I'm not a member of the team, but was contracted for the PCB design as an external freelancer - I have one of the PCB prototypes sitting in a shelf, and the designer has a fully functional prototype with aluminum case and keycaps already. Bit dusty, but here's my proto with a ridiculously oversized battery (that would probably run for a year or so without charging): https://mpwr.xyz/blog/2022/pcb_1.jpg

This will most likely not be the final PCB revision as we still have ideas for improvements, but it should prove that the board is more than a design study already.

How much does a pcb like this cost for a small prototyping batch of 1 or 5 for example?

Depends a lot. If you want it fully assembled, you have to go to larger fab houses like PCBway, and spend a few hundred bucks on a 5pc batch. If you can hand-solder some parts (in this case, the Bluetooth module and the USB connector) and design the rest around jlcpcbs libraries, you can get away with 20-30USD per unit (MOQ of 5) plus shipping/customs. Then add another 10USD for the bluetooth module and USB connector.

A simpler wired design like my E80-1800 (https://github.com/ebastler/E80-1800) can be completely assembled by jlc for ~30ish USD per unit.

Oddly enough, small-batch prototyping at jlc can be cheaper than medium sized (50-150 pc) runs at other fabs.

Hope this doesn't sound like an ad, I've compared a lot of prices and nobody came close to jlcpcb, but With their limitations (limited stock, limited finish/color choices, frequently chnaging stocks and component prices) and sometimes far-from-ideal QC (some scratches can happen, in rare cases even missing components that were present in the BOM) they are not really my first choice for production runs. For prototypes or small unofficial-ish batches with a few friends though - god tier.

> Hope this doesn't sound like an ad…

It is actually very informative, I was very surprised to learn that one could get fully assembled prototypes for a few hundred bucks.

Seconding this. At the top end of the range, about $150 / each if you buy 15 of them at a reputable factory. Half of that is components, a tenth is the PCB, rest is assembly.

If you are going to hand-assemble a macropad or something, you end up paying more in shipping than you pay for a set of 5 PCBs.

Also, most factories allow you to calculate the price on their website! Look for PCBway, Elecrow, JLCPCB, OSH Park, or a dozen others.

You know, it hadn't crossed my mind when I first browsed the page, but now that I've read your comment, it seems very likely that this is entirely an art concept with 0 progress made towards making it a real product.

And I agree about your conclusion that this level of detail making it close to dishonesty, rather than faking till you make it.

Hopefully you're wrong.

How can it be dishonesty when he doesn’t promise anything? He shows the product and invites you to get updates on the way forward. In addition both he and the electronics designer answer questions here.

I meant it would be dishonest only if it was a made up page with no progress made towards building it. Happy to hear that's not the case.

This level of detail is mandatory to have a spec that can actually be executed at some point.