Author Topic: [IC] Pandora - The 1 Percent 60% - GB Sept 12th! - Group Buy post made  (Read 84432 times)

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Offline Koobaczech

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  • Posts: 400
  • Location: Florida, USA
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    • Pearlboards
Updates

July 8, 2020
Some people were mentioning Keycult similarities and wanting some measure of closure on the matter, so I reached out to them. They are the nicest and most mature people I think I've had the pleasure of talking with. Keycult understood the similarities, inspirations and goal of the board and gave me an "OK" to continue on with the project.

September 12, 2020
GB has started.





















Content


Welcome
Hello! My name is Koobaczech and I love designing cool, fun and unique bespoke boards! Some of you may know me from Pearl 40%, but I've made other boards as well such as Espectro, Atlas65, ZeusTKL, ZeusPad, Percival. You can find most of my projects on my IG or in my Discord.



Introducing Pandora 60% - For the 1%
Pandora is a super premium 60% that is packed with all the Koob tech you would expect. I worked very hard on this project some years ago, but never ran it. I have resurrected and refined it for todays market with the best features I could add. Everything was designed in house and with patience and love. Before going further, I want to extend a kind note to any newcomers that this is not a beginner friendly board. It requires patience, knowledge, and proper handling to ensure its proper function. I say this in regard to things such as aligning plates with gasket systems, not over-tightening polycarbonate parts, understanding which plates are best for you, and properly using a hotswap PCB. With that being said, lets start listing some things that I put into these bad boys. One last note, what's listed here is currently being exercised in my two Prototypes!



Disclaimer
I want to extend a kind note to any newcomers that this is not a beginner friendly board. It requires patience, knowledge, and proper handling to ensure its proper function. I say this in regard to things such as but not limited to, aligning plates with gasket systems, not over-tightening polycarbonate parts, understanding which plates are best for you, properly using a hotswap pcb with the right switches, picking the right materials and combinations, and understanding how to build/program a custom board.



Collaborations
I reached out to my favorite makers out there, and am proud to announce the main collaboration in this project will be with premium cable maker Bear Cable Co. They make high quality coiled, sleeved, protected cables that you would expect, but add the extra details that matter. When you receive your custom cable with gold plated ends, painted connectors and that sweet coil, your keyboard setup is complete. Hit him up now until the GB ends for any special fulfillment requests. Next collab I am trying to provide will be with premium artisan maker Latrialum to make limited badges! More info to come!



Case Options
9.5 degree typing angle
"Full Isolation" Poron Gasket mounting system
MX HHKB, ANSI, WKL tops
Big bottom weight
USB 2.0 HUB
Rear mounted rotary encoder for push/rotate functions to adjust things like volume
Laser engraved accent pieces
Alu 6063 or Dyed Polycarbonate case options
Caps indicator led on case top
RGB Underglow
EVA Foam dampening available for case and PCB/plate
Gold plated mounting hardware
Bear_Cable_Co cables for every order
Full bodied RGB diffuser



PCB Options
ANSI, ISO, TSANGAN layouts
Split lshift, rshift, backspace and stepped caps on solder PCB
Hotswap PCB available in TSANGAN layout w/ normal backspace
10u spacebar support
Latest USB C Daughterboard tech
Flex cuts across pcb center



Plate Options
Alu, Brass, Stainless Steel, Pom, Polycarbonate, Fr4, Titanium, Carbon Fiber
Ansi or Iso plates
Halfplate or Fullplate
Relief "meme" cuts on all halfplates



Timeline, Price and Availability (All subject to change)
Price starts at $610
FCFS limited to 300 units
GB set for September 2020



NO's in this project
MATIAS or Plate Mounted Cherry Stabilizer support
Numbered weights
Split spacebar



Special Thanks
Evy (formerly MaartenWut) - Taught me PCB design
Dingusxmcgee_, All rendering work
JordiJolimon(StrataKb), prototype laser cutting
Robotical, Shadohhh, Kaazzeerr, Mangoes, IRL support
Bear Cable Co, Latrialum, collab support
Jetpacktuxedo, Olivia, MechMerlin, Taylor, QMK support
Mr. Keebs, Gondolindrim, r4wromg, Nixytheria, Lulzthax, design support
Exclusive, Riotonthebay, Walletburner, design inspirations



Contact
Discord - Koobaczech#0001
Youtube -
https://www.youtube.com/c/Pearlboards
Website - https://pearlboards.net
Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/user/Koobaczech/
Email - pearlboards@gmail.com
Join the Pearlboards Discord and discuss Pandora in the #pandora channel! Pearlboards Discord



Signature
(Please add this to your profile to support Pandora 60%)
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[url=https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=108522.0][img width=267 height=120]https://i.imgur.com/5CYazwC.jpg[/img][/url]


« Last Edit: Mon, 27 September 2021, 13:22:56 by Koobaczech »

Offline PikaJoyce

  • Posts: 131
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #1 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 01:19:31 »
BIG FAN #1!

