Keyboard with built-in computer

[clicks]

The Raspberry Pi 400

https://www.producthunt.com/posts/raspberry-pi-400

This must be the keyboard with the strongest processing power  )

I wonder how well the components inside could sustain vibrations. Must be a great hand-warmer during the cold days.

Anyone else interested in making a custom mechanical build?

[sleepy]

that's pretty awesome. those pi4's are powerful now too, and pretty cheap. would make for a quick and easy home-theatre build!

[clicks]

Looks like the computer-in-a-keyboard design is part of the early days in personal computing. I wonder why they never caught on.

https://nicholascapezzuto.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-first-apple-computer.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End_user#/media/File:Pravetz_8d_with_manual.png

[yui]

Looks like the computer-in-a-keyboard design is part of the early days in personal computing. I wonder why they never caught on.

https://nicholascapezzuto.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-first-apple-computer.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End_user#/media/File:Pravetz_8d_with_manual.png

well they did, pretty much all early home computers were, and then died off as computers became bigger and laptops started to appear, imagine fitting a modern gpu in a keyboard, when the highest power was 65W form factors and air flow were not that important, now with 1000+W it is not the same song. so yes a tiny arm CPU can be put into a keyboard but there is no worlds were this is an optimal form factor, as you often move your keyboard, with 3 or more cables coming out of it it is annoying at best.

[Findecanor]

The Amiga 500, 1200 and 600 had the keyboard in the computer, like the older 8-bit Commodore 64. Some Amiga fans have replaced the internal computer with a Raspberry Pi, connecting it to old internal keyboard and mice using a e.g. Keyrah USB interface board.
There have even been new Amiga 500 and 1200 enclosures — with new mounting points just for the Raspberry Pi.

I have been brainstorming on a mechanical Amiga replacement keyboards, but never got far because I haven't been very motivated. One of many ideas was to have a socket for a Raspberry Pi Compute Module, so that a complete emulator could fit not just in a Amiga 500 or 1200 but also in the enclosure for an external Amiga keyboard.

I think this idea to have a RPi Compute module on a keyboard might be worth going forward with.

BTW, the Pi 4000 does not have a headphone jack.

[clicks]

I found another mini-computer built into the keyboard. It looks like the computer-in-keyboard wave is coming back!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/preevio/silentkeys-a-keyboard-that-protects-your-privacy-a


Thanks for the awesome replies you all!

The Amiga 500, 1200 and 600 had the keyboard in the computer, like the older 8-bit Commodore 64. Some Amiga fans have replaced the internal computer with a Raspberry Pi, connecting it to old internal keyboard and mice using a e.g. Keyrah USB interface board.
There have even been new Amiga 500 and 1200 enclosures — with new mounting points just for the Raspberry Pi.

I have been brainstorming on a mechanical Amiga replacement keyboards, but never got far because I haven't been very motivated. One of many ideas was to have a socket for a Raspberry Pi Compute Module, so that a complete emulator could fit not just in a Amiga 500 or 1200 but also in the enclosure for an external Amiga keyboard.

I think this idea to have a RPi Compute module on a keyboard might be worth going forward with.

BTW, the Pi 4000 does not have a headphone jack.

Wow that looks like a great enclosure to fit more hardware in. I'm not sure what applications an RPi compute module could do, but sounds powerful.
I was thinking a simple build could be a keyboard with integrated storage. Perhaps adding a RPi module could enable further encryption to the drive. 

that's pretty awesome. those pi4's are powerful now too, and pretty cheap. would make for a quick and easy home-theatre build!

That would be a convenient control station!

Looks like the computer-in-a-keyboard design is part of the early days in personal computing. I wonder why they never caught on.

https://nicholascapezzuto.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-first-apple-computer.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End_user#/media/File:Pravetz_8d_with_manual.png

well they did, pretty much all early home computers were, and then died off as computers became bigger and laptops started to appear, imagine fitting a modern gpu in a keyboard, when the highest power was 65W form factors and air flow were not that important, now with 1000+W it is not the same song. so yes a tiny arm CPU can be put into a keyboard but there is no worlds were this is an optimal form factor, as you often move your keyboard, with 3 or more cables coming out of it it is annoying at best.

True, sounds like these keyboards must be on sturdy platforms. And NO DRINKS NEAR THE KEYBOARD! )

[yui]

Looks like the computer-in-a-keyboard design is part of the early days in personal computing. I wonder why they never caught on.

https://nicholascapezzuto.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-first-apple-computer.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End_user#/media/File:Pravetz_8d_with_manual.png

well they did, pretty much all early home computers were, and then died off as computers became bigger and laptops started to appear, imagine fitting a modern gpu in a keyboard, when the highest power was 65W form factors and air flow were not that important, now with 1000+W it is not the same song. so yes a tiny arm CPU can be put into a keyboard but there is no worlds were this is an optimal form factor, as you often move your keyboard, with 3 or more cables coming out of it it is annoying at best.

True, sounds like these keyboards must be on sturdy platforms. And NO DRINKS NEAR THE KEYBOARD! )

most of them were not that sturdy, they were made to be as cheap as humanly possible, so integrating the keyboard in the PC did remove the "expensive" keyboard side controller and also some casing and wire. nowadays usb keyboard controllers are a dime a dozen so it is cheaper to use them even in integrated PC (even laptops have USB or PS/2 controllers on the mb), i feel like the new ones are more novelties than actual useful products.

[Findecanor]

... integrating the keyboard in the PC did remove the "expensive" keyboard side controller ...

Indeed. Most 8-bit computers had the main CPU scanning the keyboard. A few that did have an external keyboard had 16+ wires in the cable with the full matrix.
Computers in the 16-bit era with integrated keyboards did have dedicated keyboard controllers though. The Amiga 1200 and 600 had the controller on the motherboard though, just to save costs.