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

[kmnov2017]

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[wobbled]

Mattr567 - sorry for the delay - just mailed out your solenoid driver! As a general note everyone will receive a tracking number by email when something is shipping.

FXT did you see the newly posted manual which discusses suggestions to mitigate the binding of larger keys? Now available at www.ModelFKeyboards.com/manual Please do share your results and let me know if you tried anything else that works, so I can add to the manual.

FXT since I switched the keyboard firmware over to QMK, that is what many recently mailed keyboards may be running, especially if your keyboard was mailed out in recent weeks. You can check Windows Devices and Printers I believe. The xwhatsit utility won't launch in those cases. To switch back to xwhatsit I have posted instructions in the above manual. Also feel free to request access to the QMK beta. QMK works by flashing the firmware and layout all at once. The editing of the layouts is done on a web site instead of a standalone program.

If anyone else wants the solenoid driver mailed out before the solenoids are in stock later this year (with the second container shipment) please let me know or make a note "ship ASAP" in the order notes text box when placing an order.

clint I like your Model F case! It has the right vintage look, appropriate for the keyboard inside. I was actually looking up cases with protective foam for these new keyboards from factories in China a few years back but did not find much interest in a group buy.

Gurbsordidity for dust covers I have used the Fight Computer Dust Antistatic Vinyl Keyboard Cover (Keyboard Cover: 20W x2H x9D-Large) for my buckling spring keyboards. It is a soft cover. I was looking through my old emails and it looks like tomorrow will actually be 7 years since I ordered it, and it has remained in good shape without discoloration or other damage. I added a thick copper wire around the bottom to give it some more structure for ease of removal and installation.

helohe I would definitely consider updating my printed manual's font to IBM's open source font as well as a future PDF of the detailed manual on the project web site. I see 10 options in the OpenType ZIP file. Which ones are recommended? Since it's in Microsoft Word, I can easily change the fonts for entire groups of text at once.

If anyone would like to volunteer any artwork to the detailed manual it would be appreciated! Maybe it will expand from just being on the web site.

darkcruix the update on the dye sub is that the factory is mailing me some samples in the next week or so that they have made with the initial prototype jig. The alignment is still needing of improvement. The dye sublimation continues to take longer than expected unfortunately. I am continuing to mail out keyboards earlier, with printed keys to ship later. I still have about 50+ keyboards in the current queue to send out.

Thanks everyone for the recent days of discussions here. Very interesting reading. I think all of the points have been expressed well by everyone who has been posting. I'm not inclined to express any further notes publicly on the subjects at hand, but I will state that I believe a Brand New Blue Box SSK is far rarer than a used Industrial SSK (which I have sold for $1000-$1500) based on the number of units of each of these keyboards that I have seen listed online, but the relative valuation and how much rarer would be a private discussion between me and an interested party. Out of respect for the privacy of the buyer I would not expect to disclose the final sale price unless the transaction were a Buy It Now or Auction on eBay where the display of pricing and bids would be out of my hands. There are many new brown box SSK's manufactured years after the blue box units that sell for far less and are relatively more plentiful. The only NIB Industrial SSK sold for $2,000 on eBay in early 2014 but that was before IBM keyboard pricing skyrocketed in recent years.

Well of course you don't want to express anything else publicly as you can't justify your own greed.
Indistrial SSKs sell for more than normal SSKs because they are far fewer in numbers.
1avidcollecter has sold brand new, blue box SSKs for less than 600 dollars up until very recently. Do your research.

With the drama going on in this thread, I've been approached by someone offering to sell me a brand new SSK for a figure in the hundreds, certainly nowhere near 1k.
A 4k asking price is simply not appropriate, your greed is absolutely shocking.
Yes keyboard prices have sky rocketed recently, but you are literally part of the reason why that's happening.
To think I was going to splash out on another F77... I think I'll spend my money elsewhere.

[hgoodbar]

My drawing skills are miserable (like a first grader), but I am sure someone can help getting drawings like the below done:


Keyboard.png

I had forgotten about those side-activated fold-down legs!

[Mattr567]

Thanks ellipse, got the shipping email!

