Author Topic: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa - GB Feb 14th (Pricing Anounced)  (Read 61224 times)

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Offline paulgali

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 251
  • Location: Dubai, UAE
    • SKME
[IC] Series 5.88 - Safa - GB Feb 14th (Pricing Anounced)
« on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:14:20 »
    Hey Geekhack! baul here, finally bringing Safa to the public!



    GB link

    Safa is intended to be a lightweight, simplistic take on the TKL form factor (i.e. it's just a rectangle), with my primary focus being feel and sound.
    There's no real backstory here, I wanted to make a TKL and now I'm here to share it with you!
    شكراً

    صفاء is Safa in Arabic, meaning purity / serenity

    Pricing



    (Extras pricing in EU is subject to updates, everything else is final)
    VAT included everywhere excluding US
    LIMITED TO 2 PER HOUSEHOLD

    Unit allocation

    MKBEU - 400 minus the below counts (255)
    HEX - 100
    Rectangles - 15
    Basekeys - 30

    Specs
    • 5 degree, 88 key (F13) TKL.
    • Winkey and WKL
    • Adjusted front height of 18.5mm (excluding case feet - 3M 8mm bumpons)
    • Primarily top mount, secondary gummy worm
    • Fixed ANSI, ISO plates. Variable JIS Plate available (4.5u stabs are being worked on to possibly ship with this in time, but we still need a lot of testing. Prayge for it). Default plates will be Alu 5052 in case matching colors.
    • Additional polypropylene (PP) plates will be available. Specifically chosen for its more dampening effect over PC
    • Aluminum half plates are being worked on. I have tested fr4, it feels amazing but Alu will help mods. I will confirm this at a later date[/i]
    • Internal brass weight only - not exposed externally. I live in sandland, its hot, humid, and I never look at the bottom of the board. If its on my desk how can I? I wanted this to change the sound of the board, no other reason.
    • The weight and board overall were tuned to deliberately have reverberation throughout the case. No foam will be sold with this. If you want a quiet board, like my own preferential build, use PP plates with cherries or gat milk tops. Trust me :D

    Color options
    • 432c Dark Grey
    • 533c Navy
    • 188c Dark Red
    • E-White
    • Silver / clear coated ano
    • Raw (no ano)
    [/list]
    The green seen below was done for protos but will not be in the GB.
    Alu plates will be matched to case color by default - Red alu plates are also an option.
    PP plates will be black. If you want colored PP plates, get some spray paint and mod it  :D
    More


    The PCB is a monster

    Solder PCB only, but Safa will be compatible with Gondo's hotswap 88 when he releases it.

    Featuring north AND south facing space stab support, ANSI, ISO, JIS (both 4.5u and 3u), I have updated the configs for VIA to include this (see here: https://imgur.com/a/jvQMewU)




    Prototype Photos

    432c Proto, Built in JIS 4.5u. The grey is very dark, so much that I have decided to not run a black variant of the board (at least for now).


    Samples of the 533c Navy and 188c Dark Red. Please bear in mind, these are V1 protos. Read "The original Safa" for more info.


    A look at the bottom, and engraving, which are not infilled stock. I recommend oil-based Acryllic paint to get a similar effect to how it looks on the JIS build

    This green will not be in the group buy.


    A few QOL insights...

    Brass weight coverage - made to cover as much of the alphas as possible. Being such a low profile board has its limitations, and this was as much coverage as I could reasonably achieve



    Alignment pillars - a simple way to assemble the case and not worry about alignment. These cover both the X and Y axis'



    USB tolerance - uh...yeah...kinda obvious. Also helpful for locating the port when not looking directly at it, as the entire ledge leads to this point.




    The original Safa

    More
    The initial design from October 2020 was intended to have a simple external profile, which has carried over to v2. Each unit had 8mm uniform bezels and were all WKL units – I tried to make it work, but I was not happy with the aesthetic result. Note the engraving changes as well, you can see in the prototype photos noted above

    The following changes were made from v1 to v2

    - AFH reduced to 18.5-19mm from 20.5mm. Small, but significant change for comfort at such an angle
    - Side bezel reduction, likely what takes this from being an “okay” board to something that looks significantly sleeker
    - Engraving updates – rounded off, cuter font
    - Engraving location – moved to inner radii of Pause key
    - Weight rework – lower case height, therefore thinner weight. However, weight now covers more surface area in return, giving a more balanced tone across all alphas
    - USB rework: up 1mm on y axis. Now there is a groove on the back ledge to easily identify the location
    - Plate tolerances: much much tighter on north and south sides. Still room for wiggle, may tighten, but this will increase the risks of fitting


    Price target & availability
    • Price target: $400 (or under) excl. VAT. This price is heavily dependent on material cost and factory limitations being put in place. Hence, this is a target - It can go up or down by the time February rolls around.
    • Will ship in custom fit hard cases.
    • Availability: 400 units See below
    • Feb 14th for GB

    After listening to people in the hobby I have the utmost respect for, as well as advice provided by vendors, this is no longer an unlimited run, and will instead be capped at 400 units (+ extras for backup).

