[GB] mako.TKL - Premium Classic WKL TKL - Invoices Out

[qluboards]

QLU.boards

mako.TKL

A premium classic top-mounted WKL TKL

Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Design & Specs
3. Pictures & Sound Test
4. GB details
5. Thanks

1. Introduction
I love sharks. And you should too.

2. Design & Specs
I, and the community as a whole, has been on a bit of a 60/65 and gasketing bender recently so I decided to take a step back and go with a more classic TKL utilizing top-mount. 4 mounting points on the top, 3 on the bottom. The 3 mounting points on the bottom specifically spaced out to avoid making the spacebar feel like a brick (thanks OTD).

Given the shark theme for the mako.TKL, I took some creative liberties to further that. I intentionally kept the case as thin and streamlined as possible to mimic the shortfin mako's ultra-hydrodynamic body. Additionally, I designed the side profile to look like a shark's jaws as its' mouth opens. I also have "shark" 鯊魚 engraved on the weight in traditional Mandarin as a nod to my own familial heritage. Lastly, there will also be a laser engraving of the unique mako tooth thanks to excellent IC feedback.

Specs:
- Top: Anodized Aluminum 6061 (Pantone 533C)
- Bottom: Anodized Aluminum 6061 (Pantone 14-4102tcx)
- Top mount plate: Polycarbonate (plate file will be made public upon completion)
- Weight: Brass PVD and/or Polished Stainless Steel
- PCB: h87c provided and tested by hineybush
- WKL layout (split backspace, split R shift, stepped caps)
- 6° typing angle
- ~2.0kg unbuilt (brass weight)
- Case foam included
- Color options: Navy/Navy OR Navy/Light Gray

3. Pictures & Sound Test
Pictures:











Sound Test:
HPs lubed with 3204 | Polycarbonate plate | Stainless Steel weight | GMK Metropolis | case foam
https://soundcloud.com/qlu-boards/makotkl-typing-test-1/s-Mb40HEwbEiU

4. Group Buy Details
Limited Quantity: 40 units available. Raffle Style
I am a 1-man operation and my focus is on providing a timely and quality product so I, unfortunately, won't be able to take on any more than that. It is possible that there will be a couple extras depending on how many of the boards pass QC.

Raffle Start Date: 10/14 0700 PDT
Raffle End Date: 10/15 0700 PDT

Countdown: https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/launch?iso=20201014T07&p0=234&msg=mako.TKL+GB&font=serif

GB Form: https://form.jotform.com/202838621350047

Invoicing will happen either late on the 15th or early on the 16th. Upon invoicing, there will be a 48 hour window for payment before spots will be re-raffled. If you need an extension for any reason, feel free to DM me here, on reddit (username qluboards), or on discord (username qlu#5475) and we can definitely work something out.

Price: $425 + shipping. (Shipping will be invoiced at a later date upon product arrival).
Extra PCB: +$50 USD
Extra PC Plate: +$35 USD
Extra weight (SS/brass): +$85 USD
Limit 1 extra per item.

Expected Ship Date: April 2021. This is already a pretty conservative estimate, but timelines in the hobby are particularly volatile right now due to continued coronavirus shenanigans.

Kicker: While current manu/shipping costs are quite high due to the current climate, this has been a passion project for me as I do love keyboards and I do love sharks.
As such, if this project proves to be profitable beyond $500, I will donate $500 to the shark charity SHARK STEWARDS in their effort to not just preserve the shark ecosystem, but also to restore coral reefs.
More info on their amazing cause can be found here: https://sharkstewards.org/

5. Thanks
Thank you to:
OtherAndrew for responding tirelessly to my questions/concerns
CJT for the IC renders and design advice
hiney for the PCBs and answers to my questions
ai03 for creating a fantastic design community
the community for normalizing our obsession with expensive chunks of metal and for the large amount of thoughtful feedback from IC

[qluboards]

reserved

[Gondolindrim]

Pictures are broken

[qluboards]

well thats unfortunate now isnt it. lemme go ahead and fix that

[qluboards]

Pictures are broken

Should be g2g now!

[cwoissant]

Looks awesome! I’ve been waiting for the GB!

[tngpq]

Finally!

[Mearaz]

In the raffle. Hope I dont win, so my wallet will be spared.

[Liub]

Submitted, thanks and gl all.

[hrelling]

Excited for the raffle! I may have entered twice by accident (the submission button errored on my end and I got two confirmation emails). Hope to get this board, even if it breaks my budget!

[thor_r]

I'm in. Just hope this doesn't get botted.

[qluboards]

Thank you for all the interest! We ended up 436 entries total for 40 spots. The first round of invoices just went out and any unpaid spots will be rerolled in 48 hours!

[polarhanakan]

Would the invoice be coming from email or the platform that we chose in the form? Seems like I didn't get it

Really like the design. Congrats to the winners!

[thor_r]

Just received my invoice, one step closer to this beautiful board! Congrats on the GB! 

[tngpq]

Thank you! Looking forward to the Baby Mako 

[qluboards]

Would the invoice be coming from email or the platform that we chose in the form? Seems like I didn't get it

Really like the design. Congrats to the winners!

Would be through the email provided on the form.

Apologies if you didn't win If any invoices aren't paid within the 48 hour window there will be rerolls though!

[Curin Derwin]

Thank you! I just received the email and paid. 

[polarhanakan]

Would the invoice be coming from email or the platform that we chose in the form? Seems like I didn't get it

Really like the design. Congrats to the winners!

Would be through the email provided on the form.

Apologies if you didn't win If any invoices aren't paid within the 48 hour window there will be rerolls though!

Were there any spots that were rerolled? Not sure if the 48 hour window has passed yet.

[tngpq]

Is there any update? We are getting close to April.

[polarhanakan]

Is there any update? We are getting close to April.

I emailed QLU and it seems like they are still on track to ship by late April. I believe they are working on packaging now. Can’t wait to see the board in person!!

[tngpq]

Is there any update? We are getting close to April.

I emailed QLU and it seems like they are still on track to ship by late April. I believe they are working on packaging now. Can’t wait to see the board in person!!

Thanks for the reply. Looking forward to this beauty.

[Curin Derwin]

Excited

[Curin Derwin]

Are there plate foams for the Hiney H87C?

[IOVERCALLHISTIOCYTES]

Brief request:
Those that get theirs to film them opening it

Those that have them to post the damage theyve noticed.

[HendryS]

Brief request:
Those that get theirs to film them opening it

Those that have them to post the damage theyve noticed.

My board and weight were badly damaged as well, I thought I was the only one. Unfortunately, it seems like the damage was caused by the lack of appropriate packaging. Upon opening the package, the weight and board had plenty of room to jostle around which in turn caused them to be badly scratched and damaged.

Here is an imgur link to the damages: https://imgur.com/a/BkIu4pe

What seems like smudges on the bottom weight are in fact deep permanent scratches. In this sort of scenario, what can we expect from the designer?

[IOVERCALLHISTIOCYTES]

This is the 3rd I’ve seen, and is on par with one other, and the third has a dozen plus smaller dents n scratches that was past what I’ve seen as B stock. All had unsecured weights, which is not due to the companies shipping but lies solely with the person packing it.  Friend of mine is getting one soonish and we’ll film the opening.

This isn’t a one off thing and I suspect that it will quickly overwhelm any number of extras ordered.

[qluboards]

This is the 3rd I’ve seen, and is on par with one other, and the third has a dozen plus smaller dents n scratches that was past what I’ve seen as B stock. All had unsecured weights, which is not due to the companies shipping but lies solely with the person packing it.  Friend of mine is getting one soonish and we’ll film the opening.

This isn’t a one off thing and I suspect that it will quickly overwhelm any number of extras ordered.

Brief request:
Those that get theirs to film them opening it

Those that have them to post the damage theyve noticed.

My board and weight were badly damaged as well, I thought I was the only one. Unfortunately, it seems like the damage was caused by the lack of appropriate packaging. Upon opening the package, the weight and board had plenty of room to jostle around which in turn caused them to be badly scratched and damaged.

Here is an imgur link to the damages: https://imgur.com/a/BkIu4pe

What seems like smudges on the bottom weight are in fact deep permanent scratches. In this sort of scenario, what can we expect from the designer?

Please reach out to me via Discord and email.

To confirm, yes, we had an issue with unsecured weights during shipment causing damage. That being said, only about 6-7 units (the very first sent out) were unscrewed. The most recent shipments ARE screwed in.

If you happen to fall into the above category where there is past B-stock damage due to the shipment (which is 100% our fault), please reach out to me via Discord or email and you will get a replacement.

[dudewth]

I am also in the camp of a loose weight. I had some damage to the exterior corner of the case as well.

https://imgur.com/a/fhcPMjy

[dudewth]

Please reach out to me via Discord and email.

To confirm, yes, we had an issue with unsecured weights during shipment causing damage. That being said, only about 5-6 units (the very first sent out) were unscrewed. The most recent shipments ARE screwed in.

If you happen to fall into the above category where there is past B-stock damage due to the shipment (which is 100% our fault), please reach out to me via Discord or email and you will get a replacement.

What is your discord/email? I haven't seen them listed anywhere.

edit: Nevermind - found email from build instructions

[dudewth]

As a follow up to my previous posts - QLU was able to take care of my issues. Unfortunate that it was delivered with some damage but the support afterwards was done well and very efficiently.

[j_duke]

Is the email being manned? I sent an email regarding issue with the SS weight but I haven't heard back in weeks.

[Phailure]

Any idea what size/spec the case screws are? Looks like my unit is missimg some case screws.