GMK SKIDATA+ (Ordering Closed, Placing Order)

[Karura]

11/17/2015 Updates: We have reached MOQ for Base Set and Colour Pack. All orders of the Base Set and Colour Pack, as well as their respective spacebars will be guaranteed to go into production. More orders are required for the Relegendables.

Hello DT!

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up that the GMK SKIDATA+ GB has begun, and there is more active discussion on the GH thread.

SKIDATA+ GH GB thread:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=76521.0

I understand that DT has always been more focused on classic keyboards, and wanted to share that SKIDATA+ is inspired by classic Skidata keyboard, with the classic colourway in the base set, as well as a more updated and vibrant colour pack, for those who might want a little more "pop".

Hopefully this news finds the community well, and thank you! More posted below, in the GH thread, as well as on ZealPC.net, where ZealPC has kindly offered to host this at no profit or cuts, just so we can make this happen.

Cheers!

GB IS NOW LIVE ON ZEALPC.NET!
http://zealpc.net/products/skidata

Note: The GB listing requires JS (javascript) enabled, so buyers will need to disable no script if no options are showing up.

This Pre-Order/GB will close on November 30, 2015 at 23:59:59 PST.

I would like to thank the community for your kindness, patience, and support. Through perseverance, we have finally made it this far, but the real challenge begins now.

Special thanks to ZealPC for providing a platform for the SKIDATA+ GB, at absolutely no profits or cuts. SKIDATA+ would not be possible without the support of ZealPC, due to PayPal's payment restrictions. SKIDATA+ will be shipped from the US via USPS for both CONUS and INTL orders.

More special thanks to BingeCaps and KatzenKinder Capworks for dedicating their passion and craftsmanship to creating a set of SKIDATA+ themed artisan keycaps for the raffle. Raffle will be open to those who placed an order for a Base Set and have opted in.

SKIDATA+ Themed BingeCaps:


For large orders, please send enquiries to skidataplus@gmail.com.

All previous light-bleed issues with GMK keycaps have been addressed by GMK to make it as good as the keycaps from the original Skidata keyboard (minimal light-bleed).
Quality has always been a major focus of SKIDATA+, and there have been numerous correspondences with GMK regarding ways to ensure a successful production.

Another note: Relegendables are possible, and offered for the first time in the history of keyboard group buys! These are custom ordered in limited quantities, and sent to GMK for padprinting, ensuring that we will have a perfect match with the rest of the keysets. These are very costly to manufacture and padprint, which is reflected in the pricing.
Additionally, I will have to front the payment to have these made ahead of time, otherwise it will not be produced in time to meet GMK's production schedule. There is no way around this, and for the sake of the SKIDATA+ GB, it is a financial risk that I will have to take.
We are very lucky to have this opportunity, and I hope it is understood that a lot of effort went into making this happen.

Each Relegendables keycap comes with an Orange relegendable top, as well as a Clear relegendable top, allowing the user the choice between a classic Skidata look, or a vibrant Orange contrast for a fresher look. Due to the difficulty of having these manufactured, these will be limited in quantity, offered only to those who place an order for both the Base Set and Colour Pack.

----------

Bringing new life to the classic and well sought-after Skidata colourway, SKIDATA+ is designed to support ANSI, ISO, TKL, HHKB, 60%, 75%, 1800, and additional layouts, while retaining the clean and minimalist styling of the original keyboard produced by GMK in the 1990s.

Additionally, add-on keysets are offered, designed to compliment and add a dash of colour to the base set.

SKIDATA+ will be produced to the highest standards, using an automated single-stage double-shot injection moulding process with the highest quality plastic.

Manufactured by GMK in Germany, SKIDATA+ keycaps are thick ABS double-shot, Cherry profile, and Cherry MX compatible.

Participating orders of the SKIDATA+ Base Set will be eligible for a chance to win one of the very limited quantity of SKIDATA+ themed BingeCaps and KatzenKinder artisans made specifically for this group buy, free of charge!

