[IC] NEX40 | 40% keyboard | Tape Radio, Retro-futurism - By Keynex Studio

[rien]

NEX40 | 40% keyboard | Tape Radio, Retro-futurism - By Keynex Studio

Hi every keyboard fans, I’m rien.

The designer of SONIC170 / Syrin TKL / Tetrix60, this is my first post on geekhack, I’m very glad to meet all of you here.

First of all, thank you so much for all the support and understanding you’ve given us along the way. The group buy for SONIC170 V2 has now wrapped up successfully, and all orders were shipped as scheduled earlier this month. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me directly or through the vendor.

Now I will present our first 40% keyboard kit, a keyboard that combines minimalist design, tape radio, and retro-futuristic elements.



Render

Please note that colors shown in renders may vary depending on your display.
Actual colors will be based on photos of the final prototypes and production samples.






Design Philosophy

I’ve always had a soft spot for products and design from the late 20th century.

Bauhaus, Braun, and retro-futurism have all been major influences on me.

So when I started working on the initial concepts for this 40%, I naturally found myself moving in that direction.

The overall design of the NEX40 was inspired by the Sony TC-1065, a cassette recorder released by Sony in the 1970s.



I borrowed several elements from its case design and top decorative trim, then reinterpreted and modified them quite extensively based on my own understanding and design philosophy.

During the SONIC170 V2 group buy, we officially changed the English name of our studio to Keynex Studio. So for this 40% project, I decided to call it - NEX40

NEX40 is a standard 40% layout with 12U size. Support both Planck layout and Staggered layout simultaneously.

Front

The RGB light bar is located on the upper-left side.

Since portability is one of the biggest advantages of a 40%, we also wanted the NEX40 to be practical on the go. The NEX40 therefore supports tri-mode connectivity, with the same tri-mode indicator lights used on the SONIC MINI.

NEX40 will be available in three case materials:

PC

Aluminum

The aluminum version will come with a PC light pipe as standard, while the PC versions will come with an aluminum badge.




Top

The design of the top decorative trim takes inspiration from the Sony TC-1065.

Using a contrasting color for the trim adds another layer of visual depth to the keyboard.

The idea behind the two top-mounted rotary encoders also comes from the rotating reels of a cassette tape.

We added a curved transition around the encoders and raised them slightly from the surface. This helps reduce the visual abruptness of having the knobs simply exposed on the top case.




Bottom

Due to the structure of the keyboard, I had to give up one of my favorite design details: hidden internal screws.

That said, I still wanted the exposed hardware to work naturally with the overall design.

Since the NEX40 is relatively small, we kept the bottom as clean as possible.

Only four CD-pattern hex screws, one at each corner, are used to secure the case.




Side



Internals

The battery is integrated into the weight area and isolated from the internal cavity by a PC cover.

This allows us to preserve as much of the bottom sound chamber as possible.

From the back, the battery is also hidden behind the weight, so there is no exposed battery pack interrupting the design.



Weight

The group buy will offer three weight materials.

Aluminum

Stripe pattern — multiple color options

Grid pattern — natural aluminum with a clear PVD layer

Brass

Stripe pattern

Stainless Steel

Standard on the Special Edition colorways

PVD Silver

PVD Gold



Specifications

Layout
40% Planck / Staggered

Dimensions
239 × 100 × 28.6 mm (rear height)

Typing Angle
8°

Front Height
17.8 mm

EKH
22.3 mm

Case Materials
6063 Aluminum / PC

Weight Materials
Brass / Stainless Steel

Connectivity
Wired / 2.4 GHz / Bluetooth

Battery
Rechargeable Li-ion battery

PCB
1.6 mm black-core PCB, White, Vial

Firmware
VIAL



Mounting

Due to the compact size and internal structure of the NEX40, a conventional gasket mount was not used.

Whether using Poron strips or silicone sleeves, the mounting elements would become visually prominent when paired with a PC case, which did not fit the design direction.

However, we still wanted to give users who aren’t fans of Top Mount enough room to experiment.

The NEX40 therefore supports:

Top Mount



O-Ring



PCB Snap

PCB Snap is supported.

PCB Snap are not included. If you want to use this mounting option, you can purchase it by yourself.



Layouts

Two layouts will be available:

Planck



Staggered



The PCB is fixed-layout and hot-swappable.

During the group buy, an additional PCB and plate for the other layout will be available as optional add-ons.

Connectivity

Due to the limited space available in a 40% case, there isn’t enough room to add a 15-pin magnetic connector.

However, we still wanted to keep assembly as simple as possible.

All detached daughterboards and the battery will be pre-installed at the factory.

When assembling the keyboard, users will only need to connect one main PCB ribbon cable.




Real Photos










Colorways

Standard Edition

PC — Frosted Clear



PC — Celadon



PC — Blue Purple



Anodized — Ice Blue



Painted — Vintage White



Special Edition

Anodized — Casio



PC — Coffee Brown

Community

IC Form | Discord | | Website

Thank you for taking the time to read through the project.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or feedback, we’d love to hear them.

Feel free to leave a comment below or join our community to discuss the NEX40 with us.

Thanks for your interest, and see you in the next update!