It was a warm summer evening when I saw the OLKB Preonic (rev 3) on Massdrop. It looked gorgeous. It was a kit, but without needing to solder. I could get fancy switches I’d never heard of. Most importantly, it came in orange. I joined that drop, not understanding even how Massdrop worked. “Estimated Shipping Date: January 24, 2019.” Well, fuck, take my money anyway.
Life went on. Lots of life. I recommended this keyboard to @designpatternpirate without even trying it. Seasons changed. I kinda forgot all about it, which seems like what happens to most Mech Keys Massdrop-participants. Then, on an evening 70 degrees colder than when this all began, a tiny package appeared at my apartment door. “That box is too small to fit a keyboard,” my daughter said. “Wait, what did you buy?” said my wife. I grabbed my toolbox and took over the dining table.
It’s a very impressive piece of hardware. The Anodized orange case and MX plate are very sturdy. And the PBC, well...
Not only does it look great, and run QMK Firmware, but this version of OLKB (Revision 3) adds hot-swappable switches, meaning no soldering! I could include my 3 year old in the assembly without too much angst.
The only weird part of having hot-swappable switches is that (if you opt for the “extra secure” assembly method, which I did) you screw the board and plate in first, THEN add the switches, so I kinda was just crossing my fingers that the pins didn’t bend or anything. That being said, it was very straight forward; the stabilizers were already assembled, which is usually the hardest part.
It’s an amazing little keyboard that I’m really looking forward to using.
