[IC]Nasu - A premium Alice layout keyboard - Extras on Sunday 23/10

[TjarleN]

But this means the buyer will still have to solder the switches on?

Yes, the sentence was probably reused from the Mega. product page (which is a hotswap board).
In this case we most likely will have to take the case appart, solder our own switches on the pcb and put it back together.

The only option of Keebwerk even having switches for your order is if you purchase the one offered switch from the configurator.

[HephaestusWorks]

Hi HephaestusWorks,

Silly question. But this means the buyer will still have to solder the switches on?

“ Please be aware of:
this is a barebone keyboard – We assemble your board ready for you to place your switches and caps”

Not that your team will assemble and solder the switches on for the buyer right?

Thanks in advance!

Spoke to keebwerk about this, they accidentally transferred the text from the mega web page, which is hot swap. The Nasu will not come assembled and you'll have to solder it yourself.

[Taziza]

Quick question, will other alice style boards fit on this keyboard?

[acidbern]

Hi HephaestusWorks,

Silly question. But this means the buyer will still have to solder the switches on?

“ Please be aware of:
this is a barebone keyboard – We assemble your board ready for you to place your switches and caps”

Not that your team will assemble and solder the switches on for the buyer right?

Thanks in advance!

Spoke to keebwerk about this, they accidentally transferred the text from the mega web page, which is hot swap. The Nasu will not come assembled and you'll have to solder it yourself.

Thanks for sharing. Thought of just asking to clarify my doubts. I’m looking for hotswap options as I’m an idiot with soldering at the moment. The purple nasu looks really nice though….. 

[HephaestusWorks]

Quick question, will other alice style boards fit on this keyboard?

No they will not

[Taziza]

Hi HephaestusWorks,

Silly question. But this means the buyer will still have to solder the switches on?

“ Please be aware of:
this is a barebone keyboard – We assemble your board ready for you to place your switches and caps”

Not that your team will assemble and solder the switches on for the buyer right?

Thanks in advance!

Spoke to keebwerk about this, they accidentally transferred the text from the mega web page, which is hot swap. The Nasu will not come assembled and you'll have to solder it yourself.

Thanks for sharing. Thought of just asking to clarify my doubts. I’m looking for hotswap options as I’m an idiot with soldering at the moment. The purple nasu looks really nice though….. 

I will try the millmax, the same PCB creator has made other boards on the past and, they supported that.
Unfortunately I don't have many switches in stock, and I want to try different plates as well. Therefore, for this type of experimentation it is always good a hotswap board, so lets see how it goes.

Nevertheless, I feel that keebwerk is missing an opportunity by not having a hotswap version. Thus, attending the price advantage, I don't see many people buying plates and PCBs just for the sake of experimentation.

Nevertheless, looking for the board in 5-6 months 

[Rafa_n]

Are there any pictures of the gaskets that you are using for the leaf spring? Are they mounted like on the left or on the right?

[HephaestusWorks]

Are there any pictures of the gaskets that you are using for the leaf spring? Are they mounted like on the left or on the right?

Show Image

Close to the right, we'll get some CAD pics soon

[HephaestusWorks]

Hi HephaestusWorks,

Silly question. But this means the buyer will still have to solder the switches on?

“ Please be aware of:
this is a barebone keyboard – We assemble your board ready for you to place your switches and caps”

Not that your team will assemble and solder the switches on for the buyer right?

Thanks in advance!

Spoke to keebwerk about this, they accidentally transferred the text from the mega web page, which is hot swap. The Nasu will not come assembled and you'll have to solder it yourself.

Thanks for sharing. Thought of just asking to clarify my doubts. I’m looking for hotswap options as I’m an idiot with soldering at the moment. The purple nasu looks really nice though….. 

I will try the millmax, the same PCB creator has made other boards on the past and, they supported that.
Unfortunately I don't have many switches in stock, and I want to try different plates as well. Therefore, for this type of experimentation it is always good a hotswap board, so lets see how it goes.

Nevertheless, I feel that keebwerk is missing an opportunity by not having a hotswap version. Thus, attending the price advantage, I don't see many people buying plates and PCBs just for the sake of experimentation.

Nevertheless, looking for the board in 5-6 months 

Well, it was a conscious design decision not to include hot swap. We feel that hotswapable boards feel well, kinda horrible. But obviously it's up to you to do what you want with your pcb.

[HephaestusWorks]

Hi HephaestusWorks,

Silly question. But this means the buyer will still have to solder the switches on?

“ Please be aware of:
this is a barebone keyboard – We assemble your board ready for you to place your switches and caps”

Not that your team will assemble and solder the switches on for the buyer right?

Thanks in advance!

Spoke to keebwerk about this, they accidentally transferred the text from the mega web page, which is hot swap. The Nasu will not come assembled and you'll have to solder it yourself.

Thanks for sharing. Thought of just asking to clarify my doubts. I’m looking for hotswap options as I’m an idiot with soldering at the moment. The purple nasu looks really nice though….. 

I will try the millmax, the same PCB creator has made other boards on the past and, they supported that.
Unfortunately I don't have many switches in stock, and I want to try different plates as well. Therefore, for this type of experimentation it is always good a hotswap board, so lets see how it goes.

Nevertheless, I feel that keebwerk is missing an opportunity by not having a hotswap version. Thus, attending the price advantage, I don't see many people buying plates and PCBs just for the sake of experimentation.

Nevertheless, looking for the board in 5-6 months 

Well, it was a conscious design decision not to include hot swap. We feel that hotswapable boards feel, a little bad if not done properly. There's nothing wrong with them obviously, just a personal decision not to include them as we felt that's not representative of the board and experience we wanted to deliver. But obviously it's up to you to do what you want with your pcb.

[HephaestusWorks]

Hi HephaestusWorks,

Silly question. But this means the buyer will still have to solder the switches on?

“ Please be aware of:
this is a barebone keyboard – We assemble your board ready for you to place your switches and caps”

Not that your team will assemble and solder the switches on for the buyer right?

Thanks in advance!

Spoke to keebwerk about this, they accidentally transferred the text from the mega web page, which is hot swap. The Nasu will not come assembled and you'll have to solder it yourself.

Thanks for sharing. Thought of just asking to clarify my doubts. I’m looking for hotswap options as I’m an idiot with soldering at the moment. The purple nasu looks really nice though….. 

I will try the millmax, the same PCB creator has made other boards on the past and, they supported that.
Unfortunately I don't have many switches in stock, and I want to try different plates as well. Therefore, for this type of experimentation it is always good a hotswap board, so lets see how it goes.

Nevertheless, I feel that keebwerk is missing an opportunity by not having a hotswap version. Thus, attending the price advantage, I don't see many people buying plates and PCBs just for the sake of experimentation.

Nevertheless, looking for the board in 5-6 months 

Well, it was a conscious design decision not to include hot swap. We feel that hotswapable boards feel, a little bad if not done properly. There's nothing wrong with them obviously, just a personal decision not to include them as we felt that's not representative of the board and experience we wanted to deliver. But obviously it's up to you to do what you want with your pcb.

[Rafa_n]

Hi HephaestusWorks,

Silly question. But this means the buyer will still have to solder the switches on?

“ Please be aware of:
this is a barebone keyboard – We assemble your board ready for you to place your switches and caps”

Not that your team will assemble and solder the switches on for the buyer right?

Thanks in advance!

Spoke to keebwerk about this, they accidentally transferred the text from the mega web page, which is hot swap. The Nasu will not come assembled and you'll have to solder it yourself.

Thanks for sharing. Thought of just asking to clarify my doubts. I’m looking for hotswap options as I’m an idiot with soldering at the moment. The purple nasu looks really nice though….. 

I will try the millmax, the same PCB creator has made other boards on the past and, they supported that.
Unfortunately I don't have many switches in stock, and I want to try different plates as well. Therefore, for this type of experimentation it is always good a hotswap board, so lets see how it goes.

Nevertheless, I feel that keebwerk is missing an opportunity by not having a hotswap version. Thus, attending the price advantage, I don't see many people buying plates and PCBs just for the sake of experimentation.

