| DanielHetberg June 24 2012 18:21. Posts 105 | Profile Blog # |
Hey all.
My keyboard mod is done. If you're not into the mechanics and making-of pics, feel free skip right to the end of this post.
I finished my last blog saying my wife was delighted with the Dremel tool (and she is). Here some pics of her cutting down the keyboard base. In the end, only very flat top and bottom halves remained with the circuitry sandwiched in between.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Fw9Ft.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/1mHr7.jpg)
She also completely created the leather faceplate.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/vvntJ.jpg)
Due to previous complaints that I took a web pic of the router and it didn't look used enough for some people, here's a shot of the bench in my father's secret basement workshop laboratory. I returned for some detail work I had previously only considered and wasn't decided yet because of time constraints.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/wY6Xc.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/LqT0g.jpg)
On the wrist rest, you can see the result. A nice little recess for an engraved name plate.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/JcUiV.jpg)
Speaking of engraved name plate... having them made is fairly expensive, so I decided to make it myself. You, too, can have lots of fun with engraved stuff in N easy steps:
- Design your engraving in some graphics program (as always, I recommend the free Inkscape)
- Buy a narrow sheet of brass metal
- Cut it down to the length of your name design
- Print your design on a transparency and tape it on top of the bar
- Scratch your design through the transparency with a sharp knife or tool, this will leave only tiny marks on the metal
- Use a dremel with a very narrow-tipped grinder or a hand tool to scratch the metal surface. At first, I tried to actually carve into the metal, as I would in stone - bad idea. On metal, relief effects appear to work fine just based on the differing reflection of light if the surface is scratched.
The inscription reads: (dad's name), doctor for disorders of the mood (better known today as a psychiatrist)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/4Lpwr.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/VtIA7.jpg)
Glueing on the lettering
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/of57a.jpg)
Final one: the good old "Hinfort!"-button ("begone", the escape key)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/3Jp62.jpg)
At this point, I'm quickly skipping over some of the setbacks we experienced literally two days before the announced gift handover: First, 90% of the keys stuck when you pressed them (fix some keys, disassemble completely, cut out more wood and leather, reassemble), then there was the issue of the keyboard not producing any output on the USB-port (we had forgotten some innocent-looking rubber piece that presses the contacts to the circuit), the the space bar became stuck, blah. In the end, we spent most of friday (my wife, that is) and saturday in a mad dash in order to not have to tell my dad that the gift was a do-it-yourself-kit for a really cool keyboard. We didn't take any photos here, because a) there was nothing really new to see, and b) we didn't have any time.
Done, finally! The end result weighs in somewhere in the 2-3 kg range (4-6 pounds) due to the heavy wood and the excessive use of brass.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/1oDIq.jpg)
... and he even liked it! Who would have thought that.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/TmRMl.jpg)
edit: bonus image!
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/BJIrm.jpg)
All in all, I started working on this off and on in early april, then came the decision to make it a birthday gift (and with that came a deadline) which prompted me to recruit my wife and sisters as helpers. It's hard to estimate the total effort, but I'd guess somewhere in the 50-100 hours range.
Not quite decided yet on the next project, but some options are the stone immortal, further customizing my AlphaGrip or something completely different. The stone immortal actually is quite likely but suffers from some time uncertainty, since I will soon(?) move my tools into my dad's new workshop (the basement in my new home is too damp for the tools, and there's no electrical outlet). The uncertainty stems from the fact that the new workshop is going to be in a dedicated shed, that only suffers from not having been built yet. However, he has recruited me for cementing the foundations next weekend, and he seems to have a fairly good idea of where he wants to take it (already talked to the neighborhood carpenter about the required wooden beams and stuff). With any luck, it might be done in a month or two. And I might finally get to turn some stones into dust again :-))
One of my reasons for posting this, as always: you don't need to be some sort of genius to do things like this, just plenty of patience and a vision. After that it's just plowing away and dealing with any difficulties that come up, possibly including a complete restart if necessary. Pretty much any of you can probably build this, or something with a similar coolness factor.Last edit: 2012-06-24 20:02:04
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| | Take a survey about my shared artists' and craftspersons' workshop concept (15-20 min): http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/38ZHMMX |
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| marttorn Norway. June 24 2012 18:32. Posts 5023 | Profile Blog # |
| That is just unbelievably cool O_O |
| | So far as we can determine, peanut butter has no effect on the rotation of the earth. | |
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| divito Canada. June 24 2012 18:39. Posts 1136 | Profile Blog # |
Really cool and good job. I wish I had access to a bunch of tools to be able to do projects like this.
