RWAP Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Looking for new project ideas for 2016, I was wondering how much interest there would be in getting some new replacement keyboard membranes (mylars) made for the Mega STe / TT Keyboards, as I understand that this is quite a common failure. One of the main questions has to be whether there is just the one membrane used in these keyboards, or if (as I found out with the Commodore Amiga) there are actually several different types depending on the manufacturer and what mood they were in at the time... There needs to be quite a bit of interest to justify the costs of manufacturing and investment required - based on the membrane being a similar size and complexity as the Amiga membranes, you are talking of a minimum production run of 250 membranes and an end price of around £25-£30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galax Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 (edited) Best Electroncs has a remade TT and Mega STE Mylar for US$29.95. Shipping to me from Best would probably be cheaper than from the UK. If shipping to you from Best is expensive, it might be worth getting a group order together, they have quite a fee unique Atari items http://www.best-electronics-ca.com/tt030.htm Edited February 4, 2016 by galax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynxpro Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Best Electroncs has a remade TT and Mega STE Mylar for US$29.95. Shipping to me from Best would probably be cheaper than from the UK. If shipping to you from Best is expensive, it might be worth getting a group order together, they have quite a fee unique Atari items http://www.best-electronics-ca.com/tt030.htm Not to be confused with the "TT Keys" add-ons that you install underneath the keys to simulate springs or switches, right? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galax Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 (edited) Not to be confused with the "TT Keys" add-ons that you install underneath the keys to simulate springs or switches, right? Yeah the"TT" Touch is different, replaces the rubber domes in the keyboard with firmer ones to add a bit of stiffness to a regular ST's keys: http://www.best-electronics-ca.com/520_1040.htm . There's also a Mega Touch which seems to add springs? Edited February 4, 2016 by galax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWAP Posted February 4, 2016 Author Share Posted February 4, 2016 (edited) I spoke with Best Electronics about maybe purchasing a stock from them for sale within Europe (because of the very high shipping charges they give from the USA) - unfortunately, they would only do so with a very high minimum order, so it would not be worth my while.Others could put together to do a bulk order direct if they wanted - but quoted shipping for one membrane from the USA doubles the cost and they have a minimum paypal order of $50! You also have to beware of exceeding the £30 max for items sent from overseas - so you could incur customs charges (import duties, VAT and a £10 handling fee) which also increases the price Edited February 4, 2016 by RWAP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galax Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 The minimum shipping is expensive because Best (wisely) only ships with a courier, but membranes are thin and light and I doubt the shipping will increase much if at all if you order 5 or 10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWAP Posted February 6, 2016 Author Share Posted February 6, 2016 Best Electroncs has a remade TT and Mega STE Mylar for US$29.95. Shipping to me from Best would probably be cheaper than from the UK. If shipping to you from Best is expensive, it might be worth getting a group order together, they have quite a fee unique Atari items http://www.best-electronics-ca.com/tt030.htm I realise that for the Atari users in the states, or if you are thinking about placing an order for a number of items, Best Electronics may well seem ok - shipping to Europe however, is a ridiculous figure - I asked about 25 Atari 2600Jr reset switch mylars for example, and was quote $49 with insurance and tracking or $23 if i made payment as a PayPal gift and it would be sent without tracking. If the shipping figures for one keyboard membrane are similar, that makes it one hell of an expensive way to repair a keyboard. For me - if I sent an Atari 2600Jr mylar to the USA, it would be sent as a standard airmail letter rate for £3.80 - a keyboard membrane would go as standard airmail for around £5.50. I don't know how those prices would compare to a US buyer purchasing from Best. In an ideal world, I would reach an agreement to purchase some of the membranes from Best Electronics in bulk, with a discount, so that I could then offer them for sale from the UK - but unfortunately, they were unwilling to offer any sort of bulk discount unless you ordered over $15,000. As it stands, there seems little interest in this - certainly not enough to justify any investment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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