[IC] OPERATOR | A split ortho mechanical keyboard for Photo retouching

[BepisRat]

OPERATOR



The OPERATOR is a mechanical keyboard aimed at photo retouchers, video editors, keyboard enthusiasts, and much more!





Using Cerakoted aluminium and PBT keycaps, this keyboard aims to last as much as YOU need it to. The knobs and slider are also aluminium.





This keyboard is all about space efficency, as you can see one half could be put out of way to make space for a pen tablet for digital artists. Additionally the small trackball can be used as a precise pointer, while the larger one on the left can be used to control Hue during digital painting or colour grading.





With the smooth Bourns slider, the rubberized magnetic profile ball, the glossy trackballs and silky smooth anodized finish, this keyboard is meant to be a pleasure to touch and use.





Fully programmable through QMK, it's more than just a keyboard, it's a shortcut machine.





It uses usb-c and TRRS jacks to connect to your computer.

COLOURWAYS

Thank you for your attention! I've been working on this concept for three/four months folowwing an assignment where I was tasked to better the working conditions of photo retouchers working from home. I am of course aware of products like the Loupedeck which serve this exact purpose, but coming from photo retouchers themselves, it's tough yo have to balance the loupedeck, apple keyboard (blegh), pen tablet, mouse, and two monitors on a table which you usually use to have dinner on. This started out as an all-in-one alternative but my passion for keyboards took over, and I grew quite fond of Blender, so here are some renders for now!


TO DO

• Find Vendors in regions: Australia and Europe
• Complete first prototype and test firmware
• Find Cable manufacturer for collab
• Get Vendor's support
• Design PCB (with help)
• Add at least one other colour option (render)
• Add renders: Bottom feet / screws

I also made an IC on reddit as well:https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/immf9l/ic_operator_a_split_ortho_mechanical_keyboard_for/

Thanks again! Oh and please tell me what you want to see more of!


UPDATE

IC FORM NOW ONLINE
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/11ead9vD-rz2CooFwPA-YXwx4LK-_r3eodo3bydmevhE/edit?usp=sharing

Breaking News
Since announcing the project and launching the Interest Check, I was approached by the wonderful and skilled people at American Haptics, and we've been working together on getting this keyboard up and working. Their website will be a great source of news for this project, https://www.american-haptics.com. You can always come chat on their Discord server as well! I'm often online so you can reach out to me through there; https://discord.gg/2vxtjzs. Reminder that there's also an instagram account for the project: @bepis.rat, and AH have their own as well, @americanhaptics!

Here's a little FAQ update!

Why is it so expensive/can you make it cheaper with cheaper materials/will you offer a cheaper version eventually?
Due to the cost of manufacturing, the quality of the materials, and usage of some unconventional parts, unfortunately we won’t be able to make it cheaper. We could theoretically use cheaper materials, but we will not at least for this version - we’re hoping for this to be of premium quality, durable and usable for years to come. As for eventually, maybe if this does well enough we can look into more accessible variations. Additionally, the board is going to be manufactured and assembled in the USA.

Can you do a color way in _?
The coating we’re using is cerakote which is extremely durable and has a very premium feel. We’re mainly trying to do the green colourway, the black also seems to exist already, but the white definitely needs to be created. This implies additional costs in terms of R&D and time.

Tenting/staggered/non-split/thumb clusters/hotswap?
We’re thinking about ways to tent, but as the design is right now it has rubber feet at the back to at least have a somewhat comfortable typing angle. Staggered is a no-go with this design, so are 2U keys of any kind. This is because it’ll use Kailh hotswap sockets, and it won’t have a plate so mounting stabs is pretty much impossible right now (in terms of space).

What firmware will it support?
It will use QMK; paired with something like AutoHotKey you could really romp around with this thing. The only downside is that it uses ARM microcontrollers, which cuts off a few of QMK’s features; this is a necessary sacrifice to have enough processing power to manage all the components on the board. We’re also happy to help you get your keyboard set up with your software of choice!

Can I just buy half?
Right now, we’re planning to sell both halves together.

Open source? (I wanna make my own case/source my own parts/buy everything but the case)
We’re hoping to eventually open source everything.

Trackballs are cool and all but I don’t see a scroll wheel or mouse buttons.
The OPERATOR is fully programmable, this means that the mouse buttons could be any key on the keyboard (6 and 7 are pretty well placed). For the scroll wheel the best options right now would either mouse3 and then drag or using the rotary encoders as vertical and horizontal scroll wheels, glide through those spreadsheets!

See you soon on the next update!


Interestingly enough, this board will almost entirely be MADE IN USA

You can use this as a signature if you want:

Code: [Select]

[url=https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=108472][img width=310 height=120]https://imgur.com/PBDMAgG.png[/img][/url]

[fropsie]

Super interesting! GLWIC

[dededecline]

Love to see more split and ortho boards, especially one with so many unique features! I'm not much of a photo or video editor, but as a split ortho user I have some thoughts. I totally understand the symmetry and aesthetic you're going for (and achieving with this) but I think it comes at some cost to usability.

The hue and colour grading trackball would require either using your pointer and middle fingers or moving your hand up a bunch so your thumb can be used. I feel like the trackballs have so much potential, but would work best if they were within thumb reach.

I don't think the slider potentiometer and profile-switching ball (what a cool concept, btw) need to be moved necessarily, but I think putting them on inner columns vertically could be an option to consider.

Maybe consider an Ergodoxian layout like the the RGBKB Sol 2



Where the track balls (and maybe even the rotary knobs) could be in the thumb clusters (rather than additional keys as shown in the pic). This would make those components more easily accessible with your thumbs while your hands rest on the keys. I do kinda like the top placement of the slider potentiometer and profile-switching ball; just want to throw out the suggestion of the inner columns.

Small detail: that layout is considered 60% not 65%.

For your layout, maybe consider adding the rotary knobs as options on some of the keys (though I do understand wanting them to be dedicated outside the keys as well), and please support 2u space as an option like the Nyquist does



Thanks for bringing such an interesting, innovative, and unique design to the space!

[Kokaloo]

Now this is a keyboard. Maybe some tenting or at least an angle or support for cone feet?

[ibabo]

very very cool to see something unique like this!

[TonyPia]

not my cup of tea but absolutely stunning design. want to see how it turns out

[walston]

Love this. Would definitely buy if it ever sees the light of day. I desperately need a good split keeb for art/modeling


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BepisRat]

Love to see more split and ortho boards, especially one with so many unique features! I'm not much of a photo or video editor, but as a split ortho user I have some thoughts. I totally understand the symmetry and aesthetic you're going for (and achieving with this) but I think it comes at some cost to usability.

The hue and colour grading trackball would require either using your pointer and middle fingers or moving your hand up a bunch so your thumb can be used. I feel like the trackballs have so much potential, but would work best if they were within thumb reach.

I don't think the slider potentiometer and profile-switching ball (what a cool concept, btw) need to be moved necessarily, but I think putting them on inner columns vertically could be an option to consider.

Maybe consider an Ergodoxian layout like the the RGBKB Sol 2

Show Image

Where the track balls (and maybe even the rotary knobs) could be in the thumb clusters (rather than additional keys as shown in the pic). This would make those components more easily accessible with your thumbs while your hands rest on the keys. I do kinda like the top placement of the slider potentiometer and profile-switching ball; just want to throw out the suggestion of the inner columns.

Small detail: that layout is considered 60% not 65%.

For your layout, maybe consider adding the rotary knobs as options on some of the keys (though I do understand wanting them to be dedicated outside the keys as well), and please support 2u space as an option like the Nyquist does

Show Image

Thanks for bringing such an interesting, innovative, and unique design to the space!

Thanks for this! Finding the right places for each component took me a lot of effort (as you can imagine) and I actually went with a similar configuration as what you suggest. The main issue I had with it was space: in a real retoucher's office they often have a keyboard with the loupedeck behind it, so I tried to replicate that in a more compact way. Also, for the larger trackball you're supposed to use it like one of the ripple tangent's balls which you use with the tip of your fingers with a flat hand so I'd like to at least keep that up there.

Yeah I know about the layout size! I keep forgetting to change these details argh!

Your suggestions are great but I feel like it would stray away too much from my inteded design... That said I would definitely reconsider if others bring up similar concerns. For example I feel like replacing certain keys with knobs would defeat the purpose of having almost every key you get on a "normal" keyboard, although I could put them where the layer switch keys are... argh this is tough! Thanks though!

[BepisRat]

Now this is a keyboard. Maybe some tenting or at least an angle or support for cone feet?

