Post by: Kasterborous on Thu, 04 March 2021, 10:02:53
HEX.4B, a PCB mounted 75%.
PRESALE DETAILS (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=111526.50#lastPost)
No Knob sorry Simon
First, some pictures of our prototype in Rhubarb (https://www.pinterest.com/pin/391602130102621198/?autologin=true)
It features the mounting system as well as the indicator lights.
Images (https://imgur.com/a/sgRmYyj)
*We're trying to see if there can be anything done to the indicator lights, so they perform other functions.
IC Form! (https://forms.gle/rb4QYwj8YfEW9xQX8)
Audio ONLY: Typing Test with Filmed Opblacks lubed with 3204. Keycaps used were CRP R3 Tulip (https://soundcloud.com/xkasterborous/hex4b-typing-test/s-C3zn0rePLG2)
Typing Video by our good friend magicpretzel!
This keyboard is still in IC phase, although we already have a prototype, it will be subject to changes as we see fit.
Currently the prototype has some dimensional issues, and we've addressed that in our current design.
We won't be providing knob support for this for the time being, as we want to keep it as simple as possible.
The mounting is pretty simple, 4 O-rings will wrap around standoffs on the PCB, and it will fit in the inside of the case.
There will be case alignment pins to assist you in building this keyboard.
The USB port has some space around it to account for PCB flex during typing, it can be seen in the images link
Keyboard Details
75% Layout with compact function row
O-Ring PCB Mount
Mechlovin' custom PCB (VIA Compatible)
Internal Brass Weight
7 Degree Typing Angle
Layouts
[attach=1]
Sale Details
Planned 100+ Units In-Stock sale, followed by a Group Buy afterwards.
Sale Date: We're looking at Q2 - Q3 2021, if everything goes well :)
*Regardless of timeline however, this will ONLY happen after 6C fulfilment
Color for In-Stock: Rhubarb
Colors for Group Buy: TBD
Price: 290+ SGD
*We hoped we could give you guys more concrete numbers at the time of this post,
however something unexpected came up literally 3 hours ago.
We'll update the numbers as we get more information from our manufacturer.
Hopefully we can stay as close as possible to our initial target price.
We hope you guys appreciate and are interested in this idea we've put forward, do join our Discord (https://discord.com/invite/tz9hsXd) for the most updated information.
We've got some planned collaborations coming up that we will announce soon!
PRESALE DETAILS (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=111526.50#lastPost)
No Knob sorry Simon
First, some pictures of our prototype in Rhubarb (https://www.pinterest.com/pin/391602130102621198/?autologin=true)
It features the mounting system as well as the indicator lights.
Images (https://imgur.com/a/sgRmYyj)
*We're trying to see if there can be anything done to the indicator lights, so they perform other functions.
IC Form! (https://forms.gle/rb4QYwj8YfEW9xQX8)
Audio ONLY: Typing Test with Filmed Opblacks lubed with 3204. Keycaps used were CRP R3 Tulip (https://soundcloud.com/xkasterborous/hex4b-typing-test/s-C3zn0rePLG2)
Typing Video by our good friend magicpretzel!
This keyboard is still in IC phase, although we already have a prototype, it will be subject to changes as we see fit.
Currently the prototype has some dimensional issues, and we've addressed that in our current design.
We won't be providing knob support for this for the time being, as we want to keep it as simple as possible.
The mounting is pretty simple, 4 O-rings will wrap around standoffs on the PCB, and it will fit in the inside of the case.
There will be case alignment pins to assist you in building this keyboard.
The USB port has some space around it to account for PCB flex during typing, it can be seen in the images link
Keyboard Details
75% Layout with compact function row
O-Ring PCB Mount
Mechlovin' custom PCB (VIA Compatible)
Internal Brass Weight
7 Degree Typing Angle
Layouts
[attach=1]
Sale Details
Planned 100+ Units In-Stock sale, followed by a Group Buy afterwards.
Sale Date: We're looking at Q2 - Q3 2021, if everything goes well :)
*Regardless of timeline however, this will ONLY happen after 6C fulfilment
Color for In-Stock: Rhubarb
Colors for Group Buy: TBD
Price: 290+ SGD
*We hoped we could give you guys more concrete numbers at the time of this post,
however something unexpected came up literally 3 hours ago.
We'll update the numbers as we get more information from our manufacturer.
Hopefully we can stay as close as possible to our initial target price.
We hope you guys appreciate and are interested in this idea we've put forward, do join our Discord (https://discord.com/invite/tz9hsXd) for the most updated information.
We've got some planned collaborations coming up that we will announce soon!
Post by: Kasterborous on Thu, 04 March 2021, 10:04:54
Alright some Post-IC Updates for now
We've decided to go with the original PCB, meaning the PCB with flex cuts around or in between the alphas have been scrapped.
In our R&D, we tried three different kinds of PCBs: top/bottom alpha flex cuts, middle pcb flex cut, no flex cut other than modifier keys
One of the other two PCBs, has flex cuts at the top of the QWERTY row and below the ZXCVB row.
This resulted in the PCB flexing more than it should in use.
