Manibus - Split ergonomic aluminum keyboard

Description

Manibus


by Blank Tehnologii





Manibus is a 3 year passion project with the aim of building a truly ergonomical and elegant keyboard while not breaking the bank.



IC Form



0. Contents:

1. Details
2. Status
3. Pricing
4. Renders and Photos
5. FAQ




1. Details

- 62 keys
- staggered ortholinear layout
- cnc'd aluminum cases
- colors: anodized seaweed green & bead blasted silver
- cnc'd polycarbonate magnetic palm rests
- aluminum plates
- hotswap PCB's with USB-C
- weight is ~500g/half without palm rest and ~750g/half with palm rest
- 58x1u keys, 2x1.5u keys, 2x2.25u keys, doesn't require special ergonomic sets, a TKL set would work just fine
- QMK configurable
- 3D print the plates and try out the layout here
- expected Group Buy: Q4 2021


2. Status

Multiple 3D printed prototypes and two aluminum prototypes have been built so far.
5 rounds of PCB prototypes. Currently waiting for the 6th one to finish and get delivered.
Here's an in-depth look at the design process of the keyboard I've made a while ago.

08/30/2021 Made the switch plate files available as STL's for 3D printing. Added more photos.

09/11/2021 Opened issue to include the layout in the Split Keyboard Layout Comparison Site

10/08/2021 Third aluminum prototype arrived

10/14/2021 6th round of PCB's arrived, now with hotswap


3. Pricing

Price will start from 250€ and will be sold with and without palm rests.
Number of units will be unlimited and GB will run for a month.
Estimated GB launch date: December 1st.
More details in the upcoming GB post.



4. Renders and Photos





Exploded view





Plates



PCB's



V1 Prototype




V2 Prototype






5. FAQ

Q: Can you provide a typing test and more pictures/renders?
A: Yes. We're working on all of the above and will update this IC regulary when they're ready.

Update: We now have two typing tests available:

Q: Are you planning to include other color options?
A: While we'd love to work with different colors, we simply don't have the capacity to ensure they will come out as expected for now. We're mainly trying to deliver two solid options and with little to no color variance between the halves.

Q: Will you provide a tenting option?
A: Short answer no. A good tenting option would increase the manufacturing cost by quite a lot and we're trying to reach a reasonable price. That being said, the underside of the cases will have m2 screw holes that can be used to either screw in different length screws to achieve a tilt or, if you're a tinkerer, attach a custom 3D printed tilting mechanism.

Q: I live in X location on Y continent, will you deliver there?
A: We are selling worldwide. As long as it's covered by DHL, we're shipping to you.