Author Topic: Yeeeeee HHKB Aluminum Case (Read 14041 times)

infiniti · « **on:** Mon, 23 February 2015, 09:07:27 »

Well, might as well let this cat out of the bag...

I've been working on an aluminum HHKB case. That wood / alu 60% case was just something to fill the time while waiting for this.

It has to go through design reviews and then they'll let them run the numbers before I run an IC.

Here's some renders to tease!

yeah...I need to sort out the cover for the dip switches

Belfong · « **Reply #1 on:** Mon, 23 February 2015, 09:10:35 »

Wait... Mistakemistake is doing the same and they have the machine to cut it.

VanGhost · « **Reply #2 on:** Mon, 23 February 2015, 09:12:54 »

Damn that looks awesome. If this works out would it be possible to hear some sound tests before putting down my $? I would buy an HHKB just for this.

slickmamba · « **Reply #3 on:** Mon, 23 February 2015, 09:13:34 »

dibs?
And yeah, there is a similar thread with a fancy CNC machine.

infiniti · « **Reply #4 on:** Mon, 23 February 2015, 09:17:46 »

Quote from: Belfong on Mon, 23 February 2015, 09:10:35

Wait... Mistakemistake is doing the same and they have the machine to cut it.

Quote from: slickmamba on Mon, 23 February 2015, 09:13:34

dibs?
And yeah, there is a similar thread with a fancy CNC machine.

Yeah but I didn't know that when I started this...aaaaand I'm in too deep to stop now.

The WalletHack is REAL.

== == == == ==

Quote from: VanGhost on Mon, 23 February 2015, 09:12:54

Damn that looks awesome. If this works out would it be possible to hear some sound tests before putting down my $? I would buy an HHKB just for this.

The plan is to prototype a single switch housing before committing to the prototyping the entire case.

Sygaldry · « **Reply #5 on:** Mon, 23 February 2015, 09:20:46 »

Yeeee
This arouses me

clacktalk · « **Reply #6 on:** Mon, 23 February 2015, 09:22:19 »

i've creamed my pants thoroughly bc of your renders. though my pants are whet, my hopes are sky high. ty

hanya · « **Reply #7 on:** Mon, 23 February 2015, 10:24:09 »

The plunger would not down enough without cutout of top ring.
I forgot about well but if the square is not small enough, top edge of the square conflict with the keycap. The original case has chamfered edge on them.

billnye · « **Reply #8 on:** Mon, 23 February 2015, 10:24:48 »

o ****

exitfire401 · « **Reply #9 on:** Mon, 23 February 2015, 10:49:08 »

Quote from: slickmamba on Mon, 23 February 2015, 09:13:34

dibs?
And yeah, there is a similar thread with a fancy CNC machine.

Bruh, I've had dibs since the start.

rowdy · « **Reply #10 on:** Mon, 23 February 2015, 13:12:01 »

This is very interesting!

What colours will be available?

infiniti · « **Reply #11 on:** Tue, 24 February 2015, 19:25:34 »

Quote from: hanya on Mon, 23 February 2015, 10:24:09

The plunger would not down enough without cutout of top ring.
I forgot about well but if the square is not small enough, top edge of the square conflict with the keycap. The original case has chamfered edge on them.

I see. We did that initially to cut down on machining time and cost.

I'll look into this when we do the design review. Thanks for the input!

== == == == ==

Quote from: rowdy on Mon, 23 February 2015, 13:12:01

This is very interesting!

What colours will be available?

Still working on that part. Anodizing options will be explored but focus is still on the design at this stage.

Latin00032 · « **Reply #12 on:** Tue, 24 February 2015, 20:24:15 »

I may have to buy both aluminum cases.