It didn't feel like a keyboard, more akin to typing on a pillow.
As for the second PCB variant, it had the singular flex cut through the QWERTY and ASDF rows.
What this resulted in was a very very weird and almost lopsided feeling when using those rows.
Due to the flexible nature of the keyboard, it would look like they're scraping against one another in use.
The final PCB, has no flex cuts other than around the modifiers.
While significantly less flexy than its other two counterparts, this PCB felt the best while still having an appropriate amount of flex to have that comfortable plateless typing experience we were striving for.
This will be the one we'll be going for, though there might be a chance we're also scrapping the flex cuts at the modifiers,
because we can feel or hear no discernable difference with or without the cuts.
Post by: Kyosurai on Thu, 04 March 2021, 10:08:04
Post by: Fatboychard on Thu, 04 March 2021, 10:08:37
Post by: xduwu0215 on Thu, 04 March 2021, 10:09:02
Post by: KambingSuSu on Thu, 04 March 2021, 10:09:36
Damnit the images are scuffed
Also reserved
did you just reserve your own board
Post by: aerandire on Thu, 04 March 2021, 10:10:52
Post by: kyuut on Thu, 04 March 2021, 10:11:15
Post by: ZLightningZAP on Thu, 04 March 2021, 10:11:24
Post by: bow3i on Thu, 04 March 2021, 10:14:45
Post by: oxchamballs on Thu, 04 March 2021, 10:16:42
Post by: bellorie on Thu, 04 March 2021, 10:17:24
Post by: chocomint on Thu, 04 March 2021, 10:17:34
Post by: jtqx on Thu, 04 March 2021, 10:18:47
gib
Post by: Seaturtle on Thu, 04 March 2021, 10:20:50
Post by: ephemeral25 on Thu, 04 March 2021, 10:23:35
Edit: You guys should make an enclosure for led so that they don't illuminate keys on both sides (looks p bad).
Also what about the usb cutout with all that potential flex? Can you show a picture ?
Color is ok but are you using the same manu as for the 3C ? I am really worried about the matching, I don't want a Rolls Royce 2 tons board.
ne ISO compat ?
Post by: Ponker on Thu, 04 March 2021, 10:23:55
Post by: roostrc0gburn on Thu, 04 March 2021, 10:26:10
Post by: bananathock on Thu, 04 March 2021, 10:32:30
Post by: frostykoala on Thu, 04 March 2021, 10:39:42
Post by: Kasterborous on Thu, 04 March 2021, 10:47:42
Hope it turns out better than the Hex 3C, nothing more to say.
Edit: You guys should make an enclosure for led so that they don't illuminate keys on both sides (looks p bad).
Also what about the usb cutout with all that potential flex? Can you show a picture ?
Color is ok but are you using the same manu as for the 3C ? I am really worried about the matching, I don't want a Rolls Royce 2 tons board.
ne ISO compat ?
Hi epheremal! We certainly hope it does, 3C was by no means a perfect keyboard, in fact it was far from ideal. We've taken the lessons learned from that run into 6C and into this run now. As for anodization, we've worked something out with the anodization factory to have as best a match as possible for the top and bottom pieces. We'll send a pic to the discord in the morning. The light bleed was a mistake on my end, I didn't have the correctly sized spacers when installing the LEDs. The top housing has a 6mm deep counterbore to house said LEDs. As for ISO, we couldn't make it happen this time as it would make installation wonky for the keys in that area.
Post by: finalarcadia on Thu, 04 March 2021, 10:51:43
Post by: Kasterborous on Thu, 04 March 2021, 10:55:36
N e side, bottom, back pics?We'll send some to the discord tomorrow morning :)
Post by: Kokaloo on Thu, 04 March 2021, 10:58:19
Post by: marcofriedrichs on Thu, 04 March 2021, 11:01:47
Post by: Kasterborous on Thu, 04 March 2021, 11:12:16
damn i thought this was gonna be a 40 lmfao
syke
Post by: bthezebra on Thu, 04 March 2021, 11:16:05
Post by: Kasterborous on Thu, 04 March 2021, 11:18:29
Is there a practical reason why the f-row isn't separated from the alphas? This is the one thing that kinda ruins it for me (visually) :/We did this to reduce machining complexity, to make our keyboard as competitively-priced and affordable as we can.
Post by: Kasterborous on Thu, 04 March 2021, 11:21:46
I love that there are more layouts supporting a softer typing experience. This looks like a
Thanks for your kind words! We do like plateless keyboards as well, so why not make one of our own? :D
Post by: marcofriedrichs on Thu, 04 March 2021, 11:22:44
Is there a practical reason why the f-row isn't separated from the alphas? This is the one thing that kinda ruins it for me (visually) :/We did this to reduce machining complexity, to make our keyboard as competitively-priced and affordable as we can.
Okay, that's understandable. At least it's (partially) staggered to the numrow :thumb:
Post by: tex_live_utility on Thu, 04 March 2021, 11:39:04
Post by: darthcapn on Thu, 04 March 2021, 11:47:39
Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk
Post by: Kasterborous on Thu, 04 March 2021, 11:47:46
I'm stupid. Is there a diagram of the internals or something that a stupid person like myself can understand? I see the one picture in the gallery but I'm not really sure what I'm looking at.
