U80-A Typing & LEDs Overview Video / Collaboration Keycaps July 01

U80-A Overview Video 02

We’ve created another video to show the lighting modes on the U80-A and typing with tactile switches.

We film our videos using a stereo microphone configuration and a D65 lighting setup.

Collaboration Keycaps

Here are the latest collaboration keycaps available. We’ll also be making an archive/library of all current, previous and upcoming collaboration keycaps available.

GMK Dots

PVD Brass

GMK Peaches n Cream

Anodised Aluminium with enamel infill

GMK Vaporwave Collaboration Cap

Multicolour PVD Stainless Steel

U80-A Colour Samples / KOYU Arrival / RW Merch / Collab Caps / LP Caps

U80-A Colour Samples

Here are some colour examples of what we are offering with the U80-A Pre-Order. As seen on the U80 and our previous offerings.

PORT as seen on the U80-A

U80-A PORT

U80-A PORT w/ MILK Artisan Keycap

MILK as seen on the M60-A SEQ2

M60-A SEQ2 MILK

KURO as seen on the KOYU

KOYU KURO

LAKE as seen on the U80-A

U80-A LAKE

MOON as seen on the M60-A

M60-A MOON

M60-A MOON

U80-A Typing & Assembly video

We made a video showing what the stock U80-A sounds like with the optional switches which are included with the Starter Kit, the Gateron Silent Ink Switches. Also shown is how the the U80-A is assembled.

KOYU Arrival

The KOYU’s are landing in Melbourne and should arrive in our warehouse this week or next. We will package and ship these out as soon as possible!

RW Merch - Team Cap

Our team caps are in production and will be available through our webstore next month - these come packaged individually with their own RW Dust Bag. Alongside the caps, we’ll be releasing our Team T-Shirts and XO Sweaters. These caps will come in KURO and MILK variants.

Subtle RW Logo Mark Embroidered

Underside Branding

Rama Works Logo Mark branded buckle

Sandwiched brim design with lasercut XO underside and embroidering across

Collaboration Keycaps

We’ve been shipping out our latest batch of Collab caps to our vendors with our GMK/EPBT Keyset collaborations. We hope to see them on some keyboards soon!

EPBT Kuro Shiro - KURO PVD with White Enamel Fill - Brass

GMK Bento - GOLD PVD - Brass

GMK Bento - Anodised with White Enamel Fill - Aluminium

GMK Minimal - KURO PVD with White Enamel Fill - Brass

Low Profile Keycaps

Our first tool samples have arrived and we are happy with the initial results - however, we will be making some adjustments to improve the overall look and function of the keycaps. We will also be increasing the finish of the underside of the cap to diffuse more light and other mechanical adjustments.

These keycaps will be available for pre-order until July 10th through our webstore: https://rama.link/gridcaps

KOYU Shipping Timeline / M60-A Production / U80-A Buying Guide / RW LP A GRID SET

KOYU Shipping Timeline

The KOYU’s are en-route to our warehouse and we anticipate them to land at our warehouse in early July, we’ll then be packing and shipping the KOYU’s in batches and anticipate them to be shipped through mid-to-late July.

If you are holding out for an extra unit, please sign-up to the waiting list here:
https://rama.link/koyulist

M60-A SEQ 2 Production

The Aluminium enclosures for the M60-A SEQ2 have all finished machining and are onto polishing and surface treatment now. The Brass & Aluminium backweights are still in machining and we expect them to be completed soon. We anticipate that the M60-A SEQ2 units will be completed by August.

Did you know each M60-A takes 10 hours to machine? This is just the top and bottom enclosure, not including the back piece. It’s then further polished, cleaned and anodised (or PVD coated)!

U80-A Buying Guide

Confused about what to order or what you will need to build a complete RW U80-A keyboard? We’ve created a guide to try and help out and show where you can purchase some of the components to make the keyboard your own! We also have a few other guides on how to adjust and make the typing experience for your keyboard unique.

