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【IC】Therian40 | Update 2 - 10|04|21

IC, 键盘, 40 本文总阅读量次

类型: IC
作者: Touch Types
发布时间: 2021-04-11 07:44:27
更新时间: 2021-04-12 11:55:34
原链接: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=112239.0

Therian40
If you’re at a loss when it comes to finding a functional, available and great looking 40%, then you’re in the right place.
The Therian 40 will arguably be the most versatile case in the 40’s market with the ability to use both Staggered PCBs AND Orhtolinear by simply swapping the plate.
This feature on its own would be pretty cool, however, who wants to unscrew their case to swap the PCB?!
Our solution to that problem? Magnets.
By making use of magnets, we are able to have the top and bottom case securely fastened while also allowing the user to easily and quickly swap out their PCBs to fit their needs.
Our design essentially gives ‘hot-swap’ a whole new meaning…
As well as using magnets in order to hold the case together, we have also decided on Sorbothane as the gasket material for its incredible sound and vibration dampening properties to hopefully give a great sounding ‘Clack’ profile.
Drawings of the gaskets will be made available after the GB though so that if you want to use your own material, you can.
Renders






Imgur Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/IHJjxDx
IC Form
The following link will lead you to the original IC Google Form with a variety of questions that will allow us to ensure that the keyboard is best tailored to you, the end-user.
While the results of the original post have already been taken into account, it never hurts to gain more insight so please feel free to fill it out if you’d like.
It shouldn’t take longer than 10 minutes to complete and it would be greatly appreciated if you provided as much detail as possible so that we have more to work off of.
Link: https://forms.gle/7g5f98LaGotiEbmY8
Features

  • Magnet mount connection [MMC]
  • Sorbothane gaskets [SG]
  • 5° typing angle
  • Multiple layout support
  • Universal USB port access
  • Quick-switch PCB swapping

Supported PCBs
This list is not comprehensive as any 12u x 4u PCB should work so long as they don’t have weird spacing.
The PCBs listed below are just those that have been physically tested.

  • JD40
  • BM40
  • Daisy

Planck Spacing
After some deeper thought we have decided that the case itself won’t be offered with a Planck PCB, there are many reasons for this with the primary being:

  • an additional 6mm of space on the sides of the keycaps due to the reduced spacing
  • the need for a third plate adding a lot of work to the production process
    Don’t panic though, there are already plate files for the Planck that will work with the case.
    These files will be made available after the GB so you can get your own plates cut, the case will still be compatible with Planck just not directly through us.

Bespoke PCBs
After some discussion with the community, we have now decided that it is better to include our own selection of PCBs during the GB to ensure PCB availability for all customers.
This doesn’t mean you won’t be able to use the 12u PCBs you already own though; it just means that you can have one more build ready to use!
The PCBs are not finished yet though they will be relatively simple in their design.
There will not be RGB support unless the community shows a large majority looking for it and a hot-swap option will be discussed though due to the easily swappable plate system this may not be pursued.
This is also because there are existing 12x4u PCBs out there meaning if you desire something hot-swap down the line you can find one elsewhere without increasing the cost of Therian
Behind the name
The name is the first thing you see when having new designs marketed towards you so it’s vital that we pull you in off the bat.
“Therion” in Greek translates to “wild animal or beast,” however when combined with the word “Anthropos” which means “human”, you get “Theriantropy”.
In essence, Theriantropy is the Ancient Greeks shapeshifting mythology.
Shortening that, we get “Therian” which doesn’t technically mean anything but with some appreciation of greek mythology and an understanding of the design, you should be able to see the connection.
I also felt that ‘Therian’ sounded as though it could be used as a name for a spaceship which funnily enough, fit very nicely as we had considered space-age design elements when exploring this design.
Materials
The final materials are still to be decided and will take cost as well as demand/interest into consideration.
For the renders the top is Aluminium and the base is frosted Polycarbonate.
From the healthy amount of form responses, we have now narrowed down the final case materials to an aluminium top and either an aluminium or Polycarbonate base.
PC for the base may be swapped for acrylic if we aim to go for a lower price point though to reduce material and machining costs.
Don’t worry though, this will be polled on in good time.
After having sifted through a mountain of quotes from countless manufacturers, the materials have been narrowed down to:
All anodised aluminium, All frosted Polycarbonate, Or Anodized aluminium top with a frosted polycarbonate base.
There is more information about the materials in the following price section.
Along with deciding which combination of materials we offer, we also need to decide on the colours offered for anodizing if aluminium is chosen to be used.
Currently, the options are, clear, grey or black.
We don’t plan on offering a variety as this makes everything more complicated and leads to additional costs so in the interest of keeping the board as accessible as possible we will likely only offer one standard colour.
If there is a colour choice that is requested and has enough backing though, this will also be considered and then polled. Please take a moment to submit your opinion here.
https://forms.gle/m163sZ5Apqpa8XZS7
For the weight/accent piece, we are exploring an engraving as well as an interesting finish to create a Damascus-esque design or something along those lines.
Here are some examples of what this would look like:

I personally think that the Damascus styled aluminium would really nicely compliment the overall aesthetic of the board even if it doesn’t add much weight.
Not to mention that it would give each board its own unique back that would differ from any other case in existence.
Alternatively, we can just offer a standard brass or steel engraved weight if people prefer the blank aesthetic of those materials.
Please submit your opinion on this topic here.
https://forms.gle/pwvMFBAknPYYT3cEA
Prototypes
After some tweaking, we now have a functional prototype of the board to test fit sizes and test the typing feel.
As of yet, I haven’t gotten my hands on Sorbothane or the final magnets but once I’ve removed as much of the friction between the case parts I will purchase some to allow for the most accurate testing results of the magnets pull forces.
From the prototype, we also discovered that the spacing between the case and the top and the bottom rows of the keycaps was a little big so this has been reduced to be closer to the distance of the sides.
On top of this, we also increased the sizes of the portals to allow for bigger cables to be used.
In this prototype, we were also able to test fit both a daisy and a bm40 PCB with no issues.
It has also been decided that 2 bespoke PCBs will be offered, one staggered and one ortho.
Once the final tweaks have been made to the design and the materials have been decided as well as the finishes I will be moving forward with the ordering of prototypes.
I hope to be able to order 2 in order to allow me to use one to test quality and fit etc while the other can be sent to creators to build on streams and promote to ensure as much awareness of the board as possible.
Prototype Gallery: [https://imgur.com/a/kB97U2u]https://imgur.com/a/kB97U2u]https://imgur.com/a/kB97U2u](https://imgur.com/a/kB97U2u)
ESTIMATED Prices
Firstly, I need to make it excruciatingly clear that these prices are strictly estimates and are in no way a guarantee of the final price.
While I hope to be able to offer you all as stomachable a price as possible, due to the somewhat ambitious features of the design this may not be possible in every regard.
The estimated prices are for the 3 possible material selections that will be narrowed down to 1 through the poll below and were made up from a mixture of quotes from various manufacturers as well as estimate pricing for PCB and packaging costs.
All Aluminium: 350 EUR
All Polycarbonate: 300 EUR
Aluminium top / Polycarbonate bottom: 320 EUR
**THESE PRICES ARE ESTIMATED HIGHER THAN I WOULD LIKE TO ENSURE WE DON’T PROMISE SOMETHING WE CAN’T DELIVER.
**
Material Poll: https://forms.gle/Xsq3w4NdVqj6JkHu8
Vendors
As of yet, we are still in talks with proxies for some regions though we hope to have a vendor for each region to ensure that Therian can be as widely accessible as possible.
Below is the list of vendors.
UK: Mechboards - https://mechboards.co.uk/
US: Vala Supply - https://vala.supply/
AUS/OCE: TBD
CAN: TBD
ASIA: TBD
EUR: TBD
As for the timescale on the GB, if I’m hoping to have protos by the end of this month/start of next, then ideally we aim for a GB in June/July with the hope that we can be shipping before the end of 2021.
Updates

  • Estimated Prices
  • Material selection
  • Accent piece selection
  • Anodization colour poll

Contact
If you have any further questions, please don’t be afraid to ask, you’re critique will make this board. You can reach me at any or all of the following outlets:

IC, 键盘, 40