HHKB Pro 2 Aluminum Case

[Hypersphere]

This topic has been addressed previously, but I remain puzzled about why it might be technically infeasible and/or too expensive for someone to produce an aluminum case for the HHKB Pro 2 at a "reasonable" price. I should think that some proportion of HHKB Pro 2 owners would be seriously interested in buying such a case if one could be produced at a cost that would not exceed that of the keyboard itself.

Perhaps someone could explain the technical difficulties. Once these are clear, then the problem could be confronted.

[ComradeSniper]

I think it's an issue of it being very expensive to cut the switch top pieces into the case, since the switch tops are actually part of the case rather than part of a plate like on the Realforce or FC660C.

[exitfire401]

This topic has been addressed previously, but I remain puzzled about why it might be technically infeasible and/or too expensive for someone to produce an aluminum case for the HHKB Pro 2 at a "reasonable" price. I should think that some proportion of HHKB Pro 2 owners would be seriously interested in buying such a case if one could be produced at a cost that would not exceed that of the keyboard itself.

Perhaps someone could explain the technical difficulties. Once these are clear, then the problem could be confronted.

It's not impossible, the tolerances are just ridiculously tight for the top case. You basically need to make sure that the top holes will be within thousandths of the same diameter. Plus, now that novatouch stems are available, there would have to be a hole added for those as well. It's insanely expensive to do a test run (because you don't want to waste materials, and many places charge out the ass for a test run/small batch) and it usually takes 2-3 iterations before you have something that's guaranteed to work.

[Lord of Narwhals]

To my knowledge the only aluminium case HHKB are the super expensive limited edition versions they made a few years ago.

Making a 100% aluminium case seems expensive and difficult but maybe a plastic/aluminium hybrid is possible.

[mashby]

Of course I have no actual knowledge regarding the design, or production of something at this level, but I do think it would be expensive because of the detail work involved: two piece case, holes for stems, etc.

That being said, I'd still try and buy one. 

[johndavis33]

I'd buy a case with a plastic top and aluminum bottom.

Personally, I like the the soft bottom out that the plastic switch mounts gives the hhkb. I hate bottoming out on steel play keyboards

[dorkvader]

Of course I have no actual knowledge regarding the design, or production of something at this level, but I do think it would be expensive because of the detail work involved: two piece case, holes for stems, etc.

That being said, I'd still try and buy one. 

You'd also have to worry about the metal case wearing down the plastic sliders, but this is less of an issue if it's well polished and lubricated. Would probably be the best topre board ever at that point, but the upper case would have to be CNC'd to cut metal away from the PCB to avoid issues with the measuring of capacitance from the springs. I'll look at pictures of HHKB innards to see if it's even feasible.