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geekhack Community => Keyboard Keycaps => Topic started by: khaangaaroo on Sun, 13 January 2013, 23:26:09

Title: do white legends on dark gray keycaps exist?
Post by: khaangaaroo on Sun, 13 January 2013, 23:26:09
I haven't done any extensive searching, it just came to mind just now that they might look pretty cool. Would have to be dyesubs or doubleshots right?
Title: Re: do white legends on dark gray keycaps exist?
Post by: yearn4 on Sun, 13 January 2013, 23:27:00
dolch?
Title: Re: do white legends on dark gray keycaps exist?
Post by: khaangaaroo on Sun, 13 January 2013, 23:30:00
ooo they look just a nice as I imagined...haha. How much do they usually go for? hard or easy to find?
Title: Re: do white legends on dark gray keycaps exist?
Post by: jeroplane on Sun, 13 January 2013, 23:48:37
Original Cherry Dolch keys seem to be going for around $100 or more these days... And are not easy to find, even at that price, and even the Moogle Kit for it is difficult to obtain. They are one of the most popular and sought after sets. Good news is that we may have new sets made by GMK in a couple of months.

Another option is the SP "Round3" set which replicated the Dolch colour scheme but with large centred legends in SP's standard font. These are arguably just as hard or harder to find and probably at similar prices these days, though they may become more prevalent soon with the set being reproduced in the Round4 group buy.

And just a note, white legends cannot be dyesubbed onto a dark grey key. The base colour must be lighter than the legend colour.
Title: Re: do white legends on dark gray keycaps exist?
Post by: khaangaaroo on Sun, 13 January 2013, 23:53:50
Cool thanks for all the helpful info. I'll keep my eyes peeled for them in the future.
Title: Re: do white legends on dark gray keycaps exist?
Post by: IvanIvanovich on Mon, 14 January 2013, 10:13:17
 There are also some Triad terminal boards out there with SP doubleshots in white on charcoal. Sometimes they come up on ebay for cheap.
Title: Re: do white legends on dark gray keycaps exist?
Post by: eth0s on Tue, 15 January 2013, 16:54:29
There are also some Triad terminal boards out there with SP doubleshots in white on charcoal. Sometimes they come up on ebay for cheap.

Hey I've seen a couple of these Triad boards, but I don't have one.  What were they?  They are almost exactly like an old WYSE terminal board.  Was TRIAD a pre-cursor to WYSE, an inspiration, or a rip-off imitation? 

Well whatever they were, white-on-charcoal is a beautiful combination.  I would actually like to see a TRIAD replacement group buy from SP.  A "SoTriRe" with white-on-charcoal alpha keys, arrow keys, and modifiers, with white-on-grey for the F-keys, PrtScr, NumLock, PauseBreak, Insert, Home, PageUp, Del, End, PageDn.  Also TRIAD had the solid triangle arrow keys, instead of actual arrows like Cherry.
Title: Re: do white legends on dark gray keycaps exist?
Post by: IvanIvanovich on Tue, 15 January 2013, 17:19:43
Many of the old MX terminal boards are actually the same models all with SP (or thier predecessor) made doubleshots, sold under many different brands and various colorways.
Title: Re: do white legends on dark gray keycaps exist?
Post by: GMC on Tue, 15 January 2013, 17:28:36
One on ebay now
 http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=150947752553

Slightly dirty triad caps next to a white on black enter
 (http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8375/8376624490_db7eea0962_b.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregormc/8376624490/)
P1120004 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregormc/8376624490/) by Gregor.Mc (http://www.flickr.com/people/gregormc/), on Flickr
Title: Re: do white legends on dark gray keycaps exist?
Post by: eth0s on Wed, 16 January 2013, 13:31:55
Yeah, those Triad keys are a really great white-on-dark grey combo.  I'm liking them a lot.  But I'm still trying to figure out who made those Triad keyboards though.  I have 10 old WYSE terminal keyboards that have SP double-shots (in the classic WYSE Dark Blue-on-Grey color scheme), but the keyboards themselves were manufactured/ assembled in either Thailand, Taiwan or India.  They date from early to mid 1990's.  I was just wondering if anybody knows more about the Triad keyboards, like who made them, and for what company, and were they paired up with Triad terminals?  I would assume they must have been, even though I've never seen a Triad terminal, or heard of anyone working on one.
Title: Re: do white legends on dark gray keycaps exist?
Post by: DeadLamb on Wed, 27 February 2013, 02:25:31
I was just wondering if anybody knows more about the Triad keyboards, like who made them, and for what company, and were they paired up with Triad terminals

I found one at a thrift shop the other day while poking around town, found this thread when looking for info about it..  I already moved the arrow keys over to the Compaq MX 11800 I found last week but here is the pic of the board/box and the info on the back.. Might let someone track down even more info but just looking for the company online shows they were ate up by another company back in 1996..

