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Keybytes open-sources a modular keyboard with a RISC-V chip in every key

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Keybytes open-sources a modular keyboard with a RISC-V chip in every key

Keybytes is a hobbyist hardware project on GitHub that rethinks the keyboard as a set of snap-together modules. Its README describes a rearrangeable layout in which every key is its own 1u PCB, and every key carries a CH32V003 RISC-V microcontroller.

There are two boards, the Keybit and the Keyword, and both are 1u (19.05mm x 19.05mm). The Keybit is a single key: a Cherry MX switch and a CH32V003. Every side of it has pogo pins for 3.3V, GND and I2C, so it can connect either to the Keyword or to other Keybits. Pads on the corners are for programming. The README says the pogo pins sit on all four sides of every key and carry power and I2C, and that magnetic cases hold the modules together.

The Keyword is the main board the keys connect to. It is built around an STM32WB55RGV6 with Bluetooth and USB, and it is split into two PCBs that stack on top of each other. The top one holds the STM32WB55RGV6, the ceramic Bluetooth antenna and the flash. The bottom one holds the USB-C port, the battery charger and the buck-boost converter. Three pogo pins on the top of the main board are used to program the Keybits, so keys are programmed from the main board over pogo pins. A 2MB QSPI flash (W25Q16JV) stores the key firmware.

The rest of the feature list covers power and extras: battery charging with the BQ25895 and solder pads for a 1S LiPo, a TPS631000 buck-boost converter, an RGB status LED, and USB-C with ESD protection.

The boards were designed in KiCad, with schematics, layouts and a 3D view of the main board shown in the README. The cases were custom designed in Onshape, and the STEP files are in the repository's cad folder. The README also lists Blender for 3D renders and STM32CubeMX among the tools used, plus Hack Club Forge and four other projects: Ember, a USB-C powered reflow hotplate with Bluetooth; Cyberboard, a Raspberry Pi Pico-sized STM32 development board with Bluetooth; Trace, a PCB ruler with reference footprints; and Linea, an EMR tablet. The project is licensed MIT. The README footer links the GitHub handle NotARoomba and the site notaroomba.dev. A video demo file, keybytes-demo.mp4, is listed in the README.

Key facts

  • Every key is its own 1u (19.05mm x 19.05mm) PCB with a Cherry MX switch and a CH32V003 RISC-V microcontroller, so the layout can be rearranged.
  • Keys connect to each other and to the main board through pogo pins on every side carrying 3.3V, GND and I2C, and magnetic cases hold the modules together.
  • The main board (Keyword) uses an STM32WB55RGV6 with Bluetooth and USB, a 2MB QSPI flash for key firmware, and a BQ25895 charger with pads for a 1S LiPo.
  • Three pogo pins on top of the main board program the keys.
  • The design is in KiCad, the cases are in Onshape with STEP files in the repo, and the licence is MIT.

Why it matters

Most keyboards fix the layout at manufacture. Keybytes puts a microcontroller and a PCB behind every key, so the board can be reassembled in another arrangement. The distinctive choices are the per-key RISC-V chip, the pogo-pin connections on all four sides carrying power and I2C, and magnetic cases for holding the modules together. The README makes no comparison with other modular keyboards.

Who it affects

Hardware hobbyists and keyboard builders who want to study or adapt an open design. The repository carries the KiCad design, Onshape case files and an MIT licence, which permits reuse. Nothing in the README is aimed at buyers.

How to use it

The repository is the product: open the KiCad schematics and layouts for the Keybit and Keyword, and the STEP case files in the cad folder. The README describes programming the keys from the main board over three pogo pins, with firmware held in the 2MB QSPI flash. The README gives no ordering information, price or bill of materials.

How solid is it

The source is the project's own README, so every claim is the author's description. It lists a video demo file, keybytes-demo.mp4, but does not state whether the hardware has been built, tested or works. It gives no battery life, latency or maximum layout size, and no firmware details beyond flash storage of the key firmware.

Risks and caveats

No price, release date or availability is given, and no firmware language, protocol or host software is described, so it is unclear how complete the project is beyond the hardware design. Nothing in the README states how many keys a layout can hold. Treat it as an open design to study rather than a finished product.