FIRST LOOK: New Commodore Amiga Keycaps from A1200.net
Vložit
- čas přidán 1. 02. 2019
- Bill takes a look at the brand new Commodore Amiga keycaps from A1200.net. He compares them to the original keys on his Amiga 1200 then attempts to replace a regular key and a key with a stabilizer on his Amiga 4000 keyboard. These keycaps come from A1200.net's 2017 Kickstarter campaign and they will be starting a new IndieGoGo for anyone who missed the Kickstarter.
More info at:
www.a1200.net
Video by AmigaBill
www.thegurumeditation.org
/ amigabill
Music by AceMan
juicycube.bandcamp.com/
Music by JMD
jmdamigamusic.bandcamp.com/
Retrobrite photos courtesy of Bela Edros
#commodore #amiga #retro #CommodoreAmiga - Věda a technologie
Hi Guys @The Guru Meditation,
None of the team members thought you'd go that deep in this awesome review!
We're all so much grateful for this HowTo type of review you did and we just love you
Thank you guys for making top quality new products for us Amiga fanatics. We are so lucky to have folks like you doing great things for the community helping keep the Amiga alive!
Now that you got AmigaBill, please have Dan Wood and 8-bit guy review your caps too. If i am not mistaken they both reviewed your cases way back too.
@@PregnantSausage Those guys are awesome and would do wonderful reviews. IndieRetroNews did a great written review of the keycaps you should check out. I loved Dan's review of the cases. He is a pro. I haven't seen 8 Bit Guy's but I will have a look. Thanks for the head's up
Hello @@PregnantSausage ,
Not really sure about 8-bit guy, but Dan Wood will review the keycaps as well yes.
Thank you ;)
@@A1200NET Hej will it be possible to buy cases and keycaps trough some store and not trough backing process?
Thanx
Two years? At my age I don’t even buy green bananas.
LOL!!! That is hilarious. Well now that the molds are finished the next batch will be coming along much faster.
As a fan of classic computers and also of mechanical keyboards, you have no idea how great this video is.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate this comment because I knew very little about keyboards prior to making this video, so I was very nervous because I wanted to give everyone good information.
Awesome project AmigaBill. This is a super duper review for the new keycaps.
Thanks so much VCF!!!
Thanks for the Video. The A1200 team deserve a salute. Great job on the keys.
My pleasure Dunbar! I agree, the A1200.net folks are doing god's work!
That was a lot of fun. Really enjoy your videos.
Thank you so much Kevin I really appreciate the kind words!
Gotta applaud the folks at A1200.net for their consistent quality in productions. Although i dont have an amiga anymore i have always been intrigued to relive my childhood through these guys productions.
They really are top quality. I am blown away by the cases too. They are much better than the originals. I love the new screen holes and the ability to put a Pi, Mister, Vampire, etc.. inside. So cool
Ive been following this project, great too see these are ready for backers.
Yeah, i can't wait to get the CD32 color case and keys. I might put a Raspberry Pi in it
A very thorough review. Nice work and attention to detail as always.
Thanks so much Artstate! Appreciate it bud. Love the Max Headroom avatar!
I'm always impressed by the quality of delivery on this channel, sound, visuals and editing are always so professional.
I have just purchased an A600 case, I'm hoping to build an Amiga slowly, so I might consider buying these keys once I've checked the other parts I'll need (eg membrane ect).
Thank you so much Commander 64! I really appreciate that. Now if only I could make myself better on camera, LOL. That part is really difficult for me but I like the challenge. Yes, the rest of the keyboard is the missing piece to this puzzle, but I think these guys may address that in the near future because the parts are not easy to come by.
Vincent is pleased, you covered everything.
Rubber has better feeling than the spring, it is used for bigger models with separated keyboards.
That's what I have in my black Amiga.
Love ya.
Phew, awesome! Thanks so much Vincent. This is my first time making a video about a product that someone sent to me and something I didn't know anything about so it was difficult and I was nervous about it. I wanted to be honest with the viewers about my opinions, but also respectful to the A1200 guys because they have been really nice to me and have become friends. Fortunately the product is good, lol! It was cool learning about how keys are made and the different types of keys on the Amiga keyboards. For example I never knew about the rubber springs, but what you say makes total sense. As usual, thanks for all the support bud!
