[GB] Nue - 60% PCB Gasket Mount | Shipping

[kbye]

NUE - 60% PCB GASKET MOUNT

Nue is a 60% keyboard, with gasket mounting tabs on the PCB itself. The goal of this design was to achieve a flexible-yet-firm typing feel with pleasant acoustics.
Development consisted of numerous rounds of prototypes and testing before finally coming to a design that I feel confident can satisfy many typists out there.

LINKS

Raffle link (will be live on Jan 29): https://studiokestra.ca/raffle/nue/
Alexotos build stream (plateless): https://www.twitch.tv/videos/868652591
Alexotos build stream (plate): https://www.twitch.tv/videos/877465697
Typing test: link
Build guide because why not: https://studiokestra.ca/guides/nue/

Discord: https://discord.gg/Sv9a37n

SPECIFICATIONS

• Case Angle: 6 degrees
• Mounting: PCB gasket mount
• Materials: 6063 aluminum, polished brass accent
• Front Height: 19mm
• Plate: optional FR4
• PCB: Solder-only PCB + USB-C daughterboard. QMK/VIA compatible

NUE KEYBOARD KIT INCLUDES

• Keyboard Case (6063 anodized aluminum)
• 1x Accent Piece (polished brass)
• 1x Switch Plate (FR4)
• 1x 1.2mm PCB
• 1x USB-C Daughterboard
• 4x Rubber 3M Case Feet
• 10x Stabilizer Spacers
• 30x Poron Foam Gaskets
• 1x Foam Dampening Sheet
• Miscellaneous Screws (M2 for daughterboard, M2.5 for case)
• 1x Micro Fiber Cleaning Cloth
• 1x Hard Carrying Case

LAYOUT



GROUP BUY DETAILS

Countdown: link
 

• Date/Time: Jan 29 2021 10AM to 10PM EST
• Format: 12 hr Raffle
• Number of units: 60
• Colors: Light Rose/Slate Blue
• Tops: WK/WKL
• Extras Available: PCB, gaskets, FR4 plate (one is already included in base kit)
• Timeline: Est. June/July 2021 shipping

One entry per household. All duplicate entries will be removed.
Raffle will be open for 12 hours. Winners will be selected and invoiced via email.
You will have 24 hours to pay your invoice. After that, winners will be re-drawn.
Please only enter if you are genuinely interested in purchasing the Nue. If you are entering just for "fun", it's unfair to those who really want one.

PRICING

• Keyboard kit: $450 CAD
• Extra PCB (incl Daughterboard + JST cable): $55 CAD
• Extra FR4 Plate: $30 CAD
• Extra Gaskets: $6 CAD

Payment is processed through my storefront:
https://store.studiokestra.ca

Shipping is calculated on checkout. These are the estimated rates based on my testing:

• Canada: $15
• ConUS: $30
• Europe: $50 (tested UK, Belgium, France, Germany)
• Asia: $70 (tested Singapore, South Korea, PRC)
• Oceania: $77 (tested Australia)

[kbye]

PROTO PHOTOS






LIGHT ROSE COLOR SAMPLES




The prototype above used the #1 color chip, however, I will be switching to the #2 color chip for production as I felt that it looked too "beige". A sample will be sent to me again before anodization as a QC measure.

[HoffmanMyster]

Approved

[Cubic // esc lab]

Very nice looking board. Although 60% isn't me thing

Good luck!!

[victorpre]

Since there is wkl, I'm in.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[azzipa]

Really nice to see you launch Nue. Colors are elegant. GLWGB!

[dRnRcRr]

Good luck with the Gb

[sickleboom]

totally in on the raffle! good luck with GB 

[keyboardkrill]

let's go!!!!!!!

[DubbTom]

Came back to GH just for this gb!!

Good call on updating the rose to be more pink. I can barely tell it's rose in the first side-by-side prototype pick. 

[misswaffle]

Absolutely gorgeous looking board, so glad to see this finally go to gb phase!

[lakeboredom]

Oh sweet, thought it was no split backspace. Happy to see that, I'll be going for a WKL now

[Chippy]

Interesting design, good luck with sale.

[kbye]

Interesting design, good luck with sale.

As I've mentioned before in the IC thread, the design is something that I licensed properly for commercial use. I take no credit for it nor have I misled anyone into thinking I designed it myself. I thought it fit the theme of the board really well and that's why I used it.

I understand if that puts anyone off buying this board, but if your intent is to drum up drama, please don't.

[Tyler]

Glwgb! Hopefully a very successful run will lead to a r2 with hhkb

[kbye]

The raffle for Nue has concluded and all invoices have been paid for. The final variant breakdown is:

• 15% Light Rose Winkey
• 30% Light Rose Winkeyless
• 20% Slate Blue Winkey
• 35% Slate Blue Winkeyless

Extras will be ordered in proportion to the breakdown above. I’m hoping that the quality control coming from the manufacturer will be good, and that I can make most of these available as in-stock extras after group-buy fulfillment.

I’d like to address the raffle briefly. There were 873 total raffle entries. 42 were flagged as duplicate entries and removed. That’s still 831 entries for a 60 spot raffle. I had no idea the amount of attention Nue would receive. I owe a lot of the success to alexotos for reviewing the proto and providing his feedback on the board. If you haven’t, please check out his twitch for wholesome keyboard content.

I know that a lot of people are disappointed that they didn’t win the raffle. I hear you and I want to share my designs with everyone who wants one. But Nue is my first group-buy and I want it to go smoothly, understand the complex logistics of managing a group-buy, and eventually ramp up to larger releases. Frankly, I am surprised that people have not been deterred by the fact that this is my first group buy. This means a lot of trust has been placed in me and I intend to do my best to make Nue a success.

I will be contacting manufacturers to start production of all parts soon. As the majority of the factories are in China and they happen to be celebrating the Chinese New Year holiday this month, production will be slightly delayed. I’ve accounted for this in my original shipping estimate of June-July 2021.

Thank you to everyone that supported me in this release, it means a lot to see Nue finally make it to group-buy. Monthly updates will continue to be posted here and on https://studiokestra.ca/updates/

[kbye]

Ok first off... I am so sorry I haven't been updating this GH thread. I know there are guidelines about how updates should be explicitly posted here even if it's shared via other channels, and for that I apologize. To be honest, with everything going on between work, family, and running the Nue GB, the thread here slipped my mind over the past couple months. And given that there's a lack of activity here, I hope folks don't mind.

However, I have been diligent in updating GB participants via email, Discord, and my website. Previous monthly updates can be seen here: https://studiokestra.ca/updates/

The great news is that Nue has finished QC and is shipping to GB participants now, right within the estimated shipping time frame.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me and given me their trust.

Here's a couple photos of the production units:

[o3okevin]

lets go