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geekhack Marketplace => Interest Checks => Topic started by: ectoplasmatic on Tue, 21 December 2021, 12:02:31
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Foundation (/founˈdāSH(ə)n/)
:: a body or ground upon which something is built up or overlaid ::
Foundation is designed around this principle - to lay a foundation for you to build on. It’s meant to be modified and personalized over time and to be able to reinvent itself through the seasons of life.
Foundation features a magnetically interchangeable top that can be swapped out to match various keysets, deskmats or battle-station vibes. We all love this hobby and enjoy evolving our taste over time. Why not have a board that can evolve with you?
Group Buy runs June 22nd - July 6th.
GB THREAD (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=117573.0)
+ With a magnetic interface, you can hotswap the aesthetic top pieces made from Aluminium, Hand Dyed Plexiglass and Recycled Terrazzo Plastic to your hearts content.
+ Three base finishes including black, e-white and a textured wrinkle-grey powdercoat, eleven different top pieces in three materials, and four badge styles give you a large amount of choice to personalise your FOUNDATION.
+ Featuring a cork base piece, interchangeable top and bottom badges, and an elegant three piece design, FOUNDATION exemplifies our signature attention to detail. A choice of Solder or Hotswap PCBs by Mechlovin' rounds out this offering.
- IC FORM (https://forms.gle/irJ5PCVKnQmxykLaA)
- INSTAGRAM (http://www.instagram.com/protozoa.studio)
- WEBSITE (http://www.protozoa.studio)
- DISCORD (https://discord.gg/GbQS2c3)
Updates:
- Group Buy Format - Unlimited (within human limit)
- Group Buy Date: June 22 - July 6
- International Vendors!
- New photos by Sterling Photography!
- PCB by Mechlovin'
- Pricing has shifted a bit with the addition of vendors, and some fluctuations in material and shipping costs.
- You can now buy any top piece to go with your kit, you're not locked into a 'base' colour
- Top pieces are cheaper now.
- Delivery: 6 months after GB end
Vendors:
USA & UK: Protozoa
EU: KEYGEM
Canada: Ashkeebs
SEA: HEX Keyboards
OCE: Daily Clack
China & Asia: zFrontier
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- FRL TKL Layout
- Hotswap magnetic aesthetic top plates for easy customization.
- 3-piece body construction (base, mid, top)
- 6063 aluminium body (base, mid, top), with optional tops in various materials and colours
- Full adhesive backed cork foot
- Top Mount
- 2 detachable badges
- RGB underglow windows
- USB-C (no daughterboard)
- Custom silkscreen PCB
- Custom made Torx T6 hardware throughout
- Stainless steel weight
- Micro-suede under pcb mat
- Three finishes: (1) Black Anodized (2) E-white (3) Wrinkle grey powder coat
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Solder PCB Layout
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Hotswap PCB Layout
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Keyboard Chassis - $300 + shipping [doesn't include Top, PCB, Badges]
- Base and mid piece in color of your choice
- 2 cork feet (1 preinstalled, 1 extra)
- Aluminum full plate
- Stainless steel weight
- Custom Torx T6 hardware
- Custom Premium Carrying Case
Tops - 80$ / each. Aluminium 6063
- Black w/ Stainless Steel Badge/font]
- White w/ Stainless Steel Badge
- Wrinkel Grey w/ Stainless Steel Badge
Tops - 100$ / each. Hand dyed CNC Plexiglass
- Atomic Purple w/ white badge
- Tropical Turquoise w/ black badge
- Pink Blush w/ white badge
- Ocean Blue w/ brass badge
SE Tops - $100/each
- Duotone Fade (Hand Dyed Gradient Duotone Plexiglass) w/ black badge
- Black Terrazzo w/ polished stainless badge
- White Terrazzo w/ polished stainless badge
- Replicant (Amber - ULTEM 1000) w/ black badge
PCB - $50
PCB - $60
Badges - $15 for 2
- Stainless Steel Matte
- Black Anodized
- Copper Raw Matte
Extras - Plates - $35
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Foundation has been in the making since May 2020, going through 5 prototype rounds with three different factories. We've tried all sorts of different materials, and finally settled on a first round of material and colour offerings. If well received, we have a lot of ideas for new colours and materials to spark your fancy - as well as other layouts that fit into the main chassis.
*note - British Racing Green and Deep Navy have been tweaked and are now 'Turquoise' and 'Blue'.
