Author Topic: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | GB Completed  (Read 39051 times)

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Offline jouz

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[GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | GB Completed
« on: Mon, 07 September 2020, 13:47:56 »




Raffle Results
The official update on the Raffle results: There were  213 entries, whose order have been randomised. Every participant should have received an anonymized raffle id. The top 100 entries & their orders are posted here: https://bit.ly/2FsxHck
Batch 1 (spots 1-22) has been fully shipped. Batch 2 is up to spot 50, and will be processed throughout April.
Note that some dropouts have been removed, so your spot might have improved since the end of the raffle.
Once batch 2 has been completed, extras & b-stock will be offered to those in spots 50-75.

Introduction & Motivation

This is a GB for an HHKB-Alice-like aluminum case (+PCBs & other extras). The name BMEK stands for Bemeier Ergonomic Keyboard.
I’ve documented the progress of this design in the Making Stuff Together forums since October 2019.
In July 2020, I've started the IC thread, which yielded a number of refinements over the original design...
  • Multiple layout options
  • A pretty nice selection of anodization colors
  • A flex- & half- plate option
  • upgrades to the PCB such as ESD protection and VIA support
...all of which by now have been evaluated with working prototypes.

This entire project has remained true to it's DIY / Making Stuff Together roots. All files (case design, PCB, etc) remain published under an open source license (BMEK GitHub).
There are a number of members that have produced their own cases based on this design using different (plastic) materials using small CNCs and 3D Printing services.
We have a pretty active DIY channel on our discord with a lovely bunch of mechheads helping each other making versions of the BMEK.

But why do a group buy if everybody can make their own?

This group buy features the one thing that is still hard to do DIY: A CNC'd, anodized aluminum case:



More
Design

The BMEK design is unique in a number of ways.
First and foremost it sports an HHKB-style layout combined with the ergonomically rotated center clusters similar to Alice-likes.
We also keep (a version of) the macro-keys on the left from the Alice-like layout.
However, the key-placement was redone from scratch, changing some of the (to my mind) awkward key placements inherited from the original EM7 layout, such as the stepped bottom row modifiers.

Another design principle was symmetry. The case is symmetric along it’s vertical center axis, and the key layout conforms to this symmetry:
The opposing homing keys and opposing outer-most keys have the same distance to the center of the case.
BMEK further differs from your typical Alice-like with it’s more aggressive looking outline.
The top and side edges follow the key layout instead of being square, which (to my knowledge) hasn't been done previously, either.




Assembly

It’s a high profile case with top-mounted assembly.
There is an option to fasten the PCB to the top case when using the hot-swap PCB (a solder-only PCB will also be available).
The typing angle is 6 degrees, the center clusters are rotated inwards by 10 degrees.
The distance from the plate/switches from the ground is kept as low as possible.
The bottom case can house a non-cosmetic weight (i.e., it’s not visible from the outside).
A fully assembled case (with weight, PCB, Plate Switches and Keycaps) comes in at 1855g.



Layout Options & Plate

There are four layout options (keyboard layout editor), all supported with both plate styles:
  • 2U backspace VS Split backspace
  • 2.75u right shift VS split right shift
  • 2.75u spacebar VS 2.25u spacebar (both left and right half)
  • 2.25u left shift vs ISO-style split left-shift
Layout Options:

Regular Plate:

Flex/Half-Plate:


Note that all layout options will be available both on the hotswap and the solder PCB.
However, when assembling the hotswap PCB, you'll have to decide for which layout to configure the hotswap sockets.
(i.e. just like with layout options for the switches, the socket footprints overlap with some offset).



Blocker
The original concept for the BMEK was to use 2x2.75u spacebars (for the symmetry).
While I wanted to keep this option, the reality is that spacebar kits often just include 1x2.75u and 1x2.25u.
The blocker fills the gap when using a 2.25u spacebar instead of a 2.75u spacebar. It can be used on either side.
The blocker is designed to go just up to the chamfer of the inner edge of the top case.
This leaves the original symmetric lines of the high profile case in tact while filling the missing gap nicely:




Personally, I've started to like the look quite a bit.

Bottom Side

The bottom side features an engraved "BMR" Bemeier Logo and 4 10mm diameter recesses for rubber feet (which are included):



PCB
  • QMK / VIA Support!
  • USB-C (full usb-c to usb-c support)
  • ESD Protection (thanks to help from ai03!)
  • 2 Versions: Hotswap & Solder
  • Color: good-old green soldermask
  • 6 optional LEDs for various indicators & cosmetic effects
  • Depending on the layout options, you will require 4-6 2U PCB mounted stabilizers.




