[IC] Whi65 | Round 2 Prototpyes Ordered | (9/4/2021 Update)

[billy.types]

Whi65
A 65% gasket mounted keyboard

Discord | Instagram

Let us know if you are interested in this board and if you have any feedback: >> IC Form (CLOSED as of 7/25/2021)<<



Hey everyone, we are two friends who are passionate keyboard hobbyists, and we also happen to be engineers. We started our company, 383 Boards, to bring our numerous years of product design and engineering expertise to the keyboard space.



With that, I present to you our very first board, the Whi65.

The biggest inspiration for this keyboard has been my Betta fish whose name this keyboard takes on, Whi. This fish, who refuses to die, has been with me for a very long time and has inspired the weight and badge designs. Whi was named after Kawhi Leonard in remembrance of him helping the Toronto Raptors win a NBA championship in 2019. Toronto has always been our home and we wanted to pay homage to the city and its basketball team, thus you will see subtle allusions to the Raptors logo as well as the hexagon corners of the board that represent the 6ix.




0. CONTENTS

• DETAILS
• STATUS
• VENDORS & PRICING
• PHOTOS
• SOUND TEST
• FAQ

1. DETAILS

• Isolated plate gasket mount
• Sleek screw-less assembly
• Typing angle: 7.0°
• Front height: 19.5mm
• Materials: 6061 Aluminum housings, Sandblasted brass weight, spacer, and badge
• Mass: ~2.0kg (total), ~0.5kg (weight)
• Plates: Aluminum & Polycarbonate (FR4 & Brass are being considered, TBD)
• PCB: Mill-max hot-swap and soldering versions - configurable with QMK/VIA, ESD protection
• Layout options:
  
  The soldering version of the PCB will support a variety of layout options: ANSI, ISO, split Left Shift, split Backspace, and stepped Caps Lock
  The hot-swap version will only support the ANSI layout.
  
  
  
  
• Color options:
  More
  E-White   |   Black   |   E-Lilac   |   Deep Blue
  
  
  
  
  All colors are meant to be as close to reality as possible. There may be some discrepancies between these renders and actual production units.
  
  

Design Revisions from V1 prototypes:

The following design changes were made after using and testing out the V1 prototype board as a daily driver. These changes will be tested in the second round of prototypes:

• Gasket strips have been made wider going from 2.5mm to 4mm to allow for easy application
• The space between the PCB and bottom case has been increased from 1mm to 2.5mm, to give more room for the board to flex without bottoming out
• Screws were added to the mid spacer to allow for an easier assembly
• Switched from Phillips M1.2 screws to Torx M2 screws to give more durability
• Plates were updated to add "leaf spring" type cuts around the edges to allow for easier flex
  
• The weight's mounting design also had to be updated to accommodate for the above changes
  

2. STATUS

First round of prototypes were delivered 05/06/2021, PCBs were delayed but were delivered 05/26/2021. We are currently in the process of putting together the board and creating some sound tests that will be uploaded to this thread soon. 

Start Interest check Opened April 10, 2021
Order prototypes Ordered April 15, 2021
Test prototypes for appropriate sound profile and fitment Tested and made minor design revisions July 03, 2021
Announce Vendor partners  Announced July 22, 2021
Finalize color options Original 4 colors finalized
Order R2 prototypes Ordered Sept 3, 2021
Test R2 prototypes
Send Prototype boards out to content creators
Finalize design and close interest check


For more regular status updates be sure to join our discord server


3. VENDORS & PRICING


Vendors

• USA - Space Cables
• CA - Ashkeebs
• EU - Mykeyboard
• UK - Proto[Typist]
• SEA - Zion Studios
• AUS - DailyClack

Pricing and Number of Units

• TBD

4. PHOTOS

V1 Prototype


Renders

• E-White renders:
  More
  
  
  
  
• E-Lilac renders:
  More
  
  
  
  
• Deep Blue renders:
  More
  
  
  
