LED Modding Topre boards/Topre noob questions

[Omerta]

So during my search for boards, i've decided that the Realforce 87U TKL 45G Needs to make furious baby making love to a TG3 BL-82.

That way they can poop out a water resistant, red LED, Topre switched, 82 key love child with beautiful PBT skin. At least in my eyes that'd be a dream, figuring most of you dont like LED's



Just imagining The BL-82's layout with PBT Caps, topre switches, removable USB, light through lettering. The body and build of TG3 and the brain of topre brings me to the question, has any Geekhackers ever tried to mod/LED a HHKB or realforce? I'm almost 100% sure im going to eaither get a HHKB or a Realforce 87u since i just can't decide on witch cherry switch to get next, red or brown so i'm skipping to topre for top quality at the expense of my illumination love. Unless LED modding a HHKB can be placed on the horizon.

Anyway, since i'm gonna get a topre switch board i have a few questions for the enthusiastic natives.
1. Dumb question but, Can you fit cherry caps on a topre board?
2. Does the HHKB have stadium seating caps(flat down to spacebar) or Arena seating caps? (keys toward homerow)
3. Does the HHKB Dark Grey have 2 USB Hubs? For some reason on Elite keyboards it shows a picture that it doesnt have any.
4. How long did it take you to get used to it's design? Using FN + delete to get backspace and tab to get caps lock and return for enter.
5. Has anyone tried to mod their HHKB other then keycaps? Adding keys, customizing their cases with dremals/paint? (I might make my own custom translucent case if i get a HHKP2)

[megnin]

Hi Omerta,

I may not be typical of most Geekhacker here but I can answer some of your questions.

#1.  Nope.  Stems on one look like this:  +   Stems on the other look like this:  O
#2.  uh, two seater sports car seating, I guess. [ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 47729[/ATTACH]
#3.  Both colors have the same two USB Hubs.  The picture of the black on on EK is an old picture.  Don't buy it for the USB hubs though, they are useless.  They don't even have the power to support a USB stick.
#4.  Not as long as you might think.  Switching the Caps Lock and Ctrl keys seems so natural that I've switched them in the registry of all my computers and on my Realforce keyboards.  Actually the HHKB doesn't have a Caps Lock in the standard place but the Ctrl key is where a Caps Lock would normally be, which is the perfect place for it.  Arrow keys and Home/End still slow me down.  The Backspace (Delete with Dip Switch 3 on) is now in a better place but the "\" "|" key is now a row higher and harder to reach.  That bugs me a bit because I use \\ all the time for UNC paths and the pipe character from time to time and i always hit the backspace when I try to type a \ or | on the first try.
#5.  Just new key caps so far but I've heard of someone adding Bluetooth capability to it.  I want a Bluetooth moded HHKB really bad.

A clear or translucent case would look really nice.

[Omerta]

Hi Omerta,

I may not be typical of most Geekhacker here but I can answer some of your questions.

#1.  Nope.  Stems on one look like this:  +   Stems on the other look like this:  O
#2.  uh, two seater sports car seating, I guess. (Attachment Link) 47729[/ATTACH]
#3.  Both colors have the same two USB Hubs.  The picture of the black on on EK is an old picture.  Don't buy it for the USB hubs though, they are useless.  They don't even have the power to support a USB stick.
#4.  Not as long as you might think.  Switching the Caps Lock and Ctrl keys seems so natural that I've switched them in the registry of all my computers and on my Realforce keyboards.  Actually the HHKB doesn't have a Caps Lock in the standard place but the Ctrl key is where a Caps Lock would normally be, which is the perfect place for it.  Arrow keys and Home/End still slow me down.  The Backspace (Delete with Dip Switch 3 on) is now in a better place but the "\" "|" key is now a row higher and harder to reach.  That bugs me a bit because I use \\ all the time for UNC paths and the pipe character from time to time and i always hit the backspace when I try to type a \ or | on the first try.
#5.  Just new key caps so far but I've heard of someone adding Bluetooth capability to it.  I want a Bluetooth moded HHKB really bad.

A clear or translucent case would look really nice.

I got a few other quick questions..

1. on the elitekeyboards site they sell a WSAD/Arrow combo and just a 4 arrow combo highlighted for realforce boards arrow keys. Would those arrow keys work as an active replacement for WSAD on a HHKB? Meaning, would they fit right or are they taller keys that would stand out?

Using these for WSAD: http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=access,toprekeys&pid=hh_redarrow

2. Couldn't you just shave the + stems into an O, or is the O stems on the topre caps too wide to attempt that?

3. Are there any known and reliable retailers other then elitekeyboards who sell caps and accessories for topre boards that wont end up costing me a whole new keyboard for caps i probably wont use?

4. If you HAVE to chose at least one cherry mx switch that comes close to topres feel and touch, which would you choose?

5. Does the HHKB have the ability/support to be PS/2? Or would i have to locate my own adapter somewhere?

As for you modding blue-tooth onto your board, i'm sure the NZXT Internal USB Expansion System + Bluetooth & Wireless N Modules would work out pretty well. http://www.nzxt.com/new/products/case_accessories/iu01_usb_expansion

I'm probably going to buy the dark grey non-printed HHKP2 and wait for some clack factory keys while i figure out how to do some modding work. I have to run over to TG3's offices and have them take a look at my 123QWEASD & Shift switches since they are seizing up a bit on my deck ice tactical. While i'm there I'm gonna shoot a few questions at them about cases i could mod for my HHKB. See if soldering my own LED's on it would work (a HHKB /w a translucent case,backdrop LED's, and checkerboard keycaps sound pretty sweet)Maybe see if the price is right i could get them to do it for me lol, but i'm not too worried since my mother has worked at a factory that solders boards for pinball machines.

Thanks for going out of your way to answer my questions Megnin
-Omerta

[admiralvorian]

I'm just cross-linking here but check out THIS thread on deskthority. Here's a link to a shapeways 3d-printed topre slider that can accept MX keys. This is all still in a beta stage. Also coolermaster is releasing a topre TKL that will have better quality mx-compatible topre sliders. I don't know when though.

I'm seriously considering an hhkb myself but i've never typed on topre switches.

[SpAmRaY]

2 yr and one day necro...

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

2 yr and one day necro...

Dammit Ray, why you gotta ninja me???

 )

[Pacifist]

can we make it so mods have to accept posts in threads that are over a year old?

[SpAmRaY]

can we make it so mods have to accept posts in threads that are over a year old?

Maybe threads should automatically close if they reach a certain age and if someone has a good reason to reopen they can pm a mod.