My apologies for taking so long to post this, I need more time in my days it seems >_<
Let me preface this by saying that I
really wanted to like this thing. The concept is cool, and I'm always happy to support Canadian ventures.
Before I break it down, I'll give you a bit of a mini review from my experience with it.
Let's start with the size. This thing is huge, which for what it's designed for makes a certain amount of sense. My feet are size 13 and fit quite comfortably on the device. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if the size of my feet seem to be a problem, as I had a hard time finding the center of the board while still being comfortable. Either I could be comfortable and have a hard time actuating the board (not to mention just keeping it level), or be able to rest my foot on it while centered and have to sit in an extremely uncomfortable position.
I do have to give them huge props for the support mechanism. Much like keyboard switches, they offer three different spring types, Soft Medium & Hard. these can also be fine tuned using the screws used to hold them in place. This is a fantastic idea, since this is one of those fields where everyone will want something a little different. In practice however, I never could find a proper balance that would center my foot & the board, but still be comfortable enough to depress.
The other half of the cleverness behind this board is it's design to allow you tilt your foot to actuate the switches, rather than lift it like you would with traditional pedals. Again, a great idea on paper, but seems to fall down in execution. Rocking the switch forward and back was fairly trivial, however the sides were a bit more difficult. Even with the soft springs, I had difficulty rolling my ankle toward the outside edge, and it was impossible to roll my foot inward. I've had a number of people try the board, all had the same feedback. I also found that after a short amount of time that my ankle was starting to hurt.
The first big WTF in the choices for the design however comes from their choice of switches. Instead of a standard lever switch, they're using Cherry MX Blues.
These contact points on the upper side of the board.
This results in less than accurate keypresses at times.
The next is more from a manufacturing stand point. With everything I've been going through my project, I know that the more you can order of a single board, the cheaper they are, even if you aren't using the extra functionality.
The board on the bottom is used on the front & back, and the red one is used on the side. I bring this up because I've seen numerous complaints about the price, and I find this kind of decision wasteful. There is nothing on the mount for the red connector switch that would prevent the other one being used. I'm also going to point out that they had the opportunity to mount the 3mm LED in the switch, but its shifted off to the side.
Another niggle that seems wasteful is the programming header.
Now if this was designed to be an expansion header that would allow you to add wireless down the road, the JST connector could actually make sense. However, since opening up the device voids the warranty (oops!), I don't see why it's used. Because JST connectors are designed to lock, it makes zero sense as a programming header. It could just as easily been a straight pin header, or even just a set of vias/pads that a pogo bed or similar could be used to program. Again, when the price is one of the biggest complaints for people to try it, every cent counts.
Couple of quick things to cover.
- The allen wrench it comes with for changing the springs seems as cheap/crappy as the ones you get with IKEA furniture. Not only that, but considering how many turns it takes to remove the screw so you can change the spring, its very awkward and frustrating. For $120, I think they could have included a proper driver.
- The USB cable that it comes with is about 5-6 ft long. Now this is reasonable for most people's set ups however for a number of people I know, including myself, it's a bit short. Again, for a $120 pricetag, you would think a 3-4 extension wouldn't be a terribly expensive add on to throw in the box.
Couple of wide shots of the inside of the base & top:
