

(https://i.imgur.com/VifmD7s.jpeg)
ModelThirteen by Plyktra

(https://i.imgur.com/7QWco37.jpeg)
U80 by Rama Works (I know, I know)

(https://i.imgur.com/PcAfZ4H.jpeg)
Maja by Vulcan

(https://i.imgur.com/JHAnLsr.jpeg)
Gentleman65 by JKeys Design

(https://i.imgur.com/dsNtpkK.jpeg)
Piggy by Jacky Design

(https://i.imgur.com/c062n8H.jpeg)
Molly by TKC

(https://i.imgur.com/YRAXstV.jpeg)
Iron165 by Smith and Rune (example of potential yellow accent keys)

Summary
(https://i.imgur.com/9mvNouO.jpeg)


FEEDBACK FORM (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1DCCbRsDz5cNAVgb9TAZ2ir5R9ldPUUlczLndFK6wNes)
Title: Re: [IC] MTNU Electronic Control | A Budget-oriented set inspired by the ECS T-03
Post by: Punkypj on Sun, 25 May 2025, 11:56:12
Thankyou for including UK iso keys 🙏
Title: Re: [IC] MTNU Electronic Control | A Budget-oriented set inspired by the ECS T-03
Post by: twitchytheinsideman on Sun, 25 May 2025, 12:12:58
 :blank:
Title: Re: [IC] MTNU Electronic Control | A Budget-oriented set inspired by the ECS T-03
Post by: madmax13 on Sun, 25 May 2025, 13:18:33
GLWIC
Title: Re: [IC] MTNU Electronic Control | A Budget-oriented set inspired by the ECS T-03
Post by: Piperaceae on Sun, 25 May 2025, 15:23:35
Thanks, folks!

Just a note that while I've minimized the kitting for this to try to (hopefully) make it affordable, I'm not opposed to adding 4-key 40s in if there's demand. Just state that in your IC responses - I'd need proof to show to vendors to justify it.
Title: Re: [IC] MTNU Electronic Control | A Budget-oriented set inspired by the ECS T-03
Post by: ylothar on Mon, 26 May 2025, 06:25:14
It reminds me a lot of MT3 3277 with red accents, it would be really cool.
Title: Re: [IC] MTNU Electronic Control | A Budget-oriented set inspired by the ECS T-03
Post by: neo.geo on Mon, 26 May 2025, 08:48:40
So in for this!
Title: Re: [IC] MTNU Electronic Control | A Budget-oriented set inspired by the ECS T-03
Post by: Piperaceae on Mon, 26 May 2025, 14:03:41
I've heard some early feedback in favor of adding 4-key 40s and accents. I'm willing to consider it, so long as it doesn't balloon the key count too much; I'm really trying to avoid any child kits at all. Those of you who saw the early prototypes of this design in SA profile know there used to be a set of yellow industrial danger novelties by Switchbox.studios that I wound up cutting, so as not to require any new legends for this.

Here's a quick mockup of how 4-key 40s and yellow accents could look rolled into the current base:

(https://i.imgur.com/xJpxOaG.jpeg)

I'm using XCV for the yellow here, but the original novelties were closer to XGE1.

Anyway, I added questions about 40s and accents in the feedback form.
Title: Re: [IC] MTNU Electronic Control | Updated renders!
Post by: Piperaceae on Tue, 27 May 2025, 14:33:44
Updated all of the board renders, now with more varied lighting!
Title: Re: [IC] MTNU Electronic Control | Updated renders!
Post by: Samvvell on Tue, 27 May 2025, 15:24:48
IC filled. I'm in favor of adding minivan 40s support to the kit if possible.
Title: Re: [IC] MTNU Electronic Control | Updated renders!
Post by: Rob27shred on Tue, 27 May 2025, 18:14:12
My man Piperaceae, yet another banger! You just don't miss bud! Really love the look of this set too, it's such a simple colorway but hits so hard with the high contrast between the mods & alphas. Then going with MTNU for this is just the cherry on top for me. Will definitely be grabbing a set if this goes to GB! Keep up the awesome work! :thumb:
Title: Re: [IC] MTNU Electronic Control | Updated renders!
Post by: Piperaceae on Wed, 28 May 2025, 08:23:00
Quote from: Samvvell on Tue, 27 May 2025, 15:24:48
IC filled. I'm in favor of adding minivan 40s support to the kit if possible.

I can see! Vendors have been skittish about any child kits, so it would need to be rolled into the base. I'm trying to keep the price for the base as low as possible given the tariff situation and creeping price increases. But if there's enough demand in the feedback form to persuade vendors, I'm not opposed to adding it. I posted an example of a slightly-embiggened set with some 40s support a couple posts up, to show how that might look.
Title: Re: [IC] MTNU Electronic Control | Updated renders!
Post by: Piperaceae on Wed, 28 May 2025, 14:33:40
Starting to get enough responses to the kitting questions to see trends emerge. Only 25% of respondents so far want 40’s support to be included, while 65% want yellow accents. Of those, 62% want red legends on them.
Title: Re: [IC] MTNU Electronic Control | A Budget-oriented set inspired by the ECS T-03
Post by: konstantin on Wed, 28 May 2025, 16:36:42
Quote from: Piperaceae on Mon, 26 May 2025, 14:03:41
Here's a quick mockup of how 4-key 40s and yellow accents could look rolled into the current base:

Show Image
(https://i.imgur.com/xJpxOaG.jpeg)


There appears to be a duplicate R2 1u Esc key (yellow) in the kit. You can remove it since one is enough for all layouts.
Title: Re: [IC] MTNU Electronic Control | A Budget-oriented set inspired by the ECS T-03
Post by: Piperaceae on Wed, 28 May 2025, 19:20:47
Quote from: konstantin on Wed, 28 May 2025, 16:36:42
There appears to be a duplicate R2 1u Esc key (yellow) in the kit. You can remove it since one is enough for all layouts.

Good catch, thanks! Yeah, should just be a single 1u R2 Esc key.
Title: Re: [IC] MTNU Electronic Control | Updated renders!
Post by: Piperaceae on Thu, 29 May 2025, 05:29:15
Here's a fixed version. Given an increasing majority oppose including any 40s support with this, I've removed those keys altogether from this render. The yellow accents, meanwhile, are rising in popularity. So this is feeling like the most plausible kitting at the moment.

(https://i.imgur.com/udFP0Jf.jpeg)

I've also added a board render with the yellow accents at the end of the original post above.
Title: Re: [IC] MTNU Electronic Control | Yellow accent board and kit renders added
Post by: Piperaceae on Sun, 01 June 2025, 07:39:50
Here's the numbers after one week:

25% of respondents support adding 40's
66.7% of respondents support adding yellow accents

53% of respondents are from the US, 30% from the EU, 13.5% from the UK, and 3% from Canada. I'm looking into ways to reach more potential respondents from other regions.
Title: Re: [IC] MTNU Electronic Control | Yellow accent board and kit renders added
Post by: Piperaceae on Mon, 09 June 2025, 08:00:53
The set is now listed on KBDFans's interest checks page (https://kbdfans.com/collections/interest-checks/products/mtnu-electronic-control), which will hopefully get more eyes on it outside of the US and EU. Responses from China and east Asia in general have been low for every IC I've ever run through GeekHack, so I'm trying to correct that this time out, and make sure everyone gets a chance to provide feedback.