Author Topic: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - GB Date Announced!  (Read 125311 times)

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Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #50 on: Fri, 20 March 2020, 16:15:04 »
Prototype is going to be crucial for this design, fingers crossed it turns out great

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

Thanks :)


PCB Prototypes are also ordered now. Also to clarify on the manufacturing time I mentioned before, that is actually 20 working days, so closer to 4 weeks.

Offline MadsMe

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #51 on: Mon, 23 March 2020, 11:23:08 »
You wouldn't happen to have a signature we can use to promote this board?

Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #52 on: Tue, 24 March 2020, 04:12:54 »
You wouldn't happen to have a signature we can use to promote this board?

Ah right, I forgot! Thanks for reminding me. I don't have one at the moment, but I'll work on one to share soon. :thumb:

Offline MadsMe

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #53 on: Wed, 25 March 2020, 05:30:18 »
You wouldn't happen to have a signature we can use to promote this board?

Ah right, I forgot! Thanks for reminding me. I don't have one at the moment, but I'll work on one to share soon. :thumb:

Perfect!  ;)

Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #54 on: Wed, 25 March 2020, 23:17:16 »
You wouldn't happen to have a signature we can use to promote this board?

Ah right, I forgot! Thanks for reminding me. I don't have one at the moment, but I'll work on one to share soon. :thumb:

Perfect!  ;)

Ok, I just finished creating a few different signature banners - please check the thread's original post for it! Thanks a ton for helping promote the board!  :D

Offline Jaltr

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #55 on: Thu, 26 March 2020, 06:10:49 »
The banner looks v nice

Offline jauny

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #56 on: Fri, 27 March 2020, 09:34:16 »
this looks incredible! Will def snatch one once GB becomes available!

Offline Meowsaur

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #57 on: Sun, 05 April 2020, 11:44:13 »
Hell yes; really glad to see ISO support for the PCB.
Looking forward to seeing photos of the prototype.

Offline MadsMe

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #58 on: Mon, 06 April 2020, 05:48:51 »
When do you have an etimated price? I think thats a big thing for people to know.

Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #59 on: Mon, 06 April 2020, 21:26:14 »
When do you have an etimated price? I think thats a big thing for people to know.

Definitely. I think I'll have a better idea of what the price will be a bit after I receive the prototypes, but at the moment, <$400. Sorry for the broad range as of now, but I can say it can only go down from there assuming the manufacturer is fine.

I'm planning on conducting another interest check survey with pictures of the built prototype, a proposed price point, and narrowed down color options, which I'll also be posting to Reddit. I'd like to gauge the interest there as well, since while the average Geekhack member is probably a deep enthusiast, Reddit is a larger community. Based on the results of the current interest check, I'd say there's quite a few different colors that I would like to have available based on what people want, and I'd like to see some more responses/interest before committing to a lower price.

Also, I'd like to determine the exact weight of the board when I have the prototype in hand. I can do some estimates in Fusion 360, but those are of course based on theoretical values and properties of the materials. I also need to figure out packaging. The shipping cost would be separate from the price of the kit, but it would still be good to know.

Finally, of course I'd like to make sure the quality from the manufacturer is good, since the price point is of course based on how much the particular manufacturer's costs.

Offline L8T

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #60 on: Mon, 06 April 2020, 21:43:15 »
Where is the usb port? I dont see the hole in renders.

Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #61 on: Mon, 06 April 2020, 22:27:35 »
Where is the usb port? I dont see the hole in renders.

Sorry, the original post has some outdated renders from before that was figured out. I'm planning on updating the pictures on the original post with real pictures when a prototype is built.

It's a center-mounted port in portrait orientation. Here's a render that shows how it will look.

Offline Marc7202

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #62 on: Tue, 07 April 2020, 07:27:03 »
Do you know how many units there's gonna be?

Offline DonaldPShimoda

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #63 on: Tue, 07 April 2020, 19:33:58 »
I hadn't planned on getting a 60% (I really love my arrow keys) but I might have to make an exception for this board. It's so cool! Can't wait to see how the prototype turns out!

Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #64 on: Wed, 08 April 2020, 15:10:50 »
Do you know how many units there's gonna be?

I haven't decided yet, I'm leaning towards a limited group buy - maybe ~200 slots? I'll try to have a generous number of slots adjusted to the interest, but there's certainly going to be an upper limit for how much I can manage at a time. If I do have limited slots, I'll try and prioritize people who filled out this original interest check form somehow.

