[IC] CNC Aluminum Case for Topre RealForce TKL keyboards

[strigif0rm3s]

Might have to buy a RF87u 55g for this... if I'm ever able to find one. Looking forward to this design and especially the upcoming FC660C!

sent you an email, have one for sale

[kmba]

FC660C! Church or norbauer! Doing the Lord's work!

I'd just ask you to make it sleek and slim, and I'm in for two.

[HighNoon]

Might have to buy a RF87u 55g for this... if I'm ever able to find one. Looking forward to this design and especially the upcoming FC660C!

They're available on Amazon iirc

Yea for $253. I was hoping to pay more around $200. There was a recent sale on Massdrop for the 87u 55g for $205 shipped including 4 PBT spacebars but it sold out instantly.

Might have to buy a RF87u 55g for this... if I'm ever able to find one. Looking forward to this design and especially the upcoming FC660C!

sent you an email, have one for sale

Got the email, thanks. I'll think about it.

[Blazestorm]

Might have to buy a RF87u 55g for this... if I'm ever able to find one. Looking forward to this design and especially the upcoming FC660C!

They're available on Amazon iirc

Yea for $253. I was hoping to pay more around $200. There was a recent sale on Massdrop for the 87u 55g for $205 shipped including 4 PBT spacebars but it sold out instantly.

You can set a reminder to get in on the massdrop deal, they do it continuously (after the lasts GB ships, they start another one), at least that was the pattern before. It didn't sell out super fast when I got in, but they do limit the quantity.

[HighNoon]

Might have to buy a RF87u 55g for this... if I'm ever able to find one. Looking forward to this design and especially the upcoming FC660C!

They're available on Amazon iirc

Yea for $253. I was hoping to pay more around $200. There was a recent sale on Massdrop for the 87u 55g for $205 shipped including 4 PBT spacebars but it sold out instantly.

You can set a reminder to get in on the massdrop deal, they do it continuously (after the lasts GB ships, they start another one), at least that was the pattern before. It didn't sell out super fast when I got in, but they do limit the quantity.

I do have a reminder set, thanks. Seems like most if not all of the buyers from the round I missed have their boards but I haven't heard anything yet about another round. AFAIK Massdrop has only run the 87u once ever although they've had the 104u several times.

[Blazestorm]

I've seen it pop up at least 3 times... First time I missed it, second time bought it, third time it pop up again and was tempted to get a 2nd one.

[HighNoon]

Welp I just bought a RF87u 55g. Bring on the case!

[Stresemann]

Welp I just bought a RF87u 55g. Bring on the case!

Congrats man Nice !! I have 45 ek but I feel like I should buy 55 white as well . I think I don't care much for black keycaps any more but love the feeling of ek edition.

[Our_Benefactors]

Might have to buy a RF87u 55g for this... if I'm ever able to find one. Looking forward to this design and especially the upcoming FC660C!

They're available on Amazon iirc

And mechanicalkeyboards.com, and ebay, and the classifieds here, and on /r/mechmarket ...

They aren't particularly hard to find.

[hayt]

Might have to buy a RF87u 55g for this... if I'm ever able to find one. Looking forward to this design and especially the upcoming FC660C!

They're available on Amazon iirc

And mechanicalkeyboards.com, and ebay, and the classifieds here, and on /r/mechmarket ...

They aren't particularly hard to find.

Sorry bud, they are not available on mechanicalkeyboards.com

Unless you are willing to wait for the next round from Massdrop, as the previous comments suggests, you will need to drop a $60 premium via amazon.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[HighNoon]

Might have to buy a RF87u 55g for this... if I'm ever able to find one. Looking forward to this design and especially the upcoming FC660C!

They're available on Amazon iirc

And mechanicalkeyboards.com, and ebay, and the classifieds here, and on /r/mechmarket ...

They aren't particularly hard to find.

Sorry bud, they are not available on mechanicalkeyboards.com

Unless you are willing to wait for the next round from Massdrop, as the previous comments suggests, you will need to drop a $60 premium via amazon.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Big premium on eBay and Amazon. Not as easy to find on GH classifieds or r/mechmarket as you might think but there are some around.

[nathanchere]

Signed up just to say the Corian option is an incredibly exciting idea, but please don't limit to black and white! There are some really neat options and their 'faux marble' as you call it looks a lot more like authentic stone in real life than the photos give credit to. Some of the options are here:

http://casf.com.au/colours

I voted white case + wood top, but it would really depend on what kind of wood finishes are available, and only white because the more interesting finishes weren't an option.

[romevi]

Signed up just to say the Corian option is an incredibly exciting idea, but please don't limit to black and white! There are some really neat options and their 'faux marble' as you call it looks a lot more like authentic stone in real life than the photos give credit to. Some of the options are here:

http://casf.com.au/colours

I voted white case + wood top, but it would really depend on what kind of wood finishes are available, and only white because the more interesting finishes weren't an option.

Any updates with this amazing project?

Actually, yes!

I think I've decided to bail on the Corian idea for this particular project and kick that down the road to a different upcoming case I'm working on. The issue is that the RealForce has this huge-ass PCB and footprint, so I've had to engineer everything pretty tightly around that in order to keep things from getting awkwardly out of proportion. However, the Corian manufacturer isn't used to machining really tiny features to tight tolerances. (They say their min cutter diameter is 4.3mm, which strikes me as a bit wacky; I'm still waiting for an answer on why that is the case.) I've seen some phone camera pics of the Corian sample, and the physical one is on its way to me, at which time I'll take some better photos and post them here. However, that sample isn't usable since some small pocket features had to be increased to 4.3mm. There's still a chance I'll be able to work something out with the manufacturer to do the Corian, but at this point I'm just leaning towards doing this design in aluminum and then designing something next with the Corian manufacturing limitations in mind from the beginning. I'm also going to use the throwaway sample to conduct some drop tests, as Rama suggested to me recently at Originative meet-up in LA, so I'll see how durable the material is.

Anyway, I really wanted to do something special in terms of material/finish on this project--because the RF is my favorite keyboard--so, with Corian likely out, I'm planning on offering an option for hard (Type III) anodizing. This creates a color similar to Apple's "space gray" and it is much more resistant to scratching than normal anodizing. So I'll probably offer two finishes: clear Type II (silver color) and clear Type III (dark gray). The hard anodizing is considerably more expensive, so that'll have to be an "upgrade" option. I'm meeting with the manufacturer today about doing it in aluminum and am going to ask them to do a sample in hard anodizing so I'll have pics of it in that finish too.

For this one, I'm looking at manufacturers right here in Silicon Valley and also abroad. Since this design is a bit more fussy than ones I've produced in the past, I'd love to work with a local manufacturer so I can do on-site QC personally, but it may be a challenge to get them down to a price that we can all stomach.

[nathanchere]

Ah crap, I missed that post
Thanks for bringing me down to earth sooner rather than later!

[Darknight00z]

I was wondering if the current aluminum design will still have the interchangeable inserts, made out of leather and other materials etc..

[kmba]

The more I look at the prototype, the more tempted I am to pick up an 87u-55. I'm like this close "_"

[eksuen]

The more I look at the prototype, the more tempted I am to pick up an 87u-55. I'm like this close "_"

[romevi]

The more I look at the prototype, the more tempted I am to pick up an 87u-55. I'm like this close "_"

Just do it and never look back. I keep an MX board to house my pretty keysets, but Realforce 55g all day, every day.

[kmba]

Well I already have an fc660c and hhkb and they're pretty much all I use. Might as well round out the collection.

[hayt]

I sold my 660C and 980C and bought two 55g 87u's for this occasion

No regrets

[kmba]

Well he's making a 660c case next, and another group is working on both a 980c and 660c case  let's just say it's a good time to be a topre fan.

[Stresemann]

Any updates we can share? I'm dying for it haha,

[gaunt]

How does aluminum interact with the much-beloved Topre thock sounds? I would imagine that a material like plastic or wood would be more conducive to magnifying this effect compared to a metal.

Gorgeous case by the way, will be very excited for news about the FC660C project.

[kmba]

Well the thock is produced by the switches, slider housings, and plate, with the RF being plastic slider housing in a metal plate.  A majority of the sound is just coming up from the face of the plate to your ears, so the case material surrounding and below the plate shouldn't matter *that* much.  I would assume the overall decibel level and pitch will be altered somewhat, but probably imperceptible levels.  Maybe someone with the novatouch case can comment on how it changed the sound.

[pixelpusher]

Well the thock is produced by the switches, slider housings, and plate, with the RF being plastic slider housing in a metal plate.  A majority of the sound is just coming up from the face of the plate to your ears, so the case material surrounding and below the plate shouldn't matter *that* much.  I would assume the overall decibel level and pitch will be altered somewhat, but probably imperceptible levels.  Maybe someone with the novatouch case can comment on how it changed the sound.

I'm not sure that would be a good comparison bc that case mounted in such a way that without proper dampening, the aluminum had quite a bit of reverberated sound. I put shelf liner under the edges of both of mine to help.  I don't think this new case mounts the same way.  I will say the SOUND is the same, but not the feeling.  It feels more rigid, and maybe not in a good way.

I think the aluminum alone does take away from the feel of the switch without proper dampening.  I hope Ryan can figure out a way to add vibration dampening into this new board.

[consolation]

I put a Novatouch into a Norbauer EB case last week; the only thing added was a sheath of 1mm acoustic foam in the bottom. The sound is more bassier and somewhat quieter, it actually made the Novatouch sound almost exactly like a RF87. So, I'd imagine it would move the sound in a similar direction if you start with an RF. The thock changed very little as it's mostly coming from the switch plate; putting on thick double shot caps changes the sound much more, mid-thickness PBT caps sound much louder and higher pitch. The tolerances on Norbauer's cases are exquisite; it makes for a very directional sound compared to other keyboards.

[elcubismo]

Just a heads up for anyone interested in this GB but don't have a realforce yet, it's on sale on MassDrop right now

[pixelpusher]

Realforce 87u 55g on Massdrop right now for $200 free shipping.   Just bought one.  Heads up!

[romevi]

I bought my first one two years ago. I got it and thought, "This is all the commotion?" Sold it. After a week I missed it dearly, and when the next Massdrop release came on I rejoined and haven't looked back.

I still need to get purple sliders, but those and this case will make my 55g endgame.

[kmba]

Yup went in for a white 55g on MD to pair with a case.

[Blazestorm]

Very tempted to get a second one since it's my favorite Topre board now. The spacebars that come with the Massdrop one are actually near perfect matches for the stock Topre colors, the grey almost matches the white's alphas (not perfect, but very close) But the red and blue match the hard to find colored sets almost perfectly: (This is the blue Massdrop spacebar w/ the Blue Topre kit: http://i.imgur.com/tjylvrv.jpg). And black is black so it matches just fine. Props to whoever did the color matching.

EDIT: Just ordered my second one, and I'll probably end up w/ 2 of these cases now. And w/ silencing rings and colored Topre sets, I'm all set...

[kmba]

I have a red, orange, and blue us ansi sets! But this will be my first Rf. I got the orange for use on my fc660c and the red and blue for a rainy day.. which will come in late November

[skcheng]

In for at least 2 metal and 2 Corian cases!!     

[kmba]

Corian is out for this project. But I'm looking forward to seeing the hard anodization sample

[consolation]

 Massdrop @ 63/140 units for the 87u drop I would get in quick if you are tempted.

PS. Apologies, didn't realise their share button took you to sign up page, instead product page: if you're not signed in, mod fixed the link - thanks.

[clappingcactus]

Massdrop @ 63/140 units for the 87u drop I would get in quick if you are tempted.

Gross. Please don't use this person's link, anybody.


Mod Note: It's been edited to remove the referral link.

[norbauer]

The PCB prototypes arrived today! I've been too busy with other stuff today to test (namely shipping out what seems like mountains of keyboard boxes), but I should have some updates soon.

The shop also promised me samples of the production CNC case around this week (but that was three weeks ago), so it's time to go give them a nudge soon. I'm hoping to shoot some video of these being machined from the sample run.

[pixelpusher]

The PCB prototypes arrived today! I've been too busy with other stuff today to test (namely shipping out what seems like mountains of keyboard boxes), but I should have some updates soon.

The shop also promised me samples of the production CNC case around this week (but that was three weeks ago), so it's time to go give them a nudge soon. I'm hoping to shoot some video of these being machined from the sample run.

That's awesome.  Can't wait to see the real deal. 

[stevits]

Just bought my 2nd 87u 55g because of this interest check!

[kmba]

So are you only planning two colors? The silver and space gray? Just trying to plan my build in advance. Thanks

[norbauer]

So are you only planning two colors? The silver and space gray? Just trying to plan my build in advance. Thanks

Yes, my current plan is:

-Type II clear anodized (results in a silver color) [least expensive]
-Type III ("hard") clear anodized (results in a dark gray color) [more expensive]
-Various powder coat options similar to what's on offer in my Cooler Master cases r2.5 [more expensive]

[kmba]

  thanks

[avid]

Is there any pictures of the darker grey case? Probably going to grab at least a silver version.

[norbauer]

Is there any pictures of the darker grey case? Probably going to grab at least a silver version.

Not yet. The pre-production sample is actually just being milled today, and I'm going over to the shop to shoot some video footage of it being made. When it's done, we'll send it over to the anodizing shop and then I'll have pics to show.

[pixelpusher]

Quick question.  Is there a particular reason why the bottom of the case looks like A vs. B?   (pardon my sloppy photoshop)

[norbauer]

Quick question.  Is there a particular reason why the bottom of the case looks like A vs. B?   (pardon my sloppy photoshop)
(Attachment Link)

Yes. It's clearance for screws that reside below those cutouts. It effectively creates cylindrical access areas so you can get the screws into place to hold the plate up against the interior of the case.

[pixelpusher]

Quick question.  Is there a particular reason why the bottom of the case looks like A vs. B?   (pardon my sloppy photoshop)
(Attachment Link)

Yes. It's clearance for screws that reside below those cutouts. It effectively creates cylindrical access areas so you can get the screws into place to hold the plate up against the interior of the case.

hmm... not sure I follow, but if you say "yes," I trust it's all good.   

[kmba]

Quick question.  Is there a particular reason why the bottom of the case looks like A vs. B?   (pardon my sloppy photoshop)
(Attachment Link)

Yes. It's clearance for screws that reside below those cutouts. It effectively creates cylindrical access areas so you can get the screws into place to hold the plate up against the interior of the case.

hmm... not sure I follow, but if you say "yes," I trust it's all good.   

there's stuff inside there, and your Photoshop wouldn't give room for that stuff.   

[norbauer]

Quick question.  Is there a particular reason why the bottom of the case looks like A vs. B?   (pardon my sloppy photoshop)
(Attachment Link)

Yes. It's clearance for screws that reside below those cutouts. It effectively creates cylindrical access areas so you can get the screws into place to hold the plate up against the interior of the case.

hmm... not sure I follow, but if you say "yes," I trust it's all good.   

there's stuff inside there, and your Photoshop wouldn't give room for that stuff.   

This. 

[vinzlr]

Bought a Realforce for this and am patiently waiting!