About a year ago, I asked about a CircuitPython board to convert a QMK Planck (12x4 Ortholinear) keyboard. Since then things have advanced massively with the superb Adafruit NeoKey 5x6 Ortho Snap-Apart. I have bought two of these and snapped one of the rows off each. Two side by side fit nicely into the original enclosure and even are able to use the same mounting posts! I want to use a RP2040 board with these, but none of the many on the market quite meet all my requirements, so I am still hoping to persuade LadyAda to use her amazing PCB skills to spin yet another board! My requirements are as follows:
1. USB C socket, ideally with full electrical protection (TVS diodes etc.)
2. Maximum number of GPIO pins broken out to allow a big key matrix (14 is enough for me, but it should be adaptable to drive full sized keyboards as well).
3. As thin as humanly possible so it fits under the Snap-Apart without raising the height more than necessary. Consider using a mid-board USB-C connector so the whole board is no thicker than the connector.
4. Five-volt USB broken out and one GPIO with a five-volt level shifter on-board to drive the NeoPixel chain.
5. (Would be neat, but not essential) Mounting holes that match the grid of the Snap-Apart so it can be stacked on the same mounting posts.
I'd also like to thank Adafruit for taking up my suggestion to stock relegendable keycaps and at a very reasonable price! Two further product suggestions:
1. A Snap-Apart on the same grid for socketed Choc (low profile) key switches (would not have NeoPixels).
2. A Snap-Apart on the same grid for rotary encoders with NeoPixels. Probably 1x6 would be the most anybody would want, but it would be good to be able to tile these on a mixed grid with mechanical keys.
CircuitPython Board for Mech Keyboards
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- johnpark
- Posts: 985
- Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 2:15 pm
Re: CircuitPython Board for Mech Keyboards
Cool test build!
- danhalbert
- Posts: 4688
- Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2017 12:37 pm
Re: CircuitPython Board for Mech Keyboards
The Adafruit ItsyBitsy RP2040 matches many of your requirements, including lots of pins, a level-shifted 5V NeoPixel pin, and it's small. But perhaps you have already considered it.
https://www.adafruit.com/product/4888
https://www.adafruit.com/product/4888
- evildave_666
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Sat May 08, 2021 7:34 am
Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.