Hello,
After going from stiff metal plates to those with some nice flex, it is hard to turn back. Nothing quite compares to the pairing of smooth linear switches with a soft bottom out.
Left unsatisfied with the feel and sound of FR4 half plates, I'm looking to run an in-stock buy of POM half plates for both the Jane V1 and Jane V2. These plates will be compatible with other keyboards that share these plates as well. I will also be offering O-Rings so the plates can be burger mounted (isolated from the case).
Why POM Half Plates?Two main reasons for this combination - flex and sound. Any half plate enables amazing flex over the alphas, with a nice soft bottom out. This pairs great with linear switches. POM is a pretty flexible material, so using it will enhance the flex on the alphas as well as provide decent flex elsewhere. One of the best features of using POM is that it helps produce a nice, deep thocc sound. Together, a POM half plate will create a beautiful sounding and feeling typing experience.
What/Why Burger Mount?Burger mounting means that there is an O-Ring on both sides of the plate at every screw hole. The standard order of contact would be screw head, plate, case top, but with a burger mount it would be screw head, O-Ring, plate, O-Ring, case top. This effectively isolates the plate from the case, providing better acoustics. This is only available for the Jane V1 compatible cases currently, V2 compatibility is doubtful but we are working on finding a solution that fits.
Compatibility- Jane V1 Plate is ANSI/ISO and compatible with the Mech27-TKL, Mech27-TKLv2, Duck Orion V1, MIRA SE, The Moon, and possibly others
- Jane V2 plate is ANSI and compatible with the OTD Koala, Lin Montage, and possibly others
Design/Quality ExpectationsOne issue that should be kept in mind is that with too many flex cuts in the plate, a POM half plate may be too flexible, so much so that the PCB can hit the inside of the case. The design is currently a WIP, but will be made to mitigate any risk of that happening with strategically placed flex cuts. In terms of quality, POM is a more delicate material, so there may be scratches on the plate. All defects would be purely cosmetic, and would not be visible once built.
You can check out our preliminary designs (subject to change as we progress through prototyping) here:
https://imgur.com/a/eJVxhk3TimelineBased on demand, the plates could already be ordered as early as next week, and be available for sale early September. Plates would be sold in-stock, so this is not a "group buy." O-Rings will be available as an add-on.
Pricing/Other InformationPlates will be black. Tentative pricing would have these plates at around $34 + shipping, depending on the amount ordered. Discounts will be offered for purchases with more than one plate. Shipping will only be offered to the US, because the cost of shipping one plate outside the country would be prohibitively expensive. It's possible that shipping outside the US could be offered for orders of several plates (TBD). Adding O-Rings for a burger mount to your order would only cost a couple extra dollars. Depending on your board, you may need slightly longer screws for a burger mount, but probably not. My friend and I are currently testing a variety of O-Rings so we are not sure about the material/hardness yet.
Interested? Please fill the Google Form!
https://forms.gle/xYSCEPy8RKBRHaM88
