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[GB] Bias - GB Complete, Extras available

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Baionlenja:
Bias R2 Group Buy by Baionlenja



Years of work and 7 unique prototype rounds later, Bias is ready to be made public.



Raffle Info

620 USD
VAT included for EU buyers

Raffle on 16th of November 2021
Raffle form opens tomorrow at UTC 12:00 and is open for modification for 48 hours
Ships from Finland Q3 2022 or before
Bias will be retired after this group buy

Raffle form will be posted here
Shopify invoices will be sent to winners by email on 18th
Payment window is 24 hours after invoices have been sent
Contact me if you need a bit more time to pay
Otherwise unpaid invoices will be swiftly re-raffled in my Discord





Update 30.11.2021
Order has been paid and placed at the factory! I will update bi-weekly every sunday, then switch to weekly updates as GB nears completion.




More detailed information at the end of post





Bias

OG Bias group buy was ran invite only in 2020 and I have been getting tons of requests from vendors and fans of my designs to sell it publicly.
Instead of just using the original design to cash out, I wanted to improve Bias as much as I could to make it worthy of your consideration.
Thus began a wild ride of endless prototype rounds, thousands of hours of testing, development, sourcing and learning.
And finally here we are. I sincerely hope you will appreciate the passion and commitment I've put to every single millimeter of Bias.






Photos & Renders







Main Features

Fixed WKL TKL layout
17.5mm front height
7 degree typing angle
"Seamless" HHK+B Sides
M3 Hex screws flush to the surface
All this and the mounting system fits inside the classic bezels without dodgy thin walls
Very grabbable sides
Recessed USB-C port angled to the table
Bumpon cutouts
40$ more expensive than Bias R1, but with significantly upgraded features and materials



Evolved grommet mount

I wanted to make a mounting style that had the isolated plate and softer typing feel like gasket mount, but without the faffing around with foam stickers, misaligned plates or trying to get the stickers off when swapping plates.
In 2020, I started experimenting with rubber grommets and made a couple projects around them (WB for example).
With what I learned I decided to continue improving the design and this is the result.
These custom injection molded silicone grommets easily snap onto the plate and automatically align the plate assembly to the center.
They're removable, and you will receive two sets of different softnesses for more customization.



Leaf spring cuts

Additionally I experimented with leaf spring cuts on the aluminium plate.
I included them in several projects (Bias 1.5 and 2.0) but with Ophanim and WB I combined the milder leaf cuts with the custom grommets which yielded excellent results.
What you are seeing in Bias is the result of all this work. The polycarbonate plate option does not have leaf springs as it would be so flexy it would be unusable   ;D



BAION WAVE TM (patent pending) /s

These distinct waves on the case floor allow the pcb to flex more without the switch pins contacting the case.
It's among the many interesting machining details for those who enjoy exploring the insides of every keyboard.



PCB Film

Another thing I've been working on for a while. I'm a big fan of offering built in sound customization options that do not affect typing feel.
It's a glossy film with a thin poron layer which goes on the pcb and under the switches.
It creates a more firm connection from switch to PCB and results in an interesting sound profile without muting the entire distinct sound of the board.
It's extremely tough which lends to good durability when redoing builds, and it's completely optional, not affecting typing feel with or without.

I recommend trying it! I personally like it with Gateron switches, but prefer to take it off for Cherry switches.




Two colours

Radiant sunshine battery acid eggplant atrocity  Black
Emerald sugarplum starshine cerebrospinal fluid  Silver




Click here for more renders
Click here for more prototype photos




Many of the features in this keyboard are to address my personal grievances



* JST cable channel is widened for ease of building. (You'll thank me when you're building it.)
* Screws are thick and flush to the surface. No more deep screw tunnels that end up in you scratching the sides of the screw hole because your screwdriver is too short.
* All case internal geometry is extra thick and robust.
* No glue involved in the mounting system.
* Grommets can be replaced with standard grommets found in mcmaster catalogue.
* Case and plate align themselves.
* Screws and mounting points are very carefully placed to minimize bezel sizes.
* PCB has some very specific design features which increase longevity such as spare diodes.
* Case is very easily liftable because "someone" dropped their Ikirouta on their finger once and vowed for such tragedy to never happen again.
So as you can see my personal obsessions experiences over the years have influenced this keyboard's smaller features heavily.
I hope that you will appreciate them as much as my poor fingers do!
Additionally I have gathered tons of feedback and suggestions from other hobby veterans.



