Looking through them for the first time ever, really. I wish more items came with original stickers. I love the stickers for cream switches, alpacas, tangerines, GMK coniferous, Hydro, etc. Omnitype does stickers for sets but they’re just square and less fun.
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That makes me wonder if there is a good archive of well-known QMK/VIA PCB’s on github, ones like the GH60 or Boston that have been successfully fabricated many times.
So, sort of. I would want that cross referenced to which ones have fully open sourced hardware, including .gerber files. Is that a thing?
That new Skellett kit is very reasonably priced, but a lot of China PCB fabs could get you other layouts in a higher but similar-ish price range, even accounting for MoQ, particularly if you have the means to fabricate a baseplate or tray yourself. Shoot, some rubber feet could make one of the spare PCBs into a usable baseplate. You’d want to use five-pin switches, though, as some of the Novelkeys value comes from including the switch plate, and three pin switches on a plateless build are a recipe for disaster without some sort of jig.
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40% is next! We want to keep expanding the line up.
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OK!! I’m down for a cheaper 40%. That’s an area I have yet to explore because of the (IMHO) ridiculous prices I’ve seen.
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Awesome, as I mentioned it’s a better price, by a fair bit when including the plate (and much simpler with better support) than hunting down an open PCB design and sending it off for fabrication. More layouts and throwing in some shorter standoffs would be very nice, though. I reckon a lot of people interested in the minimalist presentation would also appreciate the lowest possible height.
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I’d love to see more sizes, too. It seems like a compelling alternative to CannonKeys’s Practice and Stacked boards, which have pretty minimal layout options at 2-3x the price.
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For Canadians, there is a summer sale at Deskhero:
What’s interesting to me is that the KDS Solarized Dark base kit went down to about $42 CAD, I think, which is crazy-low. And I thought $39-49 USD was a deal on Kono store!
The coloured accents for that kit are still available for only $22.50 CAD! I haven’t bought any yet, because I didn’t like how the colours turned out. But that is a really good price, and I shouldn’t be posting it, because there are only 4 left!
GMK Yuri R2 is also on sale for $180 CAD or so. But the accent kit is already sold out, and the accents make that set. GMK Yuri is very beautiful in person, though. It has to be seen to be believed.
I like that the NicePBT sets are on sale again. Although they only have barred homing keys, which is annoying. And KAT Mizu is there, for anyone who may have missed it.
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Speaking of sales, Vala Supply has HSA Hyperfuse at 50% discount:
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Kits - 42. Keebs (42keebs.eu)
i recommend you check out this site, i am quite fond of the UNIX60 and mysterium series; the unix is quite similar to the skellet
for some reason the skellet seems to use very long standoffs, they appear to be very tall in the photos
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Found this odd little 75% on eBay and just picked it up. If I’ve done my research right, inside the steel case should be an Alphameric resistive switch keyboard unit. It seems to be some sort of ruggedized hybrid of membrane and Topre-style capacitive. Looks to be PS/2, but if nothing else, I think I could top-mount a 75% PCB or handwire inside the sheet metal case. I’m guessing the keycaps are dye-sub PBT in what looks a lot like Cherry profile.
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Very cool find! Can’t wait to see what the internals are like once you get it!
So it arrived today. I haven’t played with it too much, but I have initial impressions. It is indeed an Alphameric sealed capacitive rubber dome… thing. The keycaps are dye-sub PBT about 1.4mm thick, and they’re really nice. I had to double check that there weren’t some double-shot mixed in. I have no reason to doubt others online who’ve suggested they’re Keytronic mount. Stabilizers are interesting too, mounting to the keycap in the center.
The “Dorkvader” board from Imgur and geekhack circa 2013 looks to be the exact same Alphameric/Devlin module, but in a magnesium case and with some sort of pointing device. Mine is a powder coated sheet-steel case with no pointing device. The bottom is a bit rattly and seems designed for simple repair, using two screws and two tabs.
Typing experience is… odd. Bottom out is really mushy, and travel is just a touch less than I’m used to from Cherry and Buckling Spring, but it’s much firmer than your average rubber dome, and key weight is also heavier in a way that feels like a good thing. I think someone who didn’t bang on keys quite so heavily as me might like it. I’ll need to track down a Topre to compare, but I’m sus that many would find the Alphameric to be “better”.
The other thing is that it has full NKRO. I tested it here and while my KMK boards were at the usual HID 6kro and my Model M on a Soarers could be anywhere from 3kro to maybe 7 depending on which keys I pressed, this guy seemed to have no limit. I think I managed to mash 24 at once.
The cord is also interesting. PS/2, but it won’t fully engage/disengage unless you pull back an integrated sleeve (note to self… do not call it a foreskin) that compresses the connector a bit. So, I don’t know… I guess if I need to hit 7 or more keys, this will need to be my go-to. Aesthetically I like it, and it’s an almost completely modern 75% layout, but I just don’t love the typing feel. The assembly is top mounted to the HMKB-like case, so it could be non-destructively removed and replaced with something DIY, but that seems a shame too. Just an odd duck all around, but for the $25-ish I paid, I think I got more than my money’s worth. Definitely not a run of the mill membrane shoved into a metal case.
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oh, I love those novelties!
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Fun 
They also have HSA Classic Red posted there, but I’m not seeing it for sale anywhere but on Ali. These are both great colorways IMO!
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Will this come to Vala in the US, do you think?
It is really nice.
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I really hope so, but I haven’t seen any mention of either HSA Classic Red or HSA Toxic on Vala’s discord.
I wonder if @JTKeycaps still gets notifications from KeebTalk…
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