[IC] Unagi - WKL SS 60% | Pink prototype photos

[yvkb]

Unagi

IC Form: https://forms.gle/EezQSPbK1mE1bXzeA

Hi, I am geo and I have been into custom keyboards for the past 3 years. I have been working on Unagi on and off for over a year and I am excited to finally post this.





Unagi was inspired by my love for the dish unadon.
It is a two piece, fixed-WKL 60% keyboard with a sanded stainless steel bottom.
I have always loved the look of machined metals (as opposed to sandblasted), however I rarely see it implemented in keyboard
designs. With Unagi, my intentions are to embrace the subtle roughness of the sanded steel rather than fight it.

Note: I have decided that the steel bottom will now have a clear coat applied to protect it.

GRAY (Pantone 11C), BURGUNDY (Pantone 1817c) AND PINK (Pantone 1895u-ish) will be offered (targeting 10 units of each).
This link: https://bit.ly/3VB5GC9 contains pictures of color samples and other general information.
(The final gray color (Pantone 11c) will be different than the first prototype gray shown in the pictures.)



Unagi utilizes a 356mini-esque o-ring mounting system, with optional 1mm adhesive foam pads that can be placed on the top case to change sound profile if desired. (to my ear, these pads noticeably improve sound consistency while not creating a generic “foamy” sound). 70A durometer o-rings will be included as I enjoy the somewhat firm typing feel it provides, however there are many o-rings available online to experiment with if you are interested.



Typing angle: 5deg
Actual front height (EKH): 20.355mm
Built weight: ~2kg
Connection: USB-C Daughterboard
Price: Targeting Under $450
Unit count: 20-30

MORE INFORMATION ON THE BOARD CAN BE FOUND AT THE GOOGLE DOC BELOW.
Will continually update it as I get more questions / make changes.

https://bit.ly/3VB5GC9

LIGHTNINGXI BUILD STREAM AND SOUND TESTS
 

What will be included:
-6063 Aluminum top case
-Sanded SS bottom case
-FR4 Plate
-70A O-ring
-1mm top case pads (optional)
-6 3Mx10mm screws (case)
-4 2M x 3mm screws (DB)
-4 bumpons
-Hiney H60 JST PCB.

Gallery: https://imgur.com/gallery/6I5M81p

Links: https://www.linktr.ee/yvkb

Join the discord for updates! https://discord.gg/AdvnjhWGbQ

[chat and team]

20 unit ic lol

[rookb]

Too expensive

[yvkb]

Too expensive

I know, I'm working on it. Looking into different factories at the moment.

[unusuaL_]

should really be a private gb with this unit count + price - also as your first GB it seems

[Rafa_n]

Love the design and side profile. Price is OK for 20 units and ss bottom, but it could be a bit cheaper imo.

[stewfayew]

Why are people bending over backwards to AVOID using proven, open-source o-ring mounting points and pcbs

[geohammy]

Why are people bending over backwards to AVOID using proven, open-source o-ring mounting points and pcbs

The board is designed to fit both h60 and bb60, however if there are objections to this I'd consider changing it

[irithyll]

I like the design of this keyboard. Honestly looks pretty good.
Although I understand the reasoning behind keeping the quantity to 20, it might be worth trying to push for 50 units for better pricing, attracting some interest, and receiving better feedback.
Had this been planned and priced as a 50 unit GB, I would have been interested.
Will keep an eye to see how this IC progresses, GLWIC.

[treeleaf64]

I like the design of this keyboard. Honestly looks pretty good.
Although I understand the reasoning behind keeping the quantity to 20, it might be worth trying to push for 50 units for better pricing, attracting some interest, and receiving better feedback.
Had this been planned and priced as a 50 unit GB, I would have been interested.
Will keep an eye to see how this IC progresses, GLWIC.

[granola bar enthusiast]

too chinese ngl

[synthtastic]

That side profile is sick. Great job.

[treeleaf64]

One unagi 
Two eel
Three   Geo

Here is a poem I made for This Unagi

In the garden next to the stone house,
There is a Road.

the Road has A Flower
growing next to it,

The flower is lovely and happy.