Yup! It's there (you can barely see it in the expoded view), I think it's something like 6° using little magnetic feet with rubber under them. Ideally you could have a lesser and bigger height but that's a whole lot of options for an already ambitious project x) I'll work on a render of the bottom...

[yoniwolf1202]

I absolutely love the idea and the execution is amazing, although my preference is normal staggered, but I can see why you went for ortho for this application. May I ask what you do that made you want to make this? (Filmmaker, Photographer, etc.)

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

[BepisRat]

I absolutely love the idea and the execution is amazing, although my preference is normal staggered, but I can see why you went for ortho for this application. May I ask what you do that made you want to make this? (Filmmaker, Photographer, etc.)

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

Hi! Thanks for your kind words! Indeed I prefer staggered as well but ortho is indeed better for space efficiency... As for what I do I'm studying product design so this originally started as one of my projects but the idea for such a keyboard had been growing for a year or two before that, bascially ever since I discovered keyboards. I'm a productivity freak? So yeah, I like to use a lot of hotkeys and shortcuts in Blender, FL Studio, Photoshop, Lightroom and I want to learn Premiere Pro or DaVinci. Until then this is more of a "I want this" than "I need this", but most of the research for it was actually based on feedback and requests from retouchers themselves, so it's more in their interest I guess? Anyway, I'd love to see it in real life, and not jsut in renders

[alleneentrekin]

Totally not my kind of keyboard, slot ortho, etc, and I don't video edit lol. However, I have to say I LOVE the idea behind this keyboard, and I love the way you integrated all the features. The only thing I would tweak would be the color, if you are really attached to the green, I would at least add black as a color choice.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

[Janoma]

Love the idea, +1 for more color options, would hotswap be an option?

[parablol]

This has absolutely piqued my interest.

[reminbee]

I am definitely interested! Excited to see more.

[jebbra]

I'M IN

[MoonOperator]

Ou this is very interesting. I've never considered using an ortho but this makes me change my mind. I love all the knobs, trackball and sliders.

[Clay333]

Not for me, but it looks absolutely incredible. Can't wait to see how it turns out so I can drool over it even though I would never use any of the features.

[CodeMayhem]

Definably in. Amazing execution on the concept. Really like how everything is distributed.

[paperassgasket]

This looks awesome. I'm not into ortho but I am into photo editing and this might just make me a convert.
Bonus points for very original design.

[CodeMayhem]

It would be interesting to see if you could accommodate a model where the trackballs were on the opposite side.

[BepisRat]

Totally not my kind of keyboard, slot ortho, etc, and I don't video edit lol. However, I have to say I LOVE the idea behind this keyboard, and I love the way you integrated all the features. The only thing I would tweak would be the color, if you are really attached to the green, I would at least add black as a color choice.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

Realistically a split ortho for a keyboard is not my favorite either, in fact I can't even really use it. But as a shortcut machine to cut down on time when doing graphics work or rendering? it's great! I HAVE thought about other colourways and I think I'll give it a try. I'm not promising it'll look good and I'll admit I prefer the green but if more people want this because they want the option to get black I'm all for it!

[BepisRat]

Love the idea, +1 for more color options, would hotswap be an option?

This was for a school project so hot swap would be useless to most "normal" people so I actually outright ignored the feature...... But now it's my realm, so hell yeah! If the price allows it I'll try and fit hotswap in the PCB design.
I don't show it here but I actually intended the "6" and "7" keys to be clicky while the rest are linear so that they could act as mouse buttons when you move the ball. It could be nice to give users the option to swap the switches out.

[BepisRat]

Ou this is very interesting. I've never considered using an ortho but this makes me change my mind. I love all the knobs, trackball and sliders.

Thanks! Same really, it certainly helps get the pill down

[G14D]

Interesting!

[hottrout]

That could make an awesome gaming setup.  Interested for that very reason.

[tonyjones]

I'm in say no more.

[preets]

I'm a musician and I can see a ton of applications for this in my personal workflow too - count me in! To be more dramatic, I would lay down my life for this keyboard. (Extra for a lilac colorway )

[joonia]

this look naiiiiiiiice

[beekey]

Super cool idea. Execution will not be easy, many parts to get right. Would by if you can make it.

[harlekein]

Ortho takes about two weeks adjustment.

