Alps Party 60%

[BlueNalgene]

Extending a warm welcome to the DT denizens to join....



Let's make some Alps boards folks! After lengthy discussions and tweaks (see here for the IC), we are finally ready to Cross the Alps.

This will be a combined group buy for lots of Alps-centric bits. Things have been picked to provide almost everything you need to build a 60% Alps board. You can get a project kit in one package. If you only want one thing (e.g. 100 switches) you can get that. I'm casting the widest possible net to make as many people happy as possible.

What you can order:

1. PCB - (101/25)



This part will be an order for assembled PCBs from hasu. The hasu circuit board has a ton of possibilities and has been previously successful. It supports AEK ANSI, Dell ANSI & ISO, Infinity, and other layouts. The firmware is customizable and well written. If you want to read more about the PCB, there is loads of info from the previous round of GB for it here.

Each assembled PCB will cost $37.50 (which is $35 + $2.50 to ship to me per board) The minimum order for this part of the GB is 25. Unlike previous sales, hasu cannot provide unassembled boards with or without parts.



2. Plates - (89/25)

Plates were designed by JDCarpe and BlueNalgene. All plates requested in the IC before the deadline are being offered: Dell AT101, Dell AT101W, Dell AT102W, AEKII ANSI, AEKII ISO, and Infinity ANSI. (Note: the AEKII ISO will not work with the hasu PCB) Each plate will be laser cut from 16ga. T-304 stainless steel by a company local to my area (saves on shipping).

Here are pics of the plates available:

AT101


AT101W


AT102W


AEKII ANSI


AEKII ISO


Infinity


HHKB Layout




The current quote for plates is $27.50 each. This price may drop if we can reach a certain number of orders. The MOQ for this price is 25 units. By smiling and showing a little of my man-cleavage, I was able to get this MOQ to count for the total order. That means if the group orders 10 at101 style, 10 at101w style, and 5 aekii style we will still get the order at this price.



2.5 Powder Coating - (12/5)

A powder coating option is available for those ordering plates. Since this is BlueNalgene's GB, I'm obviously going with blue. If there are enough orders to reach my MOQ, I'm going to go into the local powder coating place and say
"Hey powder coating person"
"...hey man"
"I hereby demand that these plates get a totally wicked blue coloring"
"..."
"I mean I want a bright fucking obnoxious blue color that will make the ladies faint"
"...whatever you say man *cough*"

So the price on this is a little bit more complicated. I was quoted that each plate would cost $20.00 to coat, and each color change would cost $25.00. I set the MOQ at 5, that way the participants will pay $25.00 at max for the option. If more join than 5, then the price will drop.



3. Switches - (click: 1640, quiet click: 3980, quiet linear: 1210)

Part of this GB will be for Matias switches. You know about them, you love them, now you can get them on the cheap. I have arranged some bulk prices for Matias click, quiet click, and quiet linear switches. Purchases will need to be made in quantities of 10, to make life easier on me. The switches will be directly from Matias in boxes of 200 switches per box. The price per switch, depending on the quantity ordered, will vary from $0.25 to $0.14 per switch, not including shipping. The MOQ and price structure is a little complicated on this, so stay with me here.

For orders of
200-1000 switches, the unit price is $0.25 each
1200-2200 - $0.20 each
2400-4400 - $0.18 each
4800-9400 - $0.16 each
9600+ - $0.14 each

The quantity ordered is for each switch type UNLESS we can reach an order of 9600 switches combined. E.g. if we want 4000 click, 2200 quiet, and 3800 linear quiet - we would get the $0.14 price. However, if we only could reach 2000 click, 2000 quiet, and 2000 linear quiet, we would be paying the $0.20 price. Like I said, a little complicated. But never fear, excel will take care of the math for us.



4. Raffle

I hinted in the IC about a little bonus, and I may have deliberately left clues in some of my other posts, but here is my big secret. I have been experimenting with production of artisan caps. One of the complaints I have seen before is how there are never any artisans available for Alps switches. That changes today.

Because how can you cross the Alps.....



...without elephants?

Pictured are Sick Slime, Drunken Delirium, and Supple Skin colored Barca keycaps. All GB participants will be entered into a drawing to receive one of the caps I made, and there are more than just those three Barcas.








Ordering Closed
Join the GB by filling out this form.



FAQ

Q. Are you offering keycap sets?
A. No, but there is currently a GB for Alpine Winter (here) and there will be some olivetti/dolch sets soon at some online retailers.