[Gurbsordidity]

Gurbsordidity for dust covers I have used the Fight Computer Dust Antistatic Vinyl Keyboard Cover (Keyboard Cover: 20W x2H x9D-Large) for my buckling spring keyboards. It is a soft cover. I was looking through my old emails and it looks like tomorrow will actually be 7 years since I ordered it, and it has remained in good shape without discoloration or other damage. I added a thick copper wire around the bottom to give it some more structure for ease of removal and installation.

Fantastic - thanks, Ellipse! Bonus thanks for including dimensions.

[Zcool31]

ModelF3.png (466.27 KiB) Viewed 7752 times

This is fun! Would be easier with a 3D model though. I could write shaders to get that clean cel-shaded look.

[Ellipse]

Due to the extended lead times for powdercoating in China, the factory is starting preparations for colors for the final round (for both classic and compact cases). Please do post if you would like to order any previously unavailable colors and if there's enough demand (not sure of the minimum order quantity just yet) then I will look into offering them. I like Dark Blue as a powdercoated zinc case option, and maybe doing another run of the True Red which came out nice.

[FXT]

FXT did you see the newly posted manual which discusses suggestions to mitigate the binding of larger keys? Now available at www.ModelFKeyboards.com/manual Please do share your results and let me know if you tried anything else that works, so I can add to the manual.

FXT since I switched the keyboard firmware over to QMK, that is what many recently mailed keyboards may be running, especially if your keyboard was mailed out in recent weeks. You can check Windows Devices and Printers I believe. The xwhatsit utility won't launch in those cases. To switch back to xwhatsit I have posted instructions in the above manual. Also feel free to request access to the QMK beta. QMK works by flashing the firmware and layout all at once. The editing of the layouts is done on a web site instead of a standalone program.

Thank you, I really appreciate the advice. According to the manual, the issue is caused by the spacing of the stabilizer and the keycap. My temporary fix was to cut a small piece of art foam and stick it inside the keycap, which has completely eliminated the binding issue I was experiencing before. I would like to try to come up with a more elegant solution in the future though. And thank you for the heads up about the QMK firmware update, I was completely unaware of that change; definitely explains why the xwhatsit software didn't work. Other than those two minor hiccups, I absolutely love my F62 and F77. They've both exceeded my expectations and I've finally found worthy replacements for my trusty XT.

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Foam to remedy binding backspace key

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On the topic of dust covers, this is what I use.

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[Scarpia]

Nice colorways FXT!!!

[darkcruix]

I have attached a little typesetting demo based on helohe's tex doc.
I tried to mimic the original documents from IBM and how they added figures etc.

This is just a very simple first start, but any recommendations on how to move this along would be awesome. For what it is worth, even if it is only for the very few of us, I think it would be a nice side project that keeps the Model F knowledge alive.

test02.zip

(97.42 KiB) Downloaded 126 times

[Zcool31]

ModelF4.png (89.96 KiB) Viewed 7570 times

More!

[darkcruix]

I did my very best to create an exploded assembly drawing in the old IBM style. Below is a first draft of what I think the design can look like in a Technical Reference ... wanted to hear some opinions.

Case-Bottom-Top.png (394.84 KiB) Viewed 7433 times

[Zcool31]

I did my very best to create an exploded assembly drawing in the old IBM style. Below is a first draft of what I think the design can look like in a Technical Reference ... wanted to hear some opinions.

I like! What tools did you use to make the graphic?

[darkcruix]

...
I like! What tools did you use to make the graphic?

Took photos from a dis-assembled keyboard (each part individually), then I copied the picture into Affinity Designer and locked the picture. In another layer, I was drawing the primary features (pen tool) with a line width of 3 pt.
My idea is to do this in a zoomed-in variant as well, where I show an exploded barrel with flipper and spring.
In the end, I want to describe all parts of the keyboard. This can be referenced later when talking about - e.g. a flipper replacement or testing of the sensing PCB etc.

[Zcool31]

Cool! I just find pictures on the internet, load them into Gimp, then spam filters and edge detect until something that looks like line art comes out. Has Joe released 3D models for his renders? I can do more interesting things with those.

