[IC] Arc - An Ergonomic 65% with Macros (GB LIVE)

[yz]

Arc

Ergo 65XT




Arc is an ergonomic 65% keyboard with a 2-row macro column, split at a 12-degree angle. It features the familiar gummy O-ring mount and a front-facing walnut/maple accent.


Contents

• Specifications
• Progress
• Sales & Pricing
• Renders & Photos
• FAQ
• Socials & Build Vlog

1. Specifications

Case Angle: 7.25°

Front Height (min-max): 19mm-22.3mm

Net Weight: 2kg (built with alu plate, Gateron X & GMKs)

Case Materials: 6063 Aluminium, Brass (internal-weight), Walnut/Maple (front accents)

Hardware Materials: SUS304 Stainless Steel (case screws & daughterboard screws)

Plate Materials: 6061 Aluminium & Carbon Fibre (1.5mm thickness)

PCB:

• 1.6mm FR4 (no flex cuts) designed by Mechlovin’
• QMK & VIAL Configurable
• Daughterboard with ESD protection

Layout Options:


Keyboard mount:

Gummy O-ring with mounting posts


2. Progress

• Keyboard – 2nd prototype tested and built, internal/external dimensions confirmed
• Carrying Case – prototype ordered
• PCB – 2nd prototype tested and built, JST cable length and PCB/daughterboard dimensions confirmed

3. Sales & Pricing

Projected base kit price: SGD 630 (USD 468)

Kit includes:

• 1x Keyboard Case (hardware pre-assembled)
• 1x Solder-only PCB, daughterboard & JST cable
• 6x Custom Silicone Feet
• 1x Carrying Case

50 units min., 100 units max.
FCFS on shostudios.co
GB target date: Late June/Early July 2023
Targeted Completion: Early-Late Q4 2023

Shipping Estimates:

More

Singapore (Qxpress) – SGD 4.1
Malaysia (DHL Express) – SGD 30
South Korea (Qxpress) – SGD 22
CONUS/Canada (DHL Express) – SGD 80
EU/UK (DHL Express/Fedex) – SGD 80++
Rest of SEA (DHL Express) – SGD 33++
Rest of Asia (DHL Express) – SGD 43++
MENA (DHL Express/Aramex) – SGD 135++

4. Renders & Photos

Black & Walnut

More

Silver & Maple

More

Prototype Photos

More

Bottom Engraving


Exploded View



5. FAQ

• Who are you and what is shostudios?
  I am the former designer and co-founder of Hex Keyboards. Having left the brand early this year, I have set up shostudios as a personal outlet to work on bringing my passion projects to life.
• Will _____ color/wood/plate be available?
  Unfortunately not. I will be working on fulfilment alone for these projects so I’d like to keep things simple by reducing the number of SKUs I'm offering. I will be releasing the plate and wood accent files towards the end of fulfilment. I may also add a raw case option if there is enough demand for it. Let me know in the form linked below.
• Why the 100 units cap?
  I will be working with limited space and manpower (my pair of hands) when it comes time for fulfilment. So even though I have 3 years of experience in keyboard fulfilment with my previous venture, I’d rather not stretch myself too thin.
• Will you be engaging with any international vendors?
  Not for this project.

6. Socials & Build Vlog

To keep up with the latest information for this board, join my discord server, or follow me on instagram!
Raw Aluminium IC form

build vlog done by the very talented lensoflucas

sound test recorded by myself

If you made it this far, thank you for checking this project out![/list]

[DirtyGingy]

Fun design. But there is already arc60.

[yz]

Fun design. But there is already arc60.

hopefully the 60 is a meaningful enough discriminator between the 2 boards, been working on this project on the side for almost 2 years now

[bananathock]

First!

[irithyll]

Looks amazing! GLWIC

[bow3i]

Fun design. But there is already arc60.

Not even that similar bruh. I want whatever you're on.

But regardless, love the design, the wood gives me wood. GLWIC!

[FatefulStranger]

Been looking forward to this for a hot while now! Love it!

Also would be helpful to have some pics of the internals if possible. GLWIC

[DirtyGingy]

Fun design. But there is already arc60.

Not even that similar bruh. I want whatever you're on.

But regardless, love the design, the wood gives me wood. GLWIC!

I'm talking about the name. It's generally a best practice to avoid similar names for confusion reasons

[DirtyGingy]

Fun design. But there is already arc60.

hopefully the 60 is a meaningful enough discriminator between the 2 boards, been working on this project on the side for almost 2 years now

I usually go for the army-proof mentally myself, but I think it's enough. In any case, the design will carry it

[Beaniekeys]

Looks so good! The wood accent is just too clean! GLWIC!

[yz]

Looks amazing! GLWIC

Fun design. But there is already arc60.

Not even that similar bruh. I want whatever you're on.

But regardless, love the design, the wood gives me wood. GLWIC!

Looks so good! The wood accent is just too clean! GLWIC!

Been looking forward to this for a hot while now! Love it!

