[IC] Squishee65 - an o-ring isolation mount 65% keyboard

[SamBuddy]

Squishee65

An o-ring isolation mount gasket 65% keyboard.

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The Squishy65 was a stacked acrylic group buy done locally in the Philippines that featured an isolation mount plate in a stacked acrylic case. The aim of the acrylic Squishy65 was to provide high end features at an affordable price point for both new-comers and enthusiasts in the hobby. The Squishee65 aims to offer the Squishy65 keyboard with a more premium feel, featuring a machined polycarbonate case, a beefy brass weight, and a centered USB slot.

Stacked acrylic Squishy65		Squishee65
3mm stacked acrylic layers		High quality polycarbonate
No brass weight		Sandblasted brass weight
5 mounting points		6 mounting points
Left side USB on main board		Centered USB via daughterboard
Bare aluminum plates		CNC aluminum plates with clear anodization

The mounting style consists of six tabs on the plate where you insert the o-rings onto. The plate then gets squished between the top and bottom portions of the case which gives its gasket mounting. The squishing of the o-rings is where the name comes from!

So far I’ve done three group buys locally: the Wete, Herringbone, and the Squishy65 which is currently under fulfillment. I also worked on the GHS.RAR and the Monarch PCB.

Two rounds of prototyping have already been done for the Squishee65, the first round being the frosted and black versions, and the second being the purple version. The second revision of the Squishee65 has the addition of the sixth mounting point below the spacebar which adds stability to the plate.








O-rings colored red for clairty. Clear/white o-rings will be provided.

Typing tests
Acrylic

V1 prototype

V2 prototype

Specifications

Case material		Polycarbonate
Colors available		Frosted, smokey, purple
Plate material		Aluminum, FR4
Weight material		Sandblasted brass
Dimensions		327 mm × 117 mm × 31 mm
Typing angle		6°
Tentative price		USD 400

You can choose between a no-blocker top or a WKL/arrow key blocker top. Full plate and half plate options are also available to utilize the PCB flex cuts.

The group buy will run for 1 week, possibly around the second week of March, depending on feedback and interest.

Kit Contents

Qty	Item
1	Case top
1	Case bottom
1	Plate
6	2.5mm o-rings
1	Brass weight
1	Main PCB
1	Daughterboard
8	M3 case screws
4	M2 daughterboard screws
2	M4 weight screws

Layouts



More photos

More

IC form link
If interested, please fill up this form link:
https://forms.gle/LZVj6vUfQTEgX8aa8

[totalemon]

Not bad, I like the minimalistic weight. Will keep an eye on this

[Bub]

What PCB is used? Is it VIA compatible? I personally wouldn't call a $400 price point affordable OR for new comers, but it is a fair price for enthusiasts? Either way, the proto sounds/looks good. Please consider adding a mounting diagram like many folks do. Alternatively, a build video/stream would give people a good impression of what the keyboard is like.

[SamBuddy]

What PCB is used? Is it VIA compatible?

The PCB is the Squishy65 PCB except changed to remove the left side USB connector, adds the WKL support, and the JST connector for the daughterboard.

I personally wouldn't call a $400 price point affordable OR for new comers, but it is a fair price for enthusiasts?

Sorry for the name confusion but Squishy refers to the stacked acrylic while Squishee refers the the polycarbonate one. The aim of the Squishy was to give the affordable price - just around $100 for the base kit! The Squishee is this more premium version.

Please consider adding a mounting diagram like many folks do.

Added to the main post, thanks!

Alternatively, a build video/stream would give people a good impression of what the keyboard is like.

A build stream was done via twitch by Erbakeys less than a week ago, but the VOD is not available. Here's a random short clip where you can see the PCB and o-rings though.

Either way, the proto sounds/looks good.

Thanks!

[vi0till]

I really like this board. Any chance to offer underglow pcb, the case is PC afterall, would look good with some RGB.

[SamBuddy]

Yes, the board supports underglow RGB.

[sup3r170va]

Very interesting project. The Bauer bottom row is welcomed
Can I ask, what is the height of the keyboard? From table to the bottom lip.
Also, does the underglow PCB look ok with the Smoky case?

[SamBuddy]

Front height is 21mm. I currently don't have the smokey case with me so I can't take photos with the RGB underglow on it, sorry.

[tr0yr0x]

Very nice board! GLWIC mister Sam!

[Vigrith]

The sides look pretty much just like the ones off of the Leaf 60. This is not to take away from your design nor am I complaining about it, I own one and the side profile is super nice, but I figured I'd mention it (especially considering Senter has also just launched the IC for the Leaf 65 a couple days ago).

Looks great overall! Good luck.

[Cerasis]

The sides look pretty much just like the ones off of the Leaf 60. This is not to take away from your design nor am I complaining about it, I own one and the side profile is super nice, but I figured I'd mention it (especially considering Senter has also just launched the IC for the Leaf 65 a couple days ago).

Looks great overall! Good luck.

Don't think so. Both the curves on the leaf 60 and 65 aren't symmetrical and are leaned into the back of the case more.
That being said, this kind curved side design isn't new and its been fairly used at this point. This looks the most average from what i've seen though.(Koala, Dolphin, and the leaf boards to name a few)


Looks good though and pricing, if hit right, sounds really good. I'm also really into that purple poly ever since HBCP.

I've personally typed on the acrylic version and it was impressive for its price. The v2 adjustment of the gaskets were great too, as that was a big feedback from v1.

Looking forward to this project being successful!

[Woahder]

Looks good, answered the form! Interested in the build stream if the VOD would be available or if there's another in the future

[Xifi.1923]

Wishing this project all the best.

[Rx003]

A smokey gray would be really nice! You know it, you got my full support glic Sam Buddy!

[Iliekbrowns]

I really like the look of the purple pc

[SamBuddy]

VOD is gone in Twitch land, but there was an archive of the build stream on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/104951324690115/videos/853472685229660

[JayyReq]

Nice little keyboard! Will be following this project! Good to see more Pinoys in mech!

[Xyzzyka]

Those curves, that wide bezel, that purple poly... got my eye on this one for sure!

[SamBuddy]

While this is a project that we want to take on, there has been quite a bit of feedback regarding the pricing of this keyboard. While we want to keep it as affordable as we can, it is very much looking likely that a sub-$350 board cannot be done.  We would need to price this anywhere from $380 - $400 for this project to be feasible.

So, why can't we do sub-$350? The manufacturer's quotation for a 50 board MOQ hovers already around $300 per board.   CNC colored polycarbonate is more expensive than CNCing aluminum. This figure does not take into account shipping and handling from their factory to us for QC. It also does not take into account misc. parts such as screws, o-rings, PCB, daughter board, and keyboard case.

For us to do this group buy, we will need to charge customers the above mentioned price. We can drive the cost lower if there is enough interest and order more boards, but at this stage - we would like to keep the group buy small to make sure QC is on point and that we can manage expectations. As such, unless people are willing to pay $400 for a beautifully machined piece of plastic.

If people want to do a small batch run of 10, or 20 - we can also look into this, but again the price will be higher.