claussen

I offer a pretty generous return policy for a built-to-order device -- returns are honored up to 6mo with a $100/mo refurb fee assuming good condition -- you pay return shipping. So yeah, there's the upfront cost which pays for my time, but you still get the white-glove service I offer because I'm so confident that you'll fall in love with it :D

But... if you can build something for an eighth of the cost that works for you and makes you happy, you should definitely do that! I hope you DON'T need a Svalboard! Nobody should have to struggle to do their job pain-free, and the proliferation of cheap Cornes and rad BKB kits and everything else is totally amazing and warms my heart 😍

Niche products are expensive for precisely the reasons you note -- they serve a narrow market with specific needs, and they generally cost a lot to build, or can only make the business work with higher margins due to modest volume. And when they're from outer space, like Svalboard, that is extra true. Maybe the business model doesn't work, but me and about 10,000 other people thought Datahand was good enough to pay 3X this much in inflation-adjusted terms ;)

That said, I love self-builders, and there is a beta self-print kit coming in the next month or two ;) Join the Discord to follow along, the build guide is still totally WIP and mostly in my head, so it's gonna take some time. I'm hoping the community will contribute to that aspect since I'm trying to focus on core dev right now.

Beware, though -- this is not an easy print or a simple assembly. ~275 parts if you count all the hardware, tiny-ass magnets -- super tight single-wall tolerances, etc. It's 100% doable on an MK3S but it's not the best FDM starter project.

Fair enough! Svalboard isn't really suited for folks with generalized fine-motor problems in the fingers. But I can heartily recommend using Tobii gaze trackers to simplify and speed up your mousing -- really amazing tech and not that expensive. Check out Talon too, for voice+gaze combinations that will blow your mind.

Sooooo clicky! Where are you located? I can direct you to a user near you if there is someone, or I can just drop you a prototype cluster in the mail so you can feel it for yourself :D

Pass by Rosalind every day on my way to fly at Mussel Rock!

Did you know the original Datahand prototypes included the ability to slide for mousing? Just learned that recently from the original inventor! It's a little weird, I think the modern alternatives are probably better, but he has a working version of it somewhere.

You'd be surprised -- resting the palms fully makes the finger much more capable of controlled small motions 🙃

Mouse switches have substantially more movement and force buildup before the click, these are instant. I think a mouse switch with this profile would be awesome though... Magnets are amazing.

Using this and Azeron (very mousy microswitches) side by side, it's like night and day. Totally different sensation.

I'd love to see some macropad users play with Svalboard. If you want to order one, I'll sell you a half for half price 😆 but obviously I'd prefer to build you a full rig 😜

I can guarantee you that Svalboard will last as long as you want to type, with anything that breaks also being easily replaceable. The lack of springs and electromechanical contacts is incredible for long term reliability -- my Datahand rigs are 20+ years old and all still basically work perfectly aside from one which I stupidly broke some keys on during travel, and some grunginess in one or two mechanisms probably due to dirt intrusion.

But with Svalboard the keys just drop right in and pull right out (in the right orientation), there's no mechanism to assemble -- so cleaning is as easy as popping the key out and blowing out the keywell with compressed air. And you can replace individual key clusters and PCBAs individually if needed. And print your own keys, etc. Suuuuuper maintainable. 😀 Tearing down an original Datahand for cleaning is a lot more involved and annoying, and can only be done to a limited extent.

Cool! Join the discord and ping @_claussen I'll keep you posted on the kit situation. Waiting on a new finger cluster PCBA rev to improve some assembly yield issues from the factory.

Thanks, and fingers crossed! I'm trying out some SLA prototyping houses to see how modest volume runs could go, but of course that will take some time to sample and sort out all the kinks when handing off fab & assembly of the mechanicals to someone other than myself.

working on that, if you have a MK3S or equivalent printer. where are you located?