Nevertheless, looking for the board in 5-6 months 

Well, it was a conscious design decision not to include hot swap. We feel that hotswapable boards feel, a little bad if not done properly. There's nothing wrong with them obviously, just a personal decision not to include them as we felt that's not representative of the board and experience we wanted to deliver. But obviously it's up to you to do what you want with your pcb.

How do hotswap sockets make a board feel different at all?

[HephaestusWorks]

Hi HephaestusWorks,

Silly question. But this means the buyer will still have to solder the switches on?

“ Please be aware of:
this is a barebone keyboard – We assemble your board ready for you to place your switches and caps”

Not that your team will assemble and solder the switches on for the buyer right?

Thanks in advance!

Spoke to keebwerk about this, they accidentally transferred the text from the mega web page, which is hot swap. The Nasu will not come assembled and you'll have to solder it yourself.

Thanks for sharing. Thought of just asking to clarify my doubts. I’m looking for hotswap options as I’m an idiot with soldering at the moment. The purple nasu looks really nice though….. 

I will try the millmax, the same PCB creator has made other boards on the past and, they supported that.
Unfortunately I don't have many switches in stock, and I want to try different plates as well. Therefore, for this type of experimentation it is always good a hotswap board, so lets see how it goes.

Nevertheless, I feel that keebwerk is missing an opportunity by not having a hotswap version. Thus, attending the price advantage, I don't see many people buying plates and PCBs just for the sake of experimentation.

Nevertheless, looking for the board in 5-6 months 

Well, it was a conscious design decision not to include hot swap. We feel that hotswapable boards feel, a little bad if not done properly. There's nothing wrong with them obviously, just a personal decision not to include them as we felt that's not representative of the board and experience we wanted to deliver. But obviously it's up to you to do what you want with your pcb.

How do hotswap sockets make a board feel different at all?

Because the switches can move in the sockets. The soldered board is one rigid unit. While the hot swap is either, not connected to the pcb at all, allowing for play. Additionally if you remove all the switches the plate falls off. The other way to do hotswap is with standoffs that screw into the plate and keep rhe plate and pcb together. Which is bad because it creates hard spots around the places of the screws, a little counterintuitive on a gasket board that's supposed to create a comfortable feel.

[mariocs]

I did my order yesterday, but now I was thinking to add an extra pcb, and maybe even an extra plate.

Is that possible to do? Thank you!

I feel like this got unanswered, is this a possibility? thank you!

[Rafa_n]

Because the switches can move in the sockets. The soldered board is one rigid unit. While the hot swap is either, not connected to the pcb at all, allowing for play. Additionally if you remove all the switches the plate falls off. The other way to do hotswap is with standoffs that screw into the plate and keep rhe plate and pcb together. Which is bad because it creates hard spots around the places of the screws, a little counterintuitive on a gasket board that's supposed to create a comfortable feel.

This might be kind of true for 3 pin switches, but not for 5 pin, which are the clear standard in the community. If the plate is well made it will not be a problem.

And I don't see how the plate falling off is relevant? If you desolder all the switches and take them off, the plate will also fall off...    And there's a neat little trick to make the plate not fall off which everyone uses, which is to not remove all the switches at the same time...

[HephaestusWorks]

Because the switches can move in the sockets. The soldered board is one rigid unit. While the hot swap is either, not connected to the pcb at all, allowing for play. Additionally if you remove all the switches the plate falls off. The other way to do hotswap is with standoffs that screw into the plate and keep rhe plate and pcb together. Which is bad because it creates hard spots around the places of the screws, a little counterintuitive on a gasket board that's supposed to create a comfortable feel.

This might be kind of true for 3 pin switches, but not for 5 pin, which are the clear standard in the community. If the plate is well made it will not be a problem.

And I don't see how the plate falling off is relevant? If you desolder all the switches and take them off, the plate will also fall off...    And there's a neat little trick to make the plate not fall off which everyone uses, which is to not remove all the switches at the same time...

Sarcastic tone aside, from our experiment 5 pins also suffer from the same issue. Also falling off is a little relevant since one of the supposed nifty little features of hotswap is the ability to ya know, hot swap switches without opening the board. We personally haven't yet come across a board that you can desolder without opening. Now thank you for your snarky comment but I don't feel like we have to elaborate further.

