KARA T-0 Tool Sample
Over the past few weeks we have been testing our first off-tool samples of the KARA, and can safely say it’s our best creation to date in terms of feel and sound. We’ve created every component from scratch and integrated our novel MUTE mounting system to create a completely unique product. The amount of customisation this provides, with the addition of the backplate, will create some truly personalised configurations!
We would like to show some of the prototype, please note that this off-tool sample does NOT YET have any surface finishing and DOES NOT represent the final product and how it will look. When the surface finish is added, it will better diffuse the light on the surface of the enclosure and hide most of the internal mould markings. This T0 sample is moulded in our ICED colourway (clear). We’re also adjusting our custom-made threaded inserts to be silver in colour so that it matches all colourways that the KARA will be available in, both at launch, and with future editions.
The MUTE and Plate in our ICED colourway provides a completely even spread of diffused light between the keys. The colour, brightness and animation can all be adjusted with VIA, our GUI configurator (which runs on Windows, Mac OS & Linux).
KARA consists of four separate mouldings; the main enclosure, the switch-plate, the backplate and the base.
We are hard at work to get everything ready for launch in August, as it stands, the product is ready to launch now. But we’re excited to show what our team has been working on behind the scenes when the launch is ready. The KARA will be offered as a pre-order so that we can supply the demand required for it. With the nature of how this product is manufactured, we can anticipate a much quicker turnaround time in production and are excited to see how this keyboard will be customised and made their own.
We also look forward to sharing more of these behind-the-scenes look into our products and how they’re made in the future. We’re incredibly excited to bring KARA out to market, our most accessible, and our favourite board to date. Launching at our entry price of $160 USD.
OUR NEW Profile Keycaps
We have also been prototyping and testing our new profile keycap; it features a cylindrical sculpt to fit the finger comfortably. Each row is angled to aid in accurate typing. We are also yet to name it.
Below is the first 3D printed set of the profile for testing. At this stage, the keycaps are ready for moulding, but we are working on adding double-shot legends to finalise the product. As you can understand, this will take some time to perfect and get right; we are working quickly to bring these out as soon as we can. As we need to start the tooling and test multiple iterations until it meets our strong requirements for quality. Unfortunately, it will be after KARA is ready for launch, but will be available sometime shortly after.
Support Channel
As we’re nearing the end of the U80-A fulfilment, the support tickets are starting to pile up. We appreciate everyone's patience through this, as going through the number of tickets can take a matter of days. We have added additional support staff to also help with this. And another gentle reminder to please do not be rude with any of our team members or customer service agents - we are all human and need to be treated with respect. At the end of the day we want to resolve the issue as best we can, being rude or entitled with your interactions does not help with this - please be friendly and calm, and together we can work to resolve the issue. We ask that anyone with a problem, calmly explain what the issue is to support@rama.works (or by lodging a ticket at: https://support.rama.care) and we will do everything we can when we can. Again, apologies for any delays and wait time for a response. Also, there is a known issue with one of the batches for the PORT units where the raw, mirror polished brass was cleaned using the incorrect solvent before PVD coating was applied. Unfortunately, this was not caught during QC as the issue didn’t arise until after it was shipped and received at our warehouse. We are currently taking a log of which units are affected as they are received and will produce replacement units once we find out how many need replacing. Replacement units will be shipped out via DHL Express as soon as we have them in hand. Past this, we’re thrilled to see a lot of the incredible setups being posted online and finally getting put to good use. 💛