Manufacturing

We’re using 3DHubs for the of machining case, plates and bottom weights. Turns out they are not much more expensive than quotes I’ve gotten from manufacturers in China (at least for someone like me without deep connections into the manufacturing scene there). They are also a good fit for me as a single person running this group buy: They have a good way of handling QC disputes, and all costs are know upfront (there will be no surprises with import taxes for me, etc). What's more, we're using the 3DHubs Sample Verification Program, which means that we'll get another set of prototypes from the factory that is producing the final run which we can review for quality & fit before the rest of the batch will be manufactured.
3DHubs also really fits with the spirit of the “Making Stuff Together” & Open Source heritage of this project. It is really easy for individuals to use their service to produce copies of BMEK parts (or derivatives). Of course, single parts are expensive (in particular CNC parts), but I guess it’s nice to know that you have that option :).

The same is true for the PCBs. All files and instructions will be made available, so you could just order the PCB yourself from JLCPCB or similar suppliers.

Renders

Check out the IC thread for more renders

↢ ↢ ↢ Unfold for Design Details, Layout Options, etc

Colors & Materials

The case will be machined from Aluminum 6061-T6, bead-blasted at a high grit (150), and type II Anoidized to one of these colors:

Case
  • Black
  • Dark Blue (~Pantone 533 C)
  • Dark Violet (~Pantone 5115 C )
  • Anthracite Gray (~RAL 7016)
  • Silver (*see Note 1)

Note that the pictures of the prototypes are of the violet and the silver (unanodized) one.
The violet prototype has a smoothed surface, and was not bead-blasted.
The silver one shows the bead-blasted surface.




Plate

Plates will be machined in sheet-metal process from Aluminum 5052, also with Type II anodization:
  • Black
  • Teal (Pantone 3258C)
  • Silver (*see Note 1)




Note 1 - Silver/unanodized:
Beware that unanodized also means that the aluminium surface will not be hardened, and thus not be as scratch resistant as the anodized versions.
I absolutely wouldn't worry about this for the plate, however for the case this is something too keep in mind.
This option is really for people that plan to do something custom to their case (or plate), such as getting it powder coated, cerakoted, or even anodizing yourself.


Brass Blocker with Logo
There will be one blocker included in the base kit with the same case material & color (see fold out the "design details" above for more details on the blocker).
As an extra option, you can get a brass version of the blocker (Brass C360, Brushed & Electropolished Ra0.8µm, 32µin) with the engraved "BMR" Bemeier logo:



Price, Base Kit + Extras

Price for the base kit: 299€, excl fees and shipping.
This includes:
  • 1x Top Case
  • 1x Bottom Case
  • 1x Blocker
  • 1x Regular Plate
  • 1x PCB - solder or hot swap without sockets, with unsoldered sockets: +10€ (*see Note 2)
  • Screws & Hex-keys
  • Rubber feet
  • Bottom weight (Copper black-oxide, non cosmetic,~700g)

Extras:
  • Extra Regular plate (black, teal or silver): 19€
  • Flex/Half-Plate (black): 33€ (fold out design details above for more info)
  • Extra PCB solder or hot swap (without sockets): 23€
  • Extra PCB hot swap (with unsoldered sockets): 33€
  • Extra Blocker (same as your case color): 13€
  • Extra Blocker (brass with engraved logo): 23€

Note 2 - Why unsoldered Hotswap?
I cannot offer to ship the hotswap PCBs pre-soldered with the hotswap sockets as I don't have an option to get bottom side assembled from the factory.
I am already going to hand solder LEDs and USB connectors, which is managable, but that's about the maximum manual work that I want to do for 50+ pcbs.
Plus, since several of the socket position depend on the layout option that you prefer, soldering the sockets on your end will be required anyway.
So instead (as you can see above), I'm offering to bulk order these sockets for this group buy and ship 72 unsoldered sockets for 10€ extra.
It may be cheaper for you to just get some sockets in your next kbdfans order.


GB Procedure & Timeline
There are 50 total spots for the GB which have been filled using a raffle.
Shipping from Germany, worldwide (see notes in FAQ).

Winners of the first batch (see below) will get sent the advance payment requests and have 48 hours to complete payment.
Missing payment means getting dropped from the sheet, opining a spot for the next in line.

The GB will be realized in two batches:
  • The first batch of 22 (maybe +1 more) orders will be paid after the raffle and shipped ASAP (estimate: Mid-Late November 2020 if we manage to complete payment of the first batch in September).
  • The second batch will be ordered and manufactured along with the first batch, but won't ship before January 2021 (*see Note 3 for rationale)
  • The people in the second batch have their spot reserved until January 2021, and they only need to pay then. If someone in the second batch doesn't want to wait that long - no hard feelings. Unclaimed spots will be sold as extras (exact procedure TBD, but likely giving others on the waiting list priority)

Note 3 - Why two batches?
I'm running this GB as a "Kleingewerbe" ("small business", I can't just do these sales privately under german law).
This is made relatively simple (in terms of German bureaucracy) as long as my sales don't exceed a certain limit per year.
This limit is computed on the fraction of the year since the founding date of the "Kleingewerbe" (which was in August 2020).
So to not exceed this limit in 2020 I can't sell more than ~22-23 keyboards+extras (selling 26+ in 2021 is no problem).
This is also why I can't make any invoices for the second batch in 2020


More updates coming this week. Feel free to ask for clarification if anything about the procedure or the offer is unclear.

