Author Topic: [GB] Rocky Elbert - A Budget, Through-Hole 45% Keyboard | GB Closed  (Read 8459 times)

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Offline Rocky5232

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Rocky Elbert - A Budget, Through-Hole 45% Keyboard



Hi Geekhack members! I'm Rocky. I'm starting a new store called Rocky Keebs. The first product that'll be sold on the site is going to be the Rocky Elbert, which is named after Mount Elbert in the Rockies. It’s an affordable 45% keyboard that I think will make transitioning to smaller keyboards easier for many people. You can join the Rocky Keebs Discord server for more convenient updates.

Group Buy Page

Discord Invite

More Photos


Design:



- Sandwich mount with standoffs
- FR4 plate and base
- Optional acrylic middle layers


PCB:



- QMK and VIA compatible
- Not factory assembled
- All through-hole components
- Uses pro micro
- Supports 5-pin switches and PCB-mount stabs


Layout:



- 65% with top row removed
- Split space support
- Arrow blocker


Options:

Main Kit:
- M2.5 spacers
- M2.5 screws
- 6 Mill-Max sockets
- Reset switch
- Diodes
- Bumpons
- Plate
- Base
- PCB

Acrylic Middle Layers:
- 4 clear acrylic middle layers
- Each layer is 3 mm thick
- Layers are slightly larger than plate and base to give clearance for spacers

Mill-Max Sockets:
- 7305 variant
- 120 included


Prices and MOQ:

Main kit - 35 USD, 35 MOQ
Acrylic layers - 20 USD, 20 MOQ
Mill-Max sockets - 28 USD, 10 MOQ


GB Duration and Shipping Estimates:

The group buy will start at 12:00 AM PDT on Monday, July 19th and end at 11:59 PM PDT on Saturday, August 14th. The board should ship in late October or early November.
Link to group buy.
There may be an in-stock sale after the group buy depending on popularity.
« Last Edit: Sun, 15 August 2021, 02:19:31 by Rocky5232 »

Offline Rocky5232

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The group buy thread was approved after the original start date, so I'm going to be opening my site for orders at 12:00 AM PDT tomorrow, July 19th. That's in just over two hours!

Offline Rocky5232

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The Rocky Elbert GB is live now!

Offline growler

  • Posts: 246
Eerily silent here....

Sub 60pct is less active it seems, but I'm in the market for a 40pct, or perhaps 50pct board, then stumbled on this.

Sent from my SM-G980F using Tapatalk

Don't just stare at it ...

Offline Rocky5232

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  • Posts: 48
Eerily silent here....

Sub 60pct is less active it seems, but I'm in the market for a 40pct, or perhaps 50pct board, then stumbled on this.

Sent from my SM-G980F using Tapatalk
Haha yeah, the Reddit post has been getting a lot more attention than this one. I guess most people on Geekhack aren't as interested in smaller boards.

Offline eagleheardt

  • Posts: 30
Is this USB-C?
BTW, soon as I get paid, I'll be pre-ordering 2.

MOQ 35? lol, you'll blow WAY past that.
It turns out the 40% of my dreams... is this layout

Offline Rocky5232

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Is this USB-C?
It's USB-C if you use an elite c or another USB-C pro micro clone. If you use a normal pro micro it'll be micro-USB.

MOQ 35? lol, you'll blow WAY past that.
It turns out the 40% of my dreams... is this layout
I sure hope so. I'm glad you like it!

Offline eagleheardt

  • Posts: 30
If you offer free shipping on orders over like $100, I may seriously get 3
EDIT: I would mean for a CONUS order
« Last Edit: Thu, 22 July 2021, 18:32:58 by eagleheardt »

Offline Mecxs

  • Posts: 201
Was keen, but shipping to where I live is more than twice the cost of the board =(

Great board and great price though, good luck!

Offline riterdando

  • Posts: 51
  • Location: Germany
Shopping costs are also quite high to geht the board to Europe. It is at least the same cost as for the keyboard itself.

I have to think about this.

Offline cricket-alone

  • Posts: 25
Re: [GB] Rocky Elbert - A Budget, Through-Hole 45% Keyboard | GB Live Now!
« Reply #10 on: Fri, 23 July 2021, 20:35:10 »
Never used this layout but looks interesting

Offline Rocky5232

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Re: [GB] Rocky Elbert - A Budget, Through-Hole 45% Keyboard | GB Live Now!
« Reply #11 on: Sun, 25 July 2021, 21:16:10 »
If you offer free shipping on orders over like $100, I may seriously get 3
EDIT: I would mean for a CONUS order
This is definitely something that I'm interested in doing! I don't think it'll be possible right now, but I'll try to make this an option for future projects.

Offline Rocky5232

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Re: [GB] Rocky Elbert - A Budget, Through-Hole 45% Keyboard | GB Live Now!
« Reply #12 on: Sun, 25 July 2021, 21:19:55 »
Shopping costs are also quite high to geht the board to Europe. It is at least the same cost as for the keyboard itself.

I have to think about this.

Was keen, but shipping to where I live is more than twice the cost of the board =(

Great board and great price though, good luck!

Yeah, international shipping costs are extremely high. I'm planning to reach out to some international vendors to see if they are interested in selling this as an in-stock item, so I would recommend keeping an eye on this thread or the Discord server for updates on that.

