类型: IC
作者: prkns
发布时间: 2020-03-29
10:41:16
更新时间: 2020-12-02 16:11:19
原链接:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=105358.0
WELCOME BACK!
Apologies that
things went a little quiet… that’s on me. However, that
aside, Whimsy is back with a full overhaul and update!
I
needed to take some time to get things tidied up before this
was promoted any further so thank you to everyone for the
awesome feedback (and patience)… it has been incredibly
useful and genuinely helpful in getting Whimsy to this point
and the kind responses have been collated into what you see
here.
✌️
::: UPDATED RENDERS :::
::: CASE COLOURS :::
The overwhelming
majority of feedback voted in favour of a machined aluminium
case with the final colours being:
- White -
- Pink -
-
Anodized Aluminium -
(Case choice will be coupled with a brass plate)
::: KEY LAYOUTS :::
There was a lot of
interest in having an alternate bottom row to include a
split spacebar, so this has been added to the PCB and
plate.
::: OLED OPTIONS :::
Since the
original IC and the change in the case design, the option of
either 128x32 or 128x64 OLED screens is now available
::: KIT CONTENTS :::
PCB
Case
Brass plate
Acrylic Cover
EC11
Encoder
Diodes
Hardware
OLED Choice
(128x32/64)
Elite-C (Hopefully)
Header
Sockets
Price: TBD
::: ALTERNATE RENDERS :::
KAM_Superuser
by FreshFromTheGrave
KAT Cyberspace
by Ulliam
KAM Lil Dragon
by InverseDC
::: FAQ :::
Q. Where are the other case options you offered?
A. As I said, there was an absolutely overwhelming sway
towards a machined case and that was the option I
personally preferred as well. I’m currently in
conversations with a couple of providers to be able to
offer the 3D printed option.
Q. How much and how many?
A. I’m aiming to keep the price of Whimsy down, this
would mean that there will most likely be a low MOQ ensure
costs stay down. There won’t be a maximum number. No
raffling, no auctions… just a straight-up buy.
Q. Any other controller boards?
A. Whimsy was designed around the use of an Elite-C.
Ideally, the v4 version to give more space for the OLED
but earlier versions will also work
Q. I wanted Ortho!? You said there would be
ortho!!
A. Apologies for this, despite trying a few different
ideas for this, there wasn’t an option that I found that
would work but also look good too… Sorry
Q. Why is the projected GB date so far away?
A. The long and short answer is that this is my first
board and I’m being very cautious to ensure that
everything is as close to perfect as possible. I also need
to understand the best option to get these shipped out to
everyone.
Q. Hotswap or nah?
A. Unfortunately not… based on the initial interest
check, hot-swap was not favoured. My personal choice
wouldn’t have been hot-swap either but I wanted to see
what you lovely people wanted before I wrote it off
entirely.
(Provisional Dates)
Group Buy: Feb 2021
(Depending on final prototypes)
FOR UPDATES
DISCORD
THIS IS FOURTEEN
MAILING LIST
✌️
DON’T TAKE THINGS TOO SERIOUSLY!
Massive thanks to Jasper, Nayf, Ulliam and
Dave/Ben from Mechboards UK for all the help and
support in getting Whimsy to where it’s at right now
If
you want to see the original IC click “More”
More
Hi! I’m Dave and this is my first keyboard
design/production project. What started as something to
prove to myself that I could design and produce a
keyboard PCB, quickly escalated into something a little
bigger. I’m properly excited about this as it’s a lot of
firsts for me and I’d love to hear what you think about
whether it’s viable for GB. It’s currently in testing and
design phases and so it only seemed right to ask for some
feedback and hopefully open it up to GB as and when it’s
reached it’s “final form”.
So without further ado, here
I present…
Whimsy!
Inspired by the damn perfect UT47.2, Whimsy is aiming
to be the most “extra” 40(ish)% profile keyboard. OLEDs and
Rotary Encoders are the perfect addition to any board in my
mind, so the idea of having them within the tiny form factor
of a 40% just makes sense.
Current Specifications:
40/45% Form Factor/Layout
Elite-C
OLED (128x32)
-
Rotary Encoder
Planned Updates/Features: Plate
-
Brass bottom weight (case and interest depending)
-
Integrated USB and controller rather than using an Elite-C
-
Hotswap (interest depending)
Layouts:
This is pretty much it… if there’s interest in multiple layout support then I will, of course, get this added to the roadmap. The PCB is completely designed by myself so it’d be fun to see how far I could push it.
The PCB will be open-sourced after the initial GB (if we get there), so there will always be a way of producing replacements if required.
Case Colors/Styles:
I was hoping to release this as a fully aluminium cased keyboard (hence the renders), but if there’s interest in just the PCB + Plate bottom, then I’ll release that too. However, the potential case variants are as follows: -
Aluminium Case: Blasted, then anodized in a select colour range. Ideally, I’d like to keep the variations low in the interest of fulfilment. Fill out the IC form, please!
-
Acrylic Layer Case: This is another potential option to keep the board feeling a little more “premium” but this option will only be properly explored if there is enough interest.
-
3D Printed: The case design already exists and is currently in the phase of test prints to check for alignment issues and other potential problems. Like the PCB, the case will also be available to download and print once the initial GB has run.
-
PCB/FR4 Plate: The easiest, cheapest and really the only other option we have is a PCB/FR4 plate in the same colour as the chosen PCB colour. Just make sure interest is specified in the form.
INTEREST CHECK LINK: https://forms.gle/hQ3SqLB3EJPA5gsM9
WHIMSY UPDATES PAGE: https://prkns.me/whimsy
INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/whimsykbd
Renders: Renders were done by myself… another first for me as I’ve never used 3D tools before but I thought I’d give it a go. Turns out it’s very hard and took me far longer than I first anticipated that they would. Should there be some genuine interest, I will invest in some better renders. Even if you’re not interested in Whimsy, I would love to hear feedback on these as I had a load of fun doing them and would love to try and get them looking better. I’ve attempted to get as close to Nautilus and Taro but don’t claim these to be anything other than “inspired by”.
Thanks in advance to everyone who comments/fills in the form… it genuinely would mean a lot! If you have any questions, suggestions, or advice for me, please don’t hesitate to send them over. I’ve loved every second of this project’s journey so far, and I’d love for it to continue.
Cheers,
Dave