Author Topic: [IC] Eros by Enigo | F13 TKL | GB Details and Vendor Announced | (Read 22708 times)

philipb · « **on:** Tue, 07 December 2021, 23:45:01 »

Eros

LINK TO IC FORM

1) Introduction

Hello, and thank you for your time! This is the first design that I have decided to run, and I am very excited about the trajectory of this project thus far. I am enamored by old-school Korean "Kustom" boards and set out to design a classic, top mount TKL with modern amenities. I wanted something a bit more voluptuous than a standard block of metal (I REALLY love curved keyboards). The name Eros naturally sprang to mind one day while working in fusion. I renamed the project a few times, but Eros seemed to stick in the end.

2) Project timeline

First prototype. (Completed)
QC and testing. (Completed)
Future prototyping rounds. (Current)
Build Streams.
GB.

3) Links

Feel free to join my discord: DISCORD

I am currently sharing a design server with my good friend, Sub (creator of GMK Wisp). Feel free to pop in and ask questions!

4) Specifications

Specs:

F13 TKL, WK + WKL options will be available
Front height: 17.5mm (EKH 22mm)
Typing angle: 7 degrees
Mounting: Top mount + Gummy O-ring
Seamless case design
Mass: 2.3kg (~5.2lbs unbuilt)
Material: 6063 aluminum case. Weight material TBD
Plate options: TBD. Aluminum will almost certainly be an option, but other plate options will depend on what people are interested in.

Planned layout:

For right now, not planning on official ISO support, due to lack of interest, though this board will be compatible with 3rd party PCBs.

5) Renders

These renders will better represent the final design as I have made a few aesthetic changes to the board since ordering the first prototype. These were made with the awesome keyboard render kit from Imperfectlink. Please support him! (UPDATED 2/21/22)

More

6) Prototypes

Prototype No. 1

More

Prototype No. 2

More

Sound tests:

7) GB specifics

Tentative GB time - Q4 2022 or early Q1 2023
GB format - Limited Raffle
Unit count - 100 (this will be raised in the future depending on demand)
Vendor - Mekibo

UPDATE 7/31/2023:
Hello everyone! Hope you are doing well.
I have good news to report: the final prototype for the Eros TKL has been completed. It will be built by my good friend, Andy Nguyen, on Tuesday 8/1/23 at 5:30pm PST. You can find his twitch channel here: https://www.twitch.tv/andyvnguyen.

More information about the GB will be available as soon as the details get ironed out. Thank you again for all your support with this project! We are finally nearing a close.

philipb · « **Reply #1 on:** Tue, 07 December 2021, 23:46:24 »

Updates:

(2/21/22)

Alright, big update time!

I have some news about the project itself and now some updated groupbuy information.

In regards to the project itself,

I will be ordering the third prototype in the next week or so. I have made some fairly large changes to the design itself. More specifically, I have been having some difficulties with the hidden screw design and due to the negative feedback I have received about the hidden screws, I have decided to just move them to the bottom of the case. This now means that the case will be O-ring compatible and have wider outside PCB compatibility. Due to the changes in JST position, I have also had to make some alterations to the weight design and the JST routing.

Some of the specs have likewise changed including the overall weight and the front height. The front height will be slightly lower and the case will be slightly heavier than the first two prototypes. I initially made a mistake with the weight calculation. The weight for the first two prototypes were just shy of about 5lbs, and this prototype will be 2.3kg which is approximately 5.2lbs. The front height has been lowered to 17.5mm with an EKH of 22mm. Other specs will remain the same.

I have updated the renders above so you can get a feel for what to expect for the next prototype aesthetically.

In regards to GB information,

I am pleased to announce that I will be working with Mekibo on this project!

For right now, I am projecting this project will run around Q4 2022 or Q1 2023.

The sale format will be a limited raffle. I believe this is the fairest way to allocate units as it levels variables such as internet speed and proximity to the servers.

The unit count, based on the results of the IC, will be 100 for now. If there is increased demand as the GB nears, this will certainly be increased and I will update you about any change in unit count as soon as they are confirmed.

Thank you all again for your support, I am very excited that this project is getting off the ground!

