The Geekhack Box of Faith - a community project

[BlueBär]

The point is that you can not only get different switches to test (then as you noticed a switch tester is better) but also different keycaps, different springs, etc. You get more options and first hand experience and additionally you get some cool stuff to keep and use.

[V1ral]

I would actually vote against the Helping Hands.  About the only thing I find mine useful for is either tinning very small wires or soldering very small wires together.  Both of which can be done with much better tools that are available.

Oh, it's not anything fancy like Helping Hands. Just a soldering iron, solder sucker, and a spool of solder. I bought them a couple years ago, but never had time to even open them. They're just sitting in a corner collecting dust. Again, I'm a total newb to soldering so I would have to check with someone about whether or not any of these are actually good.

Judging by some of the discussion in this thread though, I'm not sure if they are things we would want to include in this box. And even if they weren't that heavy (I can't remember if they are!), they're still quite bulky and probably would not fit.

[BlueBär]

And even if they weren't that heavy (I can't remember if they are!), they're still quite bulky and probably would not fit.

I suspect that as well

[Quardah]

BlueBär:

Thanks for your input about my commentary. The only thing i would say is that while i know the current "easiest to find" switches are Blue Brown Black Red, i would still sujest you drop in a green and a clear, just so people get to see 2 of each style, and understands that a style is not mandatory to its same weight.

Using Blue Brown Black Red Green(or white) Clear, you get;

2 Linear light and heavy
2 Tactile light and heavy
2 Clicky light and heavy.

That way you'll get the most out of the cherry MX switches.

Just my two cents,

Otherwise, make this whole thing happen, i would like to help but i currently have no leftovers. If this project keeps going over time, i'll make sure to drop some stuff for you guys.

Thanks.

[rowdy]

Wouldn't it be more efficient and cost effective (time + material)

if we did a "directed" send of a switch-tester-keyboard along with a crowd funded giftcard to mechkb.com..


I realize this current box idea be "from the heart"... but... well.. hmm.... if we wanted to accomplish the gospel task more efficiently...

That would get very expensive very quickly for overseas GHers.

[Quardah]

Wouldn't it be more efficient and cost effective (time + material)

if we did a "directed" send of a switch-tester-keyboard along with a crowd funded giftcard to mechkb.com..


I realize this current box idea be "from the heart"... but... well.. hmm.... if we wanted to accomplish the gospel task more efficiently...

That would get very expensive very quickly for overseas GHers.

Considering this input about shipping price, i would have an idea for this :

How about we stop using postal services and start meeting up?

I mean, if this projects really starts up, i'm pretty sure people could move arround for boxes to be passed on to the next person. Let's just do it that way; whatever both correspondants agree to do. That being said, boxes are less likely to dissappear, as people would straightly give them to members of geekhack, and we could make a subforum dedicated to the boxes movements.

Ask the users to sign the outside of the box whenever they recieve it and tag the city they are in, so boxes would become totally pimped out with all those tags and they would travel worldwide, and would never stop going arround.

Let's say a box starts here, in Montréal, Québec. Then, a person from Ottawa comes and grabs the box, goes back home, tries his stuff, then someone from Regina who was in a trip to Ottawa, shows up, grab the box, bring it back to his place...

So the box contains 3 tags : Quardah from MTL, NiceGuy from Ottawa, M3ch4n1c3lW1z4rD from Regina.

And so it goes, makes it to Argentina or some country someday, then a guy takes pictures, lists where this magnificient work of art has been in the last year, 144 signatures, super pimped out, wow.

People could also drop stuff in em like a cap remover or special switches like an M5 or an MY switch, and we have to unallow people to remove stuff from them. That way, you post in the thread what they are, explain a little, then let's say i recieve box number 6, i can read its whole history and understand what's in the box and what's its use. They would all start the same, end up totally different, totally pimped out, containing nice rare stuff from arround the whole world.

We could call that concept: KeyboardMania-Reverse-Geocaching.

What you say?

[CPTBadAss]

You assume that people who are completely new to the keyboard scene want to meet up. Not everyone is anxious to do that when they're new. It can be intimidating to do so.

Also it would get stalled at whoever has it last.

[BlueBär]

How about we stop using postal services and start meeting up?

I doubt that will work. As Captain already said not everybody wants to meet up. Additionally not everybody is able to travel to meet up easily (because they're busy or because they don't have a car, etc). It's also unlikely that the box would go very far, or even outside of one country. And you're probably missing that I'm from Germany...

Again, what people do with their box after winning one is their choice and I'm sticking with that.

[Quardah]

Ok then. It was just a proposition.

That'll be what you want, it's your project, but i'm defenetly keeping my idea for later use.

Thanks!

[BlueBär]

Ok then. It was just a proposition.

That'll be what you want, it's your project, but i'm defenetly keeping my idea for later use.

If people want to meet up and pass the box on they can absolutely do that - it's not a bad idea!
My point is I can't force anybody to do that and I don't think it works for everybody.

[Sifo]

Just let me know when I should send out my stuff ^_^

Otherwise I won't be following this thread, so good luck everyone.

[BlueBär]

Kind of busy these days because of upcoming exams, but I started one of the cardboard plates I was talking about. They're really easy and quick to do, and it feels a lot more like it would when mounted in a keyoard in comparison to pressing a switch while holding it.



I also didn't show the foldable keycap puller yet, here's the prototype I made. This just some thin silver wire, that's why it's not perfectly straight. The version for the boxes will get stainless steel wire and will not have this issue



Sprit style photos

[CPTBadAss]

I had no idea you were going to mount the switches like that. I'm really into that.

Will you be sending flowers as well as the boxes?

[BlueBär]

I had no idea you were going to mount the switches like that. I'm really into that.

Will you be sending flowers as well as the boxes?

Not sure if they would survive the trip

[Zeal]

I had no idea you were going to mount the switches like that. I'm really into that.

Will you be sending flowers as well as the boxes?

Not sure if it would survive customs

FTFY

"Goods Subject to Quarantine"

Can you even mail plants by air?

[BlueBär]

Ah yes looked it up, can't import plants to the land of the free

[davkol]

You can't even send plants (or rather seeds) within EU.

[BlueBär]

You can't even send plants (or rather seeds) within EU.

No fun allowed

[davkol]

It's partially because of diseases.

[Zeal]

It's partially because of diseases.

O****, now that GH box got contaminated with flower pollen! Oh noooo )

[rowdy]

I like the idea of a plain brown box with that logo on it!

[BlueBär]

I like the idea of a plain brown box with that logo on it!

Me too!

Originally I wanted to copy a Zenith box I had, but I that would have been harder to print and don't think it would have looked as nice. I made a few designs and we voted which ones we liked best, here's all drafts I made:

[rowdy]

3.1 definitely!

Good selection, guys

[Zeal]

+1 on style 3.1

[Smasher816]

I got some WASD keycaps (from their tester pack). If anyone throws in a PBT keycap then maybe people can see how bad ****ty thin ABS is.

[BlueBär]

I got some WASD keycaps (from their tester pack). If anyone throws in a PBT keycap then maybe people can see how bad ****ty thin ABS is.

I should have some of those too iirc, but please fill out the form in the OP anyways in case I don't have them anymore

[genkidama]

I'm totally into this! I support the idea and I would like to help im some way, too. Maybe after I recieve some of my keycaps GB I participated I can donate some ABS keycaps so you can really compare ABS (boo ) with PBT (yay ) and others to get the feel. I don't know if you already will include some ABS keycaps. Of course it all depends on how quickly this idea progresses and if all is aligned correctly so that I can give my keycaps.

For the logo I really like 1 and 3, they look nice! 

As I've read all the previous pages I think Clears/Greens should be included as for me (still a beginner) it seems those switches are getting more and more popular. For me for example I'm already thinking about trying those "Ergo Clears" to see if they fit my taste as I own a MX Brown mech. This desire came from all the reading and talking with Blue about Clears and what it feels like and what could be fun to assamble by yourself.

[rowdy]

Any updates on this?

[CPTBadAss]

(Attachment Link)

Thank you Ivan!

Looks like BlueBar has the boxes almost done and the caps he ordered in hand.

[BlueBär]

Looks like BlueBar has the boxes almost done and the caps he ordered in hand.

Show Image

Those boxes in the background are actually filled with springs from sprits GB. Now that I have the keys I'll get this going again :thumb:

[0100010]

Needs a glossary or index with acronyms, abbreviations, common terms, names of switches, etc.

[BlueBär]

Needs a glossary or index with acronyms, abbreviations, common terms, names of switches, etc.

Something like this?

[genkidama]

This is a really good glossary Blue! Nice work for us to look up and the newbz to get to know stuff 

[rowdy]

Oh yeah, I remember now.

The reason I asked, I had a thought to throw in a few Enablers, just for the fun of it

[rowdy]

Has this idea died?