    One (very) good outcome to this is an estimated ETA of 6/7(ish) months for board production. I would rather deliver a board faster at the same price than wait a year. I am keeping this to 400 to allow me to release a possible F12 version sooner than expected, so if you prefer an F12 variant, keep your eyes out for it (ETA Q4 2022)

    Vendors
    • EU, worldwide - MKBEU
    • Asia - Hex.KB
    • India - Rectangles.store
    • Considering other vendors - this list is not final

    Soundtests
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pGhf0mRoGE
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFWezluM5dM
    https://youtu.be/9EkjwVae_2M
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y_Vnjhn_80

    Credits
    David & Evy - awesome PCB work, as well as general guidance
    The entire MENA server - for having my back throughout the past year
    Boyos - you know who you are, thank you for the constant encouragement
    g1lbrt, Hueth, Lovi, Poesjuh, Simone - For your testing, building of protos, and honest feedback
    Bachoo - for your early render work, as always, much love

    Discord
    Its my house, don't smash the doors in!


    Support this project by adding this to your signature <3
    Code: [Select]
    [url=https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=115520.0][img width=275 height=120]https://imgur.com/ntJaJ1c.png[/img][/url]
    « Last Edit: Sat, 12 February 2022, 06:09:23 by paulgali »

    Offline paulgali

    • Thread Starter
    • Posts: 251
    • Location: Dubai, UAE
      • SKME
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #1 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:14:30 »
    Reserved

    I need to make this clear. The green seen here was done for protos but will not be in the GB option list. I am sorry.

    2021/12/03: Red alu plates will be an option
    2021/12/04: Asia & ISC Vendors agreed upon
    2021/12/05: GB may be Feb, may be March. Will find out very shortly
    2021/12/06: Layout support updated for clarity
    2021/12/06: Confirmed March 1st for GB
    2021/12/08: Please note the below update to unit counts

    After listening to people in the hobby I have the utmost respect for, as well as advice provided by vendors, this is no longer an unlimited run, and will instead be capped at 400 units (+ extras for backup).

    One (very) good outcome to this is an estimated ETA of 6/7(ish) months for board production. I would rather deliver a board faster at the same price than wait a year. I am keeping this to 400 to allow me to release a possible F12 version sooner than expected, so if you prefer an F12 variant, keep your eyes out for it (ETA Q4 2022)

    ABNT2 support has been added, and ALPS plate will be an option. The PCB for safa doesnt support alps, but if you are buying hiney's h88, youll be set. Just offering plates in the GB as an optional addon since, might as well, even if you plan to not own this board, here's your chance to pick up alu alps plates.

    I had a chat with Max. I do not want Safa and Pheonix to conflict, and because Max's US vendor has pushed to march, I am bringing Safa a wee bit closer.

    It should avoid the pheonix, since Safa will be a 400 unit FCFS sale. Max and I have discussed this and agreed it is ok.

    2022/01/17 : Raw unit option dropped
    2022/02/10: Pricing added
    « Last Edit: Thu, 10 February 2022, 01:51:46 by paulgali »

    Offline of_sam

    • Posts: 272
    • Location: United States
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #2 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:15:43 »
    Safa stonks to the moon. Love your work and attention to detail Baul. Can't wait to support this project!
    Typing on: HHKB Pro 2 - Stock :aware:
    Collection: F1.69, Police, Jubi, RF 87U, En Dash, Rosenthal, Soulless, Frog, Calliope, GAF 910, Sabre, W1-AT

    Offline Moods

    • Posts: 32
    • Location: UK / Australia
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #3 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:16:55 »
    Paul, this looks incredible. Thank you <3

    Sent from my GM1913 using Tapatalk


    Offline kyuut

    • Posts: 46
    • Location: Brazil
    • i just learned a new dance
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #4 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:17:21 »
    love it
    More
    TGR Jane v2 | TGR Jane v2 CE | TGR x SINGAKBD Unikorn 2.2 | SINGAKBD Kohaku R2 Prototype | HHKB Professional 2

    Offline Baka Bot

    • Posts: 220
    • Location: idk somewhere in the Western Hemisphere
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #5 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:17:32 »
    Hypers!!!!!

