29 Mar 2016

Remainder Keyboards: 62/60 RGB Hotswappable Programmable 60%

Remainder 62/60 Full Album
From that title this is quite the keyboard. A community made hotswappable keyboard alone, has been rare enough to come by. But this is has RGB LED capability.

I am assuming the people or person behind this keyboard are Remainder Keyboards as that is what is on the PCB.

Copied FAQ

How can I get this?
More info + case pics will be coming next week! Round 0 (~15 boards) will occur in the next couple of weeks; I’ll gauge interest after that. If you’re interested in reviewing the board, send me a PM.

How does the lighting work?
There are a total of 72 RGB LEDs on the board- one per key on the front, and ten on the back. They are extremely easy to program- just set the RGB values in the firmware. (I’m currently implementing visual support into EasyAVR.) If you have programming experience, more complex effects are easy to implement.

How does hot-swapping work?
The board uses tech similar to SIP sockets. All MX-compatible switches work, although translucent switches (Gaterons/Zealios) are recommended for best usage of the LEDs. The sockets used are not compatible with any other PCB on the market.

What 60% cases is it compatible with?
The screw holes on the current Round 0 batch are not in the correct, standard position; this will be corrected in future revisions, although with LEDs and pins on the back, it might not be compatible with most current cases. I’ll be offering my own acrylic sandwich cases- pics to come next week.

Is this plate or PCB mount?
It can be either! A plate makes it slightly more difficult to remove and insert switches, but provides more stability. More details on that will come with the case update.

How much will it cost?
Still working out pricing, but it’ll be around $120 for PCB + case (with integrated plate), fully assembled.

Potentially priced at $120 (case and pcb).
With all of that information I would certainly say this is an interesting project and the beginning of the new wave of RGB customs. It seems solid, I can only say wait and see how it turns out.

The K-Type Official Forum Presence

K-Type RGB TKL by Input Club I’m not sure if there has been much more development on the K-Type or if there is anything necessary to announce. But they now have official forum posts on geekhack, deskthority and reddit.
Last week they also created a page on idea hunt. I’m not familiar with this website, but the name is fairly self explanatory. You are able to propose ideas and people feedback on those ideas.

Frosty Flakes at 1upkeyboards

The frost Flake is a custom controller for the Cooler Master QFR. I always thought these were a good idea especially when I was getting into keyboards. It is a good way that you can make a programmable keyboard. But if you have this already as your keyboard then it is a good introduction to what else you could do with your keyboard.

SoCal Meetup in 1 Week

This meetup isn’t for me but for anyone in Southern California try not to miss it. There are always posts after events like “how did I miss this?” or “how did I now know about this?” despite there being a sticky on /r/mk for weeks in advance.
So hopefully this notifies somebody about the event they might have missed.

WoB Online Shop

The War of Betrayal keyboard shop is online. WoB’s main export at the moment is the Star Wars inspired keycaps. But they are of course known for the War of Betrayal line of keycaps.

Typed on HHKB Pro 2

Thanks again to everyone who liked my fb page. It’s going pretty well. I have now added some nice social buttons at the bottom of the page.

22 Mar 2016

Wooting Keyboard Update

Wooting Keyboard Prototype V0.3 Wooting have continued to listen to the community about their upcoming keyboard. This will be the last prototype so if you are itching to give them feedback this could be the last chance to make a difference.

A couple of changes have been made since the last iteration, so have a look at the blog post to see what’s changed.

A couple of sales worth knowing about:

Mechanical Keyboard US Market Research 2016

This is almost interesting but it is not easily accessible. It is a huge report on the US mechanical keyboard industry, however the single user license is $3800 so I can’t tell you anything insightful.

If you are very serious about your knowledge of the US keyboard market, you can find the report here

Logitech Orion G610

Logitech Orion G610 with Brown Switches Logitech has brought out two new keyboards. I say two but it is actually one with two choices of switches.