Here's another thought - if vendors (or generous members) wanted to donate odd bits of keyboard paraphenalia (like a few dozen spare switches, a selection of random keycaps, some old keycap pullers, unused O-rings), collect them together, put them in boxes, and sell the boxes at a reasonable cost.

Proceeds could go towards keeping the GH servers running.

New members could opt to purchase a box to get some bits and pieces to start their keyboard accessory collection, established members might like to buy one for a friend.

[BlueBär]

Has this idea died?

I won't continue it.

[genkidama]

But why? I thought it was a cool idea.

Are your pm's broken? Seems like you don't get any anymore.

[BlueBär]

I am no more active on GH. I'm only checking the GH60 and a few other threads every few days.

[hwood34]

I am no more active on GH. I'm only checking the GH60 and a few other threads every few days.

So then could we pass this on to someone else?

[BlueBär]

Not sure who this we is, but sure, just come over and get the stuff.

[hwood34]

Not sure who this we is, but sure, just come over and get the stuff.

No way you could ship the stuff? I guess if someone in Germany is down...

[BlueBär]

I'm pretty sure anyone on this site would be able to invest some time and money into a project like this himself. I'm not sure what you think I have that you don't have access too?

[hwood34]

I'm pretty sure anyone on this site would be able to invest some time and money into a project like this himself. I'm not sure what you think I have that you don't have access too?

boxes, caps, pullers? unless all of those were one-offs

[BlueBär]

The boxes were from eBay, the stamp on them was handmade by me, the pullers were also handmade by me. They're made from a piece of wood and some stainless steel wire from eBay. I ordered the caps from Ivan through one of his novelty keycap group buys.

[fohat.digs]

The "keyboard tours" were really wonderful - that's what we need more of.

Without actually buying (and doing a bunch of fussy modifications on) a multitude of Cherry keyboards, I was able to discern that the top-shelf choices were jailhouse blue/greens and lubed ergo clears, and that stock brown, green, and clear were acceptable. If I had much interest in Cherry switches, that is.

Seeing Akimbo's blue Alps tour, I built one for myself because I immediately recognized how outstanding it was without even holding it in my hands, but for a lot of people, it must have been inspiring.

It takes trust and faith to send out a piece of yourself to a bunch of strangers, and you never know what might befall it (eg the Hoff-turkey incident) but that seems to make more sense than sending out a box of "little stuff" that can be purchased for not much more than the postage for the "tester" package, if you order it on ebay from China.

Just my opinion.

[ghostjuggernaut]

I'd be down to help revive this project.

If anyone wants to brainstorm, shoot me a pm. I have plenty of switches that I can donate to the cause. I'm sure I can scrounge up some other items as well.

[blueangel2323]

Instead of just raffling the boxes out, I would love a sampler pack available for purchase, with different styles of keycaps and a switch tester with all the most common types of switches (including different mechanisms like buckling spring, Alps clones, Topre, etc., not just Cherry switches like normal testers).

[fohat.digs]

a switch tester with all the most common types of switches (including different mechanisms like buckling spring, Alps clones, Topre, etc

You do understand that this is impossible?

I would argue that buckling springs and Topre are not switches at all, merely "mechanisms" for activating switches.

There is a world of difference there, in the most fundamental terms.

Buy a few keyboards and take them apart.

[blueangel2323]

a switch tester with all the most common types of switches (including different mechanisms like buckling spring, Alps clones, Topre, etc

You do understand that this is impossible?

I would argue that buckling springs and Topre are not switches at all, merely "mechanisms" for activating switches.

There is a world of difference there, in the most fundamental terms.

Buy a few keyboards and take them apart.

I understand that combining them into one working keyboard would be impossible. But switch testers don't need working electronics - as long as the physical mechanism is there for testing out the tactile feeling. That doesn't sound impossible to me.

[fohat.digs]

as the physical mechanism is there for testing out the tactile feeling.

That would be reasonable, in a vacuum. Shortcuts and avoiding detours and pitfalls are very helpful.

In reality, anybody who has access to the spare parts to build and mount all the various types of key/switches/mechanisms onto a chassis of some sort is likely to be so many parsecs beyond the "does a Topre keyboard feel different from a buckling spring keyboard?" that it is sad or humorous to imagine decision-making reduced to a cursory test. And who has the time and patience to plan and assemble it?

Speaking for myself, I have just bought/traded/dumpster-dived every sort of keyboard I could find, for years, until I acquired an intuitive feel for them. And much of that by taking them completely apart just to see what was inside.