Reverse (Backside of Tablet) Split Keyboard

[ideograph]

Here are some links to low profile splet mechanical keyboard PCB designs/projects. As is these would practically stick right on to the back of a pinenote and provide touch typing experience, except that thumb keys would be inaccessible. The solution, which would likely require some iterations, would be to take the thumb keys and wire them on the other side of the pcb, meaning most of the keys would be normal, but two to four keys would be on the opposite side of the pcb, peaking out on either side of the tablet screen. I think probably a custom pcb would be required to make everything ergonomic, but I think would be relatively inexpensive to iterate. A bounty on a custom mechanical keyboard forum would probably result in some good crowd-sourced designs.

The next step would be figuring out some way to connect the keyboard to the device flush, using pins I imagine, and perhaps having some kind of case so that the two keyboard halves don't just end up individually velcro'd to the back of the tablet.

https://github.com/pierrechevalier83/ferris
https://www.reddit.com/r/ErgoMechKeyboar...ith_weact/
https://oddrocketkeyboards.blogspot.com/...it-v1.html



alternatively, there are pcbs out there with even smaller switch designs, which might be preferable.
https://www.40percent.club/2020/11/feegle-xs.html


the software for most custom keyboards is either tmk or qmk, both of which I believe are fully open, so in line with pine64 philosophy.