The add-ons below will only be unlocked with an order of the corresponding sets:

-Grey Spacebars require a Base Set
-Orange Spacebars require a Colour Pack
-Relegendables require both the Base Set and Colour Pack

[1] SKIDATA+ BASE SET:

-137 keys, with ANSI, ISO, TKL, HHKB, 60%, 75% and 1800 layout support
-Orange on Charcoal Grey

[2] SKIDATA+ COLOUR PACK:

-53 keys, with modifier keys to support the base set
-Charcoal Grey on Orange, Blue on Orange

[ADD-ON: A] GREY SPACEBAR SET:

-2 spacebars (6.25x and 7x)
-Charcoal Grey
-Unlocks with Base Set

[ADD-ON: B] ORANGE SPACEBAR SET:

-2 spacebars (6.25x and 7x)
-Orange
-Unlocks with Colour Pack

[3] SKIDATA+ RELEGENDABLES SET

-17 keys (Esc, F1 to F12, and 4 blanks)
-Side-printed legends for Esc, F1 to F12, pad-printed by GMK
-Includes Orange and Clear relegendable tops
-Offered for the first time with an Orange top
-Limited quantities available, unlocks once Base Set + Colour Pack are added

Photo of the original Skidata Relegendables with side-printed F-row legends:


Pricing per set:
Base Set: $145
Colour Pack: $68
Grey Spacebars (6.25x + 7x): $7
Orange Spacebars (6.25x + 7x): $7
Relegendables Set: $55

CONUS shipping: $6 to $12
INTL shipping: $18 to $25
No additional GB fees.
Sorting is included with every set.

All pricing in USD.

[ramnes]

That double @ really makes me laugh everytime.

[janvkn]

That double @ really makes me laugh everytime.

What's with that anyway? What keyboard layout has @ on the Q key? Certainly isn't US or US international layout, because then you get ä if you press AltGr+Q

[Khers]

German ISO

I guess it's done in homage to the fact that many of the SkiDatas out there are German ISO

[Spikebolt]

145$ for the base set. Damn. Why is this so expensive? I know GMK is supposed to be premium but after trying the TA set I don't really understand why the price is so damn high.

[scottc]

I thought that was a bit poor, but it's ANSI and ISO so it's not thaaaat bad. Still too much for me though, unfortunately.

[Khers]

Hyperfuse was also iso and ansi and that was $115, I wonder what the extra $30 is spent towards...

[Muirium]

GMK, duh.

[lolpes]

Hyperfuse was also iso and ansi and that was $115, I wonder what the extra $30 is spent towards...

I think the argument is to guarantee that if the MOQ is not the met, the set still goes into production, ~so the hope is that when moq is hit or passed the price will be lowered, but I don't know if there confirmation of that yet, still expensive tough, and for EU there is always http://www.ebay.com/itm/310643702188?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

[HzFaq]

Ooo, nice. I'll probably grab a colour pack a little closer to the deadline.

[Azhdar]

Hyperfuse was also iso and ansi and that was $115, I wonder what the extra $30 is spent towards...

Hyperfuse ended up with this support because it reached high number of sale so it ended up addind extra keys with the money:
https://ctrlalt.io/buys/hyper-fuse-gmk

It was 115$ for a lot less keys

[kbdfr]

Want an orange keyboard? Look here.

[Phill1]

Speedskin!? Get that smut out of here, kbdfr.

[Muirium]

That's the thing with Kbdfr, half his links are gold, and the other half are something altogether greasier and unpleasant…

[kbdfr]

Spoiler:

[Halvar]

Hyperfuse was also iso and ansi and that was $115, I wonder what the extra $30 is spent towards...

Hyperfuse ended up with this support because it reached high number of sale so it ended up addind extra keys with the money:
https://ctrlalt.io/buys/hyper-fuse-gmk

It was 115$ for a lot less keys

A comparable set is Ivan's Miami Nights, which was $120 (incl. GB fee) for the 134 key base set. This one is $145 for 137 keys. So it is indeed almost 20% more expensive. Well, take it or leave it I guess.

[Karura]

I would be more than happy to answer some questions!

To save time and repetition, I have copy and pasted my response from the GH thread regarding pricing:

I also hear you all on the pricing, and would like to elaborate on what SKIDATA+ has to offer.
To begin with, GMK had always had a MOQ of 500 until more recently. Back then, we would be looking at $145 USD for a 110 key set at a MOQ of 500.

Comparatively, we now have a more achievable (but still challenging) MOQ of 250, and have managed to offer as many as 137 keys to support ANSI, ISO, 75%, HHKB, 60%, 1800 and more, all included in the Base Set. It's quite comprehensive, and will allow you to save money as traditionally, GMK GBs had way less layout support, and you would have to purchase an additional set to fit your customized layout.

SKIDATA+ also includes a lot of uncommon keys, some which are being offered for the first time for a GMK GB, such as Windowed LED keys in both the Base Set and Colour Pack, and contains the not-new but still uncommon keys such as Code keys, HHKB long "Control" capslock and delete keys, all inclusive in the Base Set. ISO comes built-in in the base set.

