Custom bluetooth keyboard

Bluetooth conversion of a Kinesis contour keyboard to a bluetooth keyboard.

Brainstorming

Available approaches

Options	Pros	Cons
USB HID to bluetooth adapter	No modification of the keyboard necessary (for USB versions of the keyboard) Usable on any USB keyboard	USB HID host chips are uncommon and expensive Programming USB HID host may be complicated PS/2 version of keyboard may or may not have USB output (though there are USB related markings on the PCB) If capable, would likely require modifications to the original controller board
PS/2 to bluetooth adapter	Simpler to decode than USB HID Any microcontroller can be used No modification of the keyboard necessary (for PS/2 versions of the keyboard) Usable on any PS/2 keyboard	USB version of keyboard may or may not have PS/2 output If capable, would likely require modifications to the original controller board
Custom replacement keyboard controller with integrated bluetooth	Getting data directly from button matrix is likely simpler than decoding some other protocol Opportunity to add extra features Likely better battery life Any microcontroller (with enough IO) can be used Supposedly replacement key wells can be had for < $90 directly from Kinesis. Add on some extra keycaps and the thumb boards and the custom controller and you could have a brand new, bluetooth Kinesis for much less than a brand new one. A case would need to be made, but many people have modded their existing cases so the two halves are physically separated anyway, plus I personally think that the the thumb buttons could be at a slightly better angle, so that could be considered another pro (good use for AsentWorks 3D printer)	Kinesis keyboards have some advanced programmability - reimplementing that on a custom controller could take some time Requires interfacing with the key matrix directly which either requires special connectors or soldering to the key matrix

Features

• Bluetooth module might have audio capabilities in addition to the required HID function
  • Use keyboard as audio extender - include a headphone port in keyboard
  • Kinesis has a key recognition click speaker built in which can be hard to hear when listening to music, but might still annoy others
    • Overlay key click sound over bluetooth audio signal
• USB interface for charging
  • disable bluetooth while charging and instead use the USB connection
• Saving, editing, and uploading custom keyboard layouts to the keyboard from the computer
  • Cross platform application
  • Keyboard layers could be saved, exported, and uploaded individually
    • Example:
      • Standard keyboards have "qwerty" on the base layer and the shift key brings them to the next layer containing "QWERTY" (assuming qwerty keyboard)
      • The Kinesis firmware has a keypad layer, so when you press the keypad button, the keys under the right hand become a numpad and the shift key moves between the layers of the numpad (numbers or arrows)
    • Separate keys and their shifted values for more finely tuned layouts (can be done in xmodmap in Linux, but this isn't portable/cross platform)
      • May not act as expected in some programs as normally it is the computer that determines the shift's effect on the key, not the keyboard
      • Probably need to take special consideration into key sequences (eg pressing shift then x as opposed to x then shift)
• Integrated pointing device
• Bluetooth pedal
  • Needs to connect to the controller directly for most functions, so really only feasible with the custom controller
  • Need to verify keyboard's bluetooth controller can connect to two devices at once (PC and pedal(s))

Prototype

The Kinesis Advantages was found to natively support PS/2 output. This was tested using the PS/2 cable from a Kinesis Essential 132 (the 132 was also found to be capable of outputting USB using the Kinesis Advantages USB cable/board). The USB Kinesis Advantage is the first board that is going under the knife. Because of the relative simplicity of reading PS/2 data, this is the method that will be used.

PS/2 communication (according to the Arduino PS/2 library) only requires an interrupt pin and a generic IO pin. The WT12 requires a serial channel. These requirements are pretty basic, so any microcontroller should work fine. Additional IO might be desirable for a BT pairing button, but this feature could also be embedded into a special key combination on the keyboard itself.

Parts

• Bluegiga WT12 Bluetooth module (serial only breakout board - $40, full breakout board - $50)
• Microcontroller development board
  • Arduino (easy to use, PS/2 libraries) - $10-$50
  • ATmega32u4 based dev board (native USB HID output which can be used while plugged in and charging for improved reliability and charging speed) - $15-$40
  • MSP430 (specialize in low power, great for battery operation) - $5+
• Logic level converter (PS/2 device requires 5v and WT12 requires 3.3v; microcontroller could use either) - $2
• Power supply (for testing could use bench supply but USB charged Lithium Ion would be good to prototype too)
• Right angle SPST slide switch - for enabling memory lockout feature of the Kinesis pro on other versions of the keyboard - $0.50
  • Something like this (needs to be verified that the pin spacing would fit, etc)

Reference

• Development example using Bluegiga WT12
• WT12 breakout boards - supposedly open hardware, but I haven't seen the layout files yet
• WT12 module
• Custom bluetooth IBM Model M using a salvaged bluetooth module from a mini keyboard - salvaged PCB
• Custom bluetooth IBM Model M using a salvaged bluetooth module from a mini keyboard - custom PCB
• Custom bluetooth HHKB using the WT12
• Major Kinesis mod project - includes a collection of other Kinesis mods
• Split Kinesis mod - includes PCB scans from one version of the Kinesis