***For the Brand New Beam Spring Project launch information, please see a couple posts before this one for details. As a reminder we are waiting to go through the new Model F keyboard backlog before the Brand New Beam Spring Project starts shipping, expected early next year. Sign up to reserve your spot if you haven’t done so already!
***If you have a new shipping address please do email me to let me know your order numbers and the new address. Check your order email and our email communications (if applicable) to make sure the latest address I have on file for you is the correct one.
Project status summary – what has been going on lately, when is my keyboard shipping, etc.:
This section is nearly the same as other recent updates: For those who have not been following recent updates and frequent postings over on the Deskthority and geekhack project threads, I will note that there is still time to customize and order your Brand New Model F Keyboard and/or add on to your order with any accessories like the First Aid Kit for future repairs, solenoids and solenoid drivers, extra key sets, new production transparent relegendable keycaps (just introduced!), inner foam, extra flippers/springs, Model F key pullers, custom made 3 meter USB cables compatible with these keyboards, and other parts. Also I will note that the keyboards have started shipping – it does not mean that your keyboard will be shipping right away! There is still a ways to go to get everyone’s keyboard out.
To add accessories to an order that hasn’t shipped yet, you can choose (when placing a new order) the free/other shipping method, immediately before clicking Place Order. This way you can save on shipping – big savings especially for international shipping. However if in the US and if you can pay the shipping charge, please do so to help defray the significant project cost overruns.
Regarding the shipping notification emails, everyone receives one as soon as your order ships.
There are not many new updates in the past month – the main focus is on continuing to mail out the keyboards and key sets, which will continue over the coming months until everything has been mailed out. Please review the prior updates below for other recent updates.
I thank everyone for their patience as I become the final bottleneck of the project, QCing and mailing out each order. I expect to continue mailing out orders for the rest of this year into early next year, so please refrain from asking me when your keyboard or key set will ship as I cannot estimate where any one order is in the queue. So far I have personally QCed, tested, and mailed out more than 1,900 Brand New Model F Keyboards all over the world!
Split shipments of the keys continue going out
Please see the prior post for a description of this option. Lately my focus has been on mailing out all the “all in stock” split shipping orders for those who chose early delivery of their keyboard and delivery of the keys when they were ready.
In December the factory will be wrapping up all the remaining things they need to do for the project, for the time being, including finishing up all the international key sets, custom keys, etc. As noted before, only the “all in stock” orders can ship out. Some paid for the split shipping option way back when, which allowed their keyboard to ship ahead of the keys. While I prefer to ship all the remaining keys all in one shipment for each person, currently the “split split” shipping option is available if you wanted just your main key set that’s in stock to ship right away, and the rest of the items to ship later when the factory finishes them up and mails them to me.
Again I recommend that everyone waits if possible so that there is no additional cost. For the split split option please order 10 additional units of the store item $1 increments for US shipping addresses and 20 units for international addresses, and choose free/other shipping at checkout, right before clicking Place Order. This would be something to consider if you ordered a US key set (in pearl/pebble, blue, or dark gray), HHKB 6 key set, Mac 6 key set, DVORAK or COLEMAK 4 key set (different keys nubbed for the home row), or UK set. For other sets, they are not yet in stock so this would not help you. Of course this option doesn’t let you jump the queue and expedite me mailing your keyboard if it has not been mailed already – this limited option is only for those who want keys and maybe some in stock accessories shipped ahead of time (first aid kits, solenoids, extra USB cables, barrels, flippers, springs, etc.). This option is subject to stock availability.
New announcement: additional colors for the Ultra Compact Cases: Off-White/Beige, Industrial Gray, and True Red – also Greek key sets now available
The factory is making a small batch of these colors. The project web site will be updated with these color options over the coming days. Please email/PM me if you’d like to switch out the case for an existing order of yours that has not yet shipped. I updated the project web site to add the additional ultra compact case color options Industrial Gray, Off-White/Beige, and True Red. You can upgrade an existing keyboard or spare case that hasn’t yet shipped, or make a new order. The cost is the same as the other premium cases (all $75 extra).
As an update Greek key sets are now offered, thanks to Zed.
Nice keyboard color combination
I am sharing (with permission) another nice color combination that someone sent me, with the plan to install the custom 12 Key Industrial SSK set when it is ready (the factory is still wrapping up the remaining custom keys and sets and should wrap things up by year end – the approval process has taken longer than expected for these sets but I’d rather see adequately-aligned sets before rapid sublimation can start – every offered key set style has its alignment and content checked to make sure it is good, before the remaining sets can be sublimated).
xwhatsit controller updates
Is anyone interested in helping to update the xwhatsit controller to add support for 3 LED lights and a solenoid driver at the same time? Please see the prior update post for more details. I’m still looking for some help for this.