More

Raffle
  • One entry per person, Absolutely no selling spots (both for reserved spots and random winners)
  • This list of orders will be published anonymously, you’ll receive your raffle ID through the mail that you’ve provided (also indicating the to-be expected total price including paypal fees)
  • Absolutely no selling/tradings spots
  • At any point during the raffle process, i.e. if I have suspicion of raffle manipulation, I may do some checks for legitimacy of the entries. If anything looks like foul play, I'll reserve the right to exclude orders from Raffle

Payment
  • You will receive a paypal invoice for the BMEK and for shipping separately. It will be in euro currency and it will cover the expected paypal fees (I’m assuming payment comes from the indicated shipping country). This will be the only payment option for buyers from non-european countries.
  • If for whatever reason, the quoted paypal fees were lower than what I’ve computed, I’ll reimburse you with the shipping invoice.
  • For buyers in Europe, specifically from SEPA countries, I’ll happily accept payment through IBAN transfer, dropping paypal fees.

Payment
  • Shipping will be done from Hamburg, Germany
  • I’ll ask for exact shipping details after you’ve paid for the BMEK order.
  • Payment requests for shipping will be sent out later towards the actual shipping date. You’ll be charged the exact costs I’m incurring for the shipping only (packaging costs are already covered by the base price)
  • Shipping cost highly depend on the destination country. We’ll pick the cheapest option for you that offers full tracking and insurance. Per default this seems to be DHL, but in case there is an alternative for your country that is significantly cheaper we can work out choosing a different carrier together.
  • If you’ve got concerns about whether shipping is possible to your specific country and what costs will occur, ask me and I will try to give you an estimate.
  • Beware that there are some limitations and extra costs to shipping for some destinations due to COVID. DHL has been starting to relax some of the restrictions recently, let’s hope that also the extra costs for some destinations will be dropped soon.
  • Any import fees/taxes/VAT owed are the responsibility of the buyer. Since the package is being sent from within Europe, there should be no taxes for europeans. The US also doesn’t seem to ask for import taxes on keyboards. I’m not sure about other countries.
  • If delivery fails and is returned to me for whatever reason, we’ll work out how to resend it. Per default this will be at the buyers expense (but I can offer to share part of the cost on a case-by-case basis).
  • DHLs current option for US shipping covers up to 5kg packages, so weight won’t be an issue. However, for some other destinations we could save a bit in shipping costs by dropping the “copper bottom weight” part, as this might get the total package weight below 2kg. So if you don’t need that part anyway, just let me know and we can see if it could save money for your situation.
  • I will rigorously take pictures of each keyboard + invoice outside and inside the packaging and share it with you so that we will have plenty of evidence in case shipping damage.

What if things go wrong?
  • Part of joining a group buy means sharing some risk, as the finished product is yet to be produced. The prototypes are representative, but small things could potentially still go wrong, I’ll do my best to make everybody happy, but in the end you’ll always share some of the risk with me and every other buyer.
  • I’ll receive final review parts from the final batch before the manufacturer makes the entire batch. If at that point, something is unfixable wrong we have the option to stop the GB and everybody will get refunded (very unlikely, but this at least to me is good to know).
  • I will conduct my own QC (including pictures of each board) before shipping to you. If there are parts that are less than what I deem acceptable, I will communicate this with you and with the manufacturer and we’ll find a mutually acceptable solution. This may or may not include remaking parts and/or (partial) refunds from the manufacturer, depending on what you want, what the manufacturer offers, and what is logistically feasible for me.
    • Here are some of the things I’ll be looking for in QC:
      • PCB functionality (flashing and spot testing keys, unless I discover that full tests are required)
      • Tool marks on visible surfaces of the case
      • Anodization “spots” on visible surfaces
      • Otherwise noticeably inconsistent surface finish (bead blasting) on visible surfaces
      • Any dents (i.e due to clamping) on visible surfaces and mating surfaces that affect the fit...
      • ...and tolerances between top & bottom case
      • Properly tapped threads (will do mostly through visual inspection & spot checking)
    • This is what I don't consider problematic:
      • Tool marks / clamp marks / spotty anodization / on inside/non-visible surfaces
      • Switch Plates & Bottom Weight can somewhat be considered visible, but small dents / spots that don’t affect the function of the plate may be acceptable, as they are (likely) invisible when assembled
      • The small blocker is hard to manufacture as it is so small, I’m only considering the top surface as “visible”, not the sides. I.e. there can be clamping marks on the sides of the blockers (as long as they don’t affect tolerances & fit!)
  • This does not mean that each part that I’ll be shipping to you will be 100% perfect. I’ll apply a reasonably high standard, but I can miss some things, and I won’t dispute the tiniest of marks that wouldn’t be visible to the naked eye. I understand if this is not acceptable to you, but please consider twice if you still want to join if you expect space-grade perfection <3.