Also would be helpful to have some pics of the internals if possible. GLWIC

thanks for the support everyone, will drop some internal renders/pics in an update soon

[yz]

Fun design. But there is already arc60.

hopefully the 60 is a meaningful enough discriminator between the 2 boards, been working on this project on the side for almost 2 years now

I usually go for the army-proof mentally myself, but I think it's enough. In any case, the design will carry it

totally understand where you're coming from, thank you for the kind words!

[giuliano.cz]

Looks a bit too much like the Boomerang. (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=119105.0)

[VXQN]

Looks nice! How does the o-ring work on the top edge, what with the bend in the board? Is there a clip/stop or does the assembly require some specific steps?

[yz]

Looks a bit too much like the Boomerang. (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=119105.0)

shared some context with laminar for this project and he understood that the timing was a coincidence. I have released renders for this particular design on a public discord server sometime in August last year.
I've also released renders of a tented version of this layout in 2021 on said server. hopefully this will lay any questions of plagiarism to rest for the public 

Looks nice! How does the o-ring work on the top edge, what with the bend in the board? Is there a clip/stop or does the assembly require some specific steps?

the build vlog linked at the bottom of the post illustrates the assembly process, the plate is split and I used 2 o-rings instead of one to wrap around the perimeter of each sides

[Elendil-7]

So excited for this one! That silver + maple is something else 

No chance of bringing the price down? Will this be the first GB for shostudios?

[yz]

So excited for this one! That silver + maple is something else 

No chance of bringing the price down? Will this be the first GB for shostudios?

thanks for your interest!

this will be the first GB for the brand but as mentioned in the FAQ, I've been designing for and overseeing keyboard group buys with Hex Keyboards since its inception and until my departure earlier this year.

with regards to the price, here's some context on why it may be more expensive than the regular offerings in the market:
the block of aluminium that's required for this board has almost the same total linear dimensions as a full-sized board because of its unique shape.
the unique shape also means that there a lot more material to be removed during machining compared to a board with regular dimensions.
the increase in cycle time and material cost, coupled with low MOQ, is why I can't price this any more competitively than it already is.

[flying1911]

Happy to see this finally in IC!

[warhopper]

Very excited for this, you nailed so much of what I wanted out of an Ergo board! I don't know if it could have been any more perfect even if I had commissioned it. Would never have though of the wood accents either.

For the files that will be released later, you mention the one for the accents, so conceivably we could get a brass accent made if we wanted too?

Other than that, how will you be invoicing for this? Have you setup a webpage you will direct people through or is it just a form fill and an invoice gets sent through Paypal?

[SpookyGC]

I'm not a ergo enjoyer, and this is still such a clean kit.

I agree with the arc60 already so popular, moving away from the arc branding would likely get more traction and avoid the need for clarifications.

Gorgeous build though.

[Findecanor]

Fun design. But there is already arc60.

I think a more descriptive named would have been "kink", but people would just misunderstand it... 

How well does the right space bar work for people who have tested it? I notice that I myself press the space bar on a regular keyboard below N and M and maybe slightly to the right, which would be the rightmost 1u of this space bar.

[yz]

I'm not a ergo enjoyer, and this is still such a clean kit.

I agree with the arc60 already so popular, moving away from the arc branding would likely get more traction and avoid the need for clarifications.

Gorgeous build though.

you've got a point. I would've likely changed the name if I wasn't already as invested in this project when the arc60 was released. thank you for your kind appraisal

Happy to see this finally in IC!

thank you my brother

Very excited for this, you nailed so much of what I wanted out of an Ergo board! I don't know if it could have been any more perfect even if I had commissioned it. Would never have though of the wood accents either.

For the files that will be released later, you mention the one for the accents, so conceivably we could get a brass accent made if we wanted too?

Other than that, how will you be invoicing for this? Have you setup a webpage you will direct people through or is it just a form fill and an invoice gets sent through Paypal?

thank you so much! yes you'd be able to order an accent piece of any material of your choosing as long as it's able to be machined in the given dimensions. as for the sale, I will be running it on a Shopify storefront that I'm setting up as we speak.

[the flying penguin]

arc so lit fr fr

[yz]

updated post with exploded view and front height measurements, cheers for the eggplant simon

[hottrout]

Watching with interest.

[yz]

Watching with interest.

appreciate it!

[yz]

GB will be ran on the 10th of July, 1030am GMT+8 on shostudios.co
shipping will be invoiced closer to fulfilment, shipping estimates are as stated in the original post

more details will come on the GB post, just gotta get my post numbers up before I can do that  )

[yz]

GB is live! https://shostudios.co/products/arc-an-ergonomic-65-with-macros

[Mechboards]

This looks great! GLWGB

[marcin_nyga]

intresting

[tactilesbad]

it's beautiful but way too expensive with the added DHL bribe tax costs

[doctorboy]

Thanks for moving this project into GB, it is an interesting design and I personally love the wood front accent. GLWGB!