Deskthority member pandrew has recently updated the xwhatsit and QMK firmware to work with the forthcoming updated wcass controllers. As noted a couple months earlier there is a slight design update to remove the 10K resistor pack component which was not needed and has become more difficult to find in sufficient quantity. It is my (limited) understanding that the Atmega controller has a built in resistor that can be powered on or off.
pandrew has published the updated QMK firmware (please follow the git link and instructions in the manual on the project web site for access), and has also published the updated xwhatsit firmware, version 0.9.3, on github:
https://github.com/purdeaandrei/ibm_capsense_usb_mods
As a note, the only update was a change to allow the forthcoming xwhatsit controllers with internal pull-up resistors to function correctly. Both old and new xwhatsit controllers will run on the same new firmware versions for QMK and xwhatsit. Unless you want to try a beta firmware, it is not necessary to update to either version as there are no other feature updates.
The new firmware is confirmed backwards compatible with the old controllers so it is fortunately not necessary to have two different versions for different hardware – thanks again to pandrew! I will update the files on the project web site in the next month or so.
For those worrying about the firmware side of the project: please do not worry – the keyboard requires zero programming as everything is set and confirmed by me during the final QC process before mailing each keyboard, based on the options you selected when ordering the keyboard. Most people won’t even touch any settings or even change the firmware from what I can gather. Thanks to xwhatsit, pandrew, darkcruix, and the QMK/Via folks plus the other forum members helping out and providing various firmware and controller options, these keyboards definitely have far more features and customizability than most Model F fans would ever be able to use!
Higher force springs?
Is anyone interested in higher-force springs? I have a sample set of ~120 springs that were rejected as they required a little more force to process. The whole lot is available to one person so they have enough to fill a keyboard with them; please PM me if interested. Pricing will be based on best offer, with a minimum of $1 per spring. Flippers not included. As mentioned across my various ebay listings, the reason for the sale of these parts at higher pricing is to help recover the significant project cost overruns. Due to slight variations in the diameter of the flipper nubs I can’t guarantee this will work with original flippers (none of my springs are recommended to be installed on original flippers, as noted a while back). These ~120 springs are a slightly tighter fit than the production springs, so you have to press them a little more forcefully onto each nub. I would describe the sound as approximately the same as the production springs, maybe slightly quieter but still audible.
I also have 230 QC rejected springs without flippers (sound characteristics are off – too high pitch) available in batches of 80, 120, or you can take the whole lot. If you prefer a changing to a higher pitch spring this is the only batch available. Again, only recommended for new Model F flippers but will possibly work with originals. Pricing is the same $1 per spring only to the first folks to contact me over email or PM, with the goal being to help defray project cost overruns. Air mail shipping seems to have significantly increased in cost per kg / lb in recent months.
Via open source alternative: Vial
Please take a look at NathanA’s informative posts on getting Vial to work with the Brand New Model F Keyboards. Vial is a great offline GUI program to edit the layout of your keyboard.
https://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=11046&p=495128
https://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?p=494541#p494541
Any beam module puller suggestions?
I am trying to find recommendations for a tool that can separate the super glued beam washers in bulk, so that the springs can be replaced with different weight springs. The plan is to offer a heavier weight spring and a normal weight (normal force) spring with the new beam keyboards, and to have a tool available that can help folks switch between springs or potentially repair beam modules in the future.
Currently I remove the module, flip it upside down, grip below the washer with a flat metal wire stripper tool, and gently tap the tool with a hammer a few times. Takes a few seconds but it involves needing to take out and later put back all the modules.
Ideally the tool would grip the two sides of the washer, and it would have a gun-type grip that would push in the center (the white beam part shown in the first post). I’ve seen some twist ones (shown below) but that seems like it might take a bit longer to use for each module.
Similar products I’ve looked at include gear pullers, battery terminal pullers, wiper arm pullers, gear pullers, etc.
The washer is 1/2 inch and the white beam module part below it is about 3/8 inch, so the puller spread should account for that.
Possibilities:
Faucet handle pullers
Door panel pullers for a car/upholstery pullers
Battery terminal pullers
Interesting historical documentation on keys for keyboards:
Here is some interesting information that someone sent me recently regarding details about keys and keyboard layouts. The links are good to check out too:
Some people have asked if there was a standard for naming keys.
I thought that was a valid question, and here is an answer.The W3C publishes the main web standards, and it includes standards for referring to both physical keys
and the different meanings associated with pressing one or more of those keys.
From the docs:CODE
code holds a string that identifies the physical key being pressed.
The value is not affected by the current keyboard layout or modifier state,
so a particular key will always return the same value.KEY
A key string that corresponds to the character typed by the user, taking into account the user’s current locale setting,
modifier state, and any system-level keyboard mapping overrides that are in effect.
It is acceptable for multiple keys on a keyboard to generate the same key attribute valueCode and Key standards:
https://www.w3.org/TR/uievents-code/
https://www.w3.org/TR/uievents-key/The motivation and the system behind it:
https://w3c.github.io/uievents/#events-keyboardevents