↢ ↢ ↢ GB Procedure FAQ & Conditions
« Last Edit: Sat, 27 November 2021, 05:42:59 by jouz »

Offline Signature

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Announcing Raffle
« Reply #1 on: Tue, 08 September 2020, 03:25:28 »
Approved!
Very busy with studies atm.

Offline beekey

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Announcing Raffle
« Reply #2 on: Tue, 08 September 2020, 04:00:13 »
So looking forward to this! I hope for RNG luck and to support a german maker! Viel Glück!

Offline nathanchere

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Announcing Raffle
« Reply #3 on: Tue, 08 September 2020, 06:17:52 »
Fingers crossed :D

Offline ycanales

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Announcing Raffle
« Reply #4 on: Tue, 08 September 2020, 07:11:24 »
Awesome! Can't wait  ;D

Offline gnho

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Announcing Raffle
« Reply #5 on: Tue, 08 September 2020, 08:15:20 »
Awesome! Congrats on entering the GB stage!

Offline Maantje

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Announcing Raffle
« Reply #6 on: Tue, 08 September 2020, 08:20:51 »
This looks great, excited to try and get in!

Offline nathanchere

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Announcing Raffle
« Reply #7 on: Tue, 08 September 2020, 18:12:35 »
PS: your signature still links to the IC ;)

Offline dakatisshort

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Announcing Raffle
« Reply #8 on: Tue, 08 September 2020, 20:50:27 »
Excited!

Offline num

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Announcing Raffle
« Reply #9 on: Wed, 09 September 2020, 02:22:30 »
Well done jouz! Excited to see this get to a GB after all the work you (and early adopters) have put into it! Especially awesome is the everything-open-source part!

Offline jouz

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Announcing Raffle
« Reply #10 on: Wed, 09 September 2020, 02:43:50 »
Well done jouz! Excited to see this get to a GB after all the work you (and early adopters) have put into it! Especially awesome is the everything-open-source part!

Thank you, to be honest - you're the one who started it all, inspiring me to go for a CNC'd version!

PS: your signature still links to the IC ;)

Thanks, and fixed!

Edit: I've provided an exact time for the raffle start with a calendar Link, and I've slightly adapted the minimum runtime & payment time to help me make sure we can wrap up ordering the parts at the beginning of the week after.
« Last Edit: Wed, 09 September 2020, 03:11:55 by jouz »

Offline KeebOnMe

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Announcing Raffle
« Reply #11 on: Wed, 09 September 2020, 21:36:34 »
The board looks great! I was curious if you would allow the raffle winner to get a different bottom color case from the top?
For example, the top case blue and the bottom purple?

Offline jouz

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Announcing Raffle
« Reply #12 on: Thu, 10 September 2020, 13:50:50 »
The board looks great! I was curious if you would allow the raffle winner to get a different bottom color case from the top?
For example, the top case blue and the bottom purple?

Thanks!
This won't be part of the raffle/order form due to the situation with the second batch (as described the main post).
I want to avoid having these "crazy" configurations in the orders from the second batch, as these orders are not "binding", and I might have to sell as extras.

That being said, if you win the raffle, and are in the first batch, just leave me a message and we should be able to make this happen!

Offline KingOfMemes

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Announcing Raffle
« Reply #13 on: Thu, 10 September 2020, 14:54:12 »
How many raffle entries can we have?

Offline jouz

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Announcing Raffle
« Reply #14 on: Fri, 11 September 2020, 06:34:22 »
How many raffle entries can we have?

Please keep it to one entry per person. If there is a high number of fake/double entries, I'm afraid that it might affect processing of the payments. (which in turn may delay ordering - my contact at 3DHubs will be going on vacation later this month, so I really want to get the orders in ASAP :) ).

Offline jouz

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Announcing Raffle
« Reply #15 on: Sat, 12 September 2020, 07:09:06 »
Updated the main post with some more information on the materials & surface finish used, as well as added one more big preview image with renders of the color options.
After some feedback sessions on discord we've also settled on the design for the logo engraved in the brass blocker (also see the main post).

Edit: I also added the raffle form link which will go online tomorrow :)
« Last Edit: Sat, 12 September 2020, 12:18:14 by jouz »

Offline mchanneh

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Raffle open!
« Reply #16 on: Sun, 13 September 2020, 05:52:23 »
OH it's live! GL everyone!
Kailh Box Royals | Cherry Reds | Knockoff Blues

Offline dom

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Raffle open!
« Reply #17 on: Sun, 13 September 2020, 06:20:39 »
RESPECT for doing raffle (rather than FCFS)  :thumb:

Offline Lord_Rabel

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Raffle open!
« Reply #18 on: Sun, 13 September 2020, 08:03:19 »
Das BMEK ist von einem Deutsch?!
Boah ich war mal kurz davor mir die V1 selbst zu machen, mir fehlt nur leider das Budget xD

Offline nathanchere

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Raffle open!
« Reply #19 on: Sun, 13 September 2020, 10:45:28 »
Tried filling out the raffle form, just wondering - is flex plate not available in teal?

Offline jouz

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Raffle open!
« Reply #20 on: Sun, 13 September 2020, 11:40:59 »
Tried filling out the raffle form, just wondering - is flex plate not available in teal?

I can only offer the flex plate in 1 color since much fewer will be produced. I picked black because it's was much more popular than teal in the Kit IC form I ran.

Offline lonalde

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Raffle open!
« Reply #21 on: Sun, 13 September 2020, 12:02:38 »
Entered my info, hopefully I get it! Board looks great. What's the difference between the regular plate and flex plate though?

Offline zuggykeys

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Raffle open!
« Reply #22 on: Sun, 13 September 2020, 13:07:16 »
Good luck with the GB.  Entered for a black + extras.

Offline vurtomatic

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Raffle open!
« Reply #23 on: Sun, 13 September 2020, 18:32:09 »
Was there a consideration for wrist rest to go with this? I thought I came across mentions but I might've misremembered.

Offline nathanchere

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Raffle open!
« Reply #24 on: Mon, 14 September 2020, 04:26:38 »
Entered my info, hopefully I get it! Board looks great. What's the difference between the regular plate and flex plate though?

Addition relief cuts for flex

Offline jouz

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Raffle open!
« Reply #25 on: Mon, 14 September 2020, 06:14:52 »
Was there a consideration for wrist rest to go with this? I thought I came across mentions but I might've misremembered.
Great question!
  • I made a simple design for a wrist rest (files are on the github).
  • I have looked into options of producing it for the GB, but didn't find a way to do it for a reasonable cost (I would've preferred PC) that can be executed without delaying the GB further
  • I did make one from wood myself (which you may have seen), it was pretty easy. I'm confident there will be several other cheap DIY solutions worked out on the DIY discord channel :)
  • ...but doing a small GB (perhaps split by continent for cheaper shipping costs) for a nice wrist rest down the road is definitely not out of the question!

Edit: we've started a wrist-rest design channel on discord ;)
« Last Edit: Mon, 14 September 2020, 13:08:39 by jouz »

Offline dorkvader

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Raffle open!
« Reply #26 on: Mon, 14 September 2020, 13:50:35 »
Hi there,

Hope I win the raffle (fingers crossed) but even if I don't win, can I still get a PCB/plate? My soldering skills are good, but I'd have trouble with the type-C.

Cheers,
DV

Offline jouz

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Raffle open!
« Reply #27 on: Tue, 15 September 2020, 02:06:19 »
Hi all, thanks for participating!

I've just closed the raffle - there were 213 entries, which I'm really happy about - it's enough for me to not get concerned about being able to sell all cases, but not too many so that the odds are small for people entering.

I'm now going to randomize the order and have a brief check for any obvious double entries that I will remove (I've already spotted a couple really blatant ones).
I will then anonymize all entries (by removing all personal information such as country and usernames) and publish a spreadsheet of the top 100 raffle spots.
Each raffle entry on the top 100 will receive a unique raffle id. You should receive an email with your raffle id within the next ~hour to check where you landed.

To the top 22 (sorry, not 23/24, will explain later) are in the first batch which is planned to ship in November - to you I'll send a payment request ASAP.
The remainder (spot ~23-50) are reserved spots for the second batch - however if you're closed to spot 22, you might shift into the first batch if people there are failing to pay.

Hope this makes sense for now :) let me know if you have any questions

Offline jouz

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Raffle open!
« Reply #28 on: Tue, 15 September 2020, 03:07:05 »
The anonymized list of the top 100 raffle spots is here https://bit.ly/2FsxHck
I've started sending out emails informing you of your raffle ID 20 minutes ago, however my google apps script exceeded the email quota at spot 78. I'll send out the rest once my quota fills back up.

Offline juntheboon

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Raffle closed - notifying winners!
« Reply #29 on: Tue, 15 September 2020, 03:54:44 »
If I didn't get an email with my raffle ID, I'm guessing that means I lost right?  :confused:

Offline nathanchere

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Raffle closed - notifying winners!
« Reply #30 on: Tue, 15 September 2020, 04:24:50 »
There's some hope:

Quote
however my google apps script exceeded the email quota at spot 78. I'll send out the rest once my quota fills back up


but once those are sent, yeah, unless it's hiding in your spam/junk folder.
« Last Edit: Tue, 15 September 2020, 04:36:39 by nathanchere »

Offline juntheboon

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Re: [GB] BMEK - &quot;Alice x HHKB&quot; | Raffle closed - notifying winners!
« Reply #31 on: Tue, 15 September 2020, 04:26:07 »
They literally answered your question right before you:

Quote
however my google apps script exceeded the email quota at spot 78. I'll send out the rest once my quota fills back up
Thanks


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Offline mgh112

  • Posts: 17
Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Raffle open!
« Reply #32 on: Tue, 15 September 2020, 08:18:19 »
Hi all, thanks for participating!

