Open source keyboard lets you swap parts like magnetic Lego bricks

A new open source project called Keybytes enables users to build a fully modular keyboard by swapping out individual keys like magnetic Lego bricks. Each key contains its own RISC-V microcontroller and pogo pins on all four sides to hold power and I2C connections with adjacent modules, allowing for easy rearrangement of the keyboard layout. The only additional component needed is a controller module to coordinate individual keys and communicate with the host computer.

The project was designed by Nathan Alspaugh, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology freshman studying aerospace engineering. Alspaugh's motivation for creating the keyboard was his desire to have complete customization and flexibility in keyboard design. He kept a detailed journal throughout the process, which documented the numerous challenges he faced, including magnets that wouldn't stay put, design compromises, and countless board errors that were fixed during the design phase before ordering custom components.

Alspaugh spent around 100 hours working on the project, and the cost of materials and assembly is quite high. Individual key control boards, or Keybits, cost around $2 each, while controller boards, or Keywords, cost approximately $30 each. A full-sized keyboard would cost around $900, making it quite expensive. However, Alspaugh suggests that a full-sized keyboard can be assembled by a skilled maker with the necessary components and soldering skills in a few days.

He has expressed interest in selling pre-built Keybytes in the future once the designs are improved and finalized, with plans to add more functionalities such as fingerprint sensors.