10/3/2020 Groupbuy is live at Hive60.com If you would like to see the latest info in a post I made one on reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/mechmarket/comments/j4oksa/gb_hive60_affordable_gasket_mount_60/
GeekHack GB post will be soon!
Render Album (
https://imgur.com/a/OHb6s3j)
Features:
• Gasket mount with 12 rubber gasket pads
• Top and bottom made from beaded and anodized aluminum
• Brass plate, accent piece, and weight
• 7° typing angle and 20mm height at wrists.
• Designed to fit most common 60% PCBs (i.e. DZ60, GH60)
Here is a link to the previous IC which has more information about the specs of the board.
https://reddit.com/r/mechmarket/comments/hlrl64/ic_honeycomb_gasketmounted_60_keyboard/Hello guys,
Since the last IC we have since been able to assemble a working prototype! In this interest check I want to hammer out exactly what we will be offering and clear up some things in preparation for the GB.
I want to preface that the plate and the accent are slightly different than the production version. This is due to the manufacturing process used for low volume prototypes. The final product will be laser cut and will be held to a higher tolerance than what is seen.
Given that, here are the images that we took of the prototype board:
https://imgur.com/a/mQgUYPm
This is machined raw aluminum that has only been tumbled so the final version, after beading and anodizing, will have a more matte and uniform look. I personally am very happy with how the case turned out, especially how it looks fully assembled. Renders only do it so much justice. We will be sending it out to be beaded and anodized this week and will have pics before we set a GB launch day.
First off, we have received almost all the quotes for the board and they are slightly higher than we were originally given as an estimate due to a few design changes we made. I hope you guys will understand that we will have to make a small price increase to
$275 + shipping at order quantity 100 and
$250 + shipping at order quantity 200. With the interest we received in the last IC we are set to hit the 200 order quantity price target without too much difficulty. All manufacturing for this board will be done in America and it will be shipped out from the Seattle area.
Secondly, I want to walk you through what you might see when you order a Hive60 keyboard.
Color: Black, Gunmetal (new) , Red, Forest Green, Blue, Raw Aluminum (new)
Plate options: ANSI, Tsangan/HHKB, and ISO
ANSI Plate
https://imgur.com/a/oPaxjAq (please let me know if you see any immediate problems with this layout it should be supported by the DZ60 layout)
Plate materials: Brass or Aluminum
Accent options: Brass or Aluminum (+$15 if accent material does not match plate material)
In the kit: 1x Base, 1x Accent, 1x top, 2x sets of screws for case (2x6), 1x set of gaskets (12), 2x set of screws for weight (4x long 2x short), 1x Brass weight.
All screws are #2-56 screws.
We aim for an update in a week or two as we sort out more quotes and when we get the prototype anodized. In that update we will set a day for the group buy and our aim is still Late August or Early September.
To address some of the more popular features that have been requested but are currently not shown:
E-white/white: This was a very popular request but as some of you know, you cannot anodize parts white so you have to use a process like e-coating. For us, there is no local e-coating place and we are still getting quotes. What I gather so far is that it will cost more than the other colors and may have a slightly longer turnaround time. I am going to make an estimate that it will have a $20-30 surcharge over the other colors.
HHKB/WKL: We are working with our manufacturing partner to see if we can make the CNC fixtures and tooling work with blockers so that it is more economical to produce since the quantity will be lower. We are not sure if we are going to have a blocker variant yet but we are still working on it and we will offer a tsangan plate either way for those looking for an HHKB variant.
PC plates: We have yet to receive a quote back for the PC plates and we will see if we are at a high enough order quantity to make this possible.
Please message me on reddit or comment below if you have any questions to ask.
Thank you,
Shadowcelery
