Looks like KeebMonkey is doing a sort of promo sale on a small number of 68-key BT + wireless hot-swap barebones kits:
25 bucks plus shipping, stock of 1000 units.
I doubt this keeb would blow anyone’s mind here - but at that price I do think it would make for a great functional switch tester for just about anyone, or perhaps an inexpensive gift for a friend curious about the hobby.
Damn, wireless only, 2.4ghz dongle, for 25 bucks, thats honestly a great deal for what it is, I might just buy for the PCB and then make a better case for it
EDIT: would like to see some clarification on what “QMK not compatible” means, as long as there is re-mapping via some program of web tool I don’t mind.
Totally off topic, but every time I read Keebmonkey I think of this song by Jonathan Coulton
Cool. I didn’t get a good look at it, but is it the VA68 layout or something more like KBD67 Lite?
Hmmm, I just received 70 lubed + filmed Mode Signal switches…
I have a coworker that’s been interested in keyboards for awhile, I bought one and and convinced him to buy one so we could do a build together.
Is there also an option to use a cable with it?
Note: r/mk seems to think it is a scam
I think the layout is like the ones that use full-size right shift with two columns on the right but it’s kinda hard to tell.
Likely does work with a cable. <<< Edit: maybe not!
Will keep you guys posted about both orders I have placed with KM.
First one has a shipping notification with a label created stateside so far but the item hasn’t crossed the pond yet.
KM has been marketing aggressively, and it’s hard for me to tell at first glance if it’s just language barrier or if there’s actually some shadiness.
Ha, same.
Code monkey not say it.
Code monkey not stupid
Just proud
I just checked it out on the page & seems to be the Tada68 layout. So like KBD67 without the blocker & an extra 1u key because of no blocker. Can’t comment on if Keebmonkey’s legit or not. Never ordered from them & this deal does seem to be right on the razor’s edge of being sus or not.
Agreed.
Very easy to see why it could be sus.
As for why it might not be; looking at what KeebMonkey has ostensibly been doing the past few weeks, it looks like they’re trying to get their name out there as much as possible. In context of that, a limited sale of a desirable budget item at-cost or even at a small loss could still be totally worth it if it sets up a healthy initial customer base with a side of good-will.
my friend got one of these, so i’ll notify you about if it is a scam or not
They posted their 1500 keyboard contract on reddit. $25 is cheap, but not unbelievably cheap, given that you can get a cheap hotswap with keycaps for 50 bucks on US amazon these days
Well - gotta hand it to them - that’s a lot farther than most would go for the sake of transparency either way.
Interesting. It may not have a wired connection:
NO WIRED CONNECTIONS
So it may be entirely reliant on bluetooth and 2.4 G for connection.
EDIT: It uses AAA batteries to give it a ‘2 month’ charge.
Oof, what is this, 2002?
Oh how odd - not sure I’ve ever seen one like that. Makes me wonder if it’s possible to mod it to have one.
A lot of the really cheap low power bluetooth microcontrollers simply do not have a USB interface, so I wouldn’t count on it
maybe that’s why it’s worth $25
I just received a shipping notice!