[IC] Sierra S - two-tone, 60%, o-ring mount

[erbedama]

Sierra S
A two-tone, o-ring gasket mounted, 60% keyboard

IC Form:  https://form.jotform.com/211052761025039
Discord:  https://discord.gg/hXcpWvg5zB
Me: Erb#4577 on Discord  |  http://www.youtube.com/dkwgchan

Hello! Long time lurker, first time poster here. My name is Erb, a keyboard enthusiast from the Philippines! I happen to make a bunch of sound tests, and now want to share with the GH community a fun project SamBuddy and I have been working on!

The Sierra S is a two-tone, o-ring gasket mounted, 60% keyboard made out of aluminum. The keyboard gets its name from the Sierra Madre mountain range in the Philippines. The design of the keyboard is inspired by three of my favorite boards 1) the FMJ80 (engraving on the internal weight), 2) Square.X (two-tone style) and 3) Unikorn (o-ring gasket mount). I have had pleasure of owning and typing on all three of these keyboards and thought it would be cool to take inspiration from all three together to make a board like this. Together with SamBuddy, we are happy to share with you the Sierra S.  The 'S' doesn't stand for anything currently... Its just there cause it sounds cool.

The overall keyboard design and PCB was made by SamBuddy with a bit of help from Biso (Thank you!). The engraving on the weight was designed by my friend Lucy, and renders from Juno.

The Sierra will eventually consist of:

• Outer case (Tray)
• Inner case (Two-tone) (Standard/WKL/HHKB)
• Aluminum Weight with engraving
• Either aluminum plate or carbon fiber
• VIA compatible PCB
• Centered USB-port via USB daughterboard
• O-rings for mounting

As of 4/22/2021:

The project is still in its interest check phase. SamBuddy and I are planning to order prototypes for this board soon. How soon will depend on the feedback of this board. So far we are only planning to offer Navy (outer) / Silver (inner) and potentially do other color runs depending on the feedback of the IC. If you are interested please fill out the IC above and join RMI's discord for discussion of the board.  Will include renders of the White/Rose Gold and potentially other layouts soon.




Top View:


Side View:


Weight View:


Bottom View:


Exploded View:


Weight:

[ramensan]

Love the weight engraving, cannot wait to see how it turns out

[NoxNoxNox]

Oh man.  Love this.

[Ustinj]

Looks beautiful! But I am unsure of how the mounting works

[audax989]

Looks beautiful! But I am unsure of how the mounting works

from the exploded view.

the pcb plate gets friction fitted into the internal square piece then that gets screwed into the bottom piece internally. It doesn't clearly show it but I think there are 4 posts on the top and 4 on the bottom

[armintehgreat]

Interesting, looking forward to how the prototype turns out

[Ustinj]

Looks beautiful! But I am unsure of how the mounting works

from the exploded view.

the pcb plate gets friction fitted into the internal square piece then that gets screwed into the bottom piece internally. It doesn't clearly show it but I think there are 4 posts on the top and 4 on the bottom

I was thinking friction fit for a moment, but wasn't sure since the screwholes are directly on the posts, I guess the o-ring would need to be moved / pulled aside when screwing in the inner piece? What I could imagine is the inner piece is screwed in, then the build would be inserted at an angle under the blockers to be friction-fitted.

Regardless the engraving is incredible and this is my favorite shade of blue. So I have my eyes out on the prototype to see how it works   

[homerowco]

- bottom divider is KC/Koob'ish (but not a big deal)
- the engraving besides looking pretty is an utter waste of (probably a lot of) money because it's never to be seen again...

otherwise I like it - price could be a tiny bit below "400-450" - try quoting without the excessive engraving

[pixelpusher]

It's quite lovely.  The back of the weight is very keycult inspired.  Would love to see it mounted on the outside with that engraving showing.

[Friendship]

Looks beautiful! But I am unsure of how the mounting works

just a hunch, but maybe the o-ring seat shelf points are also the screwdown points for the silver inner case component to the blue outer case component? i dont see screws there in the render though but if so that's pretty clever!

