URSA Topre keycaps: interest check is live!

Learning and discussion Keycaps
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If you hadn’t heard already, URSA is an upcoming keycaps profile for Topre keyboards. Its designer @Andreas first posted about it in a thread last year, and we (FK) have since joined the ride to make it happen.

It will be the first doubleshot PBT keycaps option, and compatible with most OEM ANSI keyboards, from HHKB, Leopold and Realforce brands.

We have now finalized the kits, the legends and are working on the colorways. Production will start this summer (a test mold is already in the works), and we’re excited to introduce it to you already!

Black HHKB with URSA WoB
Black HHKB with URSA WoB3836×1422 292 KB

G̶r̶o̶u̶p̶ ̶B̶u̶y̶ In stock!

This is not a GB! We do believe in the project and want you to be able to purchase your sets directly without waiting for months. This is why we need your participation in the survey. Help us plan quantities and order exactly what you need so that we don’t fall out of stock when you are ready!

Oh, and we will ship from the US and EU (for quicker/cheaper shipping).

Specs

  • Doubleshot PBT
  • Topre-compatible stems (not MX)
  • 1.5mm thickness

Design by 23_Andreas, produced by FK

URSA x biip: designer collab

If you didn’t know, biip is the designer of several original and colorful sets, and made a name for himself over the last years. He has tried and loved URSA profile, so we decided to make together URSA MiniCom: the first designer colorway :fire:

You can check out his colorway in the survey.

Kits

We plan to start by offering 4 kits (each declined in various colorways):

  • base kit: compatible with HHKB and FC660C
  • extension kit: extend compatibility to most ANSI OEM keyboards
  • accents kit: a few keys that splash some colors
  • blanks kit: full compatibility with all keyboards

All these kits will be sold for a reasonable price (see how much and share your opinion in the survey).

We will offer options to have your goods shipped either from the US or from the EU, to save on custom fees (which, if you live in Europe as I do, are quite a pain).

Colorways

The first designer keycap set is URSA MiniCom by biip (see it in the survey), but we’ll also offer a couple more “standard” colorways, and we need your input to help us choose which.

"standard" Beige colorway
"standard" Beige colorway1920×1080 93.3 KB

Submit your feedback

We would love to hear from you in this thread but for more “formal” requests, and to make sure we hear your opinion and it weights on our initial order, please don’t forget to fill the IC below!

:arrow_right: LINK TO THE INTEREST CHECK FORM :sparkles:

You can also read more about the URSA profile here.

PS. I didn’t include some information in that post (sorry for teasing so much!), that is because we really need you to read and fill out the survey so we can plan our initial stock as well as possible! That being said, we are looking forward to read your comments below too!

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In stock is a wonderful piece of news! I’ll be doing my part with the survey to hopefully help make those counts accurate.

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Anyone know if MX keycap compatible EC sliders are also compatible with Topre keycaps?

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I don’t believe them to be. They’re an entirely different stem, and to my knowledge, incompatible.

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I cannot overstate my excitement for this project! :tada:

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Hey Don,

I don’t think so, sorry.

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Thanks for the info, @Andreas.

BTW, I completed the info but noticed Owned Keyboard section is missing EC kits as an option. They’ll be increasingly available and, while most if not all of them ship w/MX-compatible sliders, some may choose to reuse Topre sliders so it’s something to consider.

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This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for: URSA is officially entering the interest check phase!

It’s been an incredible journey of about two years since I started experimenting with my own keycap profile. And now, here we are, ready to gauge your interest. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for all the kind words and support I’ve received throughout this process. I’m especially grateful for finding a fantastic partner in FK to help bring these unique keycaps to you.

Thank you all for being a part of this remarkable community.

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Oh man, that MiniCom colorway is too cool. Filled out the survey!

I’ve been low-key avoiding Topre for the same reason I’ve been avoiding World of Warcraft and cocaine - I thought I might like it too much and end up with a whole new hobby.

But hey - life is change and these caps are way too cool not to be on my desk - so now I need to pick a keyboard. I have it narrowed-down to the Leo 660 or an HHKB… on the one hand, I’m already very familiar with layouts similar to the Leo, but on the other this is a great opportunity to pick up a layout I’ve been wanting to try… this is what I call having good problems.

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Hey Dave,

You’ve always shown great interest for URSA — so thank you for joining the survey :pray:

I know how that feels, I got my first Topre board in September of last year. Things got out of hand pretty quickly, there are currently 17 Topre keyboards around me. With the latest being a Leopold FC980C which is a tank. In comparison I bought four MX boards in the two years prior :wink:

Have a great weekend.

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Super excited seeing this project come to fruition, looks like I need to prep my Topre boards for a makeover :tipping_hand_man:

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The profile of these keycaps is simply fantastic. I’ve personally found the typing experience on the prototypes I have to be far more enjoyable than any other profile I’ve tried. This includes my previous favorite, MT3.

I’m very much looking forward to being able to get the production versions.

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I’d keep your eyes out for a 660c on the aftermarket (I’m a 660c fanboy), and in the meantime try to snatch up a used HHKB Pro2 for cheap, or a Pro Classic/Hybrid if you are feeling like something new. I hear the new HHKB have a whole different fit and finish.

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@fkcaps Not sure if you have any control over this, but the survey site hasn’t been up for me for the past 30 minutes or so.

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Filled out the survey the day it went live. Exciting!

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Murphy’s Law :cry:

It should be up and running now.

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jtk/deskeys/kbd fans stems with the cross are a no go with Topre/EC stem keycaps.

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Can’t wait for URSA!!!

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This has me so stoked for the new keycaps! I’ve been following the project since @Andreas first started showing off resin prototypes around the various discords, and have had the pleasure of typing on a few columns of them that were lent to me by another Topre enjoyer (thanks again @rooski15). I have nothing but the best things to say about both the profile, and their creator.

On a recent stream I did a side-by-side-by-side-by-side comparison of OEM HHKB, OEM HiPro (from a Realforce), MT3 (on MX stems), the prototype Ursa Minor caps that were lent to me, and holy crap, it was revelatory. Experiencing it like that for the first time, and being able to directly compare in an otherwise apples-to-apples platform really helped me draw my own conclusions, that Ursa will quickly eclipse my other preferred keycap profiles (MT3 and HiPro).

I’ll also say that after getting severely burnt out on the group buy delay/cancellation/ghosting madness of the past few years, I am supremely thankful that these caps are going to be released for in-stock sale vs. a group buy. Best of luck with the launch, Andreas. Can’t wait to see what else you cook up for us!

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Congrats on getting closer to launch! Filled in the survey earlier, super excited for this project to be coming to fruition.

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