35 ms·

I spent a year designing a low profile, minimal mechanical keyboard

• ben_bai 4y ago
  Very nice, i do like the format. Would definitely try, to see how the switches feel. I do use a TypeMatrix2030, if you need some more inspirations.
• BasieP 4y ago
  i can say only one thing: CTRL should be in the corner.
• sandebert 4y ago
  I see some questions about Linux support here, and apparently it works just fine with that OS. But why does the site say this then? OS support Apple MacOS 12 (Monteray) and up Microsoft Windows 10 and up
  • aemerson_ 4y ago
    In theory the board works with Linux, but it has not actually been tested. If it is tested with Linux and is confirmed working, I will specify that in the specs.
• morgango 4y ago
  Super interesting, dig the rotary encoder.
• chad_stevens 4y ago
  I was literally talking to my coworker about wanting a keyboard just like this yesterday! I don’t like the UK layout and I don’t want the arrow keys to go into the keyboard. They should be on the same row as space. I would pay around $150-200 for the keyboard though.
• parski 4y ago
  Looks amazing. Any plans for Nordic layout?
• gjvc 4y ago
  no trackpoint. next.
  • sam_lowry_ 4y ago
    nor trackball.
    • tobltobs 4y ago
      also not available in metallic pink.
      • quickthrower2 4y ago
        For these reasons there are gazillions of different keyboards on the market. My fave: cheapest one I can get :-)
• Festro 4y ago
  Looks really nice BUT: There's a split between what people online post pics of on fancy desktop setups and what people prefer to use as their daily driver. Minimal keyboards are for minimalists, and people who like to show of their setups. Just like desktop vanity posts typically have speakers, yet everyone uses headphones. Anecdotally there was a post recently on some PC subreddit asking what keyboard people preferred, and the overwhelming support was for 100%+ keyboards. Only people who didn't WFH much, or didn't have jobs involving any data entry at all could do without a numpad. So, make a full version? People might think they're a bit ugly, but they're popular despite people being less willing to show off a massive keyboard. You're right about the damn 'gamer' look though. The only good thing about the gamer look is that I will trust it has decent switches in it.
  • jacknews 4y ago
    I disagree, I've been using laptop, or tenkeyless, or currently a 65-key optical mechanical keyboard, for forever. I almost never use the numpad, or pgup/home etc keys (vim user), and rarely function keys, so they just get in the way. Keyboards are quite a personal thing, I think there's room for many different designs.
    • Festro 4y ago
      That's my whole point? Add another design, because it's personal, and just the vocal minority that show off their sleek minimalist tenkeyless keyboards. I wouldn't suggest adding too many designs at launch though, that's obviously unsustainable. But eventually sure. I'd just start with a minimal and a 100%. To cover the core bases.
      • jacknews 4y ago
        I don't know, if you're going to start a new product company with a 'mission', it's not a bad debut to offer just a single product that embodies that mission. This keyboard definitely has it's own style. I'm not sure I agree with it all, actually I don't, but it seems to know what it wants to be.
  • 4y ago
• public_defender 4y ago
  This looks super cool. 1) Do you have an estimate for cost and date it will ship? 2) What's the deal with the rotary encoder? How will it be used by default? How will we remap it, etc.? Edit: 3) I would really like to have Home, Insert, and End keys. I'm not sure that's worth a change in the keyboard layout, but consider this: having three or four assignable keys. You can sell keycaps for them. 4) I would use this because I carry around a lot of stuff. Either having a low-profile keycap for the rotary encoder, or having some way to easily take it off or collapse it down would be really helpful.
• filippofinke 4y ago
  Is it possible to remove the 'rotary encoder'? As someone who often carries his keyboard around in a backpack, I think this part can break very easily.
  • bk6u 4y ago
    This would be exactly my use-case for this kind of keyboard, and it does seem counterproductive having a low-profile keyboard with a whopping rotary encoder sticking out of it. I like SouthPawEngineer's use of scroll encoders, which might be more low-profile: https://www.reddit.com/r/ErgoMechKeyboards/comments/nwye70/go_for_launch/ https://www.reddit.com/r/ErgoMechKeyboards/comments/nwye70/g...
  • ehnto 4y ago
    I concur, as the keyboard spun over I was like wow, that's an amazing travel mechanical keyboard, then the encoder stopped that idea. It is a remarkable looking device though, I really appreciate the care put into it's design. I feel like the most enthusiastic market for that kind of slim design is definitely portable users, so perhaps there's an easy way to have two models by making the encoder optional. My only other hopefully constructive criticism is without feet to raise the angle, some people might find it uncomfortable. However it's possible that being so slim and low actually makes the tilt angle less of an issue, I'm not sure!
  • magicalhippo 4y ago
    It could just ship with two different tops, one tactile like shown, and one low and flat?
  • aemerson_ 4y ago
    I hadn't considered that but you raise a good point. I'll look into it.
    • NwtnsMthd 4y ago
      I think the rotary knob is cool, despite not having a use for it myself at the moment (I could probably think of one). Is it possible to just reduce the height? Maybe make the knob interchangeable?
• pmontra 4y ago
  What's the purpose of the rotary encoder? On a laptop the number pad is deadly because the screen and the keyboard are fused together and to have the touchpad / spacebar aligned with the axis of the body all the laptop is shifted to the right. On desktops I seldomly use the number pad but as I can shift the keyboard to the right so I have no problem buying keyboards with it. Unfortunately it moves the mouse further away and makes it more uncomfortable (timewise) to use. If I'll ever use a desktop full time again I'll buy a USB touchpad and keep it where it rests on a laptop and use the mouse for games, not every year.
  • bodge5000 4y ago
    > What's the purpose of the rotary encoder? Presumably thats configurable, but people usually use it for volume control which is quite nice to have
    • magicalhippo 4y ago
      My Logitech G710 was the first that had such a volume control, but when it died last year I decided having a similar volume control was a must for any replacement candidate. Having it be remappable is a very nice bonus in my view.
  • 45ure 4y ago
    >What's the purpose of the rotary encoder? The ZMK firmware allows you to assign or map a wide range of keys and functions to it. The inclusion of an EC11 encoder has become a go-to trend, especially in the keyboard building community, and adopted by the established players. However, it is mostly a bit of novelty and redundant after a while and probably only gets used for the obvious media controls. >I'll buy a USB touchpad and keep it where it rests on a laptop You can acquire macropads in a plethora of configurations, from a single key to matrix of keys, only limited by the choice of MCU. All built using either traditional [key]switches and/or mix of encoders. The popular firmwares (QMK, KMK or ZMK) allow you to map the afore-mentioned, so you can choose to enter long IP addresses, purpose it for macros e.g Illustrator, Premiere, Blender, Ableton, Autodesk, Eagle etc., or just use it for regular cut-n-paste type jobs via the use of layers.
• xupybd 4y ago
  That looks gorgeous. Amazing work.
• detritus 4y ago
  Why are the numbers so huge? Very pretty otherwise, but no numpad = no interest here.
  • tauntz 4y ago
    numpad = no interest here :)
• dcminter 4y ago
  Very pretty. I'm tempted. Will it work properly on Linux via bluetooth? E.g. I have a very nice mechanical keyboard from Keychron but over bluetooth it does something weird so that a hack [1] to use it in Mac mode is necessary and some key combos still don't work right for me. On a similar note, if its firmware needs an update will I be able to do that from Linux? It's a hard life being a Windows/Mac hater :D [1] https://gist.github.com/andrebrait/961cefe730f4a2c41f57911e6195e444 https://gist.github.com/andrebrait/961cefe730f4a2c41f57911e6...
  • unsafecast 4y ago
    > but over bluetooth it does something weird so that a hack [1] to use it in Mac mode is necessary and some key combos still don't work right for me. I have one too and it does it over USB as well. Though keyboard shortcuts work fine for me, USB or not.
    • vladvasiliu 4y ago
      Which Keychron is that? I have a K2 which works well for me in "mac mode", both wired and USB. The only gripe I have with it is that the Fn key is "fake", as in it doesn't send any signal by itself, so it can't be remapped.
      • unsafecast 4y ago
        I have a K2 as well. I set it in Windows/Android mode to use with my Linux box (Mac just changes the modifier keys afaict). The F-keys default to the FN row, not the F1-12. You can change that with a command I completely forgot and just copied once to a startup script.
        • vladvasiliu 4y ago
          > The F-keys default to the FN row, not the F1-12. You can change that with a command I completely forgot and just copied once to a startup script. > cat /etc/modprobe.d/hid_apple.conf options hid_apple fnmode=0 I think this has recently (Linux v5.19) changed to have F1-F12 by default.
• GordonS 4y ago
  This looks beautiful, but personally I'd like a full sized keyboard with a numeric keypad, and the usual complement of Home, Insert, PgDown, PgUp etc. Also, what is pricing like?
• Prcmaker 4y ago
  Very impressive. Due to my work at the moment, the sight of the CE mark gave me an instant headache though.
  • bipson 4y ago
    Why?
    • Prcmaker 4y ago
      Going through compliance at the moment. It's a lot for a high voltage medical device, headache inducing even.
• level87 4y ago
  Looks great! has a real teenage engineering aesthetic about it. Do you have any photographs of the real thing?
  • aemerson_ 4y ago
    No prototype photographs yet... but soon!
• untech 4y ago
  Is it inspired by TE OP-1? Looks really nice :)
• wrthfl 4y ago
  Looks awesome. Hope the rotary encoder is removable as it feels like that would defeat the purpose of a low profile keyboard that I can throw into my backpack when I'm on the move.
  • infogulch 4y ago
    Make it removable and make a little cubby at the back for it to clip into so it doesn't stick out or get lost.
• sam_lowry_ 4y ago
  I would love to get a similar keyboard but with a trackball instead of a rotary device and a couple of side buttons next to it. The design of Enermax Aurora Micro Wireless rocks, I used it for 10+ years, although its trackball is of abysmal quality.
• ferongr 4y ago
  The typography is hideous.
  • bartvk 4y ago
    Quote from the HN guidelines: > Please don't post shallow dismissals, especially of other people's work
• Aethylia 4y ago
  I think it looks beautiful, but have to echo the comments about not having the home, end, pgup, pgdown + numpad keys making it impractical. Would 100% get this if it had a full sized version.
  • wruza 4y ago
    I believe it is mac-inspired, where cmd/alt+arrow are usually used for that. But overall, yeah, people split around mac/60, tkl and full. No idea why keyboard makers tend to fix on only one of them. Budget reasons - yeah, but isn’t it strange to cut off large parts of potential customers.
  • D13Fd 4y ago
    I feel like those comments about layout are misplaced. It’s like saying “nice motorcycle you designed, but really I need a cargo van.”
  • jinto36 4y ago
    I agree on the numpad. I do bioinformatics/data science work that sometimes involves some manual spreadsheet surfing and definitely use the numpad. A lot of numerical identifiers for genes that you end up incidentally memorizing after a while, and want to ctrl/cmd-F for.
• jackvalentine 4y ago
  New era of serif branding I am here for it.
• Kaibeezy 4y ago
  I was literally just looking this morning for a travel-size mechanical keyboard to go with a Surface. Trying not to buy a ThinkPad X1 tablet. Found the Nuphy Air75, which is a few grams lighter but not as design-y. Clearly there must be some new, low-profile key switches hitting the market making these thin keyboards a possibility. Anyone recommend a wrist rest?
• speedupmate 4y ago
  congrats, can't wait when this ships as you'd have pretty much the only mechanical keyboard that follows the macbook keyboard layout on 4 keys left from space and prob would be instant sell to every mackbook owner who likes mechanical keyboards. the rotary button has no value imho but I can just break this off for the sake of being constant with the mackbook keyboard layout :) cause you know muscle memory
• layer8 4y ago
  Everyone is different, but personally I won’t buy a keyboard without separate Delete and Backspace keys, without Home/End/PgUp/PgDn/Insert keys, and without a dedicated Menu key [0], for any kind of serious work. I’d also imagine that one is prone to bump into the rotary knob if one is not fully conditioned to that keyboard. I applaud the T-shaped cursor block and the full-sized function keys, although it would be useful to color the function keys differently in groups of four (cf. the standard PC layout). I’d also rather do without an Fn key, as it messes up muscle memory from regular desktop keyboards. I like the idea of using different key shapes for the number row and the cursor keys for tactile recognition, although I’d have to try it to see if those shapes are any good for actual typing. I feel that slightly concave keycaps will always be the best. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menu_key https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menu_key
  • Lukineus 4y ago
    > ... without Home/End/PgUp/PgDn/Insert keys ... My laptop has Home/End/PgUp/PgDn as the Fn function on the Arrow keys, and its actually really good. So good I've actually setup other machines with the same shortcuts wherever I can.
    • layer8 4y ago
      Yeah, I use Home/End/PgUo/PgDn constantly, so much that having to use any modifier for it is just not acceptable to me. A secondary factor is that there are often keyboard shortcuts that combine Home/End/PgUp/PgDn with (combinations of) Shift/Ctrl/Alt, so having to add another modifier to those just makes it really inconvenient. There is a sweet spot of the number of keys available for use without modifier keys, and that sweet spot may be different for everyone, but it is closer to 100 for me.
      • Tijdreiziger 4y ago
        Having Home/End/PgUp/PgDn bound to the Fn key is much more convenient for me, though. After all, you already do all other cursor manipulation with a combination of the arrow keys and Ctrl/Alt/Shift. From a muscle memory perspective, having the 'beginning/end of line' and 'previous/next page' actions as just another modifier is much more natural than having to use an entirely separate set of keys for this.
• qhwudbebd 4y ago
  Looks great and I'll keep my eyes peeled for when you launch. Rotary encoder is an interesting idea. (Presumably reporting a key-press for each click left and right?) I know you're only at prototype stage, but visually I'd say the giant numbers are a bit jarring, and having some but not all of the Fxx labels displaced from centre on the function keys depending on whether there's a symbol there too looks a bit strange.
