(This post has been edited by Photoelectric to include the latest information found in this Interest Check thread.)

*MIRA*

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An astronomy-inspired keyboard design, named after the Mira binary star system (also known as Omicron Ceti or "o Ceti".) The MIRA logo shows two stars orbiting each other: a red giant and a white dwarf. The font of the logo is inspired by that of an older NASA insignia.

Link to Group Buy thread: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=87310.0

The Latest IC Status and Information from NinjaDoc's updates:

I have permission/encouragement to give credit were credit is due - Asilan has done a lot of hard work on the Cad files at the end.

We started with Hubble's files, YukTsi redid them, and then the final changes were done by Asilan and everyone's hard work is greatly appreciated. Limitz has given me endless encouragement when I've been ready to flush this down the drain and has kept me going many times when I started to say "screw it" and close the thread.



NEW >> MIRA Prototype album with 2 colors: MIRA Prototype album with 2 colors: http://imgur.com/a/AAydJ

Sorry about the delay - I had a family function and was delayed.

These are the approximate prices, they might be lower but they certainly shouldn't be higher.



Mira SE

Stainless weight and aluminum plate $ 400

Brass weight and aluminum plate $ 385

Steel weight and steel plate $ 420

Brass weight and steel plate $ 400



That is as close to the stated goal of $400 as I can get.



Thanks again for your patience with me.



Original [mostly outdated] information from the initial Interest Check by DrHubblePhD.

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The Hubble Mira









CHECK YOUR NUMBER!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pzd7Zo5xQsonnvf7k5IL3_7KPkBGX6CVzUBtos9Jw6M/edit#gid=0







What does this mean?



In order to produce a prototype for the Mira and secure a production run in the future we need to put money down with the CNC company we have chosen. Instead of asking for donations from a few people I think it would be better that we offer some benefits to everyone on GeekHack who chooses to help produce the Mira!



What it costs: $40 down towards the full purchase of the Mira



What you get in return:

You reserve your spot in the first 57 units that will include gold stabs

The opportunity to specify which number you would like engraved on your custom center weight (more on this below). Non-pre orders will receive their number in order of purchase, i.e. no say in the matter.

Priority for the limited number of boards that will be offered with full assembly

Pre-orders will ship first regardless of location and the total volume of the full production run

A thank you note from me in the mail with some custom stickers )

How will this all work?



At 8:30pm EST on the 21st a link will be posted to a google form. This form will ask the basics such as your name, phone number, etc.. as well as your first, second, and third choices when it comes to the custom number that will be engraved on your Mira center weight (1 through 57 only). You will also be able to specify whether or not you intend on asking for assembly services when the full sale happens.







Pre orders are non-refundable however there is no obligation to make the complete purchase if the full price of the board is prohibitively expensive. We expect the board to cost in the $350 to $400 range. I have worked hard to get the cost of the pre order down as low as possible so that it is a low risk investment!





early renders

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What is a Mira?



The Mira is a not so secret design that I have been working on for over a month at this point. NOTHING HAS BEEN COMPLETELY FINALIZED, a prototype will likely be a stage of this buy. It has a lot of design features worth discussing but first some background (i.e what the hell is a Mira?):



Mira (Omicron Ceti) is the name of a binary, variable, star system in the constellation Cetus. It consists of a red giant A star and a white dwarf companion B star. For those who aren't familiar with these terms, a binary system is a system consisting of two orbiting stars. While this may seem exotic, there is a significant percentage of star systems that consist of two or more stars. As for the term "variable," there are classes of stars existing in transition regions off the main sequence that exhibit variable behavior. That is that they have apparent brightness that change over time. Mira A is an example of a some 6-7000 known "Mira variables" named after this well known object. Its change in brightness is caused when the entire star expands and contracts on a 100+ day time scale.



Enough science, let's talk keyboards!



