In the realm of high-end keyboards, the term “endgame” is often thrown around among enthusiasts. It connotes that elusive perfect combination of layout, design, features, switches, and keycaps, allowing one to finally shift focus from searching for the ideal keyboard to actually using it.
Yet, for many, this ideal is often compromised by factors such as time and budget. This leaves keyboard enthusiasts wondering if they may ever find a truly perfect model.
But Ryan Norbauer, founder of Norbauer & Co., dares to ask: What if compromise was not necessary? What if one could create their endgame keyboard from scratch, integrating every desired aspect without the constraints of cost?
Enter the Seneca, Norbauer’s inaugural offering, which can best be described as an ultimate luxury keyboard. The Seneca features an impeccably crafted aluminum chassis with a plasma-oxide finish, a solid brass switchplate, and custom capacitive switches, all while utilizing the best stabilizers in the industry and retro-style spherical keycaps. Notably, it includes a completely flat typing angle, zero backlighting, and weighs a substantial seven pounds, coming in at a price point of $3,600.
You may find yourself bombarded with questions. Why does this keyboard carry a $3,600 price tag? Who would invest in such an extravagant device? And is it even worth it?
Having spent considerable time using an early model of the Seneca, I can conclusively say that it is simply remarkable. The build quality is outstanding, the custom switches even surpass the renowned Topre switches, the stabilizers are unparalleled, and typing on it is a delightful experience. The Seneca stands as a genuine technical milestone in keyboard design.
At the helm of this ambitious project is Ryan Norbauer. Having gained notoriety in the keyboard community with his aftermarket housings, the Seneca marks his foray into producing a ready-to-type keyboard. According to Norbauer, it’s the culmination of his ongoing quest for the perfect keyboard, from which Norbauer & Co. as a business emerged.
Norbauer’s journey began during his childhood in 1990s West Virginia, where he was captivated by the aesthetics and ideals of Star Trek: The Next Generation. This period also coincided with the rise of personal computing and the internet, which presented an appealing escape into a future filled with promise.
The Seneca embodies Norbauer’s vision of creating the best computer keyboard by his standards, without fixation on costs. It evokes nostalgia for the tactile engagement with technology during a time when computing was thrilling.
Norbauer reflects, “A big part of the allure of keyboards is the connection to my childhood nostalgia about being really excited about computing.” Thus, the Seneca features a bulkier design with a standard tenkeyless layout, rooted in his personal preferences and experiences.
His motivations are driven by a sense of wanting to build the keyboard of his dreams—a device he could nurture, challenge, and ultimately innovate.
In pursuit of his passion project, Norbauer is no stranger to overcoming challenges. About two decades ago, he envisioned a dating website but lacked the funds. This necessity forcibly steered him into the realm of coding, ultimately leading him to learn programming languages through dedicated, intensive self-teaching.
Despite suffering from tendonitis due to excessive coding, he adapted his typing posture, thus igniting an obsession with comfortable keyboards. His entrepreneurial journey next led to the creation of more startups, and by 2010, the success of those ventures allowed him to explore his interests in industrial design and, eventually, the world of Topre keyboards.
Topre keyboards, renowned for their snappy tactile feedback, were initially foreign to Norbauer. Yet, he eventually adapted a modified Topre Realforce 87u keyboard encased in a custom aluminum housing, revealing a need for unique, aftermarket options, as existing designs did not meet his vision of functionality and aesthetic.
Norbauer’s frustration grew upon discovering a lack of compatible keycap designs and subpar housing materials. The initial spark of innovation ignited when he secured a Cooler Master NovaTouch keyboard for its Topre switches; however, its substandard construction compelled him to act.
Feeling limited by the prevailing offerings in the market, Norbauer resolved to create his housing. His prowess in design blossomed over time as he experimented with machining processes, launching successful group buys and solidifying his reputation within the keyboard community.
From these early endeavors emerged several generations of innovative housings, leading up to the Heavy Grail, celebrated for its sophisticated design and aesthetic appeal. But Norbauer’s ambitions sought to create not just housing but complete keyboards, ultimately culminating in the conception of the Seneca.
The Seneca wasn’t born overnight but rather evolved over several years through trial and error. After initially prototyping using standard parts, Norbauer recalibrated the vision, emphasizing his dream to build a custom offering that melded performance with visual design.
In his pursuit, he enlisted the expertise of an electrical engineering firm to create the keyboard’s PCB, marking what he expected to be the most intricate part. As other technical challenges surfaced, he found inspiration to develop unique switches and stabilizers that could meet his intent for excellence.
The realization soon struck him: he wanted comprehensive control over every element of the board—not just housings but the interior workings, the tactile experience, and the sound profile.
The Seneca’s design incorporates a reimagined switch inspired by Topre switches, but with invaluable improvements. The culminating switch architecture directly addresses common complaints of wobbling and inconsistency, all while maximizing compatibility with various keycap designs.
The continuous iterations led Norbauer to explore a new style of stabilizers—those mechanisms ensuring uniform keypresses on long keys. While originally considering traditional lubed MX stabilizers, he was driven to invent an unparalleled solution to eliminate rattling without reliance on lubrication.
This endeavor proved to be laborious yet fruitful, resulting in two distinct stabilizer designs. The final version, intended for the Seneca, employs a complex assembly technique with a multitude of precision-engineered parts guaranteeing a superior typing experience.
Norbauer’s relentless pursuit of quality meant that he often ignored business profitability. Instead, he focused on creating the very best product irrespective of the low production output or the costs involved—encapsulated in the philosophy: “Let’s go with the rightest way to do it and damn the costs.” Every decision made was scrutinized for its contribution to the keyboard’s quality.
Everything about the Seneca—from its milled aluminum chassis and plasma-oxide finish to the brass switchplate—underscored Norbauer’s commitment to craftsmanship. The case had to resonate with the auditory qualities of the switch interactions, thus necessitating the choice of brass over lightweight aluminum.
The result is that the Seneca is crafted to encapsulate quality through meticulous attention to detail. Each keyboard is assembled by hand, with processes that ensure rigorous quality without any shortcuts. Norbauer and his co-worker, Taeha Kim, dedicate painstaking efforts to fabricating each component, including the elaborate stabilizers that can take hours to assemble thoroughly.
In reflection, Norbauer is realistic about the financial aspects of creating such a premium product. When asked about profitability, he readily admits that he “is bad at business,” underscoring the notion that succeeding in luxury markets is convoluted and demanding.
Even with funding from investment partners, he expresses a desire to retain the heart of the brand while attempting to keep creative control intact. The Seneca is positioned less about mass sales and more about fostering a sense of community amongst keyboard enthusiasts who appreciate high craftsmanship.
The endeavor behind the Seneca is as much about producing a luxurious and innovative product as it is about connecting with a dedicated audience that shares a passion for finely crafted keyboards.
In closing, Norbauer recognizes that while the Seneca may not make everyone a faster or better typist, the undeniable craftsmanship and design speak to a niche of users who understand and appreciate the intricacies involved in creating the finest keyboard imaginable. Following this ambitious offering, Norbauer is already looking toward his next project—focusing on radical design changes that explore new materials and features.
As inspired by his passion for creativity and excellence blossoms, there’s a sense of anticipation regarding what Norbauer & Co. has in store for keyboard aficionados in the future. With the potential to revolutionize the way people perceive and interact with keyboards, the journey has only just begun.
image source from：https://www.theverge.com/tech/686441/norbauer-seneca-keyboard-creator
