Author Topic: [IC] Serenity - a Split-Cluster 65% with a Knob (Read 31930 times)

NoLullaby · « **on:** Fri, 01 May 2020, 10:17:09 »

“serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace amid the storm.”

Introducing Serenity, a 65% split cluster keyboard with a rotary knob.

Renders with GMK Mizu by Rensuya

Expanded View

Assortment of Knob Designs

Planned GB start is NOVEMBER* 2020. It will be limited to 100 units which will be raffled.

Fueled by a burning passion for custom keyboards, I was always amazed by the unique artistic decisions other designers made in their quest for the perfect keyboard. Yet, dismayed by countless keyboards that did not satisfy my productivity needs, I pursued the creation of a custom keyboard with the intent to make a compact yet practical 65%, for an equilibrium between utility and aesthetic. Its split-cluster design allows for a minimal and uncluttered form factor, and the rotary knob offers a classy and modern way for users to control continuous values like volume. A baseplate with inspiration from the luxurious Keycult No. 2 SS further adds sophistication to the side and bottom profiles. After hundreds of hours of intricate designing and development, I present to you: Serenity.

Full Render Album
IC Form
join discord pls

Specifications:

Mirror Polished Stainless Steel or PVD Brass baseplate
PVD and Polished Brass Knob/Plate
EC09 Incremental Rotary Encoder
STM32 microprocessor
Custom USB-C PCB with QMK Support
Gasket Mounted on top and bottom of plate
6.9 degree typing angle
6063 Anodized Aluminum Top and Bottom
No externally visible screws

Layout:

Keyboard as of now is in a fixed layout and will most likely remain winkeyless only to reduce variety and cost. The two keys on the right can be mapped to many pairs of keys such as: Insert/Delete, Page Up/Page Down, and Home/End.

Please offer layout feedback in the IC form if you would like any changes.

Colors / Materials:

Aluminum Case - Black Anodization, 1 to 2 more colors decided by IC form results.

Plate and Knob - Will be offered in the standard shiny and polished gold brass finish. If there is enough interest we may offer a polycarbonate plate or any other material.

Baseplate - Stainless Steel version will be offered in a mirror polished finish. If there is sufficient interest we may also offer a PVD Clear/Rose Gold Brass option.

Expected Price:

The price of this board is undetermined as of now, it will be announced as prototypes come in a few months. Expect this to be $500+.

Additional plates / PCBs will cost around $40-60; we do not have a specific quote yet.

Execution:

Since this is my first group buy, I am likely limiting this first run to 100 units. This means that the units will be raffled, via a form that I will send in my discord. If this group buy is successful, there will be future runs with more units :D

https://serenity65.com ← Join Discord!

Keyset Render Gallery:

Renders with GMK Olivia by Olivia

Renders with a GMK Minimal/Mr. Sleeves combo by Janglad / Taeha

Renders with GMK Serika by Zambumon

Renders with GMK Nord by Gtrx

Renders with GMK 9009 by Janglad

Acknowledgements:

Gtrx - for designing the amazing PCB!

Kingk22 - for doing the beautiful renders!

NathanAlphaMan - for all your advice and help when I needed it :D Go support Evolv!

Keycult - Big fan of yours. Thank you so much for inspiring the design of this keyboard! And please check out the upcoming No. 1 Rev. 2, the No. 2/65, and No. 3 everyone!

Thank you for reading :)

My sincerest apologies for any formatting issues, this is my first time posting on Geekhack :p

Glueeater · « **Reply #1 on:** Fri, 01 May 2020, 10:46:30 »

Joined Discord & filled out form! Interested in hotswap, PVD clear bottom

Jaltr · « **Reply #2 on:** Fri, 01 May 2020, 13:01:36 »

I'm in for this!

Sent from my SM-J415G using Tapatalk

NOLA · « **Reply #3 on:** Fri, 01 May 2020, 13:08:52 »

Oh yeah. Me likey.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

spam · « **Reply #4 on:** Fri, 01 May 2020, 13:17:44 »

It's beautiful. Definitely in for this one. Joined discord and filled IC form!

beekey · « **Reply #5 on:** Fri, 01 May 2020, 13:22:53 »

Split backspace ?

Uryftw · « **Reply #6 on:** Fri, 01 May 2020, 14:23:27 »

Please make it happen this is ****ing NEAT.

arca3n · « **Reply #7 on:** Fri, 01 May 2020, 16:36:22 »

love it!

Glueeater · « **Reply #8 on:** Fri, 01 May 2020, 18:08:45 »

Just noticed the spacing on the right bezel is more than the left - will prototype reflect that?

Hanabi · « **Reply #9 on:** Fri, 01 May 2020, 22:31:07 »

So beautiful! Looking really good!

ivu · « **Reply #10 on:** Sat, 02 May 2020, 06:05:59 »

Nice looking board!
Some feedback from my side on the design:

- bezels should be more symmetrical as some sides are too thick
- split backspace option
- needs a winkey. Wkl looks interesting but i find wk more functional.
- make it also VIA compatible in addition to QMK.

