Author Topic: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - GB Date Announced!  (Read 125064 times)

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Offline Nostril

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  • Location: Seattle, WA, USA
  • Synth Labs
[IC] Synth Labs 060 - GB Date Announced!
« on: Sat, 15 February 2020, 16:12:58 »


GB: February 24, 2023 !

Discord:
https://discord.gg/RBUvbu5qpf


Interest Form:
https://forms.gle/h9ZCCKVVaCJcLiz19


Overview:
Price: €429 in the EU, €399 outside of the EU
Typing Angle: 7°
Front Height: 19mm with feet
Case Variants: Standard, HHKB, and WKL
Plate: 1.5mm Gasket Mounted full brass, aluminum, or polycarbonate plate
PCB: Universal Soldered PCB by default with USB-C breakout board. Fixed-layout Hotswap PCB with backlighting will be an option for an additional cost. PCBs designed by 0xCB.
Firmware: QMK with VIA support
Compatible Switches: MX-style switches
Materials: 6063 Aluminum top and bottom chassis. Brass plate, bar, and weight.
Weight: ~1.9kg unbuilt (case only)



GMK Thinkcaps by voodoo6k


DSA Magic Girl by mintlodica



GMK Café by Langelandia


GMK Pâtisserie by Agilr


Confirmed Colors:
Top and Bottom Chassis: E-White, Silver, Anodized Black
Plate, Bar, and Rear Weight: PVD Gold, PVD Rose Gold, PVD Silver, PVD Black

Other colors are still being decided.


Supported Layouts:
The plate will support standard ANSI 60% layout, split backspace, split left shift, split right shift, 3-way split space, 2-way split space, and ISO enter. The universal soldered PCB will support all of these options as well.

The hotswap PCB will be a fixed ANSI layout, with a Tsangan bottom row, and split right shift.



Assembly:
Assembly features all hidden screws.






Sales Plan:
  • Will be manufactured, QC'd, and vended by keebwerk.
  • Planning on launching as a GB, with in-stock sales after fulfillment This will be customizable via keebwerk's shop. Unit quantity of each part and color combination will be limited - and allocations will be proportional to interest-check popularity. Exact total number of units to be determined.
  • Pricing is TBD, but will be <$400 USD base


Timeline / Old Photo Albums:
Internals Renders - November 2020
Pictures from Keebwerk's manu - Unfinished - November 22, 2020
GMK Café Renders - November 2020
DSA Magic Girl Renders - November 2020
Received Prototype from Manu 2 (July 2020)
Renders - June 2020
Received Prototype from Manu 1 - May 2020
Renders - April 2020
Pictures from Manu 1's Factory - Finished - April 28, 2020
Pictures from Manu 1's Factory - Unfinished - April 20, 2020
Signature Banners - March 2020
HHKB and WKL Renders - March 2020
Assembly Renders - February 2020
Polycarbonate Renders - February 2020
Renders - February 2020
Original Concept Renders in Maya (August 2019)


Signature Banner
If you would like to help support this Interest Check, feel free to add this banner to your signature!



Code: [Select]
[url=https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=104696.0][img width=480 height=120]https://i.imgur.com/J3wLhWg.png[/img][/url]
Also, feel free to check out one of these alternate colored or sized banners. There are 8 others to choose from:
https://imgur.com/a/d9uVS4j

Inspiration & Design Process:
More
To “synthesize” means to combine a number of things into a coherent whole. As such, the 060 design takes inspiration from many places.

The original idea was to take aesthetic elements from audio equipment, and apply it with a modern take to a keyboard. For example, analog synthesizers with their flip-up control panels, amplifiers with their beautifully machined knobs, and rack mounted mixers with their clean bent-rod handles. I knew I wanted to make a keyboard with a prominent flip-up OLED screen, rotary knob, and handlebar.

Design cues were also taken from Apple’s MacBook Pro line - particularly the shape of the cutaways that the laptop has for opening the screen, and the unibody appearance which shows few visible gaps. Other sources of inspiration include keyboards from RAMA Works in general, the Primus, the Chimera65, the Leaf 60, the Polaris, and many others.

The bottom part of the keyboard’s rear mimics rear diffusers that are normally found on the bottom rear of sports cars. I also took inspiration from the Toyota Prius’ long and tall brake lights, which frame the back of the car nice and squarely - this resulted in the supports on the sides of the rear.

The side profile is inspired by pointy dress shoes. These have a triangular wedge shape which makes the side profile look distinctly sharp and acute. I believe it helps make an object appear thinner than it actually is.