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Black
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Black + Wrinkle Grey
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Black + White
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Black + Atomic Purple
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Black + Turquoise
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Black + Pink Blush
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Black + Blue
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Black + Fade
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Black + Black Terrazzo
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Black + White Terrazzo
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Black + Replicant
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White
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White + Black
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White + Wrinkle Grey
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White + Atomic Purple
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White + Turquoise
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White + Pink Blush
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White + Blue
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White + Fade
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White + Black Terrazzo
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White + White Terrazzo
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White + Replicant
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Wrinkle Grey
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Wrinkle Grey + Black
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Wrinkle Grey + White
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Wrinkle Grey + Atomic Purple
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Wrinkle Grey + Turquoise
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Wrinkle Grey + Pink Blush
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Wrinkle Grey + Blue
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Wrinkle Grey + Fade
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Wrinkle Grey + Black Terrazzo
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Wrinkle Grey + White Terrazzo
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Wrinkle Grey + Replicant
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You made it, that was a long scrolling session. Thanks so much for your support and interest. Any questions - drop us a note below.
With love,
Protozoa Studio
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Looks absolutely amazing!
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Will there be WKL top?
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so pumped!
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I like the idea of swappable tops and the texture wrinkle option seems to be the star of the show. What are the chances of it being offered in other colours?
I'm also interested as to whether WKL tops have been considered.
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wew much colours
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I like this very much, WKL tops would be very cool!
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Looks awesome!
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Will there be WKL top?
WKL tops will happen eventually but not part of this initial run.
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Looks nice, frltkl good. I'd like a winkeyless top. Kork bottom is not something I've personally seen before.
I would like a picture of:
1. everything disassembled
2. an exploded view of the board
3. a picture that shows how the led defusers on the bottom look in action.
4. PCB support
Can't wait for GB :thumb:
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Wow! This looks stunning, great work! 100% in!
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Yes!!!
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Looks nice, frltkl good. I'd like a winkeyless top. Kork bottom is not something I've personally seen before.
I would like a picture of:
1. everything disassembled
2. an exploded view of the board
3. a picture that shows how the led defusers on the bottom look in action.
4. PCB support
Can't wait for GB :thumb:
Will do. We'll also show the custom zipper case.
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Damn what an IC! Kinda want to create an Oreo Foundation board now...
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The colors look really nice! GLWIC :thumb:
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How do you post an IC without showing layout support?
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How do you post an IC without showing layout support?
fixed, thank you
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On board, nice colours.
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Looks amazing, any plans for half plates?
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Noice - I approve of ISO & 7U Spacebar
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wkl please
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Very kewl stuff, wkl would be perfect
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I wannit
extra feet are appreciated :thumb:
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Watching this board from an early stage to where it's at now is incredible - fantastic work fellas! The customizability and material usage is so well executed. Can't wait to get my hands on one of these!
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absolutely amazing.
issa yes from me
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Absolutely gorgeous, the wrinkle grey looks incredible and so does the cork bottom. I'd really like to see a sound test with a proto, as well as badges that can be bought separately as extras without having to buy a different top! Very very excited for the GB, I'm 100% in :))
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Abolutely on board for this, will happily buy an extra set of WKL tops too. :thumb:
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Very keen, been waiting for this one to come along. Since you posted the Purple on IG.
The whole concept of the interchangeable Tops is vary noice :thumb:
Count me in for one or even two
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Keyboard Kit - $420 + shipping
- Base and mid piece in color of your choice
- 1 Color matched top
Just wanna clarify...
Are those colors (ghost, pink, atomic purple etc.) sold/bought separately or can you choose, for example, atomic purple + black for the base kit?
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Finally the layout I always wanted, FRL and extra macro column.
All looks great, but one thing worries me - that cork bottom - would it "scratch" and tear on deskmats with time?
I mean its soft, it may "wipe" down a bit with time, no?
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very excited about this and can't wait to see more. I'm fully on board. I hope this takes off as the idea of upgrading this platform down the road is very appealing and I would love to see what future top plates and other additions could be released.
Do you have specs on weight, typing angle, etc?
It would also be nice to make the 3 standard top plate colours to be purchased on their own.
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Love the design and concept. For sure one to buy ;D
Eager to see GMK Mictlán with Black Terrazo top.
Edit: saw the wrong price
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Keyboard Kit - $420 + shipping
- Base and mid piece in color of your choice
- 1 Color matched top
Just wanna clarify...
Are those colors (ghost, pink, atomic purple etc.) sold/bought separately or can you choose, for example, atomic purple + black for the base kit?
Its $420 for black, white or the wrinkle gray (top and bottom base combo). other tops are an additional charge from what I understand.[/list]
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I might buy a few of these for presents.
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Finally the layout I always wanted, FRL and extra macro column.
All looks great, but one thing worries me - that cork bottom - would it "scratch" and tear on deskmats with time?
I mean its soft, it may "wipe" down a bit with time, no?
