F104+SSK+122+62+77+50+Ergo orders now open! New Kishsaver+Industrial Model F Keyboards

[tentator]

I've got the labelless ones from ellipse and must admit they seem, if possible, superior to originals in terms of sound and feeling.. so also considering a caps set only here!

[Ellipse]

Nice photo John Doe! A rare key set too!

A few people were asking about solenoids - a Deskthority user has added a solenoid to his Brand New Model F Classic Case Keyboard.

The challenge is to find a good solenoid and a solenoid driver board. GH/DT user Orihalcon was selling these but not sure if there are any left.

viewtopic.php?f=62&t=23707&p=462600&hilit=f62#p462600

I saw this solenoid as a suggestion a while back - not sure if it is a good option: https://www.ebay.com/itm/0837L-06K-6V-0 ... 1967978003

[kmnov2017]

...A few people were asking about solenoids - a Deskthority user has added a solenoid to his Brand New Model F Classic Case Keyboard.

The challenge is to find a good solenoid and a solenoid driver board. ...

If you buy a 5/6 V solenoid, you dont even need a solenoid driver, just a cheap relay or a transistor with serve your needs...

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=23048&p=462804&hili ... id#p462804

[daphnis]

I can't find any brightness-up or -down button in the layout utility. Is it possible to get these keys?

[Muirium]

As far as I know: no. They are not included in the USB keyboard standard. (Annoyingly, as volume up and down are!) On the Mac, I just map the two brightness functions to F1 and F2 in System Preferences and use those on my Kishsaver and other keyboards.

[Ellipse]

kmnov2017 has anyone gotten that workaround working with the xwhatsit controller?

[kmnov2017]

kmnov2017 has anyone gotten that workaround working with the xwhatsit controller?

I don't know, but its so straightforward I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work.

[zetaomegagon]

Hello all,

I'm new here, and have recently arrived on the capacitive buckling spring scene as well, with my newly arrived F62 Kishsaver (I'd post pics, but my phone is a potato).

I've just applied pandrew's patches, but I'm wondering about the progress of the QMK port.

I'm def willing to slap QMK on my board if y'all need more testers.

Kudos to pandrew,webwit, and tentator for thier contributions so far!

[zrrion]

As far as I know: no. They are not included in the USB keyboard standard. (Annoyingly, as volume up and down are!)

The more I learn about the USB standard the more I hate it. At least there are software solutions

[consensual-penis]

I'm so hyped to get my keyboard, I'm typing on my xt wishing I didn't have to deal with the layout of it.

Soon.

[daijoubu]

I have been testing pandrew and tentator's QMK firmware and they are a joy to use. Fixes with the drifting problem, and so far it has been smooth sailing. I'd say when this is finalized and ported over, software woes with the capsense should be all but eliminated (fingers crossed).

PS: tentator told me about the legend that is pandrew and his contribution to porting this to QMK. I cannot stress how much their collective contribution will help this keyboard move to greater heights.
Now we can have the best of both worlds, a faithfully reproduced, mechanical marvel of a keyboard designed during the peak of IBM mechanical design (ok fine it's one step below the beamspring touch wise but hey, it's much more hardy so let's take that), and now combined with modern usability and customizability (is that even a word)

[Bass]

Just wanted to stop by to say that I am pretty excited to see all the progress that has been happening with this project recently, including the effort that has been made to port QMK to xwhatsit.

I have not actually used a keyboard with QMK, but the feature that excites me most is the automatic calibration, which is something that I would find useful not only for the Model F reproductions being made from this project, but also on other existing keyboards with xwhatsit controllers like beamsprings. Historically I have had many issues getting the voltage just right for my 3278 (yes, I know that not every beamspring owner has these issues, but mine is particularly sensitive), so I am curious if those of you who are currently testing and developing the port have tested it with a beamspring. On a related note, has any testing been done with solenoids? I see from the QMK documentation that solenoids are supported, but it seems like the extend and retract times are compile time constants, which would be a bit inconvenient given that these can be changed in real time with the capsense GUI utility.

[Muirium]

I too have a very picky 3278. In fact, I had two for a while (sold the rusty one to Seebart) and I thought it was just condition that was to blame. Nope. Apparently some beam springs just aren’t friendly to a single threshold value, which is all that Xwhatsit ever supported. And two of them came my way!

Glad my Kishsaver was much better behaved. But still less than perfect. Similar experience in my Xwhatsit equipped AT: sometimes it just has a freak out and the only option is to put it away to have a sulk.

As for compile time vs. runtime options: true. But auto calibration is so much more vital than dickering with solenoid release values. The latter is just the kind of thing you can find one value to stick with long term! Though, yes, finding it by rebuilding over and over will be a bugger.

