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[GB] Southpaw Extended 65% - 100% Shipped - Cleaning up

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reconsiderit:


Southpaw Extended 65%. Six months in the making, we're finally at the group buy stage. NA orders go through me, EU orders go through candykeys, and asia orders go through KP. Links below

North America: switchplate.co
European Union: candykeys.com
Asia and Oceania: https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=561011231718
For non-Chinese speaking customers in the Asia and Oceania region, Order through the NA website. Orders will be shipped directly to you from china and you will be billed for shipping separately. Check post on second page for estimates and instructions

FORMS FOR EXTRAS HERE:  https://goo.gl/forms/zFdTVwHD8Pjqf1rp2 Extras are FCFS. Wednesday June 20th 12:00am PST

PROGRAMMING GUIDE HERE: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=92344.msg2625784#msg2625784


An Alps+MX 65% board with a left hand number pad. Designed for maximum workspace fluidity, with centered alphanumerics and a full number pad without the compromise of pushing the mouse outwards. Full ISO support with flexible layout options that include a left handed arrow cluster, split backspace, and a full 4x5 macropad in the place of the numpad. Case options with pricing that spans across the board.

Layouts below. PCB Mounted Stabs only. For those with alps concerns, I'm working on an insert for PCB Mount cherry stabs that work with alps keycaps. Hopefully those will be done before this ships and I can throw some in.




Aluminum Case - Complete Kits starting at $210.00. Inc. both risers; 4 and 9 degrees.





Revisions:


USB opening revised to take all USB cables


Matching chamfer added to bottom edge


Support tabs milled into the corners of the case


Rear leg of 9 degree riser redesigned for new rubber pads


Bottom of case milled for rubber pad recess for use with cone feet


Both 4 and 9 degree risers now sit flush with the chamfer on the edge of the case


Both risers now have the front mount thread in from the bottom. This was done as there was not enough material on the risers to form strong enough threads if threaded from the top




Note that rubber feet for the keyboard will be included. They will most likely be the translucent thin material as opposed to the thicker crosshatched black material.



Integrated Case - Complete Kits for $107.50









Revisions:
- Drilled/Slotted for cone feet to give a 10ish degree angle
- Holes for diffuser removed



Bent Plate - Complete Kits for $91.50.


Builds into something like this: (75% board as an example)




Timeline looks to be around 6-9 weeks for production with a week in between a sorting/shipping time of 1-4 weeks.

Primary target is 100 units which is MOQ for the PCB. Interest check yields around 225 responses so everything looks good so far.

MOQ, and all other details listed on the main GB page on switchplate.co

reconsiderit:
UPDATES BELOW


- Decmber Update 1 - 12/3/17 - We're now done with the GB and have stopped taking orders. I am discussing MOQ with the vendor at the moment to see if we can convince the factories to produce a number of items that are not quite at MOQ. Most of the bent steel stuff has made it though and we're waiting to hear back on anodization and if we'll be able to anodize all the items that fall under a single color in one bath to make them available. As far as items that didn't meet MOQ, I'm in the process of emailing everyone who had something that didn't quite make it to production. If you're one of those people, you'll have the option of choosing another option or taking a full refund.

- January Update 1 - 1/13/18  -  I've been a little busy so apologies for the lack of delays but everything is going smoothly. We are still on track for the Mid February / Early March Ship date for all orders. Laser cut plates, bent plates, integrated cases and PCBs will be finished sometime later this month and should be packed and ready to ship to the US by the last week of this month. Aluminum cases are due a little later on the week before Lunar New Year and will be shipping mid-February if everything goes to plan and no delays are encountered.

The risers for the aluminum cases have undergone a small change that will not affect functionality. The front and rear edges that meet the case will be ever so slightly rounded with a .2mm fillet as to retain the anodization during handling. We've worked with the factory to produce a small batch of these updated cases before the production time that was secured so there will be a small run of these shipped to us later this month to check everything over and if there aren't any issues, we'll continue with production and complete the cases as scheduled.

- January Update 2 - 1/16/18  -  Just got some pictures from the factory and progress looks good. Small hitch with anodization as a result of issues with the fixtures, but that's been cleared up and the cases are being replaced. We're just a month or so away from the start of shipping so hang tight. I can promise everyone that this will be worth the wait.



- January Update 3 - 1/30/18  - So I was notified yesterday of a delay with the PCB production. The factory that will be doing the SMD work will be closing on the 5th (originally the 10th) because of an inspection that came up right before the CNY break that they had planned so they went ahead and gave everyone a longer vacation and moved the time slot for our PCBs to after their CNY break which lasts to the first week of March. Judging from production last time, it should take about a week and a half from the start of production to packaging, which then they'll be shipped. We're looking at a fulfillment start time of early/mid march. I'll get another update out as soon as that date nears and we get some concrete dates.

On the other hand, everything save for the anodizing of the CNC cases is finished.  I'm getting those shipped to me ahead of time to do a through QC on everything since I'll have some extra time now that we have to wait on the PCBs. As soon as those arrive, it's full speed ahead on packing and shipping everyone's orders.

- February Update 1 - 2/22/18  -  Just wanted to keep everyone up to date, but I'm waiting to hear back from my contact this week since everyone is on their CNY break. Everything save for the PCBs should be packed and ready to go once everything starts running again.

- March Update 1 - 3/1/18  -  Just received an email from my contact who is organizing the production and everything but the PCBs are either at or on the way to the warehouse. As far as PCBs are concerned, we are just waiting on PCB assembly. There was a minor discrepancy in start time and it turns out that they're starting back up on the 2nd of March (tomorrow) and will complete the PCBs on March 9th (Friday of next week) a little later than expected. I'm expecting that they'll have things consolidated and ready to ship overseas around a week after they are finished so I'm pushing the dates back just to be safe. The schedule as it stands now looks as follows. I will still need to get shipping finalized to the US as I don't have any sizes or weights for the bulk packages yet so I'm hoping that won't take long. All dates that are not TBD are concrete.

- March 9 - Complete PCB SMD assembly
- March 16 - Completion of packing and consolidating components
- Late March (TBD) - Bulk order ships to US/EU
- Late March / Early April (TBD) - Sort, QC and ship out to customers
- Mid/Late April (TBD) - Finish orders requiring assembly

- March Update 2 - 3/26/18 - The checking at the consolidation warehouse was just finished later than expected and will be shipped to me on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week. It'll be around 6 days from Beijing to San Francisco and I'll need a day or two to double check the bulk order, but I should be able to start shipping right after that since everything else (stabs, switches, etc...) have already been sorted ahead of time.

- March 30 - Dispatch of bulk order from Beijing
- April 5-7 - Receiving of bulk order
- Mid April - Pack and ship all orders
- Mid-Late April - Assemble and Ship all boards. Complete Group Buy

- April Update 2 - 4/24/18
Bit the bullet and am shipping the bulk order with SF express. Shipment has been dispatched to the SF express warehouse and should be on the plane tomorrow.

- May Update 1 - 5/2/18
Received one of the nine packages with the grey and black aluminum cases today. Some QC issues. Will update as I hear back from the factory. Good new though is that the anodization looks amazing on the cases.


- Week of May 7th - QC, count and sort boards
- April 14-25 - Pack and ship all orders that do not require assembly
- Late May - Early June - Complete boards that need assembly

- May Update 2 - 5/10/18

ooohh kayy sh*t hit the fan. Pending updated schedule.

May 5th Update  -  Major

So as some of you guys on discord have heard last night that there are some pretty major issues (in my eyes at least) with the project and I would like everyone to have an idea of what’s going on. I received the items on Friday of last week and immediately realized that there were a few things that were quite off. Because there were a number of people involved, it’s not certain where the files were adjusted but there’s just a lack of accountability in the situation so if anything needs to be redone, I’m willing to dig into my own pockets to make things right since want to make something that you guys can enjoy and be happy with. 

There were also features discussed  that didn’t get revised onto the final items and that part of things is being negotiated with the vendor that’s working as a middleman for all the production. I’ll keep everyone updated as something is worked out. All of the issues are listed below. Album of issues is here: https://imgur.com/a/QVQeZGq

PCBs
- Magnetic reset switch soldered to the underside of the PCB. It’s advisable for all cases and required for the aluminum case that this be cut off or resoldered on the top side. If you decide to just cut it, you can short the reset from the topside.
- Solder Mask was done in white instead of black. Vendor claimed to not have seen my email about doing a white solder mask and aren’t willing to fix it. 
- Missing vertical ISO Enter for alps. This will not affect you if you’re planning on using an adapter or are planning on using DCS or DSA alps caps. If you’re planning to build a board up with alps, I urge you to email me about it.

Aluminum Cases
- Some blem (b-stock cases) in the run that was shipped to me. For the most part though, the anodizing came out amazing.
- Rubber pads were never manufactured. This was discussed but same issue as white solder mask. I will most likely have them done and send them out to everyone at a later date. I’ll be throwing bumpons in with if you choose to have your board shipped asap.

Plates
- Some plates were hastily cut. The cut lines on some of the plates look as if the DXF was drawn in MS Paint.
- About 60-80 percent of plates were mangled in transit. Partially because the vendor wrapped them together with shrink wrap and packed them in a single sheet of bubble wrap.
- DXF cut file was altered somewhere along the line and the edges are insanely thin. This will be fixed when new ones are made.

Bent Plates
- File was changed somewhere along the line and nobody wants to claim responsibility. Completely an aesthetical change, but I personally am pretty pissed about it.

Enclosed Steel case
- Screw holes on plate section weren’t removed
- Holes for cone feet were never cut.
- Some cases have fit issues and do not sit level on the ground.


Alright, so now for the important part.

I know everyone has been waiting a damn ridiculous amount of time for these so I’ll have a few options for you guys to choose from.

For bent plates and integrated cases, since the discrepancy in manufacturing is 100% aesthetical and doesn’t at all affect function, (save for the holes for the cone feet and cases that have allignment issues) I will give you the option to either take the one that’s here at the moment or to wait for the new units to be manufactured.The one condition to be met for remanufacturing though is that we need a certain number of units in order to make manufacturing them viable. Probably will be something along the lines of 10-20 units with a one to two month lead time.

For orders with aluminum cases and standalone plates, it’s a slightly different situation. A large majority of the plates came damaged and after QC, most either qualify as b-stock or belong with recyclable aluminum cans. Because most of you guys won’t be building plateless boards and probably don’t want to resolder, I have Three options as far as plates go.
-  I can send you a b- stock plate and issue a partial refund. These plates are useable, but they’re not ultra straight. Keep in mind plates will straighten out when you mount and solder switches. As this is tray mount, the plate doesn’t as much contribute to the feel of the board as it does stability of the switches.
-  I can refund you for the plate in full and you can build the board up plateless. Keep in mind that you’ll need PCB mount switches to build it up like this and you’ll have marginally more wobble with certain switches.
-  You can wait for the plates to be redone. This will be around a month or two. One thing though is that if the factory can’t give me a 100% guarantee that plates will come out perfect, I’ll be going to a different factory that’s been used for some really really high end customs and having them make the plates. With the secondary option, I have doubts of the colors being 100% perfect, but I personally value function over form.

I might or might not have enough A stock cases to cover every single color. (I’m about 75 or 80 percent through QC and I know that there’s one case color where there aren’t enough A stock cases) If there aren’t enough A stock cases for your selected color, I can do one of three things.
-  I can send you the blem case with the partial refund. I’ll be sending everyone images of the exact case they’ll be receiving so there aren’t any unwelcome surprises.
-  You can opt to wait for the cases to be redone. 1-2 month wait.


Final Notes
I am really sorry that this is once again delayed. I will be doing future projects with my own manufacturing and resources (some of them which have manufactured customs and higher end boards before) and local designers to ensure that this doesn’t happen again. This will also help lower prices from here on out since I will no longer be going through a middleman of sorts. As for this situation specifically, send inquiries for order change to contact@switchplate.co and I will take note of what you would like to do with your order and process it accordingly. These decisions will be final as I will be allocating items accordingly to b-stock for those that wanted extras as soon as I process your order. For general questions, please use the comments here or the GH thread so I can get an idea of what everyone wants. I’ll try to answer them promptly here, on GH and discord. Replies might be a little slow, but I’m damn busy this week with APs and Finals at school so if I don’t respond within 12 hours, definitely feel free to resend the message. Keep your eyes out for another update on the website and the GH thread as discussions with the vendor and QC finishes up.

Link to sign up for update emails:  https://switchplate.us17.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=618cf646781228a46f5914218&id=3fc437233f
Link to GH Thread:  https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=92344.0
Link to project page on website: https://switchplate.co/collections/southpaw-extended-65-group-buy
Order changes only, use threads and discord for general questions:  contact@switchplate.co

ipreferpie:
Can’t wait to join! Will this be on any Asian GB forums like Taobao? Want to save on shipping

dead_pixel_design:
Looking forward to it

HotRoderX:
wanted to keep track of this cause seriously thinking might need one as the ultimate MMO gaming board. I am thinking since its QMK.. programmable.. I can set up the num pad as a micro pad. Then re-map  the keys to be numbers plus wasd and any other skills I use! thought eliminating the need for the crappy MMO mouse that I really don't like. I a quick question is the cases your selling the aluminum ones are MOQ per case are all cases as far as color goes?

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