Second this. I like the design and layout, but I worry about the durability of cork, especially in drier climates. Any chance of offering an alternate foot material?
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This looks amazing. Some really great colour combinations available here, and that wrinkle grey option is so nice. This is a must buy for sure. I’m very much looking forward to an eventual WKL top, but I can understand with so many options already if that’s not feasible this round.
Unless I somehow missed it, it’s not clear what the colour / finish of the aluminum plate will be. Will there be a single option regardless of case colour?
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How comparable to purple GameBoy style polycarbonate is the Atomic Purple?
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This looks interesting for sure.
-Are all the extra tops plexi besides Black and White terrazzo (or maybe even those are plexi)?
The concept of interchangeable tops is very interesting, but 99-120$ for a sheet of plexi seems very expensive, I would have hoped for Alu or PC tops at that price.
-Will there be an option for no badge (at least for the top)?
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The concept of interchangeable tops is very interesting, but 99-120$ for a sheet of plexi seems very expensive, I would have hoped for Alu or PC tops at that price.
That was my first reaction too, but looking closely I can see where the price comes from. Keep in mind they're CNCed (there are some nice bezels) and hand-dyed, so I wouldn't expect them to be much cheaper than PC or alu based on manufacturing costs. They also presumably have to have little magnets installed for the mounting, and they each come with a small machined badge, so it kind of adds up.
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As much as I love this, I'd rather see more colour options for complete base kits over mix and match tops. Multi-coloured boards are never something I've been in to, but I'd happily grab a complete pink or purple board.
Could also do without the badge.
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Finally the layout I always wanted, FRL and extra macro column.
All looks great, but one thing worries me - that cork bottom - would it "scratch" and tear on deskmats with time?
I mean its soft, it may "wipe" down a bit with time, no?
If the cork is sealed it's very smooth.
If the keyboard is in a room or office that is thermostatically controlled you won't have any issues with it drying out. You could apply wax on it but that would have to happen every 6-12 months.
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Echoing others on the desire for wkl tops, hopefully you'll reconsider.
As for the cork, I'm personally not a fan aesthetically (imo it detracts from the rest of the design) and I question the durability. At the price points we pay for customs I and others hope for something we can use for a long time to come.
At any rate, the layout is nice and I'm a fan of the finishes offered. watching.
Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk
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Echoing others on the desire for wkl tops, hopefully you'll reconsider.
As for the cork, I'm personally not a fan aesthetically (imo it detracts from the rest of the design) and I question the durability. At the price points we pay for customs I and others hope for something we can use for a long time to come.
At any rate, the layout is nice and I'm a fan of the finishes offered. watching.
Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk
Why do you think Cork isn't going to last? Cork flooring which is walked on, dirt pushed into it, pets and kids running around on it and it's not much thicker on the top than this last 40 years. This is going to be sitting on a soft desk mat how is it going to get damaged? I know it's never been used on keyboards before but its extremely great product and acoustically it's A+
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Finally the layout I always wanted, FRL and extra macro column.
All looks great, but one thing worries me - that cork bottom - would it "scratch" and tear on deskmats with time?
I mean its soft, it may "wipe" down a bit with time, no?
I had a feeling folks may be concerned about the durability of the cork. I can tell you that I've been testing an early prototype of this board for over 6 months of daily use on a deskmat and the cork shows zero signs of wear. It's very durable. Obviously if you're sliding it across a rough surface daily then it will get damaged but so would anodized aluminum for that matter. I'm confident the cork will more than meet your expectations of durability and if it doesn't you can always replace it with a fresh extra that we'll include in every order.
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This looks interesting for sure.
-Are all the extra tops plexi besides Black and White terrazzo (or maybe even those are plexi)?
The concept of interchangeable tops is very interesting, but 99-120$ for a sheet of plexi seems very expensive, I would have hoped for Alu or PC tops at that price.
-Will there be an option for no badge (at least for the top)?
The black and white terrazzo are made from 100% post industrial recycled plastic. The "Replicant" top is made from Ultem1000. The other colored tops are made of CNC'd hand-dyed plexi.
The price is definitely something we are sensitive to. Unfortunately, with the price of raw materials so high it was really difficult for us to get this board any cheaper than it already is. Quite a few other 3-piece boards coming out are priced higher as well so we thought our price point was actually really good for what you get. A 3-piece design with plate, PCB, SS weight, 2x CNC'd badges, cork bottom, all hardware, custom carry case, and extras feels like a really good deal at $420 in today's market. As for the tops, I totally feel you. $99-120 does seem expensive and tbh it is expensive. This is a result of the materials used and the processing that goes into them. Yes, plexi is a cheaper material but when you factor in machining, post-processing, dying, etc. you can get a feeling of where the price comes from. It's quite the process. As for the recycled Terrazzo and Ultem, those are just significantly more expensive materials than plexi. I wish we were able to offer all these things much cheaper but we're already pricing this much lower than we should to allow people to get into the ecosystem so they'll be able to take advantage of the multiple rounds of tops we'll be releasing in the future.