With this pile of ideas, I was able to create my first concept design in Maya:
https://imgur.com/a/jH7jlrR

After some consideration, I determined this was an overly ambitious project for my first keyboard (maybe later), and decided to cut out many of the features to make a simpler design that I was happy with. I started creating the new design in Fusion 360 instead of Maya so that the design would actually be manufacturable, and polished the design along the way.


Acknowledgements:
Thanks to all my family and friends - you are my main motivation to keep doing cool things. You guys have also given me the most feedback on this project which has helped make it what it is.

Thanks to all the keyboard designers that I have taken inspiration from - there are really too many to list.

Thank you ai03 for the Keyboard Plate Generator tool that I’m using, as well as the PCB guide, and generally good resources in the Discord and wiki. This stuff is extremely helpful!

Thanks to Agilr, kema, olivia, and Zambumon for allowing me to use their keysets in my renders. They have also given some useful feedback and guidance for this project. Seriously, their keysets are awesome.

Thanks to 0xCB for the PCB design. My experience working with you guys has been so great - always so responsive and flexible!

Thank you David, Julien and the Keebwerk team! This has been a pleasure so far, and I'm excited to see everything progress!

Contact / More Information:
Discord: Nostril#0001

Just shoot me a DM on Discord if you have any questions - feel free to contact me directly or reply in this thread if you prefer.
« Last Edit: Fri, 24 February 2023, 01:07:22 by Nostril »

Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #1 on: Sat, 15 February 2020, 16:13:18 »
Reserved

Offline GR1NN1NGC4T

  • Posts: 9
Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #2 on: Sat, 15 February 2020, 16:57:26 »
I'm definitely going to follow the process because you got a look for that keyboard that just screams "Retro futuristic" and I love that style.

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Offline Rob27shred

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #3 on: Sat, 15 February 2020, 17:13:25 »
Wow, what a wild & aggressive design.... I kinda love it! Definitely will be keeping an eye on this one. I fully expect it to end up being quite expensive due to the design, but this one is so unique & cool looking to me, I'd be willing to shell out for it if I got the extra scratch at the time! GL with this project!

Offline Zeelobby

  • Posts: 926
Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #4 on: Sat, 15 February 2020, 17:28:47 »
It's too fast! Too furious!

Offline daintySPLASH

  • Posts: 10
Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #5 on: Sat, 15 February 2020, 17:34:14 »
This is definitely unique... will be keeping a close eye on this project as it progresses!  I like what i see

Offline fishinaspacesuit

  • Posts: 96
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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #6 on: Sat, 15 February 2020, 17:49:51 »
Wow very unique design, count me in for a HHKB :)


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Offline godofdeath

  • Posts: 406
Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #7 on: Sat, 15 February 2020, 18:22:58 »
why's there a heatsink on the keeb LUL

Offline Agilr

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #8 on: Sat, 15 February 2020, 18:38:27 »
Great to see this coming into fruition, loved the design before and can't wait to see it going into GB soon! Nothing like an unique 60% board :p

Offline lush_bunny

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #9 on: Sun, 16 February 2020, 00:24:35 »
This board looks insane!

Offline growler

  • Posts: 246
Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #10 on: Sun, 16 February 2020, 05:15:23 »
Nice to see someone breaking new ground, many projects are variations on a common theme, this is actually unique. Well done.

growler

Don't just stare at it ...

Offline nguyenhimself

  • Posts: 672
Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #11 on: Sun, 16 February 2020, 09:51:13 »
Gotta be honest, I kinda hate how... useless the handlebar is.
- You cannot lift the keyboard up with it (too close to the keycaps).
- You cannot use it as a pen holder.
Yes I know it's pure decoration, but then that kinda goes against your source of inspiration: audio gears, which
 tend to be designed as highly form-follows-functions as possible.
« Last Edit: Sun, 16 February 2020, 13:04:36 by nguyenhimself »

Offline rukia

  • Posts: 7
Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #12 on: Sun, 16 February 2020, 12:41:47 »
Pen rest is a nice touch, however
- I dislike that you have a handlebar there, which serves no other purpose aside from being mildly decorative
- I also really dislike how you needlessly will end up complicating the manufacturing process and jacking up the price of the board by adding the heatfin-esque thing which, again, serves no purpose other than to be mildly decorative and to add weight to the board.

The way I see it, you're making the board complicated for the sake of making something complicated
« Last Edit: Sun, 16 February 2020, 12:55:20 by rukia »

Offline sonicdoooom

  • Posts: 13
Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #13 on: Sun, 16 February 2020, 13:10:41 »
^^ Then don't buy it. This board is obvious based on aesthetics, and beautiful design. If you want something based around function there's plenty of options out there...

