Raffle form for Austin Extras
Google Form (https://forms.gle/q14gqs4mutCgdYAJ7)
Raffle form will close on Feb 1st
Extras info: $525 for base kit (brass plate, pcb, case, etc)
Extra PCB - $60
Extra plate - Brass $45, PC $40
Extra PCBWay PCB - $40
For those in the GB, please check the second post for all updates or head on over to the discord for more details.
IC Thread (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=100883.0)
Discord (https://discord.gg/fmetSXH)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/driftmechanics_/)
ALL SLOTS FILLED! THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT. For those who are interested in extras, they will be available after all GB units have been shipped.
Order Check (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1WZ3WHcbwASHQebXRbxxMKl0IDvKn2nYzZsDdnTiQOyY/edit?usp=sharing)
Austin - A compact keyboard for your full size needs.
(https://imgur.com/RRHq6Ks.jpg)
Design
The Austin was created with the intention of providing a layout that included a full sized numpad without being a full size board. For those who use the numpad on a daily basis or have the muscle memory of using it for any or all numbers, transitioning to a numpadless keyboard or a keyboard with a 1u '0' can be difficult. The 2u '0' is the spacebar for numbers and having to adjust your thumb to accommodate for a 1u '0' will annoy even the best bean counters.The Austin provides an all-in-one package for the keyboard enthusiast who wants a high end keyboard for their home or office needs.
(https://imgur.com/zKDnU7p.jpg)
Ergonomics
Since this board is meant to be used all day, we wanted a comfortable angle for most typists. The 5.5 degree slope is an angle that will accommodate for tall keycaps like SA or MT3 profiles but also feels good with the cherry profile keycaps. Our vision for this board is to create a board that includes a full sized numpad while reducing the footprint on your desk. By no means are we calling this a small board but with the compressed layout, the keyboard is 2u thinner than a full size keyboard or 2u wider than a TKL.
(https://imgur.com/wrj72Hc.jpg)
Materials
The Austin case will be made out of anodized 6063 grade aluminum, and the weight will be sandblasted raw brass that has been finished with a protective oil to prevent fingerprints. The sandblasted brass has an elegant aesthetic and contrasts nicely with the aluminum chassis. Plate materials will be available in Sandblasted brass (one will be included in the base kit) and Polycarbonate. Brass provides a consistent typing experience across the board no matter which key you press. Polycarbonate will flex up and down more freely for those looking for a more flexible typing experience.
(https://imgur.com/fMPTEX2.jpg)
Mounting Method
When I initially brought the idea to the designer PheonixStarr, gasket mounts were barely a thing. So I decided to stick with the top mount method which has been proven to be a solid formula. Boards that are TKL or smaller can benefit from a gasket mount if executed correctly. Gaskets suspend the plates so that there is no metal on metal contact and are meant to dampen vibrations during typing. However, due to the size of the Austin, the gaskets would get too compressed to actually have an effect and could possibly cause additional vibrations. As you can see from the displacement map, the top mount provides a consistent feel across the board.
(https://imgur.com/EKv4dZx.jpg)
Layout & PCB
We partnered with Gondolindrim ("Gondo") to create a high quality PCB that will be made available to the public once the GB is over. Gondo currently manages the Acheron Project, an open sourced repository that features fifteen PCBs that are either released or in the GB stage. Our main goal was to make a straightforward layout to reduce the amount of "swiss cheese" and provide a functional and practical layout. The layout provides a few options, such as stepped caps lock, split backspace, two different bottom rows, and split 0's. After considering the feedback from the interest check, we have decided to include ISO compatibility on the PCB, but plates will need to reach an MOQ of 10 before being produced. See below for more details.
https://gondolindrim.github.io/AcheronDocs/austin/intro.html
(https://imgur.com/JHsoaly.jpg)
(https://imgur.com/tTb1PgW.jpg)
(https://imgur.com/jVTNKkH.jpg)
Disclaimer: Currently, QMK does not support backlight realtime control with the ARM chip utilized in the PCB. If you plan to use backlight LEDs, the PCB will need to be flashed in order to turn them on and off. Hopefully, there will be QMK support by the time we receive the PCBs, but there are no guarantees or ETA for when the feature will be available. If you have any issues with the firmware, feel free to ask in our Discord.
