New Cherry MX keyboards for the A500, A600 and A1200 - Page 17

solidcore · 22 February 2019, 02:41

Full Disclosure regarding my work with the MX Keyboard and relationships with other parties involved:

I am nothing to do with online stores taking pre-order money, nor do I receive a penny from said online store OR from kipper2k in regards to the mx keyboard. For those interested in my role - I am just an unpaid dev on the project and have offered to help out by spending my free time working on the MX Keyboard firmware (For the A500/A500+, firmware is NOT needed for the a600 or a1200) to get this board ready for shipping as soon as humanly possible!

Now that checkmate (Steve Jones) has finished sizing up the MX prototype, he has very kindly shipped the board to me for the firmware and debugging, visual inspection of the board, modifications if necessary before the hardware gets a final revision.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/a500-a1200-fits-24742942 to read more about Steve Jones' experience with the Kipper2k MX Keyboard. Keep in mind these are temporary keycaps, the space bar will be the full size amiga keycap but I'm trying to plead with kipper2k to keep those optional keys below which I hope can be mapped in the firmware to something useful.

While you are at it, why don't you support Steve at Checkmate ? https://www.patreon.com/imicaltd

kipper2k · 23 February 2019, 00:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by zodiac

Actually, I pre-ordered and did part with money. An update at the end of the year would have been more appropriate than waiting until the end of January. Obviosly, people who pre-ordered are excited about the project. My pre-order was based on the product being complete and shipped by Christmas of last year. I blame the online store as they took the pre-orders.

i currently have a prepaid order for amiga items that has been outstanding for 2 years, so the wait for the MX boards has been tiny compared to that.When things happen outside your control there is no choice sometimes but to backpedal and absorb the flak, unjustified and unwarranted as it is. there is a reason i do not sell things any more, it is due to complaints ranging from price, people paying customs and other reasons that made it intolerable for me. I apologise for the delay and you are well in your right to cancel if you cannot stand the wait

zodiac · 23 February 2019, 12:38

Hi Kipper,

I specifically noted my frustration with the online store, not you personally. The store isn’t doing anything but selling a product and as such they should be more responsive.

I know how difficult it can be working with the public, as a vocal minority can give someone so much grief. We all appreciate that you made this possible for us!

You may want to cancel the 2 year old preorder if you can!

Quote:

Originally Posted by kipper2k

i currently have a prepaid order for amiga items that has been outstanding for 2 years, so the wait for the MX boards has been tiny compared to that.When things happen outside your control there is no choice sometimes but to backpedal and absorb the flak, unjustified and unwarranted as it is. there is a reason i do not sell things any more, it is due to complaints ranging from price, people paying customs and other reasons that made it intolerable for me. I apologise for the delay and you are well in your right to cancel if you cannot stand the wait

kipper2k · 24 February 2019, 20:31

quick update, the manufacturer has printed a set of 3D keycaps for us to look at and will be sending to us to confirm measurements etc so as soon as we get the set (and hopefully all is good) i will get some pictures done, if its wrong you get no pictures lol. Assuming the keys are good we will then move on to the final manufacturing phase

I think i should just mention, the final production sets are not 3d printed, they are injection moulded (for those who think otherwise lol)

solidcore · 24 February 2019, 21:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by kipper2k

quick update, the manufacturer has printed a set of 3D keycaps for us to look at and will be sending to us to confirm measurements etc so as soon as we get the set (and hopefully all is good) i will get some pictures done, if its wrong you get no pictures lol. Assuming the keys are good we will then move on to the final manufacturing phase

I think i should just mention, the final production sets are not 3d printed, they are injection moulded (for those who think otherwise lol)

Kipper2k, the question is are they just sending you your original keycaps back? *hehe* kidding - I'm looking forward to these caps ! almost there now, and 'phew' imagine 3D printed keycaps? not only would they be horrible you'd spend hours rubbing them over with acetone and sanding them - per key, No thanks, who's insane enough to do that?

It's smart that China would send you a 3d set to confirm things however, cutting costs as they do best!

rlake · 25 February 2019, 06:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by solidcore

Now that checkmate (Steve Jones) has finished sizing up the MX prototype, he has very kindly shipped the board to me for the firmware and debugging, visual inspection of the board, modifications if necessary before the hardware gets a final revision.