Offline pixelpusher

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #14 on: Sun, 16 February 2020, 13:32:23 »
It's a heat pipe, obviously, just like the heat fins on the back... this sucker runs HOT

Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #15 on: Sun, 16 February 2020, 14:04:52 »
Gotta be honest, I kinda hate how... useless the handlebar is.
- You cannot lift the keyboard up with it (too close to the keycaps).
- You cannot use it as a pen holder.
Yes I know it's pure decoration, but then that kinda goes against your source of inspiration: audio gears, which
 tend to be designed as highly form-follows-functions as possible.

Fair points. I have definitely considered this myself, but I really feel that it really completes the look and feels too different without it. As an interesting aside, I think in some audio equipment the handles are designed not only to allow grabbing the device, but also to protect the hardware if it's dropped, so that the handles and case are taking the impact instead of the pots.

In my original concept, I was also thinking of it less of a handle - I added the bar as a physical barrier to prevent smudging/accidental input (if touchscreen) on the screen part (the scope of this is all a ridiculously long shot anyway) - however this function doesn't really apply so much after replacing the screen with just the pen rest cavity. I guess the same separation does apply with whatever you put on the pen rest, but it wouldn't really matter since it's recessed anyway. At the end of the day, you're right - it's just an aesthetic element.

Pen rest is a nice touch, however
- I dislike that you have a handlebar there, which serves no other purpose aside from being mildly decorative
- I also really dislike how you needlessly will end up complicating the manufacturing process and jacking up the price of the board by adding the heatfin-esque thing which, again, serves no purpose other than to be mildly decorative and to add weight to the board.

The way I see it, you're making the board complicated for the sake of making something complicated

I wouldn't say that these elements are mild, it's not really a small optimization on aesthetics. Rather, I think this package of design choices is a pretty pronounced statement, which in my opinion also happens to look cool (subjective ofc). Yes, many design elements on this board are very much form over function, and as such it certainly won't be for everyone.

It's a heat pipe, obviously, just like the heat fins on the back... this sucker runs HOT

Exactly, this board is for typing at 300wpm.
« Last Edit: Sun, 16 February 2020, 14:06:55 by Nostril »

Offline TonyPia

  • Posts: 85
Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #16 on: Sun, 16 February 2020, 16:22:31 »
This guy knows how to talk.
I admit the design is different in a good way by far from other keyboards that I've seen in GH, which makes this board not for everybody.

Did you think about having dedicated arrow keys, either 65% way or just arrows?
60% is awesome for almost everything but painful for text editing.

How about integrating the bar onto the board so that it looks like embedded half pipe?
The board has fins and pen rest that already make it unique enough.
Even wall like square bar with no space in-between would look great.



Gotta be honest, I kinda hate how... useless the handlebar is.
- You cannot lift the keyboard up with it (too close to the keycaps).
- You cannot use it as a pen holder.
Yes I know it's pure decoration, but then that kinda goes against your source of inspiration: audio gears, which
 tend to be designed as highly form-follows-functions as possible.

Fair points. I have definitely considered this myself, but I really feel that it really completes the look and feels too different without it. As an interesting aside, I think in some audio equipment the handles are designed not only to allow grabbing the device, but also to protect the hardware if it's dropped, so that the handles and case are taking the impact instead of the pots.

In my original concept, I was also thinking of it less of a handle - I added the bar as a physical barrier to prevent smudging/accidental input (if touchscreen) on the screen part (the scope of this is all a ridiculously long shot anyway) - however this function doesn't really apply so much after replacing the screen with just the pen rest cavity. I guess the same separation does apply with whatever you put on the pen rest, but it wouldn't really matter since it's recessed anyway. At the end of the day, you're right - it's just an aesthetic element.

Pen rest is a nice touch, however
- I dislike that you have a handlebar there, which serves no other purpose aside from being mildly decorative
- I also really dislike how you needlessly will end up complicating the manufacturing process and jacking up the price of the board by adding the heatfin-esque thing which, again, serves no purpose other than to be mildly decorative and to add weight to the board.

The way I see it, you're making the board complicated for the sake of making something complicated

I wouldn't say that these elements are mild, it's not really a small optimization on aesthetics. Rather, I think this package of design choices is a pretty pronounced statement, which in my opinion also happens to look cool (subjective ofc). Yes, many design elements on this board are very much form over function, and as such it certainly won't be for everyone.

