geekhack

geekhack Projects => Making Stuff Together! => DIY Discussions ARCHIVE => Topic started by: Tr0j4nM4x1mus on Sun, 21 March 2010, 21:50:01

Title: kep cap switching
Post by: Tr0j4nM4x1mus on Sun, 21 March 2010, 21:50:01

is there any other keyboards that the keys will interchange with a model m?

Title: kep cap switching
Post by: Oqsy on Sun, 21 March 2010, 22:33:36

Model F

Title: kep cap switching
Post by: kishy on Sun, 21 March 2010, 22:39:15

Quote from: Oqsy;166058

Model F

...I thought Model Fs had one-piece keys, and the question was about keycaps specifically?

Title: kep cap switching
Post by: Oqsy on Sun, 21 March 2010, 22:44:37

Ah yes my mistake, I was picturing caps and stems in my head...

I'm guessing most of the IBM Model M variants will at least be close, but there will always be exceptions.  The better question is what kind of key caps do you WANT on your Model M?  Maybe then we can help you find the board you need to harvest them :D

Title: kep cap switching
Post by: Tr0j4nM4x1mus on Sun, 21 March 2010, 22:55:45

sorry ... to be more specific any other keyboard that the key (stem & cap or one piece) will interchange/fit on a model m
I'd like to find a set of black keys

Title: kep cap switching
Post by: Tr0j4nM4x1mus on Sun, 21 March 2010, 23:09:46

thank you - so black lettered keys are going to be almost impossible unless you go the custom lettered/big bucks rout
or that being the case is there a cheap keyboard that I can steal the keys from (for the stems) dremel the skirts & dremel the stems from in side any set of black keys & glue them to the aforementioned stems?

Title: kep cap switching
Post by: Specter_57 on Mon, 22 March 2010, 06:17:03

..

What we need to do here is to figure out some method or means of making our own coloured or clear keycaps (the cap part I mean, not the stem assembly...) from a material such as low-melting plastic (ie "Friendly Plastic" aka "Shapelock"...) or two-part epoxy mix, which can be coloured.

I have given this idea some thought, and have come up with a method or two which could work, but I lack the tooling to make the items required to produce a mold or a ram for pressing.

The third-party replacement caps and/or custom printing of caps is simply not practical economically...as we already know.

......
Spec57

Title: kep cap switching
Post by: nanu on Mon, 22 March 2010, 07:07:18

Quote from: Tr0j4nM4x1mus;166070

thank you - so black lettered keys are going to be almost impossible unless you go the custom lettered/big bucks rout
or that being the case is there a cheap keyboard that I can steal the keys from (for the stems) dremel the skirts & dremel the stems from in side any set of black keys & glue them to the aforementioned stems?

This isn't worth anyone's time. You'd get a surprising reaction if you actually did this for an entire board and managed to get well-aligned keys.

Title: kep cap switching
Post by: Oqsy on Mon, 22 March 2010, 18:36:19

Unicomp doesn't make a board with black lettered keys?  Oh yeah, the black Customizer has whitish/gray keys doesn't it... oh bother.  I'd just go with the black blanks and become a proficient touch-typist.

Title: Here's a way to switch keycaps....
Post by: Specter_57 on Fri, 02 April 2010, 10:29:46

..

Looky-see here:

http://www.offroad-cult.org/Board/steampunk-keyboard-t10504.html#98150


...........
Spec_57

Title: kep cap switching
Post by: skcheng on Fri, 02 April 2010, 11:00:26

Unicomp has blank beige/white keys.   I picked up a couple of sets for $20/ea and I think they are both subtle and sophisticated  :-))

Where does one find red ESC keys??  Also, I'd like some blue/purple WASD keys if anyone has those??

Title: kep cap switching
Post by: Arc'xer on Fri, 02 April 2010, 16:13:37

Gotta say those keys look great, something interesting in setting up color coded keys for games with lots of hotkeys and whatnot.