[IC] Stratos - Stacked Acrylic | Gasket Mount | 60% | GB Closed

[eggyolk05]

Stratos

Stacked acrylic, gasket mount, 60% keyboard

GB Closed: etype.us

Build Guide

   

Stratos is a cascading, stacked acrylic keyboard with a premium typing experience.

   

The curve of the case from the top to the bottom was designed to highlight the acrylic layers rather than hide them.

Gaskets are implemented to create a comfortable typing experience that isolates the plate from the rest of the case. Sound dampening foam is placed in between the plate and PCB for better acoustics.

Mounting System

   

The 6 tabs provide mounting locations for gaskets on top of the plate. The 6 mounting locations on the bottom side of the plate are supported by the foam between the plate and PCB, acting as a gasket.

*The green PCB shown is for visual purposes. The final PCB will be black.*

Interchangeable Top Layer

      

The top layer can easily be swapped to create a standard, WKL, or HHKB layout.

Prototype Photos

Full Prototype Album

      

Plate Layout

Specs

10 frosted acrylic layers

Interchangeable Top layer: Standard, WKL, HHKB

60% layout

~6 degree typing angle

Gasket mount

Plate: Aluminum, POM, FR4

PCB/Gasket Foam Layer

Solder PCB

USB-C with ESD Protection

QMK/VIA compatible

RGB LED Underglow

Base Kit

Frosted acrylic case

Solder PCB

FR4 Plate

Gaskets

PCB/Gasket foam layer

Hardware

Bumpons

IC Form
Sound Test

GB Information

Base Kit Price: $135

Date: 6/11/21 - 6/30/21

Production time: Ships 1-2 months after GB ends

Vendor: The group buy will be sold worldwide on etype.us

Units: There will be a soft cap of 50 units to ensure that everything will be shipped on time.

To-do

Update with more renders

Add prototype photos

Add sound test

Finalize pricing and date

Updates

3/16/21: Added plate render to show gasket mounting locations

5/23/21: Updated renders, aesthetic changes to case design, 6.5 -> 6 degree typing angle, gasket plate foam

5/26/21: Added information on the interchangeable top layer

6/9/21: Added GB information, price adjustment, added RGB

6/11/21: GB Live

8/16/21: Everything is arriving on time. Packages scheduled to ship soon.

Special thanks to elmo for helping with the firmware.
Thank you to everyone for the support!

[zoo]

nice, I like the look of the feet in this stacked impl

[milky123]

looking good, glwic

[nick779]

I'm in, this would be sick for a silent build.

[CosminOance]

Unknown price or date, but you know it will ship 1-2 months after?

Also, interested.

[eggyolk05]

Unknown price or date, but you know it will ship 1-2 months after?

Also, interested.

I suppose I meant TBD - the price and date are still being finalized. And based on the manu estimates so far, shipping within 1-2 months after GB is feasible.

[DotMatrix]

Any renders of the mounting points for the plate? 18 gaskets sounds like a lot; too many and too wide mounting points can bring stiffness and ping in my experience that take away from the main point of gasket mounting.

[eggyolk05]

Any renders of the mounting points for the plate? 18 gaskets sounds like a lot; too many and too wide mounting points can bring stiffness and ping in my experience that take away from the main point of gasket mounting.

I replied to your comment on reddit, but I'll paste it here for others wondering the same thing.

"Thanks for the feedback - I'll update with more renders soon. There are 12 gaskets on the plate (6 top and bottom), and the 6 other gaskets act as bumpers to keep the plate in position."

[AuthenticDanger]

No prototype? Seems like with something that can be laser cut in a few hours and doesn't have any special screw consideration, you could have a typing test and show a prototype for this before looking for interest in another 60% case.

[eggyolk05]

No prototype? Seems like with something that can be laser cut in a few hours and doesn't have any special screw consideration, you could have a typing test and show a prototype for this before looking for interest in another 60% case.

So far, I've built prototypes of 3 earlier iterations of this keyboard, but they do not represent the current version. I will update the post when the current prototype is finished.

[hali]

interested

[Speedy123]

Any more movement on this?  I love stacked acrylic, but I haven't had a chance to use gasket mount.

[treeleaf64]

When you say sound dampening foam  what about the sound do you need to dampen  ?

Do you need more T H O C C

[eggyolk05]

Any more movement on this?  I love stacked acrylic, but I haven't had a chance to use gasket mount.

Hey - sorry for the lack of updates. PCB prototype just arrived and the production case prototype is on the way. More information will be out in the coming weeks!

[eggyolk05]

When you say sound dampening foam  what about the sound do you need to dampen  ?

Do you need more T H O C C

The THOCCINESS will be revealed once the final production prototype arrives lol

[eggyolk05]

5/24/21 Update

Stratos has gone through a few changes. To summarize,
- mounting system was modified
- typing angle was changed from ~6.5 to ~6 degrees
- bezel thickness was increased and feet design was altered

Prototype photos and sound tests with the different plate materials will be released later this week, so stay tuned!

[napostrophe]

Out of curiosity, will the design files be made public after GB?

[genevatypes]

no rgb tho?

[eggyolk05]

Out of curiosity, will the design files be made public after GB?

No sorry - they won't be public

[UGunaLOSE]

Pretty cool. GLWIC

[eggyolk05]

5/28/21 Update

A few more updates and clarifications have been added.
- The top layer can easily be swapped to transform Stratos from a standard layout to WKL to HHKB
- Prototype photos and a prototype album
- FR4/POM/Alu sound test

GB date is still being finalized. Should be sometime in June!

[eggyolk05]

6/9/21 Update

Back with some more exciting updates!
- As commonly requested, RGB LED underglow was added to the PCB
- GB Information Updated (GB Starts 6/11/21 on etype.us)
- Silver stainless steel screws will be offered as an optional add on
- Base kit price increased by $5 due to adding RGB along with more QC measures

[eggyolk05]

6/11/21 Update

Stratos GB is now live on etype.us

Thanks to everyone for the support!

[Senbeii]

Really love the design on this esp the back! GLWIC

[eggyolk05]

Really love the design on this esp the back! GLWIC

Thanks!

[mvkb]

What's the height of the case at the front?

[eggyolk05]

What's the height of the case at the front?

The front height is 21mm

[eggyolk05]

7/2/21 Update

Stratos GB has now closed. Thank you to everyone who has joined! Once all the numbers have been finalized, everything will be put into production immediately.

I'll post production updates on this thread - feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

[eggyolk05]

8/16/21 Update

Quick Progress Update - everything is arriving on time. All GB items should be shipped soon.

[Josh54]

This keyboard model is very special, I love it, where can I buy it?

fnf