VERNE AUCTION

Verne is a custom mechanical keyboard designed by Zambumon.

Powered by a custom WT80-A PCB designed by Wilba, with a beautiful dark blue solder mask and artwork from the GMK Nautilus keycap set, Verne is fully programmable via QMK and VIA Configurator. In addition to the WT80-A, Verne has an USB-C extension PCB that allow better placement of the USB-C connector by mounting it low, in parallel with your desk surface.

The keyboard has a top-mounted brass plate with a fixed TKL layout, where 0.25U gaps separate the function row and navigation cluster from the 60% area. Having a fixed plate grants a tight fit on all switches and a clean look when the switches are in place, as all of the exposed plate holes are used.

Once assembled, Verne weighs around 2.5 kg (5.3 lbs), a perfect spot where it is hefty enough that moving it by accident is hard, but you can still pick it up and adjust its position easily.

Technical Specs

6 degree slope
Top mounted sand-blasted brass plate. Fixed layout.
WT80-A Verne and WT-USB-C extension PCBs designed by Wilba. Programmable via QMK and VIA compatible.
Estimated weight of around 2.5kg (5.3lbs)
Supported layouts:
- Modern: the standard American layout, with a 6.25U spacebar and seven 1.25U modifier keys on its bottom row.
- Classic: a symmetric bottom row, with a 7.00U spacebar and two 1.50U modifiers and a 1.00U modifier on each side; as well as a stepped Caps Lock key.

Terms of the sale

From May 15 at 22:00 CEST to May 16 22:00 CEST, I’ll be auctioning 8 Oblivion Grey Verne (with either Classic or Modern layouts) using a Vickrey auction at a starting price of $410.

This is a sealed-bid auction (meaning that bidders will submit their bids without knowing the bid of the other people in the auction) where the top 8 bidders will get a board, and the price to be paid will be set by the ninth-highest bid. Only one bid per person, and a Geekhack ID created before April 1, 2019 is required to participate. I reserve the right to accept or decline your bid.

A Google form will be open from Wednesday, May 15 at 22:00 CEST to Thursday, May 16 22:00 CEST. You won’t be able to modify your response, so please make sure that everything is correct before submitting your entry.

The final price will be announced not long after the form closes, and winners will be contacted at that point The winners will remain anonymous unless they want otherwise.

Additional information

Auction format: Vickrey auction, seal-bids. The top 8 bidders get a board, the price paid will set by the ninth-highest bid.
Only one bid per person. A Geekhack account created before April 1, 2019 is required to participate. Entries with the same shipping address will be deleted.
Bids will be in US Dollars. You cannot modify your bid.
I reserve the right to accept or decline your bid.
Shipping: the boards will be shipped from Spain which should be 17€ for EU, around $50-$60 for the US and Canada and around $60-$70 to Asia.
Payment: Payment will be through PayPal. A maximum of 4.5% in Paypal fees will be applied to your invoice.
EU members: as the boards will be sold from Spain, please take this in consideration when bidding. A 21% VAT will be added to your invoice.
NON-EU members: you will be responsible for any customs fees at the time of delivery.
This is a DIY kit. Assembly, keycaps, switches, stabilizers, and USB-C cable are not included.

Included with Verne:

Top Piece.
Bottom Piece.
Sandblasted brass plate.
WT80-A Verne PCB and WT-USB-C Verne PCB.
WT80-A to WT-USB-C cable
Screws and bumpons

Quality Disclosure

This quality disclosure is made to inform buyers of any potential flaws in the items they are buying. Due to the nature of low-volume manufacturing, it is not always possible to avoid all issues in the production run:

There should be no scuffs or scratches on the case top, sides, or bottom.*
There may be a few spots or scratches on the inside (vertical) faces of the case top. These should not be visible when the case is built.
There may be a few spots or small scratches on the inside (vertical) faces of the case top. These are hook marks from how the case tops were hung in the anodizing bath and won’t be visible when fully assembled.
There may be anodization discoloration around the screw holes. In some cases, there might be some oil residue.
There may be anodization defects, scuffs, or scratches on inner faces of top and bottom pieces.
There may be small dents on the alignment slots of the bottom pieces.

* For one of the boards (board #12) there’s a small dent in the USB-C hole area.

Here are some examples of those issues, of which I have selected the most notable ones. Please, make sure to check the following links:

Auction Form

Auction form link