  
• Black & Gold renders:
  More
  
  
  
  

5. SOUND TEST

6. FAQ

• Estimated GB Date?
  Late 2021 Q4 - Early 2022 Q1
  
  
• How is the GB going to be run? Is it going to be FCFS, Limited, or Unlimited?
  It will be a limited FCFS group buy. Number of units per region is still TBD
  
  
• Estimated Price?
  No price yet, a few of our manufacturers are standing firm on not providing us mass production quotations till after our second prototype run is complete. This is due to the fast changing material prices and the global chip shortage. They want the quotation to GB date window to be smaller, which is understandable in today's market. Apart from speaking to manufacturers, we also need to speak to all our vendors and make pricing agreements with them once we have the quotations. Thus at this time we will not be releasing a price. It will only come after proto2 is completed.
  
  

Banner:

If you like to show support for this IC and our design, please do so by adding the following to your signature:

Code: [Select]

[url=https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=112229.0][img width=480 height=120]https://i.imgur.com/hKb4Cyp.png[/img][/url]
Thanks for taking the time to read through this, we appreciate any comments, suggestions or feedback you may for us. Don't forget to fill out the IC form as well!

[billy.types]

Change Log / Updates

• April 10, 2021 - Started Interest Check
• April 10, 2021 - Updated OP with total and weight masses
• April 13, 2021 - Changed front height from 19.5mm to 21.5mm, updated masses accordingly
• April 14, 2021 - Hot swap and soldering versions of the PCB confirmed
• April 15, 2021 - First set of prototypes ordered, expected delivery ~3 weeks
• April 26, 2021 - Finalized layout and PCB options, will have support for both hot-swap and soldering PCBs. Different layout options supported on the soldering version
• April 29, 2021 - R1 of prototypes completed by the manufacturer, shipped and enroute to us. Expected to receive them May 5th
• May 11, 2021 - Prototype V1 pictures added to Original post, PCB delivery has been delayed
• May 25, 2021 - PCB delivery was made, in process of building the board and creating some early sound tests
• June 15, 2021 - Initial sound test of board posted
• July 3, 2021 - Design Revisions made
• July 22, 2021 - Vendors announced
• July 25, 2021 - IC Form closed
• Sept 4, 2021 - Estimated GB data updated to end of Q4 2021 or early Q1 2022. GB will be limited FCFS, updated FAQ accordingly.

[FishyKeebs]

That lilac would go really nice with Kat pbj

[hello21]

I love fish, will probably cop one for my GMK Coral set.
Can you please share a photo of your betta

[kk73715]

1. I don't like this screwless implementation because of the small screws you are forced to use (usually they are ****ty and low quality, usually)
2. you might not be able to screw the top few screws with JWK switches, definitely not with Gat Inks (eye-balling off render)
3. that front-height is yikes, will probably be hard to use especially with a 7° typing angle as well
4. why so much foam? whats the point of muting everything? why isolate the plate?
5. total mass? mass of weight?
6. approximate price?
7. A 65% gasket mounted keyboard Another 65% gasket mounted keyboard *with blocker
8 at least the design is somewhat different (definitely been done before though) and its not a top right blocker
9. you sneaky mother****er, this **** is hotswap. you added standoff cutouts on the plate so this is just noob-bait (65%, gasket mount, hotswap, blocker, foam, foam, and more foam)
10. also it only has 4 standoffs? good luck?

personally, I don't think 6 months is enough time. Maybe I'm wrong, who knows. I'm just some random dude on the internet, take this with a grain of salt

[treeleaf64]

all keyboard look the same 
Billy types

[Cubic // esc lab]

Definitely would like to see a prototype first! Hard to give feedback or judge a board/anything from renders alone.

I think for anything outside of keycap sets, it's become fairly common to have at least R1 protos ready during IC phase. Shows commitment from the designer and thought.

GLWIC.

