Massdrop x OLKB Acute Ortholinear Keycap Set Discussions | Drop

Mar 6, 2018

[3/8 Edit] Graph of OLKB Acute's final purchased history:

Mar 6, 2018

dvorcolYou and your graphs... :D

Mar 7, 2018

aikilinkIs that good or bad?

Mar 7, 2018

dvorcolHow can graphs be a bad thing? As long as they are accurate, and not misleading! It's just cute - this drop doesn't have drop points for you to graph, so you got creative and did one on how fast they're being purchased!
As an aside, do you type dvorak or colemak, or both? :D

Mar 7, 2018

aikilinkYeah, I was sad to see there were no drop points on this one, but that‘s good because there are no MOQs either.
I made my user name when I first joined, before I was familiar with OLKB. I use the Dvorak layout (learned it before Colemak came out). The “col“ part is for “columnar.” Ambiguous, right? Were I to do it now, it would be “Dvortho”.

Mar 7, 2018

dvorcolThat's awesome! I'm an ortho-Dvorak typist also! I could never learn to touch type on a normal keyboard, or with Qwerty, but starting over with Dvorak, and on a columnar board worked very well for me!

Mar 7, 2018

aikilinkIf I may ask, what ortho keyboard did you learn on? What are you currently using?
I learned Dvorak on a TypeMatrix 2020, and later moved to a 2030. I really wanted mechanical switches, so eventually I bought a TEK 229. But none of these boards had a numeric keypad, and some of the keys were in odd places or on other levels. And while the TEK's columns were straight, its rows were curved, which I found a bit annoying. So I am in the process of making my own full-size ortholinear.

Mar 7, 2018

dvorcolI learned on a Planck, and really like it, but felt I wanted something more ergonomic. I then built an Atreus, since the rows are curved slightly, I felt it would be more natural. I typed on that for a few months, and really liked the extra thumb keys, as well as the overall shape. It would have been pretty nice to have an extra column on each side, but I didn't want to go as big as an Atreus 62.
One day I plugged the Planck back in, and it surprised me that I didn't mind the straight rows at all, so I've been going between them. I actually really like the compactness of those boards, though you do have to really think your full layers through, to retain where things are. I've also been considering doing my own dyesubbing, so I could make a set that reminds me where the less-used things are.
I just received a couple of the XD75RE, and think it is a nice balance between size and function - you could put a few things on a layer, but you'd really be able to put most things on the main layer. :)
Wow, that is quite the project! Are you going to be able to build it with QMK firmware? Will you have many keys larger than 1u, or will it be 108 1u keys? I personally like smaller boards, though my wife would probably prefer a board bigger than the XD75. Are you active on any of the keyboard forums, or Reddit?

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brenda52411

181

Mar 7, 2018

aikilinkPardon... what are drop points?

Mar 7, 2018

brenda52411Most keycap sets have certain volumes at which that kit’s price will be reduced.

Mar 7, 2018

brenda52411As @dvorcol said, it's sort of a volume discount, since with keysets, they are often a one-time production run of a given set. If a company has to set up all of the equipment, just to produce a quantity of 100, they need to charge more per set for setup expenses. So, while it might be $100/ea, for x100 for a given set to be made, but if they receive an order to make x1000, they might be able to sell them for $85/ea.
This gets complicated when a given group buy has 20 different kits. Often, one or two kits will reach the best price, while other ones will only sell a few. @dvorcol kindly comes in and uses his time, and expertise to make graphs of where the stats are at, and how close the buy is to attaining the next drop point (quantity discount), for each kit. :)

Mar 7, 2018

brenda52411Here is an example of drop points. The first graph highlights each kit's quantity ordered and its current price. The second graph highlights each kit's price points.
The first price drop point is the Minimum Order Quantity. If at least that many orders of a specific kit are not placed, Massdrop might not make that kit. In the example, Massdrop decided near the end to make all the kits anyway.

brenda52411

181

Mar 8, 2018

aikilinkOne MORE thing I never knew... that there were different KINDS of keyboards... amazing stuff!!
As I sit here, I'm looking at my keyboard on my laptop.. and just realized there's a whole set of keys running down the left side of the keyboard that I don't have a CLUE what they are... oops.. there are more of them up over the num lock key, in the upper right corner. I've never noticed those 10 keys before.. and have NO idea what they are for.
I should also clean off my keyboard... what is a good cleaner, but safe, for a black laptop keyboard? Damp cloth?

Mar 8, 2018

brenda52411Oh goodness... More kinds than you could imagine. Let me know if you have any questions, or would like to try a few switch types out or something. Do you have any interest in ergonomic designs?

brenda52411

181

Mar 8, 2018

aikilinkI don't think so. Years and years ago, I tried (one kind) of an ergonomic design, and I just could NOT get the handle on it... not sure why. I'm a touch typist, but I kept looking down at my fingers, trying to figure out where they were... no clue why...

Mar 8, 2018

brenda52411I know what you mean about having to look down at my fingers, but I’m the opposite. Very proficient on the numeric keypad, but sometimes hit the wrong key - or two keys simultaneously - using non-home-row alphas. Took some adjustment time when I switched to ortholinear - 1 to 2 weeks - but now my alpha errors are few and far between.