Offline i luv chuletas

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #65 on: Wed, 08 April 2020, 16:19:51 »
HHKB black with brass accents and lste summer release and we gucci baby

Offline NorrittMTG

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #66 on: Sat, 11 April 2020, 08:38:58 »
 :thumb: Yes please :) ISO and split space and i'm 100% in

Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #67 on: Mon, 13 April 2020, 18:12:39 »
:thumb: Yes please :) ISO and split space and i'm 100% in

Full disclosure: the prototype I've ordered has ISO support, but no split space atm :(

The supported alternative layouts my prototype I has is:
Standard ANSI layout
ISO Enter
Split Left Shift (ISO)
Split Right Shift
Split Backspace
Tsangan bottom row
Stepped Caps Lock

I've ordered 3 prototypes with different colorways and top pieces (for STD, WKL, and HHKB). I'll be doing different layouts on each build to show these differences.

Please keep following the progress on this board though! I'm definitely considering looking into split space.

EDIT: Forgot to mention Stepped Caps Lock
« Last Edit: Mon, 13 April 2020, 19:50:50 by Nostril »

Offline TonyPia

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #68 on: Mon, 13 April 2020, 19:31:04 »
:thumb: Yes please :) ISO and split space and i'm 100% in

Full disclosure: the prototype I've ordered has ISO support, but no split space atm :(

The supported alternative layouts my prototype I has is:
Standard ANSI layout
ISO Enter
Split Left Shift (ISO)
Split Right Shift
Split Backspace
Tsangan bottom row

I've ordered 3 prototypes with different colorways and top pieces (for STD, WKL, and HHKB). I'll be doing different layouts on each build to show these differences.

Please keep following the progress on this board though! I'm definitely considering looking into split space.

So this is doable with 2U backspace on top right?

Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #69 on: Mon, 13 April 2020, 19:52:09 »
So this is doable with 2U backspace on top right?
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Show Image

Yes. And to clarify further, everything I mentioned that can be split of course can be configured as one key (not split), in which case it will be standard ANSI 60% sized.

Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #70 on: Mon, 20 April 2020, 23:31:48 »
It's been silent for a while, so here's a quick update:

I asked the manufacturer last week how progress is going on the prototypes. They said that they are approaching finishing in terms of milling work, but they will need some more time for the surface treatment, so it is delayed a bit. However, they sent me some photos of where it's at now.



Here's a link to the whole album.

Offline pixelpusher

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #71 on: Tue, 21 April 2020, 00:57:27 »
Looking promising!  Plate is in backwards... silly manu.   :p

Still wish the top bezel was 1mm taller.  Not a fan of seeing the switches peaking out from the bottom of the keycaps

Offline MadsMe

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #72 on: Tue, 21 April 2020, 09:00:29 »
OMG yes... This is soo good looking. I coulnd't help but feel a bit proud of you, considering this is your first board! Can't wait for it to be finished!

Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #73 on: Tue, 21 April 2020, 15:26:06 »
Looking promising!  Plate is in backwards... silly manu.   :p

Still wish the top bezel was 1mm taller.  Not a fan of seeing the switches peaking out from the bottom of the keycaps

Damn, I'm impressed. You have sharp eyes - this was actually one of the things I was a bit concerned about. However, I did increase the height of the top bezel by about 1.0-1.5mm (I don't remember which tbh) between the renders in the original post and what I submitted to the manu be produced. Also the gap I left on either side of the gasket mounting tabs was made to be 1.5mm, though I'm planning on using 1/16 in silicone sheet as the raw material for the gaskets - which is 1.5875mm (I made the gap smaller to account for compression).

These are obviously tiny numbers but hopefully they add up to account for that gap you were talking about. All these changes should be reflected in this batch of renders:  https://imgur.com/a/71ZCZcn

Not sure which render/image you spotted the gap in, but could you check the updated renders to see if you think it's successfully addressed?

I'll definitely take note of this too when I build out the protos and make sure it doesn't turn out ugly.

EDIT: Oh, I see what you mean even on the new renders. I'll look into it and might make another revision depending on how the proto ends up looking, and I'll post a few pictures comparing this feature to some of my other boards.

OMG yes... This is soo good looking. I coulnd't help but feel a bit proud of you, considering this is your first board! Can't wait for it to be finished!