[billy.types]

Definitely would like to see a prototype first! Hard to give feedback or judge a board/anything from renders alone.

I think for anything outside of keycap sets, it's become fairly common to have at least R1 protos ready during IC phase. Shows commitment from the designer and thought.

GLWIC.

That is a fair point. We are going to be ordering the prototypes in the next day or so, so I will update the IC as soon as we get them in house.

Thanks for the comment!

[Baka Bot]

The triangle has been completed, we did it!

[mezok]

the design looks stunning and the different colors look amazing. yet, i am put off by the thicker edges of the keyboard and that the badge takes up two keys. If the badge itself could be one key, that would be preferable imo. otherwise, I could see myself picking one up in the future. I would also prefer a soldering version of the pcb, as I live in Europe and require an ISO layout.

[Chippy]

semantics, but I believe this would be a 66% layout. For example: https://clueboard.co/clueboard-66-v4-5

[billy.types]

1. I don't like this screwless implementation because of the small screws you are forced to use (usually they are ****ty and low quality, usually)

We will be evaluating multiple screws during the prototyping phase. This will be followed by durability testing for the mounting system.

2. you might not be able to screw the top few screws with JWK switches, definitely not with Gat Inks (eye-balling off render)
3. that front-height is yikes, will probably be hard to use especially with a 7° typing angle as well

Obviously this was a concern for us too during the design stage, but we believe that our current design should avoid interferences with those switches. Again, we will be verifying this in the prototypes and adjust accordingly. Same thing goes for the front height, we are open to lowering that height as we experiment with our prototypes.

4. why so much foam? whats the point of muting everything? why isolate the plate?

The foam is definitely an optional item that the user has the choice of using. We want to provide the best sounding keyboard and thus the thickness of the foams, material and cutouts will all be evaluated during prototyping. Everything is subject to change.

5. total mass? mass of weight?

The total mass is approximately 2kg while the weight is approximately 0.6kg. I’ve updated the post to reflect this.

6. approximate price?

Not sure yet. We will know more as we continue to talk with vendors and manufacturers for mass production. We are currently in the process of getting quotes for mass production pricing.

[Clone6001]

Very cool design and theme for the board. Definitely considering it, hope to see more updates in the future. 

[lush_bunny]

That badge. Betta...
Is there any chance Whi is a fighting fish? If so, no wonder he refuses to die.

[billy.types]

Can you please share a photo of your betta

Whi getting alot of attention today LOL

[kk73715]

Thanks for the reply

Hope the prototypes are up to your expectations

[sup3r170va]

I like the design but 21.5mm for the front height is a dealbreaker for me. I think I can only go up to 20mm. Is there any way u can lower it?

[billy.types]

I like the design but 21.5mm for the front height is a dealbreaker for me. I think I can only go up to 20mm. Is there any way u can lower it?

Yes, we are definitely looking to lower that down to be sub 20mm. It shouldn't really affect the shape of the keyboard so its doable.

[ManoliVisuals]

Nice choice for keycaps  Looking forward to seeing how this turns out after protos! GLWIC

[spedywin]

Love the betta fish weight cutout and badge. Excited for what is to come! 

[lush_bunny]

If you put two Whi65 boards in the same table, will they fight each other to the death.

[HappyB0T]

If you put two Whi65 boards in the same table, will they fight each other to the death.

This is great - LOL!

[tofulo]

I may be in the minority, but I feel like the rear design would look cleaner without the eye dot

[mr_foggy]

it looks beautiful

[fredprinz21]

Filled out the IC form. Looking forward to the prototype.

Good luck with IC + GB.

Please consider Zion Studios PH as PH/SEA vendor. Thanks a lot!

More pics of your fish and prototype, PLEASE.

***Gary Trent good pick-up, boss.

[glenntmm]

Damn dude, just take my money, can't wait for the GB phase to come already, GLWIC

[billy.types]

Hey everyone

We received a few comments in this thread as well as in the IC form regarding the keyboard's front height, and how it is higher than most other keyboards you see in the market (esp ones with a 7 degree typing angle).

we felt like this was a valid point and instead of ordering prototypes we decided to change this height and make it lower before we send out the orders.

