I laugh every time that I see this pic. Iām glad that they are being honest, but they also should step back and think about the quality before selling products (not really their MO though).
Crazy thought - what if a company included annealing as part of their PBT manufacturing process?
Iād be happy to pay a few bucks more for a PBT keyset whose manufacture has a straightening process for wider keys, like the books-and-blow-dryer thing we do, but automated and with a machine:
- Injection-mold space bar part
- Part cools and warps how it will
- Anneal the part in a heated mold in the correct shape
- Gain reputation for reliable PBT sets
- Profit!
āAnnealā is a word usually used for metal or glass, but in the past few years Iāve seen it used to refer to a process of smoothing / homogenizing plastic 3D prints. Given the process we already use to straighten warped PBT caps, I bet this otherwise similar process would yield similar results.
With plastic, itās usually done by creating a mold of sand or similar material all the way around the print, and then heating it to melting point. The seams between layers melt together while the print retains its overall shape. If pre-shaped metal tooling were used instead of sand, pressure could be added to the equation - and I think that could work on banana bars. I wonder if any of the manufacturers have already tried something along these linesā¦
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Look at the bottom of old AEK caps. If you make the molds correctly with a fold at the bottom to counter the twisting force of shrinkage the keycaps come out much straighter. Apple/Alps figured out PBT 35 years ago.
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Itās human error, but still kind of funny that this key was actually made (presuming the pictures Iāve seen are real) with this spelling mishap:
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BLEEPTion is my favorite key!
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Iāve watched a couple videos about 3D printed part annealing. Their goal is to increase strength of the part versus retain shape, but interestingly, shape can change. An outcome that could impact injection molded parts I would think.
Anyway, it seems like it was a pretty fussy process; at least on the small scale.
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The Ironyā¦ I just got some durock plate mounts instead of screw-ināsā¦ as well!
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Iāll admit that I think this is pretty cool, but also very gimmicky.
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Overpriced by a factor of two at least based on the parts, but a very cool concept that deserves exploring.
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What Iāve wanted for years is a mechanical keeb with a built-in e-ink display and basic memory for journaling. It might look something like this, with a big more angle on the display. It might be nice to offer options for the display type depending on preference; Iām interested in e-ink for the very low power requirements and eye-strain thatās no greater than a sheet of paper.
The height of that display looks about right to me; Iād want it taller than the display you might find on a late model word-processing typewriter, but much shorter than something like a laptop - Iād like it to feel balanced on someoneās lap, and be comfortable to use from that position.
I recognize it would be a niche item, but Iād personally be very into having a dedicated journaling device - not too unlike a paper journal, but built for typing. My handwriting is slow and tortured, but I can more or less keep up with my thoughts when typing.
Any of you folks think you might like something along those lines?
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Iāve played around with a few different RPI Zero inspired portable writing machines. The e-ink thing is a little tricky Iāve found just because the refresh rates of the cheaper displays are really bad.
A while back I found this DIY device which provided a lot of inspiration. Itās ācoreā keyboard is a core but thereās no reason you couldnāt use something else.
Worth noting that as I played around with different designs I kept getting tripped up by the fact that all of these require a pretty extreme neck angle while using. Thereās definitely a ātech neckā concern. My main computer is a laptop but 95% of the time I have it connected to an external monitor so when I actually open it up and use it itās uncomfortable. I continually feel with these distraction free writers that the ideal solution some day will be a something like Google Glass (or whatever). Way off-topic there but it is something that keeps me away from diving into one of these devices.
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True indeed. I have a plate and some bolts in mine, so itās definitely something I should be thinking about. 
Maybe it would be better to have a tablet-like thing that can connect via bluetooth or usb; that would allow for more screen space, placement flexibility, and let people use their own boards. If a Kindle could be hacked for this purpose, that works for me too.
If you can find a used Remarkable tablet there are some folks who have turned it into a distraction free writer. Itās not cheap but it might be exactly what youāre looking for. Hereās a few links:
Distraction Free Writing with a reMarkable Keyboard ā¢ Nick Temple.
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Agreed. Very intriguing design and concept. Hmm indeed.
3rd buttonā¦ If only it wereā¦
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Iāve thought about rolling my own of these based on a pi and a touchscreen, sort of like a modern-day Tandy 100. Iād love it as a mech keyboard with a built in low-performance cyberdeck that can be used for writing/ssh/remote access, etc.
This one seems dodgy, expensive, and not quite up to whatās promised: https://www.reddit.com/r/cyberDeck/comments/ocahvl/ficihp_multifunctional_keyboard_with_builtin_126/
I agree with this comment from the reddit post above:
Looks like it is a third of the way to a cyberdeck. Maybe a quarter. Now for PS, case, and CPU board
Iāve also thought along the same lines, with the caveat that as I age my eyes canāt cope with small text so the Lisperati wonāt do for me. That said, throw in a bigger screen like on the FICIHP and Iāll be in.
GB when? ą¼¼ ć¤ āā ą¼½ć¤ 
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(Iāll toss in a name: CyberdecKB or CKB for short)
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Dorp being dorp š¤· u shouldnāt be surprised 
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