This could get more mainstream traction if staggered, but if anyone's on the fence for ortho. jump over it!

[synchromatik]

Finally one unique project in this sea of copy-pasta projects with "personal touch". GL with further development. Hope everything works out.

[MoonOperator]

It would be interesting to see if you could accommodate a model where the trackballs were on the opposite side.

You can just switch the left and right boards so the trackballs are on the outside, then remap the keys in VIA. The keys should all be the same since it's an ortho so the layout won't matter.

[zoo]

Renders look amazing!

Is the trackball tracked with a laser sensor?

The two rotary encoder switches behind the trackball on the right look a little hard to reach to me.

[x1angel]

say no more, plz make this dream come true, totally interested on this

Sent from my POCO F2 Pro using Tapatalk

[BepisRat]

Renders look amazing!

Is the trackball tracked with a laser sensor?

The two rotary encoder switches behind the trackball on the right look a little hard to reach to me.

Thank you! Yes the trackballs use a laser sensor each. The right half of the keyboard could be used as more of a point device so they would be closer to your thumb, although I do get what you mean.

[BepisRat]

It would be interesting to see if you could accommodate a model where the trackballs were on the opposite side.

You can just switch the left and right boards so the trackballs are on the outside, then remap the keys in VIA. The keys should all be the same since it's an ortho so the layout won't matter.

I hadn't even thought of that! A lot of people seem to think that improvement should be added for ergonomics but in my mind this is just one big split macropad so yes, you could absolutely swap them around!

[coarse]

really great idea but i feel like youd be better off with building your own firmware than relying on qmk for this

[Swishy]

really great idea but i feel like youd be better off with building your own firmware than relying on qmk for this

can I ask why you say that cause qmk can handle every aspect

[coarse]

really great idea but i feel like youd be better off with building your own firmware than relying on qmk for this

can I ask why you say that cause qmk can handle every aspect

configuring the parts that arent the switches will be difficult for the people who dont know how to code
and there are a lot of parts that arent switches

[Avijit]

I really like this, Would it be possible to use each part separately, or would both sides need to be plugged in and powered for the whole board to function, Is there any word on protos yet. I am really interested and think it looks great. Along with biips new set this will be pretty interesting

[FreshFromTheGrave]

Very interesting! So how would one assign the trackball to a colour wheel for instance? Would it need to mapped to mouse input somehow like how people are getting midi controllers to work in Resolve with AutoHotkey?

[low_key_keyboards]

I could super duper use this for work everyday.
I'll be eyeing and supporting this one 100% !!!

[VellFlamm]

IMHO, Left trackball is better placed closer.
As is in your render, Right hand will most likely on a tablet or a mouse(For right handed users that is, but they are the majority).
Hence Having the track ball at the far end isn't practical design.
Ecsept if you are planing to make this as a lefty oriented board.

[mr.squishy]

I love how creative this is. Looks stunning and is super packed with features.

However, I simply cannot adjust to 1u modifier keys so I would not be able to use the board.

[BepisRat]

really great idea but i feel like youd be better off with building your own firmware than relying on qmk for this

You might be right about the difficulty to code but I feel like QMK is something that a lot of people are familiar enough with that they can at least create their own key layouts. For element slike the rotary encoders it's easy enough. It does get difficult with the balls and slider though, but we'll see how it goes depending on how my programmer writes the firmware!

[BepisRat]

I really like this, Would it be possible to use each part separately, or would both sides need to be plugged in and powered for the whole board to function, Is there any word on protos yet. I am really interested and think it looks great. Along with biips new set this will be pretty interesting

The left half is the master while the right is the slave. They each have a microcontroller so technically you could have only the left half plugged in. The right half depends on the left though.

[bloboeggy]

For colour grading it might be nice to have 2 more balls on the left and move the slider to the right pad, also a completely black design would be ideal or middle grey because the colour in your environment can affect your judgement of colour and ideally you want to be in an all black room with the lights off

[aodaliya1234]

how lit would it be if you made it bluetooth ..

[Skater]

how lit would it be if you made it bluetooth ..

That's what I was thinking

[₳Ɽ₮₵ØⱤɆ]

This is so freaking cool!
So nice to see something fresh like this.

[Farmboy2222]

I am definitely going to get this if it ever makes it to GB.

