- Intro - Design - TKD Coating and Material - EZ-assemble System and Structural Design - Colorways - Pricing and Vendors - Follow the development
Intro
VERTEX and EQUALZ founded TKD six months ago. We named our first project "Cycle" (Cycle/Recurrence), reminding us not to forget the path we've traveled and the passion we uphold.
Design
This is a 70% (FRL) keyboard. Compared to the traditional TKL, this layout omits the function keys row but retains a separate function area and arrow keys. It possesses a sleek shape without losing the practicality that this size offers. There have already been many excellent 70% kits out there, but we believe that Cycle7 can offer a richer and more interesting experience.
Decentralization and theme attenuation have always been our design philosophy. There are many definitions of a good keyboard, but having enough inclusiveness is the design recognition we pursue.
We will not rashly define what is minimalist and high-end, but we will strictly control the parameters and proportions of every detail to adapt to the aesthetic comfort of more people.
TKD Coating and Material
TKDcoating - Electrostatic Coating developed by TKD
Coating surface treatment has been widely accepted in the keyboard community for its pure color representation, providing a wider range of choices.
Since we founded TKD, we have been researching and mastering the use of this process on keyboard cases. We have made good progress and for the first time in the Cycle7 project, we have adopted the TKDcoating electrostatic coating process.
Case
The keyboard case is made of 6063-T6 aluminum and produced by CNC, with anodized and TKDC.
▼ Case options: └ WK └ WKL
Internal Counterweight/Battery Cover
The keyboard comes with two H62 brass battery covers, finished with sandblasting.
Stainless Steel Weight
A large stainless steel weight is attached at the bottom of the keyboard. The surface treatment includes mirror polishing, sandblasting, and PVD.
EZ-assemble System and Structural Design
EZ-assemble System - a ball-catch quick-assemble structure
The keyboard community is creative. Mortise and tenon, ball-catch, pull-rod...various forms of EZ-assemble structures have brought more fun to custom keyboards. After studying various EZ-assemble methods, we believe that the ball-catch form is currently the most efficient and stable EZ-assemble solution, so we have adopted this scheme for Cycle7.
However, we always believe that the true value of the EZ-assemble structure needs to be established on one premise: that is, to allow user to quickly switch structure forms and mod combinations according to their preferences.
Therefore, for Cycle7, we offer two structure forms and multiple mods for users to choose from, making the EZ-assemble structure especially important.
The development of custom keyboards has always been driven by the pursuit of typing feel and sound performance, and in this respect, we have invested a lot of design resources.
Dual Gasket Mount
Cycle7 uses two types of Gasket, and with the EZ-assemble, the internal mounting gaskets can be changed within 1 minute without the need to use any tools:
- Gasket-Strip: Offers a more delicate and soft typing experience, - Gasket-Bean: Provides a more elastic and interesting typing experience.
Flex Cuts
We always believe that through Flex cuts can maximize their function.
Various forms of Flex cuts have appeared in the keyboard community, and we have adopted what we believe to be the most efficient and controllable scheme to provide users with elastic typing experience in the alpha area.
PCB-cut Plugs
PCB flex cuts are indeed effective in providing a soft and bouncy typing feel, but their impact on the sound performance of keyboards without foam is fatal. Therefore, we have designed PCB-cut plugs. Compared to Tape Mod, it can provide better sound performance.
Case noise optimization
With the development of aluminum alloy keyboards to date, case noise has always been a difficult problem for designers and users, making it difficult for metal case keyboards without filling foam or various mods to produce clean sound.
However, with Cycle7, we have achieved effective suppression of case noise without filling foam, allowing users to avoid the homogeneity problems brought about by various types of foam filling. With a cleaner case sound profile, users can try more combinations to achieve their desired setup.
Of course, Cycle7 also comes standard with various types of foam (PCB foam, underswitch PE layer, Case foam) to meet the demand for a "thockier" sound.
PCBs
Cycle7 offers both QMK Wired and wireless PCBs.
Wired based on QMK
Developed with the official QMK library, supports VIA/VIAL;
Wireless
We have contracted a hardware development company in the peripheral industry. They have customized a triple-mode firmware solution and dedicated driver for Cycle7. In preliminary testing, the latency of Bluetooth and 2.4G reached a level that surprised us. It's equipped with two 2200mAh batteries to ensure battery life in wireless mode.
We are committed to delivering the highest quality products at the best possible price.
* Final pricing may vary slightly.
How to follow news of Cycle7 or TKD
FAQs
Q: What will be the sale format? A: It will be hosted as a pre-order and groupbuy.
Q: What is the lead time for pre-order? A: Around 2 months. TKD owns the entire manufacturing line. So it will be faster than regular customize keyboard projects.
Q: When will be the pre-order or groupbuy start? A: Prototyping is done and we anticipate the groupbuy to start around June.
We will collect more FAQs and add them here.
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