I've just closed the raffle - there were 213 entries, which I'm really happy about - it's enough for me to not get concerned about being able to sell all cases, but not too many so that the odds are small for people entering.

I'm now going to randomize the order and have a brief check for any obvious double entries that I will remove (I've already spotted a couple really blatant ones).
I will then anonymize all entries (by removing all personal information such as country and usernames) and publish a spreadsheet of the top 100 raffle spots.
Each raffle entry on the top 100 will receive a unique raffle id. You should receive an email with your raffle id within the next ~hour to check where you landed.

To the top 22 (sorry, not 23/24, will explain later) are in the first batch which is planned to ship in November - to you I'll send a payment request ASAP.
The remainder (spot ~23-50) are reserved spots for the second batch - however if you're closed to spot 22, you might shift into the first batch if people there are failing to pay.

Hope this makes sense for now :) let me know if you have any questions

I also did not receive an email with my raffle ID..still going out maybe?

Offline jouz

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Raffle closed - notifying winners!
« Reply #33 on: Tue, 15 September 2020, 11:03:43 »
I also did not receive an email with my raffle ID..still going out maybe?

See the note on top of the main post. Once my mail quota for the google apps scripts is filling back, up I'll send out the remainder of the mails (looks like I have max 100 mails every 24 hrs, so at least I'll be able to notify all of the top 100 by tomorrow).
But again, if you haven't received a mail yet, it means you're on spot 79+ (thus not extremely likely to shift back up into the range of batch 2).

Offline KingOfMemes

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Raffle closed - notifying winners!
« Reply #34 on: Tue, 15 September 2020, 11:23:10 »
I also did not receive an email with my raffle ID..still going out maybe?

See the note on top of the main post. Once my mail quota for the google apps scripts is filling back, up I'll send out the remainder of the mails (looks like I have max 100 mails every 24 hrs, so at least I'll be able to notify all of the top 100 by tomorrow).
But again, if you haven't received a mail yet, it means you're on spot 79+ (thus not extremely likely to shift back up into the range of batch 2).
Call me a dumbass, but how do I find out what my raffleID was

Offline jouz

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Raffle closed - notifying winners!
« Reply #35 on: Tue, 15 September 2020, 12:04:30 »
Call me a dumbass, but how do I find out what my raffleID was

It's not you, it's me. I'm obviously failing to communicate this clearly:
After doing the raffle (i.e. randomizing the order of entries), all entries were anonymized by generating the raffle ID (a 6-letter string).
The raffle ID was then sent automatically to the mail address associated with the raffle entry by a script.
The script started at the top of the list and worked it's way down. (top meaning: where the raffle winners are).
However, due to the maximum number of mails that can be sent using "app scripts" on google sheets per day, it stopped at spot 78 (the quota likely is 100, but I had used up a bunch while testing this script earlier).

So if you have not received a mail from me since, it means you're on spot 79 or later (which is bad news for you/anyone that hasn't received a mail yet - really sorry :( ).

For completion sake, I'll make sure that everyone at least up to spot 100 will get their their raffle ID sent tomorrow, when the "email quota" is recharged.
« Last Edit: Tue, 15 September 2020, 12:15:09 by jouz »

Offline KingOfMemes

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Raffle closed - notifying winners!
« Reply #36 on: Tue, 15 September 2020, 12:10:02 »
Call me a dumbass, but how do I find out what my raffleID was

It's not you, it's me. I'm obviously failing to communicate this clearly:
After doing the raffle (i.e. randomizing the order of entries), all entries were anonymized by generating the raffle ID (a 6-letter string).
The raffle ID was then sent automatically to the mail address associated with the raffle entry by a script.
The script started at the top of the list and worked it's way down. (top meaning: where the raffle winners are).
However, due to the maximum number of mails that can be sent using "app scripts" on google sheets per day, it stopped at spot 78 (the quota likely is 100, but I had used up a bunch while testing this script earlier).

So if you have not received a mail from me since, it means your on spot 79 or later (which is bad news for you/anyone that hasn't received a mail yet - really sorry :( ).

For completion sake, I'll make sure that everyone at least up to spot 100 will get their their raffle ID sent tomorrow, when the "email quota" is recharged.
Ohhhh that makes sense. Got it :thumb:

Offline jouz

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Raffle closed - notifying winners!
« Reply #37 on: Thu, 17 September 2020, 03:12:20 »
I've sent out a mail to everyone in the second batch and on the remainder of the waiting list to confirm their intent to participate.
This hopefully makes sure we can filter out some of the dropouts and increase the chances for people that are now on the waiting list to get what they want.

