Author Topic: Blank, backlit-compatible keycaps  (Read 7533 times)

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Offline shadowbolt

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Blank, backlit-compatible keycaps
« on: Fri, 22 November 2013, 02:32:53 »
Hey guys, I'm wondering if you could help me out with a problem of mine.

I type with the Colemak layout, so mech keyboards usually come from WASD for me.

However, I'm really interested in the Ducky Shine 3. I was wondering if there were blank keycaps that also show the LEDs nicely (similar to the yellow edition). Maybe just like a square window on each key or so.

The only replacement caps I can find are all based around QWERTY. I asked Ducky if they could make me a Colemak Shine 3 and they said it'd cost me a few grand :P

Any help would be appreciated!

Offline terran5992

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Re: Blank, backlit-compatible keycaps
« Reply #1 on: Fri, 22 November 2013, 02:54:43 »
I guess you could just mess around with the keycaps to get the dvorak layout

Listokei Custom  |  HHKB Pro 2  |  Topre Realforce 103UBH  |  Armageddon MKA-3


Offline shadowbolt

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Re: Blank, backlit-compatible keycaps
« Reply #2 on: Fri, 22 November 2013, 03:01:41 »
I'm looking for keycaps similar to these:

http://i48.tinypic.com/2zz7rx5.jpg

They're blank but also allow the LEDs to shine through nicely (i'm assuming)

Offline rowdy

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Re: Blank, backlit-compatible keycaps
« Reply #3 on: Fri, 22 November 2013, 03:10:59 »
Not quite like that, but SP has "Clear Blank Full 104 Keycap Sets" (scroll down their page):

http://keycapsdirect.com/marketplace.php
"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

NEC APC-H4100E | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED red | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED green | Link 900243-08 | CM QFR MX black | KeyCool 87 white MX reds | HHKB 2 Pro | Model M 02-Mar-1993 | Model M 29-Nov-1995 | CM Trigger (broken) | CM QFS MX green | Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 TKL Yellow Edition MX black | Lexmark SSK 21-Apr-1994 | IBM SSK 13-Oct-1987 | CODE TKL MX clear | Model M 122 01-Jun-1988

Ị̸͚̯̲́ͤ̃͑̇̑ͯ̊̂͟ͅs̞͚̩͉̝̪̲͗͊ͪ̽̚̚ ̭̦͖͕̑́͌ͬͩ͟t̷̻͔̙̑͟h̹̠̼͋ͤ͋i̤̜̣̦̱̫͈͔̞ͭ͑ͥ̌̔s̬͔͎̍̈ͥͫ̐̾ͣ̔̇͘ͅ ̩̘̼͆̐̕e̞̰͓̲̺̎͐̏ͬ̓̅̾͠͝ͅv̶̰͕̱̞̥̍ͣ̄̕e͕͙͖̬̜͓͎̤̊ͭ͐͝ṇ̰͎̱̤̟̭ͫ͌̌͢͠ͅ ̳̥̦ͮ̐ͤ̎̊ͣ͡͡n̤̜̙̺̪̒͜e̶̻̦̿ͮ̂̀c̝̘̝͖̠̖͐ͨͪ̈̐͌ͩ̀e̷̥͇̋ͦs̢̡̤ͤͤͯ͜s͈̠̉̑͘a̱͕̗͖̳̥̺ͬͦͧ͆̌̑͡r̶̟̖̈͘ỷ̮̦̩͙͔ͫ̾ͬ̔ͬͮ̌?̵̘͇͔͙ͥͪ͞ͅ

Offline shadowbolt

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Re: Blank, backlit-compatible keycaps
« Reply #4 on: Fri, 22 November 2013, 03:19:31 »
I saw those, but I'm just wary of how they'll look. Clear keycaps always looked "cheap" to me.

Offline jalli

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Re: Blank, backlit-compatible keycaps
« Reply #5 on: Fri, 22 November 2013, 21:14:58 »
I'm looking for keycaps similar to these:

http://i48.tinypic.com/2zz7rx5.jpg

They're blank but also allow the LEDs to shine through nicely (i'm assuming)

I love the look of the white top Déck key caps, I wish someone sold the caps on their own.
Antonia

Offline shadowbolt

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Re: Blank, backlit-compatible keycaps
« Reply #6 on: Fri, 22 November 2013, 21:53:14 »
I'm looking for keycaps similar to these:

http://i48.tinypic.com/2zz7rx5.jpg

They're blank but also allow the LEDs to shine through nicely (i'm assuming)

I love the look of the white top Déck key caps, I wish someone sold the caps on their own.

Are there any decent alternatives?

Offline terran5992

  • Posts: 1485
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Re: Blank, backlit-compatible keycaps
« Reply #7 on: Fri, 22 November 2013, 22:05:31 »
I'm looking for keycaps similar to these:

http://i48.tinypic.com/2zz7rx5.jpg

They're blank but also allow the LEDs to shine through nicely (i'm assuming)

I love the look of the white top Déck key caps, I wish someone sold the caps on their own.