  • qhwudbebd 4y ago
    Another example: the :/; key looks visually sensible because they nicely balanced and compatible sizes. The +/= key looks super strange because = is HUGE and + is tiny.
• dotancohen 4y ago
  Very nice. You'll have a hard time pitching this to some "hard core keyboardists", but don't forget that this keyboard is for you, not for them. If you don't want an ergonomic layout, or split and tenting, or an ANSII enter key, or Cherry keys, then so be it. This looks like a great project and a very good implementation.
• SeasonalEnnui 4y ago
  This is excellent, my feedback: - The numbers are too large, they break the consistency of typography. - The rotary encoder sticks out too much. Rotate & move to the end of the enclosure, and mostly occlude it, like a mouse scroll wheel? - I would prefer Page Up/Down and numpad.
• Gualdrapo 4y ago
  Got a MX Keys keyboard from Logitech and, for better or for worse, it's been so good that it set a standard for me regarding keyboards. While I was considering it saw some other Logitech keyboards that had a knob for volume control/etcetera, which I feel like it would be a much more sane approach regarding the low profile aspect than this 'rotary encoder' thing. Also, as someone said, some lateral buttons would've been awesome. I like this design (though I feel like the typography choice was terribly unfortunate) and I can see the appeal for the low profile. But also agree that home/end/pgup/pgdown keys are a must. Though for some reason when I tried the Bluetooth connection with the Mx keys it had a noticeable lag for each key press, versus the instant response with the propietary wireless connection with the dongle. However the usb-c alternative connection with this one seems like it's a great thing to have.
  • noisy_boy 4y ago
    I have been using the Keychron Q6 knob variant[0] - can totally vouch for having the knob. Having a hardware control to deal with volume that works across various DEs on Linux is so much convenient. [0]: https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-q6-qmk-custom-mechanical-keyboard?variant=39990023553113 https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-q6-qmk-custom-mec...
  • ebastler 4y ago
    With ZMK firmware (that's what this board is running) latency can be seriously low in my experience - but it heavily depends on signal strength and BT chipset of the PC. My desktop has an older intel WiFi card with antennas behind the metal case, and latency is annoying. My notebook uses a ~5 years old intel wifi card, and I did not notice any delay even when playing stuff like CSGO. Probably still too slow for rythm games like osu!, but not noticeable for typing/coding/fps in my experience. USB Bluetooth dongles fluctuate a lot too, I think it depends on the chipset used (and it's software stack).
• zihotki 4y ago
  Give me a split version, swap ctrl and fn positions, add delete button and prepare to catch my money.
• kerblang 4y ago
  Web site advice: The spinning graphic is cool but it's very hard to get a decent look at the whole thing. I even tried clicking to pause it. It seems like all the pictures are partial or moving. As the keyboard goes: As others have noted, it would be really nice to see this design approach taken to a more full-sized standard keyboard. I think it's necessary to have some kind of tactile thing between function keys - a gap, a bump, something.
  • das_keyboard 4y ago
    In Firefox you can right click and select show controls. This shows you the controls for the 17s video that is being looped and you can seek and pause at will.
  • mromanuk 4y ago
    More Website advice: - the text is too big - Add padding to text and images - Add space between elements (look crowded) - too much moving stuff: Loose the marquee text Pictures and videos looks awesome, the product looks superb, love the concept of having different height for keys. Congratulations on your launch!
    • elliotpage 4y ago
      I am sorry, but I strongly disagree. The Marquee text is what catapulted the site from "This is nice" to "This is Art" for me. But then again I am more viewing the page as a piece of performance art than an actual attempt to sell me a keyboard!
      • davidmurdoch 4y ago
        Try looking at out on mobile. It screams geocities.
      • cuu508 4y ago
        It looks good at some viewport sizes, but the margins are a bit messed up at other sizes: https://i.imgur.com/8XLzD0S.png https://i.imgur.com/8XLzD0S.png
• rcarmo 4y ago
  I have been evaluating low-profile Bluetooth keyboards (I use Apple and Logitech K380s) and like the idea, but am not a fan of the number key typography or the apparent lack of a slant (my thumbs seem likely to rest on the bottom edge rather than a key, but I don’t like handrests - maybe this is supposed to be used with one). Another thing I can point out is that all of my Bluetooth keyboards support three devices for some reason (and yes, I do have some of them paired to three machines). That said, I would love something like this, but with a (60%) Planck layout. I don’t mind the lack of keys at all, and actually wish for less as long as I can run QMK/ZMK (which is a great feature to see).
• DoingIsLearning 4y ago
  This comment section is full of people complaining about a 70% keyboard not being a full-size keyboard, but that is what makes it a 70% keyboard. If it doens't fit your preferences or use-case then you are not the customer but it seems bizarre to focus so much on the sizing.
  • wodenokoto 4y ago
    Isn't it a 60%?
    • deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
    • chme 4y ago
      https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_layout#/media/File%3AANSI_Keyboard_Layout_Diagram_with_Form_Factor.svg https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_layout#/media/File%...
    • seltzered_ 4y ago
      I believe the fn row makes it more of a 70%. Ive been using a Nuphy nutype F1 for the past year as a 60% keyboard. I didn't particularly seek a mechanical keyboard but the smaller size enabled having a 13" raised tablet 'ergonomic mobile computer' - https://www.reddit.com/r/ErgoMobileComputers/comments/vzs8mm/how_long_have_you_been_using_an_ergo_mobile/ https://www.reddit.com/r/ErgoMobileComputers/comments/vzs8mm...
    • D13Fd 4y ago
      No, it has arrow and F keys.
  • Eric_WVGG 4y ago
    This chicken sandwich is the worst hamburger I’ve ever tasted
  • detritus 4y ago
    I for one am not complaining, but responding with my thoughts, as requested.
• andrew918277 4y ago
  I really like the design, the form of the keys and the rotary encoder. Also that you can switch between Bluetooth and USB is very nice. The materials look really high quality, i love it. I would have bought it outright if it was available. Do you have an estimated time when it will be released and what the price would be?
• jitl 4y ago
  First off, I love the design. I signed up for updates, etc. To me, this is missing an opportunity to be ortholinear - a grid instead of the standard finger straining zigzag pattern. That’s an ergonomic feature you can fit in a low profile keyboard. I think the grid would harmonize quite well with your design aesthetic while adding another feature on top of “pretty and slim”. I am the sort of person who buys every vaguely ergonomic portable keyboard though, looking for one that has a good balance of portable and ergonomic while still being usable. I’m waiting on the new Kenisis Advantage 360, and I have a Atreus around here in its carrying case. I found the Atreus too tricky to type on :-(. On other subject, have you thought about a case or cover for the “toss in bag” use case? What about a pointing device like a trackpad area, or touch sensitive keys overall? My one other critique outside ortholinear is that the large PRODUCT NAME on top of the product is a little much. Maybe tone that down?
  • alejoar 4y ago
    +1 for ortholinear
  • alksdeef 4y ago
    Yes, ortholinear is the way.. add a slight split for ergonomics and I will buy one instantly. I have the atreus as well and use it as my daily driver (removed 6 of the keys (3 bottom left & right) and taped over the holes.). With QMK, combo keys, it's a great experience but I miss the low profile keybed sometimes. I don't think one realizes until you try an ortholinear keyboard with some ergonomic split just how uncomfortable the angled/rectangular style keyboards are. My hands, wrists and forearms have never felt better, as someone who is typing 8+ hours a day.
  • tsuujin 4y ago
    I don’t personally like ortholinear boards, I think they only solve half of the problem. Columnar stagger is the way to go, no more claw hand pose.
  • Gatsky 4y ago
    I don’t agree on the ortholinear point, at least for the v1 product. The fact is you are cutting out a lot of people by going with a non-standard layout. This is the same point made by Dygma to explain why they didn’t go down that route.
• natdempk 4y ago
  In general I like it, and it’s great to see more low profile options show up, but the larger font numbers would keep me from buying it.
• Tsiklon 4y ago
  This looks fabulous - I am all for your industrial design. I note in the specs you mention kailh red linears, but tactile switches in the blurb up top, will there be a choice between linear and tactile?
• crazal 4y ago
  I've been waiting for a mechanical keyboard with a proper low profile Mac layout for years. I use far left fn all the time. And now you won't even let me throw money at you...
• tsujp 4y ago
  I really like this. I like that it's bluetooth _optional_ with multiple devices remembered, USB-C, has a command key and control key _separated_ (I'm well aware you can do this in firmware for other keyboards that support it), the much lower profile, and the typography. I've gone through a few different mechanical keyboards including things from Ramaworks and every time I get fed up with the bulk, the tedium of lubing switches, finding good key caps _with_ the legends I want, and then trying to get things as quiet as possible without super mushy key presses. If this can solve that I will buy one instantly; and I've signed up for the waitlist.
• firstSpeaker 4y ago
  Thank you for sharing this. It looks interesting and I will wait to hear more. I wish that you had a few high res photos of the keyboard from different angle that I could just go through. The spinning graphic and different slice cuts are a bit hart for me to mentally place and imagine the keyboard.
• WalterBright 4y ago
  It looks great! The letters and numbers on the keys appear to be painted on. My experience with such keys is the paint wears off, and by then you'd better know how to touch type! A feature I'd like to see is being able to clean the keyboard without ruining it. Best would be if I could run it through the dishwasher.
  • UncleEntity 4y ago
    Yeah, I ruined a dishwasher by running engine parts through it once…ok, twice because I wanted to figure out why the floor was wet and it turns out regular hand soap isn’t designed for dishwasher use with all the foaming bubbles escape out the sides of the door.
• Biganon 4y ago
  The ONLY thing I want from a keyboard (well, the main thing) is the ability to wash it thoroughly. These things become disgusting. I had to buy an old logitech keyboard on ebay, one that's no longer in sale, to have this.
  • okasaki 4y ago
    On a mechanical keyboard you can take the key caps off for easy cleaning. Though I just dust my keyboard and it's pretty clean.
• pimterry 4y ago
  Love it, I would 1000% buy this. I see so many awesome mechanical keyboards but it's rare to see one that looks great _and_ comes in an ISO layout! Will it be possible to pick switches, or will it be hotswap to change them later? This says linear, but I'd much prefer tactile. I'd echo the other comments about the rotary encoder looking fragile too.
  • aemerson_ 4y ago
    Thank you for the kind words. For now it is just linear switches but it may be possible to offer a choice of switches down the line. I'll look into it.
• osrec 4y ago
  What's the rotary encoder for?
  • ZiiS 4y ago
    Turning it up to 11
• smcl 4y ago
  Wow we have a completely different definition of "hobby" - this goes way beyond the work of a mere hobbyist! It looks fantastic, I'd definitely be interested and I'm sure I'm not the only one here or around the mechanical keyboard community.
• alanbernstein 4y ago
  Looks nice. I would not call this "ultra low profile". That isn't really possible with mechanical switches. Even with mechanical switches, there are alternatives that are thinner, like the keytron/keychron line. The k1 would be the perfect keyboard for me, if it actually worked reliably. Like someone else said, it's not easy to gauge the size of this one from the graphics on the landing page.
  • rodrigodlu 4y ago
    I'm considering a k1, what kind of reliability issues you're talking about? I'm using an MX Keys with the Logitech dongle, it's slick without any lag (except sometimes when I have multiple Bluetooth connected things nearby + 20 visible Wi-Fi networks from my neighbors, then I can just make sure the dongle is closer). But using the Bluetooth mode it's only as slick connecting to MacBooks, or to specific Wi-Fi/Bluetooth cards (AX201 is fine, The original Broadcom is shit).
    • alanbernstein 4y ago
      I don't know if the problem is mechanical or electronic, but my keytron k1 frequently misses and repeats keypresses. It's really not usable for me.
• leohonexus 4y ago
  Beautiful, but it’ll be a pain to find contract manufacturers willing to do that keycap design. From the render I can already count 8 different injection molds required, which doesn’t sound feasible for a low-volume production run. You'd either have to price it very aggressively or be advised by your manufacturers during DFM to use standard low-profile keycaps instead. For folks curious about keyboard manufacturing, Jesse from Keyboardio wrote an entire crash course on it with his Model 01 Kickstarter updates: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/keyboardio/the-model-01-an-heirloom-grade-keyboard-for-seriou/posts https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/keyboardio/the-model-01...
  • ghosty141 4y ago
    There is already a prototype with these keycaps so I guess he did find somebody already. The price will be…. Interesting though
    • hokumguru 4y ago
      Is there or are those all renders?
      • HanayamaTriplet 4y ago
        The OP responds elsewhere that the prototypes are 3d printed: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32513522 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32513522
  • varispeed 4y ago
    Is it known why the molds have not gone down in price? Or is it another chicken and egg problem? (customers don't order molds because it is expensive and look for off the shelf components, companies don't invest in making molding more affordable, because there is not enough customers...)
    • UncleEntity 4y ago
      I watch some of the machinist YouTubes so can venture a guess… Molds need super high precision CNC machines because any flaws will show up in the parts. So think expensive. And they aren’t going to be giving away machine time any time soon. On guy I saw who was being interviewed had such a machine he bought second hand from (I believe) UC Berkeley and it was something like one out of three that were ever imported to the US. I guess it was a popular machine to make cell phone cases back in the day and Berkeley ended up with one for some reason.
• peanut_worm 4y ago
  Looks really cool, I will probably buy one when they're available.
• yitchelle 4y ago
  Do you have the specs (for the bluetooth use case) on how long a fully charge battery would last before a recharge is needed?
  • aemerson_ 4y ago
    Still TBC, but it should be around 3 months between charges with normal use. More accurate numbers to come later.
