Editing Signature Plastics DCS family

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{{infobox dkeycapfamily
| image name      = 
| manufacturer    = [[Signature Plastics]]
| height profile  = Cherry
| surface profile = Cylindrical
| inscriptions    = Double-shot
| material        = ABS, PC, PBT
| keycap mounts   = [[Cherry MX mount]], [[Alps mount]]
| thickness       = 
| introduced      = 
| discontinued    = 
| website         = https://pimpmykeyboard.com/
}}

'''DCS family''' is a cylindrical keycap profile family from [[Signature Plastics]] and its predecessor [[Comptec]].

"DCS" denotes [[DIN standard|'''D'''in standard]] height, '''c'''ylindrical touch area, and '''s'''culptured [[keycap profile]].<ref name="SP" />.

==Characteristics==
[[File:Signature Plastics DCS profile.svg|centre|DCS compared to other keycaps from Signature Plastics]]

DCS is predominantly made in [[Double-shot moulding#Signature Plastics|double-shot moulded]] ABS, but a set in clear [[Keycap material#Polycarbonate|polycarbonate]] is also available. Single unprinted keycaps are also available in PBT but have not been sold as sets.
Pad-printing has also been used for secondary and tertiary legends, and offered as primary method to OEMs.

DCS has thin walls, rounded corners and a coarse surface.
It is otherwise quite similar to the size and slant to [[Keyboard profile#Cherry profile|Cherry profile]], except that it but differs significantly in the slant of the bottom rows.

Keys lack struts inside around the key stem, which means that down-stroke noise can not be [[damping|damped]] with [[O-ring]]s or [[damping#silencing clips|silencing clips]].

==Availability==
===New===
DCS is now sold as limited-editions of sets, and as blanks through Signature Plastics' [https://pimpmykeyboard.com Pimp My Keyboard] shop.
It has been made mostly with [[Cherry MX mount]], but sets with [[Alps mount]] have also been available.

Before the shop opened, DCS had been sold to enthusiasts mostly through various group orders. Many [[novelty keycaps]] have been made.

A series of [[7bit Group Buys FAQ|significant group buys]] have been organised by Deskthority member '''7bit''' (for which he got much appreciation in the [[#Deskthority_AwardsNotable winners and nominees|Deskthority Awards]]).

Before [[GMK]] started selling keycaps to consumers, the DCS profile was also often used for [[adapter kit]]s for [[Double-shot_moulding|double-shot Cherry]] keys, sometimes with a replica Cherry font.

===Vintage===
DCS in double-shot moulded ABS has been manufactured for OEMs since at least the end of 1980s, as some wyse keyboards were found to be made in 1987/1988. They are common on vintage [[:Category:Wyse keyboards|Wyse keyboards]]. Other keyboards from different display terminals at the time can also be found with SP DCS caps. For example, the keyboard of this Liberty Display Terminal, as depicted/described in this old ad <ref name="LightingTerminal"/>, comes with black on white double shot DCS keycaps.
[[Adapter kit]]s and replicas of Wyse keycaps have been made.

A rare earlier version with thicker walls has been found on the [[Wyse 85]], [[Wyse ASCII]], and [[Wyse 30 Keyboard]]. Thus, it can possibly be concluded that thick OG DCS double shot keycaps are related more to the year of production, rather to the models of the keyboards.

Further, three different variants of double shot keycaps have been found on wyse, with various thickness. The thickest ones tend to be found in early wyse keyboards, while the thinnest are often seen on very late ones (e.g. 1994/1995 keyboards). This can potentially imply the progress of cutting cost from SP in manufacturing keycaps.
<gallery widths="250" heights="187">
File:Wyse DCS caps top view.jpg|Caps for the same key, top view
File:Wyse DCS caps bot view.jpg|View from bottom of those same caps
</gallery>

==See also==
* Many keyboards from [[BTC]] have keycaps in a profile shaped identical to DCS, but constructed differently.

==References==
<references>
<ref name="SP">Pimp My Keyboard — [https://pimpmykeyboard.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/204415935-The-Origin-of-SP-Keycap-Families The Origin of SP Keycap Families]</ref>
<ref name="LightingTerminal"> Bitsavers - [http://bitsavers.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/pdf/datapro/alphanumeric_terminals/Datapro_C25_Liberty.pdf0 Bitsavers Liberty Electronics Display Terminal] </ref>
</references>

[[Category:Signature Plastics keycap families]]
[[Category:Cylindrical keycap families]]
[[Category:Vintage keycap families]]
[[Category:Contemporary keycap families]]