Keystone Hall-Effect Keyboard.

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Elrick

14 Mar 2019, 23:59

Just got this email from Kono;

https://kono.store/products/keystone-me ... 1f6ee38688

Very interesting model featuring those ever rare Hall Effect switches. Have no idea what the exact specifications to this latest proposal but it looks very good indeed.

Looking forward to acquiring it, when they finally deliver it to Kono ;) .

That place is rather decent these days, with the input hardware that is currently (and going to be) available.

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XMIT
[ XMIT ]

15 Mar 2019, 00:49

Sweet, it's public now. I collaborated a little bit with IC to provide some design input for this board. Though I admittedly did very little, spiritually this is what I consider to be what Round 3 would have been of my boards. Great job IC team!

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ZedTheMan

15 Mar 2019, 01:35

Have you tested them to see if they are a worthy Round 3, XMIT?

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Elrick

15 Mar 2019, 01:45

XMIT wrote:
15 Mar 2019, 00:49
Sweet, it's public now. I collaborated a little bit with IC to provide some design input for this board. Though I admittedly did very little, spiritually this is what I consider to be what Round 3 would have been of my boards. Great job IC team!
Just as long as it has authentic XMIT links to this new keyboard it's good enough to purchase under any circumstance.

Very glad this is finally the keyboard layout with multi-media controls above the numpad.

Please don't refer to Ducky here because they would NEVER implement Hall-Effect switches in a million years. Hence this is what will make this forth coming keyboard truly unique;

- Configurable switch activation point for typing comfort or gaming performance
- Hot-swappable switches without troublesome metal legs or sockets
- Open Source firmware, fully programmable — custom key assignments, macros, and more

Just those three features alone places it way above the ordinary, pedestrian keyboards currently available from any manufacturer.

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Elrick

15 Mar 2019, 01:51

Also love that they are offering Linear, Clicky, and Tactile Options within their switch range :shock: :) :D .

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XMIT
[ XMIT ]

15 Mar 2019, 02:19

No, I haven't tried one yet.

With a third kid here - and a crummy job, which I recently quit - I've not had time to do this design justice myself. I know the IC crew and worked with them to spec out what this board could be.

If and when I can get my hands on one I'll do a proper review. I can't say much else for now, other than, there are several very good reasons why I consider this a extremely exciting development.

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katsu

15 Mar 2019, 03:24

Hope the keyboard has good acoustics cause my APT keyboard has switches that are rattly and the stabilizers sound as bad as they feel ._.

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Elrick

15 Mar 2019, 03:53

katsu wrote:
15 Mar 2019, 03:24
Hope the keyboard has good acoustics cause my APT keyboard has switches that are rattly and the stabilizers sound as bad as they feel ._.
They need to use some solid Aluminium, as the case structure here. It's non metallic hence no influence on the magnets at all.

Didn't know why anyone hasn't yet made a keyboard using that material, when it comes to a Hall Effect design....

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XMIT
[ XMIT ]

15 Mar 2019, 12:36

I haven't checked the design in a while but this was built from the ground up to address all the concerns I had with the APT manufactured boards. Stabilizers and rattle were among those concerns. Firmware and programmability were the other big ones.

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zslane

15 Mar 2019, 18:03

This keyboard definitely looks intriguing. But the Keystone web page doesn't say if the switches are MX compatible. If they aren't, then this board is useless to me.

genesisx

18 Mar 2019, 02:00

I really hope this could solve all the APT problems and be a truely great switch

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Elrick

18 Mar 2019, 02:08

genesisx wrote:
18 Mar 2019, 02:00
I really hope this could solve all the APT problems and be a truely great switch
It's a start and like all beginning's be prepared for faults and digressions.

After all this is something where NO other company is ever going to tread through, so don't ever think anyone like Cherry would ever follow suit. They after all, still content with making the same boring garbage year after year for the ignorant out there.

This new company will set new ground and that is where it is truly encouraging. We all need new frontiers to be challenged and conquered because without that, you get a much more restricted world bound by make believe barriers and rules.

Funny how we have arrived at a tipping point of exciting developments that even my own children are amazed at witnessing.

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