[AlpsComeback]

Does anyone here know where to find stepped 1.5u Ctrl/Alt keys, like in this picture?
https://www.modelfkeyboards.com/wp-cont ... C_6527.jpg

[Zcool31]

Here's what I can do with a 3D model. This is obviously a bad one.

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[darkcruix]

Does anyone here know where to find stepped 1.5u Ctrl/Alt keys, like in this picture?
https://www.modelfkeyboards.com/wp-cont ... C_6527.jpg

I have mine ordered from Unicomp

[njm]

Hi Ellipse, my F77 arrived this week. It sounds and feels great! Thanks so much for all your hard work on this. It has certainly been worth the wait.

I do have a minor issue with random keypresses though (extra keys when one key is pressed). It sounds like something the QMK beta would fix. Would I be able to get an invite?

[higgsboson]

I would also like an invite to the QMK beta if possible.

The keyboard performed wonderfully on one of my computers, but after a while i started getting multiple characters whenever i pressed "Y". I switched computers and Caps Lock is perpetually pressed on my second computer. I have three computers which I use regularly and it looks like the settings for one are not good for the others, so the auto-calibrate feature of QMK would be very useful. Many thanks!

[Zcool31]

Shaders are awesome! Was screwing around with them and got this effect.

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[Hypersphere]

Does anyone here know where to find stepped 1.5u Ctrl/Alt keys, like in this picture?
https://www.modelfkeyboards.com/wp-cont ... C_6527.jpg

I have mine ordered from Unicomp

Likewise, I got some of these from Unicomp. I got unprinted, but I think they have printed or unprinted in various colors. You can also find these on M122 or F122 keyboards.

[FXT]

Out of curiosity, are the dot matrix packing sheets still a thing? Neither of my boards came with one. Also, does anyone have a guide for how to use QMK on an F62/F77? I can't seem to make the config site work properly (the download button for the hex file is always greyed out even after compiling) and the site also refuses to show the proper layout when using the json files from the modelfkeyboards website.

[Ellipse]

FXT the packing slip should have been in the package loose, or outside the package in the clear shipping label pouch. I have noted to send another slip with the rest of your orders.

You would need to use the beta QMK site for now, not the official site. Please do post here requesting an invite to the QMK beta.

[FXT]

FXT the packing slip should have been in the package loose, or outside the package in the clear shipping label pouch. I have noted to send another slip with the rest of your orders.

You would need to use the beta QMK site for now, not the official site. Please do post here requesting an invite to the QMK beta.

Thank you, I appreciate that. And if I could get an invite to the QMK beta that'd be great.

[njm]

I've been having a bit of trouble with the space bar getting stuck on my F77, so I've raised the stabiliser tabs. This seems to have fixed it, but the space bar is a bit rattly now (it was really nice and solid before). I've experimented with different heights for the tabs, but can't seem to get them any lower without it binding. I wonder if it would be worth trying some lube in the stabilisers, or if anyone had any other tips?

[darkcruix]

I've played around with content and design language of the original IBM Technical Reference manuals and wanted to share a very early draft version of what I would enjoy owning.
http://www.linux-tin.org/ModelFManual.pdf

Obviously I used information that is out there already (referenced in the footnotes) and added my pictures and graphics.
For the moment, I create it for my own joy, but wanted to get some feedback, if there is some interest out there in helping to add content, correct things, help in the design, correct any references I missed, etc

[njm]

I do have a minor issue with random keypresses though (extra keys when one key is pressed). It sounds like something the QMK beta would fix. Would I be able to get an invite?

I installed the QMK beta this morning, and it has fixed this issue for me. I've been using the keyboard all day, and it has been rock solid. Thanks pandrew!

[darkspider]

I just got my F66 and F72 today, they look really gorgeous, really.
Then I wanna configure my keyboard layout, hence love to get invitation for QMK beta.
Any help?

[Scarpia]

I've played around with content and design language of the original IBM Technical Reference manuals and wanted to share a very early draft version of what I would enjoy owning.
http://www.linux-tin.org/ModelFManual.pdf

That looks amazing!