Thanks to shannie, dandruff, telly, r4wromg, Keebs, westfoxtrot / Max for inspiration, hineybush (used H60 here), and ai03 for his documentation.Moment - 60% Keyboard Interest CheckGB Thread is open: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=118523.0
After over a year in IC, it surprises me that this project still is one of my favorite boards in typing feel and sound. Let's get it moving...
2022 IC Form (please fill out if interested, even if you filled out the old version): https://forms.gle/hhNV2KpkCReaSiA6AIntroduction & InspirationMoment, previously known as Phase, was my first foray into custom keyboard design in September 2020. Though I often find myself scrapping designs and abandoning ideas, it's been pretty noteworthy that Moment has managed to survive this long. Cloudline took precedence over this design last year due to clear demand in the layout and the hovering uncertainty regarding the MOQ of a 60% from a no-name designer. Now that the F13 TKL design has been accounted for, and my self-fulfilled limited run of Moment is nearing completion, it makes sense to redirect my sights on this project (that being said, I do happen to have another 60% in the works / lined up... IYKYK).
In 2020, as I continued to fall into the seemingly-bottomless hole of mechanical keyboards, I seemed to struggle to find something that I loved 100%. The Leaf 60 was one of my favorite designs from an aesthetic standpoint - the multi-axis curved side profile, the smooth and flowing design really was striking and just a joy to touch. However, the typing feel was just not quite up to par, I found myself loving the bounciness of boards like the Polaris and IDB60. So I decided to create something with a side profile I loved, along with the typing feel I loved.
I initially themed this board around the word "Phase" - as keyboards, much like headphones, hifi audio, knives, fountain pens, seemed to just be another phase for me. I'd be obsessive for a year or two or three, and before I know it I'd be ogling over something completely different. It featured a moon phase insignia beneath the USB port. After a while, a naming conflict came up and I decided to transition the project over to a new name - Moment. I found the idea of opportunities, chances, and time to be super relevant to this project and in how things have panned out over the past couple years - how my love for creating new and unique designs really have branched out just from some decisions made in a single Moment.
In summation, here are the goals kept in mind while fleshing out this design:- Curves, a nice side profile
- Cues that identified it / made it unique
- Reasonably heavy
- Softer typing feel
- My own
Details- Layout: 60% (FULL / WKL / HHKB)
- Mount: Half-gasket Isolation
- Materials: Aluminum 6063, Stainless Steel (Sandblasted)
- Weight: 1.7kg / 3.75 lbs
- Typing Angle: 7 degrees
- Front Height: 17.9mm (22.2mm EKH)
- Plates: Polypropylene Full / Half, Aluminum Full / Half, possibly Forged Carbon Fiber, FR4, Polycarbonate
*Pricing depends on MOQ. With the number of keyboard projects struggling as of late, it's hard to make an accurate statement until I discuss with my vendor and determine a safe MOQ. I am aiming to target a ~$4xx price range.GB & Vendor InformationGroup buy is slated to begin October 1st - October 14th, 2022.- US: Cannon Keys, 400 available, $460 USD
- CA: Deskhero, 70 available
- EU: mykeyboard.eu, 70 available
- UK: Prototypist, 30 available
- OCE: Switchkeys, 70 available
- AS: ILUMKB, 210 available
ColorsColors for this keyboard were chosen to be reminiscent of the sky during the day's quieter hours of transition, tying together the themes of time and being present in every fleeting moment.- E-white
- Dawn Blue (Faded Blue)
- Dusk Purple (Faded Purple)
- Midnight Gray (Dark Gray)
Expand for color rendersMore
Design & Renders Half-Gasket Mount
Moment uses a half-sandwich gasket mount, in which there are poron gasket strips beneath tabs on the northern and southern perimeters of the plate, with nothing but clearance above. In order to prevent the build from falling and hitting the top case, there are two strips on the left / right of the build - which would have quite literally near-zero compression, especially when the board is sitting on your desk and you are typing on it. Downward force will move the plate
away from these tabs.
My initial theory was that this would allow for the plate to pivot / flex upwards as downward pressure was applied to the build, but realistically it didn't work that way as the downward compression of the poron takes less force than it does to pivot the plate tabs. That being said, I know some people love to say isolation gasket strip boards are just sandwich mounts (hardly true, unless they're designed with extreme compression...) - here's a contrasting design. All I know is that the typing feel is precisely what I had been looking for a while back, especially when paired with a polypropylene full / half plate.
Project Timeline / Status
Updated February 6th, 2022.- Prototype 1 - done
- Prototype 2 - done
- Prototype 3 - done
- Limited Run (Discord) - currently in fulfillment
- Vendor Discussions
- Full-scale GB begins October 1st - October 14th
FAQFAQs can exist before people ask questions on an IC ... people ask the same questions over and over throughout previous ICs... for example:Q: When is the group buy?A: Estimating we may be able to move into group buy late Q1 2022, or early Q2 2022. It's in the information above.
Q: How many units? Can it be unlimited?A: If you are worried about not getting one, I don't think you need to worry. If you are hoping for it to be extremely limited (for whatever reason this may be), then you may have been happier joining the limited run in silver with a polished weight.
Q: If you've already done a small GB for this and have several prototypes, how come you don't know your pricing?A: Different MOQ, and also now factoring in vendor splits. Just aiming for a general range of <$4xx if possible.
Q: Do you know that removing side mounting tabs will make the build more flexible?A: The side tabs on the plate are not mounted and are free to move; they are only there to keep the plate from rattling.
Q: What PCB will this board use?A: The board is designed for compatibility with commonly available PCBs, including the Hineybush H60 and Wilba.tech 60% PCB line with JST connectors. That being said, depending on vendor discussions, it's possible we may opt for an in-house PCB design to lower costs.
Q: Split space support / ISO?A: Depends on interest check reception and MOQ. Personally I don't like the look of an ISO-compatible plate built with ANSI, so I don't think I'll have a universal plate as the default. Same goes with split-space, but fill out the IC form if these are must-haves for the buy.
Q: Half plates available?A: Absolutely, I think they kick butt on this board!
Q: Why no silver?A: I chose silver on the limited run and want to keep it to that - plus that means we get to have e-white for this buy
MediaMore coming in this section soon, especially with fulfillment of the limited / small GB happening.
These typing tests with BoW caps are Geekark BoW.
Typing test from Jintae, MX blacks on PP
Links
2022 IC Form: https://forms.gle/hhNV2KpkCReaSiA6A
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jjw_kb
Discord: https://discord.gg/uwBXETHrP9
