Sometimes, you want a standalone numpad.
But at the same time, you desire the grandiose and presence of a fullsize keyboard.
Why not both at once?
GravitonThe Fullsize Numpad
IC Form Link
A Balancing ActGraviton builds upon past designs such as the Polaris and Vega, using the same minimal design language to achieve new goals.
A careful balance of angles and bezels ensure a combination of sleek, angular looks and a comfortable low front ledge height without sacrificing visual impact and a massive look.
A wide groove slices into the bottom mass, emphasizing the depth of the metal bottom and forming a visual block reminiscent of a weight.
An engraved stepped logo and the laser-etched board name provide contrasting elements which highlight different paths for adorning CNC metal surfaces.
Tradition and Innovation
Graviton uses the classic top-mount internal structure in which the plate is secured to the top using screws.
Careful attention to screw positions and slots within the plate ensure consistent and comfortable typing across all 100+ keys.
A classic red anodized plate and red PCB pays homage to custom keyboards which were instrumental in the birth of the hobby.
Extra care has been given to acoustic balancing of large keys such as shift and enter, with added acoustic cutouts to prevent either overly muted or overly loud acoustics.
Such acoustic cutouts are placed on the outer sides of each large key, hiding out of line of sight behind the switches and preventing visible cutouts from between the keycap gaps.
Custom Circuitry
A 1.2mm thin PCB with flex-slots further assists the plate in impact dispersion, further assisting with typing comfort along the alphanumeric keys.
The PCB uses the STM32G0B1CBT6 microcontroller, offering enough pins to easily scan the entire 100+ key matrix.
Custom-engineered locking stabilizer shims slot into holes drilled on the PCB, allowing for firm use of standard stabilizers on the thin PCB without relying on adhesives.
These also make possible hybrid hotswap positions on thin PCBs, allowing for configurable split or unified shift and numpad 1U/2U keys without relying on soldering.
These stabilizer shims will be open-sourced as soon as I finish preparing the documentation - feel free to use on your own keyboard designs.
A custom-designed daughterboard has been designed for this project with a focus on aesthetics, compactness, cost-optimization, and the ease of designing a case around.
This daughterboard has been
open-sourced - feel free to use it in your own keyboard designs.
Stress-Free Assembly
All case screws - USB daughterboard screws, plate screws, case screws - have been unified to a single M2.5x6mm size.
Simply grab any screw from the provided pile and install - no need to hunt for the right size.
The plate is secured to the PCB using hotswap retention screws, ensuring that the PCB stays in place even if all switches are removed from the board at once.
You can’t be serious
A: I said the same thing to myself when paying for this.
Q: Why no separate weight?
A: I wanted to add one, but then I saw the $150 additional price for adding one.
I decided that an extra $150 was probably best not spent on a fullsize numpad.
Q: If I drilled out all the proper cutouts on the top, could this function as an actual fullsize keyboard?
A: Yes, but I don’t recommend it.
Q: Then why are all of the blocked-off keys designed and functional?
A: Because that’s the goal of the project - a numpad and only a numpad with care placed into all 100+ keys.
Q: How has public reception been so far?
A: This and
thisQ: Why the name?
A: Because it feels like there’s quite some gravity in this thing.
Q: Isn’t it a bit early for April Fools?
A: Since time flies as of late, let’s say April came early this year.
Q: So what’s the actual story behind this?
A: This numpad was designed for the
Tenkey Tokyo Meetup - specifically the
Tenkey numpad expo.
I helped plan this expo in hopes that it’d serve as an entryway into the world of designing keyboards - something that doesn’t need to be as costly and complicated as making a whole keyboard, and a sandbox which allows for freedom and experimentation both for newcomers and experienced designers alike in creating anything that comes to mind.
This task came with a challenge - there needed to be some forerunner to set the tone and to prove by example that wild experimentation is both permitted and possible.
The
meishi expo whose ethos the Tenkey Expo aims to continue was nearly a decade ago, so something new had to be done for the matter.
This idea was born from a bit too much alcohol at last year’s Tokyo Keeb End-Of-Year Meetup; once the idea existed, it quickly became a mandate from myself to myself that such a device must be created.
So here we are.
If anything, one of my goals is to reiterate by example that keyboards don’t always need to be serious, glamorous, profit-driving products.
Sometimes, all you need is to design something that you’ve always wanted - after all, there’s probably a thing or two that you wish were different about even your favorite keyboard.
If this project inspires you to go attempt a keyboard design, I’ll use this opportunity to shill the
Keyboard Atelier - a community dedicated to keyboard design.
Q: I want one.
A: You can’t be serious
If you are actually interested in one, I guess fill out the IC form below...
I can’t imagine that there’ll be enough people wanting one to actually sell this, but I’ve been proven wrong numerous times in the past so who knows.
IC Form LinkMore PhotosHere
SpecsWeight: Around 2.6kg assembled if my scale is correct
Dimensions: Too large 439 x 136 x 31mm
Typing Surface: 6.5deg incline, 17mm front ledge height
Parts: Case top, case bottom, plate, PCB, mid-foam-like TPU inserts to prevent the center area from ringing like a bell due to being an empty sheet of metal, misc hardware and whatnot
Price: Who knows, like $500 or something? Hopefully less
Vendors: I can’t imagine anyone will be willing to run this
