Blue Ridge
Electro-capacitive (EC) ‧ HHKB ‧ O-ring Mounted ‧ Integrated Housings
Designed by Clever Keebs
Target price for standard kit: $450 USD.
Target price for premium kit (stainless steel dual finish weight): $485
Interest Form
Discord
Current Status and Next Steps
November 13, 2024
Alexotos will be streaming the Blue Ridge tonight! We'll also be offering a preorder tonight following the stream for a limited edition aluminum version, produced in the US. There will be 10 units available and 100% of the profits will be donated to DirectRelief.org to help provide relief from the damage that Hurricane Helene caused in and around the Blue Ridge mountains recently. These 10 units are expected to ship in February, 2025.
October 24, 2024
If you didn't notice the title, MX is now officially supported! The Blue Ridge will sport the first (that I'm aware of anyway) hybrid MX/EC PCB in a custom keyboard kit. Scared of EC but curious to try it without committing to it? Done. But be warned - if you do try it you may not go back 
I also have some fun extras to announce. If you look closely at the photos below, you'll see a custom carrying case and a custom dust cloth. All units will come with both. I also photographed the custom silicone press-fit feet in all colorways. Cases will come with their matching feet but all colors are designed to be paired together so if you'd like to order an alternate color, extras will be available for purchase at launch.
Last but not least, here's an updated sound test that shows off both EC and MX variants. Enjoy!
October 6, 2024Some preview images of the green version with custom feet and two of the pill weight options that go on the back (topo design). More info to follow
October 2, 2024Lots of update since I last posted in September. I received an earlier prototype in the production blue I plan to use from the manufacturer I plan to order from. The back weight is using the old text design, but the production run will have the newer topographical design. After some feedback, I am considering offering the two-tone stainless steel weight on the back as an upgrade option. You can see it below. The manufacturer also finished the green variant with the latest revision changes and it's currently on a plane to me now. I expect this to be the last version before placing the first production order. Two vendors have expressed their interest: Deskhero and ktechs.store, and I'll be talking with them further about potentially offering more quantities of the Blue Ridge. Alexotos will be reviewing the board on stream in November. I'll post a date in my update this weekend. Anyway, enjoy the photos below. One is of the blue color variant that I took myself, and the other photos are from the manufacturer (if you couldn't already tell by their quality).
September 8, 2024This past week I placed another sample order for the final color I'm considering for the first launch: Smoky Grey. The theme for this color is "Dusk" and will include a warm dark grey color for the translucent polycarbonate case, a sunset copper-like color for the pill weight, and a dark blue for the hex weight for the dark blue skies at sunset. I'm also placing a second round of orders for the silicone feet this week in various colors to match each of the themes I'll be offering. Here's a quick render of the silicone feet in two colors.
In fact, I liked it so much, I'm going to get it made into a camera shutter soft release button
August 31, 2024This past week I've been looking at options for the first run that's happening end of year. The good news is I will be able to offer a few color options without a significant price increase (for me, not you). The colors I'm considering for the translucent polycarbonate case include a mountain green, blue mist, autumn amber, and smoky grey. There's been more interest than originally anticipated so I'm considering increasing the order quantity for the first run. If I do, I'll offer all four colors. If I stick with ~25, I'll probably choose 2-3 colors for the initial run. I'm also looking at finish options for the weight parts and whether or not I can offer various anodization options. While I really wanted to do a two-tone (sandblast+polish) finish for the pill weight on the bottom (larger of the two), it just isn't cost effective for a first run. I'm considering a more expensive option that would be $550 instead of $485 which would include it and might run a separate poll in my discord to gauge interest. The standard option would be sandblasted + anodized aluminum. This version would be sandblasted + polished (edges) stainless steel. I ordered samples for both and will post photos when I receive them. Last but not least, Cipulot and I finalized the mounting points for the PCB and plate. I'll have prototypes and new videos/photos in ~30 days or so.
August 25, 2024I sent off for the last round of prototypes prior to the first edition launch of 25-30 in-stock sets. The latest round of updates includes a new muted green PC case color (Pantone 5477C), the updated weight topo design mentioned below, a reduced front height (will update specs later this afternoon with exact numbers), custom silicone feet (press-fit, translucent silicone with a bottom dogwood flower design), and a new material/color option for the weight assembly. For the first low quantity order, I can use aluminum for the bottom two weight parts and reduce cost significantly while only shaving off ~0.14kg. This also allows for more surface finish options like anodization. The inner weight retainer will still be stainless steel and will also have a new laser-etched topo engraving on it that complements the new design on the bottom weight. With all this,
the target price for the first edition will be $485. I will also be offering a super limited edition bundle for $600 that includes some extra handcrafted goodies: a custom designed wooden box that doubles as a display stand, a resin + wood wrist rest, and some other knick knacks. There will only be 5 of these available at launch later this year. Designs to follow in a future update
August 20, 2024After some feedback and careful considering, I've decided to offer either a replacement or alternate weight design option for the large "pill" weight on the back. I spent the evening tracing a topographical map of one of my favorites spots along the Blue Ridge Parkway and then incorporated it into the design. My goal was to keep it relevant to the inspiration while also making it appeal to those of you who don't care about the Blue Ridge Mountains but perhaps love mountains! This was a great compromise. I'm getting quotes now for a follow-up prototype that also includes some other minor design changes and material/color options you'll see later. Here's a screenshot from Fusion:
Let me know what you think! Do you like the "Blue Ridge" text or this?
