[IC] BP One by Baron Boards, a McLaren themed TKL | Prototypes Recieved

[lbaron]

BP One by Baron Boards

Thank you for looking at my very first keyboard design since creating Baron Boards.  I would like to introduce you all to the BP One!

I've had the idea for doing an exotic car themed board since 2020 with early models dating back then.  As my flagship kickoff board for Baron Boards, I wanted something special, inspired heavily by the Mclaren P1, the BP One is smooth and sleek; Hopefully unlike anything you've seen before on a keyboard.

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Change log

- Updated design including
  - Downward slope in rear of board where logo is
  - Rear Diffuser has a lip on it
  - Front of board now has more of a 'smile' like mclarens
  - Added engraving inside the board with "BP One" seen through the rear grill (seen in render directly above this)
  - updated attachment method from magnets to screws on rear grill

- Received initial quote for prototypes and manufacturing

- Target retail price of $499

- 3D printed full size board

- Received Carbon fiber parts of the board to test out on 3d printed model, including CF plate

- Leaning toward Polycarbonate Mounts for the 'leaf spring' (shown in renders)

- Added Wrist Rest design
  - Testing with clear polycarbonate inserts for the top vents to make a smooth surface for resting wrists but still see the shape of vents
  - Additionally testing with CarbonFiber inserts incase the polycarbonate ones don't give the desired effect
  - AKB Bumpons will be used on the rear of the rest rest to keep it from contacting the BP One

- Prototypes recieved


Wrist Rest

Modular Mounting System

This board will feature my new 'Modular Mounting System'

My brain started turning on this mounting system after hearing about a "leaf spring" mount being teased.  It has since grown beyond my initial design theory.  This new modular mounting system allows for near limitless customization.  You get to choose what kind of mounts to build the keyboard with.  You get to choose where to mount the plate to the keyboard.  You get to choose how many mounts to use on your unique build.  I have prototyped a keyboard with this system in it already.

Currently I have designed and prototyped 4 types of mounts.  I originally had them laser cut in POM but have now moved to 3D printing for quicker iterations

- Solid Mount, this gives a fixed mounting position similar to a top mount with minimal flex


- O-ring Mount, this lays the plate onto a rubber oring allowing some movement and a softer typing experience


- Gasket Mount, this mount gives the feel of a sandwich gasket compression on the plate


- Leaf Spring Mount, this allows for substantial movement of the plate acting with a rebound force


You can mix and match mounts too! And forever expanding.  If you have an idea for a design or shape let me know and I'll test it out
Back to the BP One  - short for Baron Production One.  This name is an ode to the McLaren P1.  The original McLaren P1 was Experimental Prototype (XP), then moved to Validation Prototype (VP), then Pre-production (PP) and then Production so this seemed fitting.

My current thoughts for the board will feature the following:
 - Modular Mounting System
 - Carbon Fiber Accents
 - All aluminum construction (besides carbon fiber bits)
 - Carbon Fiber plate (currently testing on my modular mounting system)
 - Top to be e-coated for a vibrant color
 - Potential for a glossy cerakote top at an additional premium
 - All other parts anodized aluminum
 - Designed around a 7.5 deg typing angle
 - Traditional F12 TKL layout with both WK and WKL top
 - Unified DB
 - AKB feet

Still to do:
 - Experiment with different materials for modular mounting system (nylon, ABS, POM, PolyCarb, CF reinforced plastics)
  - So far Polycarbonate is my favorite for leaf spring mount which will be the most challenging mount
 - 3D print a full size model to verify look and feel of the shape of the board
 - Additional colors options
 - Explore 3rd party coating solutions for a gloss finish, this would most likely be a premium and most likely cerakote (looking to be too expensive)
 - PCB Design
 - Order prototype (just received pricing today)
 - Sourcing of parts (screws, magnets, feet, etc)
 - Packaging
 - Continual iterations on design based on community feedback (you opinion does matter to me, and I don't consider the board complete without it)
 - Design an optional wrist rest to capture in more detail the front curving nature of the McLaren
 - Pricing, Quantity, go live date

Join me here or on my discord to discuss this board further and give feedback.  Or comment here, I will be following along closely.