Specs:
- Full aluminum top and bottom case
- 5.5 degree slope
- Sandblasted raw brass weight
- Sandblasted raw brass plate
- PCB is QMK compatible
- USB C (centered)
- Top mounted
(https://imgur.com/1d74oP2.jpg)
Anodized Color Options:
- Oynx Black
- Sterling Silver
- Titanium Gray
- Navy Blue
Price: (not inclusive of transaction (3%) and shipping fees)
- Base kit (Aluminum case, Brass plate, Brass weight, PCB) - $475
- Extra PCB - $60
- Extra Brass Plate - $45
- Extra PC Plate (ANSI only) - $40
ISO: (Please read if you will be using ISO)
Brass ISO plates have a MOQ of 10 units (PC plates will not be available in ISO). If there are less than 10 people who are interested in using ISO, we will send the ISO plate file for ISO users to cut their own plates and reduce the base cost for those individuals to $450. If there is anyone who selected ISO but is okay with using ANSI if the MOQ of 10 is not met, please message me in Discord.
Shipping
Shipping will be from the U.S. Shipping costs will depend on your location. The shipping fee will be invoiced when keyboards are ready. If you need an estimate, message me, and I can use your address from the form to give you a rough estimate of how much it will cost.
GB Method
GB will be FCFS through Google forms. Please read carefully before submitting. The form will close in 1 week or after 40 orders have been submitted. I will be using Square to send invoices due to PayPal complications. Payment is due upon receipt of invoice.
Lead Time
3-4 months
B-Stock/Quality disclosure
If we're unable to receive enough A-stock boards to fulfill the 40 open spots, we will reach out and offer B-stock pricing starting from the bottom of the list (#40). The discount will be at the discretion of the GB runner. If the discount/B-stock is not accepted, the GB runner can refund the spot and the B-stock will be available as an extra.
Updates
Updates will be provided whenever they are available. Normally during the first month or two during production, there will not be any updates besides the boards being in production. Once we are getting closer to the end of the lead time, I will provide as many updates as the manufacturer will provide me. I will update the GB post for all relevant updates
(https://imgur.com/cVDPc83.jpg)
(https://imgur.com/5V2eeQZ.jpg)
(https://imgur.com/j6q6O2o.jpg)
Thanks everyone for your support!
More
9/29/19 - Added order check, please make sure everything looks good or message me in Discord for any changes. Your unique ID will be the first letter of your first name, last letter of your last name, and last 3 digits on your phone number. ex. Jon Smith 555-555-1234 = JH234
9/29/19 - Invoices have been sent. Please let me know if there will be any changes needed to your order. Shipping invoices will be sent closer to shipping date. I should have boxes and everything finalized within the next couple weeks so if you want an estimated shipping cost, please contact me in a few weeks and I can look it up.
9/30/19 - Sent shipping estimates. Please check your email or go to the discord server to see the amounts.
10/3/19 - Received payment for all the invoices! China is still on holiday but we'll be making payment as soon as they're back so we can start production. All other pieces for the GB (packaging, etc) have already been ordered or are in hand.
10/8/19 - Payment was made to manufacturer and production has been arranged to start. I plan to receive a few boards as production samples and will give the thumbs up to continue production if everything looks good. I will post photos as soon as any are available.
10/16/19 - PCB orders have been placed and production has started on that front. There is a slight change to the screw holes and the bumpon indention on the case which led to a few days of going back and forth with the manufacturer. Production is underway now.
10/25/19 - No real update currently. PCBs are almost done being manufactured and then assembly of the PCBs will start.
10/31/19 - All of the machining for the cases are almost done. Next step will be anodizing.
On the PCB front, PCBs are currently being assembled and estimated ship date is 11/9. There's no progress indicator for assembly so that date may change.
Everything else is currently in my possession (i.e. screws, bumpons, packaging, etc)
11/13/19 - PCBs should get to me at the end of the week. I will then flash and test them. Cases are currently being anodized and weights/plates are waiting to be sandblasted.
11/22/19 - I received a few pictures of the cases from the manufacturer and have posted them in the discord server. The cases are still being anodized and the brass pieces are waiting to be sandblasted. I received the PCBs yesterday and will need to work on some kinks in the firmware.
11/25/19 - I am working through flashing all of the PCBs. For the most part, all of them are functional after flashing the firmware. There are some PCBs with scuffs and marks on it. Hopefully there will be enough good enough to meet all the GB needs but I'm currently in contact with the PCB manu to let them know how many they might need to remake. Most of the brass pieces have been sandblasted but now they need to apply the protective oil. Titanium Gray cases will need to be reanodized. The current formula for the color will streak during anodizing so the manufacturer is looking to adjust the formula with different chemicals.