MythicalWagyu · « **Reply #13 on:** Tue, 24 February 2015, 20:29:58 »

Cause there's just not enough stuff on this site for me to blow my money on....yeeeeeeee

In all seriousness though, looks sweet - I'll definitely be following with great interest. Who would've thought that there may end up being not one but two aluminum HHKB cases designed this year? Making stuff is kewl.

alienman82 · « **Reply #14 on:** Wed, 03 June 2015, 19:17:42 »

removed.

Joey Quinn · « **Reply #15 on:** Thu, 04 June 2015, 12:05:33 »

Quote from: alienman82 on Wed, 03 June 2015, 19:17:42

Any updates on this or any aluminum hhkb case?

Check the TSD design sub forum

byker · « **Reply #16 on:** Thu, 04 June 2015, 12:16:32 »

Quote from: exitfire401 on Mon, 23 February 2015, 10:49:08

Quote from: slickmamba on Mon, 23 February 2015, 09:13:34
dibs?
And yeah, there is a similar thread with a fancy CNC machine.

Bruh, I've had dibs since the start.

You lost your dibs when you sold your hhkb.

Strychnine · « **Reply #17 on:** Sat, 02 April 2016, 17:21:59 »

...any news 'bout this "Master Piece" ?

...or any kind of brutal Aluminium CNC Machined enclosure for HHKB Pro 2 ?

retrochick · « **Reply #18 on:** Sat, 02 April 2016, 17:32:51 »

necrobumped...ಠ_ಠ

naasfu · « **Reply #19 on:** Sat, 02 April 2016, 17:49:56 »

Quote from: retrochick on Sat, 02 April 2016, 17:32:51

necrobumped...ಠ_ಠ

pooop.

Strychnine · « **Reply #20 on:** Sat, 02 April 2016, 17:56:34 »

^^ ... This process of dying and being reborn will continue until the conditions that cause it, the mental factors
of gear acquisition syndrome, cease.
When they will put a price on it and a "Ready to Ship" alert. =)

exitfire401 · « **Reply #21 on:** Sat, 02 April 2016, 19:17:49 »

Infiniti was very serious about launching this, but Mistakemistake posted regarding his immediately prior to Infiniti posting about his. Infiniti is currently in the process of both a) being on vacation and b) launching a makerspace, but I'll reach out to him and see what his plans are. I know he spend a good chunk of time getting accurate hhkb drawings, so I wouldn't be terribly surprised if he still intends on running it at some point.

Strychnine · « **Reply #22 on:** Sat, 02 April 2016, 19:25:17 »

... sounds good =)

...let's pray the CNC Lords to make it real

infiniti · « **Reply #23 on:** Sun, 10 April 2016, 21:42:30 »

The Long Story: I used to work in the local defense industry and approached one manufacturer at a time that business was slow because of new legislation restricting sales. At the time, they agreed to do the design, prototyping, and production. Things picked up on their end and they could no longer accommodate prototyping or production. *weep*

I've approached other outfits that we used to outsource work to but they are only interested in the mass production but not to continue development and the prototyping.

On my end, life and business happened. Some

, some

, a

and $:-\$ , then a

, and a ton of learning experience.

TL;DR: Moving forward I need to work on the design files and get a prototype out.

Michael · « **Reply #24 on:** Sun, 10 April 2016, 22:34:37 »

pls round up those sharp edges.

infiniti · « **Reply #25 on:** Mon, 11 April 2016, 10:19:12 »

Quote from: Bro Caps on Sun, 10 April 2016, 22:34:37

pls round up those sharp edges.

Added to the list of things to do.

While we're all here, let's talk about the design and other revisions.

During the creation of the design depicted in the renders, it was decided to remove the notches where the bumps on the Topre sliders sit and prevent the sliders from falling out when you flip the case over. This was done to reduce machining time but it also means we need to cut of the bumps on the sliders. Not quite sure if this would be an issue with people.

Another thing entirely is to address that the alu case on MD was rather noisy to type on.

(Video from CPTBadAss' Massdrop Metal HHKB Case - Ask Me Anything

byker · « **Reply #26 on:** Mon, 11 April 2016, 12:00:11 »

Not sure if it is possible, but a plastic plate would be amazing. I don't think I would want a fully alu hhkb case because it would be so noisy and would lose the "hhkb feel".

exitfire401 · « **Reply #27 on:** Mon, 11 April 2016, 12:11:40 »

Quote from: byker on Mon, 11 April 2016, 12:00:11

Not sure if it is possible, but a plastic plate would be amazing. I don't think I would want a fully alu hhkb case because it would be so noisy and would lose the "hhkb feel".

The problem with that is that it would make everything more expensive because then we need to look at a) injection molding the plate which would require having a mold made and b) incorporating that plate into the case somehow which would require all new design files

FrostyToast · « **Reply #28 on:** Mon, 11 April 2016, 12:17:07 »

Probably just a fantasy, but I would buy if it was machined from wood.
Wood does wonders to the acoustics of keyboards and topre would probably benefit a great deal by allowing the thock to resonate and acquire a warm tone.
When compared to metal which is the absolute worst choice when considering acoustics I think it's viable; I would only see myself using metal with silenced switches.

Sneaky Potato · « **Reply #29 on:** Mon, 11 April 2016, 12:26:15 »

Quote from: FrostyToast on Mon, 11 April 2016, 12:17:07

Probably just a fantasy, but I would buy if it was machined from wood.
Wood does wonders to the acoustics of keyboards and topre would probably benefit a great deal by allowing the thock to resonate and acquire a warm tone.
When compared to metal which is the absolute worst choice when considering acoustics I think it's viable; I would only see myself using metal with silenced switches.

I agree. I think a wood design would be well-received with the Topre community. However, I think that the main issue here has to do with the HHKB plate design itself...It's going to be very difficult to produce quality plate/cases in another material that's actually functional enough to get large amounts of people to buy it. Wood could potentially have so many issues, especially when it's being machined into the shape of the HHKB plate and case. It would be easier to cut the existing plate, and then transfer it into a wood case. A completely custom Topre keyboard might be a better option instead of trying to mod the HHKB.

FrostyToast · « **Reply #30 on:** Mon, 11 April 2016, 12:33:25 »

Quote from: Sneaky Potato on Mon, 11 April 2016, 12:26:15

Quote from: FrostyToast on Mon, 11 April 2016, 12:17:07
Probably just a fantasy, but I would buy if it was machined from wood.
Wood does wonders to the acoustics of keyboards and topre would probably benefit a great deal by allowing the thock to resonate and acquire a warm tone.
When compared to metal which is the absolute worst choice when considering acoustics I think it's viable; I would only see myself using metal with silenced switches.

I agree. I think a wood design would be well-received with the Topre community. However, I think that the main issue here has to do with the HHKB plate design itself...It's going to be very difficult to produce quality plate/cases in another material that's actually functional enough to get large amounts of people to buy it. Wood could potentially have so many issues, especially when it's being machined into the shape of the HHKB plate and case. It would be easier to cut the existing plate, and then transfer it into a wood case. A completely custom Topre keyboard might be a better option instead of trying to mod the HHKB.

The main issue I see with wood is trying to find the right kind of wood for durability, aesthetic, and acoustics. The machining might also have to be handled differently.
However, the biggest concern is that wood can crack.
Willow might be an option since it has some give to it and is known to be capable of bending in ridiculous ways. This means that, when under stress, the wood will flex rather than crack.

byker · « **Reply #31 on:** Mon, 11 April 2016, 12:39:59 »

Quote from: exitfire401 on Mon, 11 April 2016, 12:11:40

Quote from: byker on Mon, 11 April 2016, 12:00:11
Not sure if it is possible, but a plastic plate would be amazing. I don't think I would want a fully alu hhkb case because it would be so noisy and would lose the "hhkb feel".

The problem with that is that it would make everything more expensive because then we need to look at a) injection molding the plate which would require having a mold made and b) incorporating that plate into the case somehow which would require all new design files

Yeah that is true. I guess the other option would be to somehow cut out a current hhkb plate.

FrostyToast · « **Reply #32 on:** Mon, 11 April 2016, 12:43:36 »

Quote from: byker on Mon, 11 April 2016, 12:39:59

Quote from: exitfire401 on Mon, 11 April 2016, 12:11:40
Quote from: byker on Mon, 11 April 2016, 12:00:11
Not sure if it is possible, but a plastic plate would be amazing. I don't think I would want a fully alu hhkb case because it would be so noisy and would lose the "hhkb feel".

The problem with that is that it would make everything more expensive because then we need to look at a) injection molding the plate which would require having a mold made and b) incorporating that plate into the case somehow which would require all new design files

Yeah that is true. I guess the other option would be to somehow cut out a current hhkb plate.

If people already require an hhkb to transfer then it won't be an issue to salvage cases.
The only problem with this would be limitation in "accessibility" as many won't be comfortable with ripping apart their cases; especially with the fear of messing up the job and not being able to get a replacement case.

iLLucionist · « **Reply #33 on:** Mon, 11 April 2016, 15:39:54 »

Let me hear how it goes. If it is well and proper, I probably want one!

infiniti · « **Reply #34 on:** Tue, 12 April 2016, 10:10:36 »

We could use the plastic plate from the original case...but this means hacking up the original case for a one-way ticket to alu-case-ville.

Costs however would be greatly reduced since the machining would just be for the alu case. This would also make it possible to have a wooden case. We could insert steel pieces in the bottom of the wooden case for weight.

exitfire401 · « **Reply #35 on:** Tue, 12 April 2016, 10:12:04 »

Quote from: infiniti on Tue, 12 April 2016, 10:10:36

We could use the plastic plate from the original case...but this means hacking up the original case for a one-way ticket to alu-case-ville.

Costs however would be greatly reduced since the machining would just be for the alu case.

My biggest concern is that it would be difficult for those who don't have the tools readily available.

Photekq · « **Reply #36 on:** Tue, 12 April 2016, 10:12:45 »

infiniti, did you get 3D scans of the HHKB? Or did you just take hand measurements?

alienman82 · « **Reply #37 on:** Tue, 12 April 2016, 10:15:54 »

removed.

romevi · « **Reply #38 on:** Tue, 12 April 2016, 10:28:14 »

Marking my intredast for this project.

redskull · « **Reply #39 on:** Tue, 12 April 2016, 10:30:42 »

will the plastic plungers get 'scratched' by rubbing with the metal housing?

infiniti · « **Reply #40 on:** Wed, 13 April 2016, 08:40:36 »

Quote from: exitfire401 on Tue, 12 April 2016, 10:12:04

Quote from: infiniti on Tue, 12 April 2016, 10:10:36
We could use the plastic plate from the original case...but this means hacking up the original case for a one-way ticket to alu-case-ville.

Costs however would be greatly reduced since the machining would just be for the alu case.

My biggest concern is that it would be difficult for those who don't have the tools readily available.

Hmm...good point.

== == == == ==

Quote from: Photekq on Tue, 12 April 2016, 10:12:45

infiniti, did you get 3D scans of the HHKB? Or did you just take hand measurements?

Hand-measured with calibrated calipers.

== == == == ==

Quote from: alienman82 on Tue, 12 April 2016, 10:15:54

would it be possible to engrave an HHKB logo on the case? I think that's what it is missing

It would be possible to have that as an option at some point.

== == == == ==

Quote from: redskull on Tue, 12 April 2016, 10:30:42

will the plastic plungers get 'scratched' by rubbing with the metal housing?

That's what I always wondered hence the need for a prototype...at this point I'd settle for a small piece with a single housing so I can test with a slider.

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Author Topic: Yeeeeee HHKB Aluminum Case (Read 14041 times)