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Archived Images

More

Special Thanks
 - To my discord moderator team which gave input to the design
 - KingTruff88 who helped with continual feedback and rendering along the way
 - Pensa73 for renders
 - Asle for business help
 - Everyone who has helped me get to where I am along the way through support in prior endeavors (S+R), feedback and friendship

[arq1999]

I wish there was a red option

[lbaron]

I wish there was a red option

Under my still to do is additional color options.  Custom powder coats and e-coats are kinda expensive ($1000ish each), so anodized colors would be great, of which red would be pretty easy to hit with ano, although i would really love a vibrant green as well.

[Juego]

I'm in 

[Chippy]

Mounting system looks really interesting. Will be keeping an eye on this!

[Parallax Keyboards]

Beautiful Keyboard Lbaron. You've knocked it out of the park!
Really nice and refreshing to see something so good looking yet different. I can really tell you have gone to town with the design with so much attention to detail.
Wishing you all the very best with this project. It's been a real pleasure to be involved and help you out where I can 
Wishing you every success.
Your good friend,
KingTruff88

[Alvi]

Good luck with the board Lbaron,

I love the Mclaren Orange, I've always wanted a board that was both interesting (for my taste) and in that colourway. The back of the board, with the carbon fibre grill, looks great!

[TomahawkLabs]

Good luck with the board Lbaron,

I love the Mclaren Orange Papaya, I've always wanted a board that was both interesting (for my taste) and in that colourway. The back of the board, with the carbon fibre grill, looks great!

Fixed it for ya

[PizzaForce]

Interested in the mounting system. Will keep an eye on this.

[xjack312]

Customizability of the mounting system looks awesome, interested to see how it performs

[VXQN]

Very cool mounting system, and impressive realisation of your chosen theme!

[Alchemist Keyboards]

In a sea of derivative copycats this is a breath of fresh air to me. I'm excited to see where this goes for you dude!

[tactilesbad]

and you guys complain about angry miao boards

[lbaron]

Mounting system looks really interesting. Will be keeping an eye on this!

Thanks, I'm very excited for it and have been churning through iterations of it;  right now I'm trying to nail down designs I like and materials I like that give the feeling I think people expect.

Customizability of the mounting system looks awesome, interested to see how it performs

Thank you!  so far I've tried POM, PLA, ASA, PC, TPU and have some carbon reinforced nylon and PETG coming in.  Once I get them nailed I want to do different tests on how the different materials transmit sound (if there is any notable change at all)

Good luck with the board Lbaron,

I love the Mclaren Orange, I've always wanted a board that was both interesting (for my taste) and in that colourway. The back of the board, with the carbon fibre grill, looks great!

Thank you!  I hope to nail the color the best I can

Very cool mounting system, and impressive realisation of your chosen theme!

I'm constantly taking feedback either here or on discord about how I can improve on the design; new changes coming soon!

Interested in the mounting system. Will keep an eye on this.

I hope to make it standard across future boards I design as well. 

In a sea of derivative copycats this is a breath of fresh air to me. I'm excited to see where this goes for you dude!

Thank you James; that means a lot to me coming from such a well regarded designer!  Stay tuned for further tweaks.

[lbaron]

Design has been updated with small changes

Renders have been updated to reflect

Changelog has been updated

Target price based on quotes I received is $499

Archived old design renders

[Robert.Lussier5]

That neon yellow one looks rad!

[LightningXI]

Some really cool design choices here that stand out as something different. Best of luck in your newest endeavors, lbaron!

Hope to stumble upon your designs on my desk or at meetups in the near future

[Wise Donkey]

I only have one word. Sexy!

