The third batch of EcoStenos will soon be ready for purchase! We hit some snags with various things that ended up delaying this batch by several weeks, but we were able to smooth things out since then.

New International Shipping Options – Around the world!

We are now offering shipping to anywhere serviced by USPS (aka nearly everywhere on earth with the exception of sanctioned countries). Please note that certain countries currently have service interruptions due to Covid-19 (link to current USPS interruptions). The options are:

• USPS Priority Mail International
• USPS Priority Mail Express International
• First-Class Package International Service

Please note that First-Class is not insured, and we cannot take responsibility for packages lost by USPS.

Changelog from Second Batch (v1.0.18 -> v1.0.19)

• Serial mode protocol is now Gemini PR
• Qwerty mode home-row capitalization bug should be fixed now
• On-board voltage regulator is now tolerant of higher voltages

The serial mode protocol is now Gemini PR. This allows disambiguation of S1- and S2- keys, the four star keys, and the four number keys during serial mode operation. This was not possible in the previous serial protocol (TX-Bolt) due to its intrinsic limitations.

One bug report we found was an inability to type capital home row letters. This was a firmware issue stemming from how they were defined as key combos in QMK – this should now be fixed.

Lastly, the voltage regulator was changed to one more tolerant of high voltages in the edge case that the board receives excessive voltage on VBUS.

Design and Firmware Files Release, DIY Version and Part Kits

We recognize that demand far outstrips supply for the EcoSteno, and this may soon be exacerbated since Lenno will be going back to university to start on his master’s degree in a week. In our commitment to the Open Steno community and making the EcoSteno as accessible as we can, we are releasing the design and firmware files under GNU GPL v2; this is the same license used by QMK for most of QMK.

In addition, we are currently developing a DIY version that uses only through-hole components for easier DIY assembly. We are looking into making it compatible with both the RP Pico and the Pro Micro (and therefore by extension, any board compatible with the Pro Micro footprint).

Since the part that takes the most startup cost (and therefore most impacted by economies of scale) to make is the backplate and supporting hardware, we are looking into offering hardware kits for DIY EcoStenos.

Restock!

The EcoSteno will be restocked at 12:00PM (noon) EDT on August 19, 2021. Don’t miss your chance to get one while supplies last!