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dvorcol
Support for Alternative Layouts
This is a summary of how alternative layouts have been supported by kits such as Colevrak and Homing. It is not a discussion of alt layout performance and development, but if that interests you I highly recommend starting with Pascal Getreuer’s A guide to alt keyboard layouts (why, how, which one?). It’s a concise and comprehensive overview with links to some great sites that go deeper. He also has a separate Links about keyboards page. The Keyboard layouts doc he recommends explains layout goals and metrics in detail, summarizing the alt layouts discussed here as well as more than one hundred others. Sculpted-profile The majority of custom keycap sets are sculpted-profile (Cherry, SA, MT3, KAT, etc. - more on profiles generally here) so let’s start there. Because each row has a unique keycap shape, alt layouts require a unique keycap for each legend that moves off its QWERTY row. At first there were two The Dvorak layout was patented in 1936 by August Dvorak & William L....
Apr 23, 2024
CousinTimmy
Promo codes for stack Macropad v2
is there any promo codes right now that work with the STACK OVERFLOW THE KEY V2 MACROPAD? link:https://drop.com/buy/stack-overflow-the-key-v2-macropad?searchId=ead314359856d5486d35f4713cff32e9
Apr 23, 2024
Robbedoes
*Help* Screw in stabilizers not fitting in Dropshift V2 keyboard
I'm trying to build a mechanical keyboard with screw in stabilizers, I've build some mechanical keyboards with click-in stabilizers, never with screw in. Somehow one of the pins of the metal top-part collides with the screw in stabilizer of the numpad "enter key". I already tried grinding of a bit of the pin that collides with the stabilizer, but unfortunately I can't make it fit/close properly. You can see that the pin of the toppart leaves a mark on the bottompart of the stabilizer, see picture 2. What am I missing? Using Durock V2 in a Dropshift fullsize V2. See pictures below, thanks in advance!
Apr 23, 2024
Fukyachickennuggets
Polymer clay
Don't drop crazy cash on custom wood builds! Instead go buy polymer clay and paint. Then you can spend a ridiculous amount of time trying to make it look like you can afford to drop crazy cash on...
Apr 22, 2024
GrEEdYY
HELP PLEASE!
HELP PLEASE! I put noise insulation in the keyboard and after that it stopped working, the only sign of life is 5 blinks of orange light.can do something about it? model:DROP ALTv1
Apr 22, 2024
Durazell
Want to build a Clicky Mech Keyboard. Where to begin?
Hello all. Am brand new to the idea of building my own keyboard. Have not a clue where to begin this process. I am a Sim Game enthusiast. American Truck Sim, DCS Flight Sim and goes from there. Need some real help on where to start for making my own Full Size, Clickey Mechanical KB. I want each key to have its own backlighting. Are there keys that are better than others for this? Is there a great spot on site for a person who has never even taken a keyboard apart? Let alone fixed or built one? I would like it to fit my theme of Red and Black. Yet maybe have the option of changing things up a bit. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all kindly, Durazell
Apr 20, 2024
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I can see why someone who's new to the hobby or not part of it at all would vote for something like this. I can also see why they wouldn't actually buy it now that it is available. People underestimate the buying power of the die hard enthusiasts compared to the general public and as such the poll was not the most effective way to gauge interest.
That said, this is the first time they've done this. Live and learn.
In theory they could potentially restrict voting to people who have made at least one purchase greater than 50 bucks in the Keyboard section, for example. Albeit again, as said, not saying they should - but if they ever wanna take the contests a little more seriously that could be an option.
The intent of a poll, if one is to want to see as much success (as in numbers/profit) once the drop becomes active (which I assume is the case every time) is to have votes be as closely correlated and directly proportional to sales as they can possibly be. If everyone's allowed to vote the results are skewed and sales suffer when people don't put out with their money where their mouth is.
Would you (or MD) rather have 20000 votes and 200 sales or 2000 votes and 1250 sales? The former is a theoretical example but the latter is extrapolated from Laser's vote (held outside of Massdrop) where people voted for Gaijin versus Kobe, 2k people voted and then 900 + 350 sets sold in the end.
As for you bringing up laser that can't be compared do to the fact that 1 it was set up by an extremely popular set designer and 2 had more then a year to hype the set up. So what you have there are a whole lot of people exited to buy a set with mass appeal and a potential for high resale in a year when new people come in and find they want the set. Using any poll from laser and comparing it to this is about as useful as apples to oranges. Hell comparing any poll with multitudes of different options with a poll that only has two different kits in an already extensive main set isn't fair.
