[IC] The CouchSurfer - Handmade Lapdesks for YD60BLE and others!

[Arrythmia]

Hello, you Kings and Queens of Click.

My name is Arrythmia, and I like to make stuff out of wood. This is the first contribution I'll be making to the MechKey community, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

This is a sort of Interest Check into a handmade wooden lapdesk I've been designing. I've always wanted a wireless surface that can hold my mousepad and a sturdy mechanical keyboard in place right on my lap, letting me play my games and browse from a distance with no tangle or snag to worry about. Using a nice router and some good old fashioned hand-sanding, I made a clickity clackety little boogie board I call the "CouchSurfer". 

I should mention that the wood shown in the pictures of the prototype is unstained and not fully finished, as this build is a stepping stone (I'll stain it soon). Completed and shipped orders will have a default choice of Satin Black or Semi-gloss Walnut, but other extravagant colors may be discussed for a higher price point, if that's your flavor!



I hope to make MANY of these, for people who have a PC hooked up in their living room, or any other BLE enabled device, with space for a 2500mah lipo.

I am now focusing on a 60% for the new YD60BLE PCB from kbdfans, which has wireless built in!

Price of $170 dollars for 5 unit Group Buy

[Each and every board will be its own unique piece, handcrafted with love by me.

The following build pictured is merely a proof-of-concept and my personal board, an ortholinear/preonic with Kailh Box Navies on a custom steel plate mounted into solid oak.

Pricing will be ~$250 REVISED, I found cheaper plate option! If my cost can go down, so does yours!
It's essentially a cannibalized Sentraq top plate that will correct the countersunk screw issue shown in the prototype (silly me). And I'm pretty sure just about every layout for the YD60BLE is available with this plate! (Correct me if I'm wrong)

 Shipping will be CONUS only (for now).









More photos here!
https://imgur.com/a/dLsvl

Can you hear the THOCC, yet?

Google Form here: https://goo.gl/forms/lZKM3GCbZ4p1v5Wp1

[Koobaczech]

Really interesting project. I used to own a Razer Turret a few years back. It was the same concept. The turret folded, had a charging dock and was aesthetically very pleasing. Worked off Bluetooth or wireless for less lag. Cost a bit less than this too.

I'd hate to say anything negative about this project, but I learned that with a lapboard, the mouse space is usually not big enough, my elbows needed a rest, the mouse would fall off constantly, and I was inclined to angle the keyboard, which would throw the whole piece off balance. I'd love to see innovations in lapboards though. Like more wireless pcb options rather and a 60, adjustable keyboard position with angles, more mouse space, stuff like that would be really cool! GL with all this and keep up the great work

[jimirolln]

this is some uber fascinating...out of the box type stuff...would you consider a built in wrist rest...shorting the mouse support to just enuf for the pad and adding one to the left side for balance and lefties?...if this is to much...please disregard

i love your idea...good luck

[Arrythmia]

this is some uber fascinating...out of the box type stuff...would you consider a built in wrist rest...shorting the mouse support to just enuf for the pad and adding one to the left side for balance and lefties?...if this is to much...please disregard

i love your idea...good luck

I would absolutely be interested in commissioning a custom lapdesk, so if you have a design idea you want made by hand, I could source some material and get you a quote

[Arrythmia]

Really interesting project. I used to own a Razer Turret a few years back. It was the same concept. The turret folded, had a charging dock and was aesthetically very pleasing. Worked off Bluetooth or wireless for less lag. Cost a bit less than this too.

I'd hate to say anything negative about this project, but I learned that with a lapboard, the mouse space is usually not big enough, my elbows needed a rest, the mouse would fall off constantly, and I was inclined to angle the keyboard, which would throw the whole piece off balance. I'd love to see innovations in lapboards though. Like more wireless pcb options rather and a 60, adjustable keyboard position with angles, more mouse space, stuff like that would be really cool! GL with all this and keep up the great work

I wouldn't say that's negative at all, as these are all issues I have encountered and thought of fixing as well. Currently, this prototype is using a roughly 9"x8" cloth mousepad, a relatively "standard" and user replaceable size, but am open to commissioning larger surface areas on a perorder basis. As for elbows resting, that's one of my personal reasons for using lapdesks; arm rests on office chairs kill my elbows after prolonged use. Without adding a massive amount of soft material outside of my production capabilities, this personal preference will unfortunately not be covered by the CouchSurfer at the moment

I look forward to working with the people in this community to make an excellent, handcrafted piece of hardware!