• deebosong 4y ago
  This looks so, so good. I'm weak to all things minimal + chic. This looks like a mini mech keyboard done by Teenage Engineering, in the best kinda way. I'm not saying it looks derivative, but I wouldn't be surprised if they saw this and wish they made it themselves. They don't hold a monopoly on this look, need, and aesthetic penchant to go in this direction. I'm more of a "full-size keyboard with numeric pad" typa person, due to my need for hot keys in After Effects. If you (and your team?) ever made one of those, I'd be on it. I bet a buncha other designers would as well.
  • aemerson_ 4y ago
    Thank you, I am a huge Teenage Engineering fan so that is a big complement! Perhaps a larger board or separate numpad could come down the line if there is enough interest.
  • linsomniac 4y ago
    I also thought "Teenage Engineering", it looks beautiful! I'm firmly in the "ergo split with thumb clusters" camp, but the design looks beautiful.
• inciampati 4y ago
  All that effort, the modern components, the slim design, the monobody, the Bluetooth, the rotary encoder. Beautiful. And it isn't ortholinear. The layout is designed to 1880s specifications. Will you share plans for self fab with an alternative key organization?
  • ponyous 4y ago
    Just wondering, but is ortholinear actually better? It's not like my fingers are 4 parallel lines. And I don't have hands perfectly straight on the keyboard either - hands come in at an angle.
    • Fetiorin 4y ago
      Note that on normal keyboard all alpha keys are staggered to the left. For both hands. So, this stagger is not helping you to keep your left hand at correct angle. "Grid" ortholinear is not an ultimate solution either, but it is more comfy (from personal experience). There is a short video about ortho vs stagger https://youtu.be/Ho_CFfdsmc8 https://youtu.be/Ho_CFfdsmc8
      • joveian 4y ago
        That is strange now that you mention it, I have a split keyboard and it really should be staggered the other way on the left side but isn't. Also, I think the top row stagger is a bit too large but the bottom row stagger is way too much. I haven't tried the linear but my impression is that a slight stagger in the correct direction for each hand would be best, although linear seems likely to be close enough in about the same way that the top row stagger is close enough on the right hand. One thing I like about my keyboard is that home, page up, page down, and end are on the left so that it is symmetrical. It also has a tenting feature that I like, having the keys tilted at an angle is perfect for me. Both of these also allow the mouse to be a bit closer. I also like that the space bars aren't as large, although I wish they were still a bit smaller. https://shop.goldtouch.com/products/goldtouch-go2-wired-mobile-keyboard-pc-mac https://shop.goldtouch.com/products/goldtouch-go2-wired-mobi... I want to remap that useless print screen button near the arrows to a delete key, which I found from a previous keyboard is really handy to have near the arrow keys.
• burakkantarci 4y ago
  Looks great, but I'm not sure about the height difference between the keys. But definitely worth to try
• r2b2 4y ago
  This keyboard looks wonderful except for the large distracting font in the number row. Why not keep the font consistent (or the same size with only a change in weight) throughout?
• deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
• rodrigodlu 4y ago
  ISO keys, awesome. I wish ISO layouts can be more common, I grew up using ABNT (pt-BR) layouts, I got used to US-intl + altgr, but I dearly miss the big enter key. I'm a US layout MX Keys owner right now, so the key caps minimal profile is awesome for me. Definitely miss the big enter from ISO layouts. Don't care about the num pad like my accountant wife does, but the full size arrows and del/insert I do care. home/end/pgup/pgdn I can live with a combo using the arrow keys.
  • pc86 4y ago
    Are you searching for high-end (not necessarily custom) mechanical keyboards? I think I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen a keyboard more than $100 or so that didn't support an ISO layout.
  • em500 4y ago
    I have the exact opposite pref. In most of Europe ISO layout (with various country-specific accents) are standard and it can be hard to find a US (ANSI) layout (with horizontal rather than vertical Enter). In the Netherlands, most brands seem to default US layout, but some (most notably Logitech and Apple) still default to ISO, with a thin vertical Enter. Even "International English" (Apple) or "International American" (Logitech) tends to be ISO. Fortunately Apple offers US English in their online store nowadays (but not in any physical stores). But for Logitech AFAIK it's impossible to get an ANSI US layout in Europe without importing it yourself from the US. Worst thing is, most of their marketing still shows the US layout, and many retailers have no clue about different keyboard layouts nor what they're actually selling.
    • Symbiote 4y ago
      US-ANSI keyboards are easily available in Denmark (double check the manufacture's model number though). - https://www.computersalg.dk/l/1428/tastaturer?f=71324fc8-e92f-442d-9a1b-6104374fc9c9&p=1&sq= https://www.computersalg.dk/l/1428/tastaturer?f=71324fc8-e92... - https://www.proshop.dk/Tastatur?pre=0&f~tastaturer_sprog=amk-engelsk~us-english https://www.proshop.dk/Tastatur?pre=0&f~tastaturer_sprog=amk...
• az_reth 4y ago
  Not my cup of tea personally. I like my high-profile clickity-clacks too much. That being said, it's a work of art.
• elliotpage 4y ago
  Site accessibility note: going to www.electronicmaterialsoffice.com redirects you to a holding page. I'm not sure I'll get one, but I like the site design - it feels almost pornographic.
  • lbotos 4y ago
    I read a great article recently about "sexy design" you might like it: https://dirty-furniture.com/article/tell-me-do-you-intend-to-fuck-it/ https://dirty-furniture.com/article/tell-me-do-you-intend-to...
  • aemerson_ 4y ago
    Thanks for the heads up. As for the pornographic comment, that's the best compliment I've got all day!
• aardshark 4y ago
  I hate the aesthetic of your webpage. Don't change my cursor. It's incredibly distracting. The text is way too large and makes scrolling a pain. It's an extremely irritating page. Also your Contact page directs to nowhere on your About page. Maybe it's a deliberate decision to filter only for people who are really interested in a keyboard like this, but I wouldn't buy a product from someone who has made the website design choices that you have.
• Shorel 4y ago
  Now make it split. It has two BT connections, so each half can use one connection. Then it will be my dream keyboard.
• pmorici 4y ago
  Would be better if the usb connection was recessed so the plug body wasn’t sticking out like that and the cable could flex better. Would love an option totally without wireless. I like the idea of a high quality compact keyboard.
• tambourine_man 4y ago
  I applaud the initiative, shipping software is hard enough, can’t imagine how much harder manufacturing and shipping actual atoms is.
• seltzered_ 4y ago
  I run a subreddit on mobile ergonomics ( http://reddit.com/r/ergomobilecomputers/ http://reddit.com/r/ergomobilecomputers/ ) and spent the past year using raised tablet PC as my only machine, and curating the smaller subset of portable keyboard & computer setups. My advice: - drop the rotary encoder, it messes up the height for packing the keyboard away. - a 75% layout (i.e. having fn keys) is okay, but makes it a bit challenging to fit in with a 13" tablet footprint with a magic Trackpad. - What ergonomic job does this design serve? After a year of using a similar keyboard (Nuphy F1) I find myself seeking ergonomic improvement from a split keyboard or angling (like the Atreus) without becoming too odd of a layout. - If you're doing a custom design, can you use smaller keys somehow to facilitate room for ergonomics (angled split) while retaining a minimal design? See https://www.reddit.com/r/ErgoMobileComputers/comments/v0g89d/psudoku3_modifies_mechanical_keys_to_be_smaller/ https://www.reddit.com/r/ErgoMobileComputers/comments/v0g89d... for some inspiration . - I like the simple black look! Similar to you I just want a fairly simple look, but focus more on ergonomics.
  • MetaWhirledPeas 4y ago
    > drop the rotary encoder, it messes up the height for packing the keyboard away If that's really a concern the correct approach would be to make the knob low-profile. > What ergonomic job does this design serve? This does not claim to be an "ergonomic" keyboard.
    • dsmmcken 4y ago
      > messes up the height for packing the keyboard away You design things for how they are used. If it is a keyboard meant to live out it's life on desk, then why design for how it is packed away? Perhaps if it was advertised as a portable travel keyboard then designing for storage would make sense.
      • anamexis 4y ago
        Well, it is advertised as "ultra-low profile."
    • 4y ago
• gonzo41 4y ago
  Ahh I was hoping for a trackpoint. Though i like the profile.
• XCSme 4y ago
  Awesome project. The site is a bit hard to read with the text being so big and all over the place. Also, I am not a big fan of the red knob.
• loginNSR 4y ago
  No Linux Support? The dial functionality can be achieved easily with layers I would expect it to be more ergo in the keys layout
  • ebastler 4y ago
    It's running open source ZMK firmware, which has no problems connecting to Linux devices, and if I remember correctly the "base keymap" features will all work cross-OS, and can be remapped easily with a firmware update.
• D13Fd 4y ago
  Thoughts: - Excellent job - The font choices are bold. They don’t appeal to me personally, but nice job. - The sunk/raised key caps look nice but I’m not sure how they would perform in practice. - I couldn’t tell from the website what the second switch on the site does. Maybe USB/Bluetooth? - My strong preference is a key command for switching from Bluetooth/USB, and that the keyboard keep both active for instant switching. The only keyboard I’ve found that does this well is the micropython-based M60. - I’m not a fan of the look of the dial. It sticks up too far and looks like something that could break.
  • christophilus 4y ago
    I like the idea of indented keys as a clear sensory differentiator. It’s a nice nudge to tell you, “You’re in the right spot.” Same for the pronounced bump on the home row. The switch is to choose between one of two Bluetooth devices. I agree the placement of the USB label was confusing there.
    • SamuelAdams 4y ago
      True but if this keyboard is your daily driver those sunk keys are going to get dirty quickly and cleaning them well would be more difficult than a simple flat key with a small tactile bump.
  • smeej 4y ago
    The font thing is bigger than people might think. As soon as I saw the number row, I had such an immediate and harsh reaction to it that it surprised me. I almost couldn't believe that was the cause, but when I waited for the device to turn around again, that was definitely it. I don't even have to look at my fingers often, but I wouldn't be able to stand walking by those numbers on a regular basis. I don't think I've ever had such a visceral response to an aesthetic choice before.
    • MattRix 4y ago
      Agreed. The rest of the keyboard looks great, the numbers look too large and childish.
• santialbo 4y ago
  What's the point of the rotary control? How am I supossed to put it in my backpack with my laptops and books? It will end up breaking.
  • gus_massa 4y ago
    For some reason I expect it to be retractable, but I'm not sure if I'm imagining features. I'm also worried if it will break when a moron (i.e. me) is filling the backpack in a random order and quickly.
• gwd 4y ago
  I've been using the HHKB bluetooth keyboard as my main driver for over a year now. My feedback: * I don't miss the arrow keys at all actually; if you haven't tried it, you could experiment with getting rid of them and seeing how you feel. That makes all "cursor move" operations consistently chorded (with the fn key, naturally). * The HHKB allows you to connect to five devices simultaneously: 4 bluetooth devices and the USB-C connection. It allows you to switch between them with a single key chord (Fn-Control-<N>). I've found this really nice now that I'm forced to use a company laptop for my main work, as I can keep my personal laptop up and switch between them very quickly. A switch would be OK but would probably feel fiddly and annoying by comparison (and there's a risk of it wearing out if someone switches too often). Other than that, looks like a cool addition to the solution space -- good luck and I hope it goes well!
• helsinki 4y ago
  I feel like I just saw my first Apple ad in the 1980s. Damn! Looks great.
• d--b 4y ago
  Any info about pricing?
• Avlin67 4y ago
  why minimalist ?
• micheljansen 4y ago
  I really like the aesthetic, both of the product and your website. One point of feedback, since you ask: the website makes it really hard to get a sense of the material. You describe it uses recycled machined aluminium for the body and some polymer, but it's really hard to get a sense of the actual hardware from the CGI renders. One thing that especially jumped out at me was that in the videos, such as this one: https://electronicmaterialsoffice.com/video/Turntable_mobile_v1.0.mp4 https://electronicmaterialsoffice.com/video/Turntable_mobile... there appears to be some kind of film grain overlaid on the video. This makes it really difficult to assess the texture of the material. Oh and I really like the idea of having a physical switch for multiple Bluetooth paired devices.
  • aemerson_ 4y ago
    Yes you are right, it is hard to get a sense of the materials from these CGI renders. Getting hold of recycled aluminium in small quantities is proving difficult so hence the hedge to say recyclable* not recycled* on the website. I will try hard to make it some % recycled aluminium though. The grain on the videos is poor and I'll work on that. The finish of the materials is not finalised but to give you an idea, the case will be a semi-satin anodised aluminium. It will likely be more matte than, say, a Macbook. The plastic will be a matte PBT type hard plastic.
• weystrom 4y ago
  Looks cool, hard to tell if worth considering there's no info on price.
  • arinlen 4y ago
    > hard to tell if worth considering there's no info on price. I came here just to say this. It's highly disappointing that a product is announced without any info on how much it could cost. That's the critical factor that will determine if the product is worth any consideration.
• lewisflude 4y ago
  Beautiful design language, great functionality and thoughtful SKUs. Good luck with the launch/release. As someone who designs keyboards, I think the design space outside of the "core hobbyist" market is super interesting. This looks like a great keyboard that would look great on the desk of people who value aesthetics, ergonomics and good design. I'm a big fan of your principles and the overall presentation of this project.
  • aemerson_ 4y ago
    Thank you!
• rexreed 4y ago
  Can you share how much you invested cost-wise in the prototype process? Curious to know how expensive the "keyboard hobby" is.
• radiojasper 4y ago
  I WANT IT NOW. This is literally amazing - I love low-profile keyboards and this looks absolutely fab. Directly signed up for updates! Good luck with this!
• criley2 4y ago
  Looks really cool as a Mac keyboard. My dream keyboard at the moment is something like an ErgoDox EZ or moonlander which is ergonomics and quality first. I get the feeling this board will be a similar price ($300+ USD) and at that point I'd just get my dream board! Lol.