The board is inspired by these astronomical factoids as well as some other fun space themes. For example, the Mira logo containing two circles represents the binary relationship of the Mira system and the (not to scale) size difference between the red giant and white dwarf. The side profile for the Mira is inspired by the NASA chevron with a clean "sweeping" curve.



Facts about the potential group buy:

The Mira will be a limited run of 100 boards (hopefully with the unique number engraved). The first 57 boards that are reserved (after the number of years NASA has been operating) will come with gold stabs from ZealPC! The remaining orders will receive the same items but standard stabilizers. More from ZealPC as he unveils his secret item (





Mira currently features:

The custom b.Mira PCB from Winkeyless featuring his standard reprogramability functions and LED support, only controller parts will be pre-soldered (see below for more info)

An engraved stainless Steel weight, slotted in the back of the case

A full aluminum case

9 degree incline

A SS or alu plate which will support both 87 and 84 (Winkeyless with built in blockers, not shown above)

Gold plated stabilizer wire and cherry stabs for the first 57 buyers and standard wire for remaining purchases

Since the b.Mira will only have controller parts pre-soldered, I will probably be offering diode and resistor soldering (done by myself) as an add-on in the buy.



Big thanks to ZealPC as well as Winkeyless for helping me organize and provide the full product for this buy! Also big thanks to NinjaDoc for helping me locate and communicate with our CNC shop that has so far done a fantastic job. Lastly, thanks for Frostytoast for helping us purchase prototype PCBs from Winkeyless



Feel free to ask any questions below! Comment if you are interested, be sure to include what colors, layouts, ect. you would like to see!

What does this mean?In order to produce a prototype for the Mira and secure a production run in the future we need to put money down with the CNC company we have chosen. Instead of asking for donations from a few people I think it would be better that we offer some benefits to everyone on GeekHack who chooses to help produce the Mira!What it costs: $40 down towards the full purchase of the MiraWhat you get in return:At 8:30pm EST on the 21st a link will be posted to a google form. This form will ask the basics such as your name, phone number, etc.. as well as your first, second, and third choices when it comes to the custom number that will be engraved on your Mira center weight (1 through 57 only). You will also be able to specify whether or not you intend on asking for assembly services when the full sale happens.early rendersMira (Omicron Ceti) is the name of a binary, variable, star system in the constellation Cetus. It consists of a red giant A star and a white dwarf companion B star. For those who aren't familiar with these terms, a binary system is a system consisting of two orbiting stars. While this may seem exotic, there is a significant percentage of star systems that consist of two or more stars. As for the term "variable," there are classes of stars existing in transition regions off the main sequence that exhibit variable behavior. That is that they have apparent brightness that change over time. Mira A is an example of a some 6-7000 known "Mira variables" named after this well known object. Its change in brightness is caused when the entire star expands and contracts on a 100+ day time scale.The board is inspired by these astronomical factoids as well as some other fun space themes. For example, the Mira logo containing two circles represents the binary relationship of the Mira system and the (not to scale) size difference between the red giant and white dwarf. The side profile for the Mira is inspired by the NASA chevron with a clean "sweeping" curve.The Mira will be a limited run of 100 boards (hopefully with the unique number engraved). The first 57 boards that are reserved (after the number of years NASA has been operating) will come with gold stabs from ZealPC! The remaining orders will receive the same items but standard stabilizers. More from ZealPC as he unveils his secret item ( https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=69590.0 ) expect this awesome item to be a part of the buy as well. The number of the board will be assigned in the order they are reserved, as a result, some sort of down payment will likely be required upon ordering. Ordering will start as soon as the Group Buy is posted at a preset date and time.Since the b.Mira will only have controller parts pre-soldered, I will probably be offering diode and resistor soldering (done by myself) as an add-on in the buy.

