Topre switch / Cherry MX compatible

[noesc]

Yesterday I had the fortunate opportunity to actually play around with the same prototype that was shown at Computex! This sample are now in a locked display @ Dreamhack (The world's largets LAN party, held in Sweden), but I got a private showing by courtesy of CM Bram.

This particular sample is from the same batch as the one Murium has, and thus I can not confirm or refute any of the said changes to the consumer product. I have been promised a lot of upgrades though!

Bram told me that they have actually taken the big reviews / reports from Murium (and was it Ripster?) and took these with them to a meeting with Topre to work on all the aspects of what the fan-base wants! This is a company that _really_ listening to the enthusiasts, not just saying they do. Keep it up!

I'll try to see if I can get to actually plug the sample in and have a go with it later today! =)

Cheers!

[matt3o]

New legends look ok to me, except a couple of inconsistencies:
- Capslk (!);
- Most modifiers legends are aligned on the left, while backspace and enter are centered and right shift is... what the hell is that?
- Most modifiers are text, but backspace and enter are graphic. Come on, if it has to be text, let it be text all the way!



I hope Ripster won't hack my account for posting his pic here.

it seems all right hand legends are aligned together to the right...

[Muirium]

Yeah, looks like it. Perhaps the caps guys are using the extra time to play with a few more tweaks! Anyway, the caps are okay but not exactly this board's selling point. The first thing you'll want to do is put on your favourite set of double shots or dye subs. I've hardly used the stock caps, it's mostly been SPH and PBT!

@noesc: To be fair, Matteo gave more valuable feedback than I did. Mine was a long list of all sorts of observations, including about the legends and alignment, while his is the underlying stuff they're still working on.

[Monkay]

Ouh man I cant wait to get this board. Maybe this will be my door out of the mechanical keyboard stuff. I owned 15 boards over a long time because I could not find a perfect one, but I never tried Topre. I have high hopes that this board will be perfect for me and I can stop testing other things. So far I found out that I like MX Reds and Clears most and that I can not handle 60% boards. I love the TKL size and dont need any LEDs. I have my perfect keycaps set for a TKL- Cherry board.
Now all I wait for is the perfect switch. If Topre does not fit me I will buy a MX Clear TKL and buy nice springs+stickers+lube and will use that.

[Muirium]

Oh, my early version is already well ahead of Clears, so you should be all right! My other modern TKL is MX red, so I'm used to typing light on these non-IBMs, and the proto NovaTouch really shines when you're light. Much nicer tactility from Topre than MX, loads of it but nice and smooth.

Don't ever think you'll get out of keyboards once you find your favourite, though. This is DT, the next stage is to start going back in time!

[Hypersphere]

<snip>

Don't ever think you'll get out of keyboards once you find your favourite, though. This is DT, the next stage is to start going back in time!

Yes, my colleagues have commented on the fact that I seem to be fading from view, like watching the development of an old B&W photograph in reverse. Soon I will be back in the 70s, merrily typing on my beam spring....

[vinzbe]

it seems all right hand legends are aligned together to the right...

... except for ALT, Fn, and Ctrl Keys.

I would prefer something similar to Filco (apart from the round Windows logo)




Still, it looks very nice.

[matt3o]

to be clear: CM's legends alignment makes no sense (at least to me).

[Muirium]

Filco's legends are nicely done. They would be a good starting point.

Also this:


And ultimately this:

[Eszett]

My two cents.

xf01t0_iso1000_th0x0.jpg (110.98 KiB) Viewed 4646 times

[Muirium]

Yes, the Realforce's legends have some issues. I love their font and the cap material and profile, but the legends are a bit random compared to a Model M. I'd add a big red UGLY! to the Windows key on your graphic! It's the worst key of all; but not Topre's design, it's a Microsoft certification thing.

The answer to your function row colour question is: because IBM did it. Almost all keyboards everywhere follow the Model M's lead. IBM really shook things up back in the 80s on its release.

[Eszett]

@Muirium Sure, the win key is the reason I've joined this forum, stuck my nose into keyboard science. I wanted to get rid of it. So have to be grateful to the win key

[Muirium]

So, did you get rid of it?

Pretty easy on MX, a little more challenging on a Realforce!

[Eszett]

Right. I went like: let's pull the win keycap off. Oh, there is a gap, that's ugly! So I need a winkeyless kb, what's on the market => so I came to this forum.

[photekq]

My two cents : Cherry keycaps are best Font's perfect, colours are perfect. I think the F5-8 is just that way for a bit of balance. I think it looks great.