RW LP A - GRID SET - PRODUCTION

Our first tool samples are set to arrive in the next few days for the GRID keycaps we have created, suited for ortholinear boards. We have also extended the pre-order for the M6-C / Inventory 2 & GRID caps to finish alongside the U80-A pre-order on July 10th, 2019.

KOYU Production / M60-A SEQ2 Production / RW LP Keycaps / U80-A

KOYU Production Updates

All Aluminium variants of the KOYU have been completed and are now going through final inspection and packaging.

KOYU TANK EDITIONS

Raw brass is very susceptible to scratches and resulted in a high-scratch rate during the PVD plating. It’s a challenging process when dealing with a mirror-finish as it’s unforgiving, making the surface untouchable while mounting the fixtures. All units which do not pass are then re-finished and then sent for re-plating, we’re doing this at a rate of several a day and should be complete this week. See below the beautiful mirror-polished, raw brass KOYU.

Here is how the KOYU TANK looks after being PVD plated. It is inconceivably heavy, I hope all that were lucky enough to secure one make some stability upgrades to their desks!

TANK upgrades!

We’ve added an oil coating to the base of the TANK editions. Bead-blasted PVD is incredibly absorbent to any oils, making it a fingerprint magnet. We’ve added an oil finish to the brass base to make it less-porous and not attract fingerprints which results in a much cleaner finish. It also made the colour darker than normal which matches more nicely with the top enclosure.

Extras

We will have extras of the KOYU available around JULY. This will include TANK editions. Time/Date for the extras will be posted to our social media and mailing list: https://rama.link/mail

M60-A Production updates

The M60-A SEQ2’s are well into the machining process, there are a significant number of units to go through with many machining operations. This is the longest process in the production chain.

RW LP Keycaps

We’ve begun production on the mould for our new Low-Profile keycaps. We’ve made these available in 9 different colour options and in a set of 60x1U + 2x2U so that they can be used on various ortholinear boards. They will be moulded from Polycarbonate for its exceptional optical clarity when creating our ICED variation of the cap (PC allows up to 90% of light transmission). The keycap has a polished finish on the outer surfaces for a retro look/feel, and the inside of the cap has a frosted finish to help disperse light when used with LEDs and the ICED cap. The first tool samples should be ready by Mid-June. You can pre-order them now at: https://rama.link/rwlp

U80-A

The U80-A will be launching before the end of May. We have already started prototyping and commenced production on parts of the assembly. Our custom fasteners & spacers for the countersunk screws in the plate and MUTE mount have been produced in mass and received in our warehouse. The custom feet have also been produced in mass. The MUTE mount and U80-A enclosure prototype are in production and should be received in JUNE. The prototype PCB’s have also arrived and are being evaluated.

The U80-A will launch on the 31st of May at 8.00 PM (EST) at $420 USD

KOYU PCBs / Internal Dampeners / RW FT Fasteners / U80-A Redesigns

Koyu PCB’s + Enclosures

The KOYU PCB’s have arrived and are fully programmed and ready to go. We will be visiting our manufacturer in early May to QC and check over the enclosures before they are shipped to our warehouse in Melbourne for final packaging and shipment.

Internal Dampener & RW FT Fasteners

Both the Internal Dampener’s and Fasteners will arrive in our warehouse this week.

The tools that come with the fastener should be complete by early next week and will ship out with the Fastener kits around this time.

U80-A Redesign

With the U80-A we’re introducing our new plate mounting & dampening solution. The Rama Works MUTE.

The MUTE isolates the plate inside the enclosure providing a unique typing experience.

Please note that this is under-development. See more at http://rama.link/u80

KOYU / Internal Dampener / M.2 SSD Enclosure / M60-A SEQ1 Giveaway

KOYU

The Rama Works KOYU has finished machining and is now moving to the next stages of production. From here they will be surface treated, Anodised or PVD coated and then carefully packed to their base configurations for packaging. We’re super excited to show the packaging we have created for our latest board! We will also be visiting our manufacturers to complete a QC of the products before they’re freighted to our warehouse for final assembly, further packaging and shipment.

Internal Dampener / RW Fastener Kits

We’ve received the first off-tool samples of the Internal Dampeners, we have signed off and they have begun production. We anticipate that they’ll be ready to ship by the end of the month or early next. The fastener kits should also be ready to ship around this time frame.

We also have the Internal Dampener and Fastener Kits available to purchase through our website! If you would like us to add it to an existing order, please reply to your order confirmation email.

M.2 SSD Enclosure

We’ve begun tests on the electronics on our USB 3.1 Gen 2 M.2 PCIe Bridge Controller for the Cache Portable SSD. We’ll soon be completing and prototyping the enclosure for this unit for further testing.

Note: Hand-soldered PCB for testing/evaluation.

M60-A Giveaway

We’re giving away an M60-A and some other Rama Works products! You can enter through the link below

Rama Works x MIGHTYKILLERS® Photography Accessories - Development

135 Film 2U Canister

After receiving feedback from MIGHTYKILLERS® on the 2U prototype of the film canister, we’ve made some adjustments that we think will make it ready for market. We’re currently waiting on the second round of prototypes for review. We’ve added a new closure system to the top lid to make it quicker and more satisfying to open and close the film canister lids. Instead of the previous twist-lock cap, we’re utilizing our new pushbutton cam-lock that will snap the lid in when simply pushing it into the enclosure.

Here is what the Rama Works - Pushbutton cam-lock mechanism looks like.

Past this, we’re looking to introduce a new material / edition to the lineup. Mirror-Polished Aluminium. This edition will beautifully wear as used, giving itself character and stories over time. We’ve also increased the specifications on the black-anodised film canister to be a Military Spec Type III hard-anodising - this will increase it’s strength and resistance to scratches and wear.

PHOTOS FROM MIGHTYKILLERS®

Here are some images from MIGHTYKILLERS® of the round 1 prototype!

RW KOYU W SERIES OVERVIEW 02

This a video showcasing between no-Internal Weight/Dampener, the Internal Dampener and the Internal Weight in the Rama Works KOYU keyboard (RACE colorway)

Products used:

W01 Internal Weight

https://ramaworks.store/products/w01-a-internal-weight

W02 Internal Dampener

https://ramaworks.store/products/w02-a-internal-dampener

Compatible with the M60-A and KOYU (cannot be used at the same time)

BTS

UNIT-80 ANNOUNCEMENT

We are excited to announce that the UNIT-80 will be available for pre-order via the Rama Works store in Q2 2019. We have refined the design since the initial prototype and look forward to presenting this closer to release.

PBT Heavy Industry Shipping

PBT Heavy Industry is shipping in the next week! If you need to update your address, please contact us at support@rama.works (or reply directly to your order confirmation email). If you would also like them to arrive sooner - please let us know and we can send an invoice for DHL Express shipping. All Australian orders are already out, and International will be packed this weekend for shipment.

Internal Dampener & Internal Weight comparison

A filmed comparison

NOTE: We've noticed that it's a little hard to tell between the dampener and weight and will be re-filming with non-silent switches installed.

This a video showcasing between no-Internal Weight/Dampener, the Internal Dampener and the Internal Weight.

Products used:

W01 Internal Weight

https://ramaworks.store/products/w01-a-internal-weight

W02 Internal Dampener

https://ramaworks.store/products/w02-a-internal-dampener

Compatible with the M60-A and KOYU (cannot be used at the same time)

BTS

The sound was filmed using an array of stereo microphones. No post processing (i.e noise reduction) was used.

M60-A SEQ2 / PBT Heavy Industry

M60-A SEQ2 has launched!

To celebrate we created a video.

