Friday, March 15th 2019
Input Club Announces the Keystone Mechanical Keyboard: Hall Effect + Analog Control Switches
The Input Club Keystone Mechanical Keyboard is an unparalleled leap forward in typing and gaming technology. The Keystone combines two new keyboard features - High Definition Analog Control and per-key fast Hall Effect (magnetic) sensing - for supreme performance. Our magnetic switch technology enables near-infinite customization, billion-press durability (20x the industry standard), and analog control benefits for everyone. Full firmware programmability and RGB lighting round out its features. This project is the future of mechanical keyboards; join our waitlist to have the future of keyboards at your fingertips.
The Keystone brings novel features together to continue pushing keyboard invention further - with its SILO Hall Effect and High Definition Analog Switches. These are both keyboard switch technologies that have been produced in the past, separately, but this implementation takes them to the next level. With Hall Effect switches, instead of relying on a bending piece of metal for actuation, your keyboard tracks the movement of a magnet. This allows you to change when and where the keyboard receives the signal, while also providing a billion press switch lifespan that simply cannot be competed with.
Analog sensing is ultimate future of all input devices however - and this is the true jewel in the Keystone's crown. The switch to Analog from Digital transforms the keyboard from being a series of "On / Off" buttons into a collection of gas pedals with adjustable performance. New possibilities for gaming abound - lightly pressing WASD can let you walk in a direction, while pushing the key all the way down results in running. For typists, a half press could be a lowercase "a" and a full press a capital "A" - the possibilities abound.
The combination of these features results in the first of a generation of keyboards that will essentially make the entire market obsolete. There is absolutely no reason to buy a product with switches that do much less and last 1/20th as long, provided the price is about the same. The Keystone will launch on Kickstarter in June 2019 for early backers at a price below $100, as an effort to reward early adopters who want to help pave the way for the future of keyboards.
Input Club is a group of engineers and designers who drive innovation in the field of input devices. Our team has developed special mechanical keyswitches, open source keyboard firmware, and some of the more iconic keyboard designs to hit the marketplace. The team formed in 2014 because there was very little innovation in the keyboard space.
The Keystone brings novel features together to continue pushing keyboard invention further - with its SILO Hall Effect and High Definition Analog Switches. These are both keyboard switch technologies that have been produced in the past, separately, but this implementation takes them to the next level. With Hall Effect switches, instead of relying on a bending piece of metal for actuation, your keyboard tracks the movement of a magnet. This allows you to change when and where the keyboard receives the signal, while also providing a billion press switch lifespan that simply cannot be competed with.
The combination of these features results in the first of a generation of keyboards that will essentially make the entire market obsolete. There is absolutely no reason to buy a product with switches that do much less and last 1/20th as long, provided the price is about the same. The Keystone will launch on Kickstarter in June 2019 for early backers at a price below $100, as an effort to reward early adopters who want to help pave the way for the future of keyboards.
Input Club is a group of engineers and designers who drive innovation in the field of input devices. Our team has developed special mechanical keyswitches, open source keyboard firmware, and some of the more iconic keyboard designs to hit the marketplace. The team formed in 2014 because there was very little innovation in the keyboard space.
23 Comments on Input Club Announces the Keystone Mechanical Keyboard: Hall Effect + Analog Control Switches
Good quality of these switches are insanely durable and reliable, but i don't expect that level of quality here tbh.
I backed Wooting and got my two a few days ago. Haven't really used the analogue part as yet, but they keyboard feels different to analogue keyboards. The Wooting switches are a custom made Flaretech switches though, as the original ones weren't good enough for what Wooting is doing with them. The Two apparently have improved switches compared to the One as well.
I also have a Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 Low Profile with speed switches, which I really like as a keyboard, but the speed switches are impossible to use for proper typing, as I get double or triple letters a lot of the time, as they switches are just too sensitive. The low profile switches are otherwise much more comfortable to type on than traditional mechanical keyboards, especially combined with lower profile key caps.
I'm not a keyboard expert and to be honest, I mostly backed Wooting because I met the guys at Computex and they came across as very honest guys that are looking at doing something different. So far I'd say the keyboard is decent, but not mind blowing. That is using as just a keyboard though and I'm going to have to spend some time with the analogue aspects of it to see what it can really do before I make proper judgement about the product.
I'm curious about the new switches mentioned for the keyboard in the article and if it'll really be a $100 or there abouts, I might back them to see what it's like. Hall effect sensors can easily be interfered with though, so I'm curious how the keyboard will work near speakers, headphones, mobile phones etc. which all have magnets in them.
And I will not change the keyboard, because it's too expensive , and when my Hiperex aloy is served, better products will be available.
Is there any keyboard out there that matches these requirements?
Copper's not magneticYou would think but dam but this is like waving bacon at some one, but without the bacon.
I would of liked to see a Solenoid type, although i believe the power usage would be to great., space probably be another issue too, although it would not be variable either.
Some say the mechanical kb is a niche market, my mx brown is 4 years old, no problems, probably won't be for my life time.
Thanks for doing such a great job.
And can you change the tactile point too?
AFAIK the only phone that would be a real issue is the moto mod stuff from Motorola, which uses magnets to hook on "mods"Yes, but the whole idea is to break out of that mold and factor in "how hard is x being pressed?"
In hindsight probably shouldn't have done that.
People would have to be robots to vary pressure accurately as they type or game, stuffing around in settings to vary actuation points for each activity seems like it will reduce productivity.
Keep it in the lab boys, it will never fly.