How high is the front of the board?
Personally prefer not so high ones for ergonomics.

Sent from my SM-N975F using Tapatalk

sagarsiddhpura · « **Reply #11 on:** Fri, 05 June 2020, 01:54:36 »

Any updates?

n.rdy · « **Reply #12 on:** Sat, 06 June 2020, 11:12:30 »

what an epic first post. im in for this

NoLullaby · « **Reply #13 on:** Sat, 06 June 2020, 23:24:23 »

Quote from: sagarsiddhpura on Fri, 05 June 2020, 01:54:36

Any updates?

Lots of updates about the design and GB in the discord! I don't really use geekhack so you won't find me updating the post too frequently unless there are huge updates.

reaLFX · « **Reply #14 on:** Sun, 07 June 2020, 00:23:03 »

Interested!

Xemnova · « **Reply #15 on:** Mon, 08 June 2020, 21:29:37 »

Lovely board design! Filled out the IC (though I think you already processed bulk results from it awhile ago) and joined the discord

eveningdownpour · « **Reply #16 on:** Wed, 15 July 2020, 20:13:39 »

I really hope you receive the case prototype soon!!! Looking forward to seeing where this goes.

FaIIen · « **Reply #17 on:** Wed, 15 July 2020, 23:04:18 »

Holy knob, that knob is thicc AF.

Minam · « **Reply #18 on:** Thu, 16 July 2020, 06:31:55 »

Interested! Just posting so I can reference back to this post when raffle goes live.

vincenttngo1 · « **Reply #19 on:** Thu, 16 July 2020, 19:20:27 »

rotary knob always wins my heart....

menuhin · « **Reply #20 on:** Tue, 21 July 2020, 11:04:17 »

Buttom bezel can be a tiny bit not as thick, like the top bezel.

NoLullaby · « **Reply #21 on:** Tue, 08 September 2020, 10:54:44 »

join discord pls

Hello, sorry for the long delay between updates - we have a lot of the smaller updates (along with more pictures and details!) solely on Discord, so please join it if you want to stay up to date.

We've received our first prototype from the factory, and we're in the process of redesigning for the second prototype now. Here's a picture of the PCB for posterity.

Here's an image of the keyboard itself.

Note the baseplate picture is reflecting the cloudy sky - it does not have any imperfections, just to clarify.

zoo · « **Reply #22 on:** Tue, 08 September 2020, 12:45:51 »

The design looks pretty good. Love all the 2020 features

3yatt · « **Reply #23 on:** Tue, 08 September 2020, 20:29:14 »

Ok, this checks all the boxes for me. I'll easily spend $500+ on this.

The.Ryan.Gamer · « **Reply #24 on:** Thu, 17 September 2020, 08:50:49 »

Will you have a Vendor for this GB? That's my only way of getting one (if i win the raffle) since i cannot use PayPal.

AnAsianPanda · « **Reply #25 on:** Thu, 17 September 2020, 14:23:11 »

Take all my money!!!

Sent from my SM-G973U1 using Tapatalk

NoLullaby · « **Reply #26 on:** Fri, 18 September 2020, 07:28:24 »

Quote from: The.Ryan.Gamer on Thu, 17 September 2020, 08:50:49

Will you have a Vendor for this GB? That's my only way of getting one (if i win the raffle) since i cannot use PayPal.

We'll be running this on our own, but we'll do the legwork to set up a storefront and take payment without PayPal.

FillTheBoat · « **Reply #27 on:** Fri, 25 September 2020, 00:11:18 »

take all my money.

Ashardalon · « **Reply #28 on:** Fri, 25 September 2020, 03:17:37 »

I said I didn't need another 65%, but I don't have a board with a knob so...

Contrakey · « **Reply #29 on:** Fri, 25 September 2020, 12:38:29 »

Really like that you guys are doing custom knobs to put in some extra effort. It really goes the extra mile compared to just completely stock and cheap knobs.

The.Ryan.Gamer · « **Reply #30 on:** Sat, 26 September 2020, 08:52:25 »

Quote from: NoLullaby on Fri, 18 September 2020, 07:28:24

Quote from: The.Ryan.Gamer on Thu, 17 September 2020, 08:50:49
Will you have a Vendor for this GB? That's my only way of getting one (if i win the raffle) since i cannot use PayPal.

We'll be running this on our own, but we'll do the legwork to set up a storefront and take payment without PayPal/

Never Forget Daily Prayers.

Egobean · « **Reply #31 on:** Sat, 26 September 2020, 17:19:57 »

wow when is this keyboard going into gb? i would love to own one of these!

menuhin · « **Reply #32 on:** Sat, 03 October 2020, 06:32:50 »

A GMK set IC (GMK maestro) with matching theme
I hope they're in BoW / WoB instead of the creamy WS4 though


~~IBM M13 black~~	NeXT non-ADB keyboard (AAE)	HHKB Pro 2 HasuBT

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Author Topic: [IC] Serenity - a Split-Cluster 65% with a Knob (Read 31930 times)