[IC] Swe/Fin silent Realforce TKL ISO - CANCELLED

[Naku]

Are you talking about an embedded numpad or a full size keyboard?

I meant full size keyboard. Sorry for misunderstanding

For me mandatory features are 55g uniform keys, visible key markings and swe/fin ISO layout. Important, but not necessary features color white/grey and fullsize keyboard.

[bigfatmc]

This is going to be a white/grey one though and not completely black mamba.

[Se7en]

I meant full size keyboard. Sorry for misunderstanding

I hesitated when I bought my last keyboard to go the TKL route, but now I much prefer TKL to full size. So unless it is required by popular demand to switch to full size to get this buy to go through I would rather stick with TKL.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

I have started this because I want a silenced Topre.

If you believe that office environments require silenced Topre, I fear that you may be the result of a Soviet experiment to stitch dog ears onto a human head. The noise level of a standard Realforce is comparable to a normal full-travel keyboard, but the sound itself is more delicate and melodious, and very precise, without all the mush and rattle of a normal keyboard.

What would be interesting though is 55/55/45 variable instead of 55/45/35, but I find the 45/35 mixture to be a perfect weight. (The only 55 cN switch is escape, apparently. I have no idea why.) (Or based on the diagram I just found, it would be 55/55/45/40 instead of 55/45/40/35.)

[Naku]

I hesitated when I bought my last keyboard to go the TKL route, but now I much prefer TKL to full size. So unless it is required by popular demand to switch to full size to get this buy to go through I would rather stick with TKL.

Reason I prefer full size keyboards is gaming.I can cope with TKL and separate numpad, but where I find suitable numpad

[bigfatmc]

Buy a realforce one?
Srsly ppl get this to 10 orders ASAP

[Daniel Beardsmore]

This is the one bigfatmc refers to: http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php? ... =rf_wc0100

It's even in the correct colour :) (EK only stock it in white.)

Just ignore the bit where it costs more than most entire keyboards :P

[Muirium]

Argh, damnit. I'm a TKL man myself, but that's a numberpad I could actually want. Even if I never use it.

White Topres are such porn!

[002]

Just out of curiosity, has Bruce confirmed that a 55g silenced can be made? I mean, from a technical standpoint, of course it can be done. It's just that they've never been made before and I'm not sure if Topre have some reason for that (e.g. it's pointless) or it's just that no-one has thought of doing it.

[Se7en]

Just out of curiosity, has Bruce confirmed that a 55g silenced can be made?

Not really. The following was one of my questions to him before putting up the interest check (I was originally going for 45g):

Q:Are there any limitations to the selection of parameters for a Realforce keyboard model? My preference would be a silent white TKL (88 keys I guess) with 45g uniform weight.

A: Apart from MOQ the answer is no. We can get them to make pretty much anything we want as long as we are ordering enough.

So it is possible that a silenced 55g is not doable (or pointless as you say). Another possibility is that those interested in silenced are usually not going for heavy switch weights and those interested in 55g are not primarily going for silence, so a keyboard like that has never been made.

If we get to 10 interested we will see what they say and adjust accordingly.

edit: I just want to clarify that 10 is less than the MOQ. Bruce never said what the MOQ was. I asked if we could do a custom order if I could find 10 interested and he replied that it was less than MOQ but if we got 10 interested he could use this buy as an incentive to get a silent Realforce model in the lineup (my words not his).

[002]

Just for the record, I wasn't trying to be rude or anything with the 'pointless' remark. It's just they might've tested it with the foam rings and determined the sound difference to be minuscule or something?
It's really cool that Bruce is at least listening to you guys and trying to help you make this thing happen. I wish I'd thought of asking him when I was rallying support for a Red Alert style Topre keyboard. We got to 95 for that before I threw in the towel and stopped caring because I knew it wouldn't go anywhere

[Se7en]

Just for the record, I wasn't trying to be rude or anything with the 'pointless' remark. It's just they might've tested it with the foam rings and determined the sound difference to be minuscule or something?

