Perhaps in the running for the most pocketable keyboard and trackpad combination, the new BB Q20 from Solderparty is an absolute must if you’re looking to build a tiny cyberdeck, have a keyboard on you at all times, or indeed if you just miss the thumb feel of your old Blackberry phone!
You’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve seen this before as Solder Party created the earlier BBQ10 PMOD keyboard, however, they’ve listened to the community, absorbed the feedback and the BBQ20 is the result. This is now a compliant USB HID device, meaning you can plug it in via USB C to most of your devices — Linux, Windows, MacOS, Android, IOS, and single-board computers. You’ll have a keyboard and trackpad connected immediately. On top of this, the unit now has a Qwiic/Stemma QT connector and I2C meaning it can be built into most projects. There are even Arduino and CircuitPython libraries linked from the product page to get you up and running. You can also hold down the “end call” button while connecting USB to put the onboard RP2040 into bootloader mode so you can tinker with your own firmware.
We love that this product works straight out of the box, but also has huge depth should you want to incorporate it into an embedded project or indeed if you want to use it as a learning and tinkering platform. Kudos to Solder Party for getting OSHW certification. You can check out all the design files, including the step files for the gorgeous injection-moulded enclosure, via the documentation and design file links on the product page.