I have that rubbers in my A2000 keyboard, too. And keys are perfectly white (so bright) except spacebar, like yours.
@@mark12358 The rubber has a really nice feel and yes, it is very interesting to see how the different parts yellow or don't yellow
Great job! love the channel! well done!
Thanks so much!
I hope they start selling these in a more regular manner, I want to replace the case and keycaps on my A1200 with black versions.
Yea, it would be great if the Amiga stores like AmigaKit, AOTL, Amedia, etc.. could keep a stock of at least the basic colors. It would be very convenient for us. But I guess it is tricky because they would have to invest quite a bit of money upfront to purchase the stock. Still, it would be very nice if this could happen
they allready done cases.so they know how much they sold.so thats why there will no BUY button
Thank you for this great review! The first thing I did after I bought my Amiga 500 on eBay it was to completely disassemble the keyboard and wash accurately all the keycaps.
To remove the rust from springs or other metallic pieces it's enough to put them in a cup filled with vinegar for some hours, then rinse with water and dry them using an hair dryer.
Thanks for the kind words
Massimiliano! And thanks for the great tip. As you can see in the video, my keyboard could use a good cleaning! LOL!
Bill, good to see you, thanks for the information...
Thanks Brad! Always a pleasure and I hope all is well
Fantastic overview and review - thanks, Bill! My 2000 is so pumped! She told me so. :)
Ha ha, thanks Amiga Love! I am not gonna lie, it stung me a bit to put in that shot of the 1000 and I certainly though of you when I did it. Perhaps we will get some new keys for her one day too. That would be rad
@@TheGuruMeditation Oof! Man, I doubt it. We have to just care for our 1000's and treat them like the precious gems that they are. In terms of the 2-year wait, though, I don't care. I'm SO glad they opted for quality and perfection over rushing it to please some squeaky wheels (who don't understand the process). Very solid move there, IMO. And while I've got 2 pristine 2000 keyboards (and a black CDTV one) I am STOKED to get additional colors to go full-on Skittles, yo. Beastmode A2000! :) And the A1200.net folks have been VERY communicative all along the way, which I very much appreciate. P.S. I popped this vid on Reddit, and will update the amigalove.com site soon. Spreadin' the word!
@@AmigaLove Aw thank you so much AmigaLove! You spread teh AmigaLove like not other. Very well said about A1200.net. I couldn't agree more! Dude, you have to go full unicorn with one of those 2K keyboards!
And the new keycaps are finally here.....
Yeahhhhhhh 🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽
Already got my A1200 case and now waiting for the new case for my A500. Hopefully they will start the second campaign for keycaps soon! My Amiga 's will be as good as new soon! Great review by the way!
Thanks so much! Yeah I am really looking forward to my CD32 case and keys. Stay tuned to their site because I think the new campaign will start in the next few weeks
Love this video!
Thank you so much! Really appreciate it and glad you loved it!
Definitely getting some lilac and violet keycaps for my A600 in the second round.
Whoop whoop! That would look sweet!
Great review video! Looking forward to receiving mine at the end of the year (batch #2..). I've messed with Amiga keys a lot through the years, and I have never thought of leaving the clips on the stabilizer. Not sure if it's easier (perhaps, especially with the space bar), but I'm definitely gonna try it. :) Cheers!
Thanks Casual! Appreciate the kind words! That was just kind of an on-the-fly decision as I was shooting the video. I am not sure that it is a good technique, but give it a try. I feel like attaching the clips first would be better, but I am not sure myself. I need to practice.
I did just the opening,the music during the review is by aceMan and is darn good ^^
Yeah AceMan was very generous to let me use his great music. But I wanted to give you credit too because I love the opening music and really appreciate you doing that for us.
Great information! With the new keyboards available from kipper2k coming out without keycaps, this would make a perfect supplement! Great review/tutorial as always, Bill.
Thanks 10 Minute! Just a big head's up, the Kipper keyboards will use Cherry MX switched so these keycaps won't work with the Kipper. These caps work with the Mitsumi Hybrid Switches in an original Amiga keyboard. But I think A1200.net may have something up there sleeves in the near future as well :-)
Amiga On The Lake will be selling those keyboards and compatible keycaps (Cherry MX style) is going to be bundled with it.