It's a heat pipe, obviously, just like the heat fins on the back... this sucker runs HOT

Exactly, this board is for typing at 300wpm.

Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #17 on: Mon, 17 February 2020, 03:42:42 »
This guy knows how to talk.
I admit the design is different in a good way by far from other keyboards that I've seen in GH, which makes this board not for everybody.

Did you think about having dedicated arrow keys, either 65% way or just arrows?
60% is awesome for almost everything but painful for text editing.

How about integrating the bar onto the board so that it looks like embedded half pipe?
The board has fins and pen rest that already make it unique enough.
Even wall like square bar with no space in-between would look great.

I'm pretty set on doing a 60% layout for this board - but I'm looking into some 60% variants (WKL, HHKB, ISO, etc.). But yeah, 60% definitely takes some getting used to and needs a mapping that works well for you. I do a lot of programming, so I have to move the text cursor a lot - I have my Function key bound to Caps Lock and arrow keys on WASD in the function layer, as well as Enter on Spacebar in the function layer. That does the trick for me.

Not sure what you mean about integrating the bar onto the board - do you mean having it be part of the same piece, or making it like a J-01 esque pen rest?
« Last Edit: Mon, 17 February 2020, 03:49:02 by Nostril »

Offline TameFlame

  • Posts: 18
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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #18 on: Mon, 17 February 2020, 05:00:16 »
This is very interesting!
I am very much a fan of the fin-aesthetics on the rear side of the board, but like others I'm somewhat skeptical of the bar. While I don't think it's unnescessary or a complication, I do feel it could use some rework - that being said, I wouldn't have a clue on how though. It's worth noting that a board can aim to be a more unique designwise product, form over function as you mentioned yourself, and not always aim for the cheapest possible solution.

I could get with the thought, that I believe has been floated already, of lowering the bars vertical position, making it more of a step, or slightly raised bar, as opposed to something which resembles a handle, yet has no use as handle.

I think the fins have a very strong design wise quality, and removing one would also mean a break in a system of fins, which I'd be sad to see. I am very excited to see where you choose to go from here with this project.

Offline nathanchere

  • Posts: 702
Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #19 on: Mon, 17 February 2020, 05:05:46 »
Love the design (yes, including the bar) but I can imagine this costing a hell of a lot to produce...

With changing the USB port orientation, keep in mind that it would rule out pretty much every widely available 60% PCB out there without some janky hacking. I would heavily lean towards finding a way to support the common DZ60 format PCBs if possible.

HHKB-blocker top and split spacebar support would be enough to put this into the 'must have' category even at a premium price point.

Offline TonyPia

  • Posts: 85
Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #20 on: Mon, 17 February 2020, 12:06:18 »
This guy knows how to talk.
I admit the design is different in a good way by far from other keyboards that I've seen in GH, which makes this board not for everybody.

Did you think about having dedicated arrow keys, either 65% way or just arrows?
60% is awesome for almost everything but painful for text editing.

How about integrating the bar onto the board so that it looks like embedded half pipe?
The board has fins and pen rest that already make it unique enough.
Even wall like square bar with no space in-between would look great.

I'm pretty set on doing a 60% layout for this board - but I'm looking into some 60% variants (WKL, HHKB, ISO, etc.). But yeah, 60% definitely takes some getting used to and needs a mapping that works well for you. I do a lot of programming, so I have to move the text cursor a lot - I have my Function key bound to Caps Lock and arrow keys on WASD in the function layer, as well as Enter on Spacebar in the function layer. That does the trick for me.

Not sure what you mean about integrating the bar onto the board - do you mean having it be part of the same piece, or making it like a J-01 esque pen rest?

I've used HHKB for like 7-8 years as well as a few 60% but still the fact that I have to hit another button to move around is pain. Probably that's the reason I have trouble with hitting Ctrl and Shift while moving around in games. I instead prefer hitting a function key with one hand and use letters in the other hand side to move around. Still, it is pain especially once I moved to 65% world. It would be wonderful to have HHKB + Arrows.

J-01 is close to what I though but not that tall to work as pen rest. You have pen rest in the body of the board already. Just quick thought that there must be better approach than current bar which cannot be used as handle.

Offline irew0w

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #21 on: Mon, 17 February 2020, 14:50:28 »
i ADORE this design. can't wait to see more!

Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #22 on: Tue, 18 February 2020, 02:08:16 »
This is very interesting!
I could get with the thought, that I believe has been floated already, of lowering the bars vertical position, making it more of a step, or slightly raised bar, as opposed to something which resembles a handle, yet has no use as handle.

