[IC] KBD8X MKII hotswap PCB, plates, and o-ring gasket

[Kyle_Kun]

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Kardinal KB for USA
Maker Keyboards for worldwide

Interest Check Form (Google Forms)

Hey There!

Last week we made an IC post over on r/mm for Kailh hotswap PCBs, plates of various materials, and an o-ring gasket for the ever popular KBD8X MKII keyboard. After taking feedback and solidifying some things, we are here to share with the geekhack community.

Changes from IC #1:
ISO layout for the PCB did not receive enough interest to be considered for this run, even after scaling the submissions to 500. Additionally, we didn't get enough interest in any of the half plate options, they have been combined into a single FR4 half plate. As the majority of the keys we press belong in the plateless section, the material used in the half plate matters less than a full plate. We think this is the ideal compromise instead of eliminating the option for half plates altogether.

Kailh Hotswap PCBs:
Specifications:
- Kailh hotswap sockets
- ESD protection
- QMK and VIA
- Dual flex cuts
- South-facing switches
- USB-C
- Through-hole LED only on caps lock
- PCB mount stabilizers
- Matte black solder mask
- 1.6mm thick
- FR4-TG150
- ENIG surface finish

Layouts:
- Standard ANSI
   - 6.25u standard bottom row
   - 7u bottom row (support for WKL cases)

Notes:
As ISO did not receive the feedback we were looking for from the first IC, it has been cut for this first run. However there is potential for it to run in the future.

Plates:
Materials:
- Aluminum full (black Cerakote finish, 1.6mm thick)
- POM full (black Cerakote finish, 1.5mm thick)
- FR4 full & half (matte black solder mask, gold edge plating)

o-ring for gasket mount:
Specifications:
- 20A silicone o-ring gasket, 4mm thick, 260mm inner-diameter

Notes:
20A refers to the hardness of the silicone using the Shore-A scale with lower numbers representing a softer material. Most o-ring gasket keyboards use 50A silicone due to softer silicone being special order with higher prices and an equally high MOQ. 20A silicone is among the softest available and will offer the best sound and feel of any o-ring gasket.

For the deepest sound and the softest typing experience, we recommend pairing a 20A o-ring with a POM full plate. For those interested in a half plate, we recommend against pairing with a hotswap PCB as there are many issues and inconveniences with this configuration. Half plates are only recommended for those looking to build with the stock solder PCB.

Group Buy Details:
Pricing:
- PCB: $65
- FR4 plate: $40
- POM plate: $45
- Aluminum plate: $55
- 20A o-ring gasket: $15

Timeline:
- 12/5/2020 - Posted IC #1
- 12/7/2020 - Ordered Prototype POM and Aluminum plates from Ponoko
- 12/12/2020 - Posted IC #2 with refined project details
- By end of December 2020 - Have prototype plates and PCBs in hand to test
- Early January 2021 - Start Group Buy
- Delivery in less than 3 months

Vendors:
*Both vendors launching alongside the GB
Kardinal KB - US
Maker Keyboards - Canada and worldwide

Closing Remarks:
These PCBs do not use any files from ai03’s GitHub repository for the solder PCB as per the non-commercial license.

We also plan to offer hotswap PCBs in the future for other popular keyboards such as the KBD75 and Polaris. If you have any requests, please leave a comment. The only requirement is that the keyboard exists in high enough quantities to make it feasible to design a PCB specifically for that keyboard.

Thank you for reading!

Mechmarket IC

[noorejji]

Will the plates be identical to the original?

[Kyle_Kun]

Will the plates be identical to the original?

Plate flex cuts and the other cutouts have been removed for this plate design.

[elmo]

ne pcb proto pics avail?

[Kyle_Kun]

ne pcb proto pics avail?

Not yet, but soon.

[neutralstate]

would be in for a polaris pcb

[kk73715]

Could you show a video or photos of the various o-rings that were tested? I would like to understand more about how you came to the conclusion that 20A has a deeper sound profile. As well as the testing involved for the softer typing experience.