@@NicolaiSyvertsen I pre-ordered those the day they were announced. Can't wait!
@@TheGuruMeditation oh! Thanks for the heads up!
Hi, this is kipper2k, I would just like to mention that as said our keycaps are using the Cherry MX profile which is the same format used on all new PC keyboards will not fit as they are a complete drop in solution for all the Amiga keyboards, and will also replace the Amiga 1000 keyboards.
I did not know it works with other Amigas than 1200, otherwise I would have been interested. So I will check out the 2nd campaign.
Roli! Great to hear from you bud. Yeah, that threw me off too. My simple brain just assumed 1200 but I never though about them working with other Amigas as well.
Wow, great and professional video! Love the art and style of the vid!
I wish I would have such a new case and keycaps. But quite expensive. Still ... I am hoping for some cool stuff at Amiga34.
Thanks Captain! Glad you enjoyed it. I hope I can make it to Amiga34. It would be amazingto meet in person!
@@TheGuruMeditation AmigaSon and I hope it so much that you can make it to Amiga34! That would be the most awesome thing about this event!
@@CptJonathanArcher Aw, well the most awesome part for me will be meeting you guys too!
They look awesome! Now they need to tackle the 8bit Commodore line.
No, I don't want to distract them from their Amiga efforts ;-) ha ha, just kidding. Yeah that would be cool. These guys do great work.
I haven't even run out of NOS (new old stock) radioshack-purchased c64 keyboards from 1989. did all that NOS dry up already?
@@nunyabizness9195 I haven't seen NOS Amigas or keyboards/keycaps in many, many years
Sweet, I have Mitsumi, I have been waiting for new keys because mine look terrible and I have a nice new case.
Nice Ray! It is cool that we have these new cases and keys to keep our Miggies looking good!
something about those black keys that i love, cdtv vibes
Those black keys are awesome! I can't wait for my CD32 color case and keys!
I missed this and the A500 case campain! I hope they will do more runs!
I hope they also do a Commodore 64 keycap campain!
I hope so too. I bet they will. Fingers crossed!
Same issue with the Amstrad NC-100 (Dreamwriter in us) but popping them out with a screwdriver is easy enough
Yeah that worked well.
Well done! When will the next round of keys be shipped? I didnt make the first shipment and hope to be in the next.
Thank you so much Paul, and most importantly thanks for all you do for the Amiga community and for keeping so many Amigas alive. You are a legend and your work is greatly appreciated all the way over here in New York! You have saved may Amigas here in our WAUG user group. Anyway, from what I understand there are a few sets of keycaps (like 3 or 4) that were produced for a final review before the mass production and that is what I have here. The ones I have were shipped to me directly from the factory in Asia. The actual 1st batch is arriving at the port in Europe any day (it is in a shipping container) , then it has to go through customs, then it will get to the warehouse by mid-February and begin shipping to backers. That 1st batch is where the CD32 color case and keycaps that I pledged for are as well as everyone elses' who pledged for the A1200 case keycaps/Kickstarter that ended in January 2017. There will be another run of keycaps via IndieGoGo in the next few weeks, but that is totally separate from this large first batch from the Kickstarter. I am not sure how long it will take to get here in the US once they get to the warehouse, but I hope it isn't too long. I hope that info helps and if you have any more questions I am in touch with those guys and will be happy to ask. Thanks again Paul!
@@TheGuruMeditation Thank you for the compliments and please keep doing what you do as well! The more of us that do, the more Amiga word gets out!
Forgive me if I missed the relevant information but it is my understanding that those who did not back this will not be able to purchase now. At A1200.net there is mention of another funding campaign but no sales on this.
Hi David,
Thanks for your comment.
Just follow our website and we'll update the link when the next keycaps campaign runs in a couple weeks. You can also subscribe to our newsletter and you'll be automagically informed.
Cheers
@Mr T. Guru Thank you for your comment.
Having someone that knows this industry is great. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
- On our projects, the variety of colors do not bring us issues.
- The best issue is MOQ.
- And that's why we need distributors worldwide, so we can reach our MOqs.
- Products we do are a niche into a niche.
We need distributors to reach MOQs. That's also why you can't currently find any RED or Blue cases anymore outside campaign; distributors are worried non standard colors my not sell.
So we do colors on campaigns ;)
Thank you Mr T.