More

(1/19/2022)
Prototype 2 is finished and is en route!

More

The changes that have been made to the new version:

-Changed the F-row spacing to standard (0.25u) and the top and bottom bezels were widened.

-Per popular request, I have added split backspace support.

-Alterations to the plate were made, specifically to the acoustic cutouts. I am trying to keep the cuts in the plate to a minimum as I’ve noticed excessive cuts tend to have a negative effect on the sound. Even with little to no cuts, the aluminum plate yields a pretty soft typing experience due to the mounting points.

-Alterations were made to the mounting points. Only one of them was changed, though I have moved the screw locations further from the plate. This should which allow for even more flex.

-There were some changes to the chamfers and the fillets. I replaced the top edge chamfer with a fillet to prevent the edges of the chamfer from digging into your wrists during use. I also just think the fillets look and feel nicer when handling the case.

-I changed the case screw points, so they are now exclusively on the top and bottom of the case instead of on the sides. I found that the side case screws really weren’t necessary, and could possibly lead to manufacturing issues.

-The indentations on the sides we’re moved out about 1mm each.

-I will also be experimenting with brass and copper as weight materials in addition to stainless steel this run. I’m interested in seeing how the acoustics are affected by the change in material. If there is some or significant improvement, I may end up offering multiple options depending on what is feasible and what you guys would like to see.

After reviewing the IC, I will be trying the following plate materials based of popular request:

-Carbon Fiber
-POM
-FR4

Color options based on the results of the GB will likely include: Blue Grey, Silver, Gunmetal, and Red. Gunmetal will be a custom Pantone, and I will be trying to match the color of the 356CL as closely as possible (despite the inconsistent anodization with OTD boards), will likely be on the darker end of that spectrum to contrast more with silver.

I will begin reaching out to vendors as soon as it arrives, and we can get this thing moving off the ground! Very excited for this project and thank you all for your support!

That_One_Brodie · « **Reply #2 on:** Tue, 07 December 2021, 23:50:08 »

Love it, can't wait!

sub0001 · « **Reply #3 on:** Tue, 07 December 2021, 23:53:19 »

Phil!!!!! Have really loved watching this project grow behind the scenes — really proud of you for getting this to IC homie, can’t wait to see where it goes next

AxolStudio · « **Reply #4 on:** Tue, 07 December 2021, 23:55:47 »

nice.
good stuff man

astrikos · « **Reply #5 on:** Tue, 07 December 2021, 23:57:16 »

Amazing! Really looking forward to this

Its been great to see your passion project become a reality! Best of luck moving forward

o3okevin · « **Reply #6 on:** Tue, 07 December 2021, 23:58:05 »

Nice stuff! WK would be great for sure

Neely_12 · « **Reply #7 on:** Tue, 07 December 2021, 23:59:40 »

That side profile is really nice. Would love to see a navy or wine color

linell · « **Reply #8 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 00:05:31 »

wkl is good f13 is good screwless is not so good
looks great GLWIC

Bachoo · « **Reply #9 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 00:55:18 »

Oof that side profile has got me feeling some type of way

GoodBaai · « **Reply #10 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 01:08:42 »

Lets go!! This looks really nice, and I would like to second the guy that asked for navy!!!

Stilou Studio · « **Reply #11 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 01:17:43 »

Looks amazing!
GLWIC

Peter6109 · « **Reply #12 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 01:33:30 »

Yoooooo I've been waiting for so long. Beautiful board.

SDKCAMPING · « **Reply #13 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 01:57:57 »

I like it, reminds me of the Cloud line but without the front engraving (a plus in my book). On my watch list. Any chance you will be offering hotswap?

philipb · « **Reply #14 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 02:07:53 »

Quote from: SDKCAMPING on Wed, 08 December 2021, 01:57:57

I like it, reminds me of the Cloud line but without the front engraving (a plus in my book). On my watch list. Any chance you will be offering hotswap?

I will take it into consideration if there's enough demand for HS! For now planning on solder only.

Willtato · « **Reply #15 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 02:54:36 »

Those photos are amazing. Had me thinking they were renders.

Sent from my HD1913 using Tapatalk

ephemeral25 · « **Reply #16 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 04:39:57 »

Why is there a table of content I cannot click ? Please remove it.

