[IC] Martingale
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The Martingale is a PCB top-mounted, 60-percent keyboard designed to be comfortable to type on and relatively affordable, and the aim is to maintain quality standards often found in much higher end boards in the hobby. The construction of the case is simple, and consists of three parts: Top and bottom case, and a daughterboard mounting accent. Nearly every single design element is functional in purpose, with the exception of the side profile and bezel sizes.
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Key features and specifications:Please refer to the image below.
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Prototyping:As of now, the board has had four prototypes over two rounds of prototyping, with the fifth and final prototype on its way to me. All images of the prototypes can be found in the following Imgur link:
https://imgur.com/a/1r6CReq (the green prototype is the most recent one). Also including three images below.
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Inspirations:1) The internal stepped geometry in the bottom case is inspired from the Bias TKL with the permission of the designer himself (Baionwave^TM lets go!). I found it useful to implement low typing angle and front height while also retaining some heft, leaving space for the pcb to flex without bottoming out.
2) The side profile is inspired from the now famous Matrix 8xv2.0 and 6xv2.0 series of boards.
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Group buy info: (Please scroll for latest updated GB info)1) Price target: $250 + shipping and taxes (would be about $290-310 including VAT for most countries.). Will include carrying case.Best case: sub 250 USD including carrying case. Worst case: sub 300 USD excluding carrying case. Looking at around 300 USD (slightly more with carrying case).
Please understand that these are only estimates from quotes I have received from manufacturers with some educated guesses made. The actual price could be less or more depending on number of units. I will update this when I have more information!
2) Vendors: None as of now. Will be approaching vendors soon! ClickClack.io will be the global vendor
3) GB Date: Depends on how talks with vendors go, but targeting Q3 2022. GB month will be December 2022
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Questions?1) Why are you calling this the Martingale?I have decided to name my boards on concepts from probability theory. Why? Those who know, know :simoneyes:
2) You say this is plateless, but will a plate be included anyway?I plan to include an Alu 5052 plate by default.
3) What about plate files?Any tray mount/gummy o-ring mount plate like the ones in your Tofus, Bakenekos, and Unikorns will be compatible with the board. So there is not much point in providing plate files since it has no mounting points,
4) Will the board be compatible with standard PCBs?No. The pcb has mounting tabs which are specific to the Martingale, so no aftermarket pcb will be compatible. However, I will consider releasing gerber files of a modified Bakeneko pcb with the mounting tabs added and other minor modifications made (the GB itself will use a proprietary PCB, unless there is a change of plans for some unknown reason).
5) Do you have any experience running group buys before, or any manufacturing experience?I have never run a group buy before, and this is my first Interest Check! However I have designed and manufactured many an engineering product back in undergrad (automotive suspensions, chassis, etc.). This my first time designing parts where aesthetics are as important as functionality, and it has been a learning experience!
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Thanks:Maelk has been helping me with the pcb. Thanks Maelk!
This would not have been possible without the support of some of the lovely folk in the Indian Mechanical Keyboard Community (IMKC), and many more scattered across the world of overpriced rectangles. You guys know who you are! Thanks!
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Interest Check Form:Please fill out the interest check form in your free time! Link to IC form:
https://forms.gle/ACUHENyUnSGsSmBg8---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Discord Server:https://discord.gg/4hXshyhfCn---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Will update the post as and when I have more information to share! Will update with a discord server link soon(done). Stay tuned!
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UPDATE 09/28/2022
Vendor: ClickClack.io (global fulfillment)
Pricing: $250 + shipping and taxes (would be about $290-310 including VAT for most countries.)
GB Date: December 2022
Colours: Green confirmed. Rest TBD.
#Units: 300 for now.
Next update will have exact GB date and finalized colours, hopefully with images of the final colour prototypes.
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Group Buy Details (updated 09/22/2023):In the box: 1x Martingale keyboard, 1xAl 5052 plate, 1x 1.2mm FR4 pcb and 1x 1.6mm FR4 pcb included inside a custom hardcase (along with USB daughterboards, Jst cables, extra screws and bumpons).
Vendor: ClickClack.io (global fulfillment)
Pricing: sub $250 + shipping and taxes (should be maximum $290-310 including VAT depending on your country. Please look out for the final details on ClickClack.io)
GB Date: Last week Septemer 2023
Colours: Green (not exactly same as early prototype), Light Blue, Silver and either Navy blue/Purple
#Units: 300 for now.
Prototype images:
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