COLOR OPTIONS FOR THE POLL : http://imgur.com/a/JYOuh Long story short, DrHubblePhD had started this IC and then ended up leaving the project. The idea was continued to be developed by those interested in seeing it to completion, and ninjadoc (who has put in a tremendous amount of work into the process!) is currently leading the project.Early rendering:The latest prototype:Design sketch: ( source "First  the current prototypes are hereIt will have the famous OMira above the keypad and probably SE on the back by the USB hole.The SE may or may not have a brass inlay.The plan for now is to offer it with stainless steel weights but brass may be considered but will not be nickel coated and will be subject to corrosion.I plan to offer the colors of black, silver, and grey/titanium but one or two other colors may be offered depending on the anodizing available.I expect to be able to offer stainless steel and aluminum plates and the aluminum plates can be anodized. The plates do not allow switch top removal, that may change depending on time available to make that change.I will only offer Leeku boards which will be soldered except for the bottom RGB LEDs. Leeku might be able to offer those soldered for $5 a board. The plates are designed to use both Leekus board and the NERD. YukTsi has been working on a TKL board that should fit and Winkeyless has a TKL board that I think will fit.""Assuming everything works out and I can stay out of the hospital I want to start the group buy in January. I havent thought of the ordering period yet but as long as the manufacturer can handle the numbers I do not plan on capping out the amount sold. It is possible that it would have to go in two or more stages depending on the capability of myself and the manufacturer to move the product. The plan is for the Mira to be boxed similar to the TX-87 and the TX-CP which should prevent damage. The quality control will be done at the factory and I cant be help responsible for minor defects but anything like the damages occurred by the LZ-FE will be taken care of.1) Ordering or verifying ordering around 2 weeks2) Payment two weeks for price of the board, shipping will be billed separately.3) From time of payment to the manufacturer to my door should be about 12 weeks. I may try to have the boards sent directly to other countries that have several orders to a proxy to cut down cost. Canada would definitely be a country I would like to do this with.4) Cost  has not been finalized due to all details havent been worked out but I would expect the cost to be between $400 - $425 + the shipping to your home. The shipping from the manufacturer will be included in the original cost and is less when shipped in bulk. "The first 57 orders* will have numbered plates and will also get transparent screw-in gold-plated stabilizers, courtesy to Zeal - Disclaimer: *those who have put down "deposits" early on when DrHubblePhD still collected them and have secured a number, some of which have now been re-sold.- The latest spreadsheets with usernames and claimed numbers: post by FrostyToast There will be a custom box for each MIRA kit: http://imgur.com/a/pOa6F There will be an acrylic diffuser that is integral to the keyboard case. (source) Both winkey and winkeyless versions will be offered. (source) Group Buy Start Date: late January.The GB will be open for about 2 weeks."The first 57 will be numbered, the others will not. Production may have to go in waves, beginning with 57 then 60, then 60 but that is only a possibility. Items will be shipped directly from China to avoid duty fees,two shipping, and me going crazier. The estimate is around $40 - $50 but could be a little less or a little more along the Duck or TGR prices.QA - the boxes is expected to prevent damage in shipment and my understanding is boards with major damage will be replaced.The Chinese New Year Begins on the 20th so I'm verifying available colors prior to then and prior to the poll. The Chinese New Year is quite an event and there is a lot of information about it here - http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/festivals/chinese-new-year-celebration.htm Our celebration pales in comparison.I will limit the colors to 5, a cyan is available and a pink is available. The poll will be about the blue/cyan and the shade of pink. If you want your opinion to count, please vote. Black, silver, and grey are set.Thank you for your patience, unless something really goes bad this GB should occur and start within the next 7 days. Thank all of you that have helped in this project.Future - keypad, design has been discuses but not started. 75% - design also has been discussed. 65% will be a shrinkage of the 75% and probably a few modifications and the HHKB option will be available. A Full size is possible but a poll would be done prior to that beginning. IC would be done on all of the above."Click to read the original Interest Check for the Astronomy-themed "MIRA" keyboard: and see early renders: