deskthority

Sharing with permission a nice Round 2 B104 with black case in an office! Always nice to have a dry erase board in your office!

Compact B104 update:

I checked all of the compact beam spring keyboard boxes and found a few more compact B104 Round 1 keyboards and have just updated the inventory on the project web site. First come first served if anyone wanted these. They are the last ones that are available.

https://www ...

jmaynard thanks for the details - it is great that so many tech folks are interested in these great old style keyboards. I noted before that the beam spring Round 2 keyboards should be able to keep up with 100+ wpm typists but they may need some time to adjust to the unique actuation point and key ...

cap it seems like an issue with the Vial program on Mac; do your other Vial-enabled keyboards work, like your F104? Maybe both cannot be plugged in at the same time. Maybe disconnect your F104 and only leave your B104 connected, then restart the computer and try again. If that doesn't work, you may ...

Sharing with permission a nice message and setup photo from a new Model F SSK user. True Red case, Industrial SSK 12 key set

"I just wanted to tell you I received my Model FSSK a while back, and I couldn't love it more. This device is one of the most tactile, precise, joyous things I have ever had ...

With permission here is a nice comment and setup photo from a new Model F FSSK user who requested to go by "Jason in New Zealand":

"It’s been a while, and I’ve been using my keyboard non-stop at work since I received it.

I do a lot of code development and general engineering type work. So it ...

Sharing with permission some more feedback (and a photo) on the new B104:

"Shipping to [Europe] went perfectly fine, only one module was broken and one more needed reseating on arrival. MT3 keycaps fit the stems without an issue (see attached photo), software-wise the setup was a breeze. Hardware ...

Yes, it would be in the current B122 shipment

"New Model F Labs B104 Beam spring keyboard with solenoid typing test" zrsti-hV1Wo

https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/1tuzrze/my_chonky_boy/

https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/1tuzrze/my_chonky_boy/opgktah/

"They feel awesome, it's a very unique experience ...

Nice photos Rauha! Thanks for sharing them. Yes, the manual recommends considering tape, saran wrap, or plumber's tape for other key sets' loose-fitting keycaps.

Posting with permission a feedback and photo of the Round 2 B104 with Industrial Gray case:

"I just received my keyboard and finished setting it all up and its working great out of the box with no adjustments needed!

It looks and types great, I also like the touch of printing the packing list on a ...

The first photo of a (partial) pad printed blue set is below! The factory continues testing and optimizing as they prepare for mass production. The pad printing process is not 100% successful all the time; what the factory does is make some extra sets to take keys from, to replace bad keys.
blue ...

The solenoid is adjustable in its throw length, which adjusts its loudness and physical impact during typing. As noted in the manual, I recommend starting with around half extension of the bracket, which is a good compromise to be able to hear and feel the beam mechanism itself as well as the ...

A follow up from wcass's successful combination of the regular and split right shift PCBs into one, so that the PCB can be used by both options (this was done several years ago and is used on all of the current production boards):

Now I am thinking of combining them for the top inner assembly, as ...

B104 ISO Firmware update - recommended:

Rico has just released a firmware update with one change, and only for B104 ISO users: "Fixed ANSI \ key mapped by mistake on ISO B104 keymap"

It is a recommended update for all B104 ISO users. B104 ANSI users are not affected. I would have thought that a ...

Glad you have been getting good use out of your F77! Please take a look at the recently updated manual on the project website - the wiggle method, combined with burnishing the back of the stem with a fingernail, usually fixes these issues.

dr_xadium your setup looks great! A nice match with an IBM beamspring style keyboard. I like your PS/2-encased modern computer (?) too!

The new draft keyboard label design has been completed!

While the current keyboard label was based on the IBM 4704 keyboards, the new one is based on the 1984-1986 IBM Model F and Model M labels (now that the 4704's are no longer the main project boards), but with some changes to make the font ...

Here's a new F77 review on YouTube!

I recommend the transparent relegendables, or ordering two sets of the keycaps, since individual double shot keys are not available. Or you could use another MX type keyset since the project uses the MX stem on the beamspring modules.

dr_xadium glad your keyboard arrived safely!

The project keycaps are designed to be like the original IBM beamspring caps which are spherical on the key top surface. Model F caps have a slight curve to their top. If you have any recommendations for MX caps like the Model F please do share after you ...

Sharing with permission a nice B104 in Off-White/Beige with one of the custom LED overlays and the Beam Spring badge:

Project Update:

The factory is looking to finish up the BSSK and B62 by the end of next month and the B122 in mid-August. I might do a small container shipment of just the BSSK and B62 next month to get these out as quick as possible (remember, the container shipments take two months for loading ...

Sharing with permission a B104 in Off-White/Beige with the two keycap color scheme:

These keyboards are so heavy that I hope the stand can support the weight of the keyboard!

Sorry wrong link in my previous post (now fixed). The manual correctly notes the Leyden Jar diagnostic tool as one of the required B104 downloads. I updated the manual just now to note "see the right side of the page under "releases" to download"

The first batch of pad printed keycaps was delivered today and they are gorgeous! They look great in person, despite a very slight fuzziness in the ink that was noted before. With the clear protective layer applied over the ink of each key, I'm hopeful that the ink outlasts the originals which had ...

engr, why not use the precompiled release binaries linked in the below link?

The manual also notes the steps and prerequisites needed to compile. Rico notes additional instructions here: https://github.com/mymakercorner/Leyden_Jar_Diagnostic_Tool

Also have you considered 3d printing a good sized ...

Nope, due to high minimum order quantities of 1000 for each color scheme.

The keys are custom and are not made in line with any standard MX profile. As you can see in the various photos all of the keys do not vary much in height. These keys were the closest production keys I could find with characteristics similar to the IBM beam spring keycaps (color scheme, font, PBT ...

Yes, I noted on the product pages:

Dimensions (all are approximate):
B62: 341 x 210mm (13.4 x 8.3in)
BSSK: 406 x 248mm (16 x 9.8in)
B104: 491 x 248mm (19.3 x 9.8in)
B122: 535 x 248mm (21 x 9.8 in)
All beam spring case heights are 39mm (1.5in) in the front to 49mm (1.9in) in the back