Beam Spring 104+SSK Reproduction Project! First Batch In Stock, Shipping early next year after New Model F Project

[jmaynard]

Heh...looks like the font, while hand-drawn, was drawn to look like a font called Gorton, named after the company that built engravers for it: https://aresluna.org/the-hardest-workin ... collection

[dodddummy]

Anyone else feel like a 6 year old who has been waiting 3 years for Christmas?

[turbosquid]

Oh absolutely, I check in on this thread every week or so

Any chance we can get an update on production? Thanks!

[Ellipse]

A great read about the Gorton font jmaynard! Thanks for sharing it.

Does anyone know the font that IBM used on their F122 keyboard labels?

The factory reports that they completed another 20,000 modules in the past few weeks, bringing the total to 100,000 out of the ~150,000 for the current production batch, but they still need to finish the case and the top/bottom inner assembly plates. They are hoping to finish up production and assembly this year as noted earlier.

Here's a video posted a while back on how the cases are made:

Given the low volume of the beam spring project (about 1,500 keyboards for what may be the only production batch), all of these modules have to be assembled by hand, including the attachment of the thin metal part to the white part of the module. Buying and setting up automation machines would far exceed the size of the project, for such a relatively small project. Even the Model F barrels are installed by hand on the plates. There still are many machines that help the factory workers, but these keyboards take quite a bit of labor to make.

I know things have taken longer than expected but the factory and I want to make sure everything is as good as possible. The latest examples from a couple months ago are excellent and they used modules from this completed production batch. The modules are the most important part of the beam spring keyboard to get right and I'm glad that I did not approve mass production and assembly until they met my requirements.

[wobbled]

Why would anyone share font info with you when you don’t share anything with the community?

Bellend.

[ngnx]

The photos show each available layout with the factory keys: ANSI, ISO, Split Shift and 2U Backspace, and Split Shift and Split Backspace.

Here is one photo of each available layout:
2025-02-07_23-38-10.jpg

So is this the final keycap set for the F122? Full set + re-legendable keys for the extra keys?
I vaguely remember that, when I originally ordered this keyboard years ago, it said there would not be any keycaps for the extra keys, so I ordered a set of /dev/tty MT3 keycaps by matt3o from Massdrop, which have been sitting in a box for a long time now.
But I'd be happy to get the keycaps from the picture, and use the spare MT3 set on another keyboard, if the included keycaps are like this.

Looking at my receipt, I chose

Black modifier keys with white text, all other keys white with black text ($39)

So I assume it's going to be that.

But to be clear, am I getting the relegendable keycaps also? I hope I won't just get a partial set not covering all keys...

[ritter]

But to be clear, am I getting the relegendable keycaps also? I hope I won't just get a partial set not covering all keys...

You will need to order the re-legendable key caps separately. The included keycaps are only enough to cover the std 104 keyboard layout.

[Ellipse]

Hi ngnx - the pictured set is one and the same set that was ordered a few years ago for the Round 1 beam spring boards. It is the only set that has ever been offered as part of the production boards. The key set includes all the pictured keys except the transparent relegendables as ritter has correctly noted. That 22 key set covers the 10 left side + 12 keys above the F1-F12 function keys row and is available only as an add on set.

[ritter]

Hi Ellipse,

Any updates to share with us? Thanks!

[Eeyore]

Wondering if there will be any complications when the keyboards come from the factory

[Ellipse]

Nothing just yet in terms of a new update. The factory is still working on those remaining parts (module assembly, case parts and top and bottom inner assembly plates) noted with last month's update; they are expected to take several months in total to complete. The expectation is still for these boards to be delivered later this year.

[genericusername57]

Nothing just yet in terms of a new update. The factory is still working on those remaining parts (module assembly, case parts and top and bottom inner assembly plates) noted with last month's update; they are expected to take several months in total to complete. The expectation is still for these boards to be delivered later this year.

So, are these going to get a 100% tariff price increase when you receive them and ship them out overseas? Or is all money already exchanged?

[Ellipse]

My personal expectation is that the tariffs will not be a problem by the time these keyboards are ready to ship later this year, so no one will be paying tariffs, since that time is several months away. The keyboards are not ready to ship, so no one should be worrying right now about months into the future.

Everything except the Round 2 Beam spring and the second half of the F122 keyboards) does not have US-based tariffs since they are in stock and were already imported, so I strongly recommend that folks who are considering a brand new Model F or beam spring keyboard look at a stocked keyboard for the fastest shipping option, but a reminder that I cannot change any orders from keyboards that I have already paid the factory for and are currently in production.

The importer pays the import tariffs, if applicable, for goods not currently in the US, so my understanding is that each recipient would not be paying tariffs if I import everything from the factory but they would if the goods were shipped directly from the overseas facility to a US-based customer (something I have not done before). Shipping directly from overseas without entry into the US may be something to consider for the non-US based destinations if tariffs persist for the rest of this year, which again I do not expect. Normally everything ships to me for QC inspections, labeling the serials, printing the dot matrix invoices, and preparing orders that include already-stocked items that arrived as part of previous container shipments (for example, the beam spring key sets and first aid kits).

Of course many sellers of made-to-order type products, crowdfunded Kickstarter-type products, etc. will likely have to wait out these tariffs for goods already in production but not yet imported since they would lose money with each previous sale, so we will have to wait and see the situation later this year as the beam spring keyboards get closer to completion.