geekhack brand keyboard?

[chimera15]

Just later on, but why not have a CNC milled aluminum case with say, white keycaps? And integrate the plate with the top half of the case.

I looked into this.  The problem with cnc is that it can't really do square corners anyway.  It can do sort of square with the corners knocked out, but it's not efficient and is still costly.  Even if I were to do the operation myself at a do it yourself place it would still most likely be around $100 per sheet.  It's not really a solution.

[chimera15]

I was thinking about using the top case as the plate to hold the switches as well, and it doesn't have to be a metal plate. If I am not mistaken, a Korean guy made a keyboard like this with an acrylic case.

As for alps switches, it is almost impossible to find new ones unless you order them from some Taiwanese company who are still making them. I think a top case for Cherry switches is more practical for now.

I understand that the results of using plate mounted switches without a metal plate is not satisfying.

The problem with acrylic is the thickness, and again it produces a different feel.  It's also I think extremely loud. There's one on youtube like this as well and in the mod section.  You still need some sort of machinery that will cut it and do so precisely and quickly.  I don't think it's a very good solution either.

Most enthusiasts have alps boards, and you can pick up used white alps complicated boards off ebay for less than $50.  There's a focus and a blue alps leading edge on ebay right now for $40 that you can harvest switches from if you want.  I for one prefer alps complicated and blues over cherry by quite a lot.  This is an enthusiast board we're talking about, not a standard production run as far as I'm concerned.  This is the thing that will make it unique and have worth and be different from other products out there.  It's also possible to offer a harvesting service combined with this board if people get scared by desoldering which I know some are.  There are already boards out there that do most of what others are talking about, or can be easily modified by anyone who has spent any time on this forum.  I think this keyboards that just have a geekhack key or geekhack brand put on them and are standard runs are missing the point.

 I think the point of a geekhack board should be in it's ability to be customized by the buyer and do exactly what the customer wants, be it key layout or switch type.

Most of the people are here on this forum imo because they're looking for something that is extremely rare in the marketplace or doesn't exist.   I know that's how I found it and why I'm here.  I think a geekhack board should be the thing that fulfills that craving.

I suppose for most people it's a tenkeyless red cherry board?  But there are already Filcos like that.  

For me it's a hhkb/lowpoly type super mini that actually has usable function/numpad layer programming, large backspace, non iso enter,  clicky keys, and doesn't cost $200-300.  That's likely never to exist unless we make it.

[laden3]

Is it possible to produce a case with squares holes using the cold cast method? It doesn't need to be specifically acrylic.

LOL ligo is reading... he makes keyboard. period.

[manfaux]

Can you imagine the GH keyboard full of double shot Geekhack keys? ALL 104 OF THEM.

[Reaif]

I can't remember who said it, but it looks like they were right about there being too much diversity in opinion, and I agree with whoever he is that this isn't going to happen at this rate.

Might as well just buy an arduino, program that as a controller board and just make the keyboard yourself.

If you want a choc mini with red switches, might as well buy the choc, buy the switches, and solder them in yourself lol.

[chimera15]

I can't remember who said it, but it looks like they were right about there being too much diversity in opinion, and I agree with whoever he is that this isn't going to happen at this rate.

Might as well just buy an arduino, program that as a controller board and just make the keyboard yourself.

If you want a choc mini with red switches, might as well buy the choc, buy the switches, and solder them in yourself lol.

The main problem with doing that though is that all the parts are spread out all over the place, in different countries, you have to deal with low order quantities and availability.  It would be a lot easier if you could just buy a kit from a single person that already has everything you need.  They could even bundle soldering/desoldering supplies.  That's half the value of someone on this board taking up the mantle of a geekhack keyboard imo.

[chimera15]

Is it possible to produce a case with squares holes using the cold cast method? It doesn't need to be specifically acrylic.

LOL ligo is reading... he makes keyboard. period.

I hadn't thought seriously about this before....  I suppose it could be possible, and use an existing plate as a model...  It of course wouldn't be as durable as metal, but it would act to support switches while soldering and to make sure they're stable and in line which is the main reason for a plate....

I've cold cast thin sheets of resin before for modeling purposes.  It takes some knowhow, but definitely possible....  It would probably actually be easier than a full on flat sheet since the holes will act as support for the silicone mold.  That could really be the solution...