Most importantly, SKIDATA+ is the first GMK keyset to feature minimal LED light-bleeding. A big issue that plagued the recent GMK sets such as HyperFuse, TA, Charred Orange, Cyan, etc. GMK have taken note of our requirements for the absolute best quality, and have addressed the issues to ensure that we will receive the BEST set out there, as good as the original Cherry and Skidata keyboards, without any compromise. :thumb:

In perspective, the most direct comparison to SKIDATA+ would be Charred Orange, and SKIDATA+ improves upon it in many ways.

Charred Orange only has 104 keys + extra Tsangan-kit (WKL) keys, with light-bleed issues all around (very prominent if you with to use them with LED backlights) , as well as an incorrect/funky tab key.

Please see my KEYBOARD SCIENCE: SKIDATA+ EDITION! album regarding the light-bleed issues of the Charred Orange set VS Skidata (SKIDATA+ will have the issue fixed):
http://imgur.com/a/gsX65

SKIDATA+ is a much larger set at 137 keys, for $145 USD with Windowed LED keycaps, with support for 1800/75%/60%/40%/ANSI/ISO/Tsangan (Winkeyless) and more, while improving on the light-bleed issue, overall double-shot quality (more opaque legends), and most importantly, what you are really getting is a complete set that will fit most layouts out there.
It is a much better deal than Charred Orange for the amount of keycaps and quality you are getting.

Also did I mention: there is a free artisan raffle for those who wish to participate in it!

There is also a lot of comparison to the GMK HyperFuse set, and I would also like to address that:
Please keep in mind GMK HyperFuse originally had way less keys at a MOQ of 250, and it only got extra keys when it reached a MOQ of 400, and did not come sorted for the price.
Here is the original render of the GMK HyperFuse keys at a MOQ of 250:
http://i.imgur.com/kqhowFK.png

Windowed LED keys have a MOQ of 400 and wasn't offered on other GMK GBs in the past, which will be included in GMK SKIDATA+ (never before offered at this price range), yet another addition making SKIDATA+ a unique and desirable set. :thumb:

GMK SKIDATA+ offers the most comprehensive layout compatibility, the updated/fixed doubleshot process to minimize light-bleed, comes pre-sorted in a GMK bag at the GMK manufacturing facilities, have all the correct legends (as opposed to a wonky TAB), and really there's no better alternative out there. There are many good alternatives out there if you are looking for a more affordable keyset, but if you want the absolute most complete and highest quality keyset ever made to date, there is no better manufacturer or company out there that even comes close.

I hope this helps.

[Karura]

That double @ really makes me laugh everytime.

What's with that anyway? What keyboard layout has @ on the Q key? Certainly isn't US or US international layout, because then you get ä if you press AltGr+Q

German ISO

I guess it's done in homage to the fact that many of the SkiDatas out there are German ISO

To be honest, it makes me chuckle a bit too!

It was a tough but deliberate design choice. I understand it is not a standard Cherry legend style, but yes, it was added as a homage to the original Skidata keyboards.

145$ for the base set. Damn. Why is this so expensive? I know GMK is supposed to be premium but after trying the TA set I don't really understand why the price is so damn high.

Hyperfuse was also iso and ansi and that was $115, I wonder what the extra $30 is spent towards...

Hyperfuse was also iso and ansi and that was $115, I wonder what the extra $30 is spent towards...

I think the argument is to guarantee that if the MOQ is not the met, the set still goes into production, ~so the hope is that when moq is hit or passed the price will be lowered, but I don't know if there confirmation of that yet, still expensive tough, and for EU there is always http://www.ebay.com/itm/310643702188?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

This is definitely not the case. The pricing is reflected on what is included in the keyset, and not to create some sort of artificially induced markup to forcefully meet the MOQ.

I appreciate the questions and scrutiny!
Originally, HyperFuse had a lot less keys at 250 MOQ, and extra keys were only added once it reached 400 MOQ.
This is the original mockups for HyperFuse at 250 MOQ:
http://i.imgur.com/kqhowFK.png

Hyperfuse was also iso and ansi and that was $115, I wonder what the extra $30 is spent towards...

Hyperfuse ended up with this support because it reached high number of sale so it ended up adding extra keys with the money:
https://ctrlalt.io/buys/hyper-fuse-gmk

It was 115$ for a lot less keys

A comparable set is Ivan's Miami Nights, which was $120 (incl. GB fee) for the 134 key base set. This one is $145 for 137 keys. So it is indeed almost 20% more expensive. Well, take it or leave it I guess.

I've posted the long answer above, but I'd be happy to explain in short.
Please remember that SKIDATA+ also contains Windowed LED keys, as previously unobtainable (due to 400 MOQ), and besides, Miami Nights did not come with uniformed profile keys, so users would have had to mismatch R4 and R5 bottom rows.

