[GB] Lunar II - Manufacturing

[ai03]

Lunar II
Second generation compact AEK keyboard by Switchplate Peripherals and ai03

Building upon the legacy of the first generation design, Lunar II brings the acclaimed curved design to a more accessible price, complete with an entirely seamless exterior, increased typing comfort, and solenoid support.


For details on the board, please see the IC thread.

Vendor links:
Switchplate Peripherals Unit cap reached
TypePlus Unit cap reached

All units have sold; GB has closed accordingly.
The project will move to manufacturing phase following final confirmations.

Units have begun manufacturing. (09/03/22)
PCBs have finished manufacturing; cases have finished machining and are heading into finishing/anodizing/coating phase. (12/01/22)


GB Specifics

Pricing
Base kit:
 - 419USD at Switchplate Peripherals (US)
 - 399USD at TypePlus (CN)
Extra PCBs: 39USD each
Extra plates (Alu): 29USD each
Extra solenoid kits: 10USD per pack of 2

Colors
- Anodized silver
- Anodized grey
- Powdercoat roughly color-matched to AEK keycap off-white

Plate Options
- Unified backspace
- Split backspace

Launch Time
26th @ 9PM Pacific Time = 27th @ 12PM China Time

Unit Cap
100 per vendor (if that even manages to sell out)

ETA
For now, Q2 2023 as a (hopefully) worst-case scenario



Color Renders

Silver


Grey


Powdercoat Keycap-Matched




Q&A

Q: Is this the best board to pair with clicky Alps?
A: My personal opinion is "meh" - it has a softer typing feel (for an Alps board) that helps reduce fatigue during extended use and pairs well with both linear and tactiles, but the side-effect is that it somewhat mutes the loudness that clicky Alps are known for.
That being said, it's by no means terrible either.

Q: 100 units per vendor? I'm worried that I won't be able to secure a unit!
A: The unit cap exists to keep the GB within manageable scale of each vendor.
If the board somehow ends up selling out quickly, I'll follow it up with more Alps-specific boards in the future.

Q: Which vendor should I order from?
A: The easiest method is to choose by distance - for example, if located in North America, Switchplate Peripherals would likely offer lower shipping rates.

[DirtyGingy]

When does the GB end?

[max.clacks]

When does the GB end?

From Switchplate Peripherals: "100 total units available. Group buy will close August 26th 2022, or when all slots are filled. "

[ai03]

Availability update

Switchplate Peripherals has reached their unit cap of 100 and have ended their sales.
TypePlus still has the board available, but is nearing their unit cap.

[Vanquish]

So I put my order down for a Lunar II. I didn't go for any of the extras. Just curious, say that one day the solenoids eventually go bad, would it be difficult to source another that is compatible with the PCB and case?

[eyedrop]

So I put my order down for a Lunar II. I didn't go for any of the extras. Just curious, say that one day the solenoids eventually go bad, would it be difficult to source another that is compatible with the PCB and case?

Maybe you should buy it for $10.  Why put yourself in that situation one day?

[Puddsy]

So I put my order down for a Lunar II. I didn't go for any of the extras. Just curious, say that one day the solenoids eventually go bad, would it be difficult to source another that is compatible with the PCB and case?

Maybe you should buy it for $10.  Why put yourself in that situation one day?

Agree with this, but also solenoids of various sizes are relatively easy to find. Buying an extra now saves you the trouble of having to figure out the part number to buy a replacement, which can sometimes be difficult.

[ai03]

Group Buy Closed

The unit cap has been reached at both vendors; sale has ended accordingly. A huge thanks to everyone that joined in and made this project possible.

After final confirmations, the project will enter the manufacturing phase.

So I put my order down for a Lunar II. I didn't go for any of the extras. Just curious, say that one day the solenoids eventually go bad, would it be difficult to source another that is compatible with the PCB and case?

I apologize for not seeing this question earlier - the solenoids shouldn't fail; however, they are a specific compact model chosen for 5V operation that are custom-terminated to the PCB's connectors and tailored to by the case's screw points.
While it is completely possible to run the board without solenoids as a regular SKCM/SKCL board, for long-term use buying an extra pair may help in case something goes wrong.

[dantambok]

wait.. how did i miss this?! 

[ai03]

A brief update on progress:

• PCBs have finished manufacturing.
• Cases have finished machining, and are now proceeding to the finishing/anodizing/coating phase.

[nateth]

I'm kicking myself for missing this!!!!

[hzh0525]

What an attractive curve it has!

[0junk]

Q2 is coming to an end this month. Any updates on how this is progressing? thanks!