• the front height has now been changed from 21.5mm to 19.5mm
• estimated total mass = 2.23kg
• estimated mass of weight = 0.55kg

[billy.types]

I would also prefer a soldering version of the pcb, as I live in Europe and require an ISO layout.

Well good news is that we are intending to support both hot-swap and soldering versions of the PCB. The soldering version, as you mentioned, will have compatibility for the ISO layout however the hot swap version will not. We will also be updating the plates so that they support both ANSI and ISO layouts.

[billy.types]

First round of Prototype ordered!

It will be the Deep Blue colorway with the polycarbonate plate.

Further updates to come!
Join our discord for more regular updates: https://discord.gg/uytwB8TG

[Michelle Obama]

will there be more colors?

Sent from my Redmi Note 8 Pro using Tapatalk

[humpafei]

Just wondering, when are you guys planning to launch the GB? like estimated timeframe.

[billy.types]

Just wondering, when are you guys planning to launch the GB? like estimated timeframe.

It all depends on how our prototyping goes, but we are aiming to start the GB early Q4.
We have started working with manufactures and are talking to vendors, we will be able to have an updated timeline soon.

[mizuwolf]

ooh looking forward to seeing prototypes - just have to voice that i LOVE that e-lilac!!

[hhynes11]

Pretty new to the community so not sure how touchy "copying" is but it would be very cool if you sold extra badges with different designs/colors and maybe even optional poron/silicone gasket strips like the ikki68 did to make it super customizable. I have been waiting for a 65% with a blocker and a badge for a while now without having to pay a ridiculous amount on the aftermarket and this looks perfect but having that extra customizability would make it a done deal for me. The only thing I can pick out is I would prefer a centered USB C but that's just me being picky.

[billy.types]

Based on feedback and suggestions gathered through our IC form, Geekhack thread, and our Discord server we have decided to support 2 PCBs: a hot-swap version and a soldering version.

The soldering version of the PCB will:
- support a variety of layout options, such as: ANSI, ISO, split Left Shift, split Backspace, and stepped Caps Lock. An overview of the support layout options is shown below
- provide QMK & VIA support
- have added ESD protection

The hot-swap PCB will:
- use Mill-max sockets to provide hot-swap functionality
- support only the ANSI layout, will not support ISO or any of the split/stepped options from the soldering version
- 5 pin hot-swap
- provide QMK & VIA support
- have added ESD protection

[Lucy Lumi]

I LOVE this board! Love the inclusion of arrow keys, the sides are gorgeous, and that lilac purple colour way with the brass, just stunning! Really excited for this board
Count me in for the purple x

[treeleaf64]

I enjoy the small dents in the corners.
When I accidentally drop my keyboard on the ground, I will not be able to tell the difference in appearance. How nice.

[captainkai]

I enjoy the small dents in the corners.
When I accidentally drop my keyboard on the ground, I will not be able to tell the difference in appearance. How nice.

I actually really like them, and they differentiate the board's design a bit.  They remind me a bit of an aluminum GK68XS case, but a lot more refined.

[billy.types]

Just got word that our prototypes have finally been finished and are currently on a plane enroute to us. We expect to get them in hand sometime early next week.

Here are a few pictures we asked the manufacturer to send us before they shipped them out. They are not the best quality so please take them with a grain of salt.





Estimated delivery date is May 5th, foams and gaskets will also be arriving the same day.