  • konfusinomicon 4y ago
    dont know about the ergodox, but the moonlander is worth every cent and you should definitely make that dream a reality. knowing what I know now that im over the learning curve I probably would have paid 500 for it. it would be nice if it was compatible with the low profile switches this one has though.
• valdect 4y ago
  numbers look a bit weird
  • alex4242 4y ago
• tcbawo 4y ago
  Does anyone make a keyboard that goes in the opposite direction? I’ve been looking for a keyboard with stiff springs and large bubbly keys, in the style of late 70s/early 80 terminals. The best I could come up with are higher profile key caps with rounded corners, which aren’t quite what I’m looking for.
  • nominusllc 4y ago
    You would like one of the Unicomp keyboards. They're made by IBM folks on old IBM hardware, so it's basically a modernized IBM M Series Buckling Spring keyboard. Very affordable, with color and key combo options. https://www.pckeyboard.com/page/SFNT https://www.pckeyboard.com/page/SFNT
    • skyyler 4y ago
      The person you're replying to was not talking about IBM type stuff. More Space-cadet than Model M.
  • fanf2 4y ago
    You can find some more retro keycap profiles if you dig around in various keyboard enthusiast sites, eg https://mechboards.co.uk/products/tex-ada-keycap-set https://mechboards.co.uk/products/tex-ada-keycap-set and you can pair them with high force keyswitches such as the Cherry MX grey.
  • danbee 4y ago
    You probably want to look at SA profile keycaps.
• samatman 4y ago
  It's gorgeous, well done! I'm aware that I'm a (perhaps tiny) minority here, but I patiently await the existence of a split-key ortholinear/ErgoDox layout with this kind of build quality and low-profile keys. My ErgoDox EZ is ok, but I'm still bitter about the manufacturer refusing to replace or even discount a deck which stopped working after 26 months (24 month warranty), and it's fairly thick and hard to transport. Just putting that out there, the Keyboardio can't keep keyboards in stock and the two offerings from the EZ company sell briskly, I think the split-key ergonomic market is underserved, but it is much smaller than the 'normal' layout keyboard market. I'd say it's hard to differentiate yourself in the standard-layouts game, except you clearly have! Best of luck.
• victorhooi 4y ago
  Like the look of it. Two quick questions: 1. The specs mention Kailh Red switches (linear) - is there any chance this would be offered in other types of Kailh switches? (e.g. Blue etc.) 2. These look like custom keycaps - does this mean that standard mechanical keyboard keycaps won't work on it? Or do you know if the keycaps on these are interchangeable? If not, would you offer them with say, blank keycaps?
• pimlottc 4y ago
  Looks striking, but does this actually exist, or is this (so far) just a design project? There's a lot of promises here - recycled materials, machined aluminum, assembled in London - but I don't see any evidence that a single keyboard has actually been built yet. I know, you gotta fake it 'til you make it, but I think it's important to be honest with your customers. We've all seen plenty of speculative designs that sound perfect because they never end up having to meet reality by actually getting manufactured. Is this another one?
  • JaneLovesDotNet 4y ago
    You know, it hadn't crossed my mind when I first browsed the page, but now that I've read your comment, it seems very likely that this is entirely an art concept with 0 progress made towards making it a real product. And I agree about your conclusion that this level of detail making it close to dishonesty, rather than faking till you make it. Hopefully you're wrong.
    • davidivadavid 4y ago
      This level of detail is mandatory to have a spec that can actually be executed at some point.
    • Max-q 4y ago
      How can it be dishonesty when he doesn’t promise anything? He shows the product and invites you to get updates on the way forward. In addition both he and the electronics designer answer questions here.
      • JaneLovesDotNet 4y ago
        I meant it would be dishonest only if it was a made up page with no progress made towards building it. Happy to hear that's not the case.
  • ebastler 4y ago
    I'm not a member of the team, but was contracted for the PCB design as an external freelancer - I have one of the PCB prototypes sitting in a shelf, and the designer has a fully functional prototype with aluminum case and keycaps already. Bit dusty, but here's my proto with a ridiculously oversized battery (that would probably run for a year or so without charging): https://mpwr.xyz/blog/2022/pcb_1.jpg https://mpwr.xyz/blog/2022/pcb_1.jpg This will most likely not be the final PCB revision as we still have ideas for improvements, but it should prove that the board is more than a design study already.
• DocTomoe 4y ago
  HHKB user here. I like the idea, but there are some things that seem weird. - Why are the numbers larger than the character glyphs? Feels a bit "preschool", imho. - What exactly is the "rotary encoder" for? It's a "feature" I haven't seen on keyboards before, and given it extends so prominently... I would be careful with travelling with this device. - talking about travelling: a built-in battery means I need to charge this thing. I'd personally much rather have a standard 2xAA battery compartment for power cells I can get basically anywhere and not charge my keyboard. - I love the mechanical slider for selecting BT channels. - from a design perspective: If you use a serif font for the logo, and none for the key descriptions, this leads to some level of optical chaos. I'd go for one or the other, but not both.
• 97s 4y ago
  So this isn't an attack or anything, but that website makes me just click off. It is hard to see any real information about the keyboard, I couldn't even find a picture of the whole keyboard on the landing page to look at. I think the people who want a low profile minimal keyboard probably also just want simple website.
• joebergeron 4y ago
  Very beautiful. Seems to take a lot of inspiration from the likes of RAMA but with a design language entirely your own. I personally love when design choices in products like this (read: mechanical keyboards) are highly opinionated and stylized. For what it’s worth, I prefer many of the choices you’ve made here to those of RAMA, whose keyboards I already use, so I would absolutely be interested in this.
• 3np 4y ago
  Like many others in your assumed target demographic I have very specific requirements - in my case (apart form the rest, which is spot on) staggered, split, and (wishfully) tentable, 4+ thumb cluster. That being said, if I were in the market for around this layout, I'd be all over your design. I think you nailed it. I especially like what you did with the arrow keys, in that they don't stand out from the rest of the keys so you can get creative in that area easier. Around this form factor pretty much everyone (I never had a <9" where it didn't drive me nuts) somehow seem to mess up the arrow keys so props. If you'd be able to offer even more enthusiast-targeted layout variations than iso/ansi (which is already neat) that could get really interesting, I think. You'd surely build brand fast. But I also see how that could be unfeasible while keeping price within range for the non-hardcore. Things like that I think it comes down a lot to what market niche and scale you're aiming for. I can see how this could go well as-is in a Kickstarter. EDIT: Oh, one thing actually: I'd consider adding a dongle option. Bluetooth can be a hassle at times and a verified compatible reliable (be it BT or some other protocol) plug that Just Works whatever is running on the host is great. So I don't have to scramble for a cable to get into the boot menu.
• gherkinnn 4y ago
  This looks fab! All I want from a keyboard and the industrial design is gorgeous.
• tdrgabi 4y ago
  Looks great. What tool did you use to get the stunning 3d renderings?
  • DaviNunes 4y ago
    I'm interested in knowing as well!
  • aemerson_ 4y ago
    The 3d renderings are all created in Keyshot. The model was created in Fusion 360. I am fairly new to both and found them both reasonably intuitive.
• boesboes 4y ago
  Love the design in general, nice and understated. I'm not sold on the typograhy for the numbers, it seems a bit overdone. The rotary encoder seems a bit pointless, I wouldn't know what to use it for other then volume perhaps? Could the aluminium base be replaced with more of the recycled plastics? If you are going for sustainable, that seems more sustainable then milling one of the more energy intensive materials we have, even if it recyclable. If I spend a lot on such a nice keyboard, I would hope it lasts long enough that recyclability is not the most significant. ( Disclaimer: that is 100% based on assumptions about materials etc).
  • ebastler 4y ago
    Encoders are pretty nice for volume and screen brightness, and if you are working with some specific software you could in theory remap them to other random stuff like scroll through a video editor timeline. My usecase is limited to volume/screen brightness.
  • aemerson_ 4y ago
    I have mainly been using the rotary encoder for volume, yes. I have to say it does _feel_ very nice though, much more satisfying than changing volume with vol up/down media keys. I tested out using the encoder for other things like zoom in/out but I haven't found anything where it felt more useful than volume. In regards to the case, the aluminium case gives the device a reassuring heft. My preference would be to make it out of some % of recycled aluminium but this is proving hard to source in low volumes.
    • boesboes 4y ago
      Yeah, that makes sense. Feeling nice is a large part of such a premium product. And it's in the right spot. I had a nice logitech kb once, it had a bigger rotary encoder next to the ESC key that I turned a little whenever I tried to hit ESC. As a vim user, that was not ideal. Especially when it was mapped to the task switcher. Heft is a good point, I hadn't considered that.
  • mongol 4y ago
    Are there any special keyboards, with only rotary encoders, to supplement a regular keyboard? Could be cool to adjust volume, colors, text size, scroll position and whatever is possible.
• antics9 4y ago
  Beautiful work and aesthetics! Please design a keyboard that one can reprogram the keys directly on the hardware (caps to ctrl and the like). Also where you can program macros and save them into profiles. That way, emacs keys would work everywhere.
• mihaaly 4y ago
  Excellenet! The only huge space for improvement is to find very ugly letters that match or even outpace the elevated ugliness level of the numeric buttons. If that even possible.
• ricokatayama 4y ago
  it looks like if teenage engineering created a keyboard. great job
• MattRix 4y ago
  It looks like Teenage Engineering made a keyboard… which is not really a bad thing.
  • nih0 4y ago
    that was my first thought too, looks pretty great
• anotheryou 4y ago
  Hi, looks amazing! I want to love the kaihl low profile chocs, but after testing the brown ones I still prefer rubber dome. Did you have the chance to try the new sunset ones? From what I read I'd give them another chance (https://splitkb.com/products/sunset-kailh-low-profile-choc-switches https://splitkb.com/products/sunset-kailh-low-profile-choc-s...) also any chance for a future ortho version?
  • aemerson_ 4y ago
    I have not tested the Kailh sunset switches but I'll check them out.
• nxdmum 4y ago
  I'll state my requirements - for anyone interested in meeting them: I have an OLKB preonic. And I used QMK to significantly modify my layout. I started out with the modified Colemak - but the re-arranged the keys to move keys which require the index finger to move to the side - on the QWERTY that would for example be G and H . I moved B and K forexample where Z and X are on the Qwerty - and moved Z and X to the number row. The numbers itself appear as a layer when i need them. Peter Norvig has an article called mayzner : https://norvig.com/mayzner.html https://norvig.com/mayzner.html - i wrote a program to analyse the frequency of bigrams/trigrams, 4-grams and then programmed them as shortcuts to the keys - using the lower / raise This means i can type conversation as : con ver sa tion - where con is a trigram , ver is a trigram and tion is a 4-gram. s and a need to be typed out. my needs : 1. MCU should have more ROM for writing the new preonic has 64KB. 2. Columnar layout - Split keyboard would be ideal. Reasons for more ROM - you can program a lot more common words in it and Columnar layout would be easier on the fingers. I've checked out a lot of keyboards - The Iris is good - but the ROM is only 32Kb. The Moonlander is too expensive for me - i cant justify the price to myself right now.
  • thegeomaster 4y ago
    What typing speed do you get with this approach?
    • nxdmum 4y ago
      I was consistently hitting 40-50 on MonkeyType - but while transporting the keyboard - i damaged it a bit. so now out of touch. I was practising about 20 mins every day for about 50 days - with misses on days when i had a lot of work. But i know that my speed would increase. Now when i see words - i can see the trigrams and I can visually break them down. I am confident i would be able to reach 70 if i practice more. The main issue is that my speed (40-50) feels so slow that in my day to day - I used Qwerty and had not fully switched over.
      • thegeomaster 4y ago
        Interesting. To me, even 70 sounds quite low compared to the effort involved, and probably more mentally taxing. Out of curiosity, what is your motivation behind the experiment?
• memetomancer 4y ago
  Positive Feedback: I quit like the tight, minimal look. the variation in key heights and the concave number row keys seem like excellent positioning features. Honestly, I've used so many keyboards in my time that I'd be quite happy to adapt to this layout and give it a go. It would look great along with my minimalist tower. Questions: Does it have feet to provide tilt? It was unclear from the website, but as best I could make out it does not, only lays flat on the desk. Is it backlit? I would assume 'no' since it isn't mentioned, but the picture of the low profile switches made me second guess, and backlit keys are fairly standard these days. Are the low profile switches pluggable? I haven't checked in detail but I imagine that manufacturer makes something like blue and brown variants of that switch and I like to have different switches in some places, would be nice to swap out without busting out the soldering iron. Can the bluetooth module be (truly) disabled or deleted? It could be considered a security issue. I would prefer to avoid bluetooth in a desktop setting. Otherwise, thanks for posting, this looks pretty sweet. I've signed up under the waiting list.
• speedgoose 4y ago
  Looks very inspired by the Teenage Engineering OP-1. Hopefully it’s as fun.
• bambax 4y ago
  Nice design (although personally I need a numpad). But why does it require Windows 10??
• Semaphor 4y ago
  a) Wow, this looks amazing, despite me having no need for wireless or interest in a small keyboard. b) Wait, there are low profile mechanical switches? I always thought mechanical keyboards were impossible for me as I far prefer flat keys than the giant keys with gaping valleys between them. But apparently that’s not necessarily the case? Now I want to try one out.
• acoye 4y ago
  Yup that's a Teenage Engineering OP1 designed to look like a keyboard :D
• student2k 4y ago
  nice one but why not split? game changer for me.
• prodent 4y ago
  > Apple MacOS 12 (Monteray) Monterey fyi
  • aemerson_ 4y ago
    Oops, I'll fix that shortly.
