DSS 6104April 2025: Updated kitting to reflect what I offered to Signature PlasticsIC Feedback Form
VendorsTBDI'm hoping to offer this once again through the SPKeyboards storefront, and their growing network of international partners. SP has been partnering with proxies in the EU, UK, and other locales to make overseas purchases easier.
InspirationDSS 6104 is based on the vintage
Raytheon 6104 keyboards of the late 1970's and early 1980's, manufactured by Cortron (mainly, the 6104-06 model). The 6104 series was very much a product of its time; which is to say, kind of butt-ugly. But in a charming, retro way. With its brown alphas and mustard-colored mod keys, it fit right into the wood-paneled offices of 1979. 6104 models were used in banks, police departments, insurance companies, and travel agencies, as well as Raytheon's own facilities.
Some photos of the 6104-04 model.The lone red accent key harkens back to the single red key present on
some Raytheon boards.
While the original's keys were closer to the modern SA profile, DSS is a vintage profile from that period that I haven't worked with before, and one that intrigues me. DSS was designed as a sculpted variation of DSA by Comptec in 1982, but it soon fell by the wayside. In 2018, it was revived by Comptec's successor, Signature Plastics. Height-wise, it falls midway in between DSA and SA.
Design and Kitting NotesDue to the comparatively sharp edges of DSS R4, this set uses DSA for its bottom row, as well as DSA spacebars. (Convex DSS small bars don't exist yet, although SP has announced plans to introduce them after they finish adding convex bars to DCS.)
Signature Plastics has also asked designers to present their kitting as both a large monokit (a la Macrodata Refinement Round 1), and individual split kits (like DCS SMRT) going forward, with the goal of running both versions. So I have designed this set both ways.
ColorsAll colors are Signature Plastics stock resins.
Alphas are TBN brown
Modifiers are YCZ mustard yellow
Accents are RA red
Legends are WFK whiteI own all of SP's brown, yellow, red, and white color chips, and the colors I've chosen for this are a really great match for the original 6104 boards in their unfaded, out-of-the-box glory.
Pic taken in indirect light, in a bright east-facing sunlit room in the morning.
DatesTBD, but probably shipping about 2-3 months after going on presale, given how long recent sets have taken to produce.
PricingMonokit: TBD
Alphas: TBD
Yellow Mods: TBD
Brown Mods: TBD
Numpad: TBD
40s/Ortho: TBD
Spacebars: TBD
Norde: TBD
Kitting Option 1: Monokit (Bundled subset of individual kits)Again, SP wants to offer bundles alongside individual kits, so I've designed this set both ways per their guidance.
Includes numpad, Alice, 4-key 40's, and UK support, as well as some common extra keys like R3/R4 PgUp/PgDn, stepped Ctrl, and 1u and 2u Shift.
Kitting Option 2: Individual KitsAlphas Kit
Includes UK support.
Yellow Raytheon-style Mods
Brown Monotone Mods
Includes replacements for the yellow keys from the Numpad kit.
Numpad Kit
Includes 108-key support.
Norde Kit
40s/Ortho Kit
Includes two bottom-row vintage text novelties that the base includes in R1, so 40s users can have some whimsy, too.
Spacebars Kit
Additional Renders
About the DesignerMore
Hi, I'm Jeremy. You may know me as the person behind DCS SMRT and SA History of Violets. I like to draw inspiration from vintage keyboards of the 1960's-80's, modernizing them to fit contemporary layouts, while retaining their weird retro legends and vibe.
Special ThanksMore
Thank you to the denizens of the SPKeyboards Discord's Design Ideas channel, and the Keyboard Designers Forum Discord. I've been brainstorming and iterating this concept for almost two years across both servers, and I think it's pretty solid now due to their feedback.
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