ROTR and ROTR LITE GB is starting on December 11!ROTR -
https://mechboards.co.uk/shop/group-buy/polarity-works-rotr/ROTR LITE -
https://mechboards.co.uk/shop/group-buy/polarity-works-rotr-lite-group-buy/Extra Knobs -
https://mechboards.co.uk/shop/group-buy/rotr-extra-knob-group-buy/Colour Options
ROTR is a 3 key macropad with a big knob.
After almost 6 months of development and prototyping the ROTR has arrived. The 3 man team at polarity works have been working almost non stop to make this the last macro pad with knob you’ll ever need. Drop some switches into the minimalist anodized aluminium housing, connect the usb C connector and the ultra bright RGB lights blaze into life and you’re ready to go!
After 4 revisions the knob mechanism has been perfected, using a pair of Japanese NMB bearings to float a precision machined steel shaft underneath a beautifully anodized and tactile knob. Underneath the shaft sits a magnet and under that some air. The only contact between the knob and the shaft is through the bearings. Unlike our cheaper competitors this means there is no notchiness, no clicks and almost no resistance. You can spin this knob by blowing on it gently! If greater resistance is desired there is the provision to put magnets in the knob to allow for eddy current braking. This has previously been used on Japanese shinkansen and German ICE3 high speed trains. The resistance can be varied through 12 levels by varying the position of the magnets, and it doesn’t make a difference to the silky smooth nature of the mechanism.
The knob on the ROTR is swappable, its non-contact mechanism meaning you can just pull the magnetically attached knob off and snap on a new one. We custom machined a tapered precision interface, the design of which we will release to the community to allow for third party knobs. We will offer replacement knobs made out of aluminium, brass and copper so you can make your ROTR fit your chosen aesthetic
The ROTR is fully programmable, using QMK firmware you can set up a wonderful combination of layers and macros to your heart’s content. The profile is online on the QMK configurator so making tweaks trivial and allows for an endless amount of customisation, volume knob, scrolling through the timeline in editing software or a cad controller, the options are limitless. If you decide that even that is not enough we broke out 8 I/O pins, the programming header and the led data out pin, allowing for hacking and modification to truly make it your own, add extra buttons, a second encoder, RGB underglow. It’s all possible without tricky surface mount soldering.
We would also like to introduce it's baby brother, the ROTR LITE, with the same ludicrously over-engineered encoder! the ROTR LITE has identical pcb and knob mechanism as the ROTR, but no aluminium case. This means eddy current braking would not exist (as there is no aluminium to create those eddy currents).
Group Buy Dates:Start Date: 11th December 2020 12:00 AM GMT
End Date: 11th January 2021 12:00 AM GMT / when spots are filled
GB limits:ROTR - 200 units max
ROTR LITE - 500 units max
Knobs - 1400 units max
Buying limits:ROTR - limited to 1 per person
ROTR LITE - no limits
Knobs - no limits
Pricing:Kitskits do not come with a magnet kit, which is required for eddy current braking
ROTR with alu knob: £168.00
ROTR with brass knob: £180.00
ROTR with copper knob: £186.00
ROTR LITE with alu knob: £108.00
ROTR LITE with brass knob: £120.00
ROTR LITE with copper knob: £126.00
Optional extras:ROTR case only: £120.00
Knob only (alu): £48.00
Knob only (brass): £60.00
Knob only (copper): £66.00
Magnet kit (6 countersunk magnets + screws): £14.40
Color options:
Silver aluminium anodized case
Black aluminium anodized case
Silver aluminium anodized knob
Black aluminium anodized knob
Brass sandblasted knob
Copper sandblasted knob
Vendors:Worldwide: Mechboards
https://mechboards.co.uk/shop/group-buy/polarity-works-rotr/Page will be up soon
Estimated Dates:11th Dec 2020 - Start GB
11th Jan 2021 - End GB
Q1 2021 - Manufacturing
Q2 2021 - assembly by Polarity Works, delivery to mechboards
Q3 2021 - shipping to buyers
17 October Update - Final Prototypes are Here!
I didn’t think I’ll be making a ROTR post this quick, but I am ecstatic to announce that the final prototype has gotten to us and it is perfect! This time we worked very closely with the manufacturer to get the finish we were after and it has really paid off.