To put things in perspective, the better comparison would be with Charred Orange ($120 USD), which had light bleed issues, and an incorrect Tab legend, both corrected in SKIDATA+.

At $120, Charred Orange only had 104 keys + a few extra keys to support the Tsangan/Winkeyless layout, but severely lacked compatibility for 75%, 1800, HHKB, and some other layouts.

The SKIDATA+ Base Set ($145) includes more keys for a more comprehensive layout support, windowed LED indicator keys, proper tab legend, and fixed light-bleed, the very best GMK has to offer! There is no better alternative to this.

Ooo, nice. I'll probably grab a colour pack a little closer to the deadline.

Good choice! The Colour Pack would definitely be suitable for someone who might already have the original Skidata keyboard (not the inferior/flawed Charred Orange set ), or just want to have a vibrant and bright colour pack to use with other Cherry keys.

[lolpes]

Hyperfuse was also iso and ansi and that was $115, I wonder what the extra $30 is spent towards...

I think the argument is to guarantee that if the MOQ is not the met, the set still goes into production, ~so the hope is that when moq is hit or passed the price will be lowered, but I don't know if there confirmation of that yet, still expensive tough, and for EU there is always http://www.ebay.com/itm/310643702188?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

This is definitely not the case. The pricing is reflected on what is included in the keyset, and not to create some sort of artificially induced markup to forcefully meet the MOQ.

I was following the info provided by binge : "I think I may have mentioned earlier, completely conjecture, that if this is a raving success pricedrops may be seen because what they have indicated that MOQ is not a problem. This means that the base MOQ is being covered up-front. Try to consider what that means to the organizers." Over at reddit.

Sorry if I misunderstood anything, but that is what i got , also I was speculating, based on the info thank you for clearing this up.

[Karura]

No problem! I'm happy to communicate and answer questions.

By the way, photos of the BingeCaps are out!

[gogusrl]

Pretty much everything you said sounds like marketing bullshit (it's better, it's more, it's xxx). Saying shit like "proper tab legend, and fixed light-bleed" and using that to justify the price makes me rage a little.

So we're paying extra because GMK asked for more to do their job right (no backlight bleeding ?) or we're paying extra for the 4 windowed keys ?

Will the price go down or the number of keys increase as people buy in and the MOQ is reached ?

[kbdfr]

Boys:



Girls:



Don't get me wrong, I find this is quite a nice set.
I just profoundly dislike the pathetic advertising blah:
"offered for the first time in the history of keyboard group buys!"
"the real challenge begins now"
"dedicating their passion and craftsmanship to creating […]"
Edit: this part ninja'd by gogusrl


By the way, the set actually displays AltGr caps.
You would write :thumb:, I say: great.

[Karura]

I am not sure when was the last time there was a GMK GB that included windowed LED keys (in the base set), and a comprehensive set of keys to support a variety of layouts.

Maybe the artisans aren't to your tastes, that is all right, it is an optional raffle. I also do not know of another GB that has offered Relegendables, and these will be padprinted by GMK to ensure accuracy to match the original Skidata. Variety is the spice of life, I respect that.

Also, I'd imagine that the colours in the Colour Pack might not suit everyone's tastes, but that is not a problem, as you can just get the Base Set, which remains true to the original colourway.

Sure there are alternatives out there, but if you want the best keyset in terms of key choice, fixed GMK problems, windowed LED keys, yaddi yadda, then please consider this.

Feel free to support whatever you'd like. There are lots of options in this market, but I don't believe there is an alternative to this one. That said, I do enjoy reading the posts. Great banter.

Regarding the MOQ of 400, I do plan to include extra keys once we hit that mark. Some keys that are already decided for the base set would be the F and J keys with dashes/bars homing profile, and perhaps some DE ISO keys to add more authenticity. I would have liked to include these keys in the beginning, but as you've already seen, pricing becomes an issue as a set becomes larger.

For the Colour Pack, there have been some ideas as well, mostly to include the missing Orange navigation keys, as well as the Numpad section, for a true Cherry-style colour theme.

Of course these will be up to the community and what the community would like to see, and hopefully we'd be able to satiate as many appetites as possible.

[photekq]

I am not sure when was the last time there was a GMK GB that included windowed LED keys

*ahem*

Although I guess that never actually happened

Good luck with the GB. It's a nice, well thought out set although the choice of legends isn't my cup of tea

[Karura]

I am not sure when was the last time there was a GMK GB that included windowed LED keys

*ahem*

Although I guess that never actually happened

Good luck with the GB. It's a nice, well thought out set although the choice of legends isn't my cup of tea

Thanks, haha, well you know, previous "successful" group buys.