Why is there block of texts I cannot read? Please make it more readable.

I like that it's top mount, but the design is unattractive to me. For sure some other people will like it.

As for the pcb, is it an existing one, totally custom one etc... etc... If custom what is the reason behind not using existing options?

Best of luck with the project, it seems that effort are being put into it.

GLWIC.

VXQN · « **Reply #17 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 04:40:37 »

Fantastic board. I've been looking for a simple WKL F13 TKL for a while, and all the ones I've seen have been...just not quite right (dodgy proportions, logos not to my taste, etc). This one ticks all the boxes.

Saler · « **Reply #18 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 07:48:06 »

Really Nice! Best of luck!!

Screen.jing · « **Reply #19 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 07:48:56 »

GLWIC Phil, always love the curves

Fraaaan · « **Reply #20 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 08:08:43 »

Where are the mounting points on the plate?

What aluminium does the plate use?

What layouts does this support? Your renders and proto use different plates.

Any target price?

sneekypoo · « **Reply #21 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 09:22:32 »

Looks good. You should change the IC form to use check boxes instead of radio buttons for some of the options.

philipb · « **Reply #22 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 09:25:12 »

Quote from: Fraaaan on Wed, 08 December 2021, 08:08:43

Where are the mounting points on the plate?

What aluminium does the plate use?

What layouts does this support? Your renders and proto use different plates.

Any target price?

Mounting points themselves are similar to koala and Jane V2. The plate is using 5052. I will update the layout today. It will be compatible with tsangan bottom row and will have support for split right shift and both caps locks. No split backspace, split left shift, or iso support planned rn, though I can add it if there is enough demand for those layouts.

I’ll update the IC a bit later today when I get back from work.

philipb · « **Reply #23 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 09:25:37 »

Quote from: sneekypoo on Wed, 08 December 2021, 09:22:32

Looks good. You should change the IC form to use check boxes instead of radio buttons for some of the options.

Will do! Thank you for the tip!

philipb · « **Reply #24 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 09:32:14 »

Quote from: ephemeral25 on Wed, 08 December 2021, 04:39:57

Why is there a table of content I cannot click ? Please remove it.

Why is there block of texts I cannot read? Please make it more readable.

I like that it's top mount, but the design is unattractive to me. For sure some other people will like it.

As for the pcb, is it an existing one, totally custom one etc... etc... If custom what is the reason behind not using existing options?

Best of luck with the project, it seems that effort are being put into it.

GLWIC.

Thank you for the suggestions!

In regards to the PCB, due to the internal fastening it’s incompatible with currently available PCBs. The case screw posts require specific cut outs. I designed a PCB myself for the project. I know this can be a bit annoying for the end consumer (due to accessibility issues for replacements). My tentative plan at the moment is to just open source the pcb once the GB has concluded (and all extras have been sold etc), that way people can just order replacements from JLC if they need to.

PigeonsLikeBread · « **Reply #25 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 15:01:55 »

Looks fantastic, GLWIC

Jacey · « **Reply #26 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 16:39:20 »

Will definitely be supporting this! Can’t wait to get my hands on Eros, well done Phil

brantaniguchi · « **Reply #27 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 16:40:15 »

Looks amazing! Excited to see the project develop.

Kinesiologist · « **Reply #28 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 18:01:24 »

you had me at "Kustoms"

treeleaf64 · « **Reply #29 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 21:22:21 »

are you making copy cat of Zekk work RBB ?

Chuuu · « **Reply #30 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 22:22:11 »

Quote from: treeleaf64 on Wed, 08 December 2021, 21:22:21

are you making copy cat of Zekk work RBB ?

mrnevertkl · « **Reply #31 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 22:43:18 »

So hot. Love it. Let's go Phil!!!

hineybush · « **Reply #32 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 22:56:14 »

your bezel is off

philipb · « **Reply #33 on:** Wed, 08 December 2021, 23:06:28 »

