Back in 2016, I funded the original Kickstarter for the A1200.net keycaps campaign. At the time I had an A500 with yellowed keycaps that I thought I'd get a set and treat her to a day at the spa. Or a facelift.
Either way, on November 27, 2016, I backed a set in the original color palette. Less than a month later the campaign reached 100%. Soon a few additional stretch goals unlocked as well - some European keyboards were supported, etc.
I think it was around this time when a lot of the updates and communications were being redirected to the A1200.net website. By mid-May 2017, the 3D models were done and the expensive molds were underway. By that summer, the first tests were revealing issues with the molds requiring they be completely replaced.
Various iterations followed, pushing the original timelines deep into 2018. By the fall of 2018, batch #1 started to get produced. Folks in this batch were (I think) in Europe as the UK layouts were the ones being produced. Packing those up and shipping went through the end of the year. The actual arrival of that batch was expected to be in February of 2019. Batch #2 was scheduled to start the summer of 2019.
I had no idea which batch I was going to be in at that point or how many there might be. Truth is, I don't think that was ever communicated. If it was, it was so long ago I don't recall the particulars anymore. Regardless, I think it was around this point where a second campaign was started on Indiegogo. Considering it had been two years and I was still wondering where my caps were in the queue, I decided to abstain from backing another campaign. Some folks backed both.
Step forward a few more months and the pandemic started worldwide and the factories went quiet and supply chains were thrown off a cliff. You guys remember. And the campaign limbo really began. Frankly by 2022 I gave up. I began to seriously assume the set I'd backed was used to fund the project - particularly when the original molds had to be replaced. I made this assumption because my caps were never sent, yet now even computer cases were being designed and produced, multiple keycap color options, and on and on.
Ironically, it was just a couple of weeks ago when I started to unsubscribe from the campaign Kickstarter emails.
Then, on Saturday - 2,988 days since my original pledge - a strange package quietly arrived on my doorstep. My first reaction when I removed the plastic covering was total confusion. When I slowly started to realize what I was looking at, my reaction changed to shock. Over 8 years! A child born the day I pledged would now be in 3rd or 4th grade.
Hate to say it, but the machine I had bought the caps for is no longer even in my collection anymore. It is long gone. I got rid of it as I'd decided it was never going to get the facelift I'd planned for it. Staring at this box, there's a slight mixture of feelings ... it's hard to describe. But more than anything I think apathy. Just a complete lack of feeling at all now.
So crazy.