Tindie

Teensy Thumb Keyboard - PCB only

(1 Review)

Handheld tactile switch keyboard for Teensy 3.2 compatible boards.

Designed by Anthony DiGirolamo, Ships from United States of America

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Handheld tactile switch keyboard for Teensy 3.2 compatible boards.

Take a look at the: teensy-thumb-keyboard github for KiCad PCB files, Fusion360 model links, 3d printer STLs and example Arduino keyboard firmware sketch. hackaday.io page for more photos, info an...

Take a look at the:

teensy-thumb-keyboard github for KiCad PCB files, Fusion360 model links, 3d printer STLs and example Arduino keyboard firmware sketch.
hackaday.io page for more photos, info and project Logs
thingiverse HyperPixel 4 & Raspberry Pi 3 B+ Handheld for the 3d printed faceplate shown in the photos.

What is it?

This is a breakout PCB in the shape of a thumb keyboard for the Teensy 3.2, Teensy LC, or Butterfly STM32L433. Please Note this listing is for a bare PCB only. Parts, Teensy and some soldering required for a fully working keyboard.

Why did you make it?

I wanted a small tactile keyboard with a comfortable layout that could be used in any handheld hardware project. BASIC game console, graphing calculator, PDA, Raspberry Pi handheld computer, etc.

Features

60 keys arranged in a 6x10 matrix (uses 16 pins on the microcontroller).
Silkscreen has a qwerty layout with number keys arranged in a numpad.
Lead free ENIG-RoHs surface finish with 2oz copper.
SPI, I2C, and 2 additional GPIOs broken out.
Each pin along the edge of the Teensy is connected to one extra pin in the prototyping area.
Beginner friendly through hole soldering.
Example Arduino sketch firmware provided. Additional details in the Example Firmware Posted project log.
Layout is completely customizable in the firmware.
qmk_firmware should also work (support guide) However, I don't have an example running yet.

Three possible mounting options

Teensy on the front, mounted right-side up, with usb port facing north.
Teensy on the back, mounted upside down, with usb port facing north or south.
Teensy on the back, mounted upside down, with usb port facing south. Note: Breakout pins will only work as expected with USB facing north.

Parts list for a fully working keyboard

1x Teensy 3.2 or Teensy LC. A Butterfly STM32L433 will also work (though not as a USB keyboard).
10x 1N4148 Diodes
60x Panasonic EVQ-PAC04M Tacticle Switches. These are the quieter and higher quality switches. Some are available at digikey. If you wish to use the 3d printed faceplate the overall switch height must be 4.3mm. These models will also work: EVQ-PAD04M EVQ-PAE04M EVQ-PAG04M. Otherwise any standard 6x6mm momentary switch will work.

I'm putting this up here to help offset the costs of prototyping. This project is open source though so you can order a batch of these PCBs if you're comfortable doing so. Here's a couple options:

https://oshpark.com instructions: upload the kicad_pcb file.
https://jlcpcb.com/quote instructions: upload the gerber.zip file The settings I'd recommend for jlcpcb are: Layers: 2, Thickness: 1.6, Surface finish: LeadFree HASL-RoHs or ENIG-RoHs (don't want lead on a board you may be typing on), Copper weight: 2oz (1oz is probably fine though, the heavier weight copper stands up better to repeated solder and desoldering I think), Everything else default settings.

Rates to United States of America

Shipping Rate	First item	Additional items
United States Postal Service: First-Class Package Service	$3.50	$0.00

Review Breakdown

Average Ratings

Product: (5.00)

Documentation: (5.00)

Shipping: (5.00)

Communication: (5.00)

Wesley | Jan. 15, 2019

An absolute must-have for building portable computers!

The TL;DR version would be, it does exactly what you hope it would, acting as keyboard AND mouse (with Fn key and arrows). Recognized on MacBook and Raspberry Pi without issue using example code from the maker. Gold plating on the holes grabs the solder and spreads it nicely, making it relatively easy to put together.

The longer version would be, this is absolutely amazing, I love it! It is so satisfying typing on those little clicky buttons! I'm using this, along with the plans on Thingiverse (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3209958/) to make the same portable Pi. Since it's the same width as the Pi 3 B+, it seems like an obvious choice for anyone who wants to build a hand-held. All of the keys work as expected, and the mouse functionality is surprisingly good considering you're moving the cursor with the arrow keys. There are a lot of retro games that I haven't really spent any time with because they require a keyboard, so I think it will be fun to have a handheld with one built in.

One caveat, I wasn't really sure how to attach the Teensy, so I used header pins going through both boards. Once the pins are soldered in place, it is REALLY hard to get the black plastic piece off without damaging anything (I knocked one of the SMD parts off near hole 19, but it didn't seem to matter). I'm not sure what the best way to do this would be, but, don't solder it with the black strip touching either board or it'll be a pain to get off later.

10/10, would highly recommend this keyboard PCB!