Pandora looks fantastic!

Offline r4wromg

  • Posts: 32
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #2 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 01:20:21 »
Holy, Koob is BACK y'all and he's bringing the heat. Looking forward to seeing how this develops!

Offline stevesie

  • Posts: 10
  • Location: US-Fl
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #3 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 01:20:48 »
I love the polycarb cases. Looking good! Good luck!

Offline shawnlin

  • Posts: 21
  • Location: Singapore
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #4 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 01:21:07 »
It's finally here!

Offline crusader_alex

  • Posts: 141
  • Location: Greece
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #5 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 01:23:29 »
Yes

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Offline Koobaczech

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    • Pearlboards
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #6 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 01:23:53 »
Haha thanks y'all<3 Been a long tough expensive road

Offline Vadurr

  • Posts: 737
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Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #7 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 01:28:33 »
color me interested!

Offline joecoolbob

  • Posts: 24
  • Location: Bay Area
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #8 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 01:35:00 »
woah that usb hub is sick! also interesting knob location haha
268.2 | MEME | Kendo FE

Offline jamster

  • Posts: 1091
  • Location: Asia
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #9 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 01:41:10 »
I couldn't find it in the description, what does the button on the back of the case do?

Offline Koobaczech

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    • Pearlboards
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #10 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 01:44:38 »
I couldn't find it in the description, what does the button on the back of the case do?
Hey brother, that's a programmable rotary encoder. It's a push/rotate switch essentially. You can turn it for volume and push it for mute/unmute as an example. Its my favorite thing about the boards so far! Sample QMK code in the keymap.c file could look something like

if (index == 0)
        if (clockwise)
            {
            tap_code(KC_AUDIO_VOL_UP);
        } else {
            tap_code(KC_AUDIO_VOL_DOWN);
        }
    }

Offline jamster

  • Posts: 1091
  • Location: Asia
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #11 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 01:52:07 »
Ah, cool. I had searched the opening post for the word "button" and didn't catch that there was an encoder. Having it activate on push (e.g. for a quick "mute") is a great idea.

Offline KingsofLeon

  • Posts: 8
  • Location: Singapore
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #12 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 01:54:19 »
Yes

Offline Rejeckted

  • Posts: 101
  • Location: San Diego, California
  • Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum... I smell Kraft dinnah
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #13 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 01:57:54 »
Looks amazing, following this for sure

Offline lolafineday

  • Posts: 314
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #14 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 02:00:18 »
Definetely in for the dyed polycarb, it would be awesome if there was a burgundy dyed option, I have been wanting one forever!

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Offline pixelpusher

  • * Elevated Elder
  • Posts: 4177
  • Location: Tennessee - USA
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #15 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 02:07:21 »
pfffffft.... 10u spacebar.  Not enough balls to go full 15.  Lame.

Looking forward to the GB, dude.

Offline Eastji

  • Posts: 23
  • draw 2 cards
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #16 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 02:11:44 »
Let's go! the polycarb looks sick!

Offline Manticzeus

  • Posts: 28
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #17 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 02:36:03 »
I mean, do I even need to tell you I am in? :P

Offline victorpre

  • Posts: 124
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #18 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 02:51:58 »
I love the vast list of features. Will try to get one ;D

Offline dededecline

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Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #19 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 03:15:00 »
I love this! In if split spacebar becomes available

Offline kimchijody

  • Posts: 93
  • Location: Los Angeles, CA
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #20 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 03:23:12 »
I don't like 60% but this puts a smile on my face. Big Keycult No. 1 vibes and I'm here for it! Also, gaddamn 10 degree typing angle.

A few subjective notes:

One of the things that sticks out to me are the bottom case screw holes. They pour over the edge of the case ever so slightly. Not a huge deal but might be worth considering moving them slightly more inward. Or enlarging the bezel(s) bit.

The rotary encoder on the back of the case is an interesting design element. Seems like a bit of an awkward spot to have it but I personally kind of like it. If people elect not to have it will there be a "badge" of sorts to fill the hole in the case?

I know the underside of the winglets are to allow led shine through, but will they have some sort of pc/acrylic cover over the holes? Would make picking up the case more comfortable.

Are there any pictures of the bottom of the Polycarb version? I assume this comes with the same weight as well?

Lastly, is there a Discord to keep up with updates?