Offline Rocky5232

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Re: [GB] Rocky Elbert - A Budget, Through-Hole 45% Keyboard | GB Live Now!
« Reply #13 on: Sun, 25 July 2021, 21:21:43 »
Never used this layout but looks interesting
I'm glad it piqued your interest! It's a bit of an adjustment, but it's fun to use none the less.

Offline eagleheardt

  • Posts: 30
Re: [GB] Rocky Elbert - A Budget, Through-Hole 45% Keyboard | GB Live Now!
« Reply #14 on: Mon, 26 July 2021, 07:31:24 »
Ordered my two!

Going to tryout some new tactile switches!
One will be a kiwi and I might do Glorious Pandas on the other!!

Offline Rocky5232

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Re: [GB] Rocky Elbert - A Budget, Through-Hole 45% Keyboard | GB Live Now!
« Reply #15 on: Fri, 30 July 2021, 19:45:56 »
Ordered my two!

Going to tryout some new tactile switches!
One will be a kiwi and I might do Glorious Pandas on the other!!
That's awesome! I've heard great things about those switches!

Offline Rocky5232

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Re: [GB] Rocky Elbert - A Budget, Through-Hole 45% Keyboard | GB Live Now!
« Reply #16 on: Fri, 30 July 2021, 19:49:28 »
Hey all! Quick update: the acrylic layers and the Mill-Max sockets both hit their MOQs, and the main kit is about two-thirds there! Thank you so much for all the support!

Offline Rocky5232

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Hey all! Since the main kit still hasn't hit its MOQ yet, I've decided to extend the group buy by a week! It'll now end on Saturday, August 14th.

Offline Rocky5232

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  • Posts: 48
Re: [GB] Rocky Elbert - A Budget, Through-Hole 45% Keyboard | GB Closed
« Reply #18 on: Sun, 15 August 2021, 02:23:33 »
The group buy is over! Thanks to everyone who joined! I will be placing orders with manufacturers in the next few days and will send updates in this thread as well as the Discord server.

Offline Rocky5232

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  • Posts: 48
Re: [GB] Rocky Elbert - A Budget, Through-Hole 45% Keyboard | GB Closed
« Reply #19 on: Thu, 02 September 2021, 21:34:07 »
Hey guys! Sorry for the delayed update. I placed the orders a while ago, and most of the parts will be coming in the next few weeks, so I'll probably be able to ship most of the orders in the first half of October. Unfortunately, the Mill-Max sockets were back ordered until mid-October, so orders with those still have the original estimate of late October or early November.

Offline eagleheardt

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Re: [GB] Rocky Elbert - A Budget, Through-Hole 45% Keyboard | GB Closed
« Reply #20 on: Mon, 06 September 2021, 15:58:07 »
Awesome man! Could you also add a blurb about this on your website? If it was there I swear I didn't see it

Offline Rocky5232

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Re: [GB] Rocky Elbert - A Budget, Through-Hole 45% Keyboard | GB Closed
« Reply #21 on: Tue, 07 September 2021, 00:26:35 »
Awesome man! Could you also add a blurb about this on your website? If it was there I swear I didn't see it
Yep! I've just created one that can be accessed through this link or from the top bar on rockykeebs.com.

Offline Rocky5232

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Re: [GB] Rocky Elbert - A Budget, Through-Hole 45% Keyboard | GB Closed
« Reply #22 on: Wed, 22 September 2021, 20:08:55 »
All of the parts other than the Mill-Max sockets have arrived, so the only remaining steps are QC and packing. Those will likely be finished in the next couple of weeks, and the boards will be shipped soon after. Once the Mill-Max sockets arrive, I’ll get them shipped out as soon as possible. Additionally, extras will be offered after all group buy orders have shipped. The number available depends on the quality of the PCBs, so more details will be provided later.

Offline BlindAssassin111

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Re: [GB] Rocky Elbert - A Budget, Through-Hole 45% Keyboard | GB Closed
« Reply #23 on: Wed, 22 September 2021, 20:54:29 »
Opinion: But would this be more like a "55%" given it doesn't follow normal 40's mentality of making the main cluster smaller in both number of rows (typically just 4, some going to do 3) and columns (typically a main cluster of 13u or smaller).

EDIT: Also to add merit to this, the droptop55 has basically the same layout  ;D
« Last Edit: Wed, 22 September 2021, 20:57:27 by BlindAssassin111 »

Offline Rocky5232

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  • Posts: 48
Re: [GB] Rocky Elbert - A Budget, Through-Hole 45% Keyboard | GB Closed
« Reply #24 on: Thu, 21 October 2021, 22:17:04 »
Opinion: But would this be more like a "55%" given it doesn't follow normal 40's mentality of making the main cluster smaller in both number of rows (typically just 4, some going to do 3) and columns (typically a main cluster of 13u or smaller).

EDIT: Also to add merit to this, the droptop55 has basically the same layout  ;D
Apologies for the very late response, I just saw your thread reply. I think you’re right; calling this a 55% instead of 45% would probably be more accurate. It’s a little late for me to change this now, but I’ll definitely keep that in mind for any future sub-60 boards.