Type K
tented ergo keyboard
I've been wanting to have an Alice style keyboard for a while now but I wanted to change the layout to suit some of my typing habits and the idea of a tented version appealed to me.
The layout has been reworked from scratch but is still heavily influenced by the original Alice and I've incorporated a lot of design elements from the 7V.
0. CONTENTS- DETAILS
- STATUS
- VENDORS & PRICING
- PHOTOS
- DESIGN CHANGELOG
- FAQ
1. DETAILS- Case Angle: 4.5°
- Tenting Angle: 7.0°
- Materials: Aluminium Top, Dark-dyed Polycarbonate Bottom and Stainless-steel Weight
- Mounting method: Grommet mount
- Plate: 1.5mm aluminium full and half plates, polycarbonate full plate options.
- Colours: Black, Silver, Beige
- LEDS: Indicator LED bound to Caps Lock & Function layers. LED modules for feature lighting
- PCB: Designed by Gondolindrum with USB-C daughterboard - configurable with QMK/VIA
- Layout options:
2. STATUS(07/06/2023) - V7 Prototypes have been finished for months but we were having issues with the firmware. The firmware issue is supposedly fixed right now but we have encountered another issue with the 5-pin molex connectors that we wanted to adopt. The connectors would wear out extremely quickly and wouldn't hold in place after a few insertions so we will go back to using JST connectors.
Replacement daughterboards are currently being made and we will be sending streamers a JST to molex cable and running with JST to JST for the group buy.
We will be sending units to Taehatypes, Lulzthax, and Xinxinwong
ETA for this is a couple of weeks before they are sent out, subject to the replacement daughterboards being ready.
I will be taking photos of the final prototype this weekend and posting them here and on my Instagram page. I am really excited about the new wrist-rest options. I'll be bringing the final prototype to the next Auckland Meetup in July.
The next step is confirming the pricing, vendors, and date for the group buy.
3. VENDORS & PRICINGThis will be sold through
TypePlus & other regional vendors.
Pricing TBC.
4. PHOTOSVideos of the lighting effect:
Video 1Video 2V7 Prototype with forged carbon fibre wrist-restGMK Stealth (with the Blackout Alphas Kit) & GMK Evil Dolch for the red accents. RAMA Wave Seq 2 in Black for the Esc key, Thermal R4 cap on the extra B.
V6 Prototype in beige powder coat. Walnut wrist-restGMK Sloth with Serika II spacebars
Light-coloured wristrest with V3 PrototypeCRP 2551HAD
V4 PrototypeRaw aluminium. In Geon's office.
V3 PrototypeCRP 2551HAD
V2 PrototypeMore
V1 PrototypeMore
5. DESIGN CHANGELOGV1 Prototype- Layout based mostly on the TGR Alice layout
- Bottom row with dual 3U spacebar
- Right shift reduced down to 2.25U to reduce the width of the right half so that it can be symmetrical and work better with tenting.
- Case angle set to 7 degrees
- Tenting angle set to 5 degrees
V2 Prototype- Bend angle between Q and W (and O/P columns) reduced from 12 degrees down to 10
- Underglow LEDs moved to daughterboard
- Case angle reduced to 5.5 degrees
- Tenting angle increased to 7 degrees
- Custom wrist-rest added
V3 Protoype- Case angle reduced to 4.5 degrees
- Mounting point positions adjusted
- Wrist-rest height increased
V4 Protoype- LEDs moved from daughterboard to separate LED PCB modules
- Redesign of case to accommodate new LED design
- Changed from top mount to gasket mount
- Internal weights added
- Quality of life changes to the PCB
V5 Protoype- Changes to mounting point positions
- PCB clearance adjustments
- Rubber feet design and position
- Internal weights removed
- PCB modifications
- Accent piece added to bottom
- Reduced screw sizes
- Poron gaskets replaced by moulded silicone gaskets
V6 Protoype- Changes to mounting point positions
- Accent piece removed
- PCB modifications
- Firmware updates
- Cable specification changed
- Update to silicone grommets
V7 Protoype- PCB modifications
- Firmware updates
- Cable specification changed
- Additional wristrest options
6. FAQ- Did you know that there is a keyboard already called the K-Type?
Yes, but I wanted to name this keyboard the Type K because the front bezel and the LED design was inspired by KITT from the Knight Rider television series and Type has associations with both cars such as the Honda Integra and keyboards.
- How many units will there be?
I don't know yet at this stage.
- Do you have a discord?
No I don't but Deskeys have created a channel on their server for discussion on the Type K here
- Will there be any other vendors?
None planned at the moment. It is easier to control the process when there are fewer people involved.
- Is there going to be a matching wrist-rest?
Yes.
- Do you have a sound-test?
You might be able to catch the typing sound in one of the meet-up streams but I generally don't do sound tests. If this ever gets built by somebody and they happen to make a sound test, I will add a link to it then.