Q. How much will shipping be?
A. It depends on what you ordered. Since there are options which will vary from a few switches to a bunch of metal plates, I don't have a single price. It will be cheap for CONUS, expensive for INTL. If there are several INTL orders, you might consider combining orders to save on the overseas part.

Q. Who are you? You've never posted on Deskthority before.
A. I never had a reason to post here, though I use it all the time for info. I made this account to post this. Also because even though DT traditionally isn't too into new boards and artisans, you lot do appreciate some good Alps action.

Q. You have no GB experience, how do I know you aren't some skeezeball who will abscond with my hard earned liquid capital?
A. I can't prove I'm reliable. I can only promise that I will try my dammedest to not knowingly screw you over. I'm a long time forum denizen which may not be apparent from my low post count. I lurked for a while before joining almost a year ago. I have a few successful trades/purchases on here, and they might be able to provide a good reference if you require it. CptBadass, a 'respected' member says of me:

Confirmed BlueNalgene is the homie and reliable. Makes me ill artwork for my zine. 10/10 Would trust. Plus alps <3

Q. Why are you doing this?
A. Because I want one dammit, and you can't get anything done around here without a committee. grumblegrumblegrumble

Q. else?
A. goto 10

Q. I don't get the Hannibal thing.
A. That isn't a question.

Q. Wait, weren't you doing a Napoleon thing in the IC?
A. Yeah, but I had the Hannibal thing in my sleeve for when the GB went live. Do try to keep up.

Q. Will this work with my Poker style case?
A. Probably. Here is a list of cases and known compatibility from hasu's thread:
Poker X
Pure CNC
Poker II
Pok3r (untested)
V60 KBP (requires sanding on USB slot)
Hammer Alu
Tex Aluminum case (some diode shorting issues reported)
Tex Acrylic case

Q. When does the GB form close?
A. October 5th

Q. How much will it cost to ship to me?
A. These estimates were made by assuming the package is under 1lb., worth $100, and taxed as 8538.90 type item. Country list made from current orders and requests. If you want your country added to the list, just ask. All values in USD. These are just rough calculations. Did I totally fuck up somewhere? Sorry.
CONUS - <$10
Canada (BC) - $11.75 + $8.30 duty
Germany - $17.95 + $22.20 duty
Netherlands - $17.95 + $24.20 duty
Norway - $17.95 + $25.00 duty
Singapore - $17.50 + $7.00 duty
UK - $17.95 + $23.20 duty
Bulgaria - $17.95 + $23.20 duty


Edit: 9/24 @10:30 pm local - added to FAQ, updated counts.
Edit: 9/25 @ 2:49 pm local - Major change to AT101 style and added HHKB plate
Edit: 9/26 @ 5:00 pm local - updated counts
Edit: 9/28 @11:04 pm local - updated counts
Edit: 10/1 @ 7:30 pm local - updated counts, added Bulgaria to shipping list
Edit: 10/4 @12:05 pm local - updated counts



I'm going to try to keep this thread updated with important information. If I start slacking, feel free to nag me about it. I hear ragging on new members is par for the course here . You can always have a look at the geekhack thread if you would like.

[BlueNalgene]

reserved

[7bit]

Seems I need to speed up with my Alps key caps group buy.


Also: I should consider canceling my Matias order, when I see those dumping prices.


Don't you have to pay for shipping?


BTW, your goto statement leads to nowhere!

[HzFaq]

Tempted, when are you closing orders?

[scottc]

YES! This is just what I've been waiting for. I'm 100% up for either an AT101W, AT102W or Infinity (as long as it's compatible with the Dell stabs, right?).

[flabbergast]

Seems I need to speed up with my Alps key caps group buy.

What? How did I miss this?

[sth]

BTW, your goto statement leads to nowhere!

maybe it goes to:

at101 style, 10 at101w style, and 5 aekii style we will still get the order at this price.

[flabbergast]

Could you also add compatible stabs to the GB? That's the only thing missing (well apart from keycaps and case) for a whole keyboard. They should be also sourcable from Matias.

[7bit]

BTW, the PCB and mount plate is pretty lame!


There are not any options for a more advanced layout.


I strongly recommend to wait for the qHack to show up.

[sth]

BTW, the PCB and mount plate is pretty lame!


There are not any options for a more advanced layout.


I strongly recommend to wait for the qHack to show up.

if it had a split backspace for aek2 i would be in on this like hummus on snap peas. alas.

[Muirium]

What's the story for cases?

[HzFaq]

hasu's pcb supports the standard Poker style cases, so any of the usual suspects would work.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Mini-Key ... 83273.html

Also sth, the PCB supports split backspace, so if you've got some kind of cutting implement you could "customise" the AEKII plate.

edit - Also, nominating this as the GB theme song

[Hypersphere]

Thanks for organizing this.

Just wanted to confirm about cases. When I tried to install my V60MTS into a TEK CNC aluminum case for 60% keyboards, I found that the necessary holes in the PCB and plate were not there, so the case did not work. So, the PCBs and plates for this GB will indeed have the necessary holes to line up with the screw mounts in standard aluminum cases for 60% keyboards?

And stabilizers for Matias keycaps on a standard layout board such as the Infinity standard?

[DanielT]

Thanks for organizing this.

Just wanted to confirm about cases. When I tried to install my V60MTS into a TEK CNC aluminum case for 60% keyboards, I found that the necessary holes in the PCB and plate were not there, so the case did not work. So, the PCBs and plates for this GB will indeed have the necessary holes to line up with the screw mounts in standard aluminum cases for 60% keyboards?

And stabilizers for Matias keycaps on a standard layout board such as the Infinity standard?

The PCB is 100% compatible with 60% cases, I have one of the prototypes and I worked without any problems. Hasu did a great job. I getting decent caps for Alps wasn't such a problem I would have bought a second one. Alps are great switches only working with them is such a pain. Desoldering Alps switsches is one of the ugliest things I have ever done

[BlueNalgene]

Don't you have to pay for shipping?

Shipping will depend on what you order, especially for the shipping outside of CONUS. If you want a shipping quote, PM me.

Tempted, when are you closing orders?

Orders close Oct. 5th unless we need a last minute push. I'll add that to the FAQ.

YES! This is just what I've been waiting for. I'm 100% up for either an AT101W, AT102W or Infinity (as long as it's compatible with the Dell stabs, right?).

The plates were designed to fit with the old-fashioned style stabs. Dell cannibalization will work.

Could you also add compatible stabs to the GB? That's the only thing missing (well apart from keycaps and case) for a whole keyboard. They should be also sourcable from Matias.

Matias does offer stabs, but I am yet to see them used by a member of the modding community. Until I can see them and get someone to measure them, I'm very hesitant about ordering them. An add-on GB might be appropriate for this.

BTW, the PCB and mount plate is pretty lame!


There are not any options for a more advanced layout.


I strongly recommend to wait for the qHack to show up.

if it had a split backspace for aek2 i would be in on this like hummus on snap peas. alas.

I wish I could please everyone, but mother said that would make me a slut. But the PCB still works with the split backspace, even if the current plates don't. Maybe you would be interested in modding one?

What's the story for cases?

No cases are offered in the GB. The plates and PCB are designed to work with poker style cases though. A listing of cases compatible with the PCB from the hasu thread is:
Poker X
Pure CNC
Poker II
Pok3r (untested)
V60 KBP (requires sanding on USB slot)
Hammer Alu
Tex Aluminum case (some diode shorting issues reported)
Tex Acrylic case

edit - Also, nominating this as the GB theme song

Accepted

Thanks for organizing this.

Just wanted to confirm about cases. When I tried to install my V60MTS into a TEK CNC aluminum case for 60% keyboards, I found that the necessary holes in the PCB and plate were not there, so the case did not work. So, the PCBs and plates for this GB will indeed have the necessary holes to line up with the screw mounts in standard aluminum cases for 60% keyboards?

And stabilizers for Matias keycaps on a standard layout board such as the Infinity standard?

I have no clue about the holes on the V60MTS. However the holes on the plate and board are designed to fit with the TEX Aluminum as well as a plethora of others. Some users reported that the TEX Aluminum caused issues with the diodes on the PCB though, so you may need a dielectric in there if you intend to use that case.

[Muirium]

Well, it's a nice idea, but the kind of project that needs a lot of stuff I don't have. And I'm the kind of guy who does have vintage Apple caps already! Specifically: I still need a bag of oldschool complicated Alps (Matias switches don't cut it), compatible stabs, and a nice metal case that won't short out.

[BlueNalgene]

Updated OP. Of particular interest to this forum, I added some INTL shipping estimates.

Also, the plate and PCB have passed the MOQ. This is happening.