[TimeRelapse]

Proposed mounts look interesting! Would be curious to see how they feel/sound since it’s a different take on existing mounts. Great job with making things interesting though with the design language!

[Poesjuh]

This is kinda cool, definitely something interesting. I need a proto with sa keycaps on it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[herfalerf]

This is a really interesting mounting system.  I was lucky enough to try the proto out at the most recent Co meetup and I think there is a lot of potential here.  Will be keeping an eye on this.

[lbaron]

Updates:
-Added Wrist Rest
-Prototypes on order this week

Let me know what you think of the wrist rest.  I'm going to prototype with clear PC inserts into the top to see how they look in the vents, yet provide a smooth surface to wrest your wrists on.  I'm also going to get carbon fiber inserts in case the PC ones don't give me the look I'm going for.  Even though the carbon fiber ones would hide the vent shape, I would like to see how it looks just for completeness during the prototyping phase.

[StefanVoda]

This is, truly, the keyboard of all times. I have no words. GL!

[lbaron]

Update:

All prototypes have been received!  Tomorrow I have a CO keyboard meetup and am planning on bringing them to show off. Stay tuned for additional pictures and updates.

Quick notes:
- WOW the finished product is even better than I expected, being able to hold it in hand and type on it is amazing
- Prototyped some POM laser cut modular mounts and have been testing them for the past month, very promising
- I'm going to prototype the rear vent area without thru-holes and only milled in, but sealed to give people the option if they want a sealed board for sound purposes

Thanks ~ Luke

[blondie]

Two things. First, I hope a variant with Windows keys will be available. I use those keys a lot in Linux (wish they weren't called Windows keys).

Second, with the cool holes in the back, I think if they were still through holes, but with some thin backer behind them painted in Vanta Black, it would still look like they go through to the inside while retaining a sealed board for better sound.

[lbaron]

Two things. First, I hope a variant with Windows keys will be available. I use those keys a lot in Linux (wish they weren't called Windows keys).

Second, with the cool holes in the back, I think if they were still through holes, but with some thin backer behind them painted in Vanta Black, it would still look like they go through to the inside while retaining a sealed board for better sound.

Hi Blondie, yes I will definitely be offering the board in both WKL and WK versions;  I have the design made for the rear without vents like attached.  I'd probably have to leave it up to the individual owner to go paint a deep black look on them as it would be too time consuming to be feasible to for me to do it.

[hwalker84]

This may be one of the sexiest boards I've ever seen. I'm going to need one WK version please 

[lbaron]

Tune in for a build stream starting at 3PM mountain time tomorrow, Sunday the 22nd.  One of my Colorado locals @theadept will be doing the stream on his twitch channel.  https://www.twitch.tv/theadept024

He will be building the Papaya Orange BP One with broken in Nixies.  Additionally he 3d printed a sealed rear vent so we can hear a comparison between a sealed rear and vented rear sound signature on the board.

[gak1234]

Howdy from Eastern Colorado! I'm totally game to own one of these boards, specially if there was a metallic purple frame option. 
I like the ventless grille, I would probably go that route to keep it quieter... however, a vented grille with some kind of foam "cold air intake" filter material would look sweet.
I also echo the sentiment of hope that WK version should always be option. I love the Menu key where it is

The only thing that could make this board any more amazing is if there was also an attachable/detachable Num+Macropad "sidecar" option to go along with it. I'm still a die-hard tenkey user, and freely admit that the numpad belongs on the left (arrows and the other 9 keys still on the right), and yearn for more and better southpaw 104+ keyboards. Since full-size and southpaw are not exactly in high demand, I think the perfect solution to the lack of those options is for more keyboard designers to include detachable/attachable "bolt on" numpad/arrow modules in their designs. The Luminkey98 is on the right track, but they should have just made the entire numpad a separate, but perfectly matching/seamless add-on module to the TKL portion.