    Offline Neely_12

    • Posts: 355
    • Location: US
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #6 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:17:46 »
    Tkl is good tkl is great tkl is baul. Good work  :thumb:

    Offline Pyroo

    • Posts: 80
    • Location: Cucked (Denmark)
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #7 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:18:12 »
    Love to see more great work from you  :thumb: GLWIC
    Bunny enthusiast

    Offline mrvpixel

    • Posts: 15
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #8 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:18:30 »
    Can't wait to get it :cool: :thumb:

    Offline Fraaaan

    • Posts: 365
    • Location: cucked (EU)
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #9 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:19:07 »
    Safa so lit  :thumb:

    Offline LordOfSarcasm

    • Posts: 3
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #10 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:19:20 »
    GIB AAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaa

    Offline Fe

    • Posts: 36
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #11 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:19:35 »
    nice keybort baul

    Offline $W4GK!NG

    • Posts: 189
    • Location: Bangkok TH
    • Keyboard/Car/Audio Enthusiast
      • Linktree
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #12 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:19:37 »
    "safa gud"

    -$W4GK!NG 2021

    Offline kk73715

    • Posts: 126
    • Location: Hong Kong
    • Why are you even reading
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #13 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:20:29 »
    bababaul rectangle so good

    Offline The0rigina1

    • Posts: 201
    • fumoposting
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #14 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:20:34 »
    gib green

    Offline Sup

    • * Exquisite Elder
    • Posts: 1334
    • Doing university was a mistake
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #15 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:20:42 »
    JIS layout I am in for sure. Also maybe just the wire is sufficient? I was planning on just cutting a 6.25u wire and bend it to a 4.5u.

    Gonna try to coop one when it goes into GB.
    current
    Filco Zero -  NOS Yellow Alps | Canoe R1 Gateron Red | AEK II JP Cream dampend |Filco Majestouch 2 Tex case Gateron Yellow | HHKB Pro 1 2003 Rev AO Serial 000171 | HHKB Pro 1 2003 Rev A1s|DZ60 OG Panda's with Fei spring and stem. | Sentraq S65_Plus OG Invyr Panda's | A17 Gateron Black TX 65G 3204 | Lubrigrante Wildcard Cherry MX silent blacks 3204 58.5G Springs | Rukia Everglide Tourmaline Blue 58.5G Springs | MGA Standard Greetech brown |
    Coming soon
    Rest in peace Billy Herrington(William Glen Harold Herrington) 1969-2018
    Rest in peace Byron Daniel 1989-2020

    Offline Maelk

    • Posts: 1
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #16 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:20:51 »
    Looks very nice  :thumb:

    Offline SolidCactus

    • Posts: 274
    • Location: UK
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #17 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:20:56 »
    Love it! I’m in

    Offline Pontus

    • Posts: 87
    • Location: Sweden
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #18 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:21:09 »
    Cute TKL

    Offline infectedqt

    • Posts: 13
    • Location: Qatar
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #19 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:21:36 »
    Safa lit, good luck on this project paul, i will ofc be supporting you all the way!

    Offline plag

    • Formerly pepperonichicken
    • Posts: 56
    • Location: Connecticut - USA
    • i also go by plag
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #20 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:21:54 »
    Looks fantastic. That green is a must have for me. GLWIC!  :D

    Offline xalloumi

    • Posts: 2
    • Location: GB
      • lol
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #21 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:22:05 »
    Yes

    Sent from my SM-F926B using Tapatalk


    Offline hali

    • Posts: 494
    • Location: edmonton
      • hali.studio
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #22 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:22:53 »
    awesome

    Offline paulgali

    • Thread Starter
    • Posts: 251
    • Location: Dubai, UAE
      • SKME
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #23 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:23:17 »
    JIS layout I am in for sure. Also maybe just the wire is sufficient? I was planning on just cutting a 6.25u wire and bend it to a 4.5u.

    Gonna try to coop one when it goes into GB.

    I really screwed up cutting my own, but i mean, it is possible :D

    Offline Chippy

    • Posts: 262
    • Location: USA
    • sus chef
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #24 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:23:25 »
    Damn that is a lot of PCB compatibility. Happy to see this get into IC!
    1.2og | Buddy 6xx | Le Fishe V1 Proto | xyz60 Rev2 | Quartermaster | Chimera65 | Satisfaction75 | Realforce 84u | Zenith Z-150 | Realforce 86u | 378
    More
    This and the swiss cheese keyboard is the next generation of keyboards

    Offline rookb

    • Posts: 65
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #25 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:23:58 »
    Can't wait for it  :cool:

    Offline cst

    • Posts: 1
    • Location: Brazil
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #26 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:24:21 »
    yes please, love it :thumb: :thumb:

    Offline ephemeral25

    • Posts: 88
    • Location: Paris, France
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #27 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:25:53 »
    One of the nicest project of this year hands down.

    Incredible amount of care, work and prototyping.

