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Author Topic: Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets  (Read 4846 times)

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Offline tiger

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Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets
« on: Tue, 19 July 2016, 01:58:16 »
This might be an obvious question but: Has anyone tried ordering the rubber dome sheets directly from Topre?
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Offline y11971alex

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Re: Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets
« Reply #1 on: Tue, 19 July 2016, 02:00:15 »
Quote from: tiger on Tue, 19 July 2016, 01:58:16
This might be an obvious question but: Has anyone tried ordering the rubber dome sheets directly from Topre?
Good luck there; I think they're a jealously guarded trade secret.
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Offline rowdy

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Re: Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets
« Reply #2 on: Tue, 19 July 2016, 06:08:36 »
If you do try, please report back how you go.
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Offline Aricil

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Re: Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets
« Reply #3 on: Tue, 19 July 2016, 11:23:02 »
It's kinda stupid, honestly. You have to buy a whole ****ing keyboard just to be able to swap out the domes.
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Offline neverused

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Re: Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets
« Reply #4 on: Tue, 19 July 2016, 11:42:59 »
I'm surprised no one has put a dome through FTIR or other analysis and then sourced the material.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

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Offline tiger

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Re: Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets
« Reply #5 on: Fri, 22 July 2016, 04:51:50 »
So looks like no-one's tried so far.

Do we have any members in Japan that would be willing to contact Topre/Realforce regarding this?
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Offline mikes41720

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Re: Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets
« Reply #6 on: Fri, 22 July 2016, 05:03:03 »
Looks like it could be worth a try. At least I won't have to open up my 55g RF87U to swap domes with my HHKB.
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Offline jameslr

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  • Location: Indiana
Re: Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets
« Reply #7 on: Thu, 28 July 2016, 08:06:31 »
Quote from: Aricil on Tue, 19 July 2016, 11:23:02
It's kinda stupid, honestly. You have to buy a whole ****ing keyboard just to be able to swap out the domes.

Think about it though - if this is a major component behind selling your keyboards in the market...why would you sell just the rubber domes? Doesn't seem stupid to me - just good business sense on their part.
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Offline 1391406

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Re: Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets
« Reply #8 on: Thu, 28 July 2016, 14:05:31 »
Quote from: jameslr on Thu, 28 July 2016, 08:06:31
Quote from: Aricil on Tue, 19 July 2016, 11:23:02
It's kinda stupid, honestly. You have to buy a whole ****ing keyboard just to be able to swap out the domes.

Think about it though - if this is a major component behind selling your keyboards in the market...why would you sell just the rubber domes?

Why wouldn't you? How is it any different from a company like Unicomp selling individual parts? Having the domes isn't going to change the fact that you need the other components (springs, PCB) for the keyboard to function.
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Offline romevi

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Re: Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets
« Reply #9 on: Thu, 28 July 2016, 14:07:27 »
Hey, if you succeed, let me know!
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Offline Sneaky Potato

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Re: Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets
« Reply #10 on: Thu, 28 July 2016, 14:29:41 »
Us: "Hey you mind if we buy some topre dome sheets?"

Topre: "Yeah sure! Here you go!"

I'm sure the exchange would go something like that.

Joking aside, it doesn't hurt to ask them.
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Offline dgneo

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Re: Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets
« Reply #11 on: Fri, 29 July 2016, 07:06:14 »


Could only find the form on the Japenese Topre site, so I sent the question in Japanese.

Resent it in English, now we wait :)
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Offline tiger

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Re: Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets
« Reply #12 on: Fri, 29 July 2016, 07:17:19 »
Quote from: dgneo on Fri, 29 July 2016, 07:06:14
Could only find the form on the Japenese Topre site, so I sent the question in Japanese.

Resent it in English, now we wait :)

Thank for you taking initiative!
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Offline Touch_It

  • Posts: 715
Re: Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets
« Reply #13 on: Fri, 29 July 2016, 09:30:55 »
Quote from: dgneo on Fri, 29 July 2016, 07:06:14
Show Image


Could only find the form on the Japenese Topre site, so I sent the question in Japanese.

Resent it in English, now we wait :)

Interesting they want it in English. 
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Offline Sneaky Potato

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Re: Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets
« Reply #14 on: Fri, 29 July 2016, 11:20:49 »
Quote from: dgneo on Fri, 29 July 2016, 07:06:14
Show Image


Could only find the form on the Japenese Topre site, so I sent the question in Japanese.

Resent it in English, now we wait :)

The irony of them wanting an English response
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Offline rowdy

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Re: Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets
« Reply #15 on: Sun, 31 July 2016, 05:16:39 »
Quote from: Sneaky Potato on Fri, 29 July 2016, 11:20:49
Quote from: dgneo on Fri, 29 July 2016, 07:06:14
Show Image


Could only find the form on the Japenese Topre site, so I sent the question in Japanese.

Resent it in English, now we wait :)

The irony of them wanting an English response

Yeah, for a Japanese company with a Japanese form filled out from a Japanese web site.
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"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 Aricil

  • Posts: 63
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Re: Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets
« Reply #16 on: Sun, 31 July 2016, 07:35:22 »
Quote from: 1391406 on Thu, 28 July 2016, 14:05:31
Quote from: jameslr on Thu, 28 July 2016, 08:06:31
Quote from: Aricil on Tue, 19 July 2016, 11:23:02
It's kinda stupid, honestly. You have to buy a whole ****ing keyboard just to be able to swap out the domes.

Think about it though - if this is a major component behind selling your keyboards in the market...why would you sell just the rubber domes?

Why wouldn't you? How is it any different from a company like Unicomp selling individual parts? Having the domes isn't going to change the fact that you need the other components (springs, PCB) for the keyboard to function.

Well, yeah, I guess. But, I mean, you'd think that they'd make money from that too....
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Offline Bromono

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Re: Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets
« Reply #17 on: Sun, 31 July 2016, 09:06:03 »
Quote from: rowdy on Sun, 31 July 2016, 05:16:39
Quote from: Sneaky Potato on Fri, 29 July 2016, 11:20:49
Quote from: dgneo on Fri, 29 July 2016, 07:06:14
Show Image


Could only find the form on the Japenese Topre site, so I sent the question in Japanese.

Resent it in English, now we wait :)

The irony of them wanting an English response

Yeah, for a Japanese company with a Japanese form filled out from a Japanese web site.

If he sent from an american IP Address, it must have been sent to an english speaking customer service location.
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Offline 1391406

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Re: Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets
« Reply #18 on: Sun, 31 July 2016, 09:26:25 »
Quote from: Aricil on Sun, 31 July 2016, 07:35:22
Quote from: 1391406 on Thu, 28 July 2016, 14:05:31
Quote from: jameslr on Thu, 28 July 2016, 08:06:31
Quote from: Aricil on Tue, 19 July 2016, 11:23:02
It's kinda stupid, honestly. You have to buy a whole ****ing keyboard just to be able to swap out the domes.

Think about it though - if this is a major component behind selling your keyboards in the market...why would you sell just the rubber domes?

Why wouldn't you? How is it any different from a company like Unicomp selling individual parts? Having the domes isn't going to change the fact that you need the other components (springs, PCB) for the keyboard to function.

Well, yeah, I guess. But, I mean, you'd think that they'd make money from that too....

I agree.

One of the few reasons Topre may be averse to selling domes and springs separately is because it would potentially allow consumers to convert cheaper knockoffs into a much more reasonable facsimile.
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Offline sushi

  • Posts: 29
Re: Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets
« Reply #19 on: Mon, 01 August 2016, 06:07:18 »
Currently live and work in Japan. I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that Japanese companies take a long time to change or make anything happen, and even though something might make sense, it isn't always right to rock the boat and do something new.

In this case, having to deal directly with with consumers vs big companies and selling parts in a new way probably isn't worth the time and risk for which ever salaryman is in charge of that department.   

I'm not jaded I swear...
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Offline willbarrow

  • Posts: 10
Re: Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets
« Reply #20 on: Tue, 02 August 2016, 11:06:23 »
Any update on this topic? I'm really interested in buying the sheets separately, as I've just received a new HHKB and I'm really disappointed, because the two sets of domes under the letter keys are completely different weights. Imagine what that's like. Typing with different weights under each hand.
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Offline hasu

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Re: Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets
« Reply #21 on: Tue, 02 August 2016, 19:31:32 »
At some exhibit I asked Topre guy this.

me: "I need a variable weighted HHKB, any idea?"
guy: "no problem, get a Realforce."

And I bought a Realforce 101.
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Offline xtrafrood

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Re: Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets
« Reply #22 on: Tue, 02 August 2016, 20:02:23 »
Reconstituting the rubber with silicone spray is a legitimate option afaik. I'm not sure why people on this forum shy away from the suggestion of silicone reconstitution.

I'm guessing that the OP is about swapping domes for a change in resistance /shrug
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Offline Adgar

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Re: Ordering Topre rubber dome membrane sheets
« Reply #23 on: Tue, 02 August 2016, 22:16:12 »
I am a gr ;D ;D ;D ;D ;Den hand of dealing with memeber**** . Is their any old bird who can tell me something or details about memeber sheet like Google sheet  when star a group buy. Thank you,best wish to you ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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