Harbour —港口: GB on April 2nd

Harbour —港口: A 65% gasket mounted board designed by Kibou, Hong Kong


Renders:



TABLE OF CONTENTS

IC Form: https://forms.gle/F6rFJk59PTUGQcrU8

1.) Introduction
2.) Specifications
3.) Renders
4.) Design
5.) Current Status & Timeline
6.) Vendors & Pricing
7.) FAQ
8.) Special Thanks
9.) News & Updates



1.) INTRODUCTION

About Kibou.
Kibou, 希望, is the Japanese noun for hope. It is a reflection of who we are: a bunch of hopefuls who believe that our passion for a better typing experience will allow us to make great products.

Why “Harbour”?
The keyboard’s name is a homage to Hong Kong - the place we grew up in. Historically, Hong Kong has long been an entrepôt between east and west - a place of trade, and, more importantly, a place where people of a common interest can gather. We hope Kibou will not only be the premier vendor for all things keyboard, but a community too.


2.) SPECIFICATIONS


Typing Angle: 6.0° typing angle, 16.5 mm front height

Colours: Black, Navy, E white, Lilac Grey (SE Only)

Plate Options: Aluminium, Polycarbonate (Half/ Full)

Case Material: Aluminium

Mounting Style: Gasket Mount

PCB: H65 Designed by hiney (Soldered Only)

Weight: Polished stainless steel / Sandblasted Stainless Steel

Layouts: WK/WKL layout




3.) RENDERS

4.) DESIGN
Approach.
Our design approach is straightforward: simple design and quality materials. We wanted to design a keyboard that we would want to use ourselves. From the mounting style to the typing angle, the keyboard is designed to deliver the best user experience possible.

Inspiration.
Hong Kong is home to more skyscrapers than any other city in the world. Our skyline is dotted with iconic buildings that helped author the aesthetic style of our keyboard. In particular, the textured layout on the sides was inspired by the BOC building. The numerous skyscrapers facing Victoria Harbour are characterised with smooth window surfaces supported by curtain walls and steel frames. Drawing inspiration from these visual elements, we decided to create a keyboard with a seamless design accompanied by a stainless steel weight.







We also drew ideas from the community. The visual appeal of Gok’s 7V design (the weight in particular) was a concept we wanted to explore and build from.

Mounting Method & Materials.
Using both community feedback and anecdotal experience, we believe that the softer typing feel that the 2mm Poron foam as a Gasket provides is more comfortable.

Assembly.
Aside from the seamless design, we also designed Harbour with the intention of making your assembly process as user-friendly as possible. This includes self-aligning slots between the top and botton case.



Packaging.
Will be revealed in the future.

Forth Colour option poll is now up! https://forms.gle/99ASJrS4qD7P9qvo6

Thanks for all the submissions, new colour confirmed, will be Blue Grey.

5.) CURRENT STATUS & TIMELINE

Current Status
GB On April 2nd


6.) VENDORS & PRICING


Standard: 520 USD / 4070 HKD
SE: 600 USD / 4695 HKD

Layout
WKL/WK

Plates:
PC/ Alu (Half/Full)

Units:

Standard: 300 Units

SE: 90 Units


Colour Available:

Standard:
- Black, Navy, E White
- Sandblasted Stainless Steel Weight

SE:
- All standard colours and Lilac Grey
- Polished Stainless Steel Weight

Sale Time:

SE: April 2, 2022 1:00 PM (HKT)
Standard: April 2, 2022 2:00 PM (HKT)

7.) FAQ

Q: What is the weight of the board?
A: Around 2 kg.

Q: Will it be ISO compatible?
A: For our base kit, the PCB is ISO compatible, but unfortunately the plate is not. However, we will be releasing a universal plate file that will be compatible with ISO.

Q: Are stabilizers, switches, keycaps included?
A: Unfortunately, these are not included in the DIY kit.

Q: Will the plate files be released?
A: Yes, we will open source our plate files.

Q: When will the keyboards be shipped after the group buy?
A: Estimated arrival of around 7 to 10 months (Yet to be confirmed).


8.) SPECIAL THANKS

We would like to give a special shout out and thanks to the following for all the help they provided throughout the design process.

- Gok for providing design inspiration, feedback, and suggestions throughout our design progress

- Hiney for designing our PCB, and support

- RNCables <3

- G14D for his help and suggestions

- Epsilon and his server members for their continuous support and suggestions during our design process

- All of our affiliates, Jintae, Ramen, Kiwi and Bao for their suggestions

- KingK22 for the renders

- And lastly, the HK mechanical keyboard community members for their support


9.) NEWS & UPDATES

Feel free to join our Discord for regular updates. We will also be hosting a giveaway for the board in the upcoming weeks!
https://discord.gg/nsvsAfGYHe

Or, if you prefer, updates will be available on our website, Kibou.store. Please consider supporting the store, we sell lubes, switches, accessories, and more!



Feel free to support us by adding the banner below! Thank you!

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