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Author Topic: [IC] Calla - Seamless Side Profile F13 TKL w/ reduced switch spacing | GB Soon!  (Read 40748 times)

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Offline kevinave

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Re: [IC] Calla - Seamless Side Profile F13 TKL w/ reduced switch spacing
« Reply #50 on: Fri, 15 April 2022, 21:24:17 »
Quote from: elisyan on Fri, 15 April 2022, 14:25:36
Can’t spell brass without ass

All jokes aside, the appearance of the SS weight looks to fit the color themes better

Stainless steel does work very well with the color themes but since it's an interior weight I'm more interested in its effect on the sound. If there's not a notable difference I'll probably switch back to STS for the production run as I'm partial to that cool steel look. :thumb:

Quote from: granola bar enthusiast on Fri, 15 April 2022, 20:50:54
the price is a bit steep, especially for this board being (no offense) a gummy o-ring/top mount tkl with an full alu case with a weight which has been done multiple times before at cheaper pricepoints and even with no weight at as low as 220 USD. I'm not saying the board is bad it's actually quite the opposite it's just that it has been done so many times before and i don't see it being worth the price in my eyes for something that stands out purely from a engraving/weight and the fact that it has reduced switch spacing. this ended up seeming a lot like a hate comment which i am sorry for this is just my thoughts on the board but overall it's a very interesting design

No worries, I don't take it as a hate comment whatsoever and I understand some of your sentiments. For Calla to get close to those price points you mentioned, I would have to sell 10-15 times the units I currently have planned, which as I mentioned in the IC is not feasible nor is something that I want to do. Economies of scale are not kind to low unit counts. That said, I plan on having strict QC guidelines and a few unique add-ons to take advantage of the lower unit count.
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Offline kevinave

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Re: [IC] Calla - Seamless Side Profile F13 TKL w/ reduced switch spacing
« Reply #51 on: Tue, 21 June 2022, 19:59:36 »
6/21/2022 Update: V2 Prototype, new EC PCB, and Vendor announcement



TLDR:
  • Second prototype took longer than expected and there needs to be a third prototype made to fix QC issues, meaning I’ve shot past the originally planned GB date
  • Solder, hot-swap, and electrocapacitive PCBs have been prototyped and are working as intended
  • Divinikey will be the main vendor for Calla and the unit cap is being substantially raised

Second Prototype and QC Concerns
More
While the anodization and bead blasting was satisfactory for the most part, I found major QC issues such as uneven chamfers, color mismatch, and dents on the bottom case of the prototype that would need to be addressed before I feel confident about running a group buy. I am discussing with the manufacturer on how to fix these issues, but there will be another round of prototypes before the group buy.



Prototype V2 Album


New Electrocapacitive PCB
More
With second case prototype taking longer than I had expected, I had time to create an electrocapacitive PCB with the help of langerhans and with Cipulot’s open-source EC projects as a reference. Although the PCB does work as intended, it is still very experimental and there are a few points in the design that I plan on improving (lower cost, lower idle values, and faster scan rate) with the next iteration. I have not yet tested it in the actual case but plan on doing so once I get new plates in.
I am not sure if there is enough interest to include it in the GB as an option, but at the very least, this PCB will be open-sourced along with the rest of the PCBs shortly after the group buy finishes fulfillment.

With this, Calla could potentially support MX (Solder and Hotswap), Alps(Solder only), and Topre/Niz switches(EC only).



New Vendor
Divinikey is a US-based vendor that I will be working with for the group buy. I am very confident in their ability to ship and fulfill group buy units and I will be increasing the unit count accordingly to the amount of main IC responses.

What Now?
  • Calla isn't dead but there needs to be another round of prototypes to iron out the QC issues that were found, pushing back the GB date. It is not ideal but I would prefer to resolve these QC concerns before the group buy rather than have to deal with defective units during fulfillment.
  • I will not be providing a time estimate for when I expect to complete this next round of prototypes. I apologize as I know estimated dates are the norm but I do not want to provide a date only to delay it due to unforeseen circumstances, which had happened extensively between the IC post and now. That said, my previous road map remains the same, just with an additional prototype needed.
  • In the mean time I plan on building and testing the new prototypes. If I have time I do hope to send it out for a build stream eventually.
  • If you do want to follow my progress, I send updates once every two weeks on my discord server and I have a basic notion page that outlines everything regarding Calla.



As always, thank you for sticking around and happy belated Father’s Day.
« Last Edit: Sun, 26 June 2022, 17:15:34 by kevinave »
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Offline shima

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Re: [IC] Calla - Seamless Side Profile F13 TKL w/ reduced switch spacing
« Reply #52 on: Tue, 21 June 2022, 20:12:58 »
very nice to see another calla update. sad to see that another round is needed but it's reassuring to know that you're prioritizing quality. hoping to see this soon:tm:  :thumb:
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Offline kevinave

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Re: [IC] Calla - Seamless Side Profile F13 TKL w/ reduced switch spacing
« Reply #53 on: Mon, 10 July 2023, 18:20:40 »
7/10/2023 Update: Final GB Preparations

I apologize for the lack of updates on GeekHack. I had chosen to keep the frequent updates to my discord to avoid spamming the Interest Check board, but with the group buy date coming up and the details finalized, I felt that now is an appropriate time to update my Interest Check thread. I've also updated the original post with the latest information.