    Definitely in  :thumb:

    Offline MK47

    • Posts: 57
    • Don't talk to me
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #28 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:26:02 »
    Safs so good. Can't wait to support this project.

    Offline whirlwind

    • Posts: 212
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #29 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:26:14 »
    Safa so lit
    Paul so lit




    Offline donrevult

    • Posts: 6
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #30 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:27:57 »
    safa so gud

    Offline AstralYT

    • Posts: 99
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #31 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:29:30 »
    FINALLY, my prayers have been heard.

    Offline nu_types

    • Formerly Iredeus
    • Posts: 477
    • Location: North Carolina
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #32 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:31:33 »
    This is smexy

    Offline RA Can

    • Posts: 41
    • Location: Saudi Arabia
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #33 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:31:43 »

    Offline Phractals

    • Posts: 20
    • Location: Germany
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #34 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:43:35 »
    Safa so gud. Finally a project worth supporting for me. So much work and passion put into this and it shows :thumb:

    This will be the first rectangle GB I'll join and without having to think twice about it.

    Offline sagarsiddhpura

    • Posts: 138
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #35 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:45:50 »
    Not a fan of letters on top of the board where it just sits in front of you whether you like it or not. This is even more unattractive when something is written in other language and its unfamiliar. Please offer an option without it. Other than that great ic, great board. Looking forward to this

    Offline herfalerf

    • Posts: 91
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #36 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:47:41 »
    This board look nice. Sound nice. Target price is also nice.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    Offline of_sam

    • Posts: 272
    • Location: United States
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #37 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:48:21 »
    Not a fan of letters on top of the board where it just sits in front of you whether you like it or not. This is even more unattractive when something is written in other language and its unfamiliar. Please offer an option without it. Other than that great ic, great board. Looking forward to this
    Jane, Whale, and every other tkl in existence sweating rn.
    Typing on: HHKB Pro 2 - Stock :aware:
    Collection: F1.69, Police, Jubi, RF 87U, En Dash, Rosenthal, Soulless, Frog, Calliope, GAF 910, Sabre, W1-AT

    Offline Poesjuh

    • Posts: 726
    • Location: Netherlands - N-H
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #38 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:49:19 »
    Sign me up


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    Offline niicao

    • Posts: 17
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #39 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:54:45 »
    i've been following this board for some time by now, must say that it's an amazing board and adding to it, paul is such a nice guy, its a no brainer for me

    Offline herbologist

    • Posts: 91
    • Location: out of it
    • beige enjoyer. send help.
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #40 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:55:47 »
    Safa so lit, gimme now.

    Offline goya_dechi

    • Posts: 5
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #41 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:57:53 »
    Very happy to see this IC, was eyeing this project for a while. Can't wait when GB goes live!

    Offline Gnome

    • Posts: 59
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #42 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 12:59:22 »
    NE pictures of physical pcb avail?
    Green good, JIS interesting, Pricepoint fair.
    If wallet allows for it i'll get in on it.

    Offline paulgali

    • Thread Starter
    • Posts: 251
    • Location: Dubai, UAE
      • SKME
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #43 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 13:09:10 »
    NE pictures of physical pcb avail?
    Green good, JIS interesting, Pricepoint fair.
    If wallet allows for it i'll get in on it.
    Only have the proto pcb for now but here you go. Bear in mind you can also snap off the bottom pieces but it really isn’t necessary to do so




    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    Offline keeganzero

    • Posts: 72
    • Location: Sacramento, CA
    • huhu
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #44 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 13:14:48 »
    I appreciate you waiting until after NNN was over to post this
    Boards: F1-88, R1 KFE, IDB60, Cypher, HHKB Pro 2 Type-S, RF 87UW55, G80-1800, CM QFR

    Offline Slayer77

    • Posts: 372
    • Location: Pune, India
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #45 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 13:18:45 »

    Offline Klyback

    • Posts: 24
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #46 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 13:21:40 »
    188c <3

    Offline ZavaZ86

    • Posts: 122
    • Location: Denmark
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #47 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 13:44:41 »
    Safa so lit gib

    Offline sagarsiddhpura

    • Posts: 138
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #48 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 13:45:36 »
    Not a fan of letters on top of the board where it just sits in front of you whether you like it or not. This is even more unattractive when something is written in other language and its unfamiliar. Please offer an option without it. Other than that great ic, great board. Looking forward to this
    Jane, Whale, and every other tkl in existence sweating rn.

    All of those atleast had something in english. This one is completely unfamiliar. IMO nothing > logos, art > letters. Please consider an option without it

    Offline elongatedmusk

    • Posts: 42
    Re: [IC] Series 5.88 - Safa
    « Reply #49 on: Thu, 02 December 2021, 13:54:19 »
    Ne info with how much the board total weight when built?

    Anyhow, GLWIC, looking clean so far :thumb: