Raspberry Pi Pico Mechanical Keyboard Kits Offer RGB Support and OLED Display
there seems to be no limit to anything raspberry pi what the community can do, and 1up Keyboards’ Their latest development is no exception! Known for their custom keyboard kits, they’ve got some new kits powered by our favorite microcontroller, the Raspberry Pi Pico. These kits feature an ortho-linear design and mechanical switches, making it easy to create your dream keyboard.
The new kits are called the Pi50 ($35) and Pi40 ($30). Both are already available for purchase on the official 1upKeyboards website. There are many upgrade options for different shells, keycaps, etc., but both overlap in important functionality. Both the Pi50 and Pi40 support per-key RGB lighting, sports room for rotary encoder knobs, and can output to 0.91-inch OLED displays.
The Raspberry Pi Pico is an affordable microcontroller, but you might be wondering how to register so many keystrokes with a limited amount of GPIO. The secret here is the use of matrices. Pico is mounted on a custom PCB with a matrix layout of keys on which the keys are mounted. Pressing a key registers input based on the column and row whose position is relative.
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Basic kit includes keyboard PCB and selectable case. Optional components include Pico modules, diodes, OLED display panels, rotary encoders, LEDs, and mechanical switches. Each keyboard user has their own preferences, so the list of optional components leaves plenty of room for customization. The main difference between the Pi40 and Pi50 kits is the number of key inputs provided in each kit.
Once you’ve created your keyboard, you’ll find instructions on the 1upKeyboards website. Part of the setup process includes installing firmware. In this case the PCB utilizes the QMK firmware. This is an open source tool for microcontrollers that allows users to interact with such custom keyboards.
If you’re looking for a fun Raspberry Pi project with a working end product, or want to take a closer look at these Pico-powered mechanical keyboards, check out the kits on the official site. 1up keyboard website.
