[Pre-order] Neo Ergo - Keyboard Kit

Pre-order ends 14th February. 

Estimated Delivery: Late Q1 for Air. Q2 for Sea. 

Ergonomic keyboards were designed to alleviate chronic wrist and shoulder injuries caused by intensive typing. Most ergonomic mechanical keyboards available today are designed based on the Lynworks EM7 and TGR Alice in terms of layout and structure, primarily focusing on improving wrist and forearm angles. However, factors such as tilt angle, rotation, and finger placement are often overlooked. After using and analysing numerous open-source ergonomic projects, we incorporated all these essential elements into our design and created the Neo Ergo.

Addons:

PCBs: click here!
Plates: click here!
Addons: click here!

In the box:

• Case (Top + Bottom + Kernel + Weight)
  • Including one pre-installed external weight of your choice
  • Including one pre-installed kernel of your choice
  • Two 2200 mAh batteries will be installed inside of the kernel part for orders with Tri-mode PCBs
  • Orders with wired PCBs or solder PCBs will receive fillers for the battery compartments
• PCB kit
  • PCB of your choice
  • 1x PE sheet
  • 1x PCB Foam
  • Tri-mode PCB comes with a 2.4Ghz dongle
• Plate of your choice (or plateless with solder PCB)
• Poron case foam
• PCB Daughterboard and magnetic connectors - installed
• Gaskets
• Rubber feet
• LED diffusers
• 4 Case corner protectors - installed

Specifications:

• Typing angle：8°
• Tenting angle: 5°
• Front height：14 ~ 27mm
• Size: 112.2 * 355.8mm
• Weight: Before assembly, the weights are as follows: approximately 1.7kg with a soldered PCB and a regular plate, around 1.8kg with a hotswap PCB, and around 1.9kg with a hotswap PCB and batteries. Acrylic wrist rest: approximately 400g Cherry wood wrist rest: approximately 200g

As Natural As Possible

Although the split ergo is a popular choice for ergonomic keyboards nowadays, it does come with a steep learning curve. To balance easy adoption with ergonomic design, we've chosen a tilted Alice layout for this project.

The standard Alice layout allows our wrists to maintain a relatively natural position during typing, yet it doesn't address the forearm rotation. Experience with Logitech K680 has enlightened us to explore beyond the two-dimensional system. Ideally, only the outer rims of the hands and the small fingers should make contact with the desk while typing. Therefore, the tent is added in the middle of Neo Ergo to allow hands to rotate slightly outwards, reducing wrist rotation and relieving tension in the forearm muscles.

Improved Layout

We believe symmetry is crucial to the aesthetics of the Alice-style keyboard, so it's one of our main considerations when designing the layout for Neo Ergo. We made the alpha areas to be nearly symmetric to accommodate different typing habits while incorporating multiple options such as 2.25+2.75 spacebars, split backspaces, split shift and arrow keys, all of which are configurable in VIA. Furthermore, we positioned the F and J keys symmetrically to minimize the height difference between the left and right hands while typing.

Case Design

The appearance of Neo Ergo continues the Neo family's simple and retro design style. We've added RGB light strips in the spaces between the keys for embellishment. The color of the light strip can be adjusted according to personal preference, making it easy to match with different themed keycaps.

Like the Neo65 and Neo70, Ergo's side profile is simple and considerate, featuring an inward-sloping edge for easier pick-up. We've concentrated on the design around the USB port to minimize the bulky look created by the tenting case. The bevel above the USB port enhances the dynamism of the side profile, which also forms a natural transition from the top to side. 

This time, we've included “the kernel” between the top and bottom case. It does not only host the  batteries, daughterboard, and magnetic connectors, but also provides an additional element for customization.

The orbit logo on the weight has been redesigned. Customers have the option to choose different colors for the weight and badge to add a personal touch.

The Ergo wrist rest is the cherry on top. It's specially designed to match the outline and the tenting angle of the Neo Ergo, further lowering the front height to ensure your hands type in the most comfortable position. Customers can choose between the acrylic or cherry wood versions based on preference. The acrylic version undergoes multiple rounds of special treatments to enhance hardness and durability. Each wrist rest is hand-polished for an ultra-smooth texture.

Note: Due to the ergonomic shape of the wrist rest, a significant amount of cutting and manual polishing is required. As a result, they cannot be completely flat like aluminum. We recommend using it on a desk mat. Alternatively, you can also attach larger anti-slip pads to the back of the wrist rest to increase the contact area. Both wood and acrylic have undergone manual polishing, so minor scratches and slight unevenness are inevitable. Additionally, the natural characteristics of wood, such as knots and growth rings, are uncontrollable and therefore not covered under after-sales service. Acrylic wrist rests may contain a few impurities, which is inevitable. The quality control standard is that under natural light and within a viewing distance of 30cm, no obvious defects should be visible. If the acrylic wrist rest gets dirty, please clean it with water. Avoid using alcohol on acrylic products.

Innovative Gasket Mount

During the prototyping phase, we found that the standard gasket mount couldn’t deliver consistent typing feedback or optimal acoustic performance in a tenting keyboard. As a result, we repositioned the gasket to the middle and corners for the Ergo. This adjustment offers a more evenly distributed typing and acoustic experience across the entire keyboard.

Ball-Catch Structure + Magnetic Connectors

The highly praised ball-catch structure and magnetic connectors from the Neo80 have been retained. Now, you can enjoy the fun of custom keyboards anytime and anywhere, without worrying about cables and screws. Kindly note that it’s advised to remove the top case when you remove keycaps or switches in case the pullrs scratch the case.