ROTR Macro pad and knob - Starts 11 December!

ROTR and ROTR LITE Group Buy will start on the 11th Dec!



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).



ROTR

Full premium experience, aluminium case, swappable knobs, optional eddy current braking with the magnet add on



ROTR LITE

Essential experience, carbon fiber case with the same internals as the ROTR, swappable knobs, NO eddy current braking. Upgradable to the ROTR in possible future runs (where you just need to get the aluminium case and you'll have the full ROTR)



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:

Kits

kits 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/

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

Stay Up to Date:
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Discord (latest updates will be here): https://discord.gg/KwQWrqN
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/polarityworks/