Great work on the Classic Beige as well; it is a shame that it did not make it. Hopefully it'll make a comeback in the future.

[Karura]

Took a few photos of my original Skidata set, with a few Charred Orange pieces filling out the ANSI spaces for the Halloween festivities.





Re-legendables, with side-printed F-row legends.


Full album here, with more photos:
http://imgur.com/a/AIc18

[DanielT]

Love the keyboard, what is it? From the style it looks like a LZ.
As for the GB, I'm a huge fan of SKIDATA, I already have a set of original Skidata and a Charred Orange, I just can't justify spending that money Maybe I will take the Colour Pack, even if, to be honest I have more caps I can use.

[Khers]

I agree with Daniel, that is quite a nice keyboard!

However, it looks as if though the shade of orange is different on the original SkiData and charred orange, with the latter seemingly darker and duller. Is this true when you look at the actual keycaps, or is it merely a photography artefact? If there is a difference, which shade will SkiData+ be?

[Karura]

Love the keyboard, what is it? From the style it looks like a LZ.
As for the GB, I'm a huge fan of SKIDATA, I already have a set of original Skidata and a Charred Orange, I just can't justify spending that money Maybe I will take the Colour Pack, even if, to be honest I have more caps I can use.

I agree with Daniel, that is quite a nice keyboard!

However, it looks as if though the shade of orange is different on the original SkiData and charred orange, with the latter seemingly darker and duller. Is this true when you look at the actual keycaps, or is it merely a photography artefact? If there is a difference, which shade will SkiData+ be?

Thanks for the compliments! The keyboard is a LZ CP, which is pretty fitting because it's a 1800-style keyboard just like the original Skidata.

Good question Khers, I've done a bit of "Keyboard Science" regarding the issue, and would love to explain it. Unfortunately, it's a little difficult to give you a short answer, so you're getting the long one.

Both Skidata and Charred Orange were made by GMK to the colour code V2; however, the original Skidata had a brighter and more vibrant Orange, while the Charred Orange looked quite "dull" and bland.

I discovered that for some reason unknown to me, the more modern/recent GMK produced keycaps have translucent plastic.

Since Charred Orange was produced in 2013, its Orange legends were translucent as well, which made the shade of the orange become severely affected by the dark grey base underneath it, resulting in legends that seem less vibrant and bright.

This problem with translucent legend colours is not an issue with keycaps that use dark legends on a lighter base. Classic Beige for example (if it had been produced), would have suffered less from these effects since a "dark" black legend plastic is more robust and unaffected by the beige/white plastic underneath it.

On the other hand, Skidata's very opaque Orange legends allowed it to remain true to its original colours and not be affected by the darker charcoal grey base below, so to our eyes, it's as if it's a different colour.

I've tested and demonstrated the opacity/translucence of both Charred Orange and Skidata by placing them over very bright white LEDs, and recording the observations via photography.

Charred Orange (circa 2013):


Skidata (circa 1996-2000):


As you can see, the Charred Orange has what I refer to as "light-bleed" issues, and while the Skidata isn't 100% light-bleed-proof, you can see how much more opaque it is compared to Charred Orange.

Here is yet another photo (courtesy of JaccoW) demonstrating the differences between CO and Skidata.

CO on the left, Skidata on the right:


As you can see, especially when comparing both "Q" keys, it is evident that the CO Orange colour is more translucent/bland/dull, making it a flawed and much inferior set.

To be completely honest with you, it was this discovery in the first place that prompted me to step up and plan, and eventually run the SKIDATA+ GB for the community. (Planning started on 10/10/14, so more than a year has passed).

It's no secret that Skidata is my favourite colour scheme, and I just felt that it is such a shame that there were some issues with the Charred Orange set. I wanted to share my love for the Skidata colourway by designing and creating a set without any light-bleed issues, as well as include as much support as possible for various keyboard layouts out there (I'm a big fan of 1800, 75% layouts and own quite a few of these keyboards).

I've brought up the issues with GMK, shown them the photos, and they are now aware of the requirements of having very opaque legends, as good as the original Skidata (their words), making SKIDATA+ the first set to have these "issues" fixed (I put them in quotes, because GMK was unaware of them being issues until I had brought it up), and I really hope the community will end up having a stellar set, the best that GMK could ever make. Sorry I wasn't able to provide you with a shorter answer, but I hope this help.

[scottc]

All of this marketing crap and talking shit about previous, similar GBs ("As you can see, especially when comparing both 'Q' keys, it is evident that the CO Orange colour is more translucent/bland/dull, making it a flawed and much inferior set.") makes me uneasy about this buy. I don't see why it's necessary to "market" what you've got for sale here.