类型: IC
作者:
kwlodarczyk
发布时间:
2020-06-23 12:24:35
更新时间: 2020-12-10 18:07:32
原链接:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=107104.0
ROTR and ROTR LITE GB is starting on December 11!
ROTR -
https://mechboards.co.uk/shop/group-buy/polarity-works-rotr/
ROTR LITE -
https://mechboards.co.uk/shop/group-buy/polarity-works-rotr-lite-group-buy/
Extra Knobs -
https://mechboards.co.uk/shop/group-buy/rotr-extra-knob-group-buy/
Colour Options
ROTR is a 3 key macropad with a big knob.
After
almost 6 months of development and prototyping the ROTR has
arrived. The 3 man team at polarity works have been working
almost non stop to make this the last macro pad with knob
youll ever need. Drop some switches into the minimalist
anodized aluminium housing, connect the usb C connector and
the ultra bright RGB lights blaze into life and youre ready
to go!
After 4 revisions the knob mechanism has been
perfected, using a pair of Japanese NMB bearings to float a
precision machined steel shaft underneath a beautifully
anodized and tactile knob. Underneath the shaft sits a
magnet and under that some air. The only contact between the
knob and the shaft is through the bearings. Unlike our
cheaper competitors this means there is no notchiness, no
clicks and almost no resistance. You can spin this knob by
blowing on it gently! If greater resistance is desired there
is the provision to put magnets in the knob to allow for
eddy current braking. This has previously been used on
Japanese shinkansen and German ICE3 high speed trains. The
resistance can be varied through 12 levels by varying the
position of the magnets, and it doesnt make a difference to
the silky smooth nature of the mechanism.
The knob on
the ROTR is swappable, its non-contact mechanism meaning you
can just pull the magnetically attached knob off and snap on
a new one. We custom machined a tapered precision interface,
the design of which we will release to the community to
allow for third party knobs. We will offer replacement knobs
made out of aluminium, brass and copper so you can make your
ROTR fit your chosen aesthetic
The ROTR is fully
programmable, using QMK firmware you can set up a wonderful
combination of layers and macros to your hearts content. The
profile is online on the QMK configurator so making tweaks
trivial and allows for an endless amount of customisation,
volume knob, scrolling through the timeline in editing
software or a cad controller, the options are limitless. If
you decide that even that is not enough we broke out 8 I/O
pins, the programming header and the led data out pin,
allowing for hacking and modification to truly make it your
own, add extra buttons, a second encoder, RGB underglow. Its
all possible without tricky surface mount soldering.
We
would also like to introduce it’s baby brother, the ROTR
LITE, with the same ludicrously over-engineered encoder! the
ROTR LITE has identical pcb and knob mechanism as the ROTR,
but no aluminium case. This means eddy current braking would
not exist (as there is no aluminium to create those eddy
currents).
Group Buy Dates:
Start
Date: 11th December 2020 12:00 AM GMT
End Date: 11th
January 2021 12:00 AM GMT / when spots are filled
GB limits:
ROTR - 200 units max
ROTR LITE - 500 units
max
Knobs - 1400 units max
Buying limits:
ROTR - limited to 1 per person
ROTR LITE - no
limits
Knobs - no limits
Pricing:
Kits
kits do not come with a
magnet kit, which is required for eddy current braking
ROTR
with alu knob: £168.00
ROTR with brass knob: £180.00
ROTR
with copper knob: £186.00
ROTR LITE with alu knob:
£108.00
ROTR LITE with brass knob: £120.00
ROTR
LITE with copper knob: £126.00
Optional extras:
ROTR case only: £120.00
Knob only (alu):
£48.00
Knob only (brass): £60.00
Knob only
(copper): £66.00
Magnet kit (6 countersunk magnets +
screws): £14.40
**Color options:
**
Silver
aluminium anodized case
Black aluminium anodized
case
Silver aluminium anodized knob
Black
aluminium anodized knob
Brass sandblasted knob
Copper
sandblasted knob
Vendors:
Worldwide: Mechboards
https://mechboards.co.uk/shop/group-buy/polarity-works-rotr/
Page will be up soon
Estimated Dates:
11th Dec 2020 - Start GB
11th Jan 2021 - End
GB
Q1 2021 - Manufacturing
Q2 2021 - assembly by
Polarity Works, delivery to mechboards
Q3 2021 -
shipping to buyers
17 October Update - Final Prototypes are Here!
I didnt think Ill be making a ROTR post this quick,
but I am ecstatic to announce that the final prototype has
gotten to us and it is perfect! This time we worked very
closely with the manufacturer to get the finish we were
after and it has really paid off.
The prototypes will
be sent to me from Japan on Monday and I will assemble them
with the PCBs and do a final inspection. Be sure to keep an
eye out for a GB announcement in the near future!
05 September Update:
Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates lately,
my package with the prototype parts got held up at customs.
Now that I have my hands of them I am very pleased to say
that everything works and it looks great! The PCB took a bit
of fiddling with to get working but after a few bodge wires,
it fired into life.
Unfortunately, under the closer
inspection of the CNC parts, we found many defects and
problems that just couldn’t be overlooked. The majority of
these were cosmetic problems with the parts, things like
deep tool marks on the knobs and cases or less than
brilliant tolerances. In short, we no longer feel that the
CNC company that made the prototypes can be trusted with
large scale production and we are looking at another
company. This will set the schedule back a bit but should
ensure that the products that get to you guys are of high
quality. We are also taking this time to try a new way of
mounting the knobs that will let them be interchangeable,
here’s a video of a 3d printed prototype spinning!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SAGFUmZ65JX3VOrx6Qc7cpZHrHblcji6/view?usp=sharing
We know that not all of you want the knob to spin
quite as much so we are also working on a way that will let
you tune how much resistance there is on the knob. We’ll
keep you updated on this but I can promise you that it’s
very cool!
There are also a few other projects that we
have been working on during all of this waiting around, keep
an eye out for them in the next few weeks!
I am also
very excited to announce that the vendor for the ROTR will
be Mechboards!
And finally, we want to thank you all
for the huge amount of interest and support you have shown
for this project. I would have never been possible if not
for you guys!
21 July Update:
The
anodizing is now done, it’s looking pretty good! There was a
slight mix up and the CNC company accidentally made the
knobs in copper instead of brass. What do you guys think of
the sandblasted copper knob?
16 July Update:
The CNC company
is done machining our initial prototypes, they just need to
be anodized before they’re ready!
Check out our Discord
for more updates like these!
Here’s a look at the prototype PCB too!
Concepts
Here are some renders
of the ROTR with the KAT Iron and GMK Copper keycaps. A huge
thank you to @fatboycarney for all of the help!
Be sure
to check out the KAT Iron IC -
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=105689.0
As well as The Carnival Discord, he designed the
beautiful keycaps you see here and more! -
https://discord.gg/sb6jsyQ
GMK Copper
KAT Iron
If you like how these look it would be really useful
if you could tell us here -
https://forms.gle/e7nyy8VqFjZz9W8V7
**ORIGINAL POST
**
Hey everyone!
Thank
you for the huge amount of interest and feedback after the
last post. We are turning this idea into reality!
Design Inspiration
The design
takes inspiration from 20th century industrial design, with
heavy references to the work of designer Dieter Rams and
products like the Leica IIIg Chrome.
The ROTR sports
gentle curves that cup your fingers when using the knob,
while the rest of the case has quiet, rounded corners meant
to pair well with most aluminium keyboards.
PCB
Features:
INTERCHANGEABLE
KNOBS!
USB C
CNC milled aluminium case
Solid
brass / aluminium knob
Free spinning magnetic rotary
encoder
Rubber feet
Extra features (based on the amazing feedback from you
guys since the last post):
QMK support, will ship pre-programmed and ready to
use!
Hot swap switch sockets
RGB LEDs for
switches
New black and brass colour scheme
https://github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware/tree/master/keyboards/rotr
Pricing
The pricing will be
announced when we receive the new case and knob prototypes
from the CNC company.
As there were many requests for
this, I am happy to say that there will be international
shipping!
Moving forward
Case
prototypes have been ordered, and will be delivered in
roughly 3 weeks.
The PCB prototype has been ordered and
will be delivered in roughly 2 weeks.
Fully working
prototype assembled in hopefully 4 weeks.
If the finish
of the machined parts is high enough quality then GB will
start.
Update Summary
23/06/2020
Initial IC post
01/07/2020 More renders added, features
confirmed
16/07/2020 Case and knob ready to be
anodized, PCB prototype pictures
21/07/2020 Case and
knob have been anodised, suprise copper knob
05/09/2020
Prototypes received, fully working prototype, new prototypes
to be ordered, vendor announced
Feedback
Wed love to hear your guy’s thoughts and comments on
this project so far, any suggestions would be super
helpful!
The IC form has been updated to give you guys
a better look at the knob options, as well as some other
info we think would help in planning our upcoming Group
Buy.
https://forms.gle/UgeRqf52kf83DHKj6
Join our Discord server for the latest updates!
https://discord.gg/nuknf9K
Check out our Instagram here!
https://www.instagram.com/polarityworks/