Hey Tex!
We've updated the album with a picture of the mounting style. Hope that helps!
Post by: Kasterborous on Thu, 04 March 2021, 14:14:33
Added an IC Form in the main post! Hope to see your responses :thumb:
Post by: ephemeral25 on Thu, 04 March 2021, 15:25:22
I'm stupid. Is there a diagram of the internals or something that a stupid person like myself can understand? I see the one picture in the gallery but I'm not really sure what I'm looking at.
Hey Tex!
We've updated the album with a picture of the mounting style. Hope that helps!
Do you want to surf on the same hype that #ShakeYourKei provided ? Have you tried it with the proto ? Curious to know
Post by: keeganzero on Thu, 04 March 2021, 18:10:14
Post by: monstargear on Thu, 04 March 2021, 18:55:29
Post by: SaltedNut on Thu, 04 March 2021, 19:10:21
Post by: flying1911 on Thu, 04 March 2021, 22:33:58
Post by: Baranix on Thu, 04 March 2021, 23:36:58
Post by: $W4GK!NG on Fri, 05 March 2021, 00:30:10
Post by: Ustinj on Fri, 05 March 2021, 01:34:42
Post by: hiddensong on Fri, 05 March 2021, 04:17:00
Post by: Hi !! on Fri, 05 March 2021, 04:32:12
Post by: audax989 on Fri, 05 March 2021, 04:44:48
Post by: Starius on Fri, 05 March 2021, 09:50:55
Post by: Kasterborous on Fri, 05 March 2021, 11:29:57
Nice job Kaster, cool mounting :thumb:
Thanks Justin! We love Cloudline too!
Very interesting! Want it right now!! lol
I would send one to you if I had more than one prototype haha!
I joined your hex.3c. This is definitely on my list.
We really appreciate your constant support Audax, even after the 3C. <3
great color choice...now we need eggplant and peach. One more Hex board to add to the list.
Will you be mass buying extra O-Rings for this one too? ;D
Images aren’t loading for me.... is there another source to view them?Try this link!
https://imgur.com/a/sgRmYyj
Rhubarb best colour in keyboard history :p :p
MechLovin' best PCB maker in keyboard history <3 (Ok I'm biased Hiney and Wilba good too don't hate me)
I'm stupid. Is there a diagram of the internals or something that a stupid person like myself can understand? I see the one picture in the gallery but I'm not really sure what I'm looking at.
Hey Tex!
We've updated the album with a picture of the mounting style. Hope that helps!
Do you want to surf on the same hype that #ShakeYourKei provided ? Have you tried it with the proto ? Curious to know
I tried shaking the prototype, there wasn't any rattling. People were staring at me though, shouldn't have done that in public.
Post by: Starius on Fri, 05 March 2021, 20:32:35
Post by: Diggidy on Sat, 06 March 2021, 12:07:35
Post by: vi0till on Sat, 06 March 2021, 14:14:33
Super interesting mounting idea, and it sounds great. I am curious why you decided to not go with a daughterboard though? In the video on discord there is definitely a bit of flex, and to accommodate that you've had to make a big cutout for the USB port.
Post by: Kasterborous on Sun, 07 March 2021, 04:33:26
I am voting for you to consider daughterboard as well.
Super interesting mounting idea, and it sounds great. I am curious why you decided to not go with a daughterboard though? In the video on discord there is definitely a bit of flex, and to accommodate that you've had to make a big cutout for the USB port.
The omission of the daughterboard was a conscious decision made to keep the pricing of the kit as reasonable as possible. The movement of the cable when typing is minimal, as the mounting points are on the edges of the case. This was observed during my testing and reflected in magicpretzel's typing video. The only thing we're compromising on, for this, is the larger than normal USB cutout.
Post by: infectedqt on Wed, 02 June 2021, 08:18:01
Post by: IMZO on Thu, 29 July 2021, 13:23:41
Post by: Cary2060 on Tue, 03 August 2021, 19:50:37
Post by: Hairy_Godmother on Wed, 04 August 2021, 00:52:53
Post by: Gugapi on Wed, 11 August 2021, 14:00:50
Post by: Kasterborous on Tue, 17 August 2021, 00:10:15
The pre-sale will go live on the 18th of August, 9pm GMT+8!
Countdown: https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/generic?iso=20210818T21&p0=236&msg=HEX.4B+Presale&font=sanserif&csz=1
This will be on a pre-order basis, so we can prep and prepack your packages before the PCBs arrive. Once they do, we can start shipping out within a day.
There are a total of 200 units in the Rhubarb colorway to be sold! Secret sale will be announced(hopefully) sometime later this month.
I will lock the website at 6pm tomorrow, and release the password at 9pm. Good luck and have fun.
Price: 295SGD
Post by: atlantiasekai on Tue, 17 August 2021, 08:09:49
Post by: UGunaLOSE on Thu, 26 August 2021, 07:24:04
Post by: nosaj03 on Mon, 07 March 2022, 08:24:57