Hi everyone, I’d like to present Penelope, a top mount TKL designed after a very industrial and heavy duty theme.
Backstory I’ve always been quite attracted to design choices that display the rigidness and resilience of a product. I’ve been in the hobby for 3 years now and I believe there is a lack of designs that embodies this theme. This was the main reason why I wanted to start designing, to have a keyboard that fits my aesthetic needs. I have decided to go down a very bold route and reimagine the top case, allowing it to be instantly recognizable from the top down.
Basic Information Layout: F12 TKL
Mounting: Top mount
Typing angle: 10 degrees
Weight: 3.2 kg / 7.1 lbs unbuilt
Front height: 19.3 mm
Material: 6063 Aluminium, Brass, Stainless steel
PCB: Solder, Hotswap
Weights: Clear coated Brass, PVD hex bits
Plates: Aluminium full (default), Carbon fibre
Price: 380 USD (with PCB) & 350 (without PCB)
Hex Bolts This is the defining feature of Penelope and is inspired by nuts and bolts
They will be provided in PVD coated stainless steel
we are experimenting with different colours, but we have done gloss black PVD, mirror and mirror rose gold
Allowing you to mix and match colours to your preference
These are screwed into the top case using M2 screws
Weight The weight has two different faces, one displaying the classic engraving
Whilst the other has acoustic grooves spanning across the weight
Allowing the user to experiment and configure their preferred sound signature
We are currently experimenting with different patterns and sizes of grooves
Its noted that some switches are more prone to altering than others
Plate 
This being our first design, we wanted to start simple, so we’re going for a classic top mount
I have experimented with other plastic plate materials but deemed it unsatisfactory due to working poorly in combination with our top mount style. Plate files will be provided after GB launches if one would like to experiment with certain materials.
There are no flex cuts found on the plate due to my personal preference being a stiffer top mount feel.
PCB
Soldered
Supports stepped caps, split backspace, split right shift, and ISO
We have a hot swap PCB prototyped and it works well, it’s currently QMK compatible but we are looking to implement VIA compatibility in the coming months.
Penelope is compatible with other north facing spacebar TKL pcbs available on the market, but please make sure there’s a JST connector present.
Colours
We only have three colourways planned, we’d like to have one more, so feel free to give suggestions!
Exploded view 
TimelineFirst 3D print prototype: 7th June 2022
First CNC prototype: 18th August 2022
Second CNC prototype: 23rd November 2022
Third CNC prototype: 15th January 2023
Interest check: 4th February 2023
Proto pictures
https://imgur.com/a/kj1N6s6https://imgur.com/a/xL5ynL7https://imgur.com/a/a3sqo39Bottom viewhttps://imgur.com/a/YoI30n0Unfortunately I don’t have a camera or set up with me so these photos are all I could do
Rendershttps://imgur.com/a/1SYVCM8The following renders are made by my good friend Momoboy, please follow his work at Momo’s workshophttps://imgur.com/a/i2NZOraMost of these renders had to be compressed, high definition renders and photos are posted on my discord server if interested!
Acoustics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_To2fopP0qI&t=14sHere’s a old soundtest video recorded by my good friend Boymek
The switches used are mx browns on the alphas and mx blacks on the mods
The first half of the clip is when the weight is normally placed with the wording facing up
The second half of the clip is has the weight flipped
More soundtests will be sent on the discord server linked below
Linkshttps://discord.gg/4zvRVVPtTNPlease join my discord server via this link!
https://forms.gle/KrMDFRVkpkTPZh9h7If you have a few minutes please fill out this feedback form, it would be extremely helpful
Sale information The sale will be through RnCables, who is my close friend and has played a key role in Penelope’s development from start to finish. Our target price is around 480 USD, shipping and tax is not included in this price.
Package includes Daughterboard
Aluminium plate
Top & bottom case
Brass weight
10 default hex bolts (For default colours please consult the colours table)
Feet
Carrying case
6x M3X8mm case screws
7x M3x6mm plate screws
4x M2-4mm daughter board screws
2x M3x8mm countersunk weight screws
Required hex wrenches
Hotswap / Solder PCB only included in PCB included package as mentioned aboveExtrasWe will be offering hex bolts in several different finishes, including
Raw brass
Gold mirror PVD
Silver mirror PVD
Rose gold PVD
Black PVD
Extra PCBs and plate will be offered
Friends and family sale Since this is our first major keyboard sale, we will be hosting a friends and family sales with a small volume cap to streamline our sale and quality control procedures
Public GB sale Once our F&F sale fulfils, we are aiming for a public group buy with a limit of 300.
Other information
What are some changes made between the prototypes Hex bolts
We have experimented with different shapes and altering the size of the chamfers (Which can be seen in the pictures provided above). Ultimately we reverted back to the first prototype’s hex bolts as we felt they held a better presence and looked more aesthetically pleasing.
Altered posterior facing side and added logo
Removed alignment pillars
Are there any plans for different layouts like WKL? Currently there are no plans to include WKL as the asymmetry of WKL blockers combined with inherent asymmetry of a TKL layout clashes too much with the symmetry provided by the hex bolts.
TLDR: It did not look good on sketch
Will there be any foamThere are no current plans for any type of foam, but it’s something we can consider and possibly offer in the future
