deskthority

matt3o's universal spherical retro kit

since it seems I can't purchase one... wondering if there's interest in a Signature Plastics DSA Spherical keycaps kit.

Compatible keyboards
The keys are all on the same profile, you can mix and match them in any way to obtain a variety of layouts such as:

• Standard ANSI+ISO
• TKL (filco, leopold, wasd, ...)
• 75% (noppoo mini, ...)
• 60% (poker, ...)
• Winkeyless variants
• Tsangan
• ErgoDox (PLEASE VERIFY)

What's inside


ABS, double shot, colors similar to C64 or retro style anyway. All standard legends to keep price low.

Please help me refine the additional keys, I certainly missed something. I'm uncertain if the number and coloring of blank and mod keys are correct.

What you can buy
The kit is split in 3:
1) standard TKL (approx: $60)
2) 10key numpad (approx: $12)
3) all the other keys (approx: I don't know yet!)

I'd like to order at least 50 sets

If we miss a tier by few samples I'd fill the remaining.

How does DSA look like?
DSA keys are not the "standard" keys you are used to. They have a spherical top, they are slightly shorter and they are all on the same angle (ie: you can relocate keys anywhere).

Here's a comparison


Color
At the moment the preferred color scheme is WHITE ON COFFEE. The dark brown should be close to the following.

Just for color reference! The keys will be DSA spherical!


But it's not written in stone. I accept suggestions in this regard.

Special keys anyone?
Would you be interested in a small number of custom keys?! (for esc, mods, arrows, etc) Keyboard would be fancier, but price would rise quite a bit of course.

Various notes

• No ISO DSA enter key. we can match the color but the key would be in a different family.
• Same goes for the spacebar other than the standard one.
• I'm a noob you gotta help me out with the GB
• The group buy will be proxyed to the US to save on import tax
• I'd like to add any key needed by the hyper micro, but don't know if this is feasible (help needed)

Black & grey?

No, more like this



or beige/pebble (sorry it didn't come out from the picture)

Yes, i remember that...many years ago...
I'm in

Does it just look like it in the picture or is that a strangely shallow kind of spherical?

i love your design of a layout.
What did you use ?

Icarium wrote:Does it just look like it in the picture or is that a strangely shallow kind of spherical?

I don't have SVG for spherical keys, the picture is just to show you colors and number of keys

The keycaps actually looks like this:

Gilgam wrote:i love your design of a layout.
What did you use ?

I have an SVG I edit with Inkscape.

I made a quick search and stumbled upon this comparison picture as well :
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=377 ... #msg722535

I like the idea and the color scheme but I'll certainly pass. Hope you succeed in gathering interest !

Yeah, that's what I expect sphericals to look like, I just thought those in matt3o's picture looked more shallow.

More like those in the GH link.

Excellent, I would love to have a set of universal sphericals. Here are a few suggestion:
Include unbumped F and J (for Dvorak and Colemak) as well as U, H, T and N with a nipple. And while we're at it: a 1U Tab key would be nice.

Kurrk wrote:Excellent, I would love to have a set of universal sphericals. Here are a few suggestion:
Include unbumped F and J (for Dvorak and Colemak) as well as U, H, T and N with a nipple. And while we're at it: a 1U Tab key would be nice.

the unbumped is a good idea, let's hope adding so many keys doesn't sky rocket the price.

As you probably expected I'm in as well. Even though I'd prefer smooth SA family.

i love the scheme too, but us ansi ...

i may take one.

would you consider sharing the svg file ?
please

I'd be tempted if my countrys caps were present in the set mate

If you look at 7bit's round 4 options on the wiki he's got a great run down of what's needed for each country.

Also as your in Italy you may want to get someone in the states to proxy for you bud.

RC-1140 wrote:As you probably expected I'm in as well. Even though I'd prefer smooth SA family.

yeah, I'd love the SA family too, but we miss the right shift... none that I would ever use a standard size right shift, but if you want to cover a standard layout you can't go SA. Also DSA keys are all on the same level, so it's easier to mix them. I believe that's a big plus.

Curiously SA has the ISO enter though...

dirge wrote:I'd be tempted if my countrys caps were present in the set mate

that would really sky rocket the price of the "additional keys" I believe. I'd love to have "language packs" but each pack would be pretty expensive.

dirge wrote:If you look at 7bit's round 4 options on the wiki he's got a great run down of what's needed for each country.

I'll have a look at it.

dirge wrote:Also as your in Italy you may want to get someone in the states to proxy for you bud.

I might already have it

I'd like a DSA set for my ErgoDox. In for a set.

Me too but ergodox needs special keys (2 units).

Ergo dox is a very good idea.

Gilgam wrote:Me too but ergodox needs special keys (2 units).

looking at SP pdf they have 2 units for DSA. How many do you need for ergodox?

drawing courtesy massdrop


4 2 units
14 1.5 units


and your svg file

the 2 units are horizontal or vertical? SP has both. they seem horizontal. the 1.5 units are horizontal only. but why 14? I can see 6 per hand.

the svg is here

matt3o wrote:the 2 units are horizontal or vertical? SP has both. they seem horizontal. the 1.5 units are horizontal only.

what is the difference beetween horizontal and vertical as dsa family seems to be flat "rowless style" (same profile whatever the row). But i may make a mistake.

matt3o wrote:but why 14? I can see 6 per hand.

because i have to go back to school, or maybe i worked too much today
12 indeed

matt3o wrote:the svg is here

Grazie mille matteo

Adding an ErgoDox option to this order would be great!

I might have to get one for my TKL and one for my Ergo.

Gilgam wrote:what is the difference beetween horizontal and vertical as dsa family seems to be flat "rowless style" (same profile whatever the row). But i may make a mistake.

I don't really know. SP makes a difference between 2 units horizontal and vertical (but actually they might be the same key).

Gilgam wrote:Grazie mille matteo

De rien!

tjweir wrote:Adding an ErgoDox option to this order would be great!

I might have to get one for my TKL and one for my Ergo.

Ergodox for sure! Let me update the layout

I updated the original post with additional info and better color matching. I'd like to hear from Ergodox guys.

I know it's must be quite difficult as the GMK rose lot of problems, but would it be possible to post that kind of group buy on GH ?
i mean a full standard/ergodox set, no discussion possible on details.
there are 138 buyers, if the GB reach 50+ (i don''t want to be optimitic) with standard buyers and ergodox buyers that would end in a better price.

Did i mention that FR layout is mandatory ?

Gilgam wrote:I know it's must be quite difficult as the GMK rose lot of problems, but would it be possible to post that kind of group buy on GH ?

As far as I understand GMK spherical is not an option. Did I miss something? If that is still an option I'd quit this IC right away!

Apart from that I'm definitely going to post this on geekhack as well.

no no i wasn't talking about gmk but more about the problems with cross group-buys between GH US centric users and DT ISO european.
Most GH users don't want to buy some "useless things" like iso return , left iso shift, etc.

Gilgam wrote:Most GH users don't want to buy some "useless things" like iso return , left iso shift, etc.

yeah definitely. that's why I put all the additional keys together If you want to do a winkeyless you gotta support the ISO guys too Anyway, I'm just about to post this interest check on geekhack as well.