[GB] Bulwark TKL | In Production | (Update regarding Mechs&Co 20/7-23)

[Garner]

 


Bulwark TKL
Designed by Garner






Color matched custom wrists rest available, can also be purchased without keyboard.

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GB opens on Friday Dec 16th and closes on Sunday Jan 31st (29th for US)
MOQ 80 units, limited to 250 units worldwide, sold via regional vendors.

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PCB & Layouts

The PCB is designed by Hineybush and is a white colored edition of the H88 PCB.
It comes pre-flashed with daughterboard + JST cable, has RGB underglow and is configurable with QMK and VIA.
(The underglow can be configured to have both static and shifting colors).


Hotswap ANSI PCB



Hotswap ISO PCB



Solderable PCB

The plate will not support Alps but plate files will be released after GB.


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Isolated Top mount



Adhesive custom gaskets will isolate the PCB plate from the keyboard top. The plate has no flex cuts.


Sound test (FR4 plate)

Timestamps:
0:00 - 0:45 Typing (With case foam)
0:45 - 1:10 Modifiers
1:10 - 1:35 key spam
1:35- 2:33 Typing (NO case foam)

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Technical Details

Keyboard Size	TKL
Typing angle	6°
Front height	19mm
Keyboard weight	2kg built
Case top	Aluminum 6063
Case bottom	Frosted polycarbonate, coated with a scratch resistant finish on the outside for protection and a nice glossy look.
Weight material	Brushed stainless steel
PCB Plate materials	Aluminum, PC, POM, FR4. (All in black color to prevent light bleed)
Wrist rest materials	Aluminum 6063, Polycarbonate (frosted)
Wrist rest dimensions	Length: 373mm, Depth: 82mm, Height: 17.5mm

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Color Options

-	Black
-	Abyss Green (color sample)
-	Navy Blue (color sample)
-	Lilac (color sample)
-	Orange (color sample)
-	Deep Red (color sample)
-	Silver
-	E-white

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Pricing, Vendors & Quantity MOQ will be 80 units (across all regions), and 250 units will be available in total. Expected lead time is ~4-6 months after GB, fulfillment expected in Q3-Q4 2023. Keyboard base kit:                    $395 USD *Base kit includes a Bulwark TKL with solderable PCB, daughterboard + jst cable, aluminum plate, hardwares, product packaging and any color finish except e-white Base kit options / Upgrades:    Wrist rest $75 USD Hotswap PCB $10 USD E-white $10 USD *Wrist rest will have the same color finish as your chosen keyboard base kit. Addons:              Translucent case foam pad $10 USD Aluminum plate $20 USD Polycarbonate plate $30 USD POM plate        $30 USD FR4 plate $35 USD Carrying case with cutout foam    $39 USD Extra Solderable PCB (excl. daughterboard)    $50 USD Extra Hotswap PCB (excl. daughterboard) $60 USD Wrist rest without keyboard $90 USD *For the carrying case, there will be a cutout at the bottom for the wrist rest, under the keyboard. Vendors & Units: US: 120 units    Mechs & Co. Ended CA: 40 units Desk[H]ero Ended EU: 40 units KEYGEM Ended OCE:    30 units Daily Clack Ended UK: 20 units Proto[Typist]        Ended *Pricing between vendors may vary slightly due to currency rates, different regional taxes and other similar factors. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Prototype The prototype unit has e-white finish on both keyboard and wrist rest. High resolution prototype photo. The purpose with the project was to focus on desk aesthetics, as in how the keyboard looks standing on your desk (which it does 99% of the time). So the design choice behind the split corner weights is that they give the keyboard a nice side profile, adds weight and cost less to produce. Having one solid weight across the back would not only increase the price, but the keyboard would still look the same on your desk, and this is not where I wanted to go with the project. Instead, this money can be spent on the matching wrist rest which actually contributes to how the keyboard look and feels. Feel free to ask questions here in the thread or join us in the Discord channel where there is also an FAQ section.

[Garner]

--UPDATES--

Feb 13th 2023
MOQ has been met and everything is confirmed, the project is now proceeding towards production.

Mar 19th 2023
Done coordinating with vendors and manufacturers. All drawings have been submitted.

April 25th 2023
Production prep between vendors and manufacturers. Production date TBD.

June 13th 2023
Parts in production queue

July 20th 2023
Update regarding the Mech's & Co. Situation in separate post below.
Short summary: Orders from M&C will unfortunately not be produced/delivered, orders from the other vendors/regions will be fulfilled. Some extras will be available.

August 31st 2023
Production has started for some of the parts. Plates, gaskets etc. are already made. CNC'd parts are still in production queue.

September 21st 2023
Most parts have entered production and some are in queue to be anodized.

October 21st 2023
Finally happy to share that the anodizing process has started and some of the colors are finished! A sneak peak of the black and red finish can be found in the Discord channel, the photos are from the manufacturer.

December 28th 2023
Color matching and anodizing of all parts are finished. Waiting for the manufacturer to finish the keyboard bottoms.

[Garner]

Hi everyone!

Short update:
All vendors will extend the GB time for Bulwark TKL to the end of January to due to Christmas times (and all expenses that it entails) and to assure that everyone who wants a keyboard will get a keyboard.
We are also currently about ~15 kits away from reaching MOQ, I'm super excited to get this keyboard out there and hope you are too.

So, the GB will now end on Tuesday 31st (Except for US region which ends on Sunday 29th).

[Garner]

Update regarding the Mech's & Co. situation

Hi everyone, I assume most of you have heard about the situation with the US vendor Mech's & Co which has been widely discussed the last 2 months. For those who haven't, here's a link to the original PSA on Reddit. and here's a link to the PSA on Geekhack.

So as you may know, Mech's & Co. has stolen collected money from the GB and spent it somewhere else, leaving the invoices from our manufacturers unpaid. This in combination with not responding to messages since May, has caused the project to basically stand still up until this point. When I realized the situation I felt nothing but anger and helplessness, to see the project I worked on for over a year slip away due to some clowns not being able to pay a simple invoice with money they already collected was very frustrating.
 
These recent weeks I've been discussing with the other involved vendors as well as the manufacturers. The conclusion is unfortunately that there is nothing we can do about the unpaid keyboard kits from M&C. It really hurts to say but they can't be produced and this means the keyboard kits ordered from M&C will not be delivered.

I was however able to bargain with the manufacturers, and can hereby announce that we are able to proceed with the keyboard kits to the other regions. The vendors (and me) has also ordered some extra units which will be available as well.

Earlier today I sent a final payment (for increased cost due to the now lower order quantity) and gave the manufacturers permission to start production. My ambition is that we will still be able to deliver in Q4 this year, but I trust that you understand given the current situation that it might be a bit delayed. I will post an update as soon as the manufacturers provides an expected delivery date. Updates are published on Discord and in the second post of this GB thread.

I wish everyone affected by M&C my sincere condolences and I hope you were/are able to file a chargeback to get your money back.