• thegeekpirate 4y ago
  This is the first time I've gotten a real headache by looking at a website, and I'm assuming the culprit was too much movement mixed with only a couple hours of sleep. Make sure the spin on the 360 view is user-controllable, and get rid of the marquees. A hover animation on the sections would only be expected if they're interactive. Text is needlessly large. Everyone else has covered my qualms about the keyboard itself, but I'm legitimately not a fan of anything besides it being USB-C and made of aluminium, so I'm clearly not in the target market (I'm happy with my Model M and Das Ultimate) =b Best of luck!
• smcleod 4y ago
  Nice graphics but gosh this website very hard to read!
• worldmerge 4y ago
  I really like this and love your website design. I’ve signed up for updates. Looking forward to buying it. Edit: if you are interested in ever doing a webar thing, check out modelviewer js. If you want help with it let me know.
• Readywater 4y ago
  Love it. Now give me a columnar layout.
• demarq 4y ago
  Amazing website and the quality of the keyboard looks exquisite. Not sure how I feel about a coiled c-c cable. That might be too hardcore for me. All in all, great design!
• ikeserbestian 4y ago
  Nice, I'm fond of the spectacular and meticulous designs. Subscribed to the mail list and hoping to get at least two finished product (I'll probably buy both UK and US layout). Aesthetics resembles me a mix of Apple and Sinclair (especially Sinclair QL), two of my favourite design perspectives with a breeze of eighties. Linear switches another plus point for me. Maybe a different font for alphabetic keys would be nice and consistent with design, font of numerical keys is very good and maybe a good candidate for alphabetics too, nice typewriter era lines. Other than these; recycled materials, aluminium monobody, low-profile keys, etc. nice touches for me. I'm sold. :-) I hope all goes well!
• hnarn 4y ago
  From a design perspective, it irks me that the numbers are so much larger than the letters. Why? This would seem to indicate that the numbers are somehow more important which doesn’t make any sense to me.
• minimaul 4y ago
  It's a very artistic website, but it's awful for getting a good look at the actual product - you do not have a single static shot showing the whole keyboard in a size that means I can get a grasp for what it looks like at 1920x1200. edit: in fact, you have better shots of the keyswitches you're using and your theoretical recycled bottle than you do of the keyboard itself. It's baffling.
  • aemerson_ 4y ago
    Haha thank you for the feedback, and noted! I will look to add some static shots of the board.
• mrdrqr 4y ago
  How is that rotary encoder low profile?
  • numlock86 4y ago
    That was my first thought as well ... also I wouldn't call 15mm (excluding the rotary) a "low profile" USP for a keyboard in 2022 anyway. The generic wireless Logitech MX I am writing this on is thinner than that.
• skizm 4y ago
  Am I crazy, or missing something? I can't find any static images of the actual keyboard's front, rear, and side angles. They're all spinning or moving. Hard to get a good look. There's one image labeled "Layout" but the image itself is pretty small and I can't get a good look at the individual keys.
• seanbarry 4y ago
  There's a lot of criticism in the comments here, some of it feels very negative. I can imagine reading it as the OP is quite demoralising. Personally I think what the OP has achieved is very impressive. The design looks beautiful, and there's a very "Apple-esque" feel to the website. I love that sustainability has been made a requirement as part of the design. I think some of the other comments give good feedback about the website, the most important of which is that some more photos with the entire keyboard in the context it's used (maybe sitting in front of an iMac) would be really to understand its actual size. Well done though OP - I like this a lot.
  • MetaWhirledPeas 4y ago
    Yeah it's pretty amazing looking really. I have different personal preferences but I'm not blind to the aesthetics of this thing. It also seems like it would have a nice solid feel, and I like that knob design a lot.
  • ajross 4y ago
    The problem is that these things are deeply personal. And this one is really, really close to what I'd want myself. Yet... I still wouldn't buy it. Here's what I'm using right now (actually I have the wireless version which they recently stopped producing): https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/accessories-and-software/keyboards-and-mice/keyboards/4y40x49493?orgRef=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.google.com%252F https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/accessories-and-software/keyb... But I couldn't deal without the trackpoint, which I use regularly for simple mouse actions even when I have a mouse just inches away. Also my right pinky actuates the emacs "meta" key using the key immediately below "/" (it's the RCtrl on the Lenovo), and on the Altar I that key is offset from the row above, which would be a muscle memory collision[1]. And there are no volume control keys mapped, which I find I use very regularly in the post-pandemic world of constant online meetings. (But it does have display backlight buttons? Why?! You don't use external keyboards with laptops. Seems like a weird choice.) (Also, a nitpick: the backspace key on the US layout is marked "del" on the keycap. I REALLY hope this is a typo and that the key doesn't send Delete instead of BS when pressed!) Beyond that though, this really does look great, and if I wasn't wedded to the thinkpad keyboard I'd definitely consider it. But... I'm a really small market, and even I'm not quite onboard. [1] And this is the primary reason why I've stuck with Thinkpads for more than a decade. This isn't a standard key position, but Thinkpads (not even Lenovo generically, most of their other keyboards mess this up) do it best for what I want.
• what-imright 4y ago
  Really nice especially the moulded keys, but two eyesores, the logo and the whatever knob in the top right. You’re never going to be able to slip that into a bag with the knob sticking out. And nobody uses those. Well nobody that can pay $120 for a keyboard. As for the logo, that’s a vanity thing. I know you’re very proud of making the product but if you put a stupid logo on front it kills the minimalist vibe and reduces the practical low key expensive style to just another “RBG in the next model haxxors”. It’s a keyboard, let it be a keyboard, with a simple model number, and add your brand logo to the back of the device. Let the product sell itself. Uh-ho just looked again and saw it was made in the uk. never buying it
  • Hendrikto 4y ago
    Counterpoint: I like the knob snd it‘s design, and I would definitely have multiple use cases for it. I agree that it makes the keyboard less portable though.
    • what-imright 4y ago
      But it’s a portable keyboard, that’s the product. That’s the point, a slim fits in your bag portable bluetooth keyboard. The whole design is optimized based on that constraint. Then some nut comes along and says “hey you know what would make this stand out?” a big orange knob. See this is why you can’t take the english seriously in technology design. they have no clue
  • ARandomerDude 4y ago
    > Uh-ho just looked again and saw it was made in the uk. never buying it Why not?
    • what-imright 4y ago
      London isn’t a technology hub and that they put made in london to imitate Apple made in California, is pretentious to the nth degree, and that’s exactly how I see the english. they don’t make shit, and what little they do design comes with fireworks and their national gd anthem. And nobody bring up ARM, because the ARM of today was designed in Japan, not the uk
• jdamon96 4y ago
  Incredible website - congrats on launching
• peace4all 4y ago
  I like it being low-profile. That's why I didn't buy ErgoDox. So all the best wishes to the author. But there are some tradeoffs why I probably not buy it. 1) I'd suggest a column of home/page up/page down/end (top to bottom in this order) on the right side, like some laptop makers do. They're very convenient. That's absolutely necessary for text editing or navigating in various windows. (Sure one can use combos, but then you must stick to the keyboard all the time.) Del/backspace probably also should be different keys. 2) Missing menu key also requires you to take mouse sometimes. Laptops can get away with touchpad. But with the minimal keyboard, that requires user to hold it more and use combos, you must leave the keyboard and take a mouse to open a context menu. A general philosophical question (not a negative comment to this particular keyboard): do we really still need key rows to be shifted 1/4 of width, because keys needed arms underneath in the late 19th century?
  • tsuujin 4y ago
    I use a custom built corne keyboard which staggers the columns based on finger length, but not the rows. I don’t think I will ever go back to a standard layout keyboard after having used this for a few months. https://imgur.com/a/kEEIRhf https://imgur.com/a/kEEIRhf to help visualize.
    • cantSpellSober 4y ago
      Cool, how'd you get started? Something like this still accurate? https://www.reddit.com/r/crkbd/comments/esv3i8/guide_corne_diy_kit/ https://www.reddit.com/r/crkbd/comments/esv3i8/guide_corne_d...
      • ProZsolt 4y ago
        Yes, I built my Corne using that. If you won't like to source all the components yourself there are vendors who happy to sell you kits, but you can make 3-5 keyboards for that amount of money. I suggest to use the Miryoku[1] layout. [1]: https://github.com/manna-harbour/miryoku https://github.com/manna-harbour/miryoku
  • 4y ago
• Hendrikto 4y ago
  I love the idea and design, but I hate the placement of the Control and Function keys. I guess it is nice for the people used to the Mac keyboard layout, but it is really not for me. Did you consider an option for a more ”traditional“ layout?
• taubek 4y ago
  Design is beautiful. At same time it has some retro styling, and it is also futuristic. It reminds me of ZX spectrum. I like the ret switch. Good luck with production! I hope that I'll see it in person one day.
• shreddit 4y ago
  I really love the design. The rotary encoder reminds me of the playdate and it would be awesome to have a “real” volume control for once.
• bluenotebo0k 4y ago
  Is it just me who has no idea what a "rotary encoder" does?
  • cdubzzz 4y ago
    I also had not heard of this — https://keyboardsexpert.com/rotary-encoder-knobs-guide/ https://keyboardsexpert.com/rotary-encoder-knobs-guide/
• juliend2 4y ago
  I love your use of typography on the design. (Yes, even the digits row.) The general design is audacious. It kinda reminds me of the retro-looking IBM computers (AS/400 series) Super exciting product. Good luck!
• beardsciences 4y ago
  I really like the design of this - including the number row.
• tunnuz 4y ago
  I love the website and am attracted to the keyboard. It looks really beautiful and carefully crafted. I'd love to try it.
• dtjb 4y ago
  Congrats on the launch. I love the rotary dial. I love the typographic choices. I love everything about this except the printed logo. Signed up for the waitlist. I'm interested in the pricing.
• amrox 4y ago
  Beautiful. I have a couple of the NuPhy [1] keyboards so I'm definitely in the target market. The Rotary Encoder is a dealbreaker for me though. I want something slender that I can easily slip into a case or backpack. If it was optional, you'd have a customer! [1] https://nuphy.com https://nuphy.com
• swayvil 4y ago
  This is the most pro thing I ever saw. Excellent site too. Good job.
• philistine 4y ago
  It’s very impressive, but you’re in a crowded market. If I have one piece of advice, it’s go international if you’re having sale problems. No one is really selling anything but US keyboards. I had to resort to custom designed keys to get a Canadian Multilingual.
• stavros 4y ago
  This is really impressive, well done. I love the design, how premium it looks, and the site itself. Really amazing work, I'm blown away. Well done.
• jordemort 4y ago
  The biggest disadvantage to switching to a split keyboard is seeing neat things like this come out, and then hearing my wrists say "it's too bad we're never letting you go back." I even have to travel with the damn thing now, if I'm planning on doing any serious coding...
  • whiskey14 4y ago
    I feel your pain. I would pay a lot of money for a portable low profile split kb with good trackball. Maintaining my own is fun but a bit onerous
  • akpa1 4y ago
    It's the same here. As much as I'd love to go and use a keyboard like the one shown here, my split ortholinear board has done my wrists and shoulders a world of good. It's so much more comfortable than using any other standard keyboard.
    • therealdrag0 4y ago
      Which keyboard are you using?
      • crimsoneer 4y ago
        I use a moonlander and am never going back
        • therealdrag0 4y ago
          Back to what tho? That could change the meaning a lot :)
      • akpa1 4y ago
        I use a Let's Split kit that I assembled with Momoka Frog switches (linear, ~55g). https://imgur.com/a/dqjyB3O https://imgur.com/a/dqjyB3O
      • metabagel 4y ago
• dom96 4y ago
  Amazing job! The keyboard looks great. I have a couple of question for you regarding how you built the prototype and how you are planning to manufacture it. I am building something much less ambitious but also a hardware project and could really use some answers to these questions. * How did you get the CE compliance? Did you literally just fork out a couple of grand and send the prototype to a lab to do it for you? * How does creating the prototype vs. getting manufacturing going look like? Did you create the aluminium body yourself in your garage, then started getting in touch with Chinese companies to see who could manufacture it? How did you find the contacts for these? If anyone else has tips for these kinds of things, I'd appreciate them also. The CE compliance in particular is quite daunting.
  • yeutterg 4y ago
    For many products, including electronics, CE can be self-certified [0]. This is different from other testing and labeling standards, such as UL. [0]: https://cemarking.net/ce-marking-knowledgebase/ce-self-certification/ https://cemarking.net/ce-marking-knowledgebase/ce-self-certi...
  • aemerson_ 4y ago
    As @yeutterg says below it is possible to self certify CE. For prototyping the body, I initially 3d printed it, then moved to 1 off cnc milling. For this I mostly used Geomiq (geomiq.com), which farms it out to various countries (mostly china from what I can tell), then they make it and send it to you. I plan to have the case manufactured in the UK — I found contacts for this because I happen to work in the automotive industry in the UK currently. The most difficult part of the case will be anodising which will require a lot of trial and error. For the plastics, they are all 3d printed for prototyping, and will be injection moulded in the UK for production. PCBs are printed in China for prototyping. Not sure where the production PCBs will come from yet. I can give you more detailed info if you'd like.
    • dom96 4y ago
      That's great! Thanks for the info, Geomiq looks brilliant. If you could go into more detail on the CE self certification that would be awesome. How did you figure out what testing you need to perform on the product to complete the self certification? The biggest source of confusion for me is this aspect of it. Sure I can self certify that all is good, but how can I be certain that I am not missing something that will get me into legal trouble? For my own project the biggest source of compliance is related to the ESP-32 that I am using (because of the WiFi/Bluetooth radio). Of course the boards I get from Amazon and Alibaba all have CE written on them, but how can I trust that? I read that the seller has to give CE certificates but they always seem to have a serial number that appears fake (there was some database that you can look them up in and they always fail to show up). I also read that putting together components that are all CE does not mean that the full product can be considered compliant. So in general it seems like a massive undertaking.
