keyboard News - Page 5 of 7 - CNX Software

May 21, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

2-key mechanical USB keypad runs QMK firmware (Crowdfunding)

System76 Launch high-end customizable keyboard for PC’s that we covered earlier this week, and ANAVI Macro Pad 2 2-key mechanical USB keypad should not have anything in common, but they do to some extent. Both happen to feature backlit mechanical keys, are open-source hardware, and run the same Quantum Mechanical Keyboard Firmware (QKM) open-source firmware. ANAVI Macro Pad 2 specifications: MCU – Microchip ATtiny85 8-bit AVR microcontroller with 8 KB ISP Flash memory, 512 bytes EEPROM, 512 bytes SRAM Keys – Two Gateron Red mechanical switches with 3 mm LED backlighting and translucent keycaps Host connection – MicroUSB port Dimensions – 40×38 mm OSHWA certification – BG000077. ANAVI Technology says the key is compatible with Windows, MacOS, and GNU/Linux support, but as a USB keypad, it should probably just work with any host device supporting the USB HID class. ANAVI Macro Pad 2 is a smaller version of the earlier […]

May 18, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

System76 Launch is an open-source hardware, configurable keyboard

System76, the company better known for its Linux laptops, has launched an open-source hardware, configurable keyboard. Meet System76 Launch. The keyboard firmware, schematics, and mechanical files are all open-source. Launch ships with an ANSI US QWERTY layout but can be customized through a configuration program for Windows, Linux, and macOS, and a key puller is included to easily replace/change keycaps as needed. System76 Launch keyboard specifications: Open-source custom PCB Individually addressable RGB LED backlighting N-Key Rollover to detect all keystrokes no matter how many keys are pressed simultaneously Sockets and Switches Kailh MX Hotswap Sockets Kailh Box Jade or Kailh Box Royal Switches Key Caps – PBT plastic, dye sublimated legend, XDA profile Layout – ANSI US QWERTY Integrated USB hub with 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C (Up to 10 Gbps), 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A (Up to 10 Gbps) Open-source milled chassis design with detachable […]

April 26, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

PinePhone Keyboard to make for a cheaper, albeit slower Cosmo Communicator

Pine64 PinePhone is a popular Linux smartphone among the developers and Linux enthusiasts’ communities and some of the most popular Linux operating systems support by the phone include KDE Plasma Mobile, PostMarket OS, Manjaro, and UBports for an Ubuntu Touch like interface. But soon, you’ll be able to use your PinePhone like a portable Linux computer, a 5.95-inch mini laptop of sorts, that’s similar to the 2-in-1 Cosmo Communicator device, but at a much lower price, albeit with lower performance, thanks to PinePhone Keyboard accessory. The PinePhone Keyboard is not quite ready yet, but Lukasz Erecinski (aka Luke) has shared the progress of the latest version of the prototype, and almost looks like a finished product, albeit we’re told another revision will be made as the tolerances on the keycaps are not suitable. Here are some of the main features we can expect from the keyboard: QWERTY keyboard (by default). […]

November 10, 2020November 10, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

Nemeio is a true international keyboard thanks to ePaper keys (Crowdfunding)

Nemeio true international keyboard epaper keys

I remember in my younger years, I had an international student meeting at university, and when students went to the computer room, all I could hear were complaints about that stupid AZERTY keyboard. Later on, I also did some English to French translation work with a Thai/English keyboard, and it was a pain for some of the characters. So would it be nice if there was a keyboard that could easily be reconfigured to match whatever layout you’d like to work with? That keyboard now exists. Meet Nemeio, a true international keyboard, that can be customized thanks to ePaper keys. Nemeio comes with 81 mechanical transparent keys, backlight (since ePaper display can’t be seen in the dark), Bluetooth connectivity, as well as a USB-C for charging or connection to your PC via USB instead of Bluetooth, a USB Type-A port to charge other devices, a power on/off button, and two […]

November 2, 2020November 2, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 67 Comments