Layout


* Winkeyless only
* Fixed ANSI with optional stepped caps lock
* Optional fixed ISO plate with optional stepped caps lock
* Plate files for more layouts will be released before Bias is shipped so that you can get your own plates made ready
Typing test



Pre-Order Information


* Group buy format: Raffle
* Group buy date: 16th of November, 2021, 12:00 UTC time
* Raffle window: 48h
* Ships from Finland
Raffle form, updates and future projects will be posted in Geekhack and in my Discord

Estimated shipping date: Q3 of 2022 or earlier
Extra units available after shipment

Base kit includes


* Bias Keyboard
* Stainless steel multicolor weight
* Custom PCB by Yiancar (case is also h87 compatible)
* Aluminium plate
* Two sets of custom grommets at different softnesses
* 2 x Custom molded poron PCB film
* Carrying case with custom molded interior
* Hardware and stickers
* 2 Year standard European warranty
Pricing

Bias Kit


* 620 USD

For EU buyers price includes VAT. For those outside EU, check your local tax rates for importing.
All orders are shipped from EU

Shipping

DHL Express Worldwide

* International 45 USD

Extra parts


* Extra PCB with daughterboard: 60 USD
* Extra aluminium plate: 50 USD
* Polycarbonate plate: 60 USD
* Misc Kit (2 sets of grommets, 2 extra PCB films, stickers and extra bumpons): 20USD 



I will be stocking replacement parts such as PCB's grommets and PCB films.
Additionally I will provide a 2 year warranty for the buyer with quick and easy replacements.
A keyboard such as this is a big investment and I want to make sure you can find spare parts whenever you need them.



Additions after IC

I've sneakily increased the prices for shipping by a few euros in hopes of purchasing a second yacht  :cool:
But for real I got a quote from DHL and I decided to go with them instead of the very slow Finland Post.
I've also very slyly removed the notion of how many raffles spots there are. Time for another private jet  :cool:
If there's a gargantuan amount of raffle entries, I will dispense some extra spots to not dilute the chances of the who have been exited and following this project from the start. I now have some able extra hands to help me with the soul crushing task of QC and packaging  :cool:
Since Shopify does not offer multiple currencies for Finnish stores, EU people will have to be paying in USD. Don't worry, VAT is still included in price. Downside is that you are now in the mercy of exchange rates.  :-X

Thank you for reading my IC and GB posts. The kind words mean so much to me and I never thought I could get a reception like this. It really has inspired me to pass on the kind words and try encourage others as well.
And here's one for the lurkers, yes you. The valiant heroes of the forum and Discord server bandwidth, those who simply observe. Thank you for blessing me with your eyeballs. I will do my best to make my keyboards equally available to even those who do not engage in the community verbally.

Thank you for considering HHK+B

edits:
Added two more irl pics
added raffle link

Baionlenja:
Updates

Update 30.11.2021
Order has been paid and placed at the factory! I will update bi-weekly every sunday, then switch to weekly updates as GB nears completion.

Update 05.12.2021
Orders for the cases were placed few days ago and orders for the Bias Bags was also placed. ETA is looking good despite CNY approaching fast.
For the next weeks I will be busy setting up the warehouse. Will be getting things like storage shelves, desks and equipment for QC and packaging, security measures etc.  I'll be posting pictures of the warehouse on the upcoming weeks in my discord for those interested!
For the next update, I'll make a sound test of the alu plate w/ retools and PCB film vs no PCB film comparisons.
And as always, don't hesitate to contact support@baionlenja.com if you have any worries about your order, or just want to ask anything!

