Off to a Great Start!

Hello! We’ve only been live for less than a week, but we’ve already rocketed up to nearly three-quarters of the funding goal. I am thrilled that so many people believe in this project, and I can’t wait to get Zerowriter Ink to you.

This early momentum means a lot. Please consider sharing with friends and family (and maybe strangers, too) because the more traction we gain early on, the easier it is to compound that into more for all of us. Economies of scale really help with hardware projects.

Backstory

To see how far Zerowriter Ink has come since the Raspberry Pi days, checkout the video below. I’ll be posting more development videos regularly.

Introducing Updates

I’m going to do updates a little bit differently. In each post, I’m including community shoutouts. It’s a section where I plug cool people behind the scenes. It could be writers, makers, and everyone in between. Why? Because some people deserve a bit of spotlight, and we can all help each other by sparing a little bit of attention. Who knows — maybe you’ll find something awesome.

You can find the first community shoutout at the bottom of this update. If you would like to be featured and are working on something neat, contact me. You can find me on Discord, YouTube, Reddit, or Crowd Supply.

Keycaps, Keyboards, and Layouts

I’ve gotten a lot of questions related to the keyboard, so I want to clarify a few things.

First, as a disclaimer: this is a traditional crowdfunding campaign, which means there is still development to go. Things can change along the way, and I’ll be here to talk about it if something does.

Zerowriter Ink will ship with a 61-key, 60%, English / "US" layout with printed legends on the keycaps, similar to what is pictured on the campaign. Currently, we’re working with FK Keycaps, makers of the nicest low-profile keycaps you can get. It’s going to be awesome.

I am looking into options for also offering blank keycaps. More details to come in a future update.

You’ll be able to map the keyboard yourself (no programming required), so it can fit a variety of styles and languages, as long as they fit on a 61-key keyboard.

This is an open source project, so KiCad files will be made available for people to develop their own alternative hardware if they choose. I will include .STL files for those who wish to 3d print their own keycaps.

Community Shoutouts

Martin Shannon is a writer and all-around great guy from Florida. Yes, they exist. On my vacation, I dove in to his early novel, Dead Set. A great read if you feel like a high-tempo story with the undead, demons, magick, and a whole lot more. Urban fantasy in great form, and I hear the series keeps getting better. Browse more of Martin’s works..

Un Kyu Lee is gaining a cult following on Reddit, and for good reason. He makes custom writerdecks, a lot like Zerowriter Ink. Mr. Lee is also creating open source devices aimed at helping writers get more out of their machines. Most of his projects are 40% keyboards with LCD screens, so a slightly different experience. Keep an eye on what he is up to: you might just find your next perfect device. Take a look at The Micro Journal Rev 6 which showcases his awesome style and signature care.