GH60 Group Buy (Salvage Mode: Enabled - Update in OP)

NON-CONUS GB Participants, please read this update from BunnyLake: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=41464.msg2323159#msg2323159


== == == == ==
Current status of the Group Buy (2017/06/05)

Any updates for the CONUS folks?

On the SMD parts @samwisekoi was supposed to be trying to work something out. He is still packing and moving he posted elsewhere he would try to be back online around July.

I'm on hold for the rest of my orders due to not having those SMD parts and waiting on fulfilling a couple big orders to see what is left to fulfill with and honestly quite a few people just never responded to being contacted a second time.

I got in touch with @mashby the other week and he said he is going to do his best to get back in the game sometime this month (June).

@hoffmanmyster is slowly shipping things out AFAIK, he also moved and got a new job and I'm pretty sure got a gf or wife because he sold a bunch of stuff the other day and I don't know why else anyone would do that


so tl;dr as is typical with this buy....things are happening in spurts....we have not given up.....

Current status of the Group Buy (2016/03/01)

Hey guys! Before we dig into the details of this update, I first want to thank everyone for being patient while we worked on putting together a plan of action and nail down the details of how we're going to drag this group buy across the finish line. Rest assured that those volunteering and in the same boat as you. We're all waiting for our own orders as well and we want to wrap this up as fast as possible.

TL;DR
Three proxies are handling the shipment of the US and Canadian orders and you're going to have to pay for shipping again. Shipping will be a flat-rate of $15 and sent via USPS Priority Mail for US customers. Canadian order will be shipped via First-Class.


GH60 Group Buy Status
In case you haven't been keeping up with this thread, this group buy was started three years ago and it unfortunately fell apart. Details can be found within this thread, but the important point is that many volunteers have been working behind the scenes to repair this buy as much as possible and fulfill everyone's order. It's far from perfect, but we're doing our best with what we have left.

Proxy Shipping
Three volunteers are handling the shipment of the US and Candian orders. They are: mashby, HoffmanMyster and SpAmRaY. Our jobs are to handle the shipping of your order, as complete as we can make it, and to collect the funds for postage.

I Have To Pay For Shipping Again?
Yes. We would prefer that this wasn't the case, but given the status of this group buy we have no other option.

How Much Is Shipping?
$15 for US orders, which includes shipping, PayPal fees and handling charge. Canadian Customers will be sent First-Class for the exact postage + $2 handling fee. In order to expedite your order we are shipping all US orders via USPS and using a Medium Flat-Rate box. In addition, we are including a $2 handling fee.

Why A Handling Fee?
We're trying to run this as lean as possible, but the handling fee is to offset the PayPal fees as well as incidental costs for packaging and shipping. Thankfully the boxes are free, but there are other costs to get your order to you and we don't want the proxies to lose money handling everyone's orders.

All of us will be keeping detailed records to account for all monies collected for shipping and although we don't expect their to be any, all profits will be donated to GeekHack for the operation of the forum. For more details regarding on why GeekHack is accepting donations can be found here.

When Do I Have To Pay For Shipping?
After the proxy has your order ready to ship. We first need to receive the goods from Samwisekoi and sort them into individual orders. This will ensure that your order is as complete as possible and that we have the goods in hand first. Once that is complete, we'll invoice you via PayPal for the shipping costs.

What About Assembly?
Assembly was being coordinated by the original leader of the group buy -- WhiteFireDragon. His abandonment of the group buy is what put us in the position that we're in now. All of the volunteers involved in this salvage process have attempted to recover what we could, but assembly is no longer available.

Your Options
1. You can choose to solder the keyboard yourself (link)
2. Hire a professional (link)
3. Ask someone to volunteer here in the thread.

What's The Plan?
Below is an outline of how we plan to process everyone's order. The good news is that some of these items are already completed, so we're already making progress.

1. Receive the most current spreadsheet available from Matt3o

2. Sort through the spreadsheet and send back totals for each order

3. Order Shipping Materials

4. Send Confirmation E-mail To Order Holders

5. Receive Goods From Samwisekoi & Confirm Numbers

6. Send Invoices via PayPal

7. Receive Payment & Ship

8. Wrap Up Exceptions / Problems


Next Steps
As you can see from the outline above, our next step is to send out confirmation e-mails. The purpose of this e-mail is to verify your current address and provide you with what we have as your order. We'll update the thread when these go out.

Once the confirmation phase is complete, we'll be waiting for the order to arrive from Samwisekoi. We'll keep everyone posted along the way and if you have any questions, please post them in the thread so that we can all keep track.

PAYMENT DEADLINE: 06/30/13 >countdown<


What this is about

GH60 is a community-developed keyboard designed by komar007, with the original idea by jdcarpe. This keyboard's form factor is the same size as the KBC Poker or Pure (60% size of a full keyboard, hence the name). Main feature is that it uses the ATmega32u4 controller, which allows for every key to be programmable and a possibility for a custom secondary function layer as well. This single PCB will support many variants of ANSI, ISO, and other custom layouts detailed below.







Plate

Plates will make your keyboard will feel more solid overall and help disperse some of the typing stress. They’re optional, but most people do prefer it. Each layout will require a different plate. HHKB and winkeyless layouts can use any ANSI or ISO plate with 1.5x modifiers. I designed these so the top switch housing is removable without desoldering, which helps with swapping switches, springs, stems, lubing, or stickering later on. All the plates offered in here are stainless steel. They can be directly dropped in to existing cases. More details on this in the next post.

compatibility:

• Costar stabilizer
• PCB-mounted cherry stabilizer
• Plate-mounted cherry stabilizer
• Any existing and upcoming 60% case
• Poker and Pure (must be plates with 1.25x modifier)

Cases
- Plastic Poker case
- Plastic Pure case
- Imsto aluminum tray
- Oneproduct aluminum case
- Treble aluminum tray
- Pure’s aluminum CNC
- WhiteFireDragon’s design
- The_Beast’s design
- alixinhzai's acrylic case



Assembly
The PCBs will come with all SMD preassembled, including diodes. Switches and LEDs will require your own soldering. If you’re brave and want to do the SMD soldering yourself, PCB and a bag of SMT components will be cheaper. There will be options for assembly service if you cannot build it yourself.

If you’re assembling it yourself, the minimum equipment you’ll need is a Weller WLC-100 soldering station/iron and Rosin-core solder (smaller than 0.04" diameter). Although it is doable with cheap $15 irons, that’s not recommended. In addition to the PCB, you will need the following to complete the build:

• Switches
• Stabilizers
• Case
• Keycaps
• Plate (optional)
• mini-B USB cable.

Costs
PCB (SMD presoldered) - $28
PCB (DIY, includes SMT components) - $15
bare PCB (no components) - $6
Plate - $16
Switches - $0.63
cherry stabilizers - $9
Costar stabilizers - $7
Assembly - $25


The prices listed above is a ballpark now final. PCBs could be a tad lower, depending on quantity at the end, or possibly be a few dollars higher to account for import/VAT taxes or any other unforeseen fees. Same goes with plates and switches, it really depends on how many of each are ordered.



Ordering
Deadline to submit order is Monday, 04/22/13, payment deadline is 06/30/13. You’ve been given the payment date almost 2 months in advance, so start planning your budget accordingly! ETA for all parts will be around September if there are no major delays. Switches might take a little longer if you ordered them.

>ORDER FORM [CLOSED]<

Order confirmation

>POLL<
poll results could affect the final PCB, plate, or features. So please vote!

>Order Changes<

Order example from this GB:
-1x GH60 PCB $30
-1x poker plate $16
-1x cherry (plate-mounted) stabilizer set, 6.25x spacbar wire $9
-63x MX red switches $38 (2 extra switch for defectives or broken pins)
-assembly service $25
total $113

You'll still need to source the following for a complete keyboard:
-1x case
-1x USB cable
-1x keycap set

Logistics
Komar designed and will have the PCBs made, I designed and will have the plates made. Jdcarpe and I will manage orders, but all of us will have access to the spreadsheets. Jdcarpe and I tjcaustin will handle US and Canada assembly and distributions, komar will assemble and distribute for EU and the rest of the world (unless you have a personal request or already have prior arrangements). Main reason is because it’s no longer cheap to ship international from the US. Switches are from 7bit. Tjcaustin will collect money and invoice.

Misc links
IC thread
Prototyping
Further feature development