Missing the feel of physical keys on your phone, but not ready to give up your fancy new touchscreen phone? [Dakkaron] has attached a BlackBerry keyboard to a slightly more recent device.
Designed for the FairPhone 4, [Dakkaron]’s hack should be transferable to other smartphones as it connects to the phone over USB without any of that tedious mucking about with Bluetooth. There’s even a handy OpenSCAD-based generator to help you along in the customization process.
[Dakkaron] started with an Arduino Pro Micro-based implementation, but the most recent iteration uses a custom board that can be obtained partially-populated. Unfortunately, the Hirose connector for the keyboard isn’t available off-the-shelf, so you’ll have to solder that yourself if you’re planning to do this mod. Sounds like a perfect opportunity to practice your surface mount soldering skills!
If the Q10 keyboard looks familiar, it’s probably because it’s one of the most popular keyboards for small projects around here. Check out Regrowing a BlackBerry from the Keyboard Out or a LoRa Messenger with one. We’ve even seen them in a conference badge!
I really hope this happens for my “ancient” LG android thing…
There is a OpenSCAD script in the repo, that you can use to generate a case for any phone. It’s not perfect (the hand-modelled case I designed for the FP4 is better), but it works good enough.
I have longed for something like this since I first swapped my BlackBerry for an Android phone ten years ago. Software keyboards drive me insane. They make the phone useless as anything other than a casual consumption device.
So thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I see down below that you’re working on an 0.3 revision and it seems that we won’t have to source/solder the Hirose connector; did I read that right?
I wasn’t completely accurate in the comment you reference.
I will release v0.3 soon, which has UX improvements (specifically, the backlight of the keyboard is split in two separate sections that I can blink separately to indicate capslock, symlock and cursor mode.
Together with v0.3 I will also update the documentation to include what you need to do to get JLCPCB to do the Hirose connector for you.
It’s an extended part that they don’t automatically stock them selves, so you need to order the part first using their part library and then go through the regular PCB assembly process.
If you can figure it out youself (it’s not hard) how to order extended parts and don’t care for blinking keys, you can also go ahead and order v0.2.
I will not drop any old versions, the software will always be compatible with each hardware revision.
Thanks for the clarification! The flashy feedback does seem kinda useful, and so does a guide on the ordering process.
Mr Mobile on Youtube has been working on something similar but commercial for the iPhone 15, “Clicks”. It’s neat to see physical keyboards popping up in more places.
It’s finally happening, isn’t it?
I think by now everyone has pretty much given up the hope for new decent qwerty phones.
When I published code and design files in 2021, people where still fine using a 3yo Key2 or a 2yo Fxtech phone1. But with the Key2 getting close to 6yo, and the Fxtech not getting a successor, there’s pretty much only the decidedly low-end Unihertz phones left over.
And with no option for a mid-range to flagship keyboard phone, attachments seem to be the way to go.
I’d love to see this as a buyable module that can be popped into a printed case to fit any phone. I don’t have time to make one otherwise
It’s on its way……see http://www.clicks.tech
Except that’s apple only.
The developers are saying that Android versions are in the pipeline.
It might be possible to use the iPhone 15 versions on Android.
I works plug-and-play on the iPhone without any driver or client software required, which leads me to believe they are using standard USB HID for the Clicks (I’m doing the same on the Fairberry). If that’s the case, the Clicks works like any other regular USB keyboard and should thus also work on Android.
If you find an Android phone that has the exactly correct dimensions.
But that’s just speculation, so take it with a pinch of salt.
I’ll get a Clicks too, and I’ll see how I can use it on Android. Maybe I’ll make a video about it.
they should toss in a 3.5mm jack just to troll Apple
Bwahaha, sometmes I wish HaD did likes or thumbs up on comments, this is one of them.
Samsung and a lot of others have abandoned the jack too sadly.
You are laughing, but I’m actually planning to do just that on the Fairberry when I get around to it.
As mentioned below, I would love to see a 3.5mm jack too!
Ironically I just picked up my old Passport and was so overwhelmed by the beauty of it’s feel I looked up PKB phones and have found this site. I REALLY hope this innovation comes to fruition. Screen boards are woeful.
The upcoming v0.3.0 PCB makes this almost the case. You can order the PCB assembled from JLCPCB. All that you’d need to do is solder on the programming connector, flash the firmware and solder on the four wires to connect the PCB to the USB breakout board.
I mean, it still requires soldering, flashing and assembly, but it’s as close as I can get it.
But it’s totally understandable if that hurdle is too high.
The 0.3 soldering I can handle, it was the tiny chips that are well beyond my abilities. Gonna have to keep an eye out!
JLCPCB can do all the other components for you. And if you let them do the keyboard connector too, you only need to solder the USB connector.
This is a niche product that a wish for my tablet. A small rectangle keyboard on the longside of the screen.
I like the idea, though it seems a mistake to use a keyboard from such an obsolete device – the spare parts are probably getting thin on the ground unless that same component is in something else more recent to keep the production line running. Also not entirely sold on the ergonomics of this example, but without hands on really can’t know for sure.
