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geekhack Marketplace => Interest Checks => Topic started by: Alchemist Keyboards on Tue, 18 June 2024, 09:34:56

Title: [IC] Caerdroia by AKB (Price and GB date announced!)
Post by: Alchemist Keyboards on Tue, 18 June 2024, 09:34:56
GB THREAD LIVE (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=124709.0)

(https://i.imgur.com/1mx0J2g.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/2N24JpX.jpeg)


Among the roots of the trees you awaken,
Birds leer rapturously upon your disoriented visage,
The redstart solemnizes your parturition with angelic aria,
You recall the year was at its twilight, yet now birthed anew, blossoming with verdant,
All of your consciousness, connected with the weald like hyphae,
Abstracting your past life beyond all fragile recall,
This caerdroia is sacred, you know that you are home now.
The trees willed it, again.


When finding inspiration for designing new boards, sometimes I look back to vintage keyboards and computers, but other times I find inspiration in things that are much more abstract.

With Caerdroia, I wanted to finally design a TKL that I would be proud to put my name on but with so many of them out there already it was tough to come up with something entirely unique. It felt like everything had been done already and I think the reason why it took me over 3 years to finally start designing a TKL for AKB was because I was a little jaded by this, especially given that the majority of TKLs (to me) seemed to copy elements from their contemporaries, or other designs that have truly stood the test of time. I wanted to try and design my TKL so it was truly unique from every angle, and to do that I had to go down the abstract route for inspiration.

I learned about what a Caerdroia was late one evening while deep down a wiki hole - it is essentially a maze in a forest in Wales formed in a labyrinthine shape. While it has no truly historic significance, it has been adopted by various spiritual groups in the area and is hailed as a place of mystical enlightenment. I started with this idea and over time it blossomed into more of a fictional narrative about a sentient forest that would "adopt" unfortunate souls who happened to wander within it, and they would dutifully remain forever - bending to the forest's will. We take inspiration wherever we can find it right?

In March 2024 I worked with CannonKeys to do an in-stock sale of this board, limited to just 50 units. That was fixed to WKL only, and only came in one exclusive colourway. Now I'd like to expand the options, make subtle improvements and offer it to the wider community.


Links:

AKB Website (https://alchemistkeyboards.com)
AKB Discord (https://discord.gg/yPkfGGC)
See Caerdroia at CannonKeys (https://cannonkeys.com/products/caerdroia)


Key specs:
(https://i.imgur.com/TlDytIi.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/ZtSrb05.jpeg)


Additional specs:



Confirmed colorways:

As soon as I posted the update with a colour poll, I realised I probably shouldn't have done that. My goal with this keyboard was to provide a curated
experience rather than throw every option at the wall to try and satisfy absolutely everyone, so that is what I have done with the colourways too.


Dolch
Previously with the in-stock round, I chose to run the board exclusively in the Dolch colourway as that was how I had always imagined it throughout
the design process; I personally can't really see this board any other way. I did also say previously that Dolch would be exclusive to the in-stock round,
but those boards didn't quite come out as intended - they were still very nice, but they weren't Dolch. Given that this board will be physically
colour-matched to an OGR (as was is0GR and Petrichor) it should come out as intended as a close approximation to the original.

Given that the OGR, is0GR and Petrichor have all had Dolch colourways now, it only feels natural to continue this trend and adopt this as kind of an
unofficial trademark of AKB moving forward with most projects.

(https://i.imgur.com/yQHggFa.jpeg)



E-Beige
Given that the most recent prototype was shown in this colourway, it just made sense to keep this as part of the lineup. Looks tasty too.

(https://i.imgur.com/BzGryHi.jpeg)



Verdant
When looking at the results of the colour poll from the IC form, all of the colours had virtually the same number of votes. This is my favourite colourway
after Dolch and it also ties in thematically with the story of this board that I want to tell. There is a small tweak now though - now the bottom case
shares the same warm, earth-toned grey with Dolch, as I think it is a much more complementary colour than the cold dark grey that was used before.