[bakerozee]

Yes, for sure love it

[BepisRat]

how lit would it be if you made it bluetooth ..

That WOULD be fantastic but... The price would probably have to be doubled! No go :/

[dangboy]

+1 for doubled price bluetooth

I love this design a LOT, but wires for days

[horrorshow93]

how lit would it be if you made it bluetooth ..

That WOULD be fantastic but... The price would probably have to be doubled! No go :/

The battery would make shipping more complicated too.

[BepisRat]

Update! Form is On! Check it out shorturl.at/adgmE !

[Lastpadawan]

I'm in, hoping for a WK version for my workflows but I'm in regardless. Would pay extra for a red or silver option to match my current stuff.

[dom]

Fantastic design, one of those which makes me excited.
Not only looks astonishing but moreover, it might be a pretty useful accessory for work I do.
Love almost everything about it, besides a few small things, namely:
- Material, that kind of design deserves a more elegant metal (like steel), which can last for many years with class. I know it will add more $$$, but this tool is worth it.
- The accessories options (e.g., knobs) would be my second wish, but I know it would be a nightmare from your perspective!

Yes, I want one.

🥇

[dededecline]

I noticed the survey question asking about the $700 price point. I know as much as the average custom keyboard purchaser about what goes into production costs for keyboards, but $700 is steeper than the vast majority of boards on the market. Maybe I'll be surprised but I feel like that may be a prohibitive price for people in the hobby (especially in the split ortho category), though I know there are expensive video/photo production products available retail.

I would also suggest (especially at that price point) ditching TRRS in favor of USB-C interconnect.

[SenseiJia]

This is dank!!!

[Findecanor]

When you press a special key, does it play a melody?

This is dank!!!

Dank is Swedish for "marble", so yes: one for each hand! :-þ

[mudcakehoney]

I'm seeing quite a few uses for this in music studios as well where desk space is often VERY limited being filled with synthesisers and drum machines what are the likelyhood of the knobs and sliders transmitting midi messages to control software sequencers etc?

[hooktail154]

I'm seeing quite a few uses for this in music studios as well where desk space is often VERY limited being filled with synthesisers and drum machines what are the likelyhood of the knobs and sliders transmitting midi messages to control software sequencers etc?

Very likely as MIDI functionality is already included in QMK: https://docs.qmk.fm/#/internals_midi_device

[Cubic // esc lab]

As a designer myself, I rarely call things "stunning". But this is stunning. Good work. You can tell all the work and details gone into this. Respect.

[fropsie]

As a designer myself, I rarely call things "stunning". But this is stunning. Good work. You can tell all the work and details gone into this. Respect.

Ok, easy does it tiger.

Unique looking board BepisRat, looking forward to this.

[nathanchere]

It would be interesting to see if you could accommodate a model where the trackballs were on the opposite side.

Why not just rotate them 180degrees, install the keycaps upside down and program accordingly?

[PC Concepts]

Honestly not a fan of split boards but this is sick! Would love to see this go in to prod.

[BepisRat]

When you press a special key, does it play a melody?

This is dank!!!

Dank is Swedish for "marble", so yes: one for each hand! :-þ

It uses QMK so by pressing many keys you could indeed play a melody...

[BepisRat]

It would be interesting to see if you could accommodate a model where the trackballs were on the opposite side.

Why not just rotate them 180degrees, install the keycaps upside down and program accordingly?

This. You could only use one half, and rotate it 180 degrees. Use it however you want!

[nathanchere]

This. YOu could only use one half, and rotate it 180 degrees. Use it however you want!

I guess now that I think about it, having the sliders and rotary encoders under your wrists would get annoying pretty quickly... so disregard my suggestion

[menuhin]

I hope fruition on this one.

Suggestion: please consider adding some thumb buttons for the trackball on the right-hand portion.

[lipsticklatitude]

I noticed the survey question asking about the $700 price point. I know as much as the average custom keyboard purchaser about what goes into production costs for keyboards, but $700 is steeper than the vast majority of boards on the market. Maybe I'll be surprised but I feel like that may be a prohibitive price for people in the hobby (especially in the split ortho category), though I know there are expensive video/photo production products available retail.

I would also suggest (especially at that price point) ditching TRRS in favor of USB-C interconnect.

