Would love to get my hands on a 980m hasu and a 980c hasu controller.
FYI on the 980m, the oem pcb supports in switch LEDs for the num lock and caps lock keys. When swapping switches I desoldered the stock LEDS from the indicator row and soldered in off-white LEDS on the lock keys. This will allow me to have lock key indication even with the Heavy-9 housing.
Just to make sure I understand - there were existing holes on the FC980M PCB that were pre-wired, and you can simply move the LEDs from the stock location to be below the keys themselves? That’s an awesome mod! Any pictures, bychance? 
Any idea of the same mod could be done for the FC980C? I understand it was @norbauer’s design decision to “not support” the LEDs on the Heavy-9, and while I agree its a much better aesthetic - some of my computer usage requires me to know the state of these locks, and I would love the option to have them visible within the Heavy-9 case.
I doubt it, gonna be pretty hard to shine an led through a rubber dome
Well, we do have the wild rotated stem and cut-out dome on the left CTRL on the 87u that causes a nightmare for keycap compatibility 
That’s correct. The holes for the lock light LEDs are present on the fc980m PCB when the board is brand new. The holes are filled with solder though, so before you put LEDs in those vacant holes, you’ll want to remove that solder.
Regarding the fc980c. That pcb does not have any extra through hole LED locations. Technically, rgb topre board is possible, realforce r2 rgb demonstrates this. Though additional engineering is required. Realforce r2 rgb boards have clear slider housings with lenses that focus the rgb led around the rubber dome. The domes in rf r2 rgb also have holes in them for the smd leds.
Edit: see my aug 14th post (post #39) on this thread. You can see the stock in switch lock light led locations on that pcb. It is the spots with the white circles. 
Thank you for the extra details, and the additional picture of them installed as well - quite compelling All the more reason to be excited about the FC980M + Heavy-9 compatibility!
As for the FC980C - I wonder if there is some engineered solution involving pieces of clear plastic that route the stock LED light up such that it could be seen underneath the four top-right keys. Ideally it would be subtle, and the plastic itself not visible from the usual viewing angle of the keyboard. Something to brood on, I suppose!
in theory you could use some SMD LEDs that come soldered with wire leads and solder in place and route the LED where ever you want on the board/through plate. Though this is definitely DIY, will require drilling of plate and would be fiddly unless serious thought was used. something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Pre-soldered-Micro-Wired-Yellow-Available/dp/B07P5MYG1X/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=soldered+smd+led&qid=1604955864&sr=8-2
I’m happy to report that machining is now complete for both aluminum and stainless. Powder coating starts tomorrow.
Exciting times Hopefully managing the Heavy-9 and Heavy Grail simultaneously doesn’t present any issues!
Completely switching gears - a recent Instragam post of yours shows some Festool products you are using to build your new desk. Someone made the comment “Festool is the Norbauer of tools” which piqued my interest.
I’m gearing up to build a backyard office, do some minor home renovations, and after that potentially toy with some woodworking projects.As I’m currently tool-less, I thought I might explore what Festool has to offer. Care to geek out on your experiences with Festool thus far? The MFT/3 tables look intriguing 
I could go on and on!
The track saws are amazing replacements for a table saw, which is a tool so dangerous, even with SawStop tech, that I’m just not willing to own one.
The Festool Domino system is excellent for quick and easy joinery (unlike biscuits, it actually adds meaningful strength over glue).
I refer to my Festool T18+3 drill as The God Drill because of its torque-control and considerable power, and the right-angle and eccentric chucks are life-changing.
And Festool dust extraction across all tools is absolutely unparalleled.
Is there an expected date for these? Also, is there a sound test available?
Any updates on the estimated ship dates?
Hi @drysake. (Also, my apologies to @Yoddl for not seeing your post earlier.) Here is the latest. The powder coating shop was supposed to ship all the finished Heavy-9 units to me last week, but their QC caught some tiny color irregularities in the K2 finish parts, which appeared to be present on almost all of them. Those are being re-done early this week, so hopefully the shipment should go out to me late this coming week. My goal has always been to try to get the Heavies-9 all packed up and shipped before the end of the year if at all possible, and that remains plausible if the powder shop keeps to this latest schedule. This is also assuming the foam inserts for the packaging arrive on time. (They’re due roughly around right now, but I have a request out as of Friday for an update on the ETA, as there have been COVID-related delays and closures all over the place lately it seems, especially here in California.)
Incidentally, I spent an evening recently (while re-watching White Christmas 
) signing all the product booklets, one of which will be included with each housing.
These are all stamped by hand and signed by me (with a vintage flex-nib fountain pen! 
)
That product booklet! Hats off. Bravo.
P.S.
Does that ship date include custom colors by any chance?
No, the bespoke colors take roughly an additional month. Those are being dropped off at the one-off powder coating shop early this week.
Nice. That’s going to line up with my birthday!
Passport to kick ass and type names
This is sick. I’m new to the hobby and haven’t tried out Topre out yet, but following your work on keebtalk has me feeling something different for sure.
I will definitely be trying a legit Topre board some day and will probably end up chasing that rabbit hole and save up for a norbauer custom. =D Keep on doing you!
I hope there is enough room to stuff that passport in my veracity case. That way it’ll be pristine when the not-yet-born children of my currently 13 month-old daughter find it.
Supports the 980m - could always buy the case and start with MX.
