Isevalmistatud mehaaniline klaviatuur

Isevalmistatud puidust mehaanilise klaviatuuri valmistamine osutus keerulisemaks kui autorid algselt arvasid. Turuanalüüsiga saadi selge ülevaade, millised mehaanilised klaviatuurid hetkel poodides müügil on, kes on tuntumad tootjad ja milliste omadustega tooted müügil on. Samuti sai läbi tehtud erinevad ettevõtte loomiseks vajalikud protsessid, kuid peamiseks väljakutseks oli siiski klaviatuuri korpuse disainimine ja selle valmistamine. Tuli arvestada riskidega, mis võivad esineda puitmaterjali töötlemisel ja seetõttu tuli korpuse disaini osas teha mitmeid ümberkorraldusi, et tagada klaviatuuri sisese elektroonika toimimine. Korpust oli küll hea töödelda ning lõpptulemus oli positiivne, kuid edaspidi tuleks kasutusele võtta teisi materjale ja tehnoloogiaid, et toodet paremaks muuta. Näiteks disainida eraldi korpuse põhja metallist tugitaladega võre, mis hoiaks klaviatuuri andmeplaati ettenähtud kõrgusel ja ei häiriks seadme elektrilisi toiminguid. Konkreetne klaviatuur on 65% suurusega, mis tähendab, et sellel on enamus nupud puudu. Taolisele klaviatuurile on puidust korpust pisut keerulisem valmistada kui näiteks täissuuruses klaviatuurile. Puitu töödeldes peab tähelepanu pöörama materjali paksusele. Kui materjal on liiga õhuke võib see murenema hakata või katki minna. Suurema klaviatuuri puhul saab disainida tugevama raami, et taolisi olukordi vältida. Prototüübi valmistamine on pikk protsess, mis võib kesta teinekord aastaid. Alati leiab kuskilt midagi, mida ergonoomilisemaks muuta.

The following thesis Custom-made mechanical keyboard is about creating a mechanical keyboard that is made of wood, compact and aesthetically pleasing. Generally topics are grouped by practical and theoretical sides.

Practical topics that were discussed were the processes that accompany the production of such a product. Wood as a material is not suitable for making small-scale details as it tends to break easily, which makes the design process more difficult. Plastic that usually is used in keyboards is strong and more operable even in smaller sizes. The safest way to make wooden cases for keyboards is to make it bigger, thus giving it more material to work with. For example to make it a regular full sized keyboard but by giving it more material it becomes heavier and bigger in size. As authors concentrated on a more minimalistic style it was decided to make this product a smaller mini sized keyboard (65% size of a regular full sized keyboard). This product differs from other similar products by its aesthetic. Wood gives off a “old school feel” and a certain clean look. This paired with a smaller size and minimalistic design, authors believe, stand out from other regular plastic products that are currently sold on the market. Which leads to the theoretical side of this work.

As authors saw a potential market for their product it was decided to approach the theoretical side of this thesis as a start-up company. Topics that were discussed ranged from a short summary of a business plan, market investigation and how to cut costs with mass production. Mechanical keyboards are gaining popularity and prices for these keyboards are ridiculously high. People are becoming more aware of different possibilities regarding keyboards and their functions, which in turn has created a hobby and a community of sorts. It is possible to make countless different design and material changes to the case, switches, keycaps etc. according to specific consumers personal preference. Which makes possibilities for newer and more evolved products, so it is possible to see a future for this hypothetical company.