# Alternative Keyboard Module? **URL:** \ **Category:** DevTerm\ **Created:** [November 4, 2021, 3:53pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/alternative-keyboard-module/7342 "2021-11-04T15:53:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![phabulosa](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/phabulosa/32/4667_2.png) [@phabulosa](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/phabulosa)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2021, 3:53pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/alternative-keyboard-module/7342/1 "2021-11-04T15:53:16Z")
My guess is that DevTerm was designed to be a portable device to play games. The keyboard seems to be too small for 8 hours of typing (for coding or writing). I found a website for some 40% keyboard PCBs. For example, > **[PiPi Gherkin](https://www.40percent.club/2021/02/pipi-gherkin.html)** > > A blog about small mechanical keyboards. The size of the PCB is 192mm X 52mm. I assume that this can be easily modified by making the PCB wider and moving the RPi Pico to the top. Will this work? I am really looking forward to some alternative keyboard designs which is really designed for typing. I don’t mind getting rib of the trackball and gamepad. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Sebastian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@Sebastian](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/Sebastian)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2021, 5:30pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/alternative-keyboard-module/7342/2 "2021-11-04T17:30:50Z")
If you want to integrate it in the DevTerm, you will always be limited by its size, so not really gain much I guess. Not sure it’s worth the effort. But anything that can connect to the 4 internal USB pins or a USB connector as a USB HID keyboard should work. You could always connect a compact external keyboard to USB or maybe even Bluetooth as well, but this certainly isn’t a device made for 8 hours of professional coding. ---
**Author:** ![phabulosa](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/phabulosa/32/4667_2.png) [@phabulosa](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/phabulosa)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2021, 4:14am UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/alternative-keyboard-module/7342/3 "2021-11-05T04:14:42Z")
Thanks. This is definitely way beyond my capability. I hope someone in the community or Clockworks come up with the design of an alternative keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![Valssu](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/valssu/32/8026_2.png) [@Valssu](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/Valssu)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2021, 7:54am UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/alternative-keyboard-module/7342/4 "2021-11-14T07:54:16Z")
Maybe an easier (in terms of electronic engineering part) is to 3D print a larger case so that you can put a normal keyboard in (like 65 keys one). I think the 3D printing is easier than make Inc. a new PCB, right? ---
**Author:** ![phabulosa](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/phabulosa/32/4667_2.png) [@phabulosa](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/phabulosa)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 4:52pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/alternative-keyboard-module/7342/5 "2021-11-15T16:52:59Z")
Good point! But the tricky part is the internal USB POGO connector. I don’t know where to find the USB to POGO cable. ---
**Author:** ![Godzil](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/godzil/32/60_2.png) [@Godzil](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/Godzil)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 10:36pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/alternative-keyboard-module/7342/6 "2021-11-15T22:36:45Z")
Such a “cable” does not exists, you will have to either make it yourself, or make your own version of that keypad with the pogo pins at the right place (and that’s probably the best thing to do so it would properly fit in the DT keyboard slot. ---
**Author:** ![pwf](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/pwf/32/5489_2.png) [@pwf](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/pwf)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2021, 3:56pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/alternative-keyboard-module/7342/7 "2021-11-17T15:56:21Z")
I want to make my own keyboard PCB, but was sad to find the schematics in the repo don’t include gerber files like I (for some reason) expected them to. Does anyone know if there are exact dimensions anywhere for the current PCB, including where the pogo pins need to go? ---
**Author:** ![kverb](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/kverb/32/6966_2.png) [@kverb](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/kverb)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 4:23am UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/alternative-keyboard-module/7342/8 "2023-02-09T04:23:39Z")
we need a [Freewrite](https://getfreewrite.com/) + Devterm mashup chassis! ---
**Author:** ![0xKruzr](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/0xkruzr/32/6864_2.png) [@0xKruzr](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/0xKruzr)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2023, 6:37pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/alternative-keyboard-module/7342/9 "2023-03-02T18:37:08Z")
been thinking a lot about how great this machine is, “if only” a few things like… most of the formfactor 😂 would kill for a new casing with a normal-proportion screen and a mechanical keyboard.