Update 12.12.2021
Production is proceeding as planned. Our order will likely be made after CNY, but this is something I took into account already.
Lately I've been busy setting up the warehouse. I'm currently in the process of cleaning it and moving in desks, setting up security etc

Update 02.01.2022
Happy new year! Holidays and the warehouse have kept me busy, but otherwise things are going as planned. So nothing special to report today.

Update 16.01.2022
CNY is upon us and factories will be taking a break during it.  Currently there is nothing more to do than wait. But I'll still keep you updated if anything interesting happens.

Update 30.01.2022
Not much to update in terms of case production, but I do have PCB updates! Here's pictures of the official PCB bias will be using. Yiancar has been super helpful in implementing some of the interesting QoL features I really wanted.
Some of the features include:
- Spare diodes for DIY PCB repair
- Easily accessible reset by removing capslock keycap and using tweezers
- Built in caps lock and scroll lock indicator leds

Update 13.02.2022
Still waiting for manufacturing to pick back up after CNY.
 But in the meantime I've been making typing tests among other things.!

Update 27.02.2022
Manufacturing has picked back up and we got some photos of the boards in progress!

Update 13.03.2022
CNC is progressing as expected, I'll be sure to share pictures when I get them as they move into anodising!

Update 27.03.2022
CNC still taking place! I'll let you know once the boards enter anodising.

Update 10.04.2022
First boards have entered anodising!

Update 17.04.2022
Anodising still in progress, weights are preparing for final coating.

Update 01.05.2022
Anodisation is still in progress! Some boards are pretty much finished, but there's still reano needed for some.

Update 15.05.2022
Anodisation is just about finished.  I'll post pictures as soon as I can! Next up is factory checking each board and packing them for freight. After they arrive in Finland, I will QC them myself (which will take some time) and start shipping them out to y'all!

Update 29.05.2022
Case anodisation finished, weights are still being coated.

Update 12.06.2022
Weights are just about finished, I've asked for pictures. PCBs are finished!

Update 30.06.2022
PCB's have been shipped and we got pictures of the weights!

Update 17.07.2022
Weights are almost finished! All other parts are ready but the coating on the weights has taken a long time to get right.

Update 31.07.2022
About 200 weights are left to coat with desirable quality. Good news is that most of them are extra weights, so we're pretty much finished in a moment!

Update 29.8.2022
Production is finished! Boards will soon start heading here!

Update 12.9.2022
Boards are packed and will be on the way to us this week!

Update 26.9.2022
Now we wait for the boards to arrive here

Update 7.11.2022
Looks like there's going to be 30-40 day delay until the boards get here.  :-X  Manufacturer forgot to include a batch of plates and so the shipment missed the boat.

Update 22.11.2022
Just got the tracking for the shipment!
Estimated date of arrival to port is 16th of december.

Update 5.12.2022
Boat made it through Suez canal  :cool: We're now currently setting up the QC and packaging line at the warehouse.

Update 2.1.2023
Keyboards have arrived safely!
Now begins the QC process, we're gonna inspect/clean each one. So that means this is the last chance to update shipping address!
I don't want to rush the QC, so I'm not promising any date for when it's done, but we're going to start shipping in batches once enough units have been QC'd

Update 17.2.2023
Roughly half has gone out!
Extras and B-stock will be raffled soon!

Update 11.4.2023
All GB units are set to be sent out before end of April.
Check out the FAQ https://baionlenja.com/pages/bias-faq
B-stock units shipping this week.

Update 28.4.2023
Group buy complete! Some extras are available with more to come!

kiyoboard:
I wasn't very vocal about it, but being following this for sometime, and really like the improvements over the R1. Glad finally time has come :) Hopefully I can snatch one.

treeleaf64:
What's your Bias?  ^-^ Good luck with your group buy Mr Baion!!!!

BouncyChillups:

--- Quote ---Thank you for considering HHK+B
--- End quote ---

Good times :)

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