Damn! I am sold to the idea of buying a Norbaforce Mark II (will be my first topre !), but can’t get my mind on which finish to choose from. I joined KAT milkshake groupe buy recently and I think I will pair this keyset with it. So globally I narrow it down to VHS vs Retro Refrigerator … Or maybe Veracity Steel (my bank account will cry). K2 would look nice but too “classical” compare to other insanely good looking finish!
Edit: I am feeling reason is failing me and I want this Veracity Steel finish
Out of curiosity, do the LEDs protrude from the PCB? I’m assuming so, otherwise I wouldn’t bother with cutting notches into each individual dome for the sake of lighting.
That does sound pretty annoying, gotta’ be honest… might end up just using the 55g domes I just pulled from my 87u in my Heavy-6 build then. Hmm. The R2 RGB is a uniform 45g layout, correct?
I don’t remember if they protruded. I remember thinking the domes would probably seat correctly and work without snipping the notches. But I haven’t tried it.
Once the Mark IIs arrive, I am planning on doing a dome swap on my second R2 RGB to use the variable domes I have in my daily driver 87u Norbaforce Mark I. I may try covering the RGBs on that one since it will be even more annoying to separate and keep track of variable weight dome sheets.
I’ll likely add some Deskeys in for my Mark II build, considering I love how the “low-noise” FC660C sounds inside the Heavy-6. Have you used any silencing rings in your R2 by chance?
No, haven’t tried silencing rings. I tried the BKE Ultra Light domes and didn’t like those (I thought the bottom out was harsher). I had a PFU limited with the factory silent sliders, seemed to me the travel was shorter and I didn’t like that. (I’m kinda persnickety )
Sidebar: The R2 bottom row is 3 x 1.25u | 6.25u | 4 x 1.25u, right? I’m only asking because recently I’ve had trouble sourcing a center-stemmed 6u for my NovaTouch’d FC660C, so frankly, it will be nice to have less of a headache when considering key cap sets with the R2.
For anyone else who hasn’t picked one up yet, we’re down to the final few days, with the GB ending this week. If any questions or anything I can help with, I’m at your disposal.
Is the Mk II purple finish more likely to look like Norbatouch or Mk I astro purple? I noticed that in person both of those look different, the Norbatouch astro purple being more glittery than with the Norbaforce. The Mk I finish looks almost matte in comparison.
They are both the exact same color from the pigment maker, so in theory they should all look identical. It’s possible some slight variations in the past from one run to the next might have existed and due to application or curing procedure, since I’ve switched powder coating applicators many times over the years in search of better and better cosmetic results, but any difference should be pretty minimal. Having inspected a lot of cases made in this color, they have all seemed pretty similar to me.
Alright, I made the plunge. Also went for VHS. Sucks the exchange rate for AUD is low but the original Norbaforce was what piqued my interest when I started looking into the world of custom keyboards. I am not gonna miss this GB!
Yeah, it’s a bummer that the dollar is so strong right now. Not the best time to have made the jump to US manufacturing, I guess. But I appreciate all the folks abroad who have supported the project anyway (especially in the UK, where the pound is particularly weak supposedly due to Brexit).
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But I appreciate all the folks abroad who have supported the project anyway (especially in the UK, where the pound is particularly weak supposedly due to Brexit).