Interest CheckKeyboards

Bias

by Baionlenja

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byBaionlenja

Description

Bias R2 by Baionlenja

Years of work and 7 unique prototype rounds later, Bias is ready to be made public.

Quick Info

Group buy thread

Discord
Instagram
Youtube
Interest Check Form

Pre-order info

620 USD
VAT included for EU buyers

Raffle on 16th of November 2021
100 units available
Ships from Finland Q3 2022 or before
Bias will be retired after this group buy

More detailed information at the end of post

Who are you?

Hi, I'm some person from Finland who LOVES making keyboards.
Making keyboards hits that spot for me, I find it to be exceedingly fun all the way from the design to planning logistics.
My real name is Magnus, but everyone calls me Baion.
I've made a bunch of boards already and I've only ran private buys until now.

Here are some of my previous projects for the curious:

Ikirouta
Bias OG
Bias BE
Bias 1.5 and 2.0
WB
Larva
Ophanim

Sob Story AKA Why You Haven't Seen Me Before / Origin of Bias

TMI incoming skip if you don't like cringe things like emotions or feelings.

I just wanted to write this to give interest checks something more than the usual pretentious corporate speech by works.studios.

I going to be completely honest, making an Interest check like this is really difficult for me.
I've struggled with PTSD and severe insecurity my entire life.
I haven't dared to show anyone my work in the fear of being ridiculed, so I just quietly learned and improved my skills in making keyboards.
This hobby doesn't make it easy and I've definitely been part of the problem myself. All the fear and anxiety I feel towards my own designs I tried to vent to others.

I rarely show off any designs until they're absolutely finished and perfect. It's why I haven't posted any IC's or promoted my boards much outside my Instagram.
And to me, my designs are never finished or worth showing. I do not feel I am worthy.

One day a couple years ago, I gathered my courage and offered a few discord members to design a custom TKL for them, this ended up being one of the best decisions of my entire life. They invited more awesome people and together we made a new server to brainstorm the keyboard in.
The positivity and encouragement they gave made me realize that I have worth. I even gained the confidence to post it to a several discord servers to a good reception. This was the original Bias.
This gave me the energy and push to seek professional help. It took about a year of therapy and new medication this summer, but my life has changed for the better.
I am finally on the track to finish my studies and the development of Bias took on whole new wings.
Now here I am, writing a stupid sob story for an overpriced rectangle in a nerd forum. But for me it is proof that I am finally getting better.

But not everyone is as fortunate as I am

You who are reading this: Please take mental health seriously.
Being depressed, lacking energy and anxious all the time is not supposed to be norm.
Getting diagnosed can be a life changer for the better.
I wanted to write this to hopefully encourage others to speak of their issues more freely. There is no shame in showing weakness.

Thanks for reading this, I'm still gonna be a nervous wreck when I post this IC, but I feel like I am finally ready.

Now, give me your money.

Bias

OG Bias group buy was ran invite only in 2020 and I have been getting tons of requests from vendors and fans of my designs to sell it publicly.
Instead of just using the original design to cash out, I wanted to improve Bias as much as I could to make it worthy of your consideration.
Thus began a wild ride of endless prototype rounds, thousands of hours of testing, development, sourcing and learning.
And finally here we are. I sincerely hope you will appreciate the passion and commitment I've put to every single millimeter of Bias.

Photos & Renders

Main Features

Fixed WKL TKL layout
17.5mm front height
7 degree typing angle
"Seamless" HHKB Sides
M3 Hex screws flush to the surface
All this and the mounting system fits inside the classic bezels without dodgy thin walls
Very grabbable sides
Recessed USB-C port angled to the table
Bumpon cutouts
40$ more expensive than Bias R1, but with significantly upgraded features and materials

Evolved grommet mount

I wanted to make a mounting style that had the isolated plate and softer typing feel like gasket mount, but without the faffing around with foam stickers, misaligned plates or trying to get the stickers off when swapping plates.
In 2020, I started experimenting with rubber grommets and made a couple projects around them (WB for example).
With what I learned I decided to continue improving the design and this is the result.
These custom injection molded silicone grommets easily snap onto the plate and automatically align the plate assembly to the center.
They're removable, and you will receive two sets of different softnesses for more customization.

Leaf spring cuts

Additionally I experimented with leaf spring cuts on the aluminium plate.
I included them in several projects (Bias 1.5 and 2.0) but with Ophanim and WB I combined the milder leaf cuts with the custom grommets which yielded excellent results.
What you are seeing in Bias is the result of all this work. The polycarbonate plate option does not have leaf springs as it would be so flexy it would be unusable

BAION WAVE TM (patent pending) /s

These distinct waves on the case floor allow the pcb to flex more without the switch pins contacting the case.
It's among the many interesting machining details for those who enjoy exploring the insides of every keyboard.

PCB Film

Another thing I've been working on for a while. I'm a big fan of offering built in sound customization options that do not affect typing feel.
It's a glossy film with a thin poron layer which goes on the pcb and under the switches.
It creates a more firm connection from switch to PCB and results in an interesting sound profile without muting the entire distinct sound of the board.
It's extremely tough which lends to good durability when redoing builds, and it's completely optional, not affecting typing feel with or without.

I recommend trying it! I personally like it with Gateron switches, but prefer to take it off for Cherry switches.

Two colours

Radiant sunshine battery acid eggplant atrocity Black
Emerald sugarplum starshine cerebrospinal fluid Silver

Click here for more renders
Click here for more prototype photos

Many of the features in this keyboard are to address my personal grievances

JST cable channel is widened for ease of building. (You'll thank me when you're building it.)
Screws are thick and flush to the surface. No more deep screw tunnels that end up in you scratching the sides of the screw hole because your screwdriver is too short.
All case internal geometry is extra thick and robust.
No glue involved in the mounting system.
Grommets can be replaced with standard grommets found in mcmaster catalogue.
Case and plate align themselves.
Screws and mounting points are very carefully placed to minimize bezel sizes.
PCB has some very specific design features which increase longevity such as spare diodes.
Case is very easily liftable because "someone" dropped their Ikirouta on their finger once and vowed for such tragedy to never happen again.

So as you can see my personal obsessions experiences over the years have influenced this keyboard's smaller features heavily.
I hope that you will appreciate them as much as my poor fingers do!
Additionally I have gathered tons of feedback and suggestions from other hobby veterans.

Layout

Winkeyless only
Fixed ANSI with optional stepped caps lock
Optional fixed ISO plate with optional stepped caps lock
Plate files for more layouts will be released before Bias is shipped so that you can get your own plates made ready

Typing test

Pre-Order Information

Group buy format: Raffle
Group buy date: 16th of November, 2021
Raffle window: 48h
Available units: 100
Ships from Finland

Raffle form, updates and future projects will be posted in Geekhack and in my Discord

Estimated shipping date: Q3 of 2022 or earlier
Extra units available after shipment

Base kit includes

Bias Keyboard
Stainless steel multicolor weight
Custom PCB by Yiancar (case is also h87 compatible)
Aluminium plate
Two sets of custom grommets at different softnesses
2 x Custom molded poron PCB film
Carrying case with custom molded interior
Hardware and stickers
2 Year warranty

Pricing

Bias Kit

620 USD

For EU buyers EU price includes VAT For those outside EU, check your local tax rates for importing.

Shipping

International 45 USD
Europe 35 Euro

Extra parts

Extra PCB with daughterboard: 60 USD
Extra aluminium plate: 50 USD
Polycarbonate plate: 60 USD

I will be stocking replacement parts such as PCB's grommets and PCB films.
Additionally I will provide a 2 year warranty for the buyer with quick and easy replacements.
A keyboard such as this is a big investment and I want to make sure you can find spare parts whenever you need them.

Please fill the Interest Check Form It's a great help!

One more thing
Bias has been a wild journey for me, but after this group buy Bias will be retired. So I wish you the best of luck and hopefully you will look forward to my future designs.

Edits:

Added more IRL pictures of the board insides

Changed EU pricing to fit the limitations of Shopify in my country. (Shopify doesn't support multiple currencies in Finland) EU buyers will have to pay in USD. VAT is still included.
Updated shipping prices to be more accurate. Earlier prices were done with an estimate, this time they are done with a proper quote from DHL. This means EU shipping price went up slightly.[/list]