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Hike News

【IC】Troublemaker - FRL Compact 1800 keyboard

类型: IC
作者: kbye
发布时间: 2022-05-29 10:36:10
更新时间: 2022-05-29 10:59:54
原链接: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=117341.0


Troublemaker

Troublemaker is a compact-1800 minus the F-row. It is top mounted via the PCB, which will allow for plateless builds.
When I designed Nue, it was meant to be a board I used at home. Now that I’m back in office for work, I wanted a more work-centric layout.
Thus, troublemaker was born. It’s called troublemaker due to the massive headaches I incurred while designing it.
Interest check form: https://forms.gle/gQoJybE6pqUGhf2M6
Discussion and feedback on my discord: https://discord.gg/Sv9a37n
DETAILS

  • Case Angle: 7 degrees

  • Mounting: PCB Top Mount (o-ring experimental)

  • Case Material(s): 6063 aluminum, Frosted polycarbonate

  • Weight Material(s): Sandblasted Brass, Polished Stainless Steel

  • Accent Material: Polished Stainless Steel

  • Front Height: ~18mm

  • Plate: Aluminum, PC, FR4

  • 1.2mm Atmel PCB + C3 daughterboard. QMK/VIA compatible

  • no PCB/case foam but will provide files to have them cut if you desire





    I wanted a work board which meant having a numpad, but also wanted a compact layout with isolated arrow keys in order to avoid accidental keypresses.
    A subtle cherry-style lip helps keep the case profile low and allows for a place to rest your palms, but a common problem is that it interferes with the arrow cluster in CP1800 layouts.

    I am not a fan of how far the lip extends out in vintage boards (see G80-1800), so with troublemaker I kept the profile flat on the arrow keys. This creates some visual interest and provides uniform bezel widths around the board (0.5u on the top/middle/bottom, 0.25u on the sides and arrows)

  • LAYOUT*

  • Stepped Caps

  • ISO

  • Split Backspace

  • Split Numpad

  • 6.25U/7U/10U/3U Split Bottom Row
    Layout should accommodate a broad audience and I have no interest in changing it at this time.
    The decision to use 3U split space instead of 2.25/2.75 is because I personally like 3U and want to push more designs to include them. 3U wires will be included.
    10U for memes

  • COLORS*
    Colors not final. Would like to run 2/3 colors max.
    Black

    Blue-Grey / Silver

    E-white

  • PRICING/AVAILABILITY*

  • $450 USD (tentative)

  • 50-100 units depending on interest

  • Group Buy in Q4 2022

  • Ran by me @ store.studiokestra.ca (ships from Canada)

  • REVISIONS*

  • Prototype R1 (August 2021)*

    Photo album: https://imgur.com/a/HXBT3rr (courtesy @jlai.keebs)

  • USB aligned to indicators

  • E-White top / Polycarbonate bottom

  • Interior Brass Weight

  • /Screwless/ exterior

  • Feedback notes:*
    Used for a couple months for work. Typing feel was decent, wasn’t a big fan of the sound which I initially attributed to the PC bottom.
    This was my first “screwless” exterior design, where the screws were located on the interior beside the switches.
    I had issues with the switches interfering with the screws which made it hard to assemble/disassemble.
    Indicator LEDs rattled the top case.

  • Prototype R2 (April 2022)*

    Photo album: https://imgur.com/a/2S9J2Yq (courtesy @stillchromatic)

  • Centered USB Port

  • Black Alu top/bottom, Stainless Steel Weight, Raw Alu Accent

  • Blue-Grey Alu top/bottom, Sandblasted Brass Weight, Stainless Steel Accent

  • Interior Brass Weight

  • /Screwless/ exterior

  • Feedback notes:*
    Screw / switch interference was fixed.
    Switched indicators to SMD mounted RGB lights to prevent the rattling.
    Sound was a bit better, but I figured out that the meh acoustics were due to the mounting style.
    Some screwhole tolerances needed fixing but overall I liked the visual appeal.

  • Prototype R3 (Planned for Aug 2022)*

  • USB Port location dictated by IC

  • New color TBD

  • Case/Weight Materials TBD

  • Refine engraving

  • Exterior screw design, Geon molded feet

  • Add tadpole mounting option

  • Add gummy-o ring mounting option
    The interior screw design is not user-friendly so I’m ditching it. The final proto will be assembled via exterior screws covered by Geon molded feet.
    I am also adding 2 more mounting methods. My hope is that the tadpoles will soften the bottom-out sound that I don’t like.
    Adding O-Ring as another mount option (a plate would be mandatory in this case).

  • TO-DO*

  • finish gathering feedback

  • order 3rd prototype

  • send to streamers for review

  • prepare for GB
    Thanks for looking!

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