Raspberry Pi 400 Keyboard PC Review and Benchmarks vs Raspberry Pi 4

Raspberry Pi 400 Review vs Raspberry Pi 4

Raspberry Pi 400 keyboard computer with Broadcom BCM2711C0 1.8 GHz processor has just launched, and we already published a teardown of the Raspberry Pi 400 hardware to check out the cooling solution and overall hardware design. In this review, we’ll mostly focus on Raspberry Pi 400 and Raspberry Pi 4 differences, since both devices mostly rely on the same chips. After checking the different features, we’ll run Thomas Kaiser’s “SBC Bench” script to test thermal cooling and benchmark both RPi hardware platforms. Raspberry Pi 400 vs Raspberry Pi 4 Model B Features Since under the hood, the two platforms are very similar, we’ll highlight the difference as shown in the table below courtesy of Cytron. Price is not shown in the table above, but Raspberry Pi 400 costs $70, while Raspberry Pi 4 with 4GB goes for $55. That’s $15 extra for a keyboard, case, and cooling solution, so the […]

November 2, 2020December 8, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments

Raspberry Pi 400 Keyboard Computer Features 1.8 GHz BCM2711C0 Processor

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has gotten us used to wait for a while between new hardware releases, but right after having announced Raspberry Pi CM4 and CM4 Lite a couple of weeks ago, the company has now introduced Raspberry Pi 400 keyboard computer with many of the same features as Raspberry Pi 4 single board computer, but as a fully integrated computer inside a 78-key keyboard, and equipped with a slightly faster Broadcom BCM2711C0 processor clocked at 1.8 GHz instead of 1.5 GHz. Raspberry Pi 400 keyboard computer specifications: SoC – Broadcom BCM2711C0 quad-core ARM Cortex-A72 processor @ 1.8GHz System Memory – 4GB LPDDR4-3200 SDRAM Storage – Push-push MicroSD card slot for OS (USB boot also works) Video & audio output – 2x micro HDMI ports up to 1 x 4Kp60, or 2 x 4Kp30 Connectivity Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 2.4GHz and 5GHz 802.11.b/g/n/ac WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5.0 and BLE (Bluetooth […]

August 19, 2020August 19, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Keyboard FeatherWing Brings Keyboard & Display to Adafruit Feather Boards

Solder Party is a brand new Swedish startup founded by Arturo182 who previously designed several maker boards including the tiny Serpente R2 CircuitPython prototyping board, and its first product, named Keyboard FeatherWing, brings a QWERTY keyboard and 2.6” color LCD with resistive touch screen to any boards compatible with Adafruit Feather for factor. That means you can build a portable device that runs Linux via the Giant Board, features an FPGA (Orange Crab), or a wide range of connectivity options including WiFi, Bluetooth LE, LoRa, etc… depending on your chosen board. The solution actually brings a bit more than just a keyboard and color, as shown by the list of Keyboard FeatherWing key features: Display – 2.6” 320×240 16-bit color LCD with resistive touch screen (SPI) Storage – MicroSD card slot (SPI) User Inputs controlled by a Microchip SAMD20 MCU QWERTY keyboard (I2C) 5-way button 4 soft tactile buttons Expansion […]

May 2, 2017May 3, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

ZX Spectrum Next Retro Keyboard PC Relies on Xilinx FPGA, Raspberry Pi Zero “Accelerator” Board (Crowdfunding)

ZX Spectrum keyboard computer was launched in April 1982 in the United Kingdom, and 35 years later, a team of developers has now been working on ZX Spectrum Next somewhat resuscitating ZX Spectrum by emulating Z80 processor in a Xilinx FPGA, using an optional Raspberry Pi Zero board as an accelerator, and adding some modern features like HDMI output and WiFi. While the case is only a 3D rendering for now, they have a working board prototype with the following specifications: FPGA – Xilinx Spartan-6 FGPA emulating Z80 processor in 3.5Mhz and 7Mhz modes System Memory – 512KB RAM (expandable to 1.5MB internally and 2.5MB externally) Storage – SD Card slot, with DivMMC compatible protocol used in the original ZX Spectrum Video Hardware sprites, 256 colours mode, Timex 8×1 mode etc. Output: RGB, VGA, HDMI Audio – 3x AY-3-8912 audio chips with stereo output + FM sound Networking – Optional […]