Looks neat! Thanks for the work and plugging the project, I could do with chasing to see if there are any backplate offerings in the making for various boards (if I can find a thread...)

Daishi · 25 February 2019, 16:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by kipper2k

quick update, the manufacturer has printed a set of 3D keycaps for us to look at and will be sending to us to confirm measurements etc so as soon as we get the set (and hopefully all is good) i will get some pictures done, if its wrong you get no pictures lol. Assuming the keys are good we will then move on to the final manufacturing phase

I think i should just mention, the final production sets are not 3d printed, they are injection moulded (for those who think otherwise lol)

I think it would have been great to see the process in the making of this, even with the good and bad to get a sense of what difficulties had to be overcome to get my keyboard!
I am first on your list to receive one right??? ;-)

kazriko · 28 February 2019, 22:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by kipper2k

I think i should just mention, the final production sets are not 3d printed, they are injection moulded (for those who think otherwise lol)

One question. Would it be possible to order the circuit boards with the controller and keycaps, but no switches? I have a lot of Gateron Brown switches that I use on all my keyboards and wouldn't want to have to desolder all the Cherry MX switches to install these.

kipper2k · 01 March 2019, 02:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by kazriko

One question. Would it be possible to order the circuit boards with the controller and keycaps, but no switches? I have a lot of Gateron Brown switches that I use on all my keyboards and wouldn't want to have to desolder all the Cherry MX switches to install these.

Hi, Short answer, yes, you can add your own switches. The MX keyboard is not a hard item to solder and most people could easily build it.

While i am here i will give an update on the status. I received pictures of 2 sample (full) sets of keycaps that are being sent to me that will be here on Monday ( i will be away till the Wednesday) so i will place them on some beta boards i have sitting here, and will take some pictures. I will give some info on some of the features (old and new) that we have been working on.

Metropolis · 01 March 2019, 16:34

solidcore · 06 March 2019, 23:59

I should probably have not posted this... but kipper2k just sent this internally....

https://i.imgur.com/0MVqotw.png [zoom]

The grey caps (custom) are the 3d printed caps from china for kipper2k to 'fit' test, they actually are MX keys! believe it or not, pretty fine 3d printing! These will be made by moulding once verification is complete in Canada, and back to China for the Green light!

The lighter caps are actual mould keys from china.

keycaps will come as UK/US/DE

SpocksBeer · 07 March 2019, 01:01

Looks real nice.

Wondering if there'd be any crossover with the needs of the Mechboard64 project (MX keyboard for the C64). There's a thread over at Lemon (https://www.lemon64.com/forum/viewto...=70551&start=0, also Lau's post about the problem on his blog https://www.breadbox64.com/blog/pimp-my-mechboard64/) where some people are looking at ways to make or hack keycaps to suit the off-centre special keys on the C64 design. If the group you're using is cost effective, it could be a possibility?

kipper2k · 07 March 2019, 01:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpocksBeer

Looks real nice.

Wondering if there'd be any crossover with the needs of the Mechboard64 project (MX keyboard for the C64). There's a thread over at Lemon (https://www.lemon64.com/forum/viewto...=70551&start=0, also Lau's post about the problem on his blog https://www.breadbox64.com/blog/pimp-my-mechboard64/) where some people are looking at ways to make or hack keycaps to suit the off-centre special keys on the C64 design. If the group you're using is cost effective, it could be a possibility?

Hi,

I could probably make an MX keyboard for the C64, i do have a few C64 computers so it is not off my list. Fortunately the manufacturer in China appears to be very accommodating for our needs so it may be possible and they are fast compared to other companies. Pimp my keyboards was my initial choice for keycaps but the pricing for all the extra requirements we needed was killing us so we had to go elsewhere.

i can make the layout no problem for the c64. My issue is the programming, it is one thing i never had time to get into so i will always need help in this area

SpocksBeer · 07 March 2019, 04:59

Well that would be interesting, for sure. The Mechboard is a solution designed around the original C64 case and keycaps, with the inherent issue surrounding a non-standard (by modern reckoning) off-centre key mounting points for some keys. It's advantageous in that the original C64-style keys (and their funky non-ascii characters) can be reused, but limits modern options.

Not sure there's a lot of programming involved in a C64 replacement keyboard, the Mechboard seems to be almost entirely an electrical solution, with a little logic onboard for a shift-lock LED.

Anyway, sorry for the off topic...just musing.

solidcore · 07 March 2019, 11:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by kipper2k

Hi,

I could probably make an MX keyboard for the C64, i do have a few C64 computers so it is not off my list. Fortunately the manufacturer in China appears to be very accommodating for our needs so it may be possible and they are fast compared to other companies. Pimp my keyboards was my initial choice for keycaps but the pricing for all the extra requirements we needed was killing us so we had to go elsewhere.

i can make the layout no problem for the c64. My issue is the programming, it is one thing i never had time to get into so i will always need help in this area

aww you know you got me kippa, for the programming.

kipper2k · 07 March 2019, 14:23

Here is the A600 with the new MX keys.

This is the German layout, due to the fact that the A600 spacebar is smaller than the A1200 it affects the space available for the remaining keys on that row. There are 2 options, pay for another mould to reduce the size of the spacebar or we can make the 4 keys (Alt's and amiga's) a regular size 1.0 which is what i am thinking. We can use all of the Hong Kong manufacturers keycaps to produce the a600 now without any more special keys being created so for all intents and purposes the A600 is ready. The yellow keys are a standard size 1 .0 and i am showing them for comparison

If people are adamant that they want the correct size for spacebar/alts etc then it would be based on the cost and the amount of people willing to pay a bit extra.

The eagle eyed of you will notice that on the number row i used a "*" key instead of the "Help", i just forgot to gt the "Help" one printed so don't worry. The keys with no printing on them are 3D prints of what will be the final size when the moulds are created. These sets were sent to me for checking, i have a couple of questions i want answers to and then the production can start

Both MX boards are planned to have an optional 12v LED circuit that is independent of the 5v circuit and it has a PWM circuit for controlling the brightness etc by use of a variable resistor. If we have the IO's available we can tie it in to the controller.

I also plan to make an A500 controller board for people who have a defective controller board and of course some new solid membranes. I am working with Stephen Jones to provide a MX keyboard for his Checkmate external keyboard cases so there is lots to keep me busy.

There are also other things we as a group are doing, but more on that later

solidcore · 07 March 2019, 15:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by kipper2k

There are also other things we as a group are doing, but more on that later

like the pop group Spice Girls kipper2k? You can be Scary spice.

talybont · 07 March 2019, 16:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by kipper2k

I also plan to make an A500 controller board for people who have a defective controller board

Great!

Mick · 08 March 2019, 20:06

It looks really promising but when will you be able to show a final product? I suspect a lot of people (like me) will be holding off pre-ordering until then. It's a really awesome feat of engineering but nobody buys a car without seeing its fully finished bodywork fitted.

If I was to be super picky (I'm a perfectionist sorry) the numbers on the top row don't seem to be aligned consistently but I'm sure stuff like that will get ironed out.

EzdineG · 08 March 2019, 20:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mick

I suspect a lot of people (like me) will be holding off pre-ordering until then.

I wish I could have exercised your patience. I’ve been in for 2 since Kippers first post.

That said, lookin good!

22 February 2019, 02:41	#321
solidcore Registered User Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: birmingham, uk Posts: 548	Full Disclosure regarding my work with the MX Keyboard and relationships with other parties involved: I am nothing to do with online stores taking pre-order money, nor do I receive a penny from said online store OR from kipper2k in regards to the mx keyboard. For those interested in my role - I am just an unpaid dev on the project and have offered to help out by spending my free time working on the MX Keyboard firmware (For the A500/A500+, firmware is NOT needed for the a600 or a1200) to get this board ready for shipping as soon as humanly possible! Now that checkmate (Steve Jones) has finished sizing up the MX prototype, he has very kindly shipped the board to me for the firmware and debugging, visual inspection of the board, modifications if necessary before the hardware gets a final revision. https://www.patreon.com/posts/a500-a1200-fits-24742942 to read more about Steve Jones' experience with the Kipper2k MX Keyboard. Keep in mind these are temporary keycaps, the space bar will be the full size amiga keycap but I'm trying to plead with kipper2k to keep those optional keys below which I hope can be mapped in the firmware to something useful. While you are at it, why don't you support Steve at Checkmate ? https://www.patreon.com/imicaltd Last edited by solidcore; 22 February 2019 at 02:51.

24 February 2019, 20:31	#324
kipper2k Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Thunder Bay, Canada Posts: 4,323	quick update, the manufacturer has printed a set of 3D keycaps for us to look at and will be sending to us to confirm measurements etc so as soon as we get the set (and hopefully all is good) i will get some pictures done, if its wrong you get no pictures lol. Assuming the keys are good we will then move on to the final manufacturing phase I think i should just mention, the final production sets are not 3d printed, they are injection moulded (for those who think otherwise lol) Last edited by kipper2k; 24 February 2019 at 20:53.

06 March 2019, 23:59	#331
solidcore Registered User Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: birmingham, uk Posts: 548	I should probably have not posted this... but kipper2k just sent this internally.... https://i.imgur.com/0MVqotw.png [zoom] The grey caps (custom) are the 3d printed caps from china for kipper2k to 'fit' test, they actually are MX keys! believe it or not, pretty fine 3d printing! These will be made by moulding once verification is complete in Canada, and back to China for the Green light! The lighter caps are actual mould keys from china. keycaps will come as UK/US/DE Last edited by solidcore; 07 March 2019 at 00:07.

07 March 2019, 14:23	#336
kipper2k Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Thunder Bay, Canada Posts: 4,323	Here is the A600 with the new MX keys. This is the German layout, due to the fact that the A600 spacebar is smaller than the A1200 it affects the space available for the remaining keys on that row. There are 2 options, pay for another mould to reduce the size of the spacebar or we can make the 4 keys (Alt's and amiga's) a regular size 1.0 which is what i am thinking. We can use all of the Hong Kong manufacturers keycaps to produce the a600 now without any more special keys being created so for all intents and purposes the A600 is ready. The yellow keys are a standard size 1 .0 and i am showing them for comparison If people are adamant that they want the correct size for spacebar/alts etc then it would be based on the cost and the amount of people willing to pay a bit extra. The eagle eyed of you will notice that on the number row i used a "" key instead of the "Help", i just forgot to gt the "Help" one printed so don't worry. The keys with no printing on them are 3D prints of what will be the final size when the moulds are created. These sets were sent to me for checking, i have a couple of questions i want answers to and then the production can start Both MX boards are planned to have an optional 12v LED circuit that is independent of the 5v circuit and it has a PWM circuit for controlling the brightness etc by use of a variable resistor. If we have the IO's available we can tie it in to the controller. I also plan to make an A500 controller board for people who have a defective controller board and of course some new solid membranes. I am working with Stephen Jones to provide a MX keyboard for his Checkmate external keyboard cases so there is lots to keep me busy. There are also other things we as a group are doing, but more on that later Last edited by kipper2k; 07 March 2019 at 14:39.*

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01 March 2019, 16:34	#330
Metropolis Registered User Join Date: Jan 2019 Location: USA Posts: 25

07 March 2019, 01:01	#332
SpocksBeer Registered User Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: Hobart Posts: 61	Looks real nice. Wondering if there'd be any crossover with the needs of the Mechboard64 project (MX keyboard for the C64). There's a thread over at Lemon (https://www.lemon64.com/forum/viewto...=70551&start=0, also Lau's post about the problem on his blog https://www.breadbox64.com/blog/pimp-my-mechboard64/) where some people are looking at ways to make or hack keycaps to suit the off-centre special keys on the C64 design. If the group you're using is cost effective, it could be a possibility?

07 March 2019, 04:59	#334
SpocksBeer Registered User Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: Hobart Posts: 61	Well that would be interesting, for sure. The Mechboard is a solution designed around the original C64 case and keycaps, with the inherent issue surrounding a non-standard (by modern reckoning) off-centre key mounting points for some keys. It's advantageous in that the original C64-style keys (and their funky non-ascii characters) can be reused, but limits modern options. Not sure there's a lot of programming involved in a C64 replacement keyboard, the Mechboard seems to be almost entirely an electrical solution, with a little logic onboard for a shift-lock LED. Anyway, sorry for the off topic...just musing.

08 March 2019, 20:06	#339
Mick Registered User Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Yorkshire Posts: 710	It looks really promising but when will you be able to show a final product? I suspect a lot of people (like me) will be holding off pre-ordering until then. It's a really awesome feat of engineering but nobody buys a car without seeing its fully finished bodywork fitted. If I was to be super picky (I'm a perfectionist sorry) the numbers on the top row don't seem to be aligned consistently but I'm sure stuff like that will get ironed out.

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