Balance - F-Row-Less 1800 Keyboard with a Knob [UPDATED - GB 7/30]

Hey guys,

I have an update! And a group buy date.
We will be running Balance on CannonKeys only starting July 30th.
We'll keep the group buy open for 2 weeks, and there is a very high cap which we don't think we will reach.
The Balance will be available on our normal storefront.

In terms of decisions that have been made:

The PCB will NOT support split right shift, but will have LED indicators on Caps Lock and Num Lock.

The price will be $465 for each kit.

Each kit will include:
Keyboard top, bottom, top left accent, top right accent, bottom accent piece
Black aluminum plate
Balance PCB (USB-C, ESD Production)
Unified C3 Daughterboard and JST Cable
ALPS Encoder
CannonKeys Logo Knob
Poron Gaskets
Rubber feet (bumpon compatible)
Foam Carrying Case
Microfiber Cloth

The colors available will be:
Navy/Silver + Silver Aluminum CannonKeys Knob
Black/Silver + Silver Aluminum CannonKeys Knob
Grey/Lilac + Silver Aluminum CannonKeys Knob
E White/Gold w/ Brass Top Accents + Gold PVD Brass CannonKeys Knob - $20 upcharge

We will also offer the following add-ons:
Black, Gold, and Multicolored PVD Brass CannonKeys Knob - $45
Silver, Gold, and Black Aluminum CannonKeys Knob - $18
FR4 Plates - $30
Brass Plates - $60
Polycarbon Plates - $50
Black Aluminum Plates - $50
Extra PCBs - $60
Extra Gaskets - $6

Top accent pieces in Black, Lilac, Navy, Silver, Grey, and Brass - $50, $55 for Brass
Bottom accent pieces in Black, Lilac, Navy, Silver, Grey, and Brass - $15, $20 for Brass

Pricing on extras to follow in the next couple days.
We'll be sending out emails with these details to those who opted in to email notifications once add-on pricing is set.

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Hey everyone,

I’m back with a new design that is ready for an interest check! This is the Balance - an 1800 keyboard without an F-row and with a Knob.

>> GIVE US FEEDBACK <<




One of my favorite keyboards to use is the Cypher - but when I use it, I really do miss having a knob to control volume and media. For that reason, even when doing tasks that are better suited for a numpad, I find myself using my Satisfaction75 quite frequently. This board was meant to fill that gap for me, while also playing with a new interesting side profile, considering two-tone color as a first-class design element, and integrating gasket mounting.

Why is it called Balance?

There is a little accent piece on the back of the board, and when looking at the board from behind, to me, it looks like the whole width of the board is balancing on the accent piece.



Supported Layouts:

PCB Support:



Most notable here is the exclusion of split right shift. On the PCB, we put the MCU there… so it would be a significant change to add split right shift support. I personally don’t think it’s necessary given this board has lots of keys, but also understand that some people might like having it. We’ll potentially add it based on the feedback we receive. Please only ask for it if you think you would actually buy this keyboard, and it would be a dealbreaker for you!

My preferred layout:



This is my personal favorite layout and I have designed fixed layout plates for this one. We'll likely take this layout and add Split BS and Stepped Caps support for the GB.

Universal ANSI plate:



A plate featuring support for all of these layouts will also be offered.

NE Iso Avail?

We have not designed an ISO plate yet, but our plate files will be made publicly available as the GB comes close to ship time. We may offer ISO plates at a low MOQ for an extra fee.

Things I personally really Like about this Design:

Accent piece on top - this is not a functional pen rail, just an accent piece
Accent piece on the back - this is where the “Balance” name comes from
Knob - enough said
Side Profile - It looks great in 2 tones, and is kinda a “seamless” design



Design Features:
- QMK and VIA Compatible PCB (Designed by Upas, assisted/routed by Ender)
- ESD Protection
- Centered USB-C C3 Unified Daughterboard
- STM32 ARM Processor
- No backlight LEDs, no hotswap
- Poron Gasket Isolation Sandwich Mount
- Custom soft rubber feet - these are bumpon compatible, so if you prefer bumpons, you can source and use those instead
- ALPS Encoder and Cannon Logo Knob in Aluminum
- 6 case parts (not including knob)
- Two tone design with really cool side profile (this is one of my favorites)
- No extra weight - imo, the keyboard is heavy enough as-is, and sounds good
- 5.5 degree typing angle
- About 15.7mm Front Height
- About 29.7mm Back Height
- Fits in an approximate 407mm x 121mm x 30mm bounding box (releasing this info so you can figure out how to make an appropriate wrist rest or etc.)
- Brass plate by default, FR4 and CF options likely

Internals:


Gasket strips are not shown, but it should be pretty clear where they go.
No case foam / plate foam necessary.

Colors:
We’re currently planning on running at least 4 of the following colors, if not all 5:

Navy/Silver (Silver Alu accent)
Red/Gold (Brass Accent)
Black/Purple (Purple Alu Accent)
Grey/Lilac (Lilac Alu Accent)
E-White/Teal (Teal Alu Accent)

We hope to also offer extra top accent pieces and potentially bottom accent pieces if there seems to be demand. Brass pieces will be an addon (except for red/gold).

Current Status:
The case geometry and general design is locked in - we don’t intend to make any changes at this point. We may take feedback on layouts and plate materials. We are working on some special knobs with the CannonKeys logo on them - prototypes should arrive soon.

Can you change X, Y, or Z?
At this point, most of the design decisions have been made, but if there is very strong feedback in the IC form, we will consider making more changes. We already have 5 production prototypes on hand. The images you see in this thread are not renders. They are photos.

Expected Price/Qty:
Given there are no large brass parts involved in this keyboard (no brass weight) - we think we can hit a price point of $465 including an anodized aluminum knob.

This GB will run with at least 500 units. We do not expect them all to sell out. Unsure on international vendors / proxies at the moment. We will likely handle the Western markets (USA, Canada, UK, EU) and potentially loop in other vendors for Asia.

>> GIVE US FEEDBACK <<


More content:
Minterly built a Balance on stream and made a sound test available here:


One thing of note - this early prototype did not have spacebar acoustic cuts, so the production spacebar will not be as loud. Do you like loud spacebars? Let us know in the feedback form and we can run a plate without the cuts!

More Photos: