Cooler Master NovaTouch TKL

Cooler Master NovaTouch TKL

Part number	SGK-5000-GKCT1-UK (UK version)
Branding	Cooler Master, CM Storm
Manufacturer	Topre
Features	18K gold plated braided, detachable cable, wire plastic keycap puller, o-ring set
Layouts	87-key US ANSI, 88-key ISO
Keyswitches	45g Topre Switches
Keycaps	ABS, lasered
Interface	USB with full n-key rollover support (Windows only)
Dimensions	35.9(L)x13.8(W)x3.9(H) cm, 14.1(L)x5.4(W)x1.5(H) inch
Weight	895g (1.97lb)
Introduced	2014
Discontinued	2016
Price	~$180-200

The Cooler Master NovaTouch TKL was the first and only keyboard from Cooler Master to employ Topre switches and the first keyboard with Topre switches to have Cherry MX mount. It was announced at CES 2014, introduced in August that year and discontinued in September 2016.

Description

The switches have Cherry-compatible keycap mount. For longer keys (other than the spacebar) the stabilizers work like a hybrid of regular Topre and Cherry stabilisers: The keycaps' stems push only against the stabilized key stem's outliers.

The NovaTouch TKL has a rather minimalistic case design with no Caps Lock or Scroll Lock indicator lights. The design was reused for the QuickFire Rapid-I and MasterKeys Pro S, which are backlit.

The NovaTouch TKL has support for full N-key rollover, which has been confirmed to work only with MS Windows.

History

Announcement

The Novatouch TKL was announced at CES in January 2014. The only confirmed version then was a 45g uniformly-weighted 87-key (ANSI) model; however, Cooler Master suggested that more models might be released with different layouts, and uniform weights of 30g or 55g. The possibility of an European ISO model had already been hinted at in a post by Deskthority member and Cooler Master representative CM Bram. This was further solidified in an article on ComputerBase.de where images of an ISO layout NovaTouch TKL appeared. Cooler Master initially suggested that the NovaTouch TKL would be available early in the second quarter of 2014, but the projected released date was changed to mid-2014.

At Computex 2014, held June 3–6, Cooler Master announced that the NovaTouch TKL would be available in July 2014. In August 2014, the NovaTouch TKL appeared for sale on Cooler Master's North American web site.

Cooler Master collaborated with Topre to produce the first Topre switch compatible with Cherry MX compatible keycaps

Cooler Master's announcement marked a milestone for Topre; it was the first keyboard with Topre switches that accepted keycaps with a cross-shaped keystem compatible with the abundant keycaps for the already popular Cherry MX switch family. This change from Topre's standard proprietary slider and keystem design was welcomed by the keyboard enthusiast community. There was initial concern about the method used for stabilising the larger keycaps on the NovaTouch TKL, as Topre's standard method has the stabiliser bar beneath the mounting plate and a large switch housing, whereas most other manufacturers have the stabiliser bar above the mounting plate (or PCB) and a standard sized switch housing. The concerns were alleviated when CM Bram posted an image illustrating the planned stabilising method,, which was largely compatible with Cherry MX keycaps.

Prototypes

Prototypes of the NovaTouch TKL were made available to a number of members of the keyboard enthusiast community. There are four known prototypes in the wild, two being 88-key ISO layout and the other two being 87-key US ANSI layout. The two ISO keyboards are in the possession of European Deskthority members 'Matt3o' and 'Muirium'. Geekhack member, 'YuukiHaruto' has another. The fourth prototype is held by reddit user 'ripster55'. More prototypes exist and are likely held by Cooler Master employees. The prototypes do not represent the final version of the NovaTouch TKL, which as of June 2014 remained unreleased. They have stand-in lasered with infill keycaps which were outdated when the prototypes were first sent out. The rest of the keyboard is very minimal. The case has minimal labelling, with only the branding 'CM Storm' on the back edge; there is no cable-routing or DIP switches. The LED lock indicators are all blue.

Reception

The Novatouch TKL was criticized for its keycap legends, especially the alignment of symbols. Many Novatouch TKLs have been bought by enthusiasts solely for grabbing the sliders for installation into other Topre keyboards.

End and legacy

In September 2016, the discontinuation of the Novatouch TKL was mentioned on Reddit.

Topre's own Realforce RGB uses similar switches in clear housing for backlighting of Cherry MX-compatible keycaps.

Modifications

Damping

Foam rings have been successfully installed in the sliders for damping the sound of the slider hitting the top housing on the upstroke.

Firmware hacks

The controller's programming interface has been figured out, allowing the firmware to be backed up, replaced and modified.[1] So far, modifications include only the keymap, and only for specific revisions of the firmware.

Gallery

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External Links

• Deskthority - Topre switch / Cherry MX compatible
• YouTube - New Hybrid Keyboard! Novatouch TKL - Cooler Master Keyboards CES 2014
• YouTube - CeBIT 2014: Cooler Master Gaming Keyboard NovaTouch TKL comes with Topre Switches - HD
• brightsideofnews.com - Cooler Master Suite at CES 2014
• keyboardco.com - NovaTouch TKL UK review
• Techgage - Cooler Master NovaTouch TKL Review – The Keyboard We’ve Been Waiting For
• Geek - Cooler Master NovaTouch TKL keyboard brings Topre switches to the Cherry masses
• BenchmarkReviews.com - Master NovaTouch TKL Keyboard Review
• jonnyGURU - Reiews - Coolermaster Novatouch TKL Keyboard
• Modders-Inc - CM Storm NovaTouch TKL Premium Keyboard Review
• LanOC Reviews - Cooler Master Novatouch TKL
• The Tech Report - Cooler Master's NovaTouch TKL keyboard reviewed
• Overclockers Club - Cooler Master NovaTouch TKL Keyboard Review
• Deskthority - Novatouch discontinued