ZSA Technology Labs Brings out the Planck EZ 47-key Open Source Keyboard

[VSG]

ZSA Technology Labs, Inc. is the company behind the Ergodox EZ keyboard that we had taken a look at in great detail, and appreciated a lot. It was a retail take on the open source Ergodox keyboard concept which, until then, was available as a kit or pre-assembled by artisans in low numbers, and was not a mass-market product. One could argue the Ergodox EZ is still not a mainstream keyboard, but it certainly made things much more accessible via options to choose from for a pre-assembled keyboard, as well as a powerful, GUI-based configurator for those wanting easier firmware access and control.

In that same vein, the parent company has now introduced the Planck EZ which, as the name suggests, is based on the 47-key Planck keyboard design. Designed in conjunction with Jack Humbert, the creator of the Planck, the Planck EZ aims to be a simple, complete, portable, mechanical keyboard built with layers and ergonomics in mind. The Planck EZ goes a bit further with adding in not only multiple switch options, but also backlighting and a buzzer that can also be controlled to play 8-bit tunes from the keyboard- definitely a first in my books! The Planck EZ is up for pre-order now beginning at $180, with an estimated shipping date in June 2019.



View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[phanbuey]

you can now do everything with 1 button.

 

[AltCapwn]

I'm dreaming of, one day, buying a budget friendly Planck keyboard.

 

[kastriot]

'It's a crap son", (Beneath the steel sky.)

 

[Robcostyle]

WTH is this? And a pricetag of 180$? Lol....

 

[Deleted member 24505]

WTH is this? And a pricetag of 180$? Lol....

Hey it was designed by a plank

 

[OC-Ghost]

No typewriter key setup, WOO.. 180usd.. aaah

 

[lexluthermiester]

What's "open source" about it?

 

[Deleted member 24505]

What's "open source" about it?

It has a buzzer you can program with 8bit tunes...

EDIT-https://github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware/
The powerful firmware that runs on your Planck EZ is called QMK and it's open-source, available on GitHub. While you can use the configurator to quickly put together a layout, having complete access to the firmware source code means you can dig as deep as you'd like.

 

[Fx]

I certainly appreciate nice keyboards and can't deny that I have spent $150 on a keyboard, but completely fail to see $180 of value in this keyboard. Honestly, I am not even excited about its unique features.

 

[xorbe]

dat spacebar doe

 

[Deleted member 24505]

For the Keyboard with cherry Switches, of any colour, and led keys it's $195, Free shipping.

 

[AltCapwn]

For the Keyboard with cherry Switches, of any colour, and led keys it's $195, Free shipping.

I don't understand. It should cost less because of the size, 200$ is tooooo much. I love the layout but damn, why so pricey?

 

[erixx]

Just love the F1-F12 keys, so tidy!

 

[micropage7]

nope, i still need dedicated F buttons at least TKL

 

[SN2716057]

That location of the esc and tab key. :/

 

[Deleted member 24505]

You can program each key with press or hold commands too

 

[lemonadesoda]

I hate ‘mystery meat’ interfaces. Numerics, punctuation, f keys, special characters... i would rather see THEM and have A-Z invisible. I think the hit rate/accuracy would be better that way round.

(C) here, today, me.