- FR4 Phantom/Filco Plates and Plate liners (Group buy is live!)

Phantom options leave a bit to be desired these days, what with the progression of design over these few years. I've slowly been putting together things to help with this, if only a small amount. The easiest and most affordable starting point seems to be plates, and FR4 is a perfect option for test runs. In the future other material options may be available, but that depends on interest and successfulness of projects.

This will be a small test run to see how well the design works, and iron out small kinks. This will currently only be the plates and not any PCBs, but I am in works with a few people to design better PCBs for filco/phantom style cases in the future, since phantom PCBs currently sort of blow imo. And if for some reason someone, *cough* hiney *cough* beats me to the punch, I'll hopefully be working with them to sell small kits with plates in the future.


Notes

• I'm currently only looking to do fixed ansi in this test run, but am open to universal in the future.
• The design is inspired by OTD plates, relief cuts are fun!
• Color will most likely be Matte Black with copper colored accents, unless most people prefer something else in the form.
• Compatible with cherry stabalizers.
• As far as I can tell, this will technically work with the stock PCB of a filco, but I do recommend an aftermarket PCB solution such as a Phantom or an LFK-TKL
• The bottom row will be more accommodating this time considering that there is not a PCB alongside it. In the future plates will only support PCB mounted Cherry Stabs.
• 1.5mm thickness, for now

Here's what pricing will look like:

Plates

• FR4 Full plate - $20
• FR4 Half plate - Same as above
• Micarta Full plate - To be determined, but seems to be around the same pricing. Expect $30, but be happy when we get below that

Plates

• So all of these will be the same price. $22 per liner. Refer to the OP for info about each material. I could be wrong, but I got the impression today that since they are cutting almost all the same thickness, from the same outline, that as long as they're ordered together pricing should stay consistant. Expect small changes here just in case, but I'm hopeful.

Shipping

• $12 CONUS, Individually determined international

Plate Liners (sound dampener gaskets) and Micarta Plates
- Had a chat with a tech at a local gaskets/rubber shop and got a rundown on 3 possible materials to use as plate/PCB liners (that's what I'm calling them for now), And it looks like they would be affordable options to add to this group buy, to compliment the plates. I do need to stress, that these would be a test run. If these go well, then this could open the door to making them for all kinds of keyboards, as well as a local affordable place to produce POM plates in the future.

- Additionally I will be giving the option for Micarta plates. This should be similar to carbon fiber, but less dense, and lighter. Limiting an initial number of these to 5, they will be "clear" in color(unsure exactly how clear these will turn out since it's supposed to be woven and pressed polyester)

For simplicity I've created a separate IC form below, with only 2 questions about the liners. Please fill this out if interested, that way I can have a clear plan in mind moving forward with these.

Options:

• Neoprene Firm - Good old neoprene. This should work well to reduce vibration, and should dampen the sound of the board a bit. This would be a middle of the road option, with some benefits from each of the ones below.
• Cork Rubber - This is a cork and neoprene blend with medium density, high durability, and decent sound dampening. This will dampen the sound similar to the full neoprene, but should have a deeper sound signature, lighter weight, and will allow for more plate flex. I might be partial to this, because it also looks cool as ****, and I like the idea of a deeper more "woody" sound.
• Closed Cell Sponge Rubber - This is essentially high density neoprene foam. Because this is a foam, it will almost definitely provide the most sound dampening. Normally the space between the plate and the PCB is 1/8" inch, and I can get this at 3/16", since this is a foam like material it will compress and reduce vibration/sound a bit more.

All options in this initial run will be $22 per liner, as long as each respective material reaches 10 or more units.


MAIN IC FORM

IC FOR PLATE LINERS

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I only hope others stan their Filcos as much as I do