Thanks! <3
« Last Edit: Tue, 21 April 2020, 15:53:54 by Nostril »

Offline BigBabyJesus

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #74 on: Sat, 25 April 2020, 16:11:58 »
Holy Heck! This is crazy good looking!  :eek:

Offline BigBabyJesus

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #75 on: Sat, 25 April 2020, 16:45:20 »
Is this the only place I can follow updates? The Polycarbonate one is sooo beautiful!

Offline zandegran

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #76 on: Sun, 26 April 2020, 15:00:54 »
It's stunning. why go all the way to have a gasket mount and not do a leaf spring mount? just asking and planning to buy without it as well  ;)

Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #77 on: Mon, 27 April 2020, 01:56:47 »
Is this the only place I can follow updates? The Polycarbonate one is sooo beautiful!

At the moment. Updates are a bit slow atm, as I'm patiently waiting for some manufacturing stuff. I might make a Discord to follow along when there will be more updates.

It's stunning. why go all the way to have a gasket mount and not do a leaf spring mount? just asking and planning to buy without it as well  ;)

Mostly just cause I haven't personally owned a leaf spring mount yet, so I don't know if I like it personally yet and also that means I don't have a reference on hand to base the design on.

Offline BigBabyJesus

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #78 on: Mon, 27 April 2020, 02:00:05 »
Is this the only place I can follow updates? The Polycarbonate one is sooo beautiful!

At the moment. Updates are a bit slow atm, as I'm patiently waiting for some manufacturing stuff. I might make a Discord to follow along when there will be more updates.

Great. Thanks!

Offline mcRewind

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #79 on: Mon, 27 April 2020, 02:30:03 »
Definitely count me in. Unique design, and I would be more than happy to hold some cash until your (hopeful) GB!

Offline kema

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #80 on: Tue, 28 April 2020, 22:13:02 »
FF looks absolutely amazing on it, looking forward to this!

Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #81 on: Wed, 29 April 2020, 04:44:43 »
Got some updates from the manufacturer! The prototypes will be shipped out to me tomorrow, and will probably arrive in roughly a week from then.

Here's a few photos from the manufacturer:
https://imgur.com/a/IUDBCi5

Long story ahead, but here's a TLDR: The manufacturer mentioned there some minor fitting issues on this prototype which aren't critical but are kinda lame, because my tolerances are too tight and because physics (maybe?). I'll still be accepting this first prototype to check out if it's otherwise good, and I'll be making a second prototype which loosens up the tolerances before moving to GB, which should hopefully be perfect.

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There were some issues with fitting the parts together after applying the surface finishes, which I was pretty surprised about, since I left about a 0.15mm gap between any parts that needed to fit together, which I thought would be plenty more than enough space given what I looked up about PVD and E-Coat thicknesses. So why is there interference? Here's what I think.

The anodized finished part did not have any issues with fitting, and there were no fitting issues with the parts before surface treatment, so this interference is certainly from the coatings. My first though was that perhaps they weren't actually using an E-Coat, and perhaps a thicker powder coating (which I thought still would fit). However, I gave them a call with a translator who said that the word they used for electrophoresis in Chinese was distinctly that, and wouldn't have been simply confused with something else.

The interference is pretty minor, as they said the parts can still be assembled together, but it might result in some scratching (only on interior parts anyway) and it might be hard to disassemble. They offered to polish down the PVD parts to make it fit better, but it might damage the finish - I agreed to have one of them polished down as a sacrifice, and have the others shipped as normal (the anodized had no problems anyway).

They ended up polishing it and actually didn't have any issues with the finish. This next Imgur album shows the parts that they polished (this is after it has been buffed down). Interestingly, the areas they marked that had interference were all at the corners of the plate, and also they verbally mentioned that a few of the slots where the rear weight fins fit into were also areas of interference. I double checked my design, and the gap at these areas were uniform with the other gaps (0.15mm) - so if the design is sound, does that mean that the coating tends to be thicker in these areas?

https://imgur.com/a/IUDBCi5

I think that is actually the case, and kind of makes sense. Sputter deposition is a common method of applying PVD, which as far as I understand involves electrically charging the object being coated. And as we know, E-Coat also electrically charges the target object for deposition. My theory is that these methods which involves electrically charging the keyboard might be the culprit.

As we have observed in other parts of the world, we know that electric charges tend to concentrate around sharp edges. Similar to a lightning rod, sharp edges on the keyboard may hold a higher charge than other parts, and of course there can be some additional irregularities due to factors such as where the electrodes were attached, etc. My theory is that this results in these types of coatings being thicker at the corners, which is why there is interference at the intersection of corners.

If anyone who has experience with this has any ideas on if this seems legit, please let me know what you think.

In any case, the bottom line is that my tolerances are too tight. I will still be accepting this round of prototypes to see if the quality and finish looks good, and also to see if the keyboard generally feels good (weight distribution, etc.). Of course, I don't want any surprises or potential fitting issues with the production run - so I'm planning on ordering another prototype which will have revised tolerances, and perhaps design changes if the first prototypes reveal the need to make any. This probably won't take as long to produce as the first prototype run, since the manufacturer now has the workholdings needed to make the keyboard, and the surface treatment figured out.

Offline i luv chuletas

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #82 on: Wed, 29 April 2020, 08:49:16 »
Welp, there go my wallet's content. :confused:

Seriously though, this is probably the first 60% that has me crazy excited. Looks amazing man.

Offline Glueeater

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #83 on: Wed, 29 April 2020, 12:25:17 »
Super excited about this - hoping the polycarbonate options happen - but your black/rose render looks great!

Offline switchnollie

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #84 on: Wed, 29 April 2020, 13:43:02 »
Liking the flatbar for finger boarding :cool:

Cool seeing boards stray from the brick shape.


Keyboards: HHKB Pro 1 & OTD 356CL Dark Greyhat Edition, baybee!

Offline zandegran

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #85 on: Wed, 29 April 2020, 16:38:55 »
Read your long story. Yes the whole of it  :) Makes lot of sense.
So, my understanding is you have 2 options
1. have separate manufacturing process. You don't want to have this as this may spoil the symmetry of the process and cause more headache down the line.
2. Adjust the tolerances and compromise the fitting for anodised finishes.

Can't we live with the current version if the adjustment of polycarbonate ones is working. I hope you will have better answer once you have the prototypes in hand. Also, who knows, Increasing the tolerances might not be visible. I will let you be the better judge of it.

Disclaimer: I'm planning to buy the Aluminium ones.

Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #86 on: Wed, 29 April 2020, 17:52:56 »
Liking the flatbar for finger boarding :cool:

Lol, I really like that idea.

Read your long story. Yes the whole of it  :) Makes lot of sense.
So, my understanding is you have 2 options
1. have separate manufacturing process. You don't want to have this as this may spoil the symmetry of the process and cause more headache down the line.
2. Adjust the tolerances and compromise the fitting for anodised finishes.

Can't we live with the current version if the adjustment of polycarbonate ones is working. I hope you will have better answer once you have the prototypes in hand. Also, who knows, Increasing the tolerances might not be visible. I will let you be the better judge of it.

Disclaimer: I'm planning to buy the Aluminium ones.

Yeah, I'm pretty much leaning towards #2 at the moment. I think having the separate manufacturing process probably counts as a different part with the manufacturing, considering my WKL/HHKB/STD layout cases already count as separate parts, so I'd like to avoid this.

I think the interference issue is pretty minor from the sound of it - I mean it does still technically fit together already, but it's practically a press fit. So that makes me think the coating is barely thick enough to cause interference. I'm not planning on adding a huge amount of tolerance, so it should still look pretty clean even with anodization. I think having these first prototypes in hand will help answer a lot of these questions.

Super excited about this - hoping the polycarbonate options happen - but your black/rose render looks great!

I'm not sure if I'll have polycarbonate options based on what I've seen in the results so far. I'll review them again soon and reconsider though. If I do end up having them, the two finishes that I proposed will probably just be consolidated into one - I'll have to see what the manufacturer is capable of, so that there aren't so many options (to keep costs lower).

Offline Nostril

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Re: [IC] Synth Labs 060 - a Gasket-Mounted 60% keyboard
« Reply #87 on: Wed, 06 May 2020, 16:16:50 »
Hey guys!

Huge update: Today I will be showing you the first ever seen photos of the plate installed in the correct orientation.

In all seriousness, I've received the case prototypes. I still am waiting on the motherboard PCB, but I have received the daughterboard PCBs. I have assembled one set of parts as much as I can (it doesn't have a motherboard PCB or stabilizers though).

Here's a nice shot of the prototype.


Please check out this photo album for more. Sorry if these aren't the most glamorous photos (there are some though) - I am deliberately trying to highlight the issues I've found in these photos, which I'm sure you'll appreciate as well.

https://imgur.com/a/W3MU8Cr

Now, I'll get to my thoughts on how everything turned out.

Complaints/Issues:
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I think design-wise, there are only a few minor issues, that I can list out on one hand:
  • Gap between the border keys and the inside wall of the case is too narrow
  • USB port cutout can be bigger
  • Loosen up some tolerances
  • Not an issue but this is on my bucketlist for design changes - I'm gonna try to add split spacebar support to the plate

Now, in terms of manufacturing - I want to be completely candid with everyone that there are plenty of issues. I ordered 3 sets of parts, with 3 colors - E-White, E-Black, natural aluminum color/silver (clear ano), and for the PVD parts - Nickel (silver), Gold, and Rose Gold.

The silver came out pretty nice - there are some marks on the finish but I think the overall look was mostly achieved. The PVD Gold and Rose Gold finish is amazing quality (this was outsourced by the manu), however what I'm referring to Rose Gold actually came out as basically a copper brown color (it is still very high quality though, but not what I wanted).

Okay - now onto the bad stuff with the finishing. The E-Coat White looks like ass. On the E-White, there are many marks particularly on the interior and in crevices which look like oil stains or something, as if the part wasn't cleaned before coating, and also straight up some noticible and large missed spots on the white. The E-Coat Black is better, and doesn't really have missed spots as far as I could tell, but has things like what looks like a bubble under the paint near the logo, and also what appears to be scratches after the coating was finished. Now for the PVD Nickel - these parts I literally thought were made of steel at first, but upon closer inspection they are definitely coated brass. It also seems to have a machine finish and isn't polished at all. Like I mentioned before, the manu mentioned some fitting issues - and said they can "reprocess the parts" though it might cause scratching - I think that's what they did with these PVD Nickel parts. At least they fit easily.

Here is what I will change to make the finish better in future iterations:
  • Explicitly tell the manu to clean the parts before coating
  • Bead-blast the parts before E-Coating
  • Switch from 6061 Aluminum to 6063

The machining has some problems too - there are some weird spots where features appear to be added or wrong - though all of these are on the interior. Here are the main weird things with the machining:
  • The HHKB has a weird protrusion on the interior off the blocker that fits perfectly into the switch cutout on the plate. It's a weird added feature that I double checked did not exist in my original design, so I'm not sure how this was added.
  • The bottom 2 screw holes are supposed to be counterbored, with the head diameter going partially through. They made this with the head diameter going through the whole BottomChassis so those holes will be unusable without some weird workarounds
  • Idk if this counts as machining or is just a shipping issue or something - but one of the rear weights (the rose gold) is straight up warped. I don't know how it's possible to warp something that thick so I think this must have happened before shipping.
  • The bent rods have kinda inconsistent angles and hole centering


Prototype impressions:
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With all of these complaints being said, let me talk about the prototype that is (mostly) assembled.

It looks amazing. It feels amazing too. To build it, I had to do a fair amount of work to thin the ends of the PVD Gold rod, but it came out nicely in the end. As I said earlier, the bottom two screw holes are nonfunctional, but it still feels very sturdy for only having 2/4 screws.

The prototype weighs in at 1761g - it's a fair amount of heft. Due to it's shape (obtuse angles make it slippery) and seamless design, it's kinda hard to pick up from the edges. It is easier to just grab it by the bar to lift, and then put your fingers under the bottom. Speaking about the bar - it is very rigid in the up-and-down motion, but can be flexed with a forward-to-back motion, but I wouldn't be concerned about doing any permanent bending to it unless you deliberately bend it while it is unassembled (it would be very difficult to do this assembled).

The USB port feels nice - the deep recession actually helps guide the plug in very easily. However, it is a tight fit with most cables, and one cable I have with a larger plug it doesn't fit at all. As mentioned earlier, I will widen this up.


Here's my tenative plan going forward:

Of course, I will still be waiting for those motherboard PCBs to come and finish up the silver and gold prototype I assembled.

I'll be working on those planned design changes that will hopefully address some issues and make life a bit easier for the manufacturer.

I think the problems that I've seen here are beyond this manufacturer's capabilities to fix, so I will look for another manufacturer. While it is enough to help me debug some issues as a prototype, I simply don't think this is workable into production-level quality. I already have some quotes from before that I need to see if they are still valid, and I'll order some prototypes from another manufacturer. However, I won't be ordering three at a time like I did with this run - I'll just order one HHKB in E-White with PVD Rose Gold since I think this is the most difficult finish to pull off.

