TL;DR
- DSA family, this ain't your standard key set, if you don't know what it means, read below!
- space bars are in DCS but they go well together with DSA keys
- We now have DSA spacebars! read below
- ISO Returns and left stem'ed caps are in DCS and I have no idea how they look together with DSA
- For a standard TKL you need KIT1 + KIT2 or KIT3 + 6.25 space bar
- Remember to pick a spacebar
- If you get ISO remember to pick at least 3 1-unit blanks
- Pricing
- Order form
This is a group buy for DSA family spherical keycaps. DSA is a medium profile keycaps family (PDF of Signature Plastics reference) with spherical top.
This is how it looks like compared to other families:
To my knowledge there have been very few (if none) GBs for this family of keycaps. Keys are all on the same profile (0-degrees angle) which means that you can place any key in any position (the are no rows like in standard DCS family). This makes them suitable for custom keyboards and unconventional layouts (dvorak, colemak, ...).
This is not your usual set of keycaps, be sure to understand what you are buying.
Colors
Colors are inspired by the Commodore 64, hence the "Retro" naming.
These are the official SP colors we are going to use:
This is a preview of the Retro kit (NOTE that the mods are not how they really look like in this set, this is just to give you a rough idea)
PS: I've been asked for additional colors (namely white on blue). If this GB gets a very high volume of orders we may add more colors.
Kits
Here what you can buy. There are a lot of options but don't worry, I developed a web app to make ordering very easy, see below.
KIT 1: Extetended Alpha
includes homing keys for dvorak, colemak and others
KIT 2: TKL + Winkeyless + Capslock Switch kit | !!!MOQ 25!!!
This is all you need for "standard keyboards", just remember to add a spacebar (6.25 Universal for the usual sospects).
NOTE: Left stemmed keys are in DCS Family not DSA!
KIT 3: TKL Plum + Winkeyless + Capslock Switch kit | !!!MOQ 25!!!
Same as above but in burgundy
KIT 4: Numpad
KIT 5: ISO
NOTE: NO 1 unit keys included, you have to buy them separately!
KIT 6: C64 Nostalgia
Function row in Commodore style
KIT 7-11: All mods!
NOTE: No duplicate keys! If you want 2 ctrl, 2 alt, 2 super, ... you need to pick 2 of each!
KIT 12: Extras!
Blanks
Blank keys for every need. Remember to pick a space bar.
Important note regarding space bars! **UPDATED**
Signature Plastics initially said that they couldn't provide DSA spacebars, but they contacted me back saying that they actually have them!
I've just updated the order form with the new space bars. If you already placed your order, I'm not going to automatically switch your DCS spacebars to DSA because the DCS ones might still be needed for certain keyboards.
This is how it works
- 6 units DSA: 3 mount points. 1 centered, 2 at 38mm from center. No clue what this is about
- 6.2 units DSA: 3 mount points. 1 centered, 2 at 50mm from center. This has the standard Filco and the like mounting position.
- 7 units DSA: 3 mount points. 1 centered, 2 at 57mm from center. This is mainly for winkeyless.
- 6 units DCS: 3 mount points. 1 centered, 2 at 38mm from center. No clue what this is about
- 6.2 units Universal DCS: This is the universal Signature Plastics 6 mount points space bar. This should fit most of the keyboards out there
- 7 units DCS: 3 mount points. 1 centered, 2 at 57mm from center. There's no reason to get this spacebar anymore being the 7u DSA a perfect alternative.
I would recommend taking a couple of spacebars in different families (it's 2 bucks at high tiers). This would save you unpleasant surprises! Anyway we will be taking some spares, just in case.
Deadline
We don't have a fixed deadline yet, it depends on how the orders flow. This is not going to last long anyway, I'd like to make this GB pretty fast, so a soft deadline might be March 4.
Pricing
You can find pricing and follow the real-time price changes at this address:
Group Buy Pricing
Order
For this group buy I've set up a special web application.
Order Form
When you send your order you'll be given an Order ID, write it down somewhere, with that ID you can review, change or delete your order at any time. No need to ask me to do it for you. You can also save the order ID on your browser as a cookie for easy access.
If you lose the Order ID, you can simply resend your order, the previous one will be overwritten!
With your order ID you can also follow the cost of your key caps based on the current tiers.
Logistics
I'm taking care of the kit layouts, interest check, group buy, contacts with Signature Plastics, replying to questions in this thread and so on. samwisekoi (located in the US), will collect money, place the order with SP and send keys to all of you.
I'm located in Europe, so if it's cheaper we might find some way to collect/split orders between the continents (both for payments and shipping).
- Your friendly neighbors samwisekoi & matt3o
But it's better that way for us because we use accents a lot.
