[GB] HEX.50FE Plateless F13 WKL TKL - PRE-ORDER LIVE

[Kasterborous]

https://hexkeyboards.com/products/hex-50fe
hex.kbd

50FE



Plateless F13 WKL TKL

With the third and final instalment of our plateless series(for now),
we finally arrive at our form-factor of choice: the Winkeyless Tenkeyless.

After more than 12 months of RnD and 5 iterations of prototypes later,
we're finally ready to launch our first entry into the world of high end WKL TKLs.

Mounting Style



Like the 4B and the 3Cv2 that preceded this, the 50FE utilizes the O-Ring Plateless Mount.
In this iteration of the mount, the O-Ring positions have been optimized for the TKL Layout,
making sure the sound and type feel is as uniform as it can be across the board(pun absolutely intended).

No acoustic mods are required.


Side Profile



50FE features a massive sandblasted stainless steel (SUS304) external weight, designed and
machined to stand out amongst the crowded space of high-end TKLs.

Visible from both the sides and back of the keyboard, the gentle curvatures provide contrast and
visual interest, while remaining unobtrusive to the silhouette of the design.

We wrestled with the idea of adding more design elements to the exterior of the board, but we
eventually decided to keep the exterior clean, allowing the side profile to be the star of the show.



Inspirations



Like many, we were enamoured by the TGR Jane v2 when we first entered the hobby. Even though
the design elements of the Jane v2 has been replicated time and again in other boards, we took
great care to ensure these elements don’t become a pastiche in our interpretation of the design.
The carbon fibre accent, together with the hexagonal badge are both contextualised elements that
were inspired by the Jane v2 CE.

F1-8X by Geonworks changed what we thought were possible for a TKL in its price bracket. Its
innovative O-ring mount was also one of the precursors to the PCB O-ring mount that we eventually
adopted in our recent designs.

The venerable JER80 also introduced us to how a plateless TKL should feel and sound like. It helped
us set the bar high for what a plateless TKL can be.

Major appreciation to everyone who has been part of this process, from fellow
vendors/designers/creators to our friends in the hobby.

The 50FE stands on the shoulders of giants.


Colors Available



Stormy Weather (18-4214 TCX)


Misty Lilac (15-3807 TCX)


Chive (19-0323 TCX)


Jet Black (19-0303 TCX)

Note:
We provided FHI Pantones instead of metallics for the factory’s reference because we wanted more unique
hues to be achieved for this project. We will provide the factory with relevant color guides and do multiple
rounds of color matching before proceeding with anodization.



Specifications


Effective Keyboard Height: 24.7mm
Typing angle: 6.9 degrees



Materials:
5052 Aluminium (Bottom & Top Case)
SUS304 (Weight & Badge)
Silicone (Feet)

Surface Finishes:
Sandblasted (Weight & Badge)
Matte (CF Backplate)

Fasteners used:
 M2.5*10 Hex Socket Head Cap Screw (Small Head Diameter)
M3*5 Hex Socket Countersunk Screw
M2*4 Hex Socket Button Screw

Colours:
Stormy Weather
Misty Lilac
Chive
Jet Black

Vendor: hex.kb


PCB Supported Layouts (Solder only)




Final Prototype Pictures



Note: PCB will be Matte Black in the production run


Sales Info:
Kit price: SGD 650

Kit includes:
 1x 50FE, 1x PCB, 4x Silicone Feet
1x Carrying Case
1x Microfiber Cloth
1x Certificate of Ownership

100 units (serialized, no reruns or extras)
FCFS, colors and add-ons to be selected after initial sale
Pre-order starts on 5th February 2023, 2200 GMT +8
Targeted Completion: Early Q3 2023*

*FNF edition already in production, hence the more optimistic timeline


VODs
Taehatypes: Twitch VOD

[Kasterborous]

Reserved for FAQ, ask us anything!
Discord

FAQ

Q: Will there be a WK version available?
A: Nope, we have decided to keep things simple for this run and just go with our preferred layout.

Q: Any hotswap available?
A: Nope.

