Hi, everyone. Thank you for checking out my board. All your responses from the IC form have been fascinating -- the information helps me immensely! If you're interested, please do fill it out. And if you just have questions in general, ask away on this thread. (or on the original
Reddit thread too, if you prefer)
There are a few recurring questions/comments that I can address here.
"Kit" vs "Completed build" vs "Parts à la carte":The Santoku is kind of a non-traditional board even among non-traditional boards. There are many unique parts required to build it including off-the-shelf items and custom printed bits.
A few people have asked about selling some sort of minimal kit with only the bare essentials. But that brings its own issues. The Santoku beta testers (thank you -- again! -- you three) are all experienced builders. However, I sent the kits out to them at various stages. Some testers had more spare parts than others. Some supplied some of their own parts. Even with their experience, this proved difficult to get a fully functioning build.
An example: The mouse scroll wheel is a custom design. I tried to find/buy a design that fit my needs but that proved almost impossible. I tried nine (9!) different wheels from various Chinese vendors and none of them worked. The one that kind of worked couldn't guarantee that the sample I received would be the same dimensions as the final product. In the end, I designed a custom version for the Santoku. It requires an m2 steel pin. Sure, you could buy a box of 25 m2 steel pins (when you only need one), but you'd end up spending way more just in shipping than getting that one pin from me in the kit because I've already bought hundreds of them.
There are other similar items but the idea remains the same. It's really difficult to separate things in this build because it was designed to be compact. I've continue to run the numbers but, so far, the cost of separating lots of items really doesn't save much money for you all -- the end user/builder. It also means I can't make as many bulk purchases which means the remaining parts get more expensive. It's an interesting cash flow problem. Absolutely, definitely, keep asking questions and making suggestions on this! I am listening. But that's my thought at this moment.
Status, In General:"When can I buy one?" That's the most common question. Soon™. I'm moving forward every day. Right before the Chinese New Year started, I ordered verification PCBs to validate the most recent changes and SMD pick and place components. They are delayed because of the Chinese New Year, but as soon as they arrive I will build a Santoku from scratch with them. If all goes well, I'll order more and call that v1.0.
In the meantime, I'm tweaking the case to make it more forgiving to print. Again, everything on the Santoku is a tight fit. The beta testers have given me a boatload of feedback on things that could use better fit and finish.
In the meantime part 2, I ordered lots and lots of parts (including those pesky m2 pins) from the Alis. They will take some time to get here but that time is not going to waste.
That Ribbon Cable!!!(technically it's a Flat Flexible Cable (FFC) not a ribbon but that a minor point) This has been the subject of
much concern everywhere. See my Reddit thread mentioned above for examples.
So, here's my thoughts... I understand why people are concerned. I was concerned too when I first decided to go with this method all the way back in the first version of the Santoku. Between my two betas and the beta testers' boards, none have had an issue with the FFC. My first version was used daily and split/unsplit every night for a year. It's still using the original cable.
You will not "rip" the cable. They're more durable than they look.
You could pull the cable from the connector and potentially damage the connector. This is a legitimate concern. However, I've also dropped boards and ripped out the USB port from the PCB and dislodged my TRRS connector on an Ergodox. So, it's not unique just to the FFC stuff. But, yeah, when I'm in a public place, I always use the board in compact mode.
Additionally, the FFC is what allows the board to easily convert in a one piece board and seamlessly stow the cable. Believe me, I tried all sorts of other methods. FFCs were the least troublesome.
Contacting MeIf you wrote me when I first made the Reddit post a few months ago but didn't hear back from me -- I apologize. Please do contact me again. I was quite overwhelmed with the initial post. However, as things move forward I am dedicating much more time to the Santoku. I want to know your thoughts.
Now I'm going to get back to tweaking the parts and sourcing a few things. Oh, and the build docs... I need to tweak those too.
If you have questions, let me know!