• m3kw9 4y ago
  The best thing you can do is to get ppl to review it because many won’t buy it without actually feeling it out once, but a good reviewer can give you a pretty good idea
  • toqy 4y ago
    I think it's fairly normal in the mech keyboard community to buy relatively expensive equipment without every having touched it and waiting a long while for it to arrive
• RektBoy 4y ago
  and it's bad :D
• AbraKdabra 4y ago
  Keyboard looks great but no insert-delete-home-end cluster means an instant no from me in any keyboard, how do you people move without those keys? I've cringed enough in my life seeing people pressing the arrow keys and waiting 5-20 seconds while the cursor traverse an entire phrase/paragraph.
  • rewgs 4y ago
    Mac users don’t need them. Not sure about Insert, but Cmd+backspace, Cmd+up or left arrow, Cmd+down or right arrow give you delete/home/end respectively. Alt+up/down arrow gives you page up/down.
    • AbraKdabra 4y ago
      The fact that you don't need them doesn't mean everyone else doesn't use them, also, how do you know what every Mac user thinks? Also you know there are other OSs around don't you?
    • silon42 4y ago
      When I've used a Mac, I've used them (external keyboard, the laptop one is useless for me).
  • waaveshine 4y ago
    Emacs shortcuts are universal in macOS and much more convenient than home/end/delete/etc in my opinion.
    • AbraKdabra 4y ago
      That's oddly specific and doesn't solve the real problem. Also there is a world outside Emacs and macOS, like a ton of other applications and OS.
• harel 4y ago
  It's a beautiful keyboard, no doubt, and I'm sure a lot of care and thought went into making it. For me, having no page up/down buttons (and you do have space for them), is a deal breaker. I can forgive the weird mac-like squiggle button on the top left although it's completely useless to me (and most people I assume), but not the lack of Page Up/Down. I actually use those.
  • reaperducer 4y ago
    Perhaps the rotary thing could be mapped to Page Up and Page Down. Then you could twist your way through a document with both speed and precision.
    • harel 4y ago
      Now that's a constructive idea. I still like my Page up and down though but that's not a bad idea either.
    • pmontra 4y ago
      I'm using ctrl pg up/down to move across tabs in my browser all day long. I can't see myself rotating a knob to do that. It's a very different movement and it's not discrete, too easy to move too far. I didn't notice all the missing important keys. ~ del pgup pgdown ins home end And cmd and opt have no place in a Windows or Linux machine. There should be alt and windows/super there. Seeing cmd and opt constantly remembers the owners that they are using a keyboard for Macs. Maybe they'll build one for Windows and Linux if they'll be successful at selling this one.
  • antiterra 4y ago
    There’s nothing discernibly mac like about the squiggle button, it’s a section sign: §. I think tilde is used more often for sure, but § is particularly common in legal applications.
    • harel 4y ago
      There is everything mac about it. It's on every mac keyboard, and only on hybrid external keyboards catering for pc and mac users. Never understood why they add THIS button but not page up/down.
• tomashubelbauer 4y ago
  This looks like it was made by Teenage Engineering! I really love the look. Excellent work. Subscribed to the newsletter.
• tommica 4y ago
  I'd love to test this! Looks nice
• mhrmsn 4y ago
  This looks really great, love the design and just signed up for future news. The dual connectivity is very useful and there doesn't seem to be to many keyboards supporting this (please correct me if I'm wrong). I currently have a Logitech MX Keys for that purpose, but I have been looking for a replacement for some time. A 75% version of this with PgUp/Dn/Pos1 etc. a flat dial/knob would actually be perfect - anything planned in that direction?
• reaperducer 4y ago
  I would love to get some feedback from the HN community Can you put a picture on the web site showing the entire keyboard without it moving? I'd like to look closely at the layout, but every image is either cropped or fleeting.
• pussitaja 4y ago
  looks insane. 100% cop this.
• b20000 4y ago
  looks really great, personally i think being able to use it with a cable is a must. i don’t care about bluetooth. the rotary is a great idea but if you only have one maybe make it so you can spin it with a finger instead of turning it. what did you use for modeling and rendering software and what did you use to create the website in terms of languages/frameworks etc?
• brianzelip 4y ago
  Beautiful. Nice marquee animation!
• kortex 4y ago
  Gorgeous. I love the bold choices. Website really pops. Clearly a lot of care went into this whole operation. Kudos on having two different layouts. Aluminum chassis is great. I don't travel with a keyboard often, but if I did, I'd be all over this. Being in the peanut gallery is fun, so I'm going to echo a few common points. - I love the dished keys. Would be a neat feel I think to do all keys like that - staggered is the past, ortho is the present and future - separate delete/backspace key is great (maybe fn-bksp can do this?) - I would give my left toe for a trackpoint on a low profile portable keyb. - I love the novelty/utility of the rotary encoder, but the high profile of the knob kind of defeats the low-profile. A jog wheel or knurled knob would be perfect - I like all of the font choices - in isolation. Yes even the numbers, which are getting some heat. What irks me is the inconsistency of the fonts. I count 3-5 distinct typefaces. It would be very iconic if you used the number font on all keys. It screams ART and makes it stand out from bog standard keycaps. - I know split is hard to engineer, but it's worth mentioning, because that would really knock this out of the atmosphere.
• samstave 4y ago
  I love how its called the "EMO AI" keyboard! -- Love the design - would really like to try it out, IMO - I hate when sites have no cost info. At least put a ball park price on the page. The only thing I see missing from the design is spill-proofing?
• turdnagel 4y ago
  Why does it require macOS 12? Is it going to require a driver?
  • joao 4y ago
    This requirement is weird. Not everyone upgrades to the latest macOS version and lots of people still prefer to run macOS 10.x.
• JusticeJuice 4y ago
  I love this. A lot of the things people dislike I love. Love the site, love the funky key shape, love the serifs, love the big rotary encoder. Subscribed.
  • aleksanb 4y ago
    I had the same reaction and am now also subscribed. - low profile, fantastic - not full size. Numpads only get in the way! - mechanical keys - rotary encoder. Useful for everything! Fl studio, moving pixels in vegas, audio knob etc. - i don’t mind the font, but perhaps a version without any typography would be nice. I hope they’ll ship to Norway.
• modernerd 4y ago
  - The keyboard looks beautiful. - Your website looks beautiful. - I immediately wanted to own one. I signed up for updates, but it would be good to get a feel for how far along you are in the design and production process.
• paledot 4y ago
  I want to hear more about what you expect the rotary encoder to be used for. You clearly put a lot of thought into making it happen, so - why? I feel like there must be some interesting use cases, but I'm drawing a blank.
  • deelowe 4y ago
    I don't get it. My minimal keyboards are for travel/mobile set ups. The whole point is to be able to throw it into a bag. This knob makes that impossible.
  • xd 4y ago
    Switching virtual screens jumps to mind for me.
    • Bud 4y ago
      A knob is not a particularly natural or efficient way to do that, however.
  • neitherboosh 4y ago
    I’m sure I’d use it as a physical volume knob
  • alecfreudenberg 4y ago
    Volume, Zoom, Digital Audio Production knobs, Video/Photoshop timeline or level controls, Gaming, Productivity macro (context switching, app switching, Brightness Anything that benefits from fine tuned 'back and forth' adjustments that settle on a value in a range. It's often more satisfying to have 'one motion' control of these functions rather than repeated 'up down' clicks to achieve a desired range. With a rotary, you can choose the velocity of the adjustment which you cannot do with discrete 'up and down' clicks other than through a 'hold' algorithm or rapid clicking.
    • cantSpellSober 4y ago
      Yep, imagine replacing a guitar's whammy bar with a rotary jog dial; not the same
• firstSpeaker 4y ago
  Any future plan to launch a split version of this?
• nXqd 4y ago
  it's nice to see a dedicated low profile keyboard maker. I would love to see if it improves typing speed as well as making typing easier for long time typer by design.
• sameg14 4y ago
  I love this keyboard! Looks really well designed and awesome to use. I signed up for the list and cant wait! Good job!
• throwingrocks 4y ago
  I feel like I'm the target customer here. I use macOS and exclusively use minimalistic keyboards. I like this a lot and would consider buying if the price point was right. The only change I would like to see is a smaller font size on the number keys. Congrats and good luck!
• tankaiji 4y ago
  Why is number row font emphasized? No space between F keys. It helps find the keys faster, for example, in debugging case. I’m happy with Fnatic mini streak keyboard so far.
  • deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
• bern4444 4y ago
  Wireless mechanical keyboards feel rare - this is awesome! I particularly love the ideals on the About page. "Everything is black" "Well paid workers. Good working conditions" This is a product where you can so clearly see the thought that went into it (partially because you tell us how much thought went into it) and it shows. Beautiful work and congratulations.
• keehun 4y ago
  I absolutely love this, and this the first mechanical keyboard I actually want to get. One option I hope you will provide--that I hope is easy enough that you would actually consider--is to provide a key cap set that is completely blank, or is very minimal. I don't need anything printed on my keyboard, and I would prefer to not see such a gorgeous keyboard with all that white printed on it, especially the number caps.
• kradeelav 4y ago
  Oh I absolutely love the font choices and numbers as a designer - wish more boutique mechanical creators would get creative there more frequently. The knobs are quite handsome too. Immediately subscribed to the mailing list ... Thank you for sharing and I hope to see more eventually. :)
• hjnilsson 4y ago
  Looks very nice! Does the keyboard act as a wired keyboard if hooked up by usb-c? Asking because I would be using it with a KVM-style switch.
• wishinghand 4y ago
  Looks great, and it's a huge achievement to design something so sleek and alluring like this. Bravo on including an encoder. I would be interested in buying, but I can't ever go back to a staggered layout. Even straight but ortholinear boards are a strain. Something like the Keyboardio Atreus with an extra column on the sides would be ideal- small enough to travel with, enough keys to not need a huge amount of layers.
• deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
• ivanjermakov 4y ago
  Low profile ergonomic mechanical keyboard is a pretty deep hole to dive into. You can design your own PCB, order it from manufacturer and build the exact keyboard you want (split, wireless, with knobs, any form and key count). It is not for everyone and might require soldering, but possibilities are endless. Additional resources: - r/ErgoMechBoards: https://www.reddit.com/r/ErgoMechKeyboards/ https://www.reddit.com/r/ErgoMechKeyboards/ - Low Profile Discord: https://discord.com/invite/dBSRZ2a https://discord.com/invite/dBSRZ2a - Collection of split low profile mechanical keyboards: https://kbd.news/tag/low-profile/ https://kbd.news/tag/low-profile/ - "A Tiny, Ultra-Affordable Keyboard You Can Build Yourself!" video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqpBKuEVinw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqpBKuEVinw
  • reckter 4y ago
    Do you have a new invite link for the Discord, this one is "invalid" according to Discord! Thx! :D
    • valtism 4y ago
      https://discord.gg/69UM9sQF8q https://discord.gg/69UM9sQF8q
  • Sugimot0 4y ago
    I had to scroll so far to see this comment! Glad to see someone mentioned r/ergomechkeyboards and even the lowpro discord! I was really surprised there wasn't more mention of either here since there's much more low-pro / minimal ergo designs out there. I think anybody interested in a low pro, minimal, ergo design, with great build quality should checkout the corneish zen. I'm really happy I got in on the last round and I cant wait for my 3x5 to come in with LDSA caps and the new tactile sunset switches. Darryl at LowProKB is a mad scientist. https://lowprokb.ca/products/corne-ish-zen https://lowprokb.ca/products/corne-ish-zen
    • ivanjermakov 4y ago
      Indeed. By the post title I hoped to see link to something like Ferris Sweep github page with open source PCB and QMK/ZMK configuration. I was disappointed that traction was gained by (subjectively) horrible row-stagger layout on a non-split board without extensive configuration capabilities. Regarding lowprokb's corne it is worth mentioning that $320 for board is a lot in a low profile community. If one capable of soldering board by themself you can get pretty much any layout under $150 (for USB version, BLE MCUs are a little more expensive). Price list would look something like this (shipping included): - $20: x2 ProMicro (type C version exists on Aliexpress) microcontroller - $50: x5 JLCPCB PCB print (you cannot order less than 5 PCBs so you'll have spare parts) - $30: x50 Kailh low profile switch (you might need less that that) - $50: x50 MBK low profile keycaps -~$150: Total, excluding soldering iron and consumables. Often low profile boards are caseless, meaning that PCB is open[0]. [0]: https://ik.imagekit.io/dkptz7znccj/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/IMG_0304-2-scaled-800x800.jpg https://ik.imagekit.io/dkptz7znccj/wp-content/uploads/2022/0...
• muhammadusman 4y ago
  Great job! This along with the WorkLouder boards really excites me in pushing forward in the mech keyboard scene. We have a ton of makers who are replicating stuff to make it cheaper but these projects are what will push the envelope on what is possible for keyboards.
• Larrikin 4y ago
  Am I weird in not understanding the reason someone would dedicate the space on their desk for a full size keyboard and be against the extra few inches for the numpad and the navigation keys? They've been missing from laptops for a while now, but the absence at least makes sense there. I see a lot of cool designs for keyboards (like this one), but they are usually Windows only and then also chop off the numpad and navigation keys.
• rtkwe 4y ago
  Aesthetically I dig it reminds me of teenage engineering's house style. Flat though I don't think is the best for ergos.
• jsperx 4y ago
  I have never owned a mechanical keyboard but have been curious —- this design looks very sharp. I like the sleek heft of my MX Keys, this seems like it would be an upgrade. I do have a small quibble about the website though: the use of “Kailh©” with the copyright symbol. The name is trademarked, so could be written KAILH or Kailh® but never the ©.
