Unicomp SSKs are coming later this year

kmnov2017

05 Jul 2019, 00:08

Had some email exchanges with the folks at Unicomp including some rants about them not being to able to get SSKs out despite the fact they have all the tooling and the molds.

The response is that the SSK (TKL) is definitely in the works and that they WILL be out later this year...

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depletedvespene

05 Jul 2019, 00:37

Not that I want to be a party-pooper, but they've said that several times over the last decade. I think we stand a better chance of getting buckling springs TKL keyboards from a certain other source, once he starts working his second round, if all y'all know what I mean...

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Redmaus
Gotta start somewhere

05 Jul 2019, 00:48

depletedvespene wrote:
05 Jul 2019, 00:37
Not that I want to be a party-pooper, but they've said that several times over the last decade. I think we stand a better chance of getting buckling springs TKL keyboards from a certain other source, once he starts working his second round, if all y'all know what I mean...
Stay tuned in August.... 8-)

andrewjoy

05 Jul 2019, 12:30

Do we have to pay extra for the tooling marks on the case and the misaligned lettering on the keycaps ?

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matt3o
-[°_°]-

05 Jul 2019, 13:49

this has become like "this is the year of desktop linux"

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Raumfahrer

05 Jul 2019, 14:05

I'd take a gander

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SneakyRobb
THINK

05 Jul 2019, 19:37

The real question is whether or not they are just going to fold the membrane :D

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Wazrach

05 Jul 2019, 20:52

I wonder how much the Unicomp SSK will cost. Who knows how much the original SSKs used to cost compared to the standard Models M?

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Chyros

05 Jul 2019, 22:17

Wazrach wrote:
05 Jul 2019, 20:52
I wonder how much the Unicomp SSK will cost. Who knows how much the original SSKs used to cost compared to the standard Models M?
Less, actually. $156 versus $217, off the top of my head. I looked it up for a video about to release in a few weeks xD .

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Wazrach

05 Jul 2019, 22:29

Chyros wrote:
05 Jul 2019, 22:17
Wazrach wrote:
05 Jul 2019, 20:52
I wonder how much the Unicomp SSK will cost. Who knows how much the original SSKs used to cost compared to the standard Models M?
Less, actually. $156 versus $217, off the top of my head. I looked it up for a video about to release in a few weeks xD .
Kind of ironic how expensive they are now.. haha.

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Redmaus
Gotta start somewhere

05 Jul 2019, 22:59

Based on the quality of a Unicomp board I used to have, I'm not expecting much even if these do come out this year. Literally every key felt scratchy on the Uni board when I typed on it for a few seconds. It's not even close to a real model M.

And I'm not just saying this because of what I plan to sell later :roll:

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SneakyRobb
THINK

05 Jul 2019, 22:59

Wazrach wrote:
05 Jul 2019, 22:29
Chyros wrote:
05 Jul 2019, 22:17
Wazrach wrote:
05 Jul 2019, 20:52
I wonder how much the Unicomp SSK will cost. Who knows how much the original SSKs used to cost compared to the standard Models M?
Less, actually. $156 versus $217, off the top of my head. I looked it up for a video about to release in a few weeks xD .
Kind of ironic how expensive they are now.. haha.
Suppose it is. For a product though it makes sense that it would cost less as it simply has less production cost being smaller etc.

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Wazrach

05 Jul 2019, 23:00

Redmaus wrote:
05 Jul 2019, 22:59
Based on the quality of a Unicomp board I used to have, I'm not expecting much even if these do come out this year. Literally every key felt scratchy on the Uni board when I typed on it for a few seconds. It's not even close to a real model M.

And I'm not just saying this because of what I plan to sell later :roll:
I don't know.. I had an April 2018 Ultra Classic. It was smooth enough and crisper than other Models M.

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Redmaus
Gotta start somewhere

05 Jul 2019, 23:03

Wazrach wrote:
05 Jul 2019, 23:00
I don't know.. I had an April 2018 Ultra Classic. It was smooth enough and crisper than other Models M.
Really? Maybe the just the ones I had were trash. The ones I had didn't have any logo at all, but the sticker on the back said "manufactured by Unicomp"

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Wazrach

05 Jul 2019, 23:15

Redmaus wrote:
05 Jul 2019, 23:03
Wazrach wrote:
05 Jul 2019, 23:00
I don't know.. I had an April 2018 Ultra Classic. It was smooth enough and crisper than other Models M.
Really? Maybe the just the ones I had were trash. The ones I had didn't have any logo at all, but the sticker on the back said "manufactured by Unicomp"
Yeah, it was pretty nice. Other Models M are quite dull. It's hard to say, I sold it a while ago

brainandforce

07 Jul 2019, 00:03

Wazrach wrote:
05 Jul 2019, 23:00
Redmaus wrote:
05 Jul 2019, 22:59
Based on the quality of a Unicomp board I used to have, I'm not expecting much even if these do come out this year. Literally every key felt scratchy on the Uni board when I typed on it for a few seconds. It's not even close to a real model M.

And I'm not just saying this because of what I plan to sell later :roll:
I don't know.. I had an April 2018 Ultra Classic. It was smooth enough and crisper than other Models M.
This is my experience with post-2014 Unicomps. They have a thinner rubber mat on the inside, and somehow the switches become lighter and sharper with that particular assembly. It's almost reminiscent of a Model F.