I need to modify or somehow make use of my scorpius to try to do a mockup of it to make a mold from.

[sixty]

Also, just for information purpose:

The "Korean Acrylic Method" does not carve or cut a simple "box" out of acrylic. Instead, several layers are bolted together.

Example:




7 layers here.

Result is very stable. I dare saying its more stable than most plastic cast cases.

[chimera15]

Interesting, but how does the switch mount into it if nothing is cut then?

[sixty]

Basically there are three different layers required. The top plate, which covers the thing. A bottom plate (possibly with some carvings so the pcb can rest) and then the identical 5 plates between that simply give stability. The PCB and the backing plate (also laser cut out of aluminium or acyrlic too) are designed accordingly, so for example they will also be stabilized with the bolts through the case where possible.

Few more acyril ones:





You get the idea.

[gilgam]

I vote for that one

[lootbag]

Same here.
I use the laser cutter at university to cut acrylic for architectural models all the time.
Good material but smells so bad when it is cut though.

[ch_123]

I demand beam springs.

[Ekaros]

Hmm, so top layer could be metal? I think that's quite cool...

[Findecanor]

Is it possible to produce a case with squares holes using the cold cast method? It doesn't need to be specifically acrylic.

Do you mean casting a case in a thermosetting plastic (usually called "resin") such as polyurethane, polyester or epoxy?
That could be quite labour-intensive, and that labour could get quite expensive.

Resin is more brittle than acrylic, unless reinforced with fibreglass (or carbon fibre) but laying that in the mold would be even more labour-intensive, and I think it would be difficult on such a relatively small scale. On the other hand, when the "plate" does not have to be flat, then you could fill the space in-between the switches.
There is also the problem of getting enough precision. You need a very good caster to do it right, or there could all sorts of problems with shrinking, warping, bubbles, etc.

I have been considering building a home-made keyboard in 'urethane, but that is mostly because I wanted to make my "master" from different materials glued together, and that would hold up even worse.

[Ekaros]

I demand beam springs.

Hall-effect FTW. Or some own switch type which last to our grand-children

[chimera15]

Do you mean casting a case in a thermosetting plastic (usually called "resin") such as polyurethane, polyester or epoxy?
That could be quite labour-intensive, and that labour could get quite expensive.

Resin is more brittle than acrylic, unless reinforced with fibreglass (or carbon fibre) but laying that in the mold would be even more labour-intensive, and I think it would be difficult on such a relatively small scale. On the other hand, when the "plate" does not have to be flat, then you could fill the space in-between the switches.
There is also the problem of getting enough precision. You need a very good caster to do it right, or there could all sorts of problems with shrinking, warping, bubbles, etc.

I have been considering building a home-made keyboard in 'urethane, but that is mostly because I wanted to make my "master" from different materials glued together, and that would hold up even worse.

I'm a very good caster and have cast stuff that requires much more precision that this will. I was a caster and sculptor for 20 years.  Only low quality resin has the quality you are talking about.  A good quality resin will bend quite a lot before it it cracks, yet is still quite strong.   It's as good as injection plastic in most cases if not better.  There are dozens if not thousands of formulations of epoxy and polyurethane resins, and each one has different tensile strength, hardness, and overall properties.  It took me a long time and a lot of experimenting to find a really good one.

  I have developed methods and techniques, and have tools so there are 0 bubbles in my resin.   My estimate is that the average case produced in this method would cost me no more than $20-30 in materials and less than an hour of time once the mold is made.  It's definitively a possibility to gauge interest, at least to produce enough to get a production run started, and possibility get some real backing for a full production run.   I can do this all in my basement where I have a shop set up for doing that sort of work.  There are still some unknowns with using my method for this, but I think that right now has the best chance of producing what we need for a reasonable cost.


The acrylic thing would still require sending out to someone with a laser cut service, which I suppose I need to price.  In which case if you have access to a laser cutter, I would think you might as well use a metal plate again.   Anyone call or talk to a laser cutter and see what a 10 inch by 5 inch plate full of 60 or so square holes would cost?  A lot of people seem to have more experience with it than I do.

[eMps]

Mini form factor, detachable USB, non-staggered/grid/matrix/whatever-you-want-to-call-it layout.. pretty please?