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Hey Friends,
Very excited for the launch of the ALT to followup the CTRL launch. 65% keyboards have always been one of my favorite form factors. It allows me to take advantage of the smaller footprint on a compact keyboard and still give me to easily access the arrow cluster and navigation cluster which I use daily - from spreadsheets to video games.
The ALT will ship with the same features that made the CTRL awesome - the firmware will be based on QMK and we will be adding it to our keyboard configurator for easy reprogramming. The same RGB lighting and customization. The keyboard also has dual USB C connections that functions as an USB hub and the PCB will ship with Kaihua hotswap sockets to allow for easy switch swapping.
This keyboard is another step in our eventual goal to make custom keyboard design more accessible to the community. We will continue to work on this line and add more offerings in the future - for example a matching numpad - since there were a lot of request for those in the CTRL drop.
For community members, this simplifies the experience of owning a custom keyboard, for community designers, this solves the hardest parts of your technical back end. This solution for designers means more projects will make the leap from concept to production, increasing the diversity of designs available to the community at large.
Thanks for your interest and support, none of this would be possible without you and the continued support of the mech keys community at large.
Last, a few administrative notes on this drop: The drop is set to end on May 24th. However, we will be doing a payment capture on April 30 so we can initiate tooling for some of the components in the ALT.
Luna55
316
Apr 26, 2018
YanboWuI like em and will collect them. Copies or not, I think if they are copies (aren't so many keyboards?) they're improved designs. Just give us a hint at what the DEL will be please? :)
OldCat
2500
Apr 26, 2018
Luna55Everything is a copy to some extent. What is not?
Luna55
316
Apr 26, 2018
OldCatExactly, some more than others but there are many boards morew or less with this layout. I do like the addtion of the hotswaps though.
OldCat
2500
Apr 26, 2018
YanboWuCurious if there is an incentive for people who contribute early as the payment will be captured on April 30th and likely they cannot have the flexibility as late contributors (who can change their options or change their mind). Thank you very much!
OldCatLet me speak to the team. I would like to offer everyone the flexibility of switching no matter when they join this drop.
Luna55
316
Apr 26, 2018
YanboWuSwitching between?
Ryoyo
3
Apr 26, 2018
YanboWuWill you guys only have a QWERTY layout? I'd really like to get into this but I'm using the german QWERTZ layout and you can't just switch the keycaps since it's quite different.
HerpDerpenberg
288
Apr 26, 2018
Luna55> Just give us a hint at what the DEL will be please? :)
Based on the trend, smaller version of CTRL and ALT, so likely a 40% keyboard layout. Same design, dual USB-C, aluminum case, RGB, hot swap, etc.
HerpDerpenberg
288
Apr 26, 2018
YanboWuNice to see that you put in for a 65%. Will be nice to see the DEL, which I assume would be a 40%? I really dig the layout and picked up the CTRL since it really hit the nail on the head with about 95% of everything I wanted in a keyboard.
In an ideal world for me, I would have liked to see a 75% with a similar layout to the Magicforce82, as I like my F1-F12 for gaming and don't really like the cramped nature of a true 75%. Plus, with nav keys, I don't really need a pause, scroll, insert key, so getting rid of those isn't that big of a deal anyway and I can just throw them on a sub layer if I do need them. But really those keyboards are only 2 columns wider than a TKL. Why I was OK with picking up a CTRL.
Bronze-Knight
55
Apr 27, 2018
YanboWuSooo I know I'm weird but is there any chance of a 100%+ size at some point? I really like the 128%(or larger) size battle cruiser/terminal size boards.
OldCat
2500
Apr 27, 2018
HerpDerpenberg65% is perfect hahaha
OldCat
2500
Apr 27, 2018
YanboWulet's do more 65% boards!!!
HerpDerpenberg
288
Apr 27, 2018
OldCatIf I wasn't a gamer and used F keys often, I would agree 65% is the best. I like the 65% with 10 macro/F keys on the left personally as my favorite layout but have yet to find one with the features if CTRL/ALT.