Do you think it'd be possible to make a video of the final working piece? |
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| bGr.MetHiX Bulgaria. June 24 2012 18:39. Posts 368 | Profile # |
| just....must.....have....this.....gnaaaaaaaaw |
| | Grandmaster Protoss from Bulgaria on both EU and NA servers. Proud member of team [gizmo] . Streaming everyday with commentary @ twitch.tv/hwbgmethix |
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| s.a.y Croatia. June 24 2012 19:15. Posts 3582 | Profile Blog # | |
| | hot_bid / R1CH fan | www.sc2croatia.com | Croatian SC2 scene | |
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| iaretehnoob Germany. June 24 2012 19:34. Posts 447 | Profile # |
Really like the Hinfort! key  |
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| ReturnStroke United States. June 24 2012 19:51. Posts 798 | Profile Blog # |
| Absolutely beautiful!! Great job, man!! |
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| Probe1 United States. June 24 2012 20:08. Posts 16445 | Profile Blog # |
| I'd buy one. Well done. It's a little crooked but it adds to the charm. |
| | 우정호 KT_VIOLET 1988 - 2012 While we are postponing, life speeds by | |
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| Mawi Sweden. June 24 2012 20:13. Posts 4268 | Profile # |
aw man would love to have one of those, none of my friends would ever have to use my comp again
sick skills |
| | Forever Mirin Zyzz Son of Zeus Brother of Hercules Father of the Aesthetics |
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| Grend June 24 2012 21:24. Posts 1539 | Profile Blog # |
Why did you choose to leave the cord in the original color?
It looks like the keys are slightly irregularly pointing, is it so? Does that affect typing?
Looks really good |
| | ♞ Against the Wind - Bob Seger ♞ |
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| 0kz Italy. June 24 2012 21:52. Posts 960 | Profile # |
so much class and an amazing job.. it looks great !
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| surfinbird1 Germany. June 24 2012 22:06. Posts 999 | Profile # |
| That's incredible. I'd gladly pay for something like that. You've got one lucky dad. Last edit: 2012-06-24 22:06:49 |
| | life of lively to live to life of full life thx to shield battery |
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| AnachronisticAnarchy United States. June 24 2012 22:41. Posts 2292 | Profile Blog # |
| That is the most baller keyboard I have seen in a while, made all the more awesome by the fact that you made it yourself. |
| | "How are you?" "I am fine, because it is not normal to scream in pain." |
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| MentalGNT Denmark. June 24 2012 22:43. Posts 1047 | Profile # |
| That's amazing. Your father is lucky |
| | You die so that others may cheer. |
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| Badjas Netherlands. June 24 2012 23:12. Posts 1608 | Profile Blog # |
| Where did you buy all the awesome that went into this?? |
| | I <3 the internet, I <3 you → Liquid`Ret fighting! ← |
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| TAAF Switzerland. June 24 2012 23:19. Posts 224 | Profile # |
| really cool! good job man! =) |
| | Crouching probe, hidden cannon |
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 ShadoBiO,o June 24 2012 23:21. Posts 9 | Profile # |
| I bet a flintstone fan would love one of these made of stone. Great project well done Last edit: 2012-06-24 23:21:25 |
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| juked United States. June 24 2012 23:24. Posts 623 | Profile # |
| Looks pretty bad ass. Even sicker its custom made |
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 micronesia United States. June 24 2012 23:39. Posts 19341 | Profile Blog # |
| This thread has motivated me to finally do something cool with my Dremel also. |
| | Haste. Exalted. Flying. Deathtouch. Lifelink. Protection from Red. | |
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| JieXian Malaysia. June 25 2012 00:02. Posts 2398 | Profile Blog # |
| hahahaha "doctor for disorders of the mood" German is so funny sometimes |
| | Please send me a PM of any song you like that I most probably never heard of! | | | http://www.youtube.com/user/JieXianMusic - Try it! :D | | | I'm a serious student of French, Spanish, German and Portugese looking for help/to chat. Please PM me! |
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