I hope that explanation helps a bit. Feel free to ask more questions - happy to as transparent as possible.
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This looks amazing. Some really great colour combinations available here, and that wrinkle grey option is so nice. This is a must buy for sure. I’m very much looking forward to an eventual WKL top, but I can understand with so many options already if that’s not feasible this round.
Unless I somehow missed it, it’s not clear what the colour / finish of the aluminum plate will be. Will there be a single option regardless of case colour?
Ahh yea thanks for pointing that out. The plate will be black.
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Green, we need green, that is all.
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i agree with the comments asking for green, you are the protozoa foundation but don't make a green color ... be true to your name (protozoa have chlorophyll which is the green pigment) give us a green color please!!
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Green, we need green, that is all.
i agree with the comments asking for green, you are the protozoa foundation but don't make a green color ... be true to your name (protozoa have chlorophyll which is the green pigment) give us a green color please!!
haha yes, totally! The 'British Racing Green' RAL 6005 sample we got is very dark, so it's quite hard to see that it's green. We've ordered some new samples that will be slightly lighter in colour (also the Deep Navy 533C version - I want it to be a little bit lighter).
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Echoing others on the desire for wkl tops, hopefully you'll reconsider.
As for the cork, I'm personally not a fan aesthetically (imo it detracts from the rest of the design) and I question the durability. At the price points we pay for customs I and others hope for something we can use for a long time to come.
At any rate, the layout is nice and I'm a fan of the finishes offered. watching.
Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk
Why do you think Cork isn't going to last? Cork flooring which is walked on, dirt pushed into it, pets and kids running around on it and it's not much thicker on the top than this last 40 years. This is going to be sitting on a soft desk mat how is it going to get damaged? I know it's never been used on keyboards before but its extremely great product and acoustically it's A+
Thanks for that - you've hit the nail on the head.
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Obsessed with the Wrinkle Grey, looks great guys!
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Really nice combinations with this board. I love the white bottom with smoke grey top and the grey 'Hammerite' bottom with the smoke grey top. Really want to get one or two of these.
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RESERVED！:D
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Can't put my love for this design into words :thumb:. Will have to force myself not to check for updates daily until the GB.
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Can't wait to get my hands on one of these :]
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I am really looking forward to this GB. I am definitely "in"!
There have been questions about future top case colors and layout options. I would to ask about the possibility of future PCB options - specifically, I would be VERY interested in a rotary knob at the top of the macro column on the left side - so a rotary knob and 4 macro keys, instead of 5 macro keys. Any chance of something like this in the future?
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Wkl on this would be blockerlicious.
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For anyone interested in seeing this keyboard built on stream, Alexotos will be building a black prototype today (2/25/22) at 7pm EST. You can find it here - https://www.twitch.tv/alexotos
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Interesting layout, looking forward to seeing it later today. :thumb:
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Cool!!!!!
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yes i love this so much
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Interested in the layout and the cool bottom design! :thumb: Does the cork act as good insulation between the board and table like a deskmat?
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Definitely interested, looks like my dream layout! Would be VERY happy about an EU vendor :thumb:
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Looks sick. Love me some FRLs. Will def see where this goes in the future. GL
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Would love this exact thing but with a 65% layout and a macro column. Could even keep that awesome badge above the arrow keys kinda like the Think65.
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This is a tasteful design. interested!
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The cork worries me that it will wear down or degrade over time, but I love the idea. It'll have a different sound and more desk contact.
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So many colors but no silver? I would die for a silver version of this
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Updates!!!!:
- Group Buy Format - Unlimited (within human limit)
- Group Buy Date: June 22 - July 6
- International Vendors!
- New photos by Sterling Photography!
- PCB by Mechlovin'!
- Pricing has shifted a bit with the addition of vendors, and some fluctuations in material and shipping costs.
- You can now buy any top piece to go with your kit, you're not locked into a 'base' colour
- Top pieces are cheaper now.
Vendors:
USA & UK: Protozoa
EU: KEYGEM
Canada: Ashkeebs
SEA: HEX Keyboards
OCE: Daily Clack
China & Asia: zFrontier
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As mentioned in the previous update, the PCB is now being made by Mechlovin'
It will feature a custom soldermask colour - denim - and our signature silkscreen art.
Hotswap
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Solder
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Group buy starts tomorrow, June 22nd!
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GB Thread on Geekhack now available:
HERE (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=117573.0)