This is a celebration of the M60-A, inspired by a community of people that have allowed us to be at the center of their workspace. Featured in this video are the new M60 finishes, MILK and HAZE, and the STEALTH EDITIONS of MOON and KURO.

You can check out more information on SEQ2 by following this link: https://rama.works/#/m60a-seq2/

We have a lot of new features and options available with the SEQ2 launch, including the new Internal Dampener and our new signature fixture series. All accessories are compatible with previous and future releases.

We will be producing a video showcasing the differences of sound both with and without the internal dampener within the upcoming week!

The KOYU will also be shipping with our new signature fasteners and will complete the look!

PBT Heavy Industry

PBT Heavy Industry is en-route to our warehouse where we will be shipping them out in the following weeks - we’re excited to see these adorned on some keyboards!

M6-B Shipping / M60-A Extras / SEQ2

M6-B Shipping

All M6-B units have been shipped as of last week and we will have extras available this week!

M60-A Extras

We have a number of units of the M60-A which will be first offered to the waiting list then open to the public shortly after. This is in very small supply.

SEQ 2

The SEQ2 Wave caps will be available in stock, along side the M6-B and M60-A extras / with the KURO / MOON / SAGE / LAKE / DUSK colourways

KOYU - 2 days left for pre-order / Guides / Inventory / Tray

Final 2 days left to pre-order the KOYU before we close orders and begin production next month!

Keyboard Guides

We have a series of guides for our M60-A keyboard (and generic guides such as stabiliser lubing) and we've been adding more every week, if you're having some trouble or just want to see what the default layout is go check it out through the link below!

Inventory 2 / Home

Our Inventory 2 will be returning along with our homeware offerings! Early next year, stay tuned!

M60-A Guides

We are in the process of writing guides for the M60-A, you can find them at: http://rama.care

In the process of adding more over time!

M60-A Shipping / KOYU / M6-B / XO Tool

M60-A Now Shipping!

M60-A’s have arrived in our warehouse and we have begun shipping orders! As of today we have packed all Australian orders which will be picked up tomorrow. We will continue packing and shipping orders in batches - owners will receive a shipping notification email when the order is packed and ready! There is a lot to go through, so it will take some time to get through each order - we will however be going through them as quickly as we can.

First batch complete!

KOYU RACE

The KOYU RACE prototype is in, see some pictures below! We also will have the HAZE prototype in the next few weeks.

Circuits!

The prototype KOYU PCB is in alongside the M6-B production PCB’s.

XO Switchpuller Tool

A Stainless Steel 304 Switch Puller. Laser-etched. XO detailing. Arriving next month along with our new Rama Wear apparel.

M60-A INCOMING / PARVUM / MIGHTYKILLERS

M60-A

The M60-A enclosures are landing tomorrow by sea-freight in Melbourne (1st of November)! The container will then be going through customs and then delivered to our warehouse once cleared. Once in our warehouse we will aim to ship out the M60-A keyboards as quickly as possible!

PARVUM ITX CASE

We’re excited to be showing some of the work for the design we have created for PARVUM SYSTEMS. We will be creating a prototype for them and we will reveal more details to follow once tested. All panels are machined from Aluminium.

MIGHTYKILLERS

We’ve been wanting to do camera accessories for a long time now, and a great opportunity came up with someone we’ve been following for a while with MIGHTYKILLERS. We have designed for them a series of accessories that we look forward to releasing to the market. To be released: 135 Dual Film Canister, 120 Quad Film Canister, Soft Release & a Cold Shoe Cover.

KOYU

One month remains to join the KOYU preorder. In the following weeks we will be showing more of the board and its capabilities/design. Pictured below is the hand-polished mirror finish PVD brass TANK Edition.

BOXR / M60-A / Further Collaborations

BOXR GG

The ‘king’ caps for our friends BOXR GG have been completed and will be shipped to them next week where they will pack and ship them! These have been machined from Brass, hand-polished to a mirror finish and PVD coated to their perfect gold colour. Excited to see these out in the wild!

