Entropy: 96% Wireless Southpaw with Encoder Support

Image Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/DBIGu5T

Discord for discussion: nosharpcorners.com

IC Form: https://forms.gle/8pQZpJp4QhEeA3WVA

I'm excited to announce Entropy, a keyboard for those who want the ergonomics of a 75% but can't live without their numpad.



I designed the first version of Entropy (https://imgur.com/a/e0xozPb) over a year ago, and have been daily driving it at work and home ever since. In that time there has been a lot of interest to purchase one, so that brings us to this IC.

The plan is to run a small GB, with the acrylic being cut locally in Melbourne, Australia and the PCBs being assembled by a quick turn service. Due to the small volume, the turnaround on the GB should be approximately a month, and I hope to offer the case in any colour I can source the acrylic in.

Upgrades over the original version include a stacked arcylic case, top mount PCB, and ZMK support - enabling both wired and wireless communication with your devices.



Features

- Southpaw 96% layout
- Stacked acrylic case with POM or FR4 plate
- Support for up to 5 rotary encoders
- ZMK support for wired and wireless operation
- RGB Underglow, along with upwards firing LEDs under space bar



Layout options

Encoders supported in keys marked with "E"



Size

- Width: 406mm
- Depth: 140mm
- Front height: 16mm to plate, 22 to top of case
- Rear height: 31mm to plate, 37 to top of case
- Angle: 6 degrees

Pricing

Estimating $150 USD / $200 AUD, but haven't crunched the numbers yet.

FAQ

No QMK support?
Unfortunately due to the chip shortages I'm unable to purchase enough of the STM32's required for Entropy at a reasonable price. As such I've changed to using the nRF52 series which are cheaper than the inflated price of the STM32's whilst offering more features.

Hotswap?
Not supported due to the number of layouts and large amount of room required for the microcontroller.

More bottom row support?
Due to the upwards firing LEDs under the space bar the bottom row support is limited. Make a suggestion in the IC and I'll see if the layout is possible.

NA / EU proxies?
If enough people are interested I'll organise proxies.

Does it include a battery?
Due to logistics with shipping batteries you will need to provide your own for wireless operation. A battery such as this one from Adafruit (https://www.adafruit.com/product/2011) is recommended.

What is the battery life?
I've got a power profiler on it's way, and will measure the latest PCB revision once it arrives to get an accurate time before GB. Until then, I'd estimate 3-6 months without RGB, much less with all the LED's at full brightness.

How can I build my own?
Once the latest round of prototypes arrive and are tested, I'll update GitHub (https://github.com/joshajohnson/entropy/) with all the design files and instructions.