summary
Limits is a Canadian company that exists to create solutions and address frustrations within the electronics industry. Currently, we are polishing our design and manufacturing workflows. To trial our capability, we created the ohm keyboard.
Designing and manufacturing locally allows us to streamline our processes. Efficiency, versatility, and fine-tuned product quality are inherent with complete control over basically the entire design and manufacturing process.
details
We believe being closer to the manufacturing helps us design better, more customer centric products. It enables ultra-fast minor revisions which enables the community to comment on our designs and help make them better for the next person. Quality control was a major factor in deciding to manufacture our products in-house. The idea of communicating with seperate factories in order to try and exert control over quality did not sit well with us.
Our first product, the Ohm Keyboard is not innovative, but that’s a calculated decision. A keyboard is an electromechanically simple, easy to design, and useful device. It’s the ideal trial of our capabilities, and will give us the confidence to make even cooler products very soon.
The real dream is to be able to have a complex idea for a product, break it down into workflows, automate the workflows and production, and be able to ship prototypes to testers within a month of having a finalized idea.
Finding the limits of modern design and manufacturing is a really fun problem, there is nothing this company would rather do.
current capabilities
- PCB assembly line, 7000 components per hour [HWGC T4 50F, spreader and oven]
- 3 axis CNC machining of most metals, plastics, composites [2000 Haas Mini Mill]
- Laser engraving and cutting of literally anything [10W UV Galvo Laser]
- 3D Printing [Bambu Lab Print Farm]
journey
first minimum viable product [codename: bard]
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Honestly, this was a very good direction. Ultimately, it was decided that a split design with controllers and batteries in each half is cringe, in hindsight that’s kind of a bad take. This prototype was never used full-time by anybody because the 200mAh batteries were actually 40mAh…
second minimum viable product [codename: bard V2]
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This prototype explored a tether between halves. We felt this design had lots and lots of potential. Although the prototype uses jumper cables between halves, we created a unique joint design that allows a flex cable to rotate on two axes. This would allow the keyboard have an adjustable wrist angle but also be able to fold up for transporation.
This was a very versatile design, and of course had only one battery and one mcu. Ultimately, this design deviated too far from the goal of the device, which is to trial our manufacturing process. A revisit is almost guaranteed, after we get more design for manufacturing experience.
anti-scope-creep device [codename: ohm]
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It’s a board. With keys on it. It’s sort of embarrasing how plain the design is, but after a few months of trials, it is actually a pretty sweet product. All components are SMD mounted on just one side of the board. This makes the device way easier to manufacture. We hope to take this device to market to fund the next big thing.
#changedaworld