[DaaDaa]

1. I don't like this screwless implementation because of the small screws you are forced to use (usually they are ****ty and low quality, usually)
2. you might not be able to screw the top few screws with JWK switches, definitely not with Gat Inks (eye-balling off render)
3. that front-height is yikes, will probably be hard to use especially with a 7° typing angle as well
4. why so much foam? whats the point of muting everything? why isolate the plate?
5. total mass? mass of weight?
6. approximate price?
7. A 65% gasket mounted keyboard Another 65% gasket mounted keyboard *with blocker
8 at least the design is somewhat different (definitely been done before though) and its not a top right blocker
9. you sneaky mother****er, this **** is hotswap. you added standoff cutouts on the plate so this is just noob-bait (65%, gasket mount, hotswap, blocker, foam, foam, and more foam)
10. also it only has 4 standoffs? good luck?

personally, I don't think 6 months is enough time. Maybe I'm wrong, who knows. I'm just some random dude on the internet, take this with a grain of salt

there is a lot of points to muting everything. all the foams are very much appreciated and a great design. what is with all the #$#$ty loud clacky dumb keyboards for incel lunatic mech key nutjobs?

[Ranger_Trivette]

any idea of the final price?

do you have an idea of the minimun quantity to start the GB?
and also, how many feedback have you received from the IC?

[treeleaf64]

1. I don't like this screwless implementation because of the small screws you are forced to use (usually they are ****ty and low quality, usually)
2. you might not be able to screw the top few screws with JWK switches, definitely not with Gat Inks (eye-balling off render)
3. that front-height is yikes, will probably be hard to use especially with a 7° typing angle as well
4. why so much foam? whats the point of muting everything? why isolate the plate?
5. total mass? mass of weight?
6. approximate price?
7. A 65% gasket mounted keyboard Another 65% gasket mounted keyboard *with blocker
8 at least the design is somewhat different (definitely been done before though) and its not a top right blocker
9. you sneaky mother****er, this **** is hotswap. you added standoff cutouts on the plate so this is just noob-bait (65%, gasket mount, hotswap, blocker, foam, foam, and more foam)
10. also it only has 4 standoffs? good luck?

personally, I don't think 6 months is enough time. Maybe I'm wrong, who knows. I'm just some random dude on the internet, take this with a grain of salt

there is a lot of points to muting everything. all the foams are very much appreciated and a great design. what is with all the #$#$ty loud clacky dumb keyboards for incel lunatic mech key nutjobs?

 I do not like Noob Bait keyboards. I do not like the use of sound dampening foam when it is not needed. Please calm down and be nice to my friend. He was just commenting on what was an unfinished IC

[billy.types]

any idea of the final price?

do you have an idea of the minimun quantity to start the GB?
and also, how many feedback have you received from the IC?

As we are still trying to figure out the logistics of the group buy we don't have a definitive answer to all your questions. There is no estimated price point yet, we will know really soon though. We want to steer away from giving an estimated price just yet with the main reason being that it might change as we talk to more vendors and manufacturers and finalize a MOQ volume.

As for the feedback in the IC form, there are currently around 1000 responses. We are really happy with this turnout and excited to take this to a GB.

[billy.types]

Pretty new to the community so not sure how touchy "copying" is but it would be very cool if you sold extra badges with different designs/colors 

Thank you, I think for round 1 we probably will stick to only one badge design, and perhaps do an extra run for different designs/colors if this original GB does well. This is a bit lower on our list of priorities at the moment but if we can figure out a good cost-effective way of providing multiple designs we will consider it.

[billy.types]

Version 1 of prototypes were delivered earlier this week and so far really happy with how they have turned out. Very pleased with the overall fit and look of the keyboard. The PCBs have been delayed by a bit, we contacted the manufacturer yesterday and they told us they've finished the PCBs but the SMT part still needs to be completed. They were moving offices and that's why there's been a slight delay, and having the worldwide chip/component shortage doesn't help either. Once they get their production line up and running they will inform us, hopefully, it's soon.

In the mean time, we have been able to take some picture of the Whi65 in all of it's glory, I have updated the original post and added these pictures, hope you guys enjoy them.

We will adding more pictures and sound tests as we get the PCB in and put the entire thing together.

