a cool mental image that can never reach physicality (?)

[AKmalamute]

 So, while discussing keyboard making hobbies with a coworker, I mentioned the dearth of keycap choices for the matias switch. His response was a little flippant, but:

"Since you're cutting out keycap sized squares from the stainless steel plate, just keep them around, and attach those to the switches."

 Then he sorta rubbed his chin and started postulating on the implications of a keyboard that appeared totally flat and immobile -- until you started typing.

 Seems to me, anodizing those stainless chips in the LCARS colors before soldering ALPS stems to the underside, is the way to go from here.

Thoughts / reactions?

[CPTBadAss]

1) Matias is in the process of creating and selling keycaps for their switches. Check out some threads here and here.

2) Typing on a completely flat, metal "keycap" sounds bad. Would imagine it to be something like typing on a chiclet keyboard with more actuation. I had completely flat keycaps on the Leopold FC700R (the stock ones are flat PBT, no profile) and I didn't think they were very comfortable to type on. It feels very odd. Might look nice but with keycaps, I'm more interested in how things feel before how they look.

3) This idea is totally possible though. So, if you wanted to do this, I think it'd be pretty straightforward. Think you'll need to paint the plates though. Anodization with lots of different colors is confined to aluminum. Stainless has a limited number of color choices and it doesn't protect stainless as well as aluminum.

[Oobly]

....
"Since you're cutting out keycap sized squares from the stainless steel plate...

If he meant a completely flat surface with minimal gaps, you're not gonna get that from the little pieces you've cut out the plate. You need a piece the size of the plate cut up. Embed that into a desk, possibly with some kind of locking mechanism (steel pins which slide across or something) and you can have a desk that IS a keyboard 

[fohat.digs]

you can have a desk that IS a keyboard

Create a switch that merely senses the capacitance of your finger on it, and you could literally have a smooth plate with lines drawn or etched on it.

[Oobly]

you can have a desk that IS a keyboard

Create a switch that merely senses the capacitance of your finger on it, and you could literally have a smooth plate with lines drawn or etched on it.

But no oneness with cup rubber or tactile / linear / clicky feel 

Although with totally flat thin metal caps it probably doesn't matter too much.

[fohat.digs]

But no oneness with cup rubber or tactile / linear / clicky feel 

Of course not. That is part of the reason that I hate touch screens so much.

Notice that I said " YOU could have .... "

[davkol]

Isn't this the thing "invented" by Synaptic not too long ago? Superthin board with capacitive switches?

[Hellmark]

I remember when I was little, we had a TV that had capacitive buttons for each of the TV channels. Was pretty cool, but I would hate it on a keyboard.

[Linkbane]

Looked at it a bit, and the idea of having a mechanism which goes inwards toward the user but has mechanics as to make it feel like it's going down seems ingenious and incredibly useful. Although we mechanical users probably wouldn't like it, for laptops, a bulk reduction would be greatly appreciated. My MSI GT60, for instance, has a chassis itself which is about three inches tall and it weight over seven pounds. If another eighth or sixth of an inch of the space could be dedicated to a larger battery (to improve the maximum 3.5 hour battery) or better cooling, so I don't have to turn on boost when playing games, I would be quite happy.

[rowdy]

Most switches have a tiny bit of lateral motion, so you'd probably have to shave a fraction off all edges of the cutouts.  To avoid the switch getting stuck down if the cutout got wedged under the plate on the way back up.  So it wouldn't quite look like a blank plate - there would be he obvious cutouts.

Typing on a tablet was not as bad as I thought it would be - I was taking notes in a meeting at work and my iPad was the only available device to take notes on, so I did.  I coped surprisingly well considering.  Very few typos.