[HzFaq]

In for a PCB and a plate, thanks dude.

[DanielT]

Well, it's a nice idea, but the kind of project that needs a lot of stuff I don't have. And I'm the kind of guy who does have vintage Apple caps already! Specifically: I still need a bag of oldschool complicated Alps (Matias switches don't cut it), compatible stabs, and a nice metal case that won't short out.

Well if you are ready to sacrifice one of your AEK boards I can do the desoldering for you, for case you get a stock Poker case for only 18$ shipped on aliexpress (just ordered one) that is damn cheap even with taxes on top it's still cheap, stabs you have from the AEK or if not already taken there is a handfull in the Surprise Box (I've put them myself ) . This PCB is amazing, it's something worth having, Hasu did a great job with this.

[HzFaq]

I just killed like 3 Alps boards Mu, I can sort you out some spare switches and whatnot if you need it.

[DanielT]

I just killed like 3 Alps boards Mu, I can sort you out some spare switches and whatnot if you need it.

We have to convince Mu to get one He's just finding excuses not to build one cool 60%

[sth]

modding would be possible but unfortunately i don't have the tools to do so. maybe i could buy a hand file...

[sth]

and if anyone else might be willing to help me out with some AEK2 ansi caps i would be forever grateful

[scottc]

Okay, before I get too excited... how many American Credits would it cost me to get just one single plate shipped to the EU? The shipping and import fees are completely killing it for me unfortunately, at that price I'd be better off having one manufactured here somewhere which totally sucks.

[Spikebolt]

I've always been interested in trying out the matias linear switches so this board would be a good way for me.

However if I get a PCB+plate+switches that would be around 80$. Shipping and duties would be around 60$. And I would be missing keycaps (probably I could get an AEK2 ANSI for 20-30$) and a case (no idea here). All summed up comes too close to the 200$ price point for me to consider it :/ And at this point I wonder what's difference from the infinity board after all?

[flabbergast]

Germany - $17.95 + $22.20 duty
Netherlands - $17.95 + $24.20 duty
Norway - $17.95 + $25.00 duty
Singapore - $17.50 + $7.00 duty
UK - $17.95 + $23.20 duty

OK, so here's the reality (speaking for UK, but I think most of the EU countries are similar). We don't pay duty/customs until we hit $200 or thereabouts. However! We do pay VAT (sales tax for you US people), which is about 20%, for anything that has a declared value (including shipping) of about $25 and (here's the kicker) an extra "processing-fee-because-we-can-charge-you-whatever-we-want-and-you-can-do-f**k-all-about-it" which is something between $12-$25 depending largely on luck.

Spoiler:

So - if the declared package value would be $20 (shipping cost usually doesn't show up on the envelope/parcel), with the proviso that if it gets damaged or lost it's tough luck for the buyer, then we'd be good. I am loudly *not* suggesting that BlueNalgene should just declare the value to be $20 regardless of the actual value, because that would be tax (and senseless fee) evasion, punishable in most countries by a fine, an eternal condemnation from the authorities, and maybe death of you and your family up to and including aunts (but not uncles!).

[Muirium]

One of the joys of being based in America: not needing to care about our shit!

If I get into this, I might be able to proxy back some plates and PCBs on my trip this winter. I've really got to watch what I promise in my luggage though. Still got a lot to haul from last visit!

[Paranoid]

for anything that has a declared value (including shipping) of about $25 and (here's the kicker) an extra "processing-fee-because-we-can-charge-you-whatever-we-want-and-you-can-do-f**k-all-about-it" which is something between $12-$25 depending largely on luck.

Exactly this. Over here, everything over €18 basically costs marginally more. VAT, processing charges, plus the shipping costs. Declaring a lower value or no value would probably solve it. He's not running a business and doesn't need profit ... so just theoretically sell it with a loss
That's where the Chinese have the upper hand! Never paid any import fees for any package ^^

[Muirium]

Yup. The system doesn't investigate values. They seize everything declared £15 or higher. And leave all the rest alone. No matter how obvious the epic fraud from China! It's really just about collecting their free money.

Anyway, I might be able to help out a few people. But first I need to hear back from Hz about those recently liberated switches. Matias tactiles don't cut it for me.

[sth]

Hey ya dingoes. http://deskthority.net/group-buys-f50/a ... 11630.html
Just in case you're worried about getting keycaps -- maybe not as cheap as salvaging a new board but it's a sure shot for a clean looking keycap set that will work with any of the layouts.