[Victus]

best board on IC rn, i wont hear otherwise

[Ranger_Trivette]

plate and case seems not well aligned on the right corner.
probaly che plate cut need to be more precise

[antsinyourpants]

Version 1 of prototypes were delivered earlier this week and so far really happy with how they have turned out. Very pleased with the overall fit and look of the keyboard. The PCBs have been delayed by a bit, we contacted the manufacturer yesterday and they told us they've finished the PCBs but the SMT part still needs to be completed. They were moving offices and that's why there's been a slight delay, and having the worldwide chip/component shortage doesn't help either. Once they get their production line up and running they will inform us, hopefully, it's soon.

In the mean time, we have been able to take some picture of the Whi65 in all of it's glory, I have updated the original post and added these pictures, hope you guys enjoy them.

We will adding more pictures and sound tests as we get the PCB in and put the entire thing together.

Thanks for the update! Looking forward to a typing test once the PCB arrives

[mizuwolf]

Oh man I just saw that this will have millmaxed hotswap pcb i am SO HERE FOR THIS and that proto has come out gorgeous I'm really going to struggle on what color to get ;o;

[MadBinton]

This board looks really good, and the shot of the arrow cluster and badge up close look sweet from up close.

The looking at the board in overview, two things bother me:

The small (0.25u?) blocker left of the arrows - it rubs me the wrong way. I would much rather have had the option to have wider mod keys left of the space bar. Or just one 1.5u and then more room for the blocker.

The badge sits at an offset from the keys, which is fine, but clearly sits outside of the "frame" of the board. By an to my eyes unpleasant amount. It really hurts how uniform the bezel looks, since there's two and there's just this small infraction.

Now I'm not just here to nag, I only found this board and proto today, but I must say I'm completely captured by the colors and the weight and the design of the badge, the brass rim around the edges, the side profile...
I want this board, but these two elements are really disruptive to me.

[adsfqwer]

I hope this works out and you keep making boards. I personally would love to see a TKL board with this design language.

[Ranger_Trivette]

with a magikarp badge would be perfect 

[billy.types]

Hi everyone, it has been a while since our last update. Nothing much has happened since then we have just been waiting for the PCBs to be delivered so we that we can start building the board, there was some sort of delay at the manufacturer's end.

However, the good news is that they were able to finish the PCBs last week and were able to deliver it a few days ago. The PCBs themselves are looking very clean, really happy with how they turned out. The mill-max hot-swap sockets and the silk screen print came out really nice as-well. I have attached a few pictures show it off, the PCB finish and silkscreen art are not final yet, we will be changing that for our production units. This is just something we had put together for the prototypes, just to gauge the print quality but for the final PCBs we are working on a special art piece for that. We will keep everyone updated as figure that out.

Over the past few days we have been able to put together a QMK firmware for our board and flash it. We tested the PCB and the hot-swap sockets and everything seems to working well, which is great to see. We teased a little sound test on our Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17898552104019054/) and currently are working on getting some sound tests done soon.

So stay tuned for that, I also just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone for their comments, constructive feedback and support. We really appreciate it

[billy.types]

with a magikarp badge would be perfect 

LOL I agree that would be so sweet, unfortunately not sure how the folks at Pokemon would feel

[billy.types]

Hi everyone, we just posted our initial sound test for the Whi65 R1 prototypes.

Check it out here:

Board Config:

• Plate: Frosted polycarbonate
• Switches: Alpaca V2 Linear lubed with 205g0 and filmed with Deskeys
• Stabilizers: Durock V2 stabilizers lubed with 205g0, XHT BDZ on wires, and holee modded
• Foam: None

[Neely_12]

This actually looks really nice. The design is clean and elegent. Not really a fan of 65% but idk this is nice

[Brankir]

I’m so glad I found this! That E-lilac is all that I’ve been wishing for. Please keep that and I’ll buy it no matter what! It is absolutely gorgeous! And I love the weight and brass design.. great job. This has made me really excited for this board.