• dont__panic 4y ago
  I noticed that the audio control keys (back, play/pause, skip) and mute/unmute keys use different F keys on this keyboard (F9-F12) than they are on my keychron, external mac keyboards, and internal mac keyboard (F7-F10). This keyboard also lacks volume up/down controls. I wonder why? I understand the lack of backlight control (I don't think this keyboard has a backlight?) and leaving out mission control and expose since those keys have changed every few years in macOS. But volume control is a strange one to omit. Maybe that's what the "rotary encoder" does? This webpage does not make the purpose of the rotary clear, unfortunately. Moreover, it's strange to use different function keys for these functions for... no apparent reason. Especially if you're not going to put any primary function on F3-F8, why not stay consistent for muscle memory reasons? I'm also curious if this keyboard HAS to use bluetooth, or if it's capable of wired control via the usb-c cable like my keychron. I hate bluetooth lag, so that's a dealbreaker for me. This webpage should clarify. This keyboard looks pretty nice, otherwise. As someone who doesn't care to ever use page up/page down/home/end keys, I'll definitely check it out if something ever happens to my K2.
• monokai_nl 4y ago
  Minimal, well designed, lots of personality, and a bonus rotary quirk. This basically touches all my buttons, I've signed up for your updates.
• Night_Thastus 4y ago
  I'm so glad to see a low-profile mechanical. They feel like they're so rare in the MK community. The design of the keyboard itself looks beautiful. The material and component choice looks great as well! A couple minor things regarding the website: * It's super zoomed in for some reason/spacing could use some work * The "about" page is pretty barren when the text is shrunk to a more reasonable size (50%)
• easygenes 4y ago
  Any chance of using alternative switches? I am quite a fan of the very low activation linear keys. There are some 25g Kailh switches that would suit this. They are colloquially known as gChoc, originally light blue and produced on special request, they’re now pink.
• Dylovell 4y ago
  This looks beautiful! Slap a trackpoint in the middle and I will buy 3.
• mtzaldo 4y ago
  Nice! I subscribed to the waitinglist. I wish the price works for everyone :)
• JadoJodo 4y ago
  The style of this is great! I would definitely consider buying if it had either a Dvorak layout, or a blank key cap layout.
• inasmuch 4y ago
  This is the first qwerty mechanical keyboard I've seen with four keys to the left of the spacebar, properly mimicking a MacBook layout. I'm far from a connoisseur in the space, but I have done some serious looking. Thank you thank you thank you. As others have mentioned, the Teenage Engineering influence throughout is evident and welcome. I've long wished they would take a stab at an OP-1y TKL. While I don't love the typeface(s?) you've chosen for the keys, I respect your commitment to what I'm sure you knew would be a polarizing choice. Don't cut any corners in the manufacturing, please. I'll buy the shit out of this, even at a premium price.
  • inasmuch 4y ago
    I just noticed your typography section. Cool that you included that. I actually love GT Flexa in isolation (used it on a project just a few weeks ago!). Goes to show how different type can look in context. I think I just don't love particularly wide or narrow characters on keys.
    • aemerson_ 4y ago
      GT Flexa was super fun to work with. The numerals on Altar I are, as you can imagine, the widest and thinnest that Flexa would go! I also added a custom Egyptian "I", rather than the default "I" since it reads less like a lowercase "L".
  • cantSpellSober 4y ago
    > four keys to the left of the spacebar...thank you Hah, my gripe is that it is like this, instead of three keys. shrug
• jupp0r 4y ago
  It's awesome. I like lots of travel in my mechanical keyboards so this is not for me but I wish Apple was making those keyboards instead of the ones that look nice but feel shitty that they end up selling for the last decade at least.
• voydik 4y ago
  I dig this, and screw the criticism. I love the Apple-ness. Cool website and beautiful product. This is like the most HN thing ever — I mean that in the best way possible.
  • deleted 4y ago
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• kwanbix 4y ago
  I wish they could add a trackpoint to it.
• altairprime 4y ago
  Thank you for trying to enter this market. I’ve been using Apple thin keyboards for years because nothing else comes close in key travel terms while still being Mac-compatible. Yours looks like a serious option. I’m so grateful this exists and I look forward to trying it out.
• nithayakumar 4y ago
  I've tried so many MKs. This one is almost perfect. I don't like the big digits in the number row but can live with it. But I need more tactile switches :) Looking forward to the release
• interleave 4y ago
  This looks fantastic! A thought-experiment that may interest you coming from someone (me) who already has happily spent several hundreds of dollars on mechanical keyboards and uses them every single day: Let's imagine the keyboard could be bought today as-is with a simple "Buy Now" button and price was no concern. The two main reasons I would _still_ hesitate to hit that button are: 1. I absolutely and undoubtedly need to know what it SOUNDS and FEELS like. Is it linear, tactile, clicky? How much? I turned my speakers to max because I assumed you'd have some audio-track running but to no avail. Did I miss something? 2. I wish there was a 'blank' version with zero typography anywhere. Just all black. I touch-type and have not looked at my keyboard in 15 years.
  • aemerson_ 4y ago
    Agreed, acoustics are SO important. Once I am happy with how the prototype sounds I will update the website with a typing text.
    • interleave 4y ago
      Fantastic, yes, thank you in advance. I can't imagine the work that already went into the design. Anecdotally, I love that low, guttural 'clŪCK' sound that Cherry MX Clears make.
  • bravoetch 4y ago
    The site describes the switches as similar to reds. Linear, no tactile bump, silent.
    • interleave 4y ago
      Thank so much, that covers the feel – I wish there was sound ;)
      • ghostbrainalpha 4y ago
        Changing out to your preferred switches with the sound and pressure you want is pretty easy with mechanical keyboards. You just need to make sure and get low profile ones to go with this board. I suggest dropping $20 on a sample pack to find your perfect switch. They are also great to keep on your desk to fidget with. https://drop.com/buy/assorted-mechanical-mx-switches-sampler-pack https://drop.com/buy/assorted-mechanical-mx-switches-sampler...
• jdlyga 4y ago
  Wow, this is exactly what I've been looking for. I always loved scissor switch keyboards over mechanical keyboards because of the much lower profile / lower travel. But only a few keyboards like the HP Wireless Elite V2 and Logitech MX Keys have a tactile feel since the rest are mushy. So more mechanical keyboards like this are definitely welcome!
• SubuSS 4y ago
  Can you make a blank one please?
• z9znz 4y ago
  This looks SO nice. The different key surface shapes are something that's missing from most keyboards. I created a very ugly but more usable Moonlander Mk1 by changing out several of the keycaps with other shaped caps from different sets. It makes a world of difference in being able to touch type, especially since my fingers are not super long (and I have to move my hand a little to reach some keys). It's funny, the aesthetic of this ElectronicMaterials keyboard reminds me of Teenage Engineering. I always wished TE would get into keyboards... People (myself included, and probably many on HN) will pay a lot for a premium keyboard. This is especially true for those of us who type enough that we start having hand/arm problems. It's a quality of life matter, and spending several hundred or more is reasonable if the benefits are there. (Not all expensive keyboards provide real benefits worthy of their price.)
• MR4D 4y ago
  Great work -- would love to see more about the process you went through to get to the end product.
• rglover 4y ago
  This is beyond cool! Kudos on the site design/presentation. Excited to (hopefully) pick one up.
• tonymet 4y ago
  i like the design motif similar to 80s walkman and Braun appliances . let’s bring that back
• bborud 4y ago
  That thing is so pretty that unless it is obscenely expensive I'd buy it for the interesting looks alone. If it works for me: all the better.
• artur_makly 4y ago
  huge congrats!! shipping hardware is not for the faint of heart. props.
• throw10920 4y ago
  Pros: looks great, aluminum body, real mechanical (but low-profile) switches, and the knob, bluetooth, and USB-C are awesome. Cons: not very ergonomic. (compared to e.g. squeezebox or dactyl-manuform) Not the keyboard for me, sure, but still a great product!
• archi42 4y ago
  Nice job! I did start on my own PCBs for a wireless split with all the nice stuff and dang, it's really not that easy. I gave up at 80% done because someone else did a very similar design (except wireless), plus the necessary stuff like plates. Then the case, the keycaps and all the other logistics; impressive! Feedback: I think hotswap is a great idea (not sure if feasible with low profile) because it can cater to different preferences (I'm looking forward to use silent tactile). Also split always seemed very nice when I tried it, especially while standing. Looks are good. However, as someone using that thing often for 12h a day, I care much more about how it feels
• egypturnash 4y ago
  Those giant numbers in a different font from the numbers on the f-keys sure are a choice you made.
• soheil 4y ago
  A lot of mechanical keyboards look incredible but once they arrive in the mail they're complete garbage when it comes to tactile feedback and general feel and usability of the keys. I'd say that's 80% of what makes a good keyboard. Crossing my fingers on this one (well at least until the keyboard arrives and need them to type on it).
• derefr 4y ago
  Aw, the orange part is just a rotary encoder. And here I thought they had finally given a computer an ignition switch. :)
• iosystem 4y ago
  I'm curious how you chose both the font style and font size. I would've preferred something else for both is my first impression. Did you sample preferences from people? Very impressive project.
• bogantech 4y ago
  Great keyboard, horrible website. I want to see the keyboard not some animated gifs and marquees like it's 1996
• iamleppert 4y ago
  What's the point of all the effort of having it be low profile when there's a giant rotary control knob sticking out?
  • NavinF 4y ago
    IMO the main benefit of low profile is low latency: https://danluu.com/keyboard-latency/ https://danluu.com/keyboard-latency/ > Note that, unlike the other measurement I was able to find online, this measurement was from the start of the keypress instead of the switch activation. This is because, as a human, you don't activate the switch, you press the key. A measurement that starts from switch activiation time misses this large component to latency. If, for example, you're playing a game and you switch from moving forward to moving backwards when you see something happen, you have pay the cost of the key movement, which is different for different keyboards. A common response to this is that "real" gamers will preload keys so that they don't have to pay the key travel cost, but if you go around with a high speed camera and look at how people actually use their keyboards, the fraction of keypresses that are significantly preloaded is basically zero even when you look at gamers.
• kiririn 4y ago
  Does it have 1000hz polling? NKRO? I got bitten by buying a non-gaming mechanical keyboard, thinking that for office/coding use gaming features were unnecessary. If I type my password at natural high speed, it nearly always transposes letters due to not refreshing fast enough. No such issues on a 1000hz gaming mechanical board
  • ebastler 4y ago
• guywithahat 4y ago
  Out of curiosity why did you use Chinese and not the more popular German (Cherry MX) switches considering the rest of the board was assembled in the UK? Really cool keyboard though, looks great!
  • teolandon 4y ago
    The Kailh low profile switches are better than the Cherry low profile switches.
    • interleave 4y ago
      Good to know. How would you describe the difference?
• khanan 4y ago
• imwillofficial 4y ago
  Shut up and take my money
• _Microft 4y ago
  How does the rotary encoder identify itself to the OS? As a scroll wheel?
• TheRealPomax 4y ago
  Really wish people remembered to put USB pass-through on their keyboards though. If I need a small form factor keyboard, it's gonna be a good bet the number of USB ports available is at a premium and chaining will make life so much better. Depending on what I'm doing, I'm going to need the zero latency of a cable (like using my keyboard with FL studio to make some music, for which Bluetooth latency -even the latest gen- is still way too high)
  • david422 4y ago
    I still like a wired mouse. This would be nice.
  • pdpi 4y ago
    A good point, but doesn't really apply to a bluetooth keyboard.
    • TheRealPomax 4y ago
      It does when it's also possible to use as a corded keyboard though. I'm not going to use Bluetooth if I have the option to cable (in part because "why would I use wireless when I don't need to" but mostly because I'm also going to use it as a fake piano and even the latest generation of Bluetooth still has unacceptably high latency for virtual instrument feedback)
  • therealdrag0 4y ago
    I just upgraded from kinesis advantage to 2 and was bummed they removed the USB ports. My mouse got better wireless connection when plugged into keyboard than into laptop sitting back of desk.
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• maratc 4y ago
  I've been looking a lot at keyboards but have spent $0 on keyboards so far. This is the first keyboard I may actually consider buying. For a change, it looks like it has been designed by a person who actually digs typing. I don't care about clickyness, or what switches does it have. This keyboard is the first I've seen that has a design that will actually allow finding keys by touching and feeling them, not by looking at them. The difference in the shapes of the different key groups is huge for me. The only thing that I miss is the space around the reverse-T of the arrows. The space that Macbooks have around the arrows is not a "wasted space," it has a purpose: it allows me to position my fingers on the arrows just by touching and feeling. Maybe consider adopting the half-size of the arrows and leaving the left-shift where it should be. Another note: I don't use Windows much, but when I do, the key in the lower left corner is hard-wired in my muscle memory to Ctrl. Ctrl is the key that is used the most in Windows, so I often need to find it quick, in that corner. Maybe consider a Mac/Win switch (fn-control-option-command for Mac, Ctrl-Fn-Windows-Alt for Windows).
  • aemerson_ 4y ago
    Interesting point on the arrow keys. On Altar I you can "feel" the arrow area since the arrows are dished but the keys around it are raised.
• portlander52232 4y ago
  I love everything about it. I’d buy today except I’ll committed to split keyboards. They let me keep my shoulders back. If you ever make a versions that’s fully split (two halves that can be well-separated) and still non-ortho, even better if you can figure out how to wirelessly split… My only other feature request would be a USB port for a yubikey.
• pclark 4y ago
  I love this so much. I have about a dozen mech keebs, from Lyn Whale to Satisfaction75, to Kepler. It drives me nuts they are not bluetooth! I'd buy this instantly. BTW, I think surprisingly little overlap between hacker community and mechanical keyboard community.
• javier_e06 4y ago
  What is this rotary encoder you are talking about willis? Imagine an end to end functionality that when 2 users running this keyboard rotate the switch every keystroke between the 2 keyboards is an encrypted channel? Ooooh!
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• rvbissell 4y ago
  OP, I'd be interested in a blog that covers all your learnings about seeking out parts suppliers and manufacturers, and communicating with them to reach the finish line.
• dang 4y ago
  This is a cool project but there needs to be more than a signup page for it to qualify as a Show HN - please see https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html. We've taken "Show HN" out of the title now.
  • aemerson_ 4y ago
    Thanks @dang! Sorry about the confusion, I had not read the show hn rules in detail.
  • swamp40 4y ago
    I'm wondering if you shouldn't have different rules for hardware than for software? For instance, what if somebody told him Apple had patented indented buttons and he couldn't use them? I see lots of good improvement ideas here in the comments. Actually tooling up all these parts will cost him $100,000 before a single person can "try" one - so obviously he needs all the suggestions he can get before that stage. Or, maybe "Show HN" is just better suited for software?
    • pvg 4y ago
      The rules are slightly different for hardware in that readers aren't going to to be able to immediately try it like software, some essentially unique builds that nobody (statistically) is going to try come by sometimes, etc. A thing that doesn't yet exist can't be showhn, though. There's nothing stopping anyone from posting about unfinished things, they just can't be 'Show HN'.
    • dang 4y ago
      We do have different rules for hardware! - that's in the same document: https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html. There should still be more than a signup page though.
• triyambakam 4y ago
  Can anyone enlighten how you would go about producing something like this? How do I even meet a pcb designer? How would I the product made, contact someone on AliExpress?
• insane_dreamer 4y ago
  Quick thoughts in no particular order: - nice design, something I'd love to have sitting on my desk - like the raised look of some keys -- would have to try them out to see what it feels like - really like the look of the rotary dial, BUT having something stick out does make it harder to slip into a pouch/bag. Also, thinking about the ergonomics of that, you have to lift your hand, move it away from you into the right corner and do a twisting movement. Not a speedy enough action to get much use, IMO. A scroll-wheel would be easier. - pairing with 2 devices is great (essential these days) - split keyboard is a deal-breaker for me personally; helps avoid inflammation in my shoulders / wrists (I use a Logitech K860) - programmable f-keys? - backlight would be very helpful at least along the f-key row (even for touch typists) (edited/reformatted; can we get markdown in HN, please?)
  • thinkmassive 4y ago
    An easy solution for the rotary knob would be to include a second low-profile knob without the protruding finger-grab piece. This looks like a nice keyboard, but I have the same concern about slipping it into a bag. I’d try to 3D-print a flat replacement knob if it didn’t include one out of the box.
• divbzero 4y ago
  Sunken caps for the number keys are a great idea. When touch typing I would have confidence I’m not over-reaching for F1 F2 F3 or under-reaching for QWERTY.
• t-3 4y ago
  It looks amazing, but wireless keyboards really sketch me out, especially bluetooth. Can you force it wired for entering passwords and sensitive information?
• jonplackett 4y ago
  Love the design, and maybe even more so the website design.
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• rpmisms 4y ago
  Looks good! Two questions: Will you make an Ortholinear version, and Is it hotswappable? Looking forward to getting one.
• somenewaccount1 4y ago
  As with so many beautiful designs....if it were only ergonomic I would be in.
• ZeroGravitas 4y ago
  Seems there's been a real keyboard Renaissance recently. Is that just keyboards or is it the same in all niche manufacturing spaces that I'm less aware of?
• audessuscest 4y ago
  looks great but why numbers are so big ?
• sam0x17 4y ago
  What can I do with the rotary encoder thing? Not familiar... is it like a modulation input on midi keyboards?
• smrtinsert 4y ago
  Absolutely phenomenal.
• edfletcher_t137 4y ago
  TAKE MY MONEY Will there be a 10-key version?
• mrb 4y ago
  I love your keyboard at first sight. The placement of the keys is similar to some popular keyboards like Lenovo laptops (eg. from the bottom left: Fn, Ctrl, Opt/Win, Cmd/Alt, then the spacebar) , so it should be relatively easy to get used to given the strong muscle memory that typists have developed over time. Personally I would probably remap in software the right Opt key to a Ctrl key in order to imitate Lenovo laptops, as that's the hardware I'm used to. I think the placement of the up arrow to the right of the shift key is great, as they are normal-size keys. Lenovo gives the arrow keys standard width but only 3/4 height so they feel too small. The raised and sunk key shapes probably feels good in real life. Another way to get tactile feedback and know you fingers are in the right position. I subscribed to your waitlist, and plan to purchase one. Well done, thumbs up!
• the_other 4y ago
  Is it only me that wants a CTRL on the right as well as the left?
  • the_other 4y ago
    A week with no votes. I guess it is just me.
• perjes 4y ago
  I think it looks gorgeous! Signed up for the waiting list. It reminds me a lot of the OP-1 from Teenage Engineering [1]. 1: https://teenage.engineering/products/op-1 https://teenage.engineering/products/op-1
• cantSpellSober 4y ago
  Cool, congrats and thanks for sharing, we need more competition here 1. raised/indented keys will get dirty really fast, an option without would sell me 2. 2-device pairing is great, your competitors have 3 though 3. hot-swap keycaps would be a huge sell 4. nice typography, why isn't the logo in it? take off the logo 5. replace the empty area with home => end 6. 3 modifiers on the left, 3 right please! (not 4-left/2-right) 7. options for other keycap sets later? 8. dial is too tall, removable? swappable? jog dial? 9. love the giant esc key, L-shaped enter 10. esc keycap to replace caps would be awesome 11. show me a pic of the full cable/any more details here 12. what are the feet like? foam? rubber? adjustable height? 13. neat website but moves too much, show me a boring gallery of static images somewhere please 14. add clit mouse 15. sustainable material means something to me and makes me more want to buy, really! 16. don't add LEDs, i'd rather save money 17. lmk when it's ergo (cries in carpal tunnel)
  • jstummbillig 4y ago
  • DoingIsLearning 4y ago
    > 14. add clit mouse I've tried a lot of really nice mech keyboards but this is the one thing that makes me go back to my 'ThinkPad TrackPoint Keyboard II'. It's super nice to never have to leave home row and I definitely feel the relief in terms of RSI.
    • smoldesu 4y ago
      The Tex Shinobi is an excellent upgrade if you've got the cash. I've been using one for a few months now and absolutely adore the typing/tracking experience.
      • DoingIsLearning 4y ago
        Did not know about Tex, that is actually an amazing suggestion for my use-case. Considering the embarassing amount of money I spent on other mechanical keyboards this is definitely in the affordable category. What switches are you using? I am always afraid of the noise level with mech switches but I have used silent reds and they were ok for me noise wise.
• 0000011111 4y ago
  You have done what Apple has failed to do in the last 10 years! Back in the olden times of the early 21's century they made good mechanical keyboards with good tactile feel. Now they ship laptops with paper thin fragile keys. Thanks for design a great product to help fill the void. I look forward to buying one.
• d3fault 4y ago
  Looks extremely cool, I could see myself picking this up when it comes out to take to work with me. My only concern (like others) is the rotary dial. I like it, but it would be great if it was removable almost like how teenage engineering do the cranks for the OP-1 [0] [0] https://teenage.engineering/products/op-1/original/overview https://teenage.engineering/products/op-1/original/overview
• briantakita 4y ago
  Looks great. Would you consider making this Ortholinear? I used to use the TypeMatrix 2030 & loved it. The issues were it's durability, necessity of using skins, non-programmability, & it's usage scissor keys. I have since switched to the Ergodox EZ for home & Planck EZ for travel. The Planck is compact, durable, & programmable...however what's missing is an ortholinear programmable travel keyboard with a full assortment of keys & durable low-profile switches.
  • Fetiorin 4y ago
    You can DIY one with choc switches: https://boardsource.xyz/store/5ecb822386879c9a0c22db84 https://boardsource.xyz/store/5ecb822386879c9a0c22db84 https://www.littlekeyboards.com/products/naked60bmp-keyboard-kit https://www.littlekeyboards.com/products/naked60bmp-keyboard...
• pengaru 4y ago
  Give it a trackpoint and take my money. You've already got the thinkpad palette on a modern form factor, all that's missing is the central, red nipple.
• cloverich 4y ago
  This looks awesome. I just finished my search for a low profile mechanical keyboard last month; landed on the Nuphy 75 and my only complaint is i dont like the style, i much prefer the style you went for. Very happy to see more entrants into the low profile territory. Tangential: i really like the mac keyboard (laptop and magic) and while it took about a month of regular use, i now prefer my mechanical keyboard. I was skeptical i ever would.
• danbee 4y ago
  I love so much about this! A few thoughts: I love that it's a proper UK mac layout. This is so hard to find in the mechanical keyboard world. I'm not sure about the mix of key profiles. I'm sure you've tested it (or are testing it) but I think a version where every key had the same profile as the modifiers would be stellar. The rotary encoder is cool, but sticks out way too much. I'd buy a keyboard like this to be portable, and the encoder gets in the way of that. I'd love a ctrl keycap to replace the capslock as I always map that, but that wouldn't be a dealbreaker.
• tcfhgj 4y ago
  I want it without battery
• Lucasoato 4y ago
  Awesome web design, for real; the style fits the product perfectly!
• ilrwbwrkhv 4y ago
  UK is the place to be to still find some of the best artisan level handwork.
• LeanderK 4y ago
  The logo is too dominant and distracting for it to be beautiful imho. It also doesn't pair well with the typo for the keys.
• c4ptnjack 4y ago
  The font chosen for the numbers destroys my soul. It feels like someone from Jitterbug was hired to lead
• joeman1000 4y ago
  It looks nice. Teenage Engineering just wants to talk to you…
• Ferrotin 4y ago
  I hate that the main field of keys is flat. That is a big step down from anything with sculpted keys. I don’t think this is really trying to be a good keyboard. TBF that is a solved problem.
• birdyrooster 4y ago
  Has a very teenage engineering feel to it
• todd8 4y ago
  It looks really nice; the font is a great choice. However, I've got more keyboards than I really need that are very similar to the featured one, so I'm not interested. HN reader cantSpellSober makes a number of good suggestions, and I'll add one more. I would like more keyboards that let the thumbs do more work. The spacebars on Apple laptops are shorter, on my current Apple laptop the left end of the spacebar starts between the X and C key and extends to the boundary on the right between the M and the < key. This is much shorter than the keyboard in the featured article. This allows me the use the option and the command keys on each side of the keyboard with my thumbs. Its a bit awkward, but much better than almost all full sized keyboards with really long spacebars. The Moonlander, Kinesis Advantage, Keyboard.io, and the Truly Ergonomic Cleave keyboard all give the thumbs a few easy to use keys. These can generally be bound to Ctrl, Alt, Backspace, ESC or other keys commonly used when doing programming. I've got a number of these keyboards and I much prefer them. Just having a split spacebar would allow Vim or Emacs users a convenient leader key. One other point, I place very little value on media keys and analog value controls. I'm mostly typing while coding, adjusting volume isn't something I do except when playing games or creating media assets and even then it comes up very rarely.
• electic 4y ago
  Some quick feedback here. The knob for me is not needed but backlight would be nice. Overall, love it.
• sergsm 4y ago
  Looks very inconvinient
• nxdmum 4y ago
  What PCB design software did you use for the PCBs? KiCAD or did you go for something paid from Altium.
  • aemerson_ 4y ago
    It was indeed KiCAD.
• jerryjerryjerry 4y ago
  Sigh invite only :-( wondering when this fantastic keyboard goes public for sale...
• cmonnow 4y ago
• evnix 4y ago
  I wouldn't use this at all! Yeah it looks nice and may feel nice for the first 30 minutes and may fetch some nice compliments from the co-workers. but i would want a wide comfortable and ergonomic split keyboard instead, which won't push me to slouch and force my wide shoulders in an uncomfortable position for the next 8 hours. split keyboard and a trackball mouse are must these days with all kinds of wrist, shoulder and back pain problems.
• SeqDesign 4y ago
  WOW!! it looks amazing. best of luck.
• alex4242 4y ago
  Why are the numbers so big??
• ThrowawayR2 4y ago
  Kind of late but I'll add my 2 cents: - Kudos for including the function keys. As a person who really dislikes the chording required by keyboards without them, I applaud your decision to include them. - I'm curious as to how or whether this keyboard can have maintenance done to it? Given that this is likely not inexpensive, I would want to be able to replace key switches that fail. The same goes for the battery, which is likely to wear out sooner than the keys. - My own preference only but I generally have no need of Bluetooth keyboards, preferring a wired USB connection for reliability. I hope that they will consider a less expensive version that omits Bluetooth functionality. Aside from that, it looks like quite a promising product and I'll be looking forward to hearing about the price.
• arendtio 4y ago
  Recently, I bought Keychron K3 which seems to be a comparable devices. A key feature for me, are the F*-Keys, which are often not available in the small keyboard class. One thing that bothers me: The Keychron K3 doesn't have a dongle. So unless your computer has booted, you need the cable (e.g. hard disk decryption)... As far as I can see it, the Altar I has a similar design. To have a better cable experience I bought a magnetic usb-c cable [1] and wondered why they don't ship with such a cable, because I enjoy it so much. [1] Not exactly the the same model, but something similar: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71dPOUWPPxL._AC_SL1500_.jpg https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71dPOUWPPxL...
• antioppressor 4y ago
  Nice, but why ruin the overall looks with those oversized numbers? And why the overcrowded, too small control keys on the bottom left side? That in itself would make it a nightmare to be used for an extended time. Maybe leave the ones out from the right side and make the left ones the proper size. - maybe you can move the fn key to the left side since it's a rarely used modifier. For programmers Shift is most important, then Ctrl and Alt comes. They must be wider to be easily found by touch. - does it come with backlight? that's a must have!
• nicoster 4y ago
  awesome! I like the arrow keys arrangement very much. but the F1~F12 is not required. for the rotary encoder, it reminds me of another keyboard recently appeared. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGShD9ZER1c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGShD9ZER1c but it's far more powerful.