[GB] the Heavy-9: aftermarket housing for the Leopold FC980C and FC980M

Patiently waiting for photos of the VHS to be fully convinced I need a third Heavy-9. :massage_man:

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Which ones do you have already?

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Two Enigmas: one for home, the other for office.

I’m waiting on GMK Beta, which I think would go perfectly with VHS for that all encompassing cassette tape theme.

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really looks great with those ivory keycaps

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Just ordered mine in VHS, super excited!

@norbauer Is the felt damper included in this round? If not, will there be an opportunity to purchase one in the future?

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It is indeed included.

Delightful!

What are the odds of a Heavy-9 based on the Cherry 1800? I have several TKC 1800 boards, but would love a metal, especially polished, case.

Probably likely not something I’ll personally tackle, I’m sorry to say.

Has shipping begun for the May restock? I’m not sure if updates are already posted elsewhere

We’re still waiting on the EVA foam for the retail boxes to arrive. Everything else has been done and on hand for a long time, but for some reason shipments like the foam one are taking insanely longer than usual. This reminds me that I should go reach out for an update, but as of my last checking they should have been due within the next couple of weeks. Thanks for bearing with me while the world of logistics is turned upside down. It’s kind of maddening to have everything ready except for this last one random (relatively minor) component.

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That’s frustrating, I work in supply chain too - I understand it. Thanks for the insightful reply though, helps to know the whole story

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I am now officially numerate, and wirelessly at that! I switched my choice of finish to K2 and quite glad I did.

  • Leopold FC980M internals - millmaxed
  • Susuwatari Keycaps
  • Gazzew Boba U4 Silent Tactile (62g alpha; 68g mods) - stock
  • Yang FC980M BLE controller (Bluetooth works great!)
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beautiful set up!
by any chance have you got photos of the internals? does the heavy-9 require a separate breakout board like the norbaforces do or does the Yang BLE controller handle everything? (i guess you wouldn’t need it to line up with the port opening if it’s Bluetooth, huh).

(also might be stupid/noob question but) are the internal batteries that run the Hasu or Yang controllers rechargeable? are they able to be charged while inside the boards or they must be disconnected and taken out to be dealt with?

I was too excited to take photos of the build :crazy_face: but the Heavy-9 reuses the same breakout PCBs that the original FC980M/Cs do. In my case (FC980M), the Yang controller replaced the bigger breakout PCB that slots onto the main PCB with pins, and there’s another smaller breakout PCB for the USB port screwed onto standoffs on the Heavy-9 casing itself (the port, incidentally, is perfectly aligned).

Only ‘issue’ with using an FC980M with the Heavy-9 is that the dip switches won’t be accessible anymore unless you open it up each time. This means that you won’t be able to turn Bluetooth on and off conveniently since the Yang controller does this via dip switch 1. But the Yang has an auto low energy mode so I never turn Bluetooth off and it lasts more than a week on one charge so far.

You have to supply your own rechargeable 3.7v LiPo battery which connects to the controller. Once you connect it, it charges through the main USB port no problem.

The specs of my battery are:

  • 6x40x80mm
  • 2500 mAh
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Got my VHS today, love it!! So happy that it came faster than I expected, thinking it would be weeks since it was a pre-order. The finish texture is so nice, waiting for a couple mods I ordered to arrive before making this even a better than it already is (typing feels wise)

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Looks incredible! Did you order yours in the May restock too? Been waiting for my aperture one to ship but I read all of the above and hope the packing EVA foam will arrive to Norbauer’s warehouse soon.

I ordered mine on 18th July and it shipped on 22nd July, I was expecting 2+ months!

Oh really? That’s quite strange as I assumed all orders would be put on hold till the packing foam is in. Either way, enjoy the board!