That said, I think the team did an incredible job on this first iteration. I'm obviously a bit biased, but I think it's pretty special that there were ~100 designs submitted (many by first time designers), thousands of voters, and that a keycap design that would have never existed otherwise is going to be made and in the hands of a couple hundred people. And I think Glimy did an awesome job designing this set, and bringing to life the digital version of his keyboard. I'm pretty disappointed by some of the negative and hateful sentiment coming at him and his design... as a new keycap designer, I'd hope he'd receive a way warmer welcome.
There's obviously room to make the contest even better next time. I think it's interesting that we could considering limiting voters (or submissions) in some way, or change the voting mechanic to make it more likely the "right" keycaps make it to the top. I don't really think the pool system was bad, personally. Ultimately, if this set was more popular than others in it's pool and the 3 pool winners, I think it's likely it would have won out against any pool (the individual "match-ups" likely wouldn't sway that much). This was one of the few designs that had extensive, and creative use of symbols/novelties, among other things it did well. Those things definitely stand out for a broader audience, and the vote may have certainly been different if just "people who already spent $50" could vote.
But I think the approach depends on the goal of the contest. One potential goal is to make an amazing new keyboard that wouldn't otherwise be made. I don't know if that means it needs to be one that existing, hardcore keyboard enthusiasts deem worthy. In fact, I think it would be awesome if this contest led to bringing new people into mech keys by creating a more approachable or "mass market" (for lack of better term) keycap set. So there could be a goal to bring in new people to the community and letting people in the community engage with it in a new way. Another goal could be to get new people involved in designing and making keyboards. Lastly, given Massdrop is a business there is always a goal of trying to sell keyboards. But I don't think that should overtake the other goals at the sacrifice of getting more people involved or making something new and unique.
One idea based on this conversation (not sure this would actually be feasible, but interesting none the less..): what if the next time around we had both a public poll and a "existing Massdrop keycap buyers" poll.. basically the potential for two winning sets from one contest that would launch separately. This could be an interesting "test" for all of us to see how things shape up in that context, and giving even more designers ways to bring their keycap sets to life. Thoughts?
That said, and going back to your 2 poll idea, if nothing else it'd be an interesting exercise in order to see how much they would differ from one another. The biggest inherent flaw (a word I use with no animosity) here when it comes to translating what you guys accomplished into a set that sells competitively is that when I mentioned the "rest of us" above, our definition of a worthwhile design that makes for a purchase is monumentally different from what the general public perceives as a "fun idea" or a "cool concept" for a myriad of reasons.
When I said the 50 dollar rule could work I meant purely from a business/sales perspective without taking anything else into account. I'm sure there are better ways to go about this where one could strike a balance between both intents (as you already have with your idea).
I think people need to calm down. If you don't like a set, you don't like it. Not a big deal if a set isn't for you.
Please don't be mean to others just because you don't like a set though. One of the great things about this community is that average users have the ability to work hard and create something new and awesome!
Unless MD opens a manufacturing shop, the only way the general public is going to purchase sets is by purchase power/number of purchases (a "mass drop" if we're being clever).
If the goal is simply make random keysets from a randomly polled group of people then that's fine of course, MD is free to do what they want in that regard. If you want sales, you need to limit your audiences. If MD has an SEO guy — talk to him. This is basic advertising concept.
I found @Veda comment very interesting though. As a someone relatively new to the deep hole that this hobby can become, I find my tastes changing as I acquire more knowledge and get exposed to more and more history and products. What would have appealed to me when I started and what appeals to me now are very different and massdrop is to be applauded for at least trying this approach. I can't help but feel it backfired a little and needs a few more safe guards to ensure that the product that finally launches is actually as successful as it deserves to be.
EDIT: One idea that came to me as I was finishing up - require people put a fee up for voting, but can be spent on anything in the keyboard community to get their vote to count. A token amount, 5-10usd. It can be redeemed on anything in the Mech Keys community. But it's required to vote on something that creates a new product.
"Dude, I don't even go around telling people what I like"
Ok, that is exactly what you are going around doing. BUT that isn't a problem, the problem is that you are acting like you are the gate keeper to good design and everyone else should fall in line. I like this design, it won a vote, AND it's meeting MQO. There is no issue with this design. Your tastes aren't universal.
And you're the authority in...?
I like the idea of committing $5-$10 with the caveat that if your choice(s) don't win then you get the money back. If they do win, it goes toward your purchase and if you don't purchase, you lose the $5 (or maybe a coupon to buy something else).