11/26/19 - Update on PCBS. I've gone through flashing half of the PCBs and good news, they're 99% functioning. There is one missing a diode but other than that, they are all working. However, some have some large scuffs, scratches, warping, or are just plain dirty. I've reached out to the manufacturer (PCBWay for those thinking of using them) and I'm trying to find a resolution. We might not have enough time to reorder more (~35/100 were affected) so here is my solution. I think we have enough A/A- stock PCBs to be included for everyone. If PCBWay isn't able to send me more A stock PCBs, all the extra PCBs might be a B stock which means there might be scuffs that will not affect functionality. In that scenario, I will offer a $10 discount applied to the shipping invoice for those who bought an extra PCB. I hope everyone understands.
(12/16/19) - Update on cases, PCBs, and shipping
1. Gray Cases - The third batch of materials is taking longer than expected. The manu ordered the material from a further supplier and the pieces took longer to machine since we were waiting for time on the production line. The manu decided to just split the shipping so they'll be shipping the other colors first. (We're looking at shipping the other colors this week). They're still determined to make the gray work for us so those will be delayed a bit. If you would rather have a different color, DM me and I can put you on a waitlist. I have extras of each color so I might be able to send those if you want to swap. However, since I don't have the cases yet and do not know if there are any B-stock at the moment, this option might change.
2. PCBs - PCBWay's replacement PCBs are just as bad or worse than the B stock from the original batch so I'll be discounting extras by $10. If you would like to order an extra but did not the first time around, DM me and I can add it to your shipping invoice.
3. Shipping - I'll round the estimates all to the nearest $5 to make it easy for everyone so US - $30, Canada - $65, Brazil - $80, EU - $75, Asia - $85
Lastly - Since the manu is planning to ship the other colors this week, realistically, the earliest I will start shipping will be after Christmas. Once I get the cases, I will start invoicing those whose cases are ready and will ship in order of whoever pays me first. Thanks for all your patience and helping me make this happen :)
(12/21/19) Some good news and bad news....
Good news - The blue, black, and silver cases are with me now. So far, I've gone through the blue cases and there are enough A stock for everyone in the GB. I'll continue my way through the other colors to make sure everything looks good.
Now the bad news - So before production, we flipped the spacebar and 2u 0 stabs to be south facing due to feedback we received and this in turn adds a bit of height to the PCB. Due to some miscommunication and my lack of oversight, the PCB is just a tiny bit too tall for the case so it doesn't really fit. Please come and check the discord to see the issue. If you're comfortable shaving off a little bit of the PCB in the four spots, I can ship out your board now. For those who want to wait, my solution is to order new PCBs that will fit once I can get Gondo to make the changes. I apologize for the delays with the gray cases and now this. This will come out of my pocket and I will be expediting the PCBs so that the delay will be shortened. This does come with a silver lining. I will not be ordering from PCBWay so I'm hoping to get better PCBs this time around.
I hope that the fact that most of the boards are done and my communication on these issues will ease your minds that I'm not going to run away with your money because your money has obviously been put to good use. If you have any questions, please feel free to message me and hopefully I can address any concerns you may have.
12/31/19 - Received the Gray cases and am currently going through the QC process. I've QC'd about 1/3 so far. I've also placed the order for the updated PCBs and have paid extra to rush production to finish before CNY. If anyone is ok with sanding down the taller PCBs (takes about 5 mins), please let me know and I can send yours out earlier. Happy New Year!
01/07/20 - QC'd all the gray cases! I'll be trying to get a head start on the PCBs by packing up all the cases and accessories first so when they come in, I'll do a test build and pack them all up right after to reduce any delays. Thanks everyone for your patience!
01/17/20 - Received PCBs! Sending shipping invoices soon and will send out as soon as possible. Please contact me on discord if you have any last minute changes!
01/20/20 - Shipped! Only 3 shipping invoices remaining. All domestic and CAN packages should arrive by the end of the week. International should hopefully be next week. Please check your emails for shipping invoices/tracking numbers. Thanks everyone!
01/28/20 - All have been shipped! Waiting for the int'l packages to be delivered. Winners of extras should receive invoices or I'll be reaching out on the 2/2.
2/1/20 - Invoice for extras are out! Only 2 need to pay. All other boards have already been shipped and should arrive at the end of next week.