[HephaestusWorks]

Because the switches can move in the sockets. The soldered board is one rigid unit. While the hot swap is either, not connected to the pcb at all, allowing for play. Additionally if you remove all the switches the plate falls off. The other way to do hotswap is with standoffs that screw into the plate and keep rhe plate and pcb together. Which is bad because it creates hard spots around the places of the screws, a little counterintuitive on a gasket board that's supposed to create a comfortable feel.

This might be kind of true for 3 pin switches, but not for 5 pin, which are the clear standard in the community. If the plate is well made it will not be a problem.

And I don't see how the plate falling off is relevant? If you desolder all the switches and take them off, the plate will also fall off...    And there's a neat little trick to make the plate not fall off which everyone uses, which is to not remove all the switches at the same time...

Sarcastic tone aside, from our experiment 5 pins also suffer from the same issue. Also falling off is a little relevant since one of the supposed nifty little features of hotswap is the ability to ya know, hot swap switches without opening the board. We personally haven't yet come across a board that you can desolder without opening. Now thank you for your snarky comment but we don't feel like we have to elaborate further.

[Rafa_n]

Because the switches can move in the sockets. The soldered board is one rigid unit. While the hot swap is either, not connected to the pcb at all, allowing for play. Additionally if you remove all the switches the plate falls off. The other way to do hotswap is with standoffs that screw into the plate and keep rhe plate and pcb together. Which is bad because it creates hard spots around the places of the screws, a little counterintuitive on a gasket board that's supposed to create a comfortable feel.

This might be kind of true for 3 pin switches, but not for 5 pin, which are the clear standard in the community. If the plate is well made it will not be a problem.

And I don't see how the plate falling off is relevant? If you desolder all the switches and take them off, the plate will also fall off...    And there's a neat little trick to make the plate not fall off which everyone uses, which is to not remove all the switches at the same time...

Sarcastic tone aside, from our experiment 5 pins also suffer from the same issue. Also falling off is a little relevant since one of the supposed nifty little features of hotswap is the ability to ya know, hot swap switches without opening the board. I personally haven't yet come across a board that you can desolder without opening. Now thank you for your snarky comment but I don't feel like we have to elaborate further.

Ah yes, I love when I am taking a single switch out from my hotswap pcb and the whole pcb falls off and then the whole keyboard falls apart, damn you hotswap pcbs

THE PCB WILL FALL OFF IF YOU TAKE OUT ALL THE SWITCHES AT THE SAME TIME.
How are you not understanding this?



Also, if your 5 pin swiches wobble in hotswap sockets, you either have a swich housing problem or a plate problem (cheese grate plate or bad tolerances).

[Scriba]

Hotswap has a worse sound signature

[Taziza]

Because the switches can move in the sockets. The soldered board is one rigid unit. While the hot swap is either, not connected to the pcb at all, allowing for play. Additionally if you remove all the switches the plate falls off. The other way to do hotswap is with standoffs that screw into the plate and keep rhe plate and pcb together. Which is bad because it creates hard spots around the places of the screws, a little counterintuitive on a gasket board that's supposed to create a comfortable feel.

This might be kind of true for 3 pin switches, but not for 5 pin, which are the clear standard in the community. If the plate is well made it will not be a problem.

And I don't see how the plate falling off is relevant? If you desolder all the switches and take them off, the plate will also fall off...    And there's a neat little trick to make the plate not fall off which everyone uses, which is to not remove all the switches at the same time...

Sarcastic tone aside, from our experiment 5 pins also suffer from the same issue. Also falling off is a little relevant since one of the supposed nifty little features of hotswap is the ability to ya know, hot swap switches without opening the board. I personally haven't yet come across a board that you can desolder without opening. Now thank you for your snarky comment but we don't feel like we have to elaborate further.

I might be wrong, but in case of a case foam that is less of an issue in terms of damaging the PCB and the plate.

Furthermore, I believe people change their switches differently specially on custom hotswap boards. On my case, for instance I prefer to take both apart from the case and disassemble as I see fit, I saw the same suggestion on some "how-to" on youtube.

Lastly, no harm on including a note on the keyboard highlighting how to replace switches on the hotswap version.

[Rafa_n]

Hotswap has a worse sound signature

Do you have a source on this?

[HephaestusWorks]

Because the switches can move in the sockets. The soldered board is one rigid unit. While the hot swap is either, not connected to the pcb at all, allowing for play. Additionally if you remove all the switches the plate falls off. The other way to do hotswap is with standoffs that screw into the plate and keep rhe plate and pcb together. Which is bad because it creates hard spots around the places of the screws, a little counterintuitive on a gasket board that's supposed to create a comfortable feel.

This might be kind of true for 3 pin switches, but not for 5 pin, which are the clear standard in the community. If the plate is well made it will not be a problem.

And I don't see how the plate falling off is relevant? If you desolder all the switches and take them off, the plate will also fall off...    And there's a neat little trick to make the plate not fall off which everyone uses, which is to not remove all the switches at the same time...

Sarcastic tone aside, from our experiment 5 pins also suffer from the same issue. Also falling off is a little relevant since one of the supposed nifty little features of hotswap is the ability to ya know, hot swap switches without opening the board. I personally haven't yet come across a board that you can desolder without opening. Now thank you for your snarky comment but I don't feel like we have to elaborate further.

Ah yes, I love when I am taking a single switch out from my hotswap pcb and the whole pcb falls off and then the whole keyboard falls apart, damn you hotswap pcbs

THE PCB WILL FALL OFF IF YOU TAKE OUT ALL THE SWITCHES AT THE SAME TIME.
How are you not understanding this?



Also, if your 5 pin swiches wobble in hotswap sockets, you either have a swich housing problem or a plate problem (cheese grate plate or bad tolerances).

Oh we understand alright. On the last comment we were just highlighting your non sensical comparison to the pcb falling off after being desoldered. Also, different switches have different tolerances, it's not all about the plate and pcb design, although it does play the biggest role.

P.S: just because you don't remove all the switches at once it doesn't mean that the assembly will go flawlessly, if the pcb isn't supported from underneath. There have been many occasions of the pcb being pushed down from something random, enough that you have to disassemble the board to get it back in place. That's why newer boards implement the screw and standoff on rhe plate system.

[growler]

Where's my popcorn, this is getting spicy!

Sent from my SM-G980F using Tapatalk

[HephaestusWorks]

Where's my popcorn, this is getting spicy!

Sent from my SM-G980F using Tapatalk

No, not really haha. It's just a very pointless debate that happened for..... some unknown reason. Considering that Nasu doesn't even have hot swap. We didn't think that being honest about why we didn't include an option was a crime, but at this rate we'll probably have to hire at attorney to give vague answers and leave everyone equally unsatisfied.

[growler]

Where's my popcorn, this is getting spicy!

Sent from my SM-G980F using Tapatalk

No, not really haha. It's just a very pointless debate that happened for..... some unknown reason. Considering that Nasu doesn't even have hot swap. We didn't think that being honest about why we didn't include an option was a crime, but at this rate we'll probably have to hire at attorney to give vague answers and leave everyone equally unsatisfied.

Wait, what?

Are you telling me you don't have hotswap? What on earth have I bought???


(Jokes)

Sent from my SM-G980F using Tapatalk

[cutemelon]

It's up to the designer imo.

[gloomycloud]

Just ordered. Btw, any particular reason you go with silicon gaskets instead of poron gaskets?

[HephaestusWorks]

Just ordered. Btw, any particular reason you go with silicon gaskets instead of poron gaskets?

Yes, our vendor keebwerk actually recommended silicone, and after testing both materials on the first prototypes we felt that the silicone provided an overall more unique and comfortable typing experience and acoustic profile.

[mariocs]

I did my order yesterday, but now I was thinking to add an extra pcb, and maybe even an extra plate.

Is that possible to do? Thank you!

[HephaestusWorks]

I did my order yesterday, but now I was thinking to add an extra pcb, and maybe even an extra plate.

Is that possible to do? Thank you!

It is, please contact keebwerk support and ask them

[rt_es]

Do you plan on having more sound tests of different switches/plates configurations?

[SkyBoy]

Will any protos/finished units be sent to streamers?
A professional video/sound test would be nice

[Altain]

Despite joining the GB with full understanding that this won't come with the wrist rest, I really do hope someday a GB for that would happen.
really expecting to get this board on hand!

[gloomycloud]

Just ordered. Btw, any particular reason you go with silicon gaskets instead of poron gaskets?

Yes, our vendor keebwerk actually recommended silicone, and after testing both materials on the first prototypes we felt that the silicone provided an overall more unique and comfortable typing experience and acoustic profile.

Sg, looking for a discord server for getting updates easier

[Scriba]

Hotswap has a worse sound signature

Do you have a source on this?

mainly personal experience, but i have heard the same comments from most enthusiasts. there are of course (as about everything) also videos of it.

[Curin Derwin]

Will the anno have a smooth/glazed finish or a matte, fingerprint color-bend finish? It's hard to tell from the photos, but the purple looks nice and smooth.

[HephaestusWorks]

Will the anno have a smooth/glazed finish or a matte, fingerprint color-bend finish? It's hard to tell from the photos, but the purple looks nice and smooth.

The ano will be matte and very smooth to the touch, the grain is pretty fine. We'll get some close-up shots of the anodized proto for you to inspect.

[HephaestusWorks]

Just ordered. Btw, any particular reason you go with silicon gaskets instead of poron gaskets?

Yes, our vendor keebwerk actually recommended silicone, and after testing both materials on the first prototypes we felt that the silicone provided an overall more unique and comfortable typing experience and acoustic profile.

Sg, looking for a discord server for getting updates easier

The server is being made as we speak, will go live tomorrow evening most likely.

[Scriba]

Will the anno have a smooth/glazed finish or a matte, fingerprint color-bend finish? It's hard to tell from the photos, but the purple looks nice and smooth.

The ano will be matte and very smooth to the touch, the grain is pretty fine. We'll get some close-up shots of the anodized proto for you to inspect.

nice, I am looking forward to it

[tsolin01]

Hotswap has a worse sound signature

Do you have a source on this?

mainly personal experience, but i have heard the same comments from most enthusiasts. there are of course (as about everything) also videos of it.

This video says he can't tell a difference between hotswap sockets and soldered in terms of sound... from your response I was expecting the video to say hotswap sounds worse.

[cutemelon]

What colors did you guys end up going with?

[growler]

BLUE, BLUE AND BLUE

Sent from my SM-G980F using Tapatalk

[HephaestusWorks]

BLUE, BLUE AND BLUE

Sent from my SM-G980F using Tapatalk

We are hephaestus works, and we approve of this statement

But we're definitely most excited about the purple.

[growler]

Oh no, maybe I got the wrong one....

Sent from my SM-G980F using Tapatalk

[PhantomKyubii]

What colors did you guys end up going with?

Purple on Purple on Pom :^)

[growler]

Any news on opening up to more than one pp if not yet fully subscribed?

Sent from my SM-G980F using Tapatalk

[nihonjam]

I did white white silver/pom. Still think I should get red base but keeping it all white gives the most flexibility for various sets and might look better with brass than red. hmmmm

[HephaestusWorks]

Any news on opening up to more than one pp if not yet fully subscribed?

Sent from my SM-G980F using Tapatalk

Yes, we most likely will. We are currently figuring out the logistics of that, shipping will obviously have to be paid again since the volume and mass essentially doubles.. But anyone who wanted it had their chance, so we don't see why we should keep the limitation. That said we're giving buyers some more time, probably untill Friday or Saturday. But we'll let you know for sure by Friday.

[First Hit Bash Designs]

In for a purple top, e-white bottom, with blue alu plate and a pom plate extra! Purple and blue looked awesome together on the configurator and thought it would be cooler than just purple on purple. And very glad I got a chance to do a purple top / e-white bottom build after I passed over this option on the ESNTL TKL for maroon and white instead.

This is my first alice-style board, been waiting for a nice looking GB for a couple months now. Love the color options and flexibility and it looks like it will be a very solid board.

While this wasn't on my radar at all until the GB post showed up in r/mechgroupbuys, it is very quickly shooting to the top of my list of most-anticipated GB boards that I have pending completion!

GLWGB, eagerly awaiting mine. 

[forbidden404]

I wasn't aware of this GB until today, thankfully managed to get a red one, first Alice layout I get.