Quote from: hineybush on Wed, 08 December 2021, 22:56:14

your bezel is off

Yeah, if you're speaking about the east and west bezels, that will be rectified on the second prototype. Initially, I thought it was a bit of an inconsequential detail (as I see many boards that don't have bezels even with the alpha/nav cluster blocker size), though over time the asymmetry started to bother me, so I will make these both an even 0.25u. Likewise, If you're speaking about the spacing between the F-row and the alphas, that was originally intentional to make it stand out a bit from other TKLs. Recently though I've started to prefer the more symmetrical look of standard 0.25u spacing, so that is another planned changed for the next prototype.

gotgoodiez · « **Reply #34 on:** Fri, 10 December 2021, 19:11:55 »

Love those curves, keep it up Phil!

pixelpusher · « **Reply #35 on:** Fri, 10 December 2021, 19:39:28 »

Nice looking board. Let us know if you get the vendor thing sorted. That's a big deal

philipb · « **Reply #36 on:** Fri, 17 December 2021, 23:31:52 »

Fixed the discord link and uploaded a sound test.

I will also be uploading a sound test with the following builds in the next week or two:

MX Browns (lubed with 3203) on PC half.
Creams (lubed with 205g0) on PC half.

philipb · « **Reply #37 on:** Fri, 17 December 2021, 23:36:09 »

Quote from: pixelpusher on Fri, 10 December 2021, 19:39:28

Nice looking board. Let us know if you get the vendor thing sorted. That's a big deal

Will do. My tentative plan is to get the GB details sorted out when I have the 2nd prototype in hand, which will likely be in a few months.

sub0001 · « **Reply #38 on:** Mon, 27 December 2021, 09:37:54 »

Really enjoying the sound of the half plate on this. Looking forward to the second prototype!

philipb · « **Reply #39 on:** Wed, 19 January 2022, 09:54:15 »

Prototype 2 has been completed, received these photos from the manu last night!

More

Change log has been added to the 2nd post on the thread!

Will be working out GB details with a vendor as soon as it arrives so stay tuned!

WhatsForLunch · « **Reply #40 on:** Wed, 19 January 2022, 10:03:10 »

Proto looks sick! Cant wait for the GB

marshmellohs · « **Reply #41 on:** Wed, 19 January 2022, 10:54:56 »

Color on the second prototype is beautiful!

VXQN · « **Reply #42 on:** Wed, 19 January 2022, 11:37:37 »

Oooh mama. Looks fantastic.

philipb · « **Reply #43 on:** Mon, 21 February 2022, 20:25:17 »

Big update posted (see the second post on this thread).

I have made some substantial changes to the design for the third prototype, and I have announced the GB details as they stand right now.

Very excited to be working with Mekibo on this project.

Thank you again, everyone!

soundstage · « **Reply #44 on:** Thu, 10 March 2022, 12:10:35 »

There is definitely demand for TKLs in India. You must consider an Indian vendor as well.

Diggidy · « **Reply #45 on:** Tue, 22 March 2022, 13:39:18 »

philipb · « **Reply #46 on:** Wed, 18 May 2022, 15:28:31 »

First build stream is happening tomorrow, May 18th at 6PM PST. Feel free to drop in and support my good friend, Jubi: https://m.twitch.tv/geraldjubi

philipb · « **Reply #47 on:** Wed, 18 May 2022, 15:31:18 »

Quote from: Diggidy on Tue, 22 March 2022, 13:39:18

Board looks amazing, love the side profile and curve.

Will copper weight be an option in the GB? Any reason that GB will be delayed until Q4/2023?

With regard to the final weight options, I will make an announcement soon with the final color announcement as well.

The reason for the date was mainly as a buffer in case another prototype needed to be made, and I also have to adhere to the schedule of my vendor. I am quite happy with prototype #3, which will also be featured in the build stream tomorrow.

BUTTER KEYBOARDS · « **Reply #48 on:** Thu, 26 May 2022, 16:51:20 »

Ditch the Gummy O-ring maybe?

granola bar enthusiast · « **Reply #49 on:** Fri, 27 May 2022, 10:26:54 »

is there any chance for a polypropylene plate? also, pls don't ditch the gummy o-ring compatibility, would be a turn off to a lot of people

News:

Author Topic: [IC] Eros by Enigo | F13 TKL | GB Details and Vendor Announced | (Read 22708 times)