Hey guys! It's been pretty quiet for a while - but I have some updates!
So I've been pretty quiet, since I didn't want to speak too soon about some cool things going on for this project - but here we go for some more fun news!
Partnering with Keebwerk!First off, I'm partnering up with
keebwerk. for this project. They'll be handling manufacturing, quality control, and vending. Of course this means that instead of going with either of the manufacturers I've previously tested during prototyping, I'll be going with keebwerk's manufacturer. This is the same manu which makes keebwerk's
nano, and is working on their
mega65.
In terms of progress with this new manufacturer - a prototype was ordered about a month ago, and the manufacturer says that they are done - with the exception of some more work needed for the PVD finishing. We're trying to get some pictures from the factory of these. Either way, we'll probably be seeing these in person soon.
For the sale plans, I'm planning on an in-stock drop through keebwerk's store. Color combinations will be customizable via an online configurator - similar to the one for the
nano. Each part/color combination will have a limited stock, and allocations for these will be determined based on popularity results from the interest form survey. Total number of units is TBD. For pricing, the board will cost under $400 USD confirmed - though hotswap PCB and possibly other options might be an additional charge.
Polycarbonate Options:Unfortunately, polycarbonate options will not be available in this initial drop, maybe in future rounds. I'd love to have them, but it adds more complexity than I'm willing to tackle right now.
Design Changes:For the design, the keyboard has externally remained pretty much exactly as it was last shown back in June 2020. However, there have been some pretty significant changes to the internal design - notably the bottom face is aligned to the typing angle, which results in less machine time needed, and a significantly thicker and heftier bottom chassis. The USB port has been widened a bit to account for larger connector sizes, and the plate tabs have been redimensioned a bit. I'll have renders to illustrate these changes later.
Setbacks and Current Challenges:Now in terms of setbacks - the main thing that's holding up the project is the PCB. As I previously mentioned, I designed a PCB and had it prototyped - I ran into some issues with this however. While I can probably work out the issues, I decided that I'd rather actually hand off the PCB development to someone more experienced and can do a better job with it - I still want to offer a great PCB, and not just one that's good enough. I'm looking for a PCB designer currently. If you're interested, please reach out to me on Discord directly - my tag is "Nostril#0001".
Project Status Tracking / Discord:I've gotten plenty of questions asking if there is a Discord server to track the status of this project. I'll be working on setting one up soon.
Until then, please track the status of the project through this thread. The main post has just been (and will be in the future) updated to detail the latest important changes.