deskthority

I plan on making a new line of "keyboard + mouse kit" with a specific purpose. It's actually quite simple. Where can I go for this? I need to design and build it.


Thank you!

Fred

Not sure if this helps, but there are many keyboard + mouse kits out there. Deskthority isn't exactly the go-to place for actual marketing other than selling/trading/buying keyboards second-hand, either.

Many keyboards that have been used for specific purposes: movie editing, medical systems, industrial systems, etc. have been regular PC keyboards just with different keycaps.
Most keyboards and mice are built by an OEM, most often in Asia, who builds the peripherals according to their customer's (which is a brand) wishes. The same keyboard model can be sold under many different brands. There are some generic peripheral brands and even store-brands that have OEM-built keyboards with their name on it.
If that would work for you, you could find a few OEMs in our Wiki, but know that our wiki is mostly about vintage and/or high-end keyboards.
Otherwise, if you have found a product that you like, there is almost always the FCC ID on the label on the bottom of it which should identify the manufacturer - just look it up on FCC's web site to get their name and address.

A few members on Deskthority have organised "group-buys" of keycaps from a few keycap manufacturers. What these manufacturers do when they are not catering to the community is making keycaps for company clients with special purpose keyboards for medical systems, cash registers etc.
The most well-known by us are Signature Plastics in the US and GMK in Germany, because they make good keycaps for mechanical keyboards - the kind of keyboards we like. But there should be many other manufacturers out there.

Many keyboards for industrial purposes and for point-of-sale (cash registers) that are not always intended to be typed on are programmable and using relegendable keys to make it easy to have any layout you want. To change a key legend, you would only need to stick a new piece of paper under the keycap.

But if none of these above would suit you, consider learning engineering or hiring an engineering firm to do it for you.

Learn engineering. It's the electronics business, so don't expect big margins and do expect lots of competition, unless your name is Apple. Good luck.

Yeah, if you do happen to be Apple, expect a lot of shameless clones instead. Or in the keyboard space: ditto Topre.

Anyway, this guy's gone and not coming back. He hasn't logged in since starting this thread with his first and only post. Perhaps he figured out we're not a manufacturer forum before anyone even bothered to reply! Although I doubt it…

If you're interested in making a scissor switch model; consider Precision Squared in Taiwan.

They currently produce Siig's Premium Aluminum model.

Muirium wrote: ↑Yeah, if you do happen to be Apple, expect a lot of shameless clones instead. Or in the keyboard space: ditto Topre.

Anyway, this guy's gone and not coming back. He hasn't logged in since starting this thread with his first and only post. Perhaps he figured out we're not a manufacturer forum before anyone even bothered to reply! Although I doubt it…

I find the whole mindset entertaining. "I've got an idea. Will someone else please design, building and market it for me, while I can profit from it? Thanks!"

In business, ideas are worthless. Execution is everything.

vivalarevolución wrote: ↑ In business, ideas are worthless. Execution is everything.

I guess we are getting people confused by our beloved patent system which rewards any crap with 20 year monopoly. The result is that the people think that their ideas are worth more than the lunch at which they were discussed.

At least the patent systems require you to properly express the idea in ways that will make it possible for an engineer to use it as a source for realizing it. You can't just patent any vague idea.
You would also need to show that it is novel and has some "innovation height" - and here the patent system have failed many times in verifying that the "invention" is these things, but then it should be possible to overthrow those patents in court.

If you only have an idea and no engineering skill, you don't need to engineer it if you are able to hire engineers to do it for you. But not everyone is able to do even what that takes, even if they have money.

Just like all the people spouting ideas about how they're going to make the next big AAA video game title... It's gonna be just like GTA5, but better. And you can eat donuts. It'll be awesome. I just need some coders to make it for me.

Execution is where it's at. Made and sold some plushies in a different forum. Didn't earn a penny, but got my costs covered and people around the world happy with their new plushies.