geekhack

geekhack Marketplace => Group Buys and Preorders => Topic started by: roffelsaur on Wed, 06 November 2024, 06:00:20

Title: [GB] gwŷdd65 - Thermally Modified Wood Keyboard
Post by: roffelsaur on Wed, 06 November 2024, 06:00:20
gwŷdd65
Surely this wood be good?

IC Thread (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=121191.0) | Discord (https://discord.gg/GNZXpnQgQa) | Hexology Design Website (https://www.hexology.design) | Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hexology_design/)


(https://i.imgur.com/p38otSq.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/lVO5irJ.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/aZMI5hN.jpeg)

Greetings to Fellow Wood Enjoyers :D

I'm super happy to announce that the gwŷdd65 (known by some as the "good wood") is now in group buy! For those of you unfamiliar with the board and the journey we've taken to reach this point, please do feel free to check out the IC Thread (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=121191.0).


Group Buy Dates
4th November 2024 - 4th December 2024

Base Kit Pricing
TWD$12,199 (approx. USD$380 / €350), 100 MOQ

Estimated Fulfilment Date
Q1 2025

 Purchase Link Here (https://www.hexology.design/products/gwydd65-keyboard-kit)


Reviews

Build Stream Hyperlapse

Sound Test Segments
3mm Polycarbonate plate & Gat X (https://youtu.be/UAdv4dIjvx0?si=3jG-xQZa7On5NtXZ&t=1602)

1.5mm Carbon Fibre plate & Go Polar Yangs Switches (https://youtu.be/WmcRHwzrLmA?si=qMKIg6OVV4OHELVe&t=923)


Base Kitting (https://www.hexology.design/products/gwydd65-keyboard-kit)

Add-ons (https://www.hexology.design/products/gwydd65-addons)

Specifications

Signature
Code: [Select]
[url=https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=123940.0][img width=360 height=240]https://i.imgur.com/jk9dkUm.jpeg[/img][/url](https://i.imgur.com/jk9dkUm.jpeg) (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=123940.0)


Title: Re: [GB] gwŷdd65 - Thermally Modified Wood Keyboard
Post by: Minisofu on Thu, 07 November 2024, 01:07:31
GOOD LUCK FOR GB!!!!
Title: Re: [GB] gwŷdd65 - Thermally Modified Wood Keyboard
Post by: roffelsaur on Thu, 07 November 2024, 18:59:12
Quote from: Minisofu on Thu, 07 November 2024, 01:07:31
GOOD LUCK FOR GB!!!!

Thank you! The age of wood is upon us :D
Title: Re: [GB] gwŷdd65 - Thermally Modified Wood Keyboard
Post by: blondie on Thu, 07 November 2024, 20:54:39
What color is this wood. Some photos make this look like black walnut, but in other photos it is reddish in color. The walnut brown color has been overdone, and the reddish wood looks nicer and more unique to me. But I see no way to ensure that's the color I get from the order page.
Title: Re: [GB] gwŷdd65 - Thermally Modified Wood Keyboard
Post by: roffelsaur on Fri, 08 November 2024, 04:20:02
Quote from: blondie on Thu, 07 November 2024, 20:54:39
What color is this wood. Some photos make this look like black walnut, but in other photos it is reddish in color. The walnut brown color has been overdone, and the reddish wood looks nicer and more unique to me. But I see no way to ensure that's the color I get from the order page.

Great question! So the reason for this is twofold. First we have lighting conditions, which brings out different tones of the wood (the photos on the websites are of 2-3 different units). The second is the cut of the wood and the wood grain itself. I've noticed three major variants in how the units turn out:

On top of these three major variations, you'll also sometimes get a mix where the board goes from dark to reddish, with or without chatoyant streaks, for example. This just boils down to the chaotic nature of acacia and the way it grows and forms its wood grain :D

On my end, after machining is done and I have to pick a wrist rest to match the case, I often pick one that gels the best with the vibe of the case. Some cases end up with a gradient and so slapping a wrist rest that is a solid colour instead of itself having a gradient then wouldn't make sense, for example, but after mixing and matching wrist rests with cases I have noticed that some pair together better than other combinations.

When it comes to wood grains there's no consensus on which of these variants is "prettier" or "better", as that does ultimately boil down to personal preference. I've brought the same batch of 5 prototype units out and showed various people and they've all picked different ones as their "favourite" with no single variant being a clear winner or preferred option. Some people prefer the plain nature of the dark and muted while others prefer the wild streaks and flashiness of chatoyancy, it really depends.