Earth tones all the way baby  :thumb:

(https://i.imgur.com/QCoW0ys.jpeg)



Alta Rubedo
As with Verdant, I've altered the colourway slightly to use the Dolch bottom colour, fit the vision more closely and share an overall warmer tone. There is an
additional plus to this, as cutting down the number of unique colours used across the lineup has allowed me to keep the costs down to within expected margins,
as selling this board for $450+ was never considered as an option.

(https://i.imgur.com/jO9SBAM.jpeg)




V1 Prototype Photos:

(https://i.imgur.com/wljzwBQ.jpeg)


More
(https://i.imgur.com/bQlLnYm.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/DSZugfc.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/rRZAuOl.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/jfgTUwM.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/sMyW36a.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/itWU0pi.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/BRAMuwr.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Eyadiys.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/3uddnrl.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/FJPtT1U.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/soX0fY4.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/kB7Bbir.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/DFh3Gqv.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/12boKgA.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/PXwZENz.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Uz5wYhb.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/2N24JpX.jpeg)


V2 Prototype Photos:
Note: The first top case part was missing an engraving so when a replacement was shipped out it had a slightly different shade, hence the slight two-tone look.

(https://i.imgur.com/LVAUHt2.jpeg)


More
(https://i.imgur.com/SVFHWPK.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/c1ERYF0.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Rj2dIDN.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/xw83oxE.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/G5KazK8.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/oYmetWJ.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/XborXLG.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/c1ERYF0.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/hoQEa2P.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/3yUwgvE.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/hL9aWPC.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/8wQmINm.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/VT0HZvM.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/H5iyGmf.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/PLisscL.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/TJelkM7.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/cI13ESw.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/x2XWDwH.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/rTWHxjl.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/r5J9yuZ.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/r5J9yuZ.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/wu9bbxR.jpeg)

Additional renders:
(https://i.imgur.com/9nVfocm.jpeg)


More
(https://i.imgur.com/oqOWZem.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/O9Nnk5g.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/bk9KHZJ.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/jrKYd8y.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/qEO2r6g.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/utw17E7.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Bo4Aioy.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/JQHmjWM.jpeg)



Changes from the in-stock version:

Some context regarding the change to USB 3.0.

Some minor adjustments have had to be made to the bottom case to house the shiny new 3.0 hub, and due to the many additional components
required the decision has been made to connect the two daughterboards together into one, to make use of the extra PCB real estate. The only
external change made to the board is the USB-C port has been lowered by 1mm.

(https://i.imgur.com/4Wb6wOm.png)



Compatibility:

Default (thick) plate support,
Solder MX PCB,
Alps PCB:
(https://i.imgur.com/thiucKk.png)

Hotswap MX PCB
(https://i.imgur.com/K176JYA.png)

Alps Plate (MX stabs by default)
Plate files with OG stabilizer compatibility will be open sourced
(https://i.imgur.com/gV8bMtX.png)

EC PCB support (Prepare yourself...also keep in mind not all of these will be compatible with the plate in the kit.
More
(https://i.imgur.com/NFCCxNg.jpeg)




GB plans/details:


Title: Re: [IC] Caerdroia (TKL) by AKB
Post by: jpro on Tue, 18 June 2024, 09:59:46
I snagged one of these during the in-stock drop and it is truly an exquisitely designed board. Glad more people are going to get a chance to try one of these beauties. Good look with the IC!
Title: Re: [IC] Caerdroia (TKL) by AKB
Post by: LMarci on Tue, 18 June 2024, 10:22:22
Phenomenal project, GLWIC :thumb:
Title: Re: [IC] Caerdroia (TKL) by AKB
Post by: Bennettb on Tue, 18 June 2024, 13:41:59
I love the USBs! Super cool project!
Title: Re: [IC] Caerdroia (TKL) by AKB
Post by: DivinaPapaya on Tue, 18 June 2024, 15:27:20
Looks amazing and damn the two usb ports are great, its the only thing I miss from the moment I stopped using normie mechanical boards. GLWIC
Title: Re: [IC] Caerdroia (TKL) by AKB
Post by: HubertThemad on Tue, 18 June 2024, 22:20:41
Between Taiwanese James and UK James, I will be bankrupt. Great project!
Title: Re: [IC] Caerdroia (TKL) by AKB
Post by: Rhienfo on Tue, 18 June 2024, 23:27:08
Beautiful design, alps support, usb ports Perfect  :thumb:

GLWIC, this is great.
Title: Re: [IC] Caerdroia (TKL) by AKB
Post by: twitchytheinsideman on Wed, 19 June 2024, 06:51:56
GLWIC
Title: Re: [IC] Caerdroia (TKL) by AKB
Post by: halfling_barista on Wed, 19 June 2024, 10:43:17
This is one that has grown on me a ton. I initially wasn't big on the shape as a matter of personal preference, but looking at it further reveals a very cohesive design: the slightly flared bottom that travels down, the rounded profile from the top with a flat overhang, the maze weight counterbalancing the front foot, the plinth-like thick plate. Nice list of updates in the short time since the initial batch. I really like what James has come up with here.
Title: Re: [IC] Caerdroia (TKL) by AKB
Post by: ylothar on Wed, 19 June 2024, 16:02:29
it is truly a beautiful board, and the presence of a 2.0 hub makes it extremely convenient for a thousand uses.
It's just a shame that there is no ISO plate option. Will it be possible to have the file after GB? Or will there be vendors in Europe that will have the ISO plate as an option?
GLWIC
Title: Re: [IC] Caerdroia (TKL) by AKB
Post by: JQ27 on Thu, 20 June 2024, 03:25:56
Quote from: ylothar on Wed, 19 June 2024, 16:02:29
it is truly a beautiful board, and the presence of a 2.0 hub makes it extremely convenient for a thousand uses.
It's just a shame that there is no ISO plate option. Will it be possible to have the file after GB? Or will there be vendors in Europe that will have the ISO plate as an option?
GLWIC

From what I understand, the GB version of this has a universal thick plate instead of the fixed ANSI which was in the initial drop version.
Title: Re: [IC] Caerdroia (TKL) by AKB
Post by: dmatx1 on Thu, 20 June 2024, 04:30:38
Quote from: JQ27 on Thu, 20 June 2024, 03:25:56
From what I understand, the GB version of this has a universal thick plate instead of the fixed ANSI which was in the initial drop version.

Yes, the thick plate will support ISO too in the group buy (it was ANSI-only in the in-stock drop).

Universal MX plate files for normal (1.5 mm thick) plates are already available, so you can cut plates from different materials than offered in the group buy.
Title: Re: [IC] Caerdroia (TKL) by AKB
Post by: Cringelord on Tue, 25 June 2024, 15:10:08
An actually weight that weighs alot, nice.
Title: Re: [IC] Caerdroia by AKB (Now with added updates)
Post by: Alchemist Keyboards on Sat, 08 February 2025, 13:29:13
Big update time

Title: Re: [IC] Caerdroia by AKB (Now with added updates)
Post by: TheManicGeek on Mon, 10 February 2025, 12:21:12
Looks like a board I could really get into, being in the PNW and all. GLWIC!
Title: Re: [IC] Caerdroia by AKB (Now with added updates)
Post by: snurrebassen on Mon, 03 March 2025, 06:29:38
i cant wait to give you money :eek:
i've had severe case of fomo ever since i missed the first drop
Title: Re: [IC] Caerdroia by AKB (Now with added updates)
Post by: Alchemist Keyboards on Tue, 04 March 2025, 06:20:51
Mini update time:

Some context regarding the change to USB 3.0.

Some minor adjustments have had to be made to the bottom case to house the shiny new 3.0 hub, and due to the many additional components
required the decision has been made to connect the two daughterboards together into one, to make use of the extra PCB real estate. The only
external change made to the board is the USB-C port has been lowered by 1mm.

(https://i.imgur.com/4Wb6wOm.png)


Still to come:
Title: Re: [IC] Caerdroia by AKB (March 4th Update)
Post by: Randomlosername on Thu, 06 March 2025, 07:35:15
Man I wish I was more into TKL's bc the 2 USB 3.0 Passthrough ports are RAD.
Title: Re: [IC] Caerdroia by AKB (March 4th Update)
Post by: Alchemist Keyboards on Mon, 10 March 2025, 13:22:38
Update time:

1) Confirmed GB details

Caerdroia will be launching on Friday, April 11th and the price will be starting at $420.

CannonKeys will be serving as the US vendor, and other regional vendors will be confirmed over the next couple of weeks.

Add-on costs will be confirmed soon, and posted when I launch the GB thread :thumb:



2) Colors have been decided.

As soon as I posted the update with a colour poll, I realised I probably shouldn't have done that. My goal with this keyboard was to provide a curated
experience rather than throw every option at the wall to try and satisfy absolutely everyone, so that is what I have done with the colourways too.


Dolch
Previously with the in-stock round, I chose to run the board exclusively in the Dolch colourway as that was how I had always imagined it throughout
the design process; I personally can't really see this board any other way. I did also say previously that Dolch would be exclusive to the in-stock round,
but those boards didn't quite come out as intended - they were still very nice, but they weren't Dolch. Given that this board will be physically
colour-matched to an OGR (as was is0GR and Petrichor) it should come out as intended as a close approximation to the original.

Given that the OGR, is0GR and Petrichor have all had Dolch colourways now, it only feels natural to continue this trend and adopt this as kind of an
unofficial trademark of AKB moving forward with most projects.

(https://i.imgur.com/yQHggFa.jpeg)



E-Beige
Given that the most recent prototype was shown in this colourway, it just made sense to keep this as part of the lineup. Looks tasty too.

(https://i.imgur.com/BzGryHi.jpeg)



Verdant
When looking at the results of the colour poll from the IC form, all of the colours had virtually the same number of votes. This is my favourite colourway
after Dolch and it also ties in thematically with the story of this board that I want to tell. There is a small tweak now though - now the bottom case
shares the same warm, earth-toned grey with Dolch, as I think it is a much more complementary colour than the cold dark grey that was used before.

Earth tones all the way baby  :thumb:

(https://i.imgur.com/QCoW0ys.jpeg)



Rubedo
As with Verdant, I've altered the colourway slightly to use the Dolch bottom colour, fit the vision more closely and share an overall warmer tone. There is an
additional plus to this, as cutting down the number of unique colours used across the lineup has allowed me to keep the costs down to within expected margins,
as selling this board for $450+ was never considered as an option.

(https://i.imgur.com/jO9SBAM.jpeg)


If you're curious about seeing the prototype in action, check out this VOD from gymleadernathan's Stream. (https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2397386057)


Still to come:
Title: Re: [IC] Caerdroia by AKB (Price and GB date announced!)
Post by: ilikerustoo on Mon, 10 March 2025, 14:21:21
Cool
Title: Re: [IC] Caerdroia by AKB (Price and GB date announced!)
Post by: pyrobunny on Thu, 13 March 2025, 18:22:06
Beyond excited to see Verdant going through to group buy. One of the most exciting group buys this year for me!
Title: Re: [IC] Caerdroia by AKB (Price and GB date announced!)
Post by: Petch on Fri, 21 March 2025, 15:10:38
can anyone share more pictures of the Verdant colour please? I don't mind if it's from other layouts
Title: Re: [IC] Caerdroia by AKB (Price and GB date announced!)
Post by: Alchemist Keyboards on Wed, 26 March 2025, 09:21:05
Quote from: Petch on Fri, 21 March 2025, 15:10:38
can anyone share more pictures of the Verdant colour please? I don't mind if it's from other layouts

The same colour was used on a Petrichor prototype shown here (https://imgur.com/a/akb-petrichor-prototype-photos-OqtlvFS)