My 2005 PC 122 feels like an IBM or Lexmark built Model M in terms of weighting. It also happens to be the smoothest Model M I've tried to date, which I find surprising given the sorry condition that board was in when I got it.

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Wazrach

07 Jul 2019, 00:21

brainandforce wrote:
07 Jul 2019, 00:03
Wazrach wrote:
05 Jul 2019, 23:00
Redmaus wrote:
05 Jul 2019, 22:59
Based on the quality of a Unicomp board I used to have, I'm not expecting much even if these do come out this year. Literally every key felt scratchy on the Uni board when I typed on it for a few seconds. It's not even close to a real model M.

And I'm not just saying this because of what I plan to sell later :roll:
I don't know.. I had an April 2018 Ultra Classic. It was smooth enough and crisper than other Models M.
This is my experience with post-2014 Unicomps. They have a thinner rubber mat on the inside, and somehow the switches become lighter and sharper with that particular assembly. It's almost reminiscent of a Model F.

My 2005 PC 122 feels like an IBM or Lexmark built Model M in terms of weighting. It also happens to be the smoothest Model M I've tried to date, which I find surprising given the sorry condition that board was in when I got it.
Fohat mentioned the thinner rubber mat. I'm surprised people don't talk about it more often, since it's pretty important to the key feel. What I want to know is whether or not removing the mat entirely will damage the membranes. That seems to be the best way to make the Model M feel crisp.

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paddle0

07 Jul 2019, 02:05

Last year I got a Unicomp Classic 104 White Buckling Spring PS2 with the custom 103 key mod. It's attractive and extremely crisp to type on. It doesn't have the weird plate covering up the area where the optional trackball button would have gone.

Full disclosure: it's really more beige than white and a few of the custom keycap legends I ordered were very slightly misaligned. But overall, it's a great value and a great keyboard.

brainandforce

07 Jul 2019, 03:18

Wazrach wrote:
07 Jul 2019, 00:21
What I want to know is whether or not removing the mat entirely will damage the membranes. That seems to be the best way to make the Model M feel crisp.
Have you done this to any of your own Model Ms? I'd be really interested to give such a board a spin.

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Elrick

07 Jul 2019, 04:01

paddle0 wrote:
07 Jul 2019, 02:05
Full disclosure: it's really more beige than white and a few of the custom keycap legends I ordered were very slightly misaligned. But overall, it's a great value and a great keyboard.
ALL of their newly produced Key-caps are misaligned - using the eyes of any DT fanatic here on this forum.

Hence not a good purchase for them at all, looks like Unicomp really doesn't care about producing their own product hence why they don't ship much of their keyboards out into the wider world.

A shame such a great old keyboard is being ignored by it's own manufacturer hence very few people are attracted to it. Instead any OLDER made IBM keyboards still retain their worth in 2019 and beyond.

That is why the SSK is just a thought bubble created to maintain interest for this company's existence. Without the SSK being touted by the inept here, all real interest within Unicomp would disappear a long time ago.

Hence please keep the SSK fantasy going only to keep using the Unicomp name as a demonstration of what happens to tired old companies who have lost all hope of surviving in the 21st Century.

Lbibass

07 Jul 2019, 05:56

Wazrach wrote:
07 Jul 2019, 00:21
brainandforce wrote:
07 Jul 2019, 00:03
Wazrach wrote:
05 Jul 2019, 23:00


I don't know.. I had an April 2018 Ultra Classic. It was smooth enough and crisper than other Models M.
This is my experience with post-2014 Unicomps. They have a thinner rubber mat on the inside, and somehow the switches become lighter and sharper with that particular assembly. It's almost reminiscent of a Model F.

My 2005 PC 122 feels like an IBM or Lexmark built Model M in terms of weighting. It also happens to be the smoothest Model M I've tried to date, which I find surprising given the sorry condition that board was in when I got it.
Fohat mentioned the thinner rubber mat. I'm surprised people don't talk about it more often, since it's pretty important to the key feel. What I want to know is whether or not removing the mat entirely will damage the membranes. That seems to be the best way to make the Model M feel crisp.
ListofOptions I think was talking on discord about how nice Model M's feel with the rubber mat removed. I haven't heard anything about there being issues with it having been removed.

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Wazrach

07 Jul 2019, 10:22

brainandforce wrote:
07 Jul 2019, 03:18
Wazrach wrote:
07 Jul 2019, 00:21
What I want to know is whether or not removing the mat entirely will damage the membranes. That seems to be the best way to make the Model M feel crisp.
Have you done this to any of your own Model Ms? I'd be really interested to give such a board a spin.
I haven't even done a bolt mod yet, but I'd like to. My April 1986 Model M 122 with two-stage feet, barcode label and rainbow matte steel plate seems like a good candidate. It's missing a row of rivets along the center, but still works and feels fine. My goal will be to make it pingier by removing the rubber mat and keeping the screws as loose as I can without messing with the key feel.

This is what it would sound like without the rubber mat: https://youtu.be/L54UK5NiG5U?t=497 I think that's a lot nicer.

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