That said, if you'd like to support the project but are concerned about how your unit "wood" end up looking, please feel free to drop me a DM (here or on discord) and I'd be happy to help selecting a unit which matches your colour/variation preferences!
Title: Re: [GB] gwŷdd65 - Thermally Modified Wood Keyboard
Post by: KeebRehab on Sun, 10 November 2024, 04:46:18
The good wood  :thumb: :thumb:
Title: Re: [GB] gwŷdd65 - Thermally Modified Wood Keyboard
Post by: jd on Sun, 10 November 2024, 11:09:54
Great project, everything seems well thought out about this. Good luck with the group buy!

I would love to see something like this but with a 60% format.
Title: Re: [GB] gwŷdd65 - Thermally Modified Wood Keyboard
Post by: roffelsaur on Sun, 10 November 2024, 22:46:25
Quote from: KeebRehab on Sun, 10 November 2024, 04:46:18
The good wood  :thumb: :thumb:

That's how everyone is pronouncing "gwŷdd" these days xD

Quote from: jd on Sun, 10 November 2024, 11:09:54
Great project, everything seems well thought out about this. Good luck with the group buy!

I would love to see something like this but with a 60% format.

Thank you!

Yes, if the project is successfully completed I'd be looking at the next form factor to tackle. 60% stands out as the less complex compared to a TKL, but let's get this project over the line first :D
Title: Re: [GB] gwŷdd65 - Thermally Modified Wood Keyboard
Post by: shansoft on Tue, 12 November 2024, 14:35:28
If it's TKL, it would be a no brainer for me.

Does the PCB support both mx and alps switches?
Title: Re: [GB] gwŷdd65 - Thermally Modified Wood Keyboard
Post by: roffelsaur on Thu, 14 November 2024, 00:30:57
Quote from: shansoft on Tue, 12 November 2024, 14:35:28
If it's TKL, it would be a no brainer for me.

Does the PCB support both mx and alps switches?

I was in the process of exploring the potential next form factor and for TKL there are concerns about the blockers/dividers being potential failure points due to the thickness. Will definitely keep looking at whether 100% wood is available or if it requires metal inserts for strength and stability!

Sadly the PCB this time around doesn't support alps, as it didn't come up as something that people wanted during the IC phase >_<
Title: Re: [GB] gwŷdd65 - Thermally Modified Wood Keyboard
Post by: blondie on Thu, 14 November 2024, 22:42:32
What does "Thermally Modified" mean? Is this a fancy way of saying "kiln dried?"
Title: Re: [GB] gwŷdd65 - Thermally Modified Wood Keyboard
Post by: roffelsaur on Fri, 15 November 2024, 02:28:34
Quote from: blondie on Thu, 14 November 2024, 22:42:32
What does "Thermally Modified" mean? Is this a fancy way of saying "kiln dried?"

Thermal Modification is when the wood is placed in a vacuum chamber and then heated to between 160C-260C, depending on the type of wood. The process typically takes between 72-110 hours. In contrast, kiln-dried wood is placed in a similar chamber but temperatures range from 49C-88C and the process lasts between 6-8 weeks. Thermal modification essentially boils out all the moisture from the wood and also collapses some of the intercellular structures (such as the lignin), which vastly reduces the wood's ability to reabsorb moisture, since the spaces which the moisture would have been absorbed into have been collapsed. In addition to this, the high heat treatment also removes carbohydrates from the wood, making it a less attractive meal for organisms that usually like to feed on the wood :)
Title: Re: [GB] gwŷdd65 - Thermally Modified Wood Keyboard
Post by: roffelsaur on Thu, 28 November 2024, 12:15:35
5 more days until the end of GB :D
Title: Re: [GB] gwŷdd65 - Thermally Modified Wood Keyboard
Post by: roffelsaur on Mon, 09 December 2024, 22:40:40
Hey everyone, just wanted to leave a quick update here as well (full update can be found on discord here (https://discord.com/channels/993916093909434528/1141967595092848701/1314116725700296764))

We missed the 100 MOQ of the group buy but I will be proceeding with initial production of 50 units so that the original timeline is not affected for people who have already purchased units. In the meantime, the group buy will continue until the end of the year, giving more time for anyone who's still on the fence or hasn't heard about the project yet to participate.

Thank you everyone for the support so far and I look forward to getting some wood into everyone's hands :D