Either way its great to see there are still folks that like real buttons enough to bother, I kind of feared that breed was going extinct (any of my less technically minded relatives seem to thrive quite happily on the awful onscreen keyboards and their auto correcting).
Thanks for the kind words!
I chose the Q10, because it’s an awesome keyboard and the only Blackberry keyboard that’s actually well documented. It’s still easily available on Aliexpress (easier than other Blackbery keyboard) and it’s the cheapest one too.
If there was a better (newer) alternative, I would have taken it. But there really isn’t. Afaik, the only currently produced keyboard phones are the Unihertz phones, but I can’t find any spare keyboards for any of them anywhere.
So it wasn’t so much of a mistake as it was the only viable choice.
But you aren’t wrong, supply of these keyboards will probably run out at some time, and that’s the reason why I have 20pcs of them lieing around ;)
So if you want a Fairberry, you might want to get one now.
(Btw, the upcoming PCB version 0.3.0 will remove the need for difficult soldering.)
Unihertz do sell replacement parts, e.g. https://www.unihertz.com/products/replacement-parts-for-titan-pocket?variant=43324129313007
OTOH, the paint is starting to come off my keyboard after about 18 months’ use.
Nice find! I googled for that but somehow didn’t stumble over this.
On the other hand, it’s about 4x the price of a Q10 keyboard and google didn’t turn up any results on reverse engineering that thing…
Fair enough, maybe its time to find a way to create a keyboard part as well for any future revisions. Though actually getting the quality level of the tiny blackberry in a small space is going to take some iterations no doubt. That key shape is probably enough trouble to master that I think I’d go using the phones longer edge for a slightly bigger keyboard, perhaps clamshell the case to cover the screen too. At least with all the extra hard glass on phones now the scratches from the keys you could have gotten will be almost impossible and with the keyboard there to absorb the hit cracking hopefully rarer too. And there is another project I might oneday get too as keyboards on phones really are far too rare.
Though I do actually ‘need’ a new phone at some point soon – my daily driver popped its battery for the 3rd time and the old backup device while nice condition isn’t running a very new kernel yet (though last I checked the chip is supported now at least close to mainline linux).
I spent a good 3 years trying to make a keyboard on the long side. I tried a clip-on design, a few folding ones and a few sliders.
3D prints are just not rigid enough for any kind of complex mechanics.
Other than that I had the issue that the weight balance was just terrible.
If you consider any phone with a side keyboard, they have all their heavy components in the keyboard while the display side is as light as possible.
But that’s not possible with an attachment.
Making keyboards is super difficult. So I just skipped it and instead bought 20 spare keyboards. They should last me a while.
Will this work on an iPhone?
It should, yes. I haven’t tested it, but you just need to get a Lightning to USB OTG adapter instead of the USB C OTG adapter (unless you are on an iPhone 15, in which case no change is needed)
Just get a Unihertz titan slim. An amazing modern android 13 phone. Plus IR blaster, headphone jack, dual SD slots, and tons of other features that all phones SHOULD have, but don’t. $279.
I did consider the Titan slim, but it lacks too many other things that I value more. E.g. a decent camera, a Full HD screen and good performance.
Of course, this is just preference and everyone’s preferences differ.
The Fairberry allows me to use a decent phone and still have keyboard.
YES! Holy crap I’ve been too lazy to design this myself, I haven’t even completed my other Atmega USB project. I’m totally adding support to my phone case generator.
That would be really cool! My generator script for the Fairberry keyboard case works, but it isn’t great. I’m not good enough in OpenSCAD yet. A good case generator is one of the biggest missing things for the Fairberry.
Can you maybe give me a ping on my Github repo when you are done or need any input?
Hi – I am a moderately happy user of Titan Slim but other than the issues you pointed out the keyboard is too cramped – they got that wrong in my view. I would love to buy a modern Android phone and attach your Fairberry. Can you recommend models I can find second hand that work well with Fairberry? How would I be able to get Fairberry? Thanks!! Ian
I’m interested in attempting this with a Unihertz Jelly Star.
I think the form factor, combined with the side-mounted USB-C port would lend itself nicely to rotating everything 90 degrees and going for a classic ‘candybar’ style phone in a landscape orientation. I mean, the phone length isn’t much longer than the Q10 keyboard is wide…
Probably some software considerations/usability stuff to think about, but even for a novelty I’d be curious about giving it a try.
Thank you Dakkaron for sharing this! I love it. And yes, a 3.5mm jack would be great too! It would be fantastic to have a “smartphone de-enhittifier” that could clip to any new phone to, you know, make them less shit :-)
On a side note, this situation is why those “THe frEe MarkEt WilL FiX iT” people are wrong. for a decade the internet has been asking for physical keyboard. We’ve been asking for removable batteries and 3.5mm jacks for almost as long, and yet the race to the bottom continues, with fewer buttons, fewer physical connections, and no removable storage.
I’ve bookmarked this page and will keep checking in. Thanks again.