[matt3o]

Midnight set will have cherry legends! (just saying)

[Muirium]

Dyesub?

[Grond]

Mixing right and left alignement seems already inconsistent to me, and if you consider the different distance between legends and the border of the keycap, then what you get is a mess. Better follow the IBM and Cherry way and align everything on the left. You can't go wrong that way.

[Hypersphere]

So, did you get rid of it?

Pretty easy on MX, a little more challenging on a Realforce!

I think that the HHKB Pro 2 keycap for the Option/Alt key will fit the RF87u Win and Menu key. You can get a non-printed HHKB Pro 2 set to furnish these keys as blanks if you prefer. This is an expensive solution, but if you had some use for the other keys, it could become cost effective.

[barkweed]

If EU users want this it will also be available in EU! So get all your friends talking about it and the sooner we have it here for you guys, haha !

Sorry for being very late in the game, but I'd very much like an ISO NovaTouch. Please provide, or face the consequences (i.e. me crying alone in a corner)!

[Monkay]

Somewhere in this thread are already some photos of the ISO version (:
If I remember it right

[Speakeazie]

Cm Bram, would love to test and compare the Novatouch to my Realforce Topre keyboard, too!

[Muirium]

Somewhere in this thread are already some photos of the ISO version (:
If I remember it right

Of course you do!



There will definitely be ISO.



Probably later than ANSI, as usual, but eventually…

[barkweed]

Somewhere in this thread are already some photos of the ISO version (:
If I remember it right

Of course you do!

There will definitely be ISO.

Probably later than ANSI, as usual, but eventually…

Holy Hitchcock, happyness happens!

[whitecitadel]

I would prefer something similar to Filco (apart from the round Windows logo)

And apart from the captive cable...

[Trev]

This board looks great. Only minor criticisms:
- "Capslk". That's slightly more annoying than a normal "Caps Lock" key.
- Chevrons instead of arrows on the arrow keys?
- Those damn Windows keys. Seriously? Does CM provide generic ones as a courtesy? I'd imagine a decent number of the enthusiasts potentially buying these are on Mac/Linux/etc. I don't know anyone running Windows, aside from family relatives who are >70 years old.
- Text alignment on right modifiers makes me sad.

Is there a steel plate or other type of solid mount like Realforce? I think a solid base plate is what makes the RF line feel more refined than the HHKB (purely IMO).

Yes, I'm still bitter about the Windows bubble keys on my RF.

[Grond]

I agree with all you say about the keycaps, Trev, and in particular: screw Windows keys!

[Hypersphere]

Yes, another thing the HHKB Pro 2 did right -- no Windows keys!

The new Kul keyboard has also avoided Windows keys, but it has Cherry switches.

[Muirium]

Ducky (usually) puts ducks on the Windows keys and KBT does squirrels, so nothing new by Kul there. I'm unimpressed by their run of the mill TKL, to be honest.

This board looks great. Only minor criticisms:
- "Capslk". That's slightly more annoying than a normal "Caps Lock" key.
- Chevrons instead of arrows on the arrow keys?
- Those damn Windows keys. Seriously? Does CM provide generic ones as a courtesy? I'd imagine a decent number of the enthusiasts potentially buying these are on Mac/Linux/etc. I don't know anyone running Windows, aside from family relatives who are >70 years old.
- Text alignment on right modifiers makes me sad.

Is there a steel plate or other type of solid mount like Realforce? I think a solid base plate is what makes the RF line feel more refined than the HHKB (purely IMO).

Yes, I'm still bitter about the Windows bubble keys on my RF.

I have a prototype (and permission to talk about it) so I can answer. There is a nice metal plate! The feel is more Realforcey than HHKB. They're taking their time to do a good job with this board, so I have high hopes for it.

All your other questions involve replacing the caps with something nice. It's an MX mount board, time to go wild! SPH goes fabulously on it, and my thick Ducky PBT blanks are damn nice too.

No need to put up with those bubble keys on your Realforce. Wheybags is getting into making Topre caps , and I hear he is preparing to make flat replacements for those exact keys, in any colour you like.

Some caps I made, that are in the post to adhoc atm

http://deskthority.net/photos-f62/rando ... ml#p168070

[Hypersphere]

<snip>
Yes, I'm still bitter about the Windows bubble keys on my RF.

You could get a blank keycap set for the HHKB Pro 2 and replace the RF bubble keys with the Opt/Alt key from the HHKB Pro 2 set. It might be worth 78 USD plus shipping to be rid of the bubble keys.