[GB] Noxary 280 & 220 (Wrapping Up)

[Etherealsound]

The shipping form for BATCH 3 has been sent via Geekhack DMs. If you did not receive it, please let me know.

I expect to send the first invoices later next week.

Guessing that this still hasn't happened?

[xondat]

I've sent the first invoices, will get these shipped out this week and wait for confirmation the packaging is ok, then proceed with the rest

[pixelpusher]

So if we filled out the form but didn’t get an invoice we’re just not in this first batch? 

[marre259]

Invoice paid! The end is near

[xondat]

Unfortunately something happened Friday and I wasn't able to get the packages shipped - I'll be sending some more invoices and having a collection on Monday

So if we filled out the form but didn’t get an invoice we’re just not in this first batch? 

Yeah, though I'm not really doing "batches". Once the first ones arrive and packaging is confirmed ok I plan to send the rest out ASAP.

[xondat]

The first ones have arrived and the packaging is good so I will now continue sending the rest, will send the next lot of invoices tomorrow and have a collection Monday

Please try not to ask about your individual shipping invoice - I am getting through them as effectively as possible. I'll post when I have sent all the invoices I expect to, so if you haven't received one by then, feel free to ask!

Re: Batch 4, I will know exactly how long etc later next week

[playsbymd]

[pixelpusher]

(Attachment Link) (Attachment Link)

Perfectly splendid

[xondat]

Update on where we are:

I've been disassembling Blue Gray boards, QCing parts, and then assembling them in the proper configuration and with good screws. As I've been reassembling the boards, I noticed some top and bottoms didn't match at all, despite on first glance all the boards did have good color matching. I've now realized that there seems to be 2 or 3 variants of this Blue Gray -- I assume because the anodizer can only anodize a certain number of items at once. Perfectly normal, but it's important I keep the top and bottoms matching as closely as possible. I've been backtracking and making sure all the pieces are paired together correctly. Here are a couple images showing this "problem":



In this image, you can see the colors aren't perfectly matched.



Swapping the tops around makes the colors the same.

I'm coming to the end of rematching everything, should be done tomorrow. Unfortunately this means nothing was sent in the past 7 days, however I'm now aiming to get some packages collected early next week.

I've been working on the premise that people would want their kit to be shipped very shortly after paying their shipping invoice, hence why many haven't received an invoice. However, if people overwhelming would prefer me to invoice everyone and wait for tracking, I'm happy to do that.


In Batch 4 news, production has now been confirmed, and is scheduled for 90 days starting on the 29th. This is the final batch, so it's great to see things coming to a close


Thanks for everyones patience once again.

[ilemondrop]

Hey Xondat, appreciate you matching the the Blue Grays together! I personally would prefer receiving an invoice first and then getting the shipping / tracking later because right now I'm spending time checking back and forth on geekhack /paypal to make sure I didn't miss the invoice. I'd rather pay the invoice and just wait for the tracking email, can't speak for everyone else though.

[xondat]

I decided to take an extra step and check the color matching on every single unit, at the same time, therefore under the same lighting conditions. Everything has now been checked within the same 2 hour period, in natural light on a cloudless day. I'm happy with approximately 2/3rds of boards in these conditions. With the remaining third, I'll try mixing the pieces around to get some more well matching cases. With the amount of time it's taken to get to this point, I don't want to disappoint anyone, hence putting a lot of time into this QC step - I hope everyone understands.

For now, I'll go forward with the cases I'm happy with, getting these fully assembled, shipping invoices sent, and picked up. This'll give me more space to work, and the majority of people will get their cases finally

FYI: All but 1 Pink 280 from this batch has been fulfilled, so I'm only talking about Blue Gray 280s right now.

Hey Xondat, appreciate you matching the the Blue Grays together! I personally would prefer receiving an invoice first and then getting the shipping / tracking later because right now I'm spending time checking back and forth on geekhack /paypal to make sure I didn't miss the invoice. I'd rather pay the invoice and just wait for the tracking email, can't speak for everyone else though.

I hear you, I figure this is the mindset a lot of people have, as I often get messages asking if invoices have been sent yet. With the progress made above, I'll be getting the majority of invoices out shortly.

[Etherealsound]

I paid my shipping invoice. Thought there would be an input for a shipping address since mine has since changed. Should I message you here on GH or send an email regarding my address change?

[pixelpusher]

Got my invoice for the 280 and paid.  Is it not possible to send the 220 and 280 together?  Figured that would save quite a bit of money. 

[Micoo]

FYI: All but 1 Pink 280 from this batch has been fulfilled, so I'm only talking about Blue Gray 280s right now.

Sucks to be this guy  guess I'm lucky last!

[xondat]

I paid my shipping invoice. Thought there would be an input for a shipping address since mine has since changed. Should I message you here on GH or send an email regarding my address change?

Changed since you filled in the shipping form? It’s being sent to the one you put into the form. If you need to update it, please redo the form. P.S. please don’t forget your invoice number this time

Got my invoice for the 280 and paid.  Is it not possible to send the 220 and 280 together?  Figured that would save quite a bit of money. 

No, sorry. I’d have to get three different sized boxes instead of two, and there just isn’t the quantity to do that as my boxes have MOQs.

FYI: All but 1 Pink 280 from this batch has been fulfilled, so I'm only talking about Blue Gray 280s right now.

Sucks to be this guy  guess I'm lucky last!

Apologies, I got you mixed up with someone else. I was going to hold onto your board until the end of this batch fulfilment but will include in next shipping collection (providing the invoice I’ll send tomorrow gets paid)!

[Etherealsound]

I paid my shipping invoice. Thought there would be an input for a shipping address since mine has since changed. Should I message you here on GH or send an email regarding my address change?

Changed since you filled in the shipping form? It’s being sent to the one you put into the form. If you need to update it, please redo the form. P.S. please don’t forget your invoice number this time

Right, forgot about that since there's so much time between everything. Guess I don't need to change it after all.

[gooserino]

Have all invoices for this "batch" of good blue grays been sent out? Do you have an idea of when the rest will be ready for invoicing?

[Whale_algorithm]

I haven't received my invoice so I don't think they're all sent yet

[xondat]

Have all invoices for this "batch" of good blue grays been sent out? Do you have an idea of when the rest will be ready for invoicing?

You should've received yours.

Regarding the others:

With the remaining third, I'll try mixing the pieces around to get some more well matching cases. ...

For now, I'll go forward with the cases I'm happy with, getting these fully assembled, shipping invoices sent, and picked up. This'll give me more space to work, and the majority of people will get their cases finally

[pixelpusher]

220s come later, or should I have received an invoice for that too?

[xondat]

220s come later, or should I have received an invoice for that too?

Later

[homiechicken]

So what's the status on the wrist rests?

[StrangPrisoner]

What's the current status with the wrist rests?

They will be fulfilled with Batch 4.

Beyond this I am not sure where they stand with manufacturing and such.

[xondat]

For now, I'll go forward with the cases I'm happy with, getting these fully assembled, shipping invoices sent, and picked up.

All packed. Labels tomorrow, pickup Monday.

[kiyoboard]

As is the custom, last blue-gray batch gang

[smoian]

My blue grey just came in. The color really turned out to be quite amazing and very well matched top and bottom, the pictures in this thread don’t quite do it justice. Thanks xondat!

[pixelpusher]

Woop woop!  I got mine.  What a cool-ass color!  I don't think I've ever seen such a chameleon keyboard before.  I was surprised by the blue of it when I first unwrapped it.  Then, as I was walking to my office with it, my eyes convinced me it was as gray as gray could be.

Here's a quick photo comparison with a few other gray and blue boards that you might be familiar with.



Now I've gotta build it

[nicduim]

Just came in this afternoon. Beautiful chassis and the blue gray looks awesome. Now to build in a few weeks.

[donut_sauce]

That is a very pretty blue grey.

[Etherealsound]

Awesome to see everyone getting their boards. Can anyone comment on the finishing quality of the anode?

[pixelpusher]

Awesome to see everyone getting their boards. Can anyone comment on the finishing quality of the anode?

Mine is nice.  The finish feels a bit dry compared to some other boards I have.  Top is slightly lighter than the bottom, but no other issues so far (still haven't built it).

[donut_sauce]

Awesome to see everyone getting their boards. Can anyone comment on the finishing quality of the anode?

Mine is nice.  The finish feels a bit dry compared to some other boards I have.  Top is slightly lighter than the bottom, but no other issues so far (still haven't built it).

same here. it does have a dry feel. for me the ano is smoother than my LZ  but rougher than my hbcp so somewhere in the middle.  I was shocked at how low this board is! my hbcp is already on the lower end but it's a giant compare to this board

considering how long this group buy has gone on for my bar was pretty high but I'm happy to report that at least for me this came out good.

[xondat]

Great to see the boards have arrived and everyone is satisfied Excited to see peoples builds when they're completed.


Regarding the remaining boards in this batch:

As previously mentioned, I've now tried mixing parts around, however this hasn't led to getting any more kits with color matching up to the standard they should be at. For reference, about 60% of Blue Gray 280s were approved, and these have been fulfilled. The boards that don't have great color matching are the remaining 40%, including all the 220s. I understand this is going to upset people, as it has upset me too.

I think the best course of action now is to have the boards reanodized. My belief is that there are two options - either send them back to the factory, and hope they come out better, or send them to a new anodizer with experience in keyboards, of which I know of 2 that have put out great work. There are advantages and disadvantages to both options, however I believe sending them back to the factory will just mean going in circles until they're all up to the standard they should be. I'd love to get peoples opinions on this, but I think working with a new anodizer is the direction to go.

As of right now, I do not know how long this will take as I haven't messaged a new anodizer, however I will get talks going and try and come back with an estimate by the end of the month.

I want this over and boards delivered to everyone, however there is no point after all this time to give up on the quality and deliver something sub par. I will make sure everyone is satisfied with the end result. Thank you for everyones continued patience, it's truly appreciated.

Edit 1: If you haven't received your board, this means you are affected. Faxe, ihalatch, and nug - you have not received an invoice, but your board is being sent this week.

Edit 2: I didn't make it clear enough - I want to hear peoples opinions on this. If you'd rather get a board with not amazing color matching, then it could be arranged. I do not want to send these out as I feel like it's giving up after how long it's been, but if someone is adamant about this, I won't block them.

[kiyoboard]

Great to see the boards have arrived and everyone is satisfied Excited to see peoples builds when they're completed.


Regarding the remaining boards in this batch:

As previously mentioned, I've now tried mixing parts around, however this hasn't led to getting any more kits with color matching up to the standard they should be at. For reference, about 60% of Blue Gray 280s were approved, and these have been fulfilled. The boards that don't have great color matching are the remaining 40%, including all the 220s. I understand this is going to upset people, as it has upset me too.

I think the best course of action now is to have the boards reanodized. My belief is that there are two options - either send them back to the factory, and hope they come out better, or send them to a new anodizer with experience in keyboards, of which I know of 2 that have put out great work. There are advantages and disadvantages to both options, however I believe sending them back to the factory will just mean going in circles until they're all up to the standard they should be. I'd love to get peoples opinions on this, but I think working with a new anodizer is the direction to go.

As of right now, I do not know how long this will take as I haven't messaged a new anodizer, however I will get talks going and try and come back with an estimate by the end of the month.

I want this over and boards delivered to everyone, however there is no point after all this time to give up on the quality and deliver something sub par. I will make sure everyone is satisfied with the end result. Thank you for everyones continued patience, it's truly appreciated.

Edit 1: If you haven't received your board, this means you are affected. Faxe, ihalatch, and nug - you have not received an invoice, but your board is being sent this week.

Edit 2: I didn't make it clear enough - I want to hear peoples opinions on this. If you'd rather get a board with not amazing color matching, then it could be arranged. I do not want to send these out as I feel like it's giving up after how long it's been, but if someone is adamant about this, I won't block them.

Sounds like I am one of the affected people. Personally, I wouldn't want to get mismatching case after all this time. That said, is there a possibility that new anodizer also not being able to do a good job matching the top and bottom, or even not matching to the original color you want? Hopefully we wouldn't need to worry about that, but considering how many stuff went wrong so far , what is the plan if that happens?

[pixelpusher]

Would a new factory be able to match the other factory’s color?  I have my 280 and the top and bottom are quite close to the same color.  But if you go with a new factory will the 220 match?

[Pheyn]

Looks like I'm affected too. Overall I'm torn. Half of me wants to wait, as I wouldn't want a subpar product after waiting for so long. The other half is just tired of more delays that I'd rather just have the board now. I guess I'll wait and see how long the estimate is from the new factory, and take it from there.

[ARSLOCK]

I think trying a new ano place might be worth it, if you believe they can get the color right and matching halves. At this point continuing to wait is not a huge deal to me, at least.

[Phrillis]

I'm all for getting the remaining boards reanodized. Waiting longer will actually benefit me since I still have no idea what to put in this board...

[T.Daffy]

I'm leaning towards getting them re-anodized, I'd prefer getting a board that's up to your standards. I personally don't mind waiting awhile longer, just hope the new anodizer can produce equal if not better results. Looking forward to see good news in the next update!

[odd]

Looks like I'm one of the affected too as I have not heard anything back after verifying my address and order a month or so ago. I'm willing to wait as it's been this long so far and I would rather get something that meets your standards than not and living with that after waiting for so long.

[merkz]

I have a blue gray 280 that I'm selling my spot for. It's blue gray with a red alu plate.

[xondat]

Quick update, I've heard from 2 of the 3 paths, just waiting on the last one - expecting this week.

Would a new factory be able to match the other factory’s color?  I have my 280 and the top and bottom are quite close to the same color.  But if you go with a new factory will the 220 match?

I'll be providing the same sample, so it'd be as close as it can be.

[merkz]

Quick update, I've heard from 2 of the 3 paths, just waiting on the last one - expecting this week.

Would a new factory be able to match the other factory’s color?  I have my 280 and the top and bottom are quite close to the same color.  But if you go with a new factory will the 220 match?

I'll be providing the same sample, so it'd be as close as it can be.

Spot taken

[merkz]

Wrong thing quoted but the spot I had for sale is no longer for sale.

[StrangPrisoner]

I think I've misunderstood something (no surprise there).
Is there a color mismatch issue with all 220s? or just the Blue Grey?

[jlee755]

Finished my build! Quick phone pic; really happy with how it turned out. The thick PC plate feels and sounds very nice. It feels like it vibrates a bit on impact; not too sure how to mitigate that without stiffening the board too much. There's very little clearance underneath the PCB with the plate.

The front height is really low. Way, way lower than any keyboard I've typed on. Weirdly comfortable but also makes me concerned that I have bad typing form.

Overall, very happy with it! Love typing on it!

[donut_sauce]

This looks great. Nice use of that Olivia Rama cap

[xondat]

I think I've misunderstood something (no surprise there).
Is there a color mismatch issue with all 220s? or just the Blue Grey?

Just the Blue Gray. The Black 220s will be shipped shortly.

[xondat]

Update on the Batch 3 Reanodizing:

I heard back from the 3rd option regarding reanodizing and we're all set to have them reanodized. I've been talking to them about specifically the color matching, and they're confident they can get closer than how they currently are. I will be supplying the anodizing sample that the original factory worked to to ensure the same color is achieved.

I still have to wrap up the final details on the order and organize shipping to them (as they're located in Oregon), but once they receive the boards they have estimated a 2 week lead time. Realistically with shipping to them, shipping back to me, me sorting the boards and reassembling etc... I think saying me shipping to you early July is fair to say. Of course I'll keep everyone updated on the process as always.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask!

Update on Batch 4:

Nothing much to add, production is going well and on schedule.

[Whale_algorithm]

We're close to the halfway point between the last post and early July, any updates on batch 3?