Offline jubei

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | Batch 1 Payment Processed!
« Reply #38 on: Sat, 19 September 2020, 01:57:05 »
Damn. Missed it. Watching in case there’s a spot that opens 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

Offline jouz

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | In Production
« Reply #39 on: Thu, 24 September 2020, 03:20:23 »
CNC parts are in production :)

Offline nathanchere

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | In Production
« Reply #40 on: Thu, 24 September 2020, 05:13:34 »
CNC parts are in production :)

Given that this is the first split layout board I've found at all appealing since the VE.A (which I wouldn't want any more with its fixed backspace/right-shift) I'm disproportionately excited about any progress news at all. I've already started working on a wrist rest :D

Offline jouz

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | In Production
« Reply #41 on: Thu, 24 September 2020, 09:22:31 »
Given that this is the first split layout board I've found at all appealing since the VE.A (which I wouldn't want any more with its fixed backspace/right-shift) I'm disproportionately excited about any progress news at all. I've already started working on a wrist rest :D

 ;D did you find the 3d model for the wrist rest on github?

I've also attached patterns (dxf and pdf) if you want to use a 2d process. I've made one for myself by printing out the pdf with the pattern and cut it on a bandsaw :)

(the pdf is A4, it has two halves of the pattern to glue together, as it didn't fit completely).

Offline nathanchere

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | In Production
« Reply #42 on: Fri, 25 September 2020, 09:07:10 »
;D did you find the 3d model for the wrist rest on github?
At the moment I'm still at the stage of prototyping the effect I'm going for as a square, not trying to fit the shape of the BMEK yet. I appreciate the files for later use though!

Offline nathanchere

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | In Production
« Reply #43 on: Wed, 21 October 2020, 07:56:27 »
[edit[ no
« Last Edit: Thu, 22 October 2020, 01:30:45 by nathanchere »

Offline jouz

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | In Production
« Reply #44 on: Sun, 01 November 2020, 08:42:19 »
Update - Most parts arrived!

Hi everyone, just wanted to give a quick update on the progress that accumulated in the last weeks - sorry I didn't update you guys earlier, but between work, managing the gb production, I've also been moving from the Netherlands to Germany (I'm still employed in NL, but given the home-office situation for the foreseeable future, I've decided moved in with my partner in Germany for good :) ).

Case Design Verification Sample
The final design verification sample of the CNC parts arrived (i.e. the case & blocker parts). I've reviewed it and gave some feedback, mostly minor details. We've slightly updated the blocker files for a better fit: Since the blocker has to cleanly nest into the corner, ideally the corner radius for blocker is a little bigger than the radius on that corner of the case. I had done this to some extent, but we've noticed that I should've done a little more to be safe, given the tolerances due to machining and anodization (which also changes the thickness of the case slightly).

Another weak point of the sample was that the anodization wasn't properly sealed, which means that the color pigments weren't properly enclosed, and the surface isn't super resilient to scratches - 3DHubs immediately caught onto this in their QC pass, even before I received the samples, and they made clear that this needs improvement.
Otherwise the manufacturer did a great job on the surface finish, it's a very fine bead-blasting job, resulting in a smooth but not shiny surface - of course with the proper sealing this will still change a bit, but I think everyone will be pleased with the results :)





PCBs
I've also received all PCBs for batch 1 (I'll order the rest for bath 2 later). Very happy again with JLCPCB being quick and reliable (although we had a couple of days of nail-biting because they didn't have the ATMEGAs in stock when I originally planned to order. :)) ).

Yesterday, I've assembled all of the PCBs needed for batch 1 without any problems - had set up a little sweatshop in our kitchen:


Sorry for the bad images. Here is a video of me using the heatgun to solder the LEDs :)

Plates & Weights
All sheet metal parts (plates & bottom weights) also arrived:



Both have excellent quality in terms of the tolerances, surface and color. There is only a very minor flaw with some of the teal plates: During anodization, they have likely hung the parts on a rod through the big hole on the plates. They painted those spots with the same color, but it is still a little visible if you look closely:


This flaw falls well within what I've deem acceptable for these parts though, since the plates are only partially visible, and that particular spot is completely covered on the top by the case, and on the bottom by the PCB. Just wanted to let you guys know upfront :).

Shipping material
The shipping material arrived as well (packaging & shipping boxes, bubble wrap, foam protection, etc). I had it shipped to my parents place, since it's a bit difficult to receive big pallet shipments at my private address. I haven't had the chance to inspect it yet, but I'm sure that will work out:


A little DIY bonus
I've been playing around with infilling engravings with paint on other keyboards and wanted to see what this would look like on the BMEK, so I thought these sample parts are good test subjects for this:



In the second pic, if you look closely, you can see a side effect of the poor anodization sealing on the sample part: I couldn't quite clean off all the excess paint with nailpolish, as a some of the white pigment got stuck into the pores. This shouldn't be an issue with the final parts.

Timeline updates
So all in all it took almost two weeks longer than planned for the verification samples to arrive - at least 1 week of it was due to corona shipping delays. And as you are all aware, the situation isn't particularly improving. I've had almost a month of extra time for this to be able to meet the end-of-november shipping time, but that time is being eaten away quickly.

Since the design verification sample was not 100% perfect, I didn't feel comfortable to just give the go-ahead on the rest of the parts. 3DHubs was accommodating here and offered to just start with all the black parts (~10 keyboards) and ship them to me ASAP. If those parts meet our standards, I'll give the go-ahead for the remainder of the parts.
But if the parts are still not 100% satisfying, they'll just have to fix 10 keyboards instead of the entire shipment.
This way we limit the risks for all parties involved (you, me, 3DHubs and the manufacturer) at the cost of just a little bit more delay. I hope you understand.

Meanwhile, since basically all other parts (PCBs, plates, bottom weights, screws & hex keys, rubber feet, packaging) are already there, I can start preparing the shipping for batch 1 to the extent that all that will be left to do is to put the case parts into the box once they arrive & handle the shipping with you.
« Last Edit: Tue, 03 November 2020, 05:28:51 by jouz »

Offline vurtomatic

  • Posts: 31
Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | In Production
« Reply #45 on: Sun, 01 November 2020, 09:46:19 »
Looks great, seems to be going smoothly all things considered! Thanks for the ongoing effort and the big update!  :thumb:

Offline nathanchere

  • Posts: 707
Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | In Production
« Reply #46 on: Sun, 01 November 2020, 11:38:48 »
Exciting news! I can definitely better appreciate why you wouldn't want to offer hotswap socket installation after looking at that stack of PCBs to get through :D

Offline basedRNC

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Re: [GB] BMEK - &quot;Alice x HHKB&quot; | In Production
« Reply #47 on: Mon, 02 November 2020, 01:17:02 »
Can’t believe I missed this... any chance for a round 2?


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Offline jouz

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Re: [GB] BMEK - "Alice x HHKB" | In Production
« Reply #48 on: Sat, 28 November 2020, 07:39:28 »
November Update

Hi all, here is a long overdue update on the progress.
As announced in the previous update, we continued with the black & unanodized parts before going all in with the rest of the colors.
That was at the beginning of the month, and those parts finally arrived yesterday. Part of this is the manufacturer being slower than expected, part of is certainly the incredibly slow shipping we're experiencing currently.

Parts review
The machining is absolutely perfect, the mating surfaces/edges look good, the logo looks great, and the beadblasting job is also great - we have a really nice surface look and feel :). The blockers also look & fit great!
The only thing I noticed that here and there, a couple of threads were just about not deep enough for one type of screws I planned to use with these. This is really on me though, I should've left some room here for tolerances. I already ordered better fitting screws that I'll ship along - so nothing to worry about.

The silver parts are all great, so are all the blockers. The black parts overall are also great - but there are a couple that have slightly uneven anodization when looked at under a certain light. While we're taking action to improve this for the rest of the parts (and I'm very confident it will work out), this is nothing to worry about for those 4 people that ordered black keyboards - I ordered the most extras of the black ones (to balance out the overall color orders :P), so I'll be able to give you the best parts of course :).

It does mean that there will be some "b-ish"-black-stock available after the GB is over for a decent discount!

Here some pictures:



Timeline Updates
I will be starting to contact those in batch 1 that ordered black or silver cases early next week for the shipping details, and prepare the final invoices including the remainder for the shipping cost.

As for the timeline for the other colors, as you may imagine, we're not going to manage the "end of November" shipping deadline. I am really really sorry for this, I was so confident we could make it, as I've planned in an entire month of extra time to make this timeline, but it is what it is - and I generally got the vibe from people on discord that they prefer good quality over pressuring to meet the deadline.

After talking to 3DHubs about the remaining parts, they are working hard to get a 14 day lead time for the rest of the parts from now. After shipping, this should still get to me before or between xmas & new years. Either way, I'm planning to ship pretty much as soon as the parts are coming in, since I've pretty much prepared everything. This also means that I should still be able to start shipping batch 2 in early-ish January. It's probably still best not to plan your life around these deadlines, but to the extend I can influence it, I will do my best to ship ASAP :)
« Last Edit: Sat, 28 November 2020, 07:48:40 by jouz »

Offline jouz

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Re: [GB] BMEK - &quot;Alice x HHKB&quot; | In Production
« Reply #49 on: Sat, 28 November 2020, 07:47:28 »
Can’t believe I missed this... any chance for a round 2?

Not anytime soon from my end, besides selling extras - but there is a decent chance people will make smaller GBs from the open source files :), check out the discord, we have a #diy channel and I'm encouraging & supporting people to build their own BMEKs.