Project-EC - A topre 60%

Project-EC - A topre 60%

IC FORM
Project-EC is my first foray into designing around topre. Combining a low front height, accented mid-layer, and soft typing feel, Project-EC is meant to be a premium upgrade to the normal topre experience.


== Specifications and Details ==


Layout - 6U HHKB, WKL, WK
Materials - 6063 aluminum top and bottom housing, 6063 Aluminum or Polycarbonate mid layer, 6063 aluminum USB accent, stainless steel weight
Typing angle - 8.5 degrees
Front Height - 17.38 mm (without lip) EKH - 22.94mm
Weight - 1.3Kg Unbuilt
Mounting - Leaf Spring Silicone Gasket Mount (more information below)
Other features:
-Accented color midlayer
-USB DB Carrier
-Hidden DB and Molex-JST cable
-C4 DB with ez-mate connector
-PCB with JST connector

== Mounting and Layout Details ==
For the mounting of this board i have used a similar method to my previous keyboard the oc-62. This utilized molded gaskets that isolate the plate. They are inspired by the F1 and F2 where it is a strip, but in this case, there is a nub on the top of the strip that holds the gasket into the case for easier assembly. This mounting fully isolates the plate from the case and the leaf spring cuts in the plate provide a softer bottom out feeling even with a metal plate.
Mounting Details:


Layout:
The PCB used for the prototype of this design is the EC-60 by Cipulot. Big thank you to cipulot for open sourcing this design and other designing resources.
Supported PCB layouts can be viewed here: LINK


== Sales Info ==
TBD - the most up to date info will be posted in my discord server
Current estimate would be $450 for a 100 unit soft cap for a base kit

== Renders and Prototype Images ==
Renders by Synthetics, Photos by me
Renders:




Photos:







== Current Status and Changelog ==
Proto V1 arrived and tested for the past month.
Prototype v1 thoughts:
- Prototype built with Pro 2 stems, springs, and domes. Deskeys housings, housing gaskets, and #3 silencing rings
- Aluminum plate with leafspring gasket mount provides desired soft bottom out feel without pinging or resonance
- Side and rear profile highlight mid-layer accent as desired
-Hidden DB and JST with DB carrier work as expected

Current Status:

Received quotes for an “R0” organized in my discord
TBD

== Contact and other links ==
You can join my discord here: https://discord.gg/n9FRZewwNR
Follow the project on my website as well: https://www.bowlkeyboards.com/

== Special Thanks ==
Synthetics for the ideas and render help
Cipulot for the PCB and other open source resources