[tjx7]

1. I don't like this screwless implementation because of the small screws you are forced to use (usually they are ****ty and low quality, usually)
2. you might not be able to screw the top few screws with JWK switches, definitely not with Gat Inks (eye-balling off render)
3. that front-height is yikes, will probably be hard to use especially with a 7° typing angle as well
4. why so much foam? whats the point of muting everything? why isolate the plate?
5. total mass? mass of weight?
6. approximate price?
7. A 65% gasket mounted keyboard Another 65% gasket mounted keyboard *with blocker
8 at least the design is somewhat different (definitely been done before though) and its not a top right blocker
9. you sneaky mother****er, this **** is hotswap. you added standoff cutouts on the plate so this is just noob-bait (65%, gasket mount, hotswap, blocker, foam, foam, and more foam)
10. also it only has 4 standoffs? good luck?

personally, I don't think 6 months is enough time. Maybe I'm wrong, who knows. I'm just some random dude on the internet, take this with a grain of salt

grr how dare it be beginner friendly by being hotswap!11!!1 maybe some of us don't know how to solder/ cant afford a solder iron + the gear/ hotswap is easier/ some of us prefer hotswap? hotswap = noob am i right guys

[gotgoodiez]

Any updates on new sound tests with different material? Also do you guys plan on going through another round of protos before a gb?

[billy.types]

Any updates on new sound tests with different material? Also do you guys plan on going through another round of protos before a gb?

We had some small minor changes we wanted to make and thus we def are working on getting a second round of prototypes done before we finalize things for the GB. As for sound tests when we have our second round prototypes we will make sure to do 3 or 4 sound tests with different plate materials and foam options.

[eggydesu]

I'm really hoping this GB happens and that it is unlimited.
I don't think I've ever wanted a board so badly

[legendaky]

Would you consider a green colorway?

[ralukiii03]

really love the look of this keyboard and i am highly considering getting one. i think if a rose gold colour way would be available would look amazinf

[billy.types]

We would like to officially like to announce our vendor partners for the upcoming Whi65 group buy. Its an honor to be working with such established companies in the keyboard space. We are beyond excited to see our designs come into fruition and this is just one of the steps in that direction.

USA - Space Cables
CA - Ashkeebs
EU - Mykeyboard
UK - Proto[Typist]
SEA - Zion Studios
AUS - DailyClack

More details about the group buy to follow soon. Thanks!

[billy.types]

Forgot to make this update, so adding it now:

After testing the Whi65 out and using it as a daily driver we found a few things that we didn't quite like and thus we wanted to make some tweaks before we went into our second prototype run.

The changes we have made are the following:

- gasket strips have been made wider going from 2.5mm to 4mm to allow for easy application
- the space between the PCB and bottom case has been increased from 1mm to 2.5mm, to give more room for the board to flex without bottoming out
- screws were added to the mid spacer to allow for an easier assembly
- switched from Phillips M1.2 screws to Torx M2 screws to give more durability
- plates were updated to add "leaf spring" type cuts around the edges to allow for easier flex



- the weight's mounting design had to be updated to accommodate for the above changes

[mr_foggy]

this will be my last 65%. please make it unlimited.

[bert039]

I love this too!! Hope it's an unlimited gb, gorgeous board

[bert039]

Ah crap, just read that the board is named after Toronto raptors kawhi. As a Warriors fan I'm really conflicted now 

[HidenLotus]

Just an opinion post nothing crazy.

I love the design of this board, I'll probably pick it up, but a few things bug me.

1. Typing angle (which you've addressed)
2. I don't think a badge is necessary. I'd rather have the extra 2 keys . The board design speaks for itself imo, I wish that functionality wasn't reduced. Just a preference. The badge itself looks nice
3. I LOVE the weight at the back and think it adds a lot of personality, but I think the circle should just be complete from a design perspective.