[erbedama]

Looks beautiful! But I am unsure of how the mounting works

just a hunch, but maybe the o-ring seat shelf points are also the screwdown points for the silver inner case component to the blue outer case component? i dont see screws there in the render though but if so that's pretty clever!

Hello! Yes, the screw holes are on the mounting points of the inner case to achieve the two tone look. The PCB/Plate have cutouts so that you would have access to screw in the inner case once you are ready to install the board.

[lush_bunny]

Glad to see more enthusiasts in the Philippines posting here in the IC forum. Will be watching this, GLWIC!

EDIT: Are you set in aluminum? What about Polycarbonate cases? or how about different materials for top and bottom?

[Ustinj]

Looks beautiful! But I am unsure of how the mounting works

just a hunch, but maybe the o-ring seat shelf points are also the screwdown points for the silver inner case component to the blue outer case component? i dont see screws there in the render though but if so that's pretty clever!

Hello! Yes, the screw holes are on the mounting points of the inner case to achieve the two tone look. The PCB/Plate have cutouts so that you would have access to screw in the inner case once you are ready to install the board.

So if my guess was correct, does that mean you first screw in the silver piece, then insert the build as the final step?

[deedz]

Wow.

This looks insane I love it even as it looks now

Looking forward to this

[kk73715]

presentation of this IC needs work. could you make an album to view the photos?

[erbedama]

Looks beautiful! But I am unsure of how the mounting works

just a hunch, but maybe the o-ring seat shelf points are also the screwdown points for the silver inner case component to the blue outer case component? i dont see screws there in the render though but if so that's pretty clever!

Hello! Yes, the screw holes are on the mounting points of the inner case to achieve the two tone look. The PCB/Plate have cutouts so that you would have access to screw in the inner case once you are ready to install the board.

So if my guess was correct, does that mean you first screw in the silver piece, then insert the build as the final step?

You would first insert the PCB/Plate first into the inner piece, and then slots the inner piece down into the outer case and then insert the screws to lock the inner piece into the outer case. Hope this makes sense! I am expecting it to take a bit of finessing to install.

Glad to see more enthusiasts in the Philippines posting here in the IC forum. Will be watching this, GLWIC!

EDIT: Are you set in aluminum? What about Polycarbonate cases? or how about different materials for top and bottom?

We are open to other options depending on what people like. So far we are set on aluminum since it is easy to work with. I do imagine having a polycarb/aluminum build would be quite cool, but for ease of mind we are looking to just do an all aluminum keyboard.

[Clay333]

Are snap in stabs required? Or have you found a way to make screw in stabs work with a o-ring mount?

[SDKCAMPING]

Looks beautiful! But I am unsure of how the mounting works

just a hunch, but maybe the o-ring seat shelf points are also the screwdown points for the silver inner case component to the blue outer case component? i dont see screws there in the render though but if so that's pretty clever!

Hello! Yes, the screw holes are on the mounting points of the inner case to achieve the two tone look. The PCB/Plate have cutouts so that you would have access to screw in the inner case once you are ready to install the board.

So if my guess was correct, does that mean you first screw in the silver piece, then insert the build as the final step?

You would first insert the PCB/Plate first into the inner piece, and then slots the inner piece down into the outer case and then insert the screws to lock the inner piece into the outer case. Hope this makes sense! I am expecting it to take a bit of finessing to install.

Glad to see more enthusiasts in the Philippines posting here in the IC forum. Will be watching this, GLWIC!

EDIT: Are you set in aluminum? What about Polycarbonate cases? or how about different materials for top and bottom?

We are open to other options depending on what people like. So far we are set on aluminum since it is easy to work with. I do imagine having a polycarb/aluminum build would be quite cool, but for ease of mind we are looking to just do an all aluminum keyboard.

i would agree with kk above that the ic needs some better explanation, i can'ot really see how it's put together also. questions i still have, and i think someone mentioned above too above moving the o ring to screw:

- if you put the build into the inner peice first, are you putting the build in from above or below?
- are there screw posts on the south side of the inner piece? they are visible on the north side, but we cant see if theyre in the bottom side too.  if they are on the south side too, how exactly do you put the build into the inner piece, since there are blockers on top and then screw posts on bottom? the plate and pcb cutouts don't help with this because there will be an o-ring blocking, wouldnt there?
- if the build is successfully put into the inner piece, would the o ring be above or below the screw mounting points? it seems if the screw points coincide with the mounting areas, then there is no clear way to screw the innere piece into the outer piece, because there is an o ring in the way!

please respond to these points because I think this board is really good looking and am hoping it is possible!

[ogp3]

Oh man I wish that engraving was on the outside instead of hidden in the case.

[erbedama]

Are snap in stabs required? Or have you found a way to make screw in stabs work with a o-ring mount?

Snap-in stabs would be required on the spacebar and backspace!

Looks beautiful! But I am unsure of how the mounting works

just a hunch, but maybe the o-ring seat shelf points are also the screwdown points for the silver inner case component to the blue outer case component? i dont see screws there in the render though but if so that's pretty clever!

Hello! Yes, the screw holes are on the mounting points of the inner case to achieve the two tone look. The PCB/Plate have cutouts so that you would have access to screw in the inner case once you are ready to install the board.

So if my guess was correct, does that mean you first screw in the silver piece, then insert the build as the final step?

You would first insert the PCB/Plate first into the inner piece, and then slots the inner piece down into the outer case and then insert the screws to lock the inner piece into the outer case. Hope this makes sense! I am expecting it to take a bit of finessing to install.

Glad to see more enthusiasts in the Philippines posting here in the IC forum. Will be watching this, GLWIC!

EDIT: Are you set in aluminum? What about Polycarbonate cases? or how about different materials for top and bottom?

We are open to other options depending on what people like. So far we are set on aluminum since it is easy to work with. I do imagine having a polycarb/aluminum build would be quite cool, but for ease of mind we are looking to just do an all aluminum keyboard.

i would agree with kk above that the ic needs some better explanation, i can'ot really see how it's put together also. questions i still have, and i think someone mentioned above too above moving the o ring to screw:

- if you put the build into the inner peice first, are you putting the build in from above or below?
- are there screw posts on the south side of the inner piece? they are visible on the north side, but we cant see if theyre in the bottom side too.  if they are on the south side too, how exactly do you put the build into the inner piece, since there are blockers on top and then screw posts on bottom? the plate and pcb cutouts don't help with this because there will be an o-ring blocking, wouldnt there?
- if the build is successfully put into the inner piece, would the o ring be above or below the screw mounting points? it seems if the screw points coincide with the mounting areas, then there is no clear way to screw the innere piece into the outer piece, because there is an o ring in the way!

please respond to these points because I think this board is really good looking and am hoping it is possible.  There are screw posts on both the north side and south side of the inner piece.

Sure! This is how I'd imagined it to be:

1. Build PCB/Plate as usual with o-ring.
2. Insert the PCB/Plate through the bottom of the inner piece. Push upwards so that the PCB/Plate is above the mounting points of the case.
3. After which you then align and slot in the inner piece down into the outer case.
4. Once aligned, gently move the o-ring aside using the cut-outs on the PCB/Plate so that you have access to the screw holes, and then screw down the inner piece into the outer case.
5. Press down on the PCB/Plate so that then it becomes friction mounted.

Again, just want to clarify that this is something very in the early stages. What we intend to do before ordering any prototype is to potentially 3D print the case itself and show that it can be mounted accordingly. Perhaps, we can do this for the next update of this interest check. But, again appreciate the kind words. Will work on the format of the interest check as we move along the process. Thank you!

[SDKCAMPING]

Sure! This is how I'd imagined it to be:

1. Build PCB/Plate as usual with o-ring.
2. Insert the PCB/Plate through the bottom of the inner piece. Push upwards so that the PCB/Plate is above the mounting points of the case.
3. After which you then align and slot in the inner piece down into the outer case.
4. Once aligned, gently move the o-ring aside using the cut-outs on the PCB/Plate so that you have access to the screw holes, and then screw down the inner piece into the outer case.
5. Press down on the PCB/Plate so that then it becomes friction mounted.

Again, just want to clarify that this is something very in the early stages. What we intend to do before ordering any prototype is to potentially 3D print the case itself and show that it can be mounted accordingly. Perhaps, we can do this for the next update of this interest check. But, again appreciate the kind words. Will work on the format of the interest check as we move along the process. Thank you!

that gives a bit of clarity though i am still unclear, thanks. i could imagine it may be an issue in step #2, since the o-ring will stop the build from going in when it hits the screw points. and for #4 there will probably not be much room to move the o-ring since after all it is friction mounted (so it will be tight!, but we will see when it comes, gl with IC!

[Friendship]

Looks beautiful! But I am unsure of how the mounting works

just a hunch, but maybe the o-ring seat shelf points are also the screwdown points for the silver inner case component to the blue outer case component? i dont see screws there in the render though but if so that's pretty clever!

Hello! Yes, the screw holes are on the mounting points of the inner case to achieve the two tone look. The PCB/Plate have cutouts so that you would have access to screw in the inner case once you are ready to install the board.

So if my guess was correct, does that mean you first screw in the silver piece, then insert the build as the final step?

Oh I see yea that's what I figured at first glance as well but I wasn't thinking about wkl and hhkb and you are right both would be quite difficult if friction fitting that oring

[Rubbermilitia]

 i could imagine it may be an issue in step #2, since the o-ring will stop the build from going in when it hits the screw points.

I have this same confusion. Why wouldn't you insert the pcb/plate into the inner case from the top, pushing downwards, like the unikorn?

Either way I am very interested in this, and I'm wondering if it has the same level of "give" as the unikorn. From Taehas build stream, it was clear that the amount of give was insane! Would love to try typing on this mounting style myself

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

[MIGHTY CHICKEN]

The weight sure looks good

[erbedama]

 i could imagine it may be an issue in step #2, since the o-ring will stop the build from going in when it hits the screw points.

I have this same confusion. Why wouldn't you insert the pcb/plate into the inner case from the top, pushing downwards, like the unikorn?

Either way I am very interested in this, and I'm wondering if it has the same level of "give" as the unikorn. From Taehas build stream, it was clear that the amount of give was insane! Would love to try typing on this mounting style myself

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

You can insert it from the top if you choose the standard, no blocker layout. Though if you were to us a layout with blockers, you would need to insert the PCB/Plate from the bottom and make sure it full clears the mounting posts and then screw it down. We will be 3D printing a sample to check and see if it works.  Also, thank you for your interest!

[Friendship]

 i could imagine it may be an issue in step #2, since the o-ring will stop the build from going in when it hits the screw points.

I have this same confusion. Why wouldn't you insert the pcb/plate into the inner case from the top, pushing downwards, like the unikorn?

Either way I am very interested in this, and I'm wondering if it has the same level of "give" as the unikorn. From Taehas build stream, it was clear that the amount of give was insane! Would love to try typing on this mounting style myself

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

You can insert it from the top if you choose the standard, no blocker layout. Though if you were to us a layout with blockers, you would need to insert the PCB/Plate from the bottom and make sure it full clears the mounting posts and then screw it down. We will be 3D printing a sample to check and see if it works.  Also, thank you for your interest!

yes I'd love to see if that is feasible and works well. O-ring WKL 60 sounds really awesome so I hope it does! good luck on the prototyping, excited to see this develop

[UGunaLOSE]

Lovely engraving!

[Rumblethumps]

Looks great so far! Can't wait to see the white/rose gold render.

[fropsie]

YOTS!
Design looks sweet.