geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboard Keycaps => Topic started by: fl0w3n on Sun, 25 November 2012, 02:35:04
-
I love the looks of the old plastic, cupped, thick typewriter keys.
I.E. (http://img2.etsystatic.com/004/0/5906872/il_570xN.392345438_szf5.jpg)
I'm wondering if anyone has ever attempted to retrofit them onto a newer board?
I'd love to attempt this, but even as difficult as getting the standard alpha numeric keys to fit, getting modifiers would be insanely unlikely.
Anyways, I just wanted to see if there was any discussion to be had regarding this idea.
Or maybe some vintage keyboards that I could look into with these style caps, that can be used on a PC.
-
Dat R!
Anyway, pic of the underneath???
-
I know people do MX stem modding with old Cherry caps locks, I'm wondering if you could do the same to these and fit MX stems on them...
-
@flow3n
We need upskirt shots to determine gender and so forth.
p.s. The keys in your pic have "spherical" tops. Because they have a spherical indentation. You can put a marble on top of your key and it will not roll off. I want to get spherical keys too. But the only kind I can find anywhere have cylindrical tops.
-
Signature plastics can do spherical profile. I've got a space cadet style set coming in the round 4 group buy on Deskthority. Head over there and see if there are leftovers.
-
@GMC
You just exploded my brain. :eek:
I could have got Spherical keys as all row 3 ?
Am I understanding that right?
So all the keys would be interchangeable?
I could rearrange my keys to try Dvorak or Colemak, etc. if all keys are in Row 3 profile, correct?
-
You'd have to contact 7bit to be absolutely sure but looking at the wiki, I think mods are all row 3 but alpha might be stepped, see sp website faq for an image of the sa series
Round 4 set illustration
(http://deskthority.net/w/images/c/cf/SPH_STANDARD.png)
-
@GMC
You just exploded my brain. :eek:
I could have got Spherical keys as all row 3 ?
Am I understanding that right?
So all the keys would be interchangeable?
I could rearrange my keys to try Dvorak or Colemak, etc. if all keys are in Row 3 profile, correct?
yes at SP we have the tooling for these spherical keys both 1st and 2nd shot and yes generally it is all row3 that is ordered. we use them mostly for industrial customers but occasionally GH'ers order them
-
yes at SP we have the tooling for these spherical keys both 1st and 2nd shot and yes generally it is all row3 that is ordered. we use them mostly for industrial customers but occasionally GH'ers order them
Got any pictures of what these look like?
Also, this eBay listing has a nice clear shot of the underside. It looks like they could have a little "tongue" made, and possibly fit that into the keycap and then the other end into Alps? For Cherry, it would need some real handy dremel work.
-
Forgot the link lol
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SET-OF-50-VINTAGE-SIMPSONS-PLASTIC-TYPEWRITER-KEYS-GROUP-1-/261114691384?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item3ccba5ff38
-
yes at SP we have the tooling for these spherical keys both 1st and 2nd shot and yes generally it is all row3 that is ordered. we use them mostly for industrial customers but occasionally GH'ers order them
Does that change pricing, or did I just ask a Melissa question?
- Ron | samwisekoi
-
Hmm, there are some SA profile (One of the SP spherical profile codes) sets here, http://keycapsdirect.com/key-capsinventory.php
But when it says there are XXX qty of keys in XXX color, does that mean they are blank or just a jumble of legends or what?
-
These would be awesome to fit too
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-COMMODORE-64-COMPUTER-KEYBOARD-/150951230923?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item232564fdcb
-
I think someone played with the 64's caps, and while similar to the Cherry stem, they're not quite the same.
-
Damn, those look pretty sweet too.
I'm not interested if anyone can show me what SP's spherical keys look like...I may be interested in putting together my first GB if they look right.
-
[/quote]
Got any pictures of what these look like?
[/quote]
grey is the SA series which i think is what you are looking for, black #3 is DSA, white/red escape is DCS row1
sorry the photos arent great.
-
Thanks!
I think you're right, from the pictures the F2 may be close to the style I'm looking for. Based off your sketches of keys on the site, SS series may also be close.
-
Why does the gray Fkey look so tall? It looks like OEM profile?
I never heard that SP could make OEM profile keys....
-
Why does the gray Fkey look so tall? It looks like OEM profile?
I never heard that SP could make OEM profile keys....
It's part of their spherical series, not cylindrical.
-
What is the height of their spherical series? 12mm?
-
I know it won't help much, but IBM Selectric keys will fit on a beam spring.
From what I have seen, modding these to fit on a cherry KB is really difficult, you need to hollow out the stem to fit the + of the cherry key, then you need grind away plastic until it's narrow enough to fit in a cherry keyswitch without hitting the top of the switch housing.
-
(http://i.imgur.com/33gmvh.jpg)
album: http://imgur.com/a/ZBmCn
some old cherry spherical doubleshots i pulled from a microscope keyboard i received a month or so ago. they'll fit onto an MX stem but they won't go down into the switch housing, of course. these would presumably be easier to modify to be compatible -- any good methods to go about this, or is it something no one has ever really gone through with?