Are there any decent alternatives?

You could try feng's 104 KBC semi clear keycaps

Listokei Custom  |  HHKB Pro 2  |  Topre Realforce 103UBH  |  Armageddon MKA-3


Offline jalli

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  • Location: Toronto, Canada
Re: Blank, backlit-compatible keycaps
« Reply #8 on: Fri, 22 November 2013, 22:32:45 »
The closest thing I can think of that you can buy at a reasonable price are the TG3 keyboards that they used to have in all the police cruisers in the states.

They are not "blank" backlit  but they are at least fair quality, might be possible to mod them to clear tops though.




http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=50001.0

You can pick up a used one for about $15-20 off Ebay, just make sure you get the backlit version, it's the one with

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/230936348764?lpid=82
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/230825921862?lpid=82
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/360786785899?lpid=82
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/230929437364?lpid=82
Antonia

Offline shadowbolt

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Re: Blank, backlit-compatible keycaps
« Reply #9 on: Sat, 23 November 2013, 10:57:02 »
The closest thing I can think of that you can buy at a reasonable price are the TG3 keyboards that they used to have in all the police cruisers in the states.

They are not "blank" backlit  but they are at least fair quality, might be possible to mod them to clear tops though.

Show Image

Show Image


http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=50001.0

You can pick up a used one for about $15-20 off Ebay, just make sure you get the backlit version, it's the one with

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/230936348764?lpid=82
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/230825921862?lpid=82
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/360786785899?lpid=82
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/230929437364?lpid=82

How would I go about modding them to have clear tops?

Offline jalli

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Re: Blank, backlit-compatible keycaps
« Reply #10 on: Sat, 23 November 2013, 12:48:38 »
This is just a shot in the dark, I have not tried this nor is there any guarantee that it would/could work.

I think the TG3 and the Déck caps are both made the same way, essentially it's a double shot where the whole inner part is white while the outer part is black. Don't quote me on this but I think I read somewhere that SP makes these.
At this stage they look just like we would like them, black with a semi translucent white top.
These are then dye sublimated with a black dye to form the letters & symbols on top, now the dye will penetrate into the plastic and permanently stain it, the only question is how far it penetrates.

It might be possible to sand the dyed plastic off the top, depends on how far the stain penetrates, like I said it's a shot in the dark.

Ideally we could just arrange a group buy for the caps without the dye but I suppose TG3 and/or Déck have some sort of patent or own the molds which would prevent us from dealing directly with SP or whoever makes these, might be possible to strike up a deal with TG3 directly though if someone is up for negotiating.
Antonia

Offline longweight

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Re: Blank, backlit-compatible keycaps
« Reply #11 on: Sat, 23 November 2013, 13:13:25 »
Why not paint the back of the caps white so that no light comes through and then use a white plate so that you get nice light bleed between the caps? You still get the definition of each cap.

Offline Findecanor

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Re: Blank, backlit-compatible keycaps
« Reply #12 on: Sat, 23 November 2013, 17:31:37 »
There are those who have put regular white and/or lightly coloured opaque key caps on their keyboards, and the backlight has shone through them.
I have seen WASD Keyboards' ABS keycaps and unicorn vomit PBT (whoever made these) backlit on Youtube. Both of those are thin-walled.

The LED and the struts inside are sometimes visible, but I don't know if backlit keycaps are much better, actually. Even with the blank Deck/TG3 keycap only at most the top half of the key face will be illuminated anyway.
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Offline shadowbolt

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Re: Blank, backlit-compatible keycaps
« Reply #13 on: Sat, 23 November 2013, 20:15:05 »
This is just a shot in the dark, I have not tried this nor is there any guarantee that it would/could work.

I think the TG3 and the Déck caps are both made the same way, essentially it's a double shot where the whole inner part is white while the outer part is black. Don't quote me on this but I think I read somewhere that SP makes these.
At this stage they look just like we would like them, black with a semi translucent white top.
These are then dye sublimated with a black dye to form the letters & symbols on top, now the dye will penetrate into the plastic and permanently stain it, the only question is how far it penetrates.

It might be possible to sand the dyed plastic off the top, depends on how far the stain penetrates, like I said it's a shot in the dark.

Ideally we could just arrange a group buy for the caps without the dye but I suppose TG3 and/or Déck have some sort of patent or own the molds which would prevent us from dealing directly with SP or whoever makes these, might be possible to strike up a deal with TG3 directly though if someone is up for negotiating.

I've already emailed Deck about buying the keycaps like that but they haven't replied. Apparently at one point they actually sold them.

Offline jalli

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  • Location: Toronto, Canada
Re: Blank, backlit-compatible keycaps
« Reply #14 on: Sat, 23 November 2013, 21:11:15 »
I read somewhere that at some point their German distributor Active Key BmbH & Co. KG used to sell the the TG3 caps (Déck is a subsidiary of TG3) but that might no longer be the case either.

Does anyone know if they have some sort of patent or if it's just that they own or have exclusive access to the molds used for making the caps?
Antonia