Round 5 and Round 6 kits for sale!

[potatowire]

In your worst case, 12 attempts x $25 /attempt = $300, which isn't that much in the Monopoly money world of mechanical keyboards. Now, 12 attempts would take forever if they schedule it like a normal run and aren't willing to fit in one-offs every now and then.

(Is this too much thread hijacking?)

[Muirium]

Nah. This isn't really even Offtopicthority.

I've never commissioned something from SP. But from what I've heard they're not exactly super keen on constantly working with us at this level of detail. So factor that in too: they might just give up at any point. It uses more of their resources than the dollar amount they charge to us.

[potatowire]

Nah. This isn't really even Offtopicthority.

I've never commissioned something from SP. But from what I've heard they're not exactly super keen on constantly working with us at this level of detail. So factor that in too: they might just give up at any point. It uses more of their resources than the dollar amount they charge to us.

I think you're right, but on the other hand, I ordered a few hundred sets of 4 keys each in SA and DSA with new legends, and Melissa was great to work with, and she didn't act like I was a silly little keyboard weirdo. Now, if I don't like one or all of the legends, I will have wasted some money, but I decided to take the risk.

[zslane]

If we were to try and tackle the R4 mold issue, I think we could start by only doing 1.25u, 2.25u, and 2.75u. That would catch, what, something like 90% of the keyboards out there? I realize it would exclude folks who need 1.5u or 2.0u shift keys, but would there be enough of them to cover the extra expense? If not, I don't think we would want the infeasibility of comprehensive size coverage to stall or kill an effort to get the Big Three made.

(And, yeah, um, sorry about the threadjack...but all the most knowledgable members seem to be present, so...)

[chzel]

YOU FORGOT 1.75u...the holy split right shift...
Don't worry too much about going off-topic, we do it all the time all over the place!

[zslane]

Well, we could split the effort into two branches. The 1.25u/2.25u/2.75u branch could gather the funds for those sizes, and those interested in 1.5u/1.75u/2.0u could gather funds for those sizes. Given the likelihood of (funding) success for the first versus the second, I think it would be best to separate them into two different groups. Gives the more viable branch a better chance at survival.

[potatowire]

I think a 1.75u shift is popular enough to warrant its inclusion in the main group. In any event, I will be happy to assist in this effort.

[chzel]

That's not a good split...Why prefer 1.25u shift for the "main" group? It's used in ISO...yet we see ISO addons fail all the time in GBs. In my opinion it's much better to make one kit with all four and ignore the "unicorns" (how many keyboards are there with 1.5/2u shifts?).
I'd gladly pay for an 1.25u shift I don't need if that means I get my 1.75u as well and vice versa.

[potatowire]

If we get really serious, it'd make sense to do a poll through Google Forms.

[zslane]

I just figured 1.25u gets all the European users in on it. Given the sizeable EU contingent here on DT, it seemed like a no-brainer. What keyboard uses a 1.75u shift that out-demands the ISO standard?

potatowire, I agree with you that a poll would be useful. So would a Kickstarter (or similar) for each size. Let people vote with their wallets. We'd learn real quick which sizes can't reach a reasonable funding goal.

I saw (er, read about) pretty amazing things that happened when people got involved in the Granite design, so a community effort is definitely within the realm of possibility. But if the DT+GH community can't summon the collective determination and resources necessary to do this, then maybe it just isn't important enough to them after all. In which case I might just send SP the $$$ for 2.25u and 2.75u and organize an ANSI-oriented GBs myself after having the molds "in hand", so to speak.

[Muirium]

Despite our European bias here, ANSI always beats ISO hard in group buys. Even in GMK group buys — a cap manufacturer based in Europe! Americans dominate on GH and presumably Reddit too, and you guys are more likely to spend big.

That and many of the DT regulars who contribute to these ICs are, like me, into ANSI despite living in ISOland! Traitors we are…

ANSI has the very real advantage of unity: ANSI US. Even the Koreans will buy that, no problem. ISO, meanwhile, is split between several different major variants: ISO UK, ISO DE, ISO Nordic, and the madly different ISO FR. We don't even have Japan on our side, playing on their own with JIS.

[justcallmecrash]

Any update on the orders shipped today?

[zslane]

Okay, I could be pursuaded to ditch 1.25u. But which massively popular keyboard uses 1.75u shift keys?

[Phill1]

HHKB's and 1800s

[potatowire]

Also 75% and most 60+% that include arrows. I'm not sure how many this adds up to, though.

[zslane]

Um, aren't HHKBs Topre?

[Phill1]

HHKB layout keyboards, to be more specific.
A bunch of custom korean boards, GoN's, winkeyless, some others

[Phill1]

Also 1.25, 1.5 and 1.75 Shifts in row 4 already exist, so do 2.0, so that's not really a funding thing. It's literally just the normal sized shifts: 2.25 & 2.75

Also this should be obvious because we have 1.25, 1.5 &1.75 row 4 keys for mods, so just on a basic logical level these things already exist.

[zslane]

Ah, an excellent insight! It's obvious only if you have half a brain, which I appear to lack. Oy.

The 1.25u R4 mold is relatively new, I believe (it doesn't appear in the SA PDF online, but it appears in SA PDF if they e-mail you one).

Okay, so that narrows matters down to just the 2.25u and 2.75u. Hmm...

[potatowire]

The other sized shift are still look like SHIF T, and I figured that's what zslane was thinking. Completely fixing all/most/many varieties of shift keys. In for a penny, in for a pound, and all that.

[zslane]

I think there is a difference between the keycap molds and the ability to cut different legends out of keycaps that come out of those molds. I mean, once SP can make a 2.25u row 4 key, we can have any legend text we want just by providing the SVG graphics for it (the challenges of getting an effective vector element for the text is a separate matter discussed elsewhere), right?

[sqapy]

7bit, who are the winners of the day?

[romevi]

7bit, who are the winners of the day?

Everyone who joined Round 5/a.

[7bit]

Other colors are also available.

[Wet]

Ooh! Is it too late to add those into my order? .

Could you also pick just one keycap from the entire group? Would only want certain colors of the KBDRUNNERS

[7bit]

Just click at the links and look into the wiki ...

[Wet]

Just click at the links and look into the wiki ...

Of course, pardon me

[gnarlsagan]

Nice! Thanks 7bit! Really looking forward to having the right profiles on the 84.

Also, would it be possible to get the 1U modifiers in white? It would be "HONEYB/MODBASE100/WHITE". Every other color is available.

[romevi]

7bit, who are the winners of the day?

Everyone who joined Round 5/a.

Aww, yeah! Lovin' the KBD Runners and lotus logos! Don't think it'd be possible to make the lotus for row 3?!

[Muirium]

Um, 7bit, these don't cover me and my fellow guardians of moral justice and all that is right in the world who use row 2 UP row 4 LEFT DOWN RIGHT.



Needs a row 2 UP or rotated equivalent.