类型: IC
作者: norbauer
发布时间: 2017-05-09 15:13:30
更新时间:
2017-11-22 11:38:42
原链接:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=89451.0
At last, the time has come.
Interested?
Please make your voice count in this survey
to make sure it happens.
Background info
Proceeding from many lessons, tweaks, and
improvements learned from my two rounds of Novatouch cases,
I decided it was time to tackle something more ambitious:
the beast that is the Realforce TKL keyboard (perhaps my
personal favorite all-time board, keycaps
notwithstanding).
I have arrived at a core case design
that I think will work and I’m currently getting prototypes
made in various materials and experimenting with some other
cool features.
Material
The main
innovation I’m currently working on is that I want to try to
make the case available in…STONE. Or, more precisely, a
ceramic composite that is made to feel like stone but that
has superior technical properties: namely, Dupont Corian (or
similar). It’s a non-porous material that is used in
laboratory countertops, store displays, architectural
features, and high-end artistic furniture. It is rarely used
in consumer products, but with some care, the material
is machinable. It is remarkably heavy and feels
cool to the touch, similar to natural stone, but not nearly
as brittle. Also unlike natural stone, it is impervious to
staining due to its lack of porosity.
It comes in all
kinds of faux-marble patterns, but am mostly interested in
white and black. Though it’s hard to find examples of Corian
used outside of architectural applications, here are a
couple examples of consumer products made in Corian.
If Corian doesn’t work out, there is always good old
anodized aluminum, in various colors.
Case features:
- No side seam line (there is a hidden plate at back)
- Magsafe-style cable on the outside (with USB type A on the other end). For those who prefer a regular cable, the magsafe head can be pulled out and a USB-C cable used.
- The kit includes a custom internal cable and sub-PCB to replace the stock Topre cable that goes inside the case.
- Internal surge and line noise protection on the sub-PCB.
- Can be used flat (0 degree angle) or with (included) risers
-
PCB overhang*
A quirky feature of RealForce keyboards is the wonky keyboard overhang at the top. I’ve contemplated various ways of perhaps using that dead space to a decorative end. If we do end up going with decorative plates, I’m thinking of making them magnetically interchangeable. -
Brushed metal*
-
Wood*
We could maybe even add grooves for writing instruments
-
Quilted leather*(sorry for the crappy rendering, the real
thing would look a lot nicer and not have those vertical
lines) Sort of like something you’d see on the interior of
an old Bentley or something.
- Pricing*: honestly, I have no idea since this case’s overall profile is significantly larger than the Novatouch, and if we end up using Corian, it’s a rather expensive material. But let’s assume, depending on finish and material, that we have at least one option around $250, with some upgrade options offered.
-
Update*
Here is my prototype in aluminum, which is an alternate backup material if Corian doesn’t work out
-
Next steps*
As I mentioned, it’s currently in prototyping to verify the fit of the plate, etc. And I’m doing some experiments to see about the viability of Corian for this geometry and purpose.
If you’re interested and haven’t already, please join my email list for announcements whenever something is actually available as a group buy.
And, of course, thoughts, feedback, questions, and tomato-throwing are all welcome below.