Group buy information rundown:
  • GB window opens on July 17th 11 AM Pacific
  • GB ends on July 31st 11 PM Pacific
  • Estimated ETA is Q1 2024 (6-8 month leadtime)
  • Vendor: Divinikey
  • Kit Options: Solder MX or EC Topre
  • Format: FCFS through Divinikey's storefront
  • Hard Limit: 150 kits
  • Solder MX Kit Cost: $500 >> $450
  • Hotswap MX Kit Cost: $455 (new)
  • EC Topre Kit Cost: $480 (new)
  • Pre-GB IC/Feedback Form

More information regarding the kitting information, fulfillment timeline, and about the group buy itself be available on the group buy thread once it has been posted.

Third Prototype Thoughts:
The third prototypes arrived a few months ago and were done with exceptional quality. This time they were manufactured by DDS and I am confident in their ability to maintain that level of quality with the group buy units. It took 3 rounds of prototyping but I've finally found a good manufacturer to move forward with the group buy.

Prototype V3 Album

Build Stream Announcement:
A silver unit is going to be built by TaehaTypes on his Twitch at July 12th 1PM Pacific! The planned build is Cherry MX Blacks on a polypropylene plate so come through if you are interested!

Current Group Buy Environment:
With some group buys remaining unfulfilled due to unpaid orders, I only plan on moving ahead with the group buy if I am confident that the minimum order quantity can be met to prevent financial strain on Divinikey. I also am aware that the responses to the original IC post are likely outdated. To help with this, I've created a Pre-GB Interest Check as a means to guage interest since the last interest check over a year and a half ago. More information is available on the form itself linked here.

All in all, there's only 7 Days until the group buy starts! I will be submitting a Group Buy thread for approval shortly after this goes live. As always, thank you for sticking around, y'all make my day.
« Last Edit: Tue, 11 July 2023, 15:27:23 by kevinave »
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Offline Oni

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Re: [IC] Calla - Seamless Side Profile F13 TKL w/ reduced switch spacing
« Reply #54 on: Tue, 11 July 2023, 12:56:55 »
Glad to see this project return and ready to go into group buy! Has there been any consideration in offering a carrying case for the board, even as an extra option to purchase with the board? I don't see anything in the summary so I'm assuming it'll just come in a box instead.
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Collection: Special Whale, Montage, Infinitum, Kei

Offline HighonBelvita

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Re: [IC] Calla - Seamless Side Profile F13 TKL w/ reduced switch spacing
« Reply #55 on: Tue, 11 July 2023, 14:35:11 »
pricing a bit too high but nice design
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Offline phaxin

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Re: [IC] Calla - Seamless Side Profile F13 TKL w/ reduced switch spacing
« Reply #56 on: Tue, 11 July 2023, 14:47:40 »
Quote from: Oni on Tue, 11 July 2023, 12:56:55
Glad to see this project return and ready to go into group buy! Has there been any consideration in offering a carrying case for the board, even as an extra option to purchase with the board? I don't see anything in the summary so I'm assuming it'll just come in a box instead.

On Divinikey's site, it says that it'll come with a carrying case by default
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Offline yz

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Re: [IC] Calla - Seamless Side Profile F13 TKL w/ reduced switch spacing
« Reply #57 on: Tue, 11 July 2023, 20:44:34 »
are there any sound tests of the EC build available?
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Offline kevinave

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Re: [IC] Calla - Seamless Side Profile F13 TKL w/ reduced switch spacing
« Reply #58 on: Tue, 11 July 2023, 21:32:00 »
Quote from: Oni on Tue, 11 July 2023, 12:56:55
Glad to see this project return and ready to go into group buy! Has there been any consideration in offering a carrying case for the board, even as an extra option to purchase with the board? I don't see anything in the summary so I'm assuming it'll just come in a box instead.

Each kit will come with a carrying case from Divinikey. I had mistakenly left out that detail from the IC kitting information, I'll fix it right now.

Quote from: yz on Tue, 11 July 2023, 20:44:34
are there any sound tests of the EC build available?

Yup! It's the last timestamp of this video:

« Last Edit: Tue, 11 July 2023, 21:33:51 by kevinave »
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Offline marcin_nyga

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Re: [IC] Calla - Seamless Side Profile F13 TKL w/ reduced switch spacing
« Reply #59 on: Wed, 12 July 2023, 07:24:53 »
looks good
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Offline kevinave

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Re: [IC] Calla - Seamless Side Profile F13 TKL w/ reduced switch spacing
« Reply #60 on: Fri, 14 July 2023, 15:56:38 »
Locking IC thread, GB thread live here!
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