The rubber cones are only in the A2000, A3000 and A4000 (i think) keyboards. All other mitsumi hybrid-based amiga keyboards use springs. That's why the "better" keys have a tiny bit of tactile feel, while the A500, (A1200, A600?) (and commodore 128) have a spongy feel. If you know of a source for replacement rubber cones, i'd love to get some for my A500 and C128. :D
11:14 that key looks like only the left-hand clip is engaged.
It is funny, the key felt fine, but when I watch the video back full screen I was thinking the same thing. Or maybe it was the tilt of the camera. I need to take that keyborad apart and give it a good cleaning anyway...as you can see, lol
Only if the 64 keycaps would be delivered now.
That was a different campaign from a different company. But lots of people are interested in c64 key caps so perhaps A1200 will make some in the future
Realy good news! But where I can to buy keycaps for my A1200?
Thanks! They will be producing a new batch in a few weeks. They will announce it on A1200.net so check back there. It will be an IndieGoGo
There is still a large following for Amiga. Why is there not a Re-release of the A1200 for instance in all it's glory for retro buyers, as am sure it would sell plenty of units - no changes, same colours and specs - maybe smaller boxing but same design. I would pre order this today if it was announced !
Hi Andy! You, me, and may other Amiga fans are in the same boat and wish for such a thing. Many people have tried, including some very recent projects that looked wonderful, but sadly the Amiga IP is a very complicated legal mess and that has prevented something like you describe or an "Amiga Mini" from ever seeing the light of day. It is very sad and I hope to see this situation change for the better. I would love to see an Amiga Mini or something of the sort. For now we have to live with things like the MiSTer, RaspberryPi, stand alone Vampire, or just emulation on a PC. These options are great, but I would love to see a new piece of hot hardware myself!
@@TheGuruMeditation Hi dude, most definitely, i could not agree more. Maybe one day it will happen - we can only hope :)
@@TheGuruMeditation Do you think they or anyone who has tried could release the stl file. Would 3d printing replacement parts at home be viable? They may take some post processing but could make parts available to anyone. Would be really sweet if the stl of the case was released. Even if I couldn't pint the whole thing due to the size limitations of my printer. Figuring out how to print it in sections that go together still fills the gap of not having new cases available.
@@voidFutureVector That is an interesting idea. I will pass it on to them, thanks
Please tell them to do Commodore 64 key caps next please . Thank you.
Will do, lots of people have been asking for the same
yeah finally there they are. now Casual Commodore can repair his cdtv keyboard. ow wait now i can do the same. i did that mod 25 years ago but i lost a key of that mod. lol.
there were rubber domes and springs. if you like the domes re-use those. never heard of those drying out.
(what does start getting liquid after time are the rubber feet under the 1200 and whatch out for the black feet of the 4000 case, i got a black-ish tar spot in my couch .
a smaller hole in the center? great thats even better,(this means more body) because those square's intend to break off at the older caps while pulling them of the keyboard thats why i stopped pulling them at my last retrobright and just unscrewed the black top of the steel and menbrane. but yes, i dont think i am gonna retrobright again if the discoloration is nice and even. only worst scenario's deserve a retrobright.
hmmm now i see you press the first black key. and to be honest. the K looks like crap with a big K. hope the get better.
haha a lot of diverent versions. i see. pushing them out from the back does not apply to the most keyboards i saw at my attic.
Great tips Jan. Yeah I have heard that the rubber domes don't dry out which is great news and the smaller circle giving the key more mass is good. Just a head's up, I was popping the keys out of the holder only with the screwdriver from the back. That wasn't an actual keyboard, just a holder for the key to protect them during the shipping.
Hey Jan. Actually "now" is a bit off, heh.. :) As you have like seen, according to the kickstarter project update #33 (Feb 3.), there are two batches. The first batch will ship to backers soon. Sadly, I'm in the socond batch (Scoopex keys), which will ship around September. But probably a little later, as we've learned the schedule has a tendency to change a bit.. :)
@@CasualCommodore thats a shame indeed now you have to wait even a little longer and maybe even little longer longer. BUT! the molds are there. that's atleast done. 😉👍
@@CasualCommodore Ah dang! Well you will be happy when they eventually arrive
Been wanting to replace my yellowed keycaps for a while, but the "original" color scheme seems far too white compared to the original keys. Since you have seen them in person, is that the case?