OldCat
2500
Apr 27, 2018
HerpDerpenbergActually I never use the F keys haha
pepelephew
0
Apr 27, 2018
YanboWuDvorak Keycap ?
calmor15014
3
Apr 27, 2018
pepelephewJust move the caps and remap the base layer in QMK, should do the trick?
lin-e
19
Apr 27, 2018
calmor15014Different profiles, so it won't look right.
RMaxim
186
Apr 27, 2018
calmor15014Keycaps that move between rows would be the wrong profile for their new row. For example, C and Q swap between the top and bottom rows. Lots of keys would be on the wrong row and would be a pain to type on.
@pepelephew You'll want to either buy a replacement set of caps with a Dvorak kit or buy a set of DSA/XDA caps that have the same profile across all rows to allow you to move caps around as needed. I've never seen a set of Dvorak-compatible PBT backlit caps so you may need to forego the shine-through lettering if you want the keycap legends to match your Dvorak layout.
calmor15014
3
Apr 27, 2018
lin-eGotcha. Forgot about that...
aergonaut
22
Apr 27, 2018
YanboWuWill there be a 60% version in the future? I'm assuming no, since this is a 65% board?
hypersprite
151
Apr 27, 2018
aergonautYeah, I was tempted by the CTRL but had no idea what I would do with the extra keys. Even this will end up with unused keys... But so much more tempting.
OldCat
2500
Apr 27, 2018
hyperspritewhich key will be unused in 65%? I think it is a prefect layout.
BlueCrowned
5305
Apr 27, 2018
HerpDerpenbergyeah I tried a 60% for gaming and cried long tiem
hypersprite
151
Apr 27, 2018
OldCatI am sure for a lot of people the Alt is the perfect layout and I can see why it was the next one in the Massdrop lineup.
I'm on Pok3rs setup with the Yoda layout so anything more than a 60% is left unused for me. I also added a Yoda Fn layer to my laptop Kb so no matter where I type, it's the same layout. So: Fn + r = backspace Fn + f = delete Fn + t = home Fn + g = end Fn + y = page up Fn + h = page down Arrows on Fn + w/a/s/d and Fn + i/j/k/l
So that whole strip up the side and the arrows would be extra.
I do like the Alt for the hot swap switches and the case though, so I'm having a little trouble holding back.
KnackeredDad
1
Apr 27, 2018
hyperspriteJust started using the pok3r in the last few months and it's probably just me but the FN key is in the most awkward spot, really want to love it but seems to break my flow every time.
HerpDerpenberg
288
Apr 27, 2018
BlueCrownedYep, i could swing a 65% for work though. I don't use F keys much at all outside of alt-F4 a program, F6 to focus on browser link bar, F1 to bring up help, F11 full screen browser. I'd be fine with those on a lower layer.
When you play RPGs and MMOs you get crazy into keyboard binds. Then stuff like PUBG has crazy amounts of binds as well. I've got individual grenade selections, consumables, car seat selection, shadow play macros, push to talk, mark the map, etc bound to F keys and q w e r a s d f g z x c b m g t y tab shift ctrl alt space pgup pgdown del ins.
BlueCrowned
5305
Apr 27, 2018
HerpDerpenbergI was trying to play GW2 with a 60% lol
weston990
51
Apr 27, 2018
BlueCrownedPlay it all the time on my HHKB ... just change the key binds. Things like your 1-5 being Q E R Shift+Q Shift+E, becomes second nature really quickly and much more comfortable.
hypersprite
151
Apr 27, 2018
KnackeredDadDid you try remapping it to Caps Lock with the dip switch and using that? I'll agree that the lower right one is a bit out of the way. Then the only time I find it awkward is when I need to press something like Ctrl + Shift + CapsLock + 5
KnackeredDad
1
Apr 27, 2018
hyperspriteOoh no didn't spot that in the manual, will give it a spin thanks!