What I’d love is some prebuilt binaries to flash onto these Xwhatsit’s. Tentator’s been giving me help but I just stare at the build environment and know it’s vitally important that I *not* use this thing!

A way to submit our Xwhatsit GUI save files (the app has a text export feature) for building into final hex files to flash the controller would be welcome indeed!

[tentator]

I'm equally excited with this progresses here, again thanks to andrei, thanks also to who is testing it to confirm the algorithm is good, like daijoubu that previously had calibration issues at least once per day and now they seem gone. I was sure, since I tested external electromagnetic interference with a power drill at 2cm from my F62, so it must be!!
Also thanks to webwit for contributing with some xwhatsit controllers he could spare/lend to further test and improve: maybe this week it would be possible to start testing also on 3278 beamsprings if QMK behaves well also there.. surely solenoids should be much easier and secondary priority task as well then, no worries in that regards I'd say..

Kr,
tent:wq

[daijoubu]

Just to share a layout I've made with the QMK.
My current layout is with 2 extra keys coming from split space bar + split right shift

qmk layout.JPG (109.29 KiB) Viewed 8483 times

[consensual-penis]

Has someone or will someone make a visual configurator for these boards?

[depletedvespene]

Has someone or will someone make a visual configurator for these boards?

If QMK support becomes good enough, the people in charge of QMK Configurator will surely waste no time in adding support to the F62/F77 boards.

[tentator]

Well the Screenshot above comes from the one pandrei is currently running yeah... Works great

[zetaomegagon]

What do I need to do to try out the QMK port?

Is there a repo I can clone?

[t8c]

Joined. Very excited!

[daphnis]

Just to share a layout I've made with the QMK.
My current layout is with 2 extra keys coming from split space bar + split right shift

How does the small space bar and the extra modifier fit?
(Ellipse said there would be a tight fit.) You got them from
Unicomp, right?

[daphnis]

As far as I know: no. They are not included in the USB keyboard standard. (Annoyingly, as volume up and down are!) On the Mac, I just map the two brightness functions to F1 and F2 in System Preferences and use those on my Kishsaver and other keyboards.

So the key menu, which I had assumed to be arbitrarily limited to a subset of possible keys, is actually exhaustive?

[daphnis]

Just to share a layout I've made with the QMK.
My current layout is with 2 extra keys coming from split space bar + split right shift

How does the small space bar and the extra modifier fit?
(Ellipse said there would be a tight fit.) You got them from
Unicomp, right?

Nevermind, I found the old picture.

[daijoubu]

Just to share a layout I've made with the QMK.
My current layout is with 2 extra keys coming from split space bar + split right shift

How does the small space bar and the extra modifier fit?
(Ellipse said there would be a tight fit.) You got them from
Unicomp, right?

Yes and I think I got the wrong spacebar length (it is too long by just a couple of mm or 0.25u).
How i fixed it is to use a 1.25u key, cut the original stem off, and glue a new stem in the right position to make it fit (as the original 1.25u stem will not fit correctly into the hole).

You can avoid my mistake by buying the right space bar, which unfortunately I am not too sure which is the right one. What I know is I bought the Small Pearl - Post 7/2013 and that is the wrong one. I reckon the Small Pearl - Pre 7/2013 may the correct one, but someone that has bought it needs to confirm. I also think the additional key needs to be a 1.5u like the Ctrl key.

[FXT]

I'm so hyped to get my keyboard, I'm typing on my xt wishing I didn't have to deal with the layout of it.

Soon.

I dunno, it's kinda nice with a bit of remapping. I might be a bit biased though.

[AlpsComeback]

Do we know where we should message Ellipse if we want our keycaps and keyboard shipped separately?

[troglotype]

Do we know where we should message Ellipse if we want our keycaps and keyboard shipped separately?

I sent him a private message here. He replied within the day.

[AlpsComeback]

Do we know where we should message Ellipse if we want our keycaps and keyboard shipped separately?

I sent him a private message here. He replied within the day.

Ooof alright, I also sent him a message here last Monday (the 11th) but no response yet.

[troglotype]

Do we know where we should message Ellipse if we want our keycaps and keyboard shipped separately?

I sent him a private message here. He replied within the day.

Ooof alright, I also sent him a message here last Monday (the 11th) but no response yet.

You can also try through the email address on https://www.modelfkeyboards.com

[tentator]

photo5918054696247997375.jpg (139.11 KiB) Viewed 10280 times

..tonight is QMK-on-Beamspring testing night!

I'm writing this for the first time for humankind on a 3278 with QMK on board!

Will post results tomorrow..

tent:wq