System76 Introduces Open Source Launch Heavy Keyboard With Numpad – Computer – News

System76 will quickly launch a bigger model of its Launch mechanical keyboard. Not like earlier variations, this Launch Heavy variant comes with a numpad. The pcb and housing are once more open supply.

De System76 Launch Heavy will get a full-size-like design with a complete of 84 keys. New is the addition of a numpad, which was lacking within the Launch and Launch Lite. This makes the keyboard additionally bigger than the earlier variants, with dimensions of 393.7×135.1×27.9mm. The Launch Heavy weighs roughly 1,315kg.

System76 provides the keyboard with Kailh Field Jade, Royal, Silent Pink or Silent Brown switches from Kailh as normal. Nonetheless, the Launch Heavy additionally options Kailh hot-swap sockets, permitting customers to swap the switches with out having to solder or unsold them. The Launch Heavy additionally will get an built-in USB hub, with two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Kind-C ports and two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Kind-A connectors. The keyboard comes with PBT keycaps with an XDA profile.

Like earlier Launch keyboards, System76 open supply the pcb design and schematics of the keyboard case. Customers can subsequently probably produce the keyboard themselves, if they’ve the required gear. The keyboard makes use of open supply firmware based mostly on QMK. The Launch Heavy’s format might be custom-made utilizing the System76 Keyboard Configurator software program for Home windows, macOS, and Linux.

The Launch Heavy can be System76’s third Launch keyboard. The unique Launch had a tenkeyless design with no numpad, and the Launch Lite launched this 12 months had a 65% format with no perform keys. System76 confirmed earlier this 12 months in an interview with Tweakers that the corporate in the long term a distribution middle in Europe, the place it’s going to promote its keyboards, amongst different issues. The corporate additionally needs to supply ISO variants of its Launch keyboards. It isn’t identified whether or not this additionally applies to the Launch Heavy.

System76 doesn’t but share a concrete launch date or steered retail value for the Launch Heavy. The corporate says it’s going to present extra particulars “quickly”.