[GB] Conundrum - 40% ortholinear, electro-capacitive, programmable

[mewa]

The Conundrum by thock.co

I'm extremely happy to announce that the Group Buy for the world's first 40% ortholinear, programmable, electro-capacitive keyboard is finally here!

Drawing its inspiration from Japanese technology and compact ortholinear keyboards the Conundrum offers a unique experience that mixes the best of both worlds.






Case:

• an e-coated top piece (choice of pure white/classic black/sunny yellow)
• a PVD-coated polished brass plate
• an e-coated bottom piece (choice of pure white/classic black/sunny yellow)
• a PVD-coated polished brass weight

Machinery:

• an assembled electro-capacitive PCB with an ARM Cortex M4F µC and USB-C port on board
• pre-flashed with a new, intuitive and easy-to-handle bootloader
• fully programmable with firmware based on QMK
• 48x rubber domes (choice of 45g/55g weights)
• 48x capacitive conic springs
• 48x switch housings
• 48x Cherry MX-compatible switch sliders (with O-rings)

On top of that each kit comes with:

• all the necessary screws
• rubber feet
• a carrying case
• a brass polishing cloth
• a USB-C cable
• an easy-assembly station; in a
• box

Assembled kit weighs appoximately 1400g.

Plate has a 2u cutout that supports both grid and MIT layouts.

If you don't feel like assembling an EC board on your own,  don't worry, we've got you covered - an assembly service is available!


Review

Make sure to tune in later this afternoon (2021/01/14) to Cassidy's Twitch channel!
(Next take, as Twitch went down on 7th).

Vendors & Pricing

Each kit costs 547 USD and profits from this Group Buy shall fuel future EC projects!

EU - CandyKeys
Asia - zFrontier
NA - Ashkeebs
Worldwide - direct at the thock.co store


Last but not least - one special unit is going to be sold at an auction for The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (a charity that improves Polish healthcare; more details towards the end of the year).

Timeline

Group buy starts now! (2020.12.18)
Group buy ends on Jan 18th (2021.01.18)
Shipping est. Q3 2021

FAQ

Q: Does it support MX-style keycaps?
A: Yes, the sliders support MX-style keycaps – you can use all your favorite keycaps. Topre-style keycaps are not supported.

Q: What layouts are supported?
A: Both grid and MIT layouts are supported. The plate has a 2u cutout that can accomodate either a single 2u switch or two 1u switches.

Q: Will there be any reviews?
A: Yes, we have a review underway.

Q: Is it heavy?
A: (spoiler alert, it's fairly heavy)

Q: Are there some other videos available?
A: @cassidoo did mention the Conundrum a few times on her streams (also here).

I also recorded a short video where I'm taking the keyboard apart and showing the internals.

There is also a typing test I recorded on the first revision prototype.

[Signature]

approved, sorry for being late

[Fenlair]

Your link to the streams doesn't work - twitch says the content is unavailable. We were promised a review from someone the community could trust in, but so far the only thing I've seen is your typing test :/
Well I guess will have to wait for a second run and hope someone releases a real review video ...

[qq6681585]

Thatissobeautiful!!

[yuejia]

It’s really Nice!! That is so beautiful!!

[mewa]

Thanks! I've been working on bringing additional insights into the keyboard such as this video below and answering questions on the 40's Discord. And of course the review!

Speaking of the review, make sure to tune in later this afternoon to Cassidy's Twitch channel!

[mewa]

Your link to the streams doesn't work - twitch says the content is unavailable.

Also, sorry for that. I didn't realize the videos could go missing on Twitch. But I guess the upcoming review will be much more interesting to watch anyway

[Fenlair]

Did anyone clip the review? I couldn't watch it live :/

[mewa]

Did anyone clip the review? I couldn't watch it live :/

Unfortunately, Twitch went down in the middle of the stream so we'll have to try again next week.

[mewa]

A little clarification as for the questions that popped up here and there concerning the price that is listed on zFrontier's website - I've received information from zFrontier that they have to include the Chinese taxes in their price due to the extended time between order placement and fulfilment (which results in them being unable to reclaim these taxes). If you're not in China I'd recommend buying the keyboard from other vendors, to avoid paying taxes twice.

You can find a list of them here (shipping globally):
* CandyKeys (https://candykeys.com/group-buys/conundrum-ortholinear-keyboard)
* Ashkeebs (https://www.ashkeebs.com/product/conundrum/)
* or directly from me (https://thock.co/)

[mustardgreens]

Ortho and 40% are not my thing but I am intrigued... I don't know of any other custom EC boards like this. Hope this is a success and I will be watching for more

Did you make the sliders too?

[Fenlair]

January 18th isn't far out - will we get a proper review in time?

[mewa]

Thanks!

Did you make the sliders too?

The sliders and housings are from NiZ. I would have loved to create these, but that's a massive project on its own.

As for the review, Cassidy will be poking around with it on her stream later this afternoon. Let's hope Twitch doesn't go down again!