hehe the cool gray looked like the original NCR80 R1 colour
I don’t have a hotswap version to be able to test that well. However the carbon fiber plate seems to be of nice quality. In hand it seems sturdy, which is kind of the reason I don’t think I want to use it. Seems rather rigid.
My memory of what carbon fiber plates are supposed to feel like is a little rusty, but I thought that people like them for the sound, but that they are quite firm.
I think some of what you and others have posted about the classic Cherry boards being plateless and my love a soft bottom out leads to think that is what I would prefer.
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Was that issue ever resolved?
I have R1, and the gray is a darker one that is more greenish in tint. It definitely goes with a specific type of keyset [classic beige + cream as in CRP].
The cool gray, as depicted in the R2 promotional images, is indeed lighter and cooler [more silvery] than R1 gray. It would look nice with something like Royal Alpha, IHMO.
But they didn’t produce the colour in R2 that they said they would. I don’t know if this was ever rectified.
Found out about this today - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3256803997162099.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.0.0.442c1802WdUf0m&gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt
Might have to give it a try. I think I am gonna desolder the Mallo switches I put and and do something a little more tactile.
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That looks like a good deal! Says they had to hand trim for stabilizer wires so they’re discounting them. Seems like a win.
I was looking into getting a ‘silent’ NCR-80 for a relative [they requested one], and here’s what I ended up with:
That’s a standard dark gray case. Carbon Fibre plate. OUTEMU Silent Lemon/Lime switches (lubed). TX stabilizers.
It’s a soldered build, because I didn’t want those switches getting away.
It’s actually very quiet, mainly thanks to the switches. These are the best silent light tactiles you can get right now, although they may have minor QC issues.
NCR-80 is still a hollow build, but this one has the optional NCR-80 foam [all types]. The CF plate isn’t that loud, although I think aluminium is better for silent switches. It’s very light, hardly adds any weight to the case. Nor does the dampening material. It’s almost as light as a standard NCR-80.
I used Shenpo PBT beige + cream keycaps and some lavender accents in order to save money. But they seem kind of crooked to me. Do they let down the build? Honestly, the stabilizers promote a little more N/S/E/W wobble than expected, but I think it’s mainly the keycap stems.
A finishing touch: the LED indicators are purple:
Overall, it is a successful silent build. Although I don’t think NCR-80 is inherently quiet. Aurora with dampening is quieter. And from user accounts, HMKB TKL may be quieter as well.
Maybe Cannonkeys Earl Grey Lavender could achieve the same effect, with more consistency?
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Badass build. Good job
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I have to confess: the soldering part was done by an assembly service. I needed a known talent for the job.
In the end, I’m sure the ‘customer’ will be happy.
Good news: NCR-80 R3 is already available for purchase.
I contacted the original group buy runners and they had this to say:
“Hi！ I’M so sorry to reply so late.
I have done 87 Win-key version.
Now I show you some photo.You can buy it on alibaba-TAOBAO.”
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It also appears they have an accompanying 87 key FR4 plate and hotswap/solderable/Bluetooth PCB, but the hotswap sockets are North facing.
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Darn. That’s a show stopper.
It’s a truly bizarre hotswap/solderable combo where each switch can be soldered in south facing or hotswapped in north facing. There’s also a Bluetooth variant.
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I’ve seen this sort of thing too many times. Instead of just addressing shortcomings, they throw some wild stuff on top, turning a decent product into a cheap sideshow.
Is that beige or white? What’s the deal with these NCR colors?
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Will they finally be offering a proper “cool gray” (NCR-3007) like they tried to do in R2?
This is kind of a dumb question… but is the NCR-80 [like presumably all MK] compatible with Windows language settings?
The NCR-80 for my relative is going to be used for English / French work. So I guess they will be using software shortcuts within Windows to access special characters.
There’s no problem with this, right? The NCR-80 should be fully compatible with whatever OS-level language functions exist in Windows, and any software settings just like a normal keyboard?
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Yes, language is controlled by the OS, not the keeb.
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Is there a way to buy the R3 yet? I’d be quite interested in a WK ISO-compatible version of this.
https://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?t=27498
The project owner posted last month about the NCR80 R3 and keycaps, it doesn’t seem there’s been any movement since then. Perhaps a ZFrontier run at some point? It’s difficult to say.
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The R3 is now available to buy, btw:
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