I'll definitely consider playing with that part of the design over the longer term. I tried out some relatively quick variations on that part today, but still ended up liking the original design the most in the end. For the height, the bar formerly was a noticible bit lower, but was raised as a tweak to make it vaguely follow the projected curvature that sculpted sets (just looking at Cherry profile really) had - it also seems to help with giving it that wedge-shaped side profile and breaks the rectangular mold a bit. I'm not really getting that as much with some of the other variations I'm trying, but I'll keep it at it for a bit more.

Some variations:
https://imgur.com/a/odJ8bjT

I think the fins have a very strong design wise quality, and removing one would also mean a break in a system of fins, which I'd be sad to see. I am very excited to see where you choose to go from here with this project.

I'm thinking the same as you about the fins - I've also tried reducing the fin count to increase the spacing and it doesn't look right, which is why I'm leaning towards the portrait-orientation USB port even though that seems pretty weird and unconventional.

Love the design (yes, including the bar) but I can imagine this costing a hell of a lot to produce...

With changing the USB port orientation, keep in mind that it would rule out pretty much every widely available 60% PCB out there without some janky hacking. I would heavily lean towards finding a way to support the common DZ60 format PCBs if possible.

HHKB-blocker top and split spacebar support would be enough to put this into the 'must have' category even at a premium price point.

Yeah, but I think even if the USB was a normal orientation, the position on its own will still at least require a breakout board. I'm right with you on the preference to just use DZ60 format PCBs if possible, but I haven't seen any off-the-shelf available ones with breakout pins for the USB (let me know if I'm wrong about this)? It would be hard to hook up the daughterboard as an extension to the motherboard's normal USB plug due to space constraints.

J-01 is close to what I though but not that tall to work as pen rest. You have pen rest in the body of the board already. Just quick thought that there must be better approach than current bar which cannot be used as handle.

Right - I don't really like the idea of having another pen rail either since there already is one integrated into the body. I do like the current design though, and right now am only considering a change - I can't really promise anything at the moment, and I'll probably try and proceed with other things that need to be done first, keeping this in mind to possibly revisit.
« Last Edit: Sat, 31 October 2020, 00:23:09 by Nostril »

Offline dom

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #23 on: Tue, 18 February 2020, 03:11:21 »
This is the dope design man :) super fun!

Offline MadsMe

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #24 on: Tue, 18 February 2020, 05:00:35 »
I am absolutely all for this design and hope it will at one time graze my desk. The only thing I would like altered a bit is the lip that covers the fins. When I use the board I would love to see the fins, is there a possiblity of the fins pertrueding somehow?

Keep it up!

Offline jackcauliflower

  • Posts: 30
Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #25 on: Tue, 18 February 2020, 07:22:48 »
Absolutely love this design! I’d be in for an HHKB layout if that comes to fruition! :)


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Offline TonyPia

  • Posts: 85
Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #26 on: Tue, 18 February 2020, 12:36:35 »
I am absolutely all for this design and hope it will at one time graze my desk. The only thing I would like altered a bit is the lip that covers the fins. When I use the board I would love to see the fins, is there a possiblity of the fins pertrueding somehow?

Keep it up!

You are going to pay hundreds of dollars for your family and friends, not for yourself  :thumb:

Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #27 on: Wed, 19 February 2020, 03:45:20 »
Some updates:

I realized I forgot to ask for an email address for those who would like to be notified the group buy details by email. If you've already filled out the interest form before 12pm GMT Wednesday and would like to be notified, please click on the interest form link again where you can update your response to add your email - make sure you click through to the last page to resubmit.

Also, I finished the the gasket mount:

Gasket Mount Renders:
https://imgur.com/a/hS1eP8i


I am absolutely all for this design and hope it will at one time graze my desk. The only thing I would like altered a bit is the lip that covers the fins. When I use the board I would love to see the fins, is there a possiblity of the fins pertrueding somehow?

Keep it up!

Perhaps the polycarbonate options will do the trick for you? I added renders of them in the "Other Colors" section of the original post.
« Last Edit: Sat, 31 October 2020, 00:24:13 by Nostril »

Offline alanskiii

  • Posts: 104
Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #28 on: Wed, 19 February 2020, 04:26:58 »
Whoa that polycarb is


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Offline MadsMe

  • Posts: 54
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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #29 on: Wed, 19 February 2020, 07:23:23 »
Some updates:

I realized I forgot to ask for an email address for those who would like to be notified the group buy details by email. If you've already filled out the interest form before 12pm GMT Wednesday and would like to be notified, please click on the interest form link again where you can update your response to add your email - make sure you click through to the last page to resubmit.

