System76 Launch - A Very Well Built, Highly Configurable, Open-Source Keyboard

[phoronix]

Phoronix: System76 Launch - A Very Well Built, Highly Configurable, Open-Source Keyboard

Last month System76 launched their Launch Configurable Keyboard. They sent over this new open-source keyboard for some brief testing and I must say the build quality has been top notch and while this is their first keyboard they are bringing to market, with their US manufacturing expertise that began with their Thelio computer cases, it has carried forward with their Launch keyboard. This keyboard is beautifully crafted and among the most durable (and heaviest) keyboards I've used in the past two decades. It reminds me of the IBM Model M from a quality perspective but with its own unique advantages.

https://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=30249

[smartalgorithm]

$300 ?!
No, thank you.

[skeevy420]

$300 ?!
No, thank you.

If the build quality is really that good it is worth it. Personally, I prefer full sized form factors so this would only appeal to me as a 2nd keyboard in a virtualized environment or to use with a laptop.

[microcode]

It'd be cool if some day System76 manufactures buckling springs. Maybe I could ask the Magpul guys here in Cheyenne if they've got any spare capacity. :+ )

[tildearrow]

$300 ?!
No, thank you.

Perhaps it is not mass-produced.
Hence the higher price.

[andreano]

For keyboards, what matters to me is their random key placement choices, and whether they suit me, not so much price or quality. If this is the perfect keyboard, and you will use it for decades, I can see price becoming unimportant.

I like the short distance to the arrow keys, but what I wish for is a keyboard that also has Home/End reachable from this location, like many laptops, which is very convenient for typing:

Home	↑	End
←	↓	→

Anyway, I think the GUI configurator is a killer! The first thing I would do is sacrifice Caps-Lock for a left-hand Alt-Gr, so I can type curly braces without tendinitis on a norwegian keyboard layout. The split spacebar may also open some possibilities…

[zxy_thf]

Almost twice price of Flico Ninja 2...

[StarterX4]

Weird design. Two spaces and Fn, no PrtSc, keys on the right side aren't aligned. At least all configurable, and so maybe it will find some use case.

[OneTimeShot]

Wouldn't it be better to just get a cheapo keyboard and replace the chips? I'm sure that there aren't more than half a dozen wiring patterns for the keys, and plugging into that would be a lot easier than manufacturing an entire keyboard.

If you do want to build a keyboard from scratch you just need to print a PCB and solder 100+ cherry switches onto it. There are YouTube tutorials on how to do it...

[microcode]

Weird design. Two spaces and Fn, no PrtSc, keys on the right side aren't aligned. At least all configurable, and so maybe it will find some use case.

Split spacebar is nice for a handful of decent reasons; you can use it for a 変換 key, and it is easier to stabilize.