Flexible Keyboard Fits Steam Deck Case for Raspberry Pi Pico

When you’re using your Steam Deck, do you ever find yourself wishing that you could bring a portable keyboard with you so that you could type everywhere you go? As a consequence of this extraordinarily space-saving gadget, which was constructed by a maker and given the name Krlis on GitHub, it is now possible to travel with one while it is still in its carrying case.

He was successful in developing a keyboard that takes up very little space by making use of the Raspberry Pi Pico, which operates as our principal microcontroller. This accomplishment would not have been possible without his help.

Despite the fact that this project is quite nice all things considered, its primary purpose is to serve as a demonstration of the idea rather than anything else. The company that makes the keyboard, Krlis, is the first to confess that it does not provide a particularly high degree of functionality in their product. In order to manufacture a flexible printed circuit board (PCB) for the purpose of carrying out tests, the plan called for the use of a vinyl cutter.

Keyboard features

Copper tape is used in the gaps in between the layers of overhead projector (OHP) transparency film that make up the few layers that make up the keyboard in order to provide connections for the keys. These layers make up the keyboard. On the reverse side of the keys is where you’ll find these empty spots. The keyboard has a thickness of 0.5 millimeters throughout its whole surface area.

Karis is the one who came up with the concept and cut the vinyl stickers that were used to mark the keys on the piano. She also did all of the labeling herself. Additionally, she accomplished all of the job by herself without assistance.
The end product has a transparent appearance and clearly reveals visible remnants of the copper tape that was used in the process of fabricating the switches for the keys. This tape was employed in the manufacturing process of the switches that were used for the keys. Because of its little size, it can be simply stowed away and transported in a carrying bag that has been specifically made for Steam Deck.

In some of the research, Karlis also conducted experiments in which he substituted lamination film for OHP transparency film in order to see the results. Experiments were carried out in order to determine whether or not it was possible to laminate the final product, and the results of those experiments were examined. However, the thickness of the lamination film was inadequate, and cutting the copper tape resulted in frequent cutting of the film as well.

This was a problem since the copper tape was difficult to cut without also cutting the film. In this specific scenario, the OHP transparency film, which was the more substantial of the two options, turned out to be the one that was most suited to meet the requirements at hand.

Through the use of the specialized software known as Kicad, Karlis was able to design the board layout for the printed circuit board (PCB) that was included into this undertaking. The Raspberry Pi Pico computer that serves as the main board and is responsible for controlling the keyboard is one that has had the QMK software installed on it.

In addition to that, Karlis is known as the inventor of a helpful editing tool that goes by the name of the KB-Editor. He is credited with creating this tool. With the assistance of this tool, users are given the opportunity to design and modify their very own one-of-a-kind keyboard layouts. You will be able to locate the tool’s source code on GitHub, where you will also have the opportunity to test it out in your web browser before making a final decision.

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