Subj : Re: Homebrew pi400
To   : Daniel
From : Daniel
Date : Tue Dec 10 2024 22:48:32

Daniel <me@sc1f1dan.com> writes:

> This past summer was a good time to lower the power bill and overall
> temperature of the den by transitioning to rpi's for my computing
> needs. The main pc was replaced by a pi400. Lovely, silent, low
> power. Lovely.
>
> Well, mostly so. I really don't like the keyboard and question why they
> went with it. The full sized keyboard is something I miss, you know,
> with the full row of function keys, dedicated number pad, full sized
> arrows, the pageup.down,insert,delete cluster. The keys themselves suck
> - where they often fail to register key presses and I have to fix
> spelling quite often. I had hoped that the keys would wear in and solve
> the problem, but it really just seems to be bad design. Hopes are it's
> simply bad luck and a bad keyboard.
>
> The problem is easy to solve by plugging in a usb keyboard, but it
> defeats the appeal and purpose of the all-in-one design.
>
> How hard would it be to rig the mobo into a full size keyboard shell?
> Design a new lower shell of a chosen keyboard to accomodate the mobo and
> port holes for 3d printing. A search online didn't yield evidence that
> it has been done yet. But if this thing with it's massive heat sync can
> fit in this small keyboard, it shouldn't have issues fitting in  full
> sized keybord.
>
> Found a teardown video and saw a custom ribbon cable utilized to connect
> the keyboard to the mobo - so that's a complication. After a bit of
> searching, they utilized one of the four usb ports in the hub for the
> keyboard logic.
>
> Has anyone managed a similar project with the experience to share?
>
> Daniel

Wellp, glad I didn't very far on my homebrew pi400 project. Now that
they quietly released the Pi500, I'll be focusing on that now.

I still have to watch the youtube reviews of it.

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