It is:

  • Full-Size
  • Backlit
  • Media Controls
  • Featuring Some Programmability
  • Feet (if that appeals to you)
  • Not the most offensively designed
  • Available in Red and Brown cherry switches
  • GBP 104.99

Action Against Ivan

Enough has been had, and there is now some organised action against Ivan for leaving with all the GB money.

The situation is, Ivan collected the money for keysets and has not delivered. Even worse however, is Miami Nights a GMK GB hasn’t even entered production by GMK. Even though Ivan received the money, the order with GMK was not placed. This is of course everything you don’t want from a GB.

So to sum it up it is about time that there was a little more accountability for GB’s. There are many situations that could come up if you are running a groupbuy. But once you take peoples money you need to make sure everyone knows what is happening.

If you are a part of the undelivered Ivan GB’s, it is worth getting involved.

1upkeyboards

Keycap Kit I think this has been a long time coming, as there is always someone asking how they can make keycaps and where they can get materials. This just means you can buy a startup kit much easier than before.

There are 3 levels of kits:

  • Complete $93
    • 1 ComposiMold Original 20oz
    • 1 Clear Casting Plastic 16oz
    • 1 Mold Release
    • 1 Bubble Buster 4oz
    • 1 plastic syringe
    • 1 Packet of Delight Air Dry Modeling Compound
    • 3 sculpting tools (Note: Actual tools may vary from those shown).
  • Advanced $83
  • 1 ComposiMold Original 20oz
  • 1 Clear Casting Plastic 16oz
  • 1 Mold Release
  • 1 Bubble Buster 4oz
  • 1 plastic syringe
  • Basic $62
  • 1 ComposiMold Original 20oz
  • 1 Clear Casting Plastic 16oz
  • 1 plastic syringe

All of these seem like useful kits. Even if you can only afford the basic, you should be able to create something.

TechMattr Cable Restock These are the type of fancy USB cables you buy to complete your perfect keyboard.

KingRama

Only a small update, but for those who bought Rama’s aluminium cnc’d keycaps. They have been produced and are on the way to Rama.

IBM SSK RAMA Poster The Rama.works store also has some really nice posters available.

RoastPotatoes has also made progress on his own Cherry MX Poster.

Typed on HHKB Pro 2

Thanks to everyone who liked my fb page. For those who did not, it is still there.

15 Mar 2016

EmojiWorks on amazon.com

Emojiworks Keyboard If you needed another place to buy this keyboard you now have that opportunity.
The EmojiWorks keyboard is what it sounds like, a keyboard that makes typing emoji that little bit easier. It comes in two versions, base and pro. From what I understand the pro gives you more emoji and there are more printed on the keycaps.

LeandreN R4 Open

LeandreN runs great GB’s so it is always worth a mention if you are looking for parts.
Featuring:

  • Universal60 plates (JDCarpe Designed)
  • GON Nerd60 LeandreN edition (LeandreN Logo Silk Screened)
  • Stabilisers
  • HHKB and winkeyless plates (JDCarpe Designed)

Order Here

More Information

Masterkeys Pro L & S Released

This is a new Cooler Master RGB keyboard. From the Keychatter review it does seem to be a solid RGB keyboard with GUI configurations of the RGB function.

1upkeyboards Get’s Everything

That is a little bit of an exaggeration, but 1upkeyboards is now stocking Gaterons. It’s always good to have another place to buy switches. The other part of the everything, is the restocking of fleece. So this means a more sleeves.

Jelly Key

Jelly Key Jelly Key is a big thing this week and has been featuring prominently all over /r/mk and leaking into gh. I’m not a huge fan of the galaxy aesthetic but they look really nicely made and I love the hand branding. They are also undeniably eye-catching.

Currently all sold out on the store, but I imagine we will see a lot more of these.

JTK Sophmore

CtrlAlt has a lot more of JTK goodness to offer my favourite being the valentine set.

JTK valentine

There is a lot of nice set’s on offer so have a look if you are interested in a new keyset.

Typed on HHKB Pro 2

I also made a facebook page if anyone would like it.