I'll be watching this very closely. I love the design. There's some interesting things going on with this board. GLWIC!
« Last Edit: Wed, 08 July 2020, 03:26:20 by kimchijody »

Offline kimchijody

  • Posts: 93
  • Location: Los Angeles, CA
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #21 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 03:23:54 »
I love this! In if split spacebar becomes available

Lol you would  :))

Offline zoo

  • Posts: 188
    • zoo
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #22 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 03:51:21 »
Typing test and listed features has me really excited! A smaller weight logo design size with larger margins and better matching corner radii would refine the sophistication to the next level.
« Last Edit: Wed, 08 July 2020, 03:52:59 by zoo »

Offline EnjoyMyInSec

  • Posts: 303
  • Location: France
  • 60% or bust
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #23 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 04:57:23 »
My favorite keyboard is back to life, get my cash right now  :thumb:

Offline TofuOrganic

  • Posts: 30
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #24 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 05:32:28 »
Although ’m not sure how I feel about the silver branding top left, this looks dope. Can’t wait to see this hit GB!

Offline Space_Case88

  • Posts: 96
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  • keebs, anime, video games and coffee
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #25 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 05:45:59 »
Yes Please. I want this. :thumb:

Offline KrasH

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Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #26 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 05:59:27 »
Now Keycult will get angry about the bottom design :)

Offline bard

  • Posts: 128
  • Location: PL
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #27 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 05:59:56 »
copy-pasta.. and unique bespoke boards!
no.. thanks!

Offline DJSwayde

  • Posts: 222
  • Location: Illinois
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #28 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 06:02:53 »
Oh snap. Might have to get in on this, good seeing you man!
Mains: Bakers 6T (silver)   |   Bakers CL64 (silver)   |   CannonKeys Bakeneko60 (black)   |   Carolina Mech Palmetto (black)   |   LZ CLS h (silver)   |   Monokei Kei R1 (standard red, HHKB)   |   PFU Limited HHKB Pro 1 (PD-KB300BN)   |   PFU Limited HHKB Pro 2 (PD-KB400B)   |   PFU Limited HHKB Pro 2 Type-S (PD-KB400WS)   |   SINGAKBD x TGR Unikorn R1 (black)   |   Weaston GSKT-00 R1 (gray [re-anodized silver, HHKB])   |   Weaston GSKT-00-Z (silver, AEK HHKB)

Alps: Apple Extended Keyboard II (M3501, Taiwanese)   |   Apple Standard Keyboard (M0116, US)   |   Dell AT101 (GYI3PVAT101, US)    |   IBM Multistation 5556-001 (Chinese)   |   IBM P70 (ANSI-US, thick)   |   MET Micro Officer 6000 (R315-00)   |   SGI AT-101 "Beige"   |   Zenith Data Systems TurbosPORT 386
Cherry: G80-3000LPCXY-2 #1   |   G80-3000LPCXY-2 #2   |   G80-3485LWNUS #1 (Das Keyboard II)   |   G80-3485LWNUS #2 (Das Keyboard II)   |   G81-1281SAW (Zenith Data Systems)   |   G81-3000SAT   |   G81-3090SAQ (Schneider)   |   G81-3100SEBUS
Topre: PFU Limited HHKB Blank (charcoal [PD-KB300BN])   |   PFU Limited HHKB Printed (charcoal [PD-KB400B])   |   PFU Limited HHKB Printed (gray [PD-KB400WS])   |   Realforce 91UDK-G (NG02B0)   |   Realforce 103UB (SE42B0)   |   Realforce Taiwanese kit (dark gray)   |   Sony BKE-9400A   |   Sony MKS-8050


Collection

Offline Shadohhh

  • Posts: 52
  • Location: Florida
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #29 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 06:10:30 »
 :thumb:

Offline MatthewPham

  • Posts: 37
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #30 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 06:47:03 »
I was just thinking about what happened to you the other day

Offline JCraftCables

  • Posts: 99
    • Instagram
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #31 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 07:00:42 »
Very nice design and a unique 10 degree typing angle! And rationale on why the steeper angle?

Offline Nixytheria

  • Posts: 224
  • Location: Southeast Asia
  • nix studio
    • Instagram
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #32 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 07:12:51 »
Really looking forward for this. Prestige!

Offline donut_sauce

  • Posts: 390
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #33 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 07:17:19 »
So excited for this!!!

Offline GaNeBaL

  • Posts: 84
  • Location: Toronto
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #34 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 07:23:22 »
more of this please.
Obsessed with 60%TKLs

Offline Solotov

  • Posts: 366
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #35 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 07:48:27 »
Interesting knob position  ;D
Flex is love, flex is life.

Offline o3okevin

  • Posts: 364
  • Location: Canada
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #36 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 07:49:09 »
this is sick

Offline mchanneh

  • Posts: 58
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • trying to reset terrible typing habits!
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #37 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 07:59:27 »
followed!
Kailh Box Royals | Cherry Reds | Knockoff Blues

Offline LuiKang

  • Posts: 59
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #38 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 08:03:26 »
Asked for a 15u spacebar, but got 10u. Nice board! Looking to acquire one or two.