Looking forward to some of the changes you've made and looking forward to more sound tests! Colourways are sleek. I'm gonna go for the blue and gold.

[huahin_nat]

Will be my first 65% board
Missed the IC - how do I make sure that I can stay in the loop when it becomes available for reservation?

[conternecticus]

Love the navy blue and lilac! Where will the boards be shipped from?

[billy.types]

Will be my first 65% board
Missed the IC - how do I make sure that I can stay in the loop when it becomes available for reservation?

Join our Discord, we are constantly providing updates there.

Love the navy blue and lilac! Where will the boards be shipped from?

Our manufacturer will be based out of China.

Would you consider a green colorway?

For now we are going to stick with the 4 colorways we have. Depending on how this groupbuy goes that might be an option in a potential future round 2 GB.

[Plurrkeebs]

i want this to come into gb faster

[gihrenzabi]

I really love the deep blue option, hoping GB will start soon

[billy.types]

I LOVE the weight at the back and think it adds a lot of personality, but I think the circle should just be complete from a design perspective.

The semi circle actually represents a fish bowl, so thats the inspo behind that. Regardless, having a full circle would not be possible as there would be nothing to hold up the inside of the circle that is not covered by the brass weight, keeping it a semi circle was key. The aluminum material that is in side the circle and has a cut out to let the brass weight design show would not be possible as it would fall off.

I love this too!! Hope it's an unlimited gb, gorgeous board

this will be my last 65%. please make it unlimited.

I'm really hoping this GB happens and that it is unlimited.

Thank you for the comments, unfortunately this will be a limited FCFS group buy, where we will be allocating a fixed number of units for each of our vendor regions. At the moment, we do not have the exact numbers but, that will be coming soon. If you are worried that your region will not enough units, be sure to join our Discord and let us know.

[billy.types]

Hi, we wanted to update everyone on the current status of things.

Round 2 of prototypes have been ordered!!! We have worked with our manufacturer and found a way to proto all four colorways. There will be two of each; Black, Deep Blue, E-White, and E-Lilac. We are also prototyping our custom screws, foams/gaskets, PCBs, and extra badge finishes.

Currently this process has set us back a month or two. Thus unfortunately, we will have to push the GB to the end of Q4 2021 or early Q1 2022 :rainge: We promise we are doing everything possible to bring in timelines. But, obtaining and testing the second round of prototype units is our highest priority. We at, 383 Boards, do not want to rush the process of bringing a keyboard to the community. We need this second prototype run to test our changes and also make sure the colorways are up to our standards. At the end of the day, we just want to put out the best product we can.

As for price. We are currently and have been in long talks with all the parties involved. A few of our manufacturers are standing firm on not providing us mass production quotations till after the prototype run is complete. This is due to the fast changing material prices and the global chip shortage. They want the quotation to GB date window to be smaller, which is understandable in today's market. Apart from speaking to manufacturers, we also need to speak to all our vendors and make pricing agreements with them once we have the quotations. Thus at this time we will not be releasing a price. It will only come after proto2 is completed.

We know this has been a long wait. Everyday we try to accomplish something else and push things a long. We hope that you all can wait a little bit longer as we do our due diligence with this prototype run. We are very sorry for the delays, and hope you all stick around. We promise it will be worth it in the end!

[dinhthe]

Can you provide a stock PE foam for this keyboard

[swifthunting]

I absolutely love the way this board looks. This would be my first fully custom mech! (if i can afford it…)

[nuuw]

If this can deliver on the promise the renders made, this could be a big boy board.

[SuperSonixx]

Colors look great! Definitely keeping my eyes out for this one!

[Aquathegreat]

Very Excited for this!!!!

[granola bar enthusiast]

if the badge is interchangeable will we the files ever be public so it might be possible to put our own designs on it?

[8um8lebee]

will we the files ever be public so it might be possible to put our own designs on it?

That's what I heard. I guess in lieu of actually offering any other badges in this GB.