M60-A

The enclosures have officially begun their journey of sea-freight to our Melbourne warehouse. Today we spent programming and packing PCB, and will be again tomorrow. About 3/4th complete - anticipate having most of it completed by tomorrow.

Further Collaborations

GMK Wavez cap with Glow in the Dark enamel infill. More to follow.

M60-A / M6-B / TH 88 Caps / New collabs / Heavy Industry / KOYU

M60-A

All M60-A enclosures have been completed and will be shipped by sea-freight to our Melbourne Warehouse. A little delay has occured due to the Mid-Autumn festival/National holiday but they will be returning in the next few days to promptly pack and prepare the shipping container for shipment. Sea-Freight will take around 2-3 weeks to arrive to our bays in Melbourne, Australia. We will then package and ship in batches of colour and country and aim to complete this over the course of a week with the help of a few hired hands.

A freshly anodised M60-A Dusk

Meanwhile our team down under (Wilba, Kate & Rama) have been programming, testing and packing the PCB’s whilst we wait for the freight shipment of the M60-A enclosures to arrive. We appreciate the patience of everyone who participated in the pre-orders and we’re excited to see these unboxed and assembled in their own unique combinations.

M60-A Manufacturing shots

During our visit to our manufacturers we where lucky enough to see some of the M60-A’s undergo the anodising process. Here are some photos of the enclosures receiving their perfect colour. The jigs are all custom made to hold the enclosures in such a way to hide the anode mark. Anodising is all about timing and craftsmanship by extremely skilled workers. Seeing the process in person really makes you appreciate the beauty of chemical reactions much more. First the M60-A goes through a number of cleaning baths to remove any contaminates which may be present on the surface, it then is placed immediately into an ultrasonic bath for a matter of minutes and directly placed into multiple colour tanks where it quickly starts to show its colour.

M6-B

M6-B is well into production. We will be receiving the XO caps from Signature Plastics shortly, the PCB’s will be complete in 2-3 weeks and the enclosures after that. We have ordered many extras to stock on our site for those who missed out.

Pas that, the new XO pins have arrived! This time we laser-cut them out of mirrored stainless steel. These are much tougher and cleaner than the first iteration.

TypeHype 88 Edition Keycap

Our limited edition Type Hype caps are starting to arrive to our international customers, very happy with how our first enamel filled keycap came out. A lucky 2 orders will also be receiving an unreleased yellow-enamel filled variant, we hope to see it on a board somewhere!

New Collabs

Introducing our latest keycap release with the latest GMK set, GMK Chocolatier. We are offering the Blue PVD coated X/O caps in Cherry Profile and a ‘Golden Ticket’ in Gold PVD! These are available through various vendors who are offering the keyset.

Heavy Industry

We finally launched the Heavy Industry keyset to be paired with our latest offerings, the KOYU and M60 keyboards. Check it out through the link below! It is also suited for other products on the market and can be accented with the yellow or more subtle without.

https://rama.works/pbt-heavy-industry/

KOYU

New renders have been uploaded to their respective KOYU pages to show the colours of the board in its various colours.

In other news!

We’re on Apple News! If you own an iOS device subscribe to the “Rama Works” news channel and follow these updates from there also.

Introducing KOYU

The ‘wait’ for something isn’t the most conscious desire, but that anticipation creates nostalgia.

At Rama Works, you’ve embraced this. From updates of the blog, to direct communication with the community, being part of a Rama Works product doesn’t just start when you receive it. If you’ve ever received a Rama Works product, you know that no detail is overlooked.

Let us take you on a journey that will capture that sensory experience, and explore the gravitational interaction between aesthetic and design. The Rama Works ‘X’ element personifies the understanding that taking something away doesn’t necessarily make it less.

Introducing KOYU, our latest offering. Go check out the launch video and preorder now at https://rama.works/koyu