Topre Aftermarket Keycap Set!

[IonutZ]

I would like to know what the interest would be for a non-sculptured spherical dye subbed topre set. Color scheme still in progress.

I got a tour of a plastic injection molding factory yesterday with my partner, and we'd like to invest in it.

This set will include modifiers for both ANSI/ISO HHKB AND Realforce 87g. (and all alphanumericals of course).

If there are a lot of people with 104s, we will consider adding numpad, or doing a separate group buy at some point in the future with the numkeys.

Please reply zu der thread.

[matt3o]

why not investing in this instead? I'm looking for a manufacturer... just saying...

[Muirium]

I want haz dyesub SA! But will can haz DSA dyesub…

Matt's adapters are potentially awesome. But they still require stripping down your Topre keyboard and yanking out the original sliders with their nasty notches that need a bit of ungentlemanly force. I'd rather go with native caps like these, too. Although getting SP on board…

[IonutZ]

Technically we could do DSA as well although it might cost more.

[Muirium]

Go ask SP. They can do different mounts than MX, but they like to give you grief when you ask for something so outrageous as stuff on their own spec sheets! I know they can do Alps mount (but not stabs…), but I do not know if Topre is something they can do or are willing to try.

Topre mount is old enough for the patents to be expired. But SP is super cautious about other people's IP, even so. Just because the law is on your side doesn't mean you can't be sued into the stone age.

[matt3o]

I believe they can do topre only in 1u

[DanielT]

If it's DSA I want it . Also DCS is ok.

[matt3o]

I agree with Muirium, here.

Topre SA would be sublime

[oneshotshift]

I would kill for a blank set. Well maybe not kill but badly injure

[IonutZ]

I've looked into the patenting issue, Fujitsu / Topre patents in US were filed in 1984, a design patent lasts for 14 years, therefore it was done in '98. We can legally produce these without legal repercussions. Also SP doesn't wanna do Topre.

ALSO... a mold big enough to produce an entire set in 1 cast is somewhere along the lines of $100,000. LOL.

And so far, topre to mx sliders, our cheapest quote is for roughly $1.50 / slider @ a volume order of 10,000.

[Game Theory]

(The Topre HiPro 1x keyboard keys (back on grey) were very very similar to SA profile if I recall correctly.)

[Muirium]

The single unit keys are similar, but Hi-Pro is certainly not identical to SA overall. For a start: Hi-Pro is PBT! And then, well, let's take a look:



No ordinary space bar here. Although the bottom row mods do have a very familiar row 3 cop out, straight out of SA! But look at the Shifts: row 4 mods are present and correct. I think they're also more oval in shape than the boxy larger mods I'm used to in SA. Spherical is harder to pull off on larger caps. Topre's look a good bit nicer to my eye.

Comparison:



I've asked around and no one knows who makes Topre's caps for them. It's definitely not SP (which Filco uses for its SA-like cap set) and it might even be an inside job. Topre's spherical caps have been this style for a long, long time. They aren't a new creation for the Hi-Pro line of Realforces, but have been in Japan all along!

Topre's cylindrical caps also have an interesting history, it seems. They share a lot in common with NMB's from back in the space invader days, especially the sculpted profile. They're more of a chopped pyramid than a chopped cube, compared to most cylindricals including IBM's, and the cut itself is deeper, I think.

[Medowy]

Sounds awesome.... DO IT!

[matt3o]

it turned out that the last row of the hi-pro is actually closer to DSA.

[IonutZ]

Which set (top of the key) do you guys think we should model the DSA / SA set after?

[Muirium]

Depends if you really insist on PBT. (The only option in your poll.) Doubleshot ABS opens up a world more options for colours.

I like dyesub PBT, too, but the legends must be dark. Something like PBT Granite is as good as you can get, while keeping readability.

http://keypuller.com/granite/

@Matt: I'm not sure about that URL schema. Surely the original SGI Granite deserves the honour over its namesake?

[matt3o]

@Matt: I'm not sure about that URL schema. Surely the original SGI Granite deserves the honour over its namesake?

/sgi-granite/ seems even better actually