Regarding the keys, the boards will be sold without keys installed or bundled, so you can choose either my keys or order other available keys separately, since there are so many MX compatible key sets to choose from. Since the MT3 key set is available to order, for example, you can order those instead but I don't expect to bundle products that can be ordered widely elsewhere.
Only if there's enough interest in my suggested keys will they be offered as an option.
Admiral the first post on the thread shows the F104 and FSSK designs. The FSSK pictured has no keys installed and lacks the number pad on the right side.
Pete the standard Cherry MX type sets should work with the beam spring keyboards since I made them to work with MX keys. I believe that Signature Plastics has offered spherical double shot key sets in the past.
I know that IBM beam springs sometimes (rarely) have a failure point in a very small percentage of the thin flipper parts like the first photo here:
viewtopic.php?p=491824#p491824
Because of this I've had to buy several IBM beam modules from orihalcon (many years ago) to replace the bad ones.
As with the Model F repro project I do not discuss specific PBT variations, metal alloys for the springs, etc. I did have the original IBM Model F springs analyzed at a material analysis lab early on in the process, and as posted a few years back I ordered and tested more than 50 variations of springs made with various alloys and heat treatment settings to pick the one with the best sound and performance.
However in my 1+ years of beam testing there has not been a single failure of this part (I call it "Beam metal part for Beam barrel") for my new beam repros. I think that the quality of the steel alloys today should be much better than what was available in the late 1970s and early 1980s when the beam spring keyboards were manufactured. Going back in my old emails this was a specific point of discussion with the factory to source a material that could withstand lots of stresses.
In my research it seems that part of the operational longevity of the "Beam metal part for Beam barrel" involves the way it is securely attached to the white beam barrel part. If it is too loose or the "dot" of material below the barrel is not sufficient in coverage width, the Beam metal part for Beam barrel will have too much of the force of bending in too small an area and it will be more likely to crack. I worked with two factories (one failed to produce and assemble adequate parts) to spend a lot of time trying to get this right. They tried several different attachment methods. You can see a photo in the first or second post of this thread.
I also expect to order thousands of extras of the Beam metal part for Beam barrel and the white beam barrel part so that this potential point of failure can be replaced in the future. My design allows the replacement of just these parts so that the beam keyboards can continue functioning.
i cannot wait to receive the invoice