[Owl]

def interested in this as I can't get enough 8X's in my life. Any chance for rgb backlighting or has that been ruled out already?

[elmo]

will the 8X PCB be standard 1.6mm thickness?

[Kyle_Kun]

def interested in this as I can't get enough 8X's in my life. Any chance for rgb backlighting or has that been ruled out already?

RGB under glow has been ruled out for R1. It’s being considered for future runs since we are seeing lots of interest for it.

[Kyle_Kun]

will the 8X PCB be standard 1.6mm thickness?

Yes

[Owl]

def interested in this as I can't get enough 8X's in my life. Any chance for rgb backlighting or has that been ruled out already?

RGB under glow has been ruled out for R1. It’s being considered for future runs since we are seeing lots of interest for it.

Awesome looking forward to it! I'm def still in for R1!

[Kyle_Kun]

Could you show a video or photos of the various o-rings that were tested? I would like to understand more about how you came to the conclusion that 20A has a deeper sound profile. As well as the testing involved for the softer typing experience.

Looking back, that part was worded poorly. What we should have said is that a 20A o-ring with a POM plate will offer the best balance of feel and sound, not necessarily the best in both aspects. We have only tested 30A and 60A o-rings as ordering 20A and 40A would be prohibitively expensive due to high MOQs and low-volume special ordering. Through our observations with 60A and 30A o-rings on a gasket mount 65% keyboard using an aluminum plate, we found that 60A offers virtually no give with a deep sound signature while 30A offers significant give with a slightly higher pitched sound signature.

For this group buy, an interest check is required before prototyping as the total cost of designing and prototyping is estimated at over $4,000 assuming no issues. For the 20A o-ring alone, the cost and MOQ totals to over $800. It is not something we can simply prototype before gauging interest; however, we will have photos and sound tests of everything before the group buy goes live.

We are also working to include both 20A and 60A together to give users the option to fine tune their feel and sound to suit any combination of plates and switches while keeping the price at $15.

[kk73715]

Could you show a video or photos of the various o-rings that were tested? I would like to understand more about how you came to the conclusion that 20A has a deeper sound profile. As well as the testing involved for the softer typing experience.

Looking back, that part was worded poorly. What we should have said is that a 20A o-ring with a POM plate will offer the best balance of feel and sound, not necessarily the best in both aspects. We have only tested 30A and 60A o-rings as ordering 20A and 40A would be prohibitively expensive due to high MOQs and low-volume special ordering. Through our observations with 60A and 30A o-rings on a gasket mount 65% keyboard using an aluminum plate, we found that 60A offers virtually no give with a deep sound signature while 30A offers significant give with a slightly higher pitched sound signature.

For this group buy, an interest check is required before prototyping as the total cost of designing and prototyping is estimated at over $4,000 assuming no issues. For the 20A o-ring alone, the cost and MOQ totals to over $800. It is not something we can simply prototype before gauging interest; however, we will have photos and sound tests of everything before the group buy goes live.

We are also working to include both 20A and 60A together to give users the option to fine tune their feel and sound to suit any combination of plates and switches while keeping the price at $15.

For the typing tests, I suggest you showcase a 'default' build for the other mods to be compared to. Typing tests are not at all representative of what it would sound like in person so understanding how a 20A o-ring gasket modification will sound relatively abc, while a 60A would sound relatively xyz.

hope that this goes well, good luck with IC and with testing!

[noorejji]

I agree that a comparative testing methodology is desireable. It's hard to say if a sound is truly deep, but it's simple to say that a sound is relatively deep when compared to something less deep sounding. I want whatever solution produces the deepest sound, and if you can demonstrate that for me - makes for an easy purchasing decision. Other than that I hope you'll offer some more color options in the future. Usually I like black plates, but not for a polycarbonate case. Something like SS, copper, or other anodizing options would be sick, but I understand there's limits. Good luck.