BlueCrownedThat's one of the reason why I use a "mmo mouse" with all my 60% keeb
HotRoderX
753
Apr 28, 2018
YanboWuWish there was a way to opt out of being charged early. I just had to cancel so I can re order after the 30th. I don't want the funds being removed till next the 24th not only for changes but just I have more funds added. I am glad I caught that otherwise i been very upset. It should be made more clear on the drop page and checkout.
Moeeed
238
Apr 28, 2018
YanboWuThanks Yanbo; the Keyboard look great. I ordered a CTRL and I have joined this drop one as well.
Just wanted to ask you about the Quality Control and I asked the same question in the CTRL Drop. Can you please verify with the development/engineering team if they will pay attention to the Coil Whine, which the K-Type suffers from.
Thanks and really looking forward to the keyboards :)
john.yu
632
Apr 30, 2018
MoeeedWe've been looking into coil whine (quite common when LED drivers are running at high refresh rates), and have made some changes to the circuit to suppress it.
KnackeredDadI'd suggest flipping the DIP switch that remaps FN to Caps Lock.
Brooklynlou
22
May 1, 2018
RyoyoIts programmable. You can make any key whatever you want ...
YanboWuwhen is the expected ship date for these ?
BlueCrowned
5305
May 1, 2018
mastermachetierFrom the description: " Estimated ship date is Oct 26, 2018 PT. "
BlueCrownedoops ! Thanks for pointing it out.
pepelephew
0
May 1, 2018
RMaximyeah, but it is hard to find "Blank" KeyCap In Indonesia :|
AD2017am
90
May 2, 2018
YanboWuThe design seems like a complete rip off of the 'White fox' keyboard
OldCat
2500
May 3, 2018
AD2017amNot really. Whitefox has a top plate screwed in, which honestly is a pretty bad design IMO.
DougRenfrew
25
May 3, 2018
Having additional ports on a keyboard is far from an original idea, let alone Input Clubs!
The earliest keyboard I can remember with two USB ports was the Apple Pro keyboard which came out around 2000. It allowed you to have a shorter mouse cable because your mouse could be plugged in to the USB port on the keyboard instead of using up a port on the back of the machine (also cut down on desk clutter).
If you want, you can even further back (to 1968) to what came to be know as "The Mother of All Demos" where Douglas Engelbart used a lap keyboard with places to plug in a mouse (which he had recently invented) and a small corded keyboard ("corded" in the sense that it has a cord but also in that depressing combinations of keys at the same time had a different effect, think piano cords).

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This image is not Engelbart or from the Demo, but it shows the keyboard well. You can find the demo on Youtube.
jasonclevine
13
May 9, 2018
YanboWuWhich switches have the light pipe casing? All 5 options? Only a specific Kaihua? Halos?
I am not well-versed in the technical details of mechanical keyboards but from what I understand, the RGB LEDs are on the board itself and shine through the switch casings. Light pipe is some diffuser casing built into certain Kaihua switches but do not carry over from switch to switch.
Chekonjak
28
May 13, 2018
jasonclevineHalo switches only.
dinosaur_meat
248
May 18, 2018
YanboWuDoes the PCB have holes for switches with PCB mounting pins?
Moeeed
238
May 19, 2018
dinosaur_meatIf you have a wire clipper you can just cut the extra legs. That's what I do with Zealios
Shikada
23
May 20, 2018
MoeeedI mean, you can, but it's still a good question, since if the PCB has the holes for mounting pins, I don't have to clip them and ruin the switches for PCB mounting. That said, I kinda doubt they thought about this.
dinosaur_meat
248
May 20, 2018
MoeeedOf course. But I see no reason to spend $175 on a keyboard that doesn't support PCB mount switches, while the GK64 supports them no problem.
afledd
48
May 23, 2018
dinosaur_meatI don't like the 1u right shift on the GK64, so I am getting this, but I too would be at least curious to see if they are supporting PCB switches without making any modifications to them which would make them incompatible for future PCB usage.
BlueCrowned
5305
May 23, 2018
dinosaur_meatThere are many perfectly good switches that are plate mount that you could use with this board.
dinosaur_meat
248
May 23, 2018
BlueCrownedAnd there are many perfectly good 65% custom keyboards that I can use with the switches I like.
mimsyborogove923
20
May 23, 2018
dinosaur_meatI wouldn’t say MANY good 65% keyboards, but for sure a few lol.
jortz
41
May 25, 2018
HerpDerpenbergWhich games do you use the F row for? I have some things mapped to them but theyre the things I never need. I’m getting the Alt and intend to use it for gaming as well as everything else. Would have loved a CTRL abut missed that drop.
jortz
41
May 25, 2018
BlueCrownedWhat’s so hard about that? Just get a MMO mouse like the Razer Naga and you no longer need to worry about keyboard macros and the the like
HerpDerpenberg
288
May 25, 2018
jortzDepends on the game. Buy what I have my F keys bound to are typically less used buttons but something I don't want to have some sort of alt/ctrl/fn + button press to do. More of a "heat of the moment" type bind that is a reactive skill/macro to use that I don't want to stretch my hand to use and figure out am I pressing G or H on my keyboard. F10-F12 are things typically reserved for Shadowplay/Share macros (record, save last 15 minutes, screenshot capture), I use F9 for push to talk that is bound to a USB foot pedal, so that's really the only F key I do not need. So that leaves me with 8 macro/bind buttons. Other things like MMOs are similar long cooldown abilities/buffs/potions/skills. Sure, I could get one of those 20 thumb button mice, but I really dislike how those feel and they're just too clunky for me.
The other benefit is that I have a better "homing" with them as F1, F4, F5, F8 are easy to find the edges of the function keys, so those are my most used. I'll do something like F1-F4 as grenade selections in a game, F5-F8 would be consumables. That's why I really liked the Sentraq S65-Plus and had been 99% on getting it. Sure, I lose 2 F keys (3 if I end up using one of them as a dedicated ESC) but I have a homing to each row and it gives me 10 buttons within reach of my hand and I have an easy way to home row find them. I was actually considering it over buying the CTRL, but when I started pricing it out I was getting a hot swap switch and RGB backlit keyboard for a lower cost than the S65 Plus.
BlueCrowned
5305
May 25, 2018
jortzI honestly don't game often enough to justify it.
Peopopwitz
10
Dec 13, 2018
YanboWuAny plans to bring back the high-profile version of this board?
MartinB16
2
Dec 19, 2018
YanboWuAre these the box white retooled switches or before retooling? As I ordered the box white one and I’ve got another set of switches I’ll put in if it’s not retooled.
TuxKey
456
Dec 21, 2018
Peopopwitzexactly what i was thinking.. but then why bother we have the tada68 to fill that gap.. only thing i miss is having high quality cherry profile double shot pbt keycaps that are led compatible ..
TuxKey
456
Jan 17, 2019
how does your comment relate to the discussion here? if you have no opinion on the matter .. why say anything at all..
rehydn
7
Jan 24, 2019
YanboWuHey YanboWu, Is this drop really sold out already?
rehydnhey @rehydn, @webbie15, @jonmak329, we made a mistake on the backend setup. You should be able to purchase now.
Finix
0
Jan 31, 2019
rehydnnot yet
Yeett
0
Feb 6, 2019
YanboWuWhat type of switches dose it come with?
byblix
0
Feb 11, 2019
YanboWuDo you guys plan to integrate a nordic version of this? I need my keyboard with the æøå layout (danish) buttons :-)
JonasHansen
2
Feb 17, 2019
YanboWuWhen does the cherry mx brown switches come back in stock?
JonasHansen
2
Feb 17, 2019
YanboWuWhen does the cherry mx brown switches come back in stock
misfostre
0
Feb 21, 2019
JonasHansenyes plz get cherry mx brown switches back in stock
Wkinsey123
1
Feb 24, 2019
JonasHansenno body knows yet just request and prey to god.