Also, I finished the the gasket mount:

Gasket Mount Renders:
More
Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image



I am absolutely all for this design and hope it will at one time graze my desk. The only thing I would like altered a bit is the lip that covers the fins. When I use the board I would love to see the fins, is there a possiblity of the fins pertrueding somehow?

Keep it up!

Perhaps the polycarbonate options will do the trick for you? I added renders of them in the "Other Colors" section of the original post.

I was thinking more along the lines of having a black/white keyboard with frosted PC weight with underglow shining our from that and having the fins show a little bit. Thought that would look cool.

Never have the reverse a thought, but looks cool also!

Offline alphabirth

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #30 on: Wed, 19 February 2020, 11:19:18 »
Dang!  I'm really digging all the wild stuff appearing on GH these days!  Good work man!  This will probably end up being too rich for my blood, especially in a pure 60% though.  Also, have you thought about pushing the bar right to the back edge (past the stepped portion) so that it could be used as a rest for a phone / tablet?

Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a 60% keyboard
« Reply #31 on: Thu, 20 February 2020, 06:42:16 »
I was thinking more along the lines of having a black/white keyboard with frosted PC weight with underglow shining our from that and having the fins show a little bit. Thought that would look cool.

Never have the reverse a thought, but looks cool also!

Oh, I did have that same thought as the clear next step from having the PC weight but I didn't think that's what you were talking about. I don't really care personally much for RGB underglow on this design, but I think it's definitely something that some people will like.

It might be a bit tricky to get LEDs oriented correctly since it might need a daughterboard to be facing the correct way and to pass the wall from the bottom chassis, and also there is currently no gap for such daughterboard to fit. Also it seems the PC weight has been far less popular based on the results of the interest form so far. So I think this idea will have to be shelved for another day.

I haven't thought of any other specific usecases for this yet (this might be worthwhile if there are others), but perhaps it would be a good idea to have a pin header or JST connector for all of the unused pins on the microcontroller, and some sort of cable passthrough aside from the USB port hole, so that extended functionality could be offered later down the line.

Dang!  I'm really digging all the wild stuff appearing on GH these days!  Good work man!  This will probably end up being too rich for my blood, especially in a pure 60% though.  Also, have you thought about pushing the bar right to the back edge (past the stepped portion) so that it could be used as a rest for a phone / tablet?

Interesting idea. I like the idea of that functionality - adding a phone/note stand while keeping the pen rest relatively unobstructed. It will be complicated with the current design though since that will move the mounting holes to probably the most densely machined part of the board - so trying this out will not be very easy and require a fair amount of redesign.
« Last Edit: Thu, 20 February 2020, 06:44:41 by Nostril »

Offline d00deitsnik

  • Posts: 213
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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #32 on: Thu, 20 February 2020, 15:31:56 »
I'm really excited to watch this project move forward. I really like the ideas you have and would be interested in seeing if the vertical usb-c port turns out well. Definitely following this!

Offline Myouri

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #33 on: Sat, 22 February 2020, 06:02:20 »
 :D I'm interested in this project. Keeb looks pretty nice. And those fins and the bar though lol. Looks unique


Offline Glychd

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #34 on: Sat, 22 February 2020, 06:30:53 »
Oooh, I like this a lot.

Offline markclemmons

  • Posts: 10
Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #35 on: Tue, 25 February 2020, 02:06:44 »
Love this board------take my money

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Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #36 on: Wed, 26 February 2020, 01:58:46 »
Here's a small update.

I've mostly been working on the PCB, and have been making some good progress there.

In other news, I have played around with some ideas on how the daughterboard/USB cutout will work -  here's some details. Previously I said I was planning on using a flag-style USB-C port, which would have been with the daughterboard aligned parallel to the case bottom. I have since changed this idea. Now, the USB-C port will be a straight USB-C receptacle, with the board parallel to the rear wall of the bottom case:

Like this part:


The reason for this change of thought was that I realized this will allow much more protrusion of the USB port from the board, and will make the USB-C cutaway much less recessed.

It will be mounted with two screws into the rear wall of the bottom chassis.

Here are some pictures to illustrate (PCB parts are placeholder blocks). I'm still currently working on this part of the design, so expect some changes later.

https://imgur.com/a/azwFS3x
« Last Edit: Sat, 31 October 2020, 00:25:43 by Nostril »

Offline TonyPia

  • Posts: 85
Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #37 on: Wed, 26 February 2020, 09:17:56 »
Here's a small update.