Depending on which manufacturer I end up with, the price at GB might go up. I'll let you guys know more details on this when it becomes more clear.
« Last Edit: Wed, 06 May 2020, 19:47:28 by Nostril »

Offline nathanchere

  • Posts: 706
"I'm gonna try to add split spacebar support to the plate"

 :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

HHKB and split space on top of the killer aesthetics... shut up and take my money. All of it.

Offline Agilr

  • Posts: 369
  • Location: Sydney, Australia
  • Never stop achieving
    • Discord Server
OH my GOD that proto looks sick...

This is a must have for sure now!

Offline MadsMe

  • Posts: 54
  • Location: Denmark
Thank you for the very detailed and honest prototype review. Makes me super confedent in your process going forward!

Offline productkun

  • Posts: 135
Prototypes look great so far!
The part of the rose gold and Copper made me chuckle hehe

Offline locxu

  • Posts: 5
Reserved

Offline Nostril

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 126
  • Location: Seattle, WA, USA
  • Synth Labs
Progress has been a bit slow this last week because I've been actually been busy with moving (from LA to Seattle). Here's some updates nonetheless:

I still haven't received the PCBs so I contacted the PCB manu a few days ago to ask what's up with that. It sounds like they were moving facilities and lost the PCBs during that - so they are just giving me a full refund for now. Not the worst thing ever - at least I can try putting all the new design changes like support for the new layouts in the reorder.

Speaking of the new layouts, as I said earlier - I would look into split space support. Here's what I came up with:
- A split enter option - 1u+1.25u - cause why not
- A 3-way split spacebar bottom row - 2.75u+1u+2.25u (reference) - should be pretty easy to find keys that will fit this arrangement, and it adds a lot of functionality
- A 2-way split spacebar bottom row - 2.75u+2.75u (reference) - getting two 2.75u's might be hard, but it's certainly possible and I think this just looks so balanced and aesthetically pleasing to me

Other new design changes are also implemented in the design. Namely:
- Standard gap size increased slightly
- Bar diameter increased slightly
- USB port cutout raised and widened
- Increased margin on main cutout for keys (this increases the whole keyboard footprint by the same amount)
- Increased standard chamfer size slightly

In terms of what I have left to do, it's just redoing some of the technical drawings to reflect these changes, as well as the reference renders and specifications document to submit to the new manufacturer. I should be on track to submit all of this stuff this week.

Offline nathanchere

  • Posts: 706
"A 3-way split spacebar bottom row - 2.75u+1u+2.25u (reference) - should be pretty easy to find keys that will fit this arrangement, and it adds a lot of functionality"

I would think this is the ideal approach

Offline Nostril

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 126
  • Location: Seattle, WA, USA
  • Synth Labs
"A 3-way split spacebar bottom row - 2.75u+1u+2.25u (reference) - should be pretty easy to find keys that will fit this arrangement, and it adds a lot of functionality"

I would think this is the ideal approach

Oh sorry, I wasn't clear. Current plan is to try and make all the of these mentioned layouts available on the same PCB/plate.

Offline zandegran

  • Posts: 11
  • Location: Stockholm
Awesome! I like the split space at and thicker bar change

Offline ryaneezy

  • Posts: 3
  • Location: -heaven-
Oooo this is a super unique design. Loving the rose gold and heat sinks. Only thing I would change is the for the usb c to not be centered. Personally I think it would go great coming out the left back. Anyway, can’t wait for GB!

Offline Ptaty

  • Posts: 22
This keyboard looks absolutely amazing, great job with it so far! The interest check form keeps bugging out for me, so hopefully I'm not disadvantaged when this does go to group buy. I would most definitely be interested in purchasing this beauty. I created a geekhack profile just to show appreciation for how awesome I think this is!
« Last Edit: Sat, 23 May 2020, 10:12:05 by Ptaty »

Offline Nostril

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 126
  • Location: Seattle, WA, USA
  • Synth Labs
Thanks all!

Quick update: I finished the preparations for the drawings and specifications on revision 2 and have sent out some emails to some manufacturers. Just waiting on replies.
« Last Edit: Sat, 23 May 2020, 16:22:50 by Nostril »