[discourse and group]

One unagi 
Two eel
Three   Geo

Here is a poem I made for This Unagi

In the garden next to the stone house,
There is a Road.

the Road has A Flower
growing next to it,

The flower is lovely and happy.

discourse and group is wondering if the treeleaf talks to girls in third person

[yvkb]

Hi everyone,

While a smaller group buy (20 units) would speed up the timeline and overall be more manageable for me, I have received quite a bit of feedback requesting a higher unit count (50+ units) for the public group buy, which would increase availability and lower prices. I have updated the post and am currently looking for a possible vendor that could run a higher unit group buy. 

[catamscott]

nice looking board for sure, raw ss bottom is neat too. glad you're contemplating the vendor route, hope that the moq can come up too with their help.

[reticent]

I personally am a fan of this board and loving the clean no logo look. Price is a bit steep for me personally but I understand with the low MOQ and the stainless steel.

The people who are egging on you for the 20 units or to just make this a private gb are missing the point of ICs or are entitled. You have a project, got a prototype made, and want to share to people what you made to see if there's interest in getting other units made with 20 units being what you're comfortable with. I see nothing wrong with it.

[yvkb]

-

[Friendship]

Why are people bending over backwards to AVOID using proven, open-source o-ring mounting points and pcbs

why try anything different ever?

The people who are egging on you for the 20 units or to just make this a private gb are missing the point of ICs or are entitled. You have a project, got a prototype made, and want to share to people what you made to see if there's interest in getting other units made with 20 units being what you're comfortable with. I see nothing wrong with it.

agreed!!

my personal thoughts on the board itself: clean, love the top edge fillet, bezels look nicely proportioned. case bottom being SS i could take it or leave it. the somewhat brushed/tumble finish of it is very nice though.

also any reason you could squeeze in the inner screw mounts by the daughterboard but not by the space? was it a sound decision?

[thocciness]

Considering such a hefty SS bottom case, the price is pretty reasonable! Hope this goes well!

[yvkb]

The people who are egging on you for the 20 units or to just make this a private gb are missing the point of ICs or are entitled. You have a project, got a prototype made, and want to share to people what you made to see if there's interest in getting other units made with 20 units being what you're comfortable with. I see nothing wrong with it.

agreed!!

my personal thoughts on the board itself: clean, love the top edge fillet, bezels look nicely proportioned. case bottom being SS i could take it or leave it. the somewhat brushed/tumble finish of it is very nice though.

also any reason you could squeeze in the inner screw mounts by the daughterboard but not by the space? was it a sound decision?

I found that 4 M3 screws may not be secure enough to hold the heavy bottom case together over an extended period of time (especially near the back, where the majority of the weight is), however 8 screws was overkill for the assembly. Additionally, the thin material and tight tolerances near the front makes screw holes in locations other than the corners slightly risky.

[yvkb]

Considering such a hefty SS bottom case, the price is pretty reasonable! Hope this goes well!

Thank you!  I'll arrange a build stream and release more specific details regarding a group buy in the near future.

[AnonyMoose_]

This looks pretty nice. glwic

[yvkb]

Update:

Tentative US vendor is Mechs & Co! More information and a build stream from LightningXi coming soon.

Edit:

Running this group buy through myself now.

[yvkb]

Lightning proto build stream tonight at 7:15pm EST! Go check it out: https://twitch.tv/lightningkeyboards

[kajahtaa]

Looks awesome.

[Nonnegaard]

should really be a private gb with this unit count + price - also as your first GB it seems

how if no friends

[Nonnegaard]

yall broke asf lmao (i do not own a mirror)

[unusuaL_]

should really be a private gb with this unit count + price - also as your first GB it seems

how if no friends

i have ran many private group buys before so i don't think it would be difficult (I have no friends this is a cry for help)

[yvkb]

Hey guys, still working on final details for the group buy, if you're interested in this please join the discord and fill out IC form!
Lightning build sound test:

[yvkb]

Updates:
A second prototype has been ordered from a different manufacturer, from whom I expect better quality and lower prices than my original manu. Once this arrives, a 20-30 unit group buy will be arranged on the discord server, linked above. I am expecting the final price to be under $450, possibly significantly lower, much better than initial estimates 

[yvkb]

Proto 2 manu pics:




Join discord for more updates!

[geohammy]

GB live in 3 days! Thread has been moved here: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=120422.msg3162890