I did not take your comments as criticism, so no problem. The thought has crossed my mind that silencing the 55g switch might not be as effective as the lesser weight switches. But then again, the difference is only 10g to the 45g one and the silencing works on the upstroke so in theory it should still lessen the sound. Unless the 55g is that much more loud than the 45g?

I guess we will know if Topre can produce it if we get to price check point.

...when I was rallying support for a Red Alert style Topre keyboard.

I read through that thread at one point. It was a pretty discouraging read as I was hoping that there one day would be a Swedish replacement keycap set so I could buy a black on black TKL and replace the keycaps with some readable ones.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

A higher weight means that the keycap will come to a harder stop when released.

Matias Quiet switches are nominally 70 g and they're extremely quiet, so silencing a heavier switch is perfectly possible, even if Topre's choice of method turns out not to be optimal.

[Se7en]

Srsly ppl get this to 10 orders ASAP

We are now at 9 orders people, almost there!

[Muirium]

What an intriguing idea: commissioning Topre to make a custom variant. Don't suppose they'd consider HiPro caps on a white TKL by any chance?

…

I'll get my coat.

[Se7en]

One tiny order more and we hit the target. Surely someone out there needs a silent Topre with 55g switches

What an intriguing idea: commissioning Topre to make a custom variant. Don't suppose they'd consider HiPro caps on a white TKL by any chance?

It would be interesting to know their MOQ.

[guilleguillaume]

Add me to the list

I dont mind the switch weight as long as it is silenced Topre. Need a white ISO Realforce.

[Se7en]

Add me to the list

Excellent! I will try to reach everyone on the list and ask their preference for an embedded numpad before emailing Bruce, since you were interested in that.

Edit: Here is an example image of the embedded numpad on an ANSI version: embedded numpad

[Daniel Beardsmore]

What that needs is an Fn key for the number pad, but if you placed it right of right shift, you'd not be able to reach with one hand (I use both menu and right Windows, but I am not sure that I ever use right shift at all). Still, nice to see that useless scroll lock key getting the boot :P

[Muirium]

Good point. Numlock is pretty awkward compared to a function key for the numpad layer.

But at least you're not losing anything.

[Se7en]

I will try to reach everyone on the list and ask their preference for an embedded numpad before emailing Bruce

Almost everyone has responded and most were indifferent to the embedded numpad but a few were concerned that this would make the keyboard more expensive. I have emailed Bruce the specification along with a few questions on the details, one of them regarding the embedded numpad.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Waitaminute … does Num Lock on that keyboard above give you access to the number pad? Normally the Pad Lock key does that. Num Lock isn't for enabling the numeric keypad, it's for changing whether it enters numbers or provides navigation.

[Muirium]

True. But on a keyboard without a separate physical numberpad in the first place, a toggle between behaviours seems superfluous. Topre probably just didn't think especially hard about the key's name.

"It's for numbers, and its a lock. Lunch?"

[Daniel Beardsmore]

The Zenith keyboard has a "Pad Lock" key, and after smirking at the silly name, I remembered that my ML board is the same, except it's "Pad <down arrow>" in German style. I'll document this later.

However, of course, Topre have gone with how laptops do it; after all, I do agree that entering directions into the embedded number pad is unlikely. Some people actually figured that it would be useful, though!

[bigfatmc]

Any updates from Bruce?

[Se7en]

Any updates from Bruce?

Bruce will contact Topre and get back to me. I have no idea how long this will take.

[Se7en]

I have bad news from Bruce. The MOQ from Topre for this keyboard is 100 which is higher than Bruce expected. He offers to continue with the order if we get 40-50 interested but given the interest so far that seems like a far stretch. So I am cancelling this attempt.

I apologize to everyone on the list for getting your hopes up for this model. I am pretty disappointed myself even though I knew this was a possible outcome. Maybe I will get one of the non silent black on black TKL:s instead even though I dislike the difficult to read legends.

[guilleguillaume]

It was worth a try so don't worry if it didn't go trough.