Q: Who will be making the PCBs?
A: Mechlovin'

Q: Which daughterboard design will you be using for this?
A: Mechlovin's version of C3 Unified, 50FE was designed way before the Fly/S1 was in development.

Q: Will there be any reruns/extras?
A: Nope.

Q: Can I choose my serial numbers?
A: Nope. They will be assigned randomly.

Q: Why is your prototype WK but you're only offering WKL?
A: Unfortunately there was a miscommunication with the factory and we ended up with a WK top instead of a WKL top for our final prototype.

[HoffmanMyster]

Approved

[Kasterborous]

Approved

i love you

[the flying penguin]

50FE so lit

[Kasterborous]

50FE so lit

kawayo so dank

[HugoChowsky]

Looks like in the high-end customs realm, WK layout is really a rarity. Very unfortunate to be a winkey user.

[KeyBros_]

Kaste provides :prayge:

[Bunn3y]

One of the sickest projects I've seen on Geekhack in a long while. Good luck with the GB Hex!

[Kasterborous]

One of the sickest projects I've seen on Geekhack in a long while. Good luck with the GB Hex!

Thank you <3

[Lezao]

FCFS or am I going to have to lose another raffle?

[Aethelberht]

Looks good! I hope I could get one. Finger crossed!

[heyimpanda]

FCFS or am I going to have to lose another raffle?

it says FCFS in the post

[twitchytheinsideman]

This is so cool wow. GLWGB 

Plateless Oring WKL TKL 

[Keeblet_257]

am I wrong or is hex wrong?
thought ekh was always to the front of the keyboard and not to the keycap
aka 17mm if you look at Poison TKLs front height at his IC
I have never seen anyone measure to the keycap, since that tells us litteraly nothing because it changes front height depending on what switches and keycaps you use and doesnt showcase the frontheight of the board.

[vinhsanity]

WKL only, cmon man ...

[rMxGTR]

Nice! Just to clarify, is GB for PST 6AM?

[yz]

am I wrong or is hex wrong?
thought ekh was always to the front of the keyboard and not to the keycap
aka 17mm if you look at Poison TKLs front height at his IC
I have never seen anyone measure to the keycap, since that tells us litteraly nothing because it changes front height depending on what switches and keycaps you use and doesnt showcase the frontheight of the board.

https://github.com/Croktopus/effective-keyboard-height

[Patty]

EKH should be measured from bottom of the board/bottom of feet to the top middle of the switch stem on the bottom row, 24.7 EKH does seem a bit high so I'm hoping it's just measured incorrectly in the image

Otherwise, very nice looking board, great job on the design!

[yz]

EKH should be measured from bottom of the board/bottom of feet to the top middle of the switch stem on the bottom row, 24.7 EKH does seem a bit high so I'm hoping it's just measured incorrectly in the image

Otherwise, very nice looking board, great job on the design!

Probably closer to 24mm if you take feet compression into account. Thanks for the compliments!

[flores]

Damn chio :nut:

[syj]

You guys outdid yourselves on the design here, the keyboard looks awesome and sounds great from Taeha's VOD! 

GLWGB!

[ankit]

EKH is not supposed to include feet.

24.7 with feet is not high at all...

[paulgali]

FINALLY. LETS ****ING GO

[Nuclear Nachos]

if i had money i would buy this
good job and good luck with the sale kaster and yz

[yz]

Damn chio :nut:

FINALLY. LETS ****ING GO

You guys outdid yourselves on the design here, the keyboard looks awesome and sounds great from Taeha's VOD! 

GLWGB!

if i had money i would buy this
good job and good luck with the sale kaster and yz

thank you all so very much!

[Kasterborous]

Pre-order is live!
https://hexkeyboards.com/products/hex-50fe

[Keeblet_257]

am I wrong or is hex wrong?
thought ekh was always to the front of the keyboard and not to the keycap
aka 17mm if you look at Poison TKLs front height at his IC
I have never seen anyone measure to the keycap, since that tells us litteraly nothing because it changes front height depending on what switches and keycaps you use and doesnt showcase the frontheight of the board.

https://github.com/Croktopus/effective-keyboard-height

thanks for the link

[hzh0525]

Top level plateless work ever have~