SK-8K wrote: ↑06 Sep 2021, 03:22
Would my Quietkey project be of any interest to you?
Maybe. I did briefly look over it before I started this thread. I generally think "Alps" when I think Dell keyboards. I've got probably 6 of those. I'll look in more depth.
How about the case from a fullsize MY board, like the Cherry G81-3000?
I'd really rather not have to do major revisioning of the keyboard, but if it's really good ...
I think the hardest part to square will be "modern ANSI layout" with "metal-backed case". There's sort of a gap in vintage boards-- there was no "flagship" for vintage Cherry boards to match the Northgate range. Outside of Cherry's own products, you had a lot of "opportunistic" OEMs like Chicony that would do the same case with MX switches one day, SMK the next, and Alps on weekends. That sort of design tended to lead towards middling quality plastic cases.
Well, you've explained why I can't find any nice MX keyboards
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif)
.
If you're not wedded to a 104 layout, some of the special-market boards (Video editing consoles or trading-desk keyboards like the G80-9009) are often super-overbuilt, and MX-based chassis, but you often have to settle for a layout that's "104 but with extra banks of keys"
Maybe. As mentioned, I really want to get a standard-size bottom row, even if there aren't any Windows keys.