I've mostly been working on the PCB, and have been making some good progress there.

In other news, I have played around with some ideas on how the daughterboard/USB cutout will work -  here's some details. Previously I said I was planning on using a flag-style USB-C port, which would have been with the daughterboard aligned parallel to the case bottom. I have since changed this idea. Now, the USB-C port will be a straight USB-C receptacle, with the board parallel to the rear wall of the bottom case:

Like this part:
Show Image


The reason for this change of thought was that I realized this will allow much more protrusion of the USB port from the board, and will make the USB-C cutaway much less recessed.

It will be mounted with two screws into the rear wall of the bottom chassis.

Here are some pictures to illustrate (PCB parts are placeholder blocks). I'm still currently working on this part of the design, so expect some changes later.

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image



I like this project. Everything is unusual in a good way.

Offline i luv chuletas

  • Posts: 304
Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #38 on: Wed, 26 February 2020, 17:47:15 »
Man, that last change you made on the usb c port is pretty sick. Can't wait to hear more about this board!

Offline xiangxp

  • Posts: 5
  • Location: Syracuse, NY, US
Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #39 on: Wed, 26 February 2020, 23:43:56 »
Here's a small update.

I've mostly been working on the PCB, and have been making some good progress there.

In other news, I have played around with some ideas on how the daughterboard/USB cutout will work -  here's some details. Previously I said I was planning on using a flag-style USB-C port, which would have been with the daughterboard aligned parallel to the case bottom. I have since changed this idea. Now, the USB-C port will be a straight USB-C receptacle, with the board parallel to the rear wall of the bottom case:

Like this part:
Show Image


The reason for this change of thought was that I realized this will allow much more protrusion of the USB port from the board, and will make the USB-C cutaway much less recessed.

It will be mounted with two screws into the rear wall of the bottom chassis.

Here are some pictures to illustrate (PCB parts are placeholder blocks). I'm still currently working on this part of the design, so expect some changes later.

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Will this screw with the current aftermarket cables? Especially those with coils?

Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #40 on: Thu, 27 February 2020, 03:06:05 »
Here's a small update.

I've mostly been working on the PCB, and have been making some good progress there.

In other news, I have played around with some ideas on how the daughterboard/USB cutout will work -  here's some details. Previously I said I was planning on using a flag-style USB-C port, which would have been with the daughterboard aligned parallel to the case bottom. I have since changed this idea. Now, the USB-C port will be a straight USB-C receptacle, with the board parallel to the rear wall of the bottom case:

Like this part:
Show Image


The reason for this change of thought was that I realized this will allow much more protrusion of the USB port from the board, and will make the USB-C cutaway much less recessed.

It will be mounted with two screws into the rear wall of the bottom chassis.

Here are some pictures to illustrate (PCB parts are placeholder blocks). I'm still currently working on this part of the design, so expect some changes later.

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Will this screw with the current aftermarket cables? Especially those with coils?

It is a pretty tight fit for a lot of cables and probably won't fit some. Currently the dimensions of the cavity are 7.3x12.0mm with a 2.0mm corner radius, 11.39mm deep at the shortest distance, and 12.91mm deep at the longest distance.

The main limiting factors are how close the edge of the daughterboard are to touching the main PCB and how close the edge of the cutaway is to the weight's edge. They are already very close at the moment. These constraints are limiting that 12.0mm dimension, which I would like to make bigger if possible. There's a few solutions to these problems - I can make the keyboard a bit taller, thin out the rear wall, move the daughterboard PCB to the opposite side of the rear wall and make accommodating cutaways, etc. But I'd like to save those solutions only if I definitely need them.

I'm having some issues at the moment with Fusion 360 crashing whenever I try to switch my motherboard PCB from 2D to 3D PCB - which I'd like to do so I can check how everything fits currently, but not any issues with the daughterboard for the same thing. The Electronics Design feature in Fusion seems relatively new, and afaik is just Autodesk EAGLE integrated into the rest of Fusion. I'll probably just ask Autodesk support about this soon. Once I get this worked out and confirm the fit then I'll make some more final decisions.

For any given cable, it needs to be straight for roughly the first 40mm starting from the tip of the USB connector and it needs to fit in that 7.3x12.0mm cutaway at its thickest point. Regarding custom current aftermarket cables with coils and aviator connectors and such - I think it should fit fine for the ones that I've seen, since I haven't seen one that is coiled right up to the end, and I've usually seen the plug housing use a pretty slim shrinkwrap strain relief.
« Last Edit: Thu, 27 February 2020, 03:09:41 by Nostril »

Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #41 on: Thu, 27 February 2020, 23:55:04 »
Ok, got a model in for the USB plug and tweaked the dimensions to fit the plug a bit tighter. Hopefully these new renders will give a better idea of how much the plug will stick out and how things will fit.