Stere0
3
Mar 6, 2019
YanboWuI really want to buy this keyboard but I don't know when it will come back in stock. Please please make more. It is so requested and it would make a lot of people very happy
adm1n
4
Mar 18, 2019
Stere0yo dude its back
dveyts
0
Mar 25, 2019
YanboWuHi, I just got an email saying that If I join the drop now, then the keyboard will ship this week. is this true?
dveytsIt might have been an email for the ALT High-Profile. Which does ship immediately. The regular ALT is estimated to ship at the end of May.
dveyts
0
Mar 25, 2019
YanboWuThank you for getting back to me. I double checked. the email showed a picture of the regular alt, must have been sent in error. thanks for getting back to me.
dveytsThat is odd! If you have the time, please forward that email to us at communities@massdrop.com we'll see what's going with it.
dveyts
0
Mar 26, 2019
YanboWuHi, just forwarded the email.
Lasthuman
29
Apr 3, 2019
YanboWucan we please get this in black like the high profile alt?
poady
0
May 2, 2019
YanboWuAny chance Cherry Blues will ever be available?
Kill
89
May 3, 2019
poadyi would say no just cause it seems as if they never really offer that many of Cherry switches. Luckily it’s hot swappable so you can just throw any switch ya want in it.
sparton175
8
May 6, 2019
YanboWuAre the Halo Clears going to become available before the pre-order ends?
BlkPingu
64
May 15, 2019
YanboWuCan you just give us the high profile version back?
Kstrs
32
May 24, 2019
YanboWuAny dates for restocking halo switches??
lolskilled
1
May 29, 2019
YanboWuYanboWu, i want to order one keyboard (without kaycaps & switches). Which Cheryy switches should I buy, normal or RGB model? Want Cherry MX Silent Black and have no clue if normal version or RGB.
TD.93
4
May 30, 2019
YanboWuAny plans on restocking any other switches than speed silvers?
mopatop
15
May 31, 2019
YanboWuFriend, will switches be coming into stock? I just want to know if I should keep checking.
sauveboss
13
Jun 1, 2019
TD.93Any plans to restock any of your keycaps with switches?
coggro
36
Jun 3, 2019
YanboWuHey, for real though, any chance of a restock update? My Sr Dev got one and I found out pretty much all of DevOps is using mechanical boards and holy crap do I have the bug. I'mma grab a Cherry MX Brown board as soon as they're back in. Will that be soon?
coggroYes, we are working on getting these restocked ASAP @coggro @sauveboss @mopatop @TD.93 @Kstrs
(Edited)
lolskilledI believe the MX Blacks have only been produced in their none-RGB form, though I could be wrong. While none RGB cherry switches will work, you are going to get less shinethrough
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GrinninBarrett
13
Jun 7, 2019
YanboWuGood to hear! I know it's not always easy to be sure but is there any idea of a possible timeline?
coggro
36
Jun 7, 2019
GrinninBarrettAlso, in the meantime, any chance of a barebones with keycaps? I've got a lead on some comparable switches and could always upgrade those in the future, but damn those keycaps are nice. Having trouble finding some good double shot PBT with shinethrough that doesn't use a windows symbol for the meta key or come in bright pastels or otherwise offend my finnicky sensibilities... (edited to apologize for replying to GrinninBarrett, I meant to reply to @YanboWu)
(Edited)
A community member
Jun 17, 2019
YanboWuare you planning to drop this next year? please let me know I dont want to keep waiting for nothing:(
AsianFork
17
Jun 19, 2019
They just dropped it, so you're going to have to wait a while if you want the next drop
A1blooded
2
Jun 19, 2019
AsianForkDidnt it say they just dropped today w. New inventory ? 6/19/19
AsianFork
17
Jun 20, 2019
A1bloodedOh, I didn't notice that they do pre-order so quickly
BuzzFx
3
Jul 29, 2019
YanboWuWhy is the barebone isnt available?
BuzzFxWe had sold out previously. We've replenished the available options though!
yfactor8
2
Aug 22, 2019
YanboWuAny chance you guys will release a 75% version?
A community member
Oct 21, 2019
yfactor8Won't say never, but not any time soon.
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