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I'm currently nearing the end of the prototyping phase and have been ordering the same parts from various vendors in different materials, surface finishes, and colors. The prototype photographed here is the first of 3 variants I'll be receiving over the next few weeks. This project has not been picked up yet by a vendor, so if you're interested in my design, feel free to contact me on Discord
With or without a vendor, I'm planning a preorder or in-stock sale, limited to 25 units, by end of year. If there's enough interest, I'll plan a group buy for further units with various material/color options.
DescriptionThe Blue Ridge is a premium EC keyboard with an OG HHKB layout (6u spacebar). This project started off as a love letter to the Topre/EC community. I wanted to create something new that wasn't a conversion or aftermarket case for an existing board. I also felt there was a gap in new designs that featured that slightly scratchy, classic Topre feel. Most custom EC boards today feature a metal plate with snap-in aftermarket housings, and while those are equally amazing to type on, I wanted to reprise the feel and sound of the HHKB Pro boards (with a twist of course). A first of its kind, the Blue Ridge is equipped with an o-ring mounted, CNC’d POM plate with integrated EC housings. Why? Because people said it couldn't be done and I wanted to In all honesty though, designing and machining my own EC plates would allow for an array of new possibilities: better compatibility with popular keycap profiles, a new-to-EC mounting style that didn't require snipping aftermarket housings, and a familiar but unique sound and feel.
Inspired by the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains, the board takes cues from its rolling hills and mountain ranges throughout: an ergonomic front-lip palm rest, mountain range cutouts above the USB-C port and the JST cable channel, a side profile reminiscent of the rolling hills of North Carolina, and unique mountain range stepped engravings on both the right-side HHKB blocker and bottom weight assembly. The PCB is designed by Cipulot and includes RGB for it to shine through the frosted polycarbonate case.
Curious or skeptical? Here's me installing the o-ring.Prototype GalleryThere are a few changes that will be made between the prototype you see here and the first-run production version(s).- Sandblast grit will be finer, allowing for more light to shine through and a smoother finish
- Color of the PC will be slightly different
- Material choices for the bottom weight assembly will be swapped
- Surface finishes will be slightly different (see the Variants section below)
- POM plate will most likely be white to allow light to reflect more
- Plate will not be sandblasted for production like the one seen here was. It looks great, I agree, but a previous prototype that was left raw after machining felt a bit smoother. I have a typing test with that plate and an older design in the Discord server linked above if you'd like to check it out.
- Final plate design will have the integrated MX stabilizer housings swapped with the following:
- 2u EC integrated housings with small, screw-in (M1.6 screws)
- Cutouts that allow you to snap in aftermarket EC spacebar stabilizer housings. This enables users to choose Topre sliders or aftermarket MX sliders.
- POM retainers that hold the stabilizer wires in place and prevent rattle
- Final PCB will be by Cipulot and include onboard LEDs. The one used in the prototype has been designed and produced by me.
And without further adieu, I present actual photos of the Blue Ridge prototype...Typing TestCurrent Specs- Typing angle: 7 degrees
- Front height: 13.96mm (bottom of feet to bottom of palm rest)
- Effective Keyboard Height (EKH): ~20.16mm
- Supported layouts: HHKB 6u only
- Weight (built polycarbonate version): ~1.124kg
The following layout is the only offered support for the first, in-stock run. If there's enough interest in other layout variations (unified backspace, unified right shift, stepped caps, split space, etc), then I'll consider creating various plate designs to support popular requests for the group buy.
What's Included- Case
- POM plate with integrated EC housings
- POM plate stabilizer retainers (instead of clips, the plate utilizes screw-in retainers to hold the stabilizer wires in place)
- 3-piece weight assembly:
- hexagonal, center weight (mountain view)
- dual-finish "Blue Ridge" weight
- weight retainer (used to sandwich the weight assembly on either side of the case)
- Round silicone feet
- Torx screws for all the things that need screwing
- 2mm OD O-ring
- PCB by Cipulot with onboard LEDs
- Unified daughterboard + JST cable
- Custom packaging with surprise knick knacks (at least for the initial run)
Variants| Part | Material | Surface Treatment |
| Case | Polycarbonate | Sandblasted, dyed a "steel blue" (similar to Pantone 646 C) |
| Sandblasted, dyed a "mountain green" (similar to Pantone 5477 C) |
| Sandblasted, clear |
| Aluminum | Sandblasted, anodized "Steel Blue" to match Pantone 2148 C |
| Sandblasted, anodized "Smoke Grey" to match Pantone 425 C |
| Plate | POM (milled) | White or Black |
| Hexagonal weight (mountain view) | Aluminum | Sandblasted, anodized in several color options (TBD) |
| Larger pill weight | Aluminum | Sandblasted with top surface mirror polished (border, font, and sun) |
| Internal weight retainer | Stainless Steel | Sandblasted |
One more thing...If you made it this far, here's a little treat of my son doing his own typing test on the Blue Ridge. This is and always will be the only typing test that matters. Cheers! And thanks for stopping by and learning about my design.
