Seattle Mechanical Keyboard Meetup
July 27th, 2019 • Seattle Pacific University — Upper Gwinn Commons
Get ready for the 7th semi-annual #smkmeetup
Presentations, workshops, contests, giveaways, great community, and more. Expect keyboards in all shapes and sizes. All kinds of keyboards. A lot of keyboards. So many keyboards! This will be an all weekend event. Expect talks in the morning and traditional meetup time (keyboards and giveaways) in the afternoon/evening.
NOTE: Workshops will take place at the Living Computer Museum + Labs on Sunday, July 28th (the day after the meetup).
RSVP
We are asking for a minimum donation for your RSVP ticket. In exchange, you will receive a door prize (must check in at welcome desk in order to receive your prize). Any remaining proceeds will go directly towards scholarships/subsidizing costs of cKeys' youth and adult workshops.
When you're ready to signup, click the RSVP button below.
RSVPSaturday's Schedule
You're welcome to check-in at any time throughout the day. Please have your ticket ready on your phone or printed out. Tickets will be available during the event if you still haven't purchased. No entry without ticket.
10:00AM - Doors Open
Every ticket holder will receive a t-shirt as door prize. We will also have other goodies in limited supply. Arrive early for the best chance at collecting all the goods.
10:30AM - Anatomy of a Keyboard
presented by Isabela Moreira
New to the mechanical keyboard world? Interested in building your own keyboard? This beginner-friendly talk will go over the anatomy of a mechanical keyboard, from the low-level hardware to customizing the perfect board for you.
11:15AM - Q&A on Keycaps and the Plastics Industry
with Melissa Petersen of Signature Plastics
This is your chance to ask questions about the keycap making process and the plastics industry.
12:00PM to 1:00PM - Off-campus lunch break
The SPU does not allow outside food in the venue. Walkable and drivable food options along with a map of campus can be found here. Food options also available in the official SMKmeetup Tour Guide.
Note: Unlike last year, we aren't kicking you out of the venue during the lunch break if you opt not to eat.
1:00PM - Traditional Meetup
If this is your first time attending a keyboard meetup, prepare yourself for hours of exploring keyboards and socializing. We had 400+ keyboards last year and are expecting even more this year. If you have your own keyboards to share, bring as many as you can carry. We will make room for everyone!
This time will be filled with keyboards, mini tours (sign up coming soon) keyboard related activities, giveaways, and more.
5:00PM - Closing time
Time to take the celebration somewhere else in Seattle. Keep your ears open for unofficial after-meetup dinners and gatherings.
Sunday's Workshops
This is the first year we are offering workshops on the day after the meetup. This way no one has to miss their precious meetup festivities in order to build keyboards and/or learn how to solder. NOTE: These workshops are at a different venue on SUNDAY: Living Computers Museum + Labs
4x5 keyboard soldering workshop
Sunday from 11am-1:30pm
We're upgrading the original 4x4 keyboard workshop to a 4x5 keyboard with rotary encoder and other goodies. Includes Proton C, Kailh box switches, grab bag keycaps, rotary encoder, PCB case, and other components.
Soldering Basics
Sunday from 2:15pm-4:45pm
We just added this $16 soldering basics workshop to the lineup so we have a lot of extra seats to fill! We're taking what we have learned from teaching more advanced workshops and focusing on the basics. You will leave with a LED and mechanical switch blinky fidgety thingy. You will also leave this workshop confident in your soldering skills!
RSVP for workshops before they all fill up.
Location
Seattle Pacific University
Upper Gwinn Commons
3310 Sixth Avenue West,
Seattle, WA 98119
Here is a map of campus with the venue and parking marked.
Parking
There will be plenty of on site parking in the visitor parking garage. You'll find parking marked on this map of campus.
Food and Beverages
Lunch will not be provided. But take a look at this list of nearby restaurants for ideas.
There will be a break after the morning presentations for lunch. SPU has requested that no outside food be brought into the venue.
Giveaways
Your RSVP counts as your entry in the giveaways. Must be present to win. No purchase possible.
Follow us @smkmeetup or #SMKmeetup for giveaway teases.
Sponsors
Interested in sponsoring the event? Find out more on our sponsorship page.
Volunteers
This event is all volunteer run. If you're interested in volunteering, please contact us via the volunteer page.
cKeys?
We are a volunteer run 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our purpose is to address, educate, and coordinate the dispersal of soldering and electrical hardware skills and knowledge across age and socioeconomic divides while inspiring enthusiasm for mechanical keyboards and other input devices.
We teach hardware and programming workshops in the Greater Seattle Area.
Want to get involved? Join us!
Seattle Mechanical Keyboards → Seattle Keyboards → SeaKeys → cKeys
Code of Conduct
All attendees, speakers, sponsors and volunteers at our meetup are required to agree with the following code of conduct.
Our meetup is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), or technology choices (rubber domes included). We do not tolerate harassment of meetup participants in any form. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate anywhere at our meetup, including talks, Twitter, and other online media. Meetup participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the meetup at the discretion of the meetup organizers.
Signup
Not ready to commit? You can also sign up for email updates on event details from the RSVP page.
RSVP