The prototypes will be sent to me from Japan on Monday and I will assemble them with the PCBs and do a final inspection. Be sure to keep an eye out for a GB announcement in the near future!
05 September Update:Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates lately, my package with the prototype parts got held up at customs. Now that I have my hands of them I am very pleased to say that everything works and it looks great! The PCB took a bit of fiddling with to get working but after a few bodge wires, it fired into life.
Unfortunately, under the closer inspection of the CNC parts, we found many defects and problems that just couldn't be overlooked. The majority of these were cosmetic problems with the parts, things like deep tool marks on the knobs and cases or less than brilliant tolerances. In short, we no longer feel that the CNC company that made the prototypes can be trusted with large scale production and we are looking at another company. This will set the schedule back a bit but should ensure that the products that get to you guys are of high quality. We are also taking this time to try a new way of mounting the knobs that will let them be interchangeable, here's a video of a 3d printed prototype spinning!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SAGFUmZ65JX3VOrx6Qc7cpZHrHblcji6/view?usp=sharingWe know that not all of you want the knob to spin quite as much so we are also working on a way that will let you tune how much resistance there is on the knob. We'll keep you updated on this but I can promise you that it's very cool!
There are also a few other projects that we have been working on during all of this waiting around, keep an eye out for them in the next few weeks!
I am also very excited to announce that the vendor for the ROTR will be Mechboards!
And finally, we want to thank you all for the huge amount of interest and support you have shown for this project. I would have never been possible if not for you guys!
21 July Update:The anodizing is now done, it's looking pretty good! There was a slight mix up and the CNC company accidentally made the knobs in copper instead of brass. What do you guys think of the sandblasted copper knob?
16 July Update:
The CNC company is done machining our initial prototypes, they just need to be anodized before they're ready!
Check out our Discord for more updates like these!
Here's a look at the prototype PCB too!
Here are some renders of the ROTR with the KAT Iron and GMK Copper keycaps. A huge thank you to @fatboycarney for all of the help!
Be sure to check out the KAT Iron IC -
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=105689.0As well as The Carnival Discord, he designed the beautiful keycaps you see here and more! -
https://discord.gg/sb6jsyQGMK Copper
KAT Iron
If you like how these look it would be really useful if you could tell us here - https://forms.gle/e7nyy8VqFjZz9W8V7ORIGINAL POST
Hey everyone!
Thank you for the huge amount of interest and feedback after the last post. We are turning this idea into reality!
Design InspirationThe design takes inspiration from 20th century industrial design, with heavy references to the work of designer Dieter Rams and products like the Leica IIIg Chrome.
The ROTR sports gentle curves that cup your fingers when using the knob, while the rest of the case has quiet, rounded corners meant to pair well with most aluminium keyboards.
PCB
Features:INTERCHANGEABLE KNOBS!
USB C
CNC milled aluminium case
Solid brass / aluminium knob
Free spinning magnetic rotary encoder
Rubber feet
Extra features (based on the amazing feedback from you guys since the last post):QMK support, will ship pre-programmed and ready to use!
Hot swap switch sockets
RGB LEDs for switches
New black and brass colour scheme
https://github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware/tree/master/keyboards/rotr
PricingThe pricing will be announced when we receive the new case and knob prototypes from the CNC company.
As there were many requests for this, I am happy to say that there will be international shipping!
Moving forwardCase prototypes have been ordered, and will be delivered in roughly 3 weeks.
The PCB prototype has been ordered and will be delivered in roughly 2 weeks.
Fully working prototype assembled in hopefully 4 weeks.
If the finish of the machined parts is high enough quality then GB will start.
Update Summary23/06/2020 Initial IC post
01/07/2020 More renders added, features confirmed
16/07/2020 Case and knob ready to be anodized, PCB prototype pictures
21/07/2020 Case and knob have been anodised, suprise copper knob
05/09/2020 Prototypes received, fully working prototype, new prototypes to be ordered, vendor announced
FeedbackWe’d love to hear your guy's thoughts and comments on this project so far, any suggestions would be super helpful!
The IC form has been updated to give you guys a better look at the knob options, as well as some other info we think would help in planning our upcoming Group Buy.
https://forms.gle/UgeRqf52kf83DHKj6Join our Discord server for the latest updates!https://discord.gg/nuknf9KCheck out our Instagram here!https://www.instagram.com/polarityworks/