What about the caps lock key with the led light?
I am not sure. Hopefully @a1200 NET sees this and can answer
I hope this effort doesn't go the same way the Commodore 64 keycap indiegogo went. I assume this is a different person / company.
I am not familiar with the details of the c64 kepcap IndieGoGo, but yes, these are different people. They have delivered on their first campaign (the Amiga 1200 cases) and these keycaps (their 2nd effort) will ship out this backers this coming week. The downside is that both campaigns took much longer than expected to complete, but they got there and delivered a quality product so so far they are on the right track.
I have not seen it being confirmed and being not confirmed. Yet do they plan to make non english special keys? Like german, danish, swedish and norwegian?
That is a great question. It crossed my mind at some point when I was making the video too, but I totally blew it and forgot to ask them. I will reach out to them now. Thanks for bringing it up
@@TheGuruMeditation Cool. Thanks. As we got them special keys like "æ" "ø" and "å". Getting replacement keys for those letters are kind of a pita.
@@brostenen Yep, I totally understand. Would be silly to have new white keys for all the English letters and yellow ones for those. I reach out to Phil with your question.
You are in luck! Phil said "All language layouts are open in the next keycaps campaign. US/DE/FR/UK/Se-Fi/ etc"
@@TheGuruMeditation Sweet.... 😋
Can you still buy the A1200 cases?
Great question. Yes you can, but not all colors are available. Hopefully they will do another run especially since the mold has been made now. Check these places to see what they have www.a1200.net/wheretobuy/
@@TheGuruMeditation
Thanks mate, I'm after either the white or black or even both, I'll check it out plus get a hold of those keys once I check the key type.
My A1200 has other issues such as some of the keys not responding and the hard drive powering itself up and down intermittently or not at all.
Not to mention I think I should get it recapped. So much to do but since it's my original A1200 from 1992 I'd hate to see my old friend resigned to the dustbin of time 👍
@@TheGuruMeditation
By the way, great video, very indepth 😎✊👍
@@perihelion7445 oh yeah, it should be re-capped. The keys not responding is a common problem. First step would be to take the keyboard apart and clean it, but the membranes in the Amiga 1200 keyboards is known to be one of the first things to fail so that could very likely be the problem. Fortunately you can buy new membranes.
@@perihelion7445 Aw thank you very much!It was a tricky one to make because I didn't know anything about keycaps myself
oh yea the cases no one can get hold of.
Thank you for your comment nick black.
You're wrong.
We understand that you might have issues finding cases if you don't look at the correct places.
Here's how it works when you're looking for a product in a niche market:
- Go to the producers website (in that case, that's us: www.a1200.net)
- Click on "WHERE TO BUY" button on the menu.
- Check each Resellers website.
- Message each resellers for their stock status and how to order/book for a case.
- If no stock, wait for re-stock.
Secondly, this video is about New Amiga keycaps sets.
- You'll be able to pledge on the next IGG campaign in a couple weeks.
In the event you still run into issues finding any product, please send an email using our contact form.
The team answers all messages.
Thank you again,
Cheers,
-Phil
@@A1200NETHi Phil ok I hold my hands up I'm wrong I will follow your instructions .
The Guru Meditation It would be nice if you can ask InXile if it possible convert Wasteland and Fallout1&2 to Amiga.I think Amiga fans would fund that kockstarter project.InXile have funded Wasteland2&3 to pc and some other games succesfully.Thx
Wow, Google is drawing a line in the sand with a back how! They're killing Inbox. For those of you who don't know, Inbox fixed Gmail. And they're just gonna do it. I guess I have to give them creds. And in response, wow how do I disentangle myself from Google. Well, this is my line in the mud. My journey begins now.
Heh... maby its time to upgrade my 1200
These are cool and can breath new life into your Amiga for sure. Because my 1200 is in good shape, I plan on putting a RaspberryPi or stand alone Vampire in my new case. I just need to find a 1200 keyboard to put the caps on and it will be a cool emulated system
@@TheGuruMeditation I`v got Escom amiga, i think they use different type of plastic, so both the case and the keys are in good shape.
The printing on the keys looks complete ass that close up.. Lucky I'm old and half blind