Lan is an Alice-style keyboard that was loosely inspired by the designs on the Dolch boards, and to explore what sandwich mount could provide.
IC FORM兰(pronounced lán) is Orchid in Chinese.
Lan is a name that makes little thematic sense with the design of the keyboard, and this section explains that. Please skip all of this if you don’t want to read a sob story.
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My grandmother was someone I always looked up to, raising three kids while working two jobs back in the 60s in Singapore isn’t easy by any means. She’s a fierce advocator of letting her kids do whatever the hell they wanted because she couldn’t in her able-bodied youth, and by extension her grandchildren.
She would listen to me talk about keyboards in broken Chinese and English in the boring afternoons, not understanding it, but happy for me nonetheless. When I told her about my thoughts on designing a board and releasing it publicly, she supported me fully, telling me that I’d regret it if I didn’t at least try.
She passed away a year ago.
I had been stumped on the name for a long time, and when I came back to keyboards, it only felt fitting that I would want to commemorate her in this somehow.
The Orchid was her favourite flower, she has kept the same orchids for as long as I could remember, and it still sits on the balcony right next to me today.
With that out of the way, let’s get to the actual important part.
New Photos
SOUND TESTThank you to Aerandire for the stream and soundtest!
https://www.twitch.tv/fatboychard/clip/AgreeableCharmingNightingaleNononoCat-AK8_tedbHWaw97HYThank you to Fatboychard for the build stream!
SPECIFICATIONSStandard Alice style
Sandwich Mount
19mm~ front height
6-degree typing angle
Made with 6063 aluminum
1.5mm PP/Alu Half Plate
QMK/VIA/VIAL supported
1.2mm HS/Solder PCB with alpha flex cuts - Shims included
Unified Daughterboard C3
Blue and Purple solder mask PCB
Beadblasted and clear coated brass weight
COLOURSPurple
Other colours are being considered, such as red, black and e-white.
CONTENTSLan Case
Brass Weight
PP/Alu Half Plate
PCB w/ Daughterboard
Mounting hardware
Rubber Feet
High Quality Carrying Case
Microfiber Cloth
PCB
With clever hotswap socket placement, Kopibeng has allowed for a large majority of the options for Alice users to choose from for the hotswap PCB without making it Swiss cheese.
*Only stepped caps lock is supported on the hotswap PCB, normal caps lock has to be soldered. This is due to north-facing switches causing interference.
** Has caps lock indicator LED, can be disabled with a simple pass of a soldering iron.
QOL FEATURESAlignment Pins on the top piece
Big fat chamfer so arms don’t get stabbed by it
Bottom fins positioned to not hurt any arms
Chonky handles to pick it up
SALE INFO400-450USD on Mecha.Store
50 Units
FAQQ: Thermalice?
A: Yes, the fins are reminiscent of the Thermal. This was not intentional, and I have reached out to RAMA and wilba on separate occasions to smooth out any issues they might have.
For transparency’s sake, I only got a reply from RAMA.
Q: Lead time?
A: I’m hoping for a 6 months lead time. In the age of one year lead times, I hope that managing a smaller total quantity will help get this board into your hands at a reasonable time frame. With a sufficient enough amount of interest, an in-stock drop may be deemed viable.
Q: Finish Quality?
A: The manufacturer used has done many keyboard projects before and are aware of the expectations on the finish that keyboard enthusiasts come to expect, they will also be checked once again before shipping out.
Q: Where are you shipping from?
A: Singapore
Q: Rectangle?
A: After trying out both a more standard Alice-style case shape and a rectangle, I found the rectangle to be more aesthetically pleasing, and the compatibility for more standard wrist rests.
Q: Included foam pls?
A: no
Q: Plate file?
A: Plate files are planned to be released after the groupbuy to allow people to have their plates ready beforehand.
Q: pls hotswap or solder PCB?
A: I'm offering both.
Q: Why is it so expensive? It's just a sandwich!
A: Sourcing 1.5mm thick PP, and consistently ensuring that the finish on the sides is acceptable is a factor that plays into this, coupled with the additional machining time to mill the fins and throw in the price of raw aluminum and MCUs and you have a sub 400 price tag. The price tag isn't something that I am particularly happy about, but even after as many cost optimisations I could do, there are portions of it that I do not want to cut out on. (Daughterboard, fins, plastic plate midpiece, curved bottom, carrying case)
Even with the constraints of the mounting style, I am happy with the typing feel without the mounting needing to be needlessly complicated.
THANKSMy grandmother who supported me on this venture with me from the start.
Kopibeng for bearing with me and doing fantastic work on the PCBs
Boog for giving me honest feedback with prototypes.
Atre for being amazing
Kaster for helping my noob ass
The people at Mecha.Store for supporting me from the start and the amazing photos.
Everyone else that has supported me in some way or another, you know who you are.
All images in this post are not renders.
There is a unit available for molesting testing in Mecha.store's physical store in Singapore.
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