Album: https://imgur.com/a/WEeW2Du
« Last Edit: Sat, 31 October 2020, 00:29:34 by Nostril »

Offline i luv chuletas

  • Posts: 304
Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #42 on: Fri, 28 February 2020, 13:00:07 »
I dig the changes, should make it easier to retrofit it with custom cables.

I know the layouts are still under considerations, but how do you see the chances of having HHKB for a final buy?

That would really be the cherry on top for me personally.

Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #43 on: Sat, 29 February 2020, 03:27:14 »
I dig the changes, should make it easier to retrofit it with custom cables.

I know the layouts are still under considerations, but how do you see the chances of having HHKB for a final buy?

That would really be the cherry on top for me personally.

I think the chances for both WKL and HHKB are great in terms of demand.

Here are the layouts that were chosen of people who responded:
ANSI Standard: 76.3%
ANSI WKL: 33.8%
ANSI HHKB: 32.5%
ISO Standard: 15%
ISO WKL: 7.5%
ISO HHKB: 7.5%
Tsangan: 5%

The percentages do not total up to 100%, since there are multiple options that could be selected - the percentage is just the likelihood that a given person selected that option. In fact, about 76% of people who said they were interested in WKL and 74% of people who said they were interested in HHKB said they were also interested in ANSI standard - I assume that this most likely implies that they would prefer the less orthodox layout (WKL or HHKB) with standard being their fallback option (though this is still a broad assumption), so in reality the demand is probably even higher than those initial ratios suggest.

In terms of progress for WKL and HHKB blockers, full disclosure - I haven't worked on either at all yet. I think in terms of feasibility, I would imagine it wouldn't be that much of an issue since afaik, most of the cost of manufacturing is creating the workholding - which is why scaling works wonders, and I would imagine that the same workholdings would be applicable between the standard/WKL/HHKB variants. This all comes down to talking with the manufacturers in the end though, but I am pretty determined to make this happen as I am also personally interested in seeing these variants.

I'd like to create prototypes of a standard version, WKL version, and HHKB version if possible.

Offline MadsMe

  • Posts: 54
  • Location: Denmark
Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #44 on: Mon, 02 March 2020, 04:40:04 »
I myself am a WKL advocate but standart is also an instant buy from me!

Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #45 on: Fri, 06 March 2020, 04:25:50 »
Hi everyone! Here's a few updates.

I've still been mostly working on the PCB - I think this is mostly done - there are a few details I need to work out though, and I have been looking at getting 5 prototype PCBs made soon to test out. After thinking about the layout support a bit, I've decided on doing a soldered universal PCB that will support both ANSI and ISO, standard bottom row, Tsangan (includes HHKB and WKL), and split LShift, RShift,, and Backspace. Since this is a universal PCB to support all of these layouts, hotswap will not be offered on this one. I may consider a hotswap PCB if there is enough demand (though I do not think it is likely as of now), but it will only be a fixed layout in ANSI Tsangan.

I may create another interest form later that is less focused on seeing how many people are interested, but rather more focused on if any major options/features are being neglected such as hotswap PCBs, built-in RGB lighting, and polycarbonate cases.

I have also updated the plate to match the universal PCB, which supports all of these layouts:


And also have done some work on the WKL and HHKB blockers, but I am still doing some refinement on this:




I have also reached out to some manufacturers for case production, though this is still very early and I do not know much more than before about what will be possible.
« Last Edit: Fri, 30 October 2020, 22:58:03 by Nostril »

Offline tiamo123654

  • Posts: 21
Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #46 on: Fri, 06 March 2020, 20:48:17 »
so elegant the keyboard is !!  I'll  definitely join the GB.
IMO she doesn't need  built-in RGB lighting.
the light will break her design texture.

Offline yhs

  • Posts: 103
Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #47 on: Sat, 07 March 2020, 15:44:08 »
Very interesting

Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #48 on: Wed, 18 March 2020, 14:54:19 »
I've been talking with some manufacturers and have placed an order with one for case prototypes. The sample production should take roughly 20 days according to the manufacturer. Wish me luck that everything turns out well!

Meanwhile, I'm finishing some things up to place the prototype PCB order.

Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #49 on: Thu, 19 March 2020, 09:28:48 »
Prototype is going to be crucial for this design, fingers crossed it turns out great

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