Agree, I think this price point is going to weed out the vast majority of potential customers. It makes sense for someone who knows exactly what they like in a keyboard, has specific use cases in mind, etc. But once you get into adding switches/caps, that's going to add up really fast. 

[pRoDeeD]

Love the look! great work!

[BepisRat]

Fantastic design, one of those which makes me excited.
Not only looks astonishing but moreover, it might be a pretty useful accessory for work I do.
Love almost everything about it, besides a few small things, namely:
- Material, that kind of design deserves a more elegant metal (like steel), which can last for many years with class. I know it will add more $$$, but this tool is worth it.
- The accessories options (e.g., knobs) would be my second wish, but I know it would be a nightmare from your perspective!

Yes, I want one.

🥇

The aluminium is more eco-friendly and lighter than steel, it's also easier to work with. In terms of durability we'll cerakote it so it should be fine.

[kumori]

def will buy when it goes into gb, will help a lot

[alex_davis]

For sure want this thing, it looks fantastic and I can already think of so many ways to use for work (and fun)

[BepisRat]

Here's a little FAQ update!

Why is it so expensive/can you make it cheaper with cheaper materials/will you offer a cheaper version eventually?
Due to the cost of manufacturing, the quality of the materials, and usage of some unconventional parts, unfortunately we won’t be able to make it cheaper. We could theoretically use cheaper materials, but we will not at least for this version - we’re hoping for this to be of premium quality, durable and usable for years to come. As for eventually, maybe if this does well enough we can look into more accessible variations. Additionally, the board is going to be manufactured and assembled in the USA.

Can you do a color way in _?
The coating we’re using is cerakote which is extremely durable and has a very premium feel. We’re mainly trying to do the green colourway, the black also seems to exist already, but the white definitely needs to be created. This implies additional costs in terms of R&D and time.

Tenting/staggered/non-split/thumb clusters/hotswap?
We’re thinking about ways to tent, but as the design is right now it has rubber feet at the back to at least have a somewhat comfortable typing angle. Staggered is a no-go with this design, so are 2U keys of any kind. This is because it’ll use Kailh hotswap sockets, and it won’t have a plate so mounting stabs is pretty much impossible right now (in terms of space).

What firmware will it support?
It will use QMK; paired with something like AutoHotKey you could really romp around with this thing. The only downside is that it uses ARM microcontrollers, which cuts off a few of QMK’s features; this is a necessary sacrifice to have enough processing power to manage all the components on the board. We’re also happy to help you get your keyboard set up with your software of choice!

Can I just buy half?
Right now, we’re planning to sell both halves together.

Open source? (I wanna make my own case/source my own parts/buy everything but the case)
We’re hoping to eventually open source everything.

Trackballs are cool and all but I don’t see a scroll wheel or mouse buttons.
The OPERATOR is fully programmable, this means that the mouse buttons could be any key on the keyboard (6 and 7 are pretty well placed). For the scroll wheel the best options right now would either mouse3 and then drag or using the rotary encoders as vertical and horizontal scroll wheels, glide through those spreadsheets!

See you soon on the next update!

[dededecline]

Why is it so expensive/can you make it cheaper with cheaper materials/will you offer a cheaper version eventually?
Due to the cost of manufacturing, the quality of the materials, and usage of some unconventional parts, unfortunately we won’t be able to make it cheaper. We could theoretically use cheaper materials, but we will not at least for this version - we’re hoping for this to be of premium quality, durable and usable for years to come. As for eventually, maybe if this does well enough we can look into more accessible variations. Additionally, the board is going to be manufactured and assembled in the USA.

Can you elaborate on the materials being used? The original post currently just says it's cerakoted aluminum.

Tenting/staggered/non-split/thumb clusters/hotswap?
We’re thinking about ways to tent, but as the design is right now it has rubber feet at the back to at least have a somewhat comfortable typing angle. Staggered is a no-go with this design, so are 2U keys of any kind. This is because it’ll use Kailh hotswap sockets, and it won’t have a plate so mounting stabs is pretty much impossible right now (in terms of space).

Can you elaborate on the mount? Is this a form of tabbed PCB gasket mount like the Equinox? Or is this a plateless tray mount?

[BepisRat]

Why is it so expensive/can you make it cheaper with cheaper materials/will you offer a cheaper version eventually?
Due to the cost of manufacturing, the quality of the materials, and usage of some unconventional parts, unfortunately we won’t be able to make it cheaper. We could theoretically use cheaper materials, but we will not at least for this version - we’re hoping for this to be of premium quality, durable and usable for years to come. As for eventually, maybe if this does well enough we can look into more accessible variations. Additionally, the board is going to be manufactured and assembled in the USA.

Can you elaborate on the materials being used? The original post currently just says it's cerakoted aluminum.

Tenting/staggered/non-split/thumb clusters/hotswap?
We’re thinking about ways to tent, but as the design is right now it has rubber feet at the back to at least have a somewhat comfortable typing angle. Staggered is a no-go with this design, so are 2U keys of any kind. This is because it’ll use Kailh hotswap sockets, and it won’t have a plate so mounting stabs is pretty much impossible right now (in terms of space).

Can you elaborate on the mount? Is this a form of tabbed PCB gasket mount like the Equinox? Or is this a plateless tray mount?

Materials for the case itself are just a CNC'd block of aluminium, cerakoted. There are more materials being used for example in the trackballs, the profile switcher and small elements like screws and cup bearings. The mount is basically the PCB being screwed into the "top" of the case and being supported by a rabbit all around. We're still modelling but you'll get to see more details very soon. I'm actually working on some renders of that right now. Hope that helps!

[BepisRat]

Breaking News!

Since announcing the project and launching the Interest Check, I was approached by the wonderful and skilled people at American Haptics, and we've been working together on getting this keyboard up and working. Their website will be a great source of news for this project, https://www.american-haptics.com/. You can always come chat on their Discord server as well! I'm often online so you can reach out to me through there; https://discord.gg/2vxtjzs. Reminder that there's also an instagram account for the project: @bepis.rat , and AH have their own as well, @americanhaptics!

More news coming soon!

[harmful]

Design is sweet!, I'm definitely looking forward to updates

[BepisRat]

Update! We're getting PCBs produced for in-depth testing with prototypes, exciting stuff!

[mr4kino]

Good news.
I wish there would be an additional 2U key bottom left/right of each side though.

[hottrout]

Good progress, very excited to see where this goes.

[hiddensong]

This is exactly the creature I've been waiting to see for the past year. Unfortunately (for me) its priced too high for its use as a dedicated editing/creation input device. It has too many layout issues to be used seriously as a keyboard, which is absolutely fine as I feel this has its place. I just wont be able to land it. I'm very excited to see where this goes from here. Good luck!

[Netdewt]

I really like the idea, but the pricing is too high for me to consider. I retouch professionally.

[Havattack]

WOW! Congratulations, you managed to make not only the 1st good looking split keyboard ever, but the 1st good looking ortho too! Hope you design more keyboards in the future man! (Especially the vastly better looking, none split, staggered designs..)

[BepisRat]

Good news.
I wish there would be an additional 2U key bottom left/right of each side though.

You mean for the spacebars? We've added that to the PCB already. Still waiting on those to be made and for the case protos to be manufactured. Next update is when we'll have a couple units ready for testing, hopefully!

[br0qn]

Looking forward to sample unit photos!

[smoochara]

Been looking at it since the start of the thread. OP, I hope your 2021 has been safe and free of losses. Have any protos been made since the last update?

[crmsn_]

Yo, I'd like to know if OP's still alive and well too. This was such a beautifully designed keyboard. Hope you're doing alright, dude. Ortho love. 🖤🏁

[Omnias]

Breaking News!

Since announcing the project and launching the Interest Check, I was approached by the wonderful and skilled people at American Haptics, and we've been working together on getting this keyboard up and working. Their website will be a great source of news for this project, https://www.american-haptics.com/. You can always come chat on their Discord server as well! I'm often online so you can reach out to me through there; https://discord.gg/2vxtjzs. Reminder that there's also an instagram account for the project: @bepis.rat , and AH have their own as well, @americanhaptics!

More news coming soon!

Did anything come about from this development? It would be amazing if this project finally was made!

[Callum]

Did anything come about from this development? It would be amazing if this project finally was made!

According to the Discord, this project is on Ice and I would not expect to hear anything soon.

Ryan — 03/15/2022
@everyone I regret to announce we are putting the Operator project into cold storage. It isn't a hard delete, but we have been progression locked for too long and have to move on to other projects. <3

https://discord.com/channels/742813965171818577/753254363698429962/952949370423222372