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Boardsource’s Cole Smith has unveiled a microcontroller improve for any keyboard constructed round an Arduino Micro-compatible footprint, designed to be used with the Peg customization platform and Python-powered KMK firmware: the Raspberry Pi RP2040-based Blok.
“Bloks elevate any keyboard appropriate with [Arduino] Professional Micro footprints and grants them on the spot entry to a contemporary and feature-rich ecosystem,” Smith claims of the board’s design. “Customers who don’t need to contact a textual content editor or config file don’t should, Bloks work out of the field with Peg. Customers can map keys, set LED colours, configure rotary encoders, create OLED photos, and rather more all from inside a straightforward to make use of visible program (GUI).”
Boardsource needs to improve eight-bit mechanical keyboards with an RP2040 microcontroller, utilizing its Blok board. (📷: Boardsource)
Designed to make it simpler to customise your mechanical keyboard with out digging into the nitty-gritty of configuration recordsdata or firmware supply code, Peg gives a pleasant graphical person interface for a personalized model of the Python-based KMK keyboard — however its options require a microcontroller with extra assets than the eight-bit microcontrollers powering many keyboard designs. This, in fact, is the place Blok is available in.
“Constructed on high of a strong RP2040 ARM microprocessor and designed with the longer term in thoughts, Bloks deal with no matter you throw at them. In comparison with older ATmega primarily based controllers Bloks have an unbelievable 100x the RAM, 8x the computing pace, 500x the ROM, are 32 bit as a substitute of 8 bit, and are dual-core as a substitute of single core,” Smith explains.
“Bloks provide extra options and performance in comparison with different RP2040 primarily based controllers as effectively, reminiscent of OLED display screen compatibility, modern reset/boot switches accessible in any controller orientation, USB-C connectivity and a programmable RGB LED on-board.”
The board is designed to be used with the Peg keyboard customization too — however works as a basic growth board too. (📷: Boardsource)
The Blok is constructed to imitate the pinout frequent to the Arduino Micro and appropriate microcontroller boards — that means it is going to be a drop-in improve for a lot of mechanical keyboard designs. The board comes pre-flashed with CircuitPython and KMK and is already outlined in Peg, Smith confirms, although it may also be used as a general-purpose growth board.
The Blok is out there on Boardsource’s Tindie retailer for $15, whereas info on Peg is out there on the mission web site — whereas the supply code is revealed to GitHub underneath a BSD software program license settlement.
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