I would love a matching 23u case but know that’s probably a pipe dream. Probably a very little demand in an already niche market.
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I definitely agree with a Norbauer case for the FC980C!
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I think the original Norbaforce is perfect, big forehead and rounded corners included. The new R2 stock case doesn’t do it for me.
I also like the big smooth unornamented metal surfaces of Norbaforce v1. I’d prefer to not have any logos or markings interrupt the case, or maybe they could be out of sight (on the bottom plate?). Love the Norbauer designs, can’t wait to see how this turns out.
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- 1 for FC980c.
Also, keep up with the good work 
I’m also interested in grabbing a mark II
Another nod to the fc980c 
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@norbauer, did you manage to verify that the R2 RGB TKL w/ Cherry MX sliders is compatible with the Mark II?
Oh, yes. Sorry for not reporting that earlier. Both the RGB and the PFU Realforce R2s have been verified to be compatible.
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I know it is compatible with the JIS 89U. This is the first time I’m encountering the 91 UDK-G, but from the photos the plate looks identical to all the other keyboards in this family, so I’m pretty confident it would be compatible with my housing.
Hi Ryan, thanks for answering on the PVD thread! One more question for here though, is the plan still to have a forehead for the mk2? 
Absolutely. Having the forehead on the Mark II housing restores that weird characteristic vintage look to the more fully-featured R2 keyboards and is, of course, the only way to continue supporting the 87U family.
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That’s great news. Can’t wait for the GB!!
One more question, is there any chance the daughter board would provide programmability? i.e. usb2usb in the shape of the daughter board?
I figure it’s best to leave stuff like that to third-party hardware or software add-ons for people who need it. Personally, for key remapping I just use OS/software-level tools.
New to the forum here- joined to keep up with the news on the Norbaforce MKii. Looking forward to the group buy!
In the meantime, anyone have suggestions on where I should buy the compatible keyboards? Would like to secure mine ASAP…
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Welcome to the community!
The best sources for compatible keyboards can depend on where you’re located.
If you’re looking for any of the R2 realforces, you can check out the official site for them which lists buying options as either amazon or the Fujitsu store.
Otherwise if you’re looking for the old R1 realforces, your best bet these days might be ebay although there looks to be a small stock on amazon.
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Hey guys,
Long-time lurker, first-time poster. My body (and wallet) are ready for the endgame; it’s time for me to ascend into keyboard nirvana with this GB.
I’m looking for advice on where to begin this journey. As I see it, there are two options:
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RealForce TKL PFU Edition. A stock silenced RealForce with HHKB stems; what more could a man ask for? My single holdup is the fact I’d be very limited in my keycap purchasing options, though to be fair, the EC9009 is a seemingly fantastic option.
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RealForce RGB TKL v1 w/ BKE Light Domes and silencing rings. With this option, I have the liberty of using GMK keycaps. However, I fear a critical part of the Topre writing experience will be lost, but then again, I don’t know how much those coveted purple stems define the Topre experience.
As far as I can tell, the price difference between the two is somewhere between $50-$100 dollars, depending on which silencing rings I get. I’m looking for any advice on which option to pursue (or perhaps there’s a third option I’m missing?).
I think BKE light domes in either option is the best route 
Hmm that’s quite the choice to decide between. From what I’ve heard, the new TKLs are quite a treat. You will be limited in keycap purchasing options unless you buy some aftermarket sliders (which have been met with mixed results in the community).
For the second option, you are definitely more able to use whatever keycaps right out of the gate, but I don’t think that the keyboard itself is a completely solid option.
If you are planning on opening your keyboard up to mod (lube, aftermarket silencing rings, etc), then I think that the TKL would be the better choice.
If you aren’t planning on doing internal modding, than maybe the fullsized RGB. (or TKL rgb).
Since you’re considering domes, I assume you’re willing to get in there.
Maybe to help your decision, you can look up some reviews online as well as what people are saying about the different topre-mx sliders to see if you’re willing to put up with some of the possible issues as a compromise
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I’ve been doing quite a bit of research on aftermarket sliders and feel uneasy taking such a huge compromise with what will hopefully be my endgame. I’m comfortable with keyboard modding; my current daily driver is a 65% with lubed zilent v2s, but after trying a coworkers HHKB, it just doesn’t compare.
Rereading my post, I feel as if I could have phrased my question better. Is the ability to put GMK caps on the RGB worth the slightly worse stem and silencing options?
No matter which option I got for, I’ll be lubing the switches as well as buying into the GB and swapping the case. Thank you for the tip on the BKE Domes, I didn’t even think about putting them into the PFU.
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New to the forum and first post.
I am eagerly waiting for the Norbaforce V2 as well. My daily driver is a Leopold 660C + heavy6 and love it. I feel it is a much better combo than a stock HHKB. I recently purchased directly from Fujitsu a Realforce R2 RGB TKL and love it, no modding yet, as I’ll reserve that for when I will eventually set it in the norbaforce V2. The fact that you can use any cherry style keycaps right out of the box is a no brainer for me. As a matter of fact I already switched the stock caps for an epbt set, and eventually change that to a GMK set once NBforce v2 is out.
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I personally like Topre because I don’t get tempted to buy a bunch of keysets I find the stock key caps are excellent myself if you want an OEM or Cherry type profile. If you want to go crazy there is HiPro available at a cost. For that reason I’d go with the R2 or if you find a super cheap R1 87u I’d go with that since you’re already planning on changing cases.