"Triad Systems Corporation" seemed just to make systems for automotive places and I guess that explains the whole "New Car" etc sort of keys along the top and why you don't see the board that much being it was such a specialized company.

Triad with the arrows keys already removed
(http://img104.imagevenue.com/loc494/th_194855918_Triad_122_494lo.jpg) (http://img104.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=194855918_Triad_122_494lo.jpg)

Compaq I threw them on to, odds are I'll move the letter keys over later.
 (http://img13.imagevenue.com/loc474/th_948557102_compaq_1800_122_474lo.jpg) (http://img13.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=948557102_compaq_1800_122_474lo.jpg)
Title: Re: do white legends on dark gray keycaps exist?
Post by: MattInTheHat on Tue, 15 July 2014, 18:09:08
I scrapped a triad system and am poking around to see if the keyboards are of any value/interest.
Title: Re: do white legends on dark gray keycaps exist?
Post by: CPTBadAss on Tue, 15 July 2014, 18:10:05
I scrapped a triad system and am poking around to see if the keyboards are of any value/interest.

Are they MX mount? Can you pull off a keycap and take a picture of the bottom of a cap?
Title: Re: do white legends on dark gray keycaps exist?
Post by: MattInTheHat on Tue, 15 July 2014, 18:38:44
In my intro I call myself a barbarian....I discovered that while I cannot disassemble one properly, I can make a mess. some of the screws holding the circuit board on are soldered. With some research, I have concluded MX black.
Title: Re: do white legends on dark gray keycaps exist?
Post by: CPTBadAss on Tue, 15 July 2014, 18:42:09
They look like MX Blacks with caps that are MX compatible stems but it's hard to tell from that picture. Pretty blurry tbh.
Title: Re: do white legends on dark gray keycaps exist?
Post by: MattInTheHat on Tue, 15 July 2014, 18:53:15
found better light
Title: Re: do white legends on dark gray keycaps exist?
Post by: CPTBadAss on Tue, 15 July 2014, 18:55:30
Yup, MX Black with keycaps that fit. Don't know about their worth though. That layout is pretty goofy and the board looks like it's in bad shape. Looks like rust on the plate.
Title: Re: do white legends on dark gray keycaps exist?
Post by: MattInTheHat on Tue, 15 July 2014, 18:57:29
I chose one of the worst ones to rip apart. there are a few that appear to be NIB. most likely spares they kept on hand.
Title: Re: do white legends on dark gray keycaps exist?
Post by: rowdy on Tue, 15 July 2014, 20:02:03
That was one of the most related necro-bumps I have seen!

Vintage blacks, perchance?
Title: Re: do white legends on dark gray keycaps exist?
Post by: IvanIvanovich on Tue, 15 July 2014, 20:17:44
Those Triad usually go for something around $20-40 on ebay for used ones depending on condition. If you have NIB maybe a little bit more. With the layout and being terminal protocol I don't imagine there is going to be much demand for them as a to use keyboard though it is possible with a soarers adapter since they are the same thing as the Wyse WY85. They are good for parts though.
Title: Re: do white legends on dark gray keycaps exist?
Post by: awong on Tue, 15 July 2014, 20:18:59
found better light
Wow that is dirty
Title: Re: do white legends on dark gray keycaps exist?
Post by: MattInTheHat on Tue, 15 July 2014, 20:38:33
That was one of the most related necro-bumps I have seen!

Vintage blacks, perchance?

They are from the eighties I believe, Is that the right time period for vintage blacks vs newer ones?
Title: Re: do white legends on dark gray keycaps exist?
Post by: IvanIvanovich on Wed, 16 July 2014, 08:59:05
The one that you photographed has vintage blacks anyway. You can tell by the larger Cherry logo on the housing top. Most likely to be found on boards made between 1984 and 1991.