Offline cijanzen

  • Posts: 604
[IC] Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #39 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 08:16:21 »
You already know what I think but just want to echo my support for you here as well.
« Last Edit: Thu, 09 July 2020, 09:36:42 by cijanzen »

Offline KingOfMemes

  • Posts: 845
  • Location: Murica, the best country in the world
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #40 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 08:41:54 »
Hope I can nab one

Offline break

  • Posts: 402
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #41 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 08:51:52 »
Koob!! You know I need arrow keys up top, but I love the details here. Chunky middle accent, unique weight design, PC options... Best of luck with IC and GB!

Offline mangoes

  • Posts: 25
  • Location: Raleigh, NC
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #42 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 09:27:08 »
This board and the guy who runs it are both v insane, love you Koobae <3

Offline Hedgey

  • Posts: 249
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #43 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 09:31:11 »
This thing is going to generate stupid levels of hype, and I'm here to support you all the way, buddy! 

GET IT!!
"Resellers don't kill the community, auctioneers kill the community. Look at what happened to Diablo 3"

Offline Visionaire

  • Posts: 613
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #44 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 09:32:10 »
Hate to be debbie downer here, but that bottom is a KC No1. The design language of the sides and badge still look like Exclusive's work. People can feel free to buy whatever they want, but this board resembles a knock-off / clone IMO.

Carry on...


Offline bisoromi

  • Formerly Duwang
  • Posts: 219
  • Location: D[M]V
  • owo
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #45 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 10:07:42 »
glwic!!!!!!

love me some knobs
(credits to Kokaloo)

Offline dingusxmcgee

  • Posts: 214
  • Location: West MI
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #46 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 10:21:57 »
This looks beautiful and the underside cuts are a nice touch. GLWIC!

Offline Bleddyn

  • Posts: 67
  • Location: United Kingdom
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #47 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 11:11:26 »
Glad to see this out to the wider public, been following you and your stuff for years, been waiting for people to see this though.
This is gonna be good, do not sleep on it.

Offline Koobaczech

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 400
  • Location: Florida, USA
  • Don't forget to smile :)
    • Pearlboards
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #48 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 11:16:24 »
A few subjective notes:

One of the things that sticks out to me are the bottom case screw holes. They pour over the edge of the case ever so slightly. Not a huge deal but might be worth considering moving them slightly more inward. Or enlarging the bezel(s) bit.

The rotary encoder on the back of the case is an interesting design element. Seems like a bit of an awkward spot to have it but I personally kind of like it. If people elect not to have it will there be a "badge" of sorts to fill the hole in the case?

I know the underside of the winglets are to allow led shine through, but will they have some sort of pc/acrylic cover over the holes? Would make picking up the case more comfortable.

Are there any pictures of the bottom of the Polycarb version? I assume this comes with the same weight as well?

Lastly, is there a Discord to keep up with updates?

I'll be watching this very closely. I love the design. There's some interesting things going on with this board. GLWIC!
Thanks for the comments Kimchi! I will be scrutinizing the final designs closely don't worry! For the encoder, its all go or no go! There's no way to fill that hole cleanly if no encoder sits there, especially since the hole is filleted like a velocity stack (google it). Also, It"s actually super natural to reach for it in the back, just try making the movements yourself you will see! For the winglets, my original Pandora had polycarbonate inserts in the winglets! I noticed they pop in if you pick the board up and poke them, AND they don't diffuse light down how I want them to. So I elected to leave them out in the redesign! Just have to be careful with the board. I will be taking more photos, but yes its the same as the Alu. You can make the weight out of any material you want, that's just what I did for the protos. No discord, there are already so many discords! Just here and IG are best places to follow. Thanks again!!

Very nice design and a unique 10 degree typing angle! And rationale on why the steeper angle?
Ty Craft! I love the angle paired with a wrist wrest, plus the aesthetics of the angled board! Just a personal detail I guess!

Hate to be debbie downer here, but that bottom is a KC No1. The design language of the sides and badge still look like Exclusive's work. People can feel free to buy whatever they want, but this board resembles a knock-off / clone IMO.
It's alright Visionaire, no downing here. I/we all respect your shared opinion as well as the hard work of other designers! I've mentioned them in my inspirations section and love their work!

Everyone else who has left wonderful comments and opinions, thank you for the tireless support and I'm happy to see everyone's faces and names again! I will be posting more content in the days to come! :thumb:
« Last Edit: Wed, 08 July 2020, 11:23:38 by Koobaczech »

Offline cadrev

  • Posts: 97
Re: Pandora - The 1 Percent 60%
« Reply #49 on: Wed, 08 July 2020, 11:25:18 »
Ohhhhhhhhh this is super nice. Is thing going to be raffle though? Still, I'm in regardless. That bottom weight looks so elegant.