The desk of any self-respecting technology enthusiast in the 2020s is not complete without some kind of special keyboard, be it a vintage IBM Model M, a secret layout or form factor, or a standard keyboard made with simply a clicky mechanical switch. But perhaps we have found a mysterious keyboard to rule them, in shape [HIGEDARUMA]Its 8-bit keyboard. You can all go home now, the competition has been good and indeed this input device has won on a very simple premises; Enter the text by setting the ASCII value as binary in the row of toggle switches. There is no more retro keyboard than the one you would find on an early microcomputer!
Jokes aside, perhaps this keyboard might be a little bit secretive for many readers, but still it’s a well-executed project. In addition to the rows of binary inputs there is a keypress button that sends whatever value to the computer and a stock button that allows storing multiple inputs and sending as one. If you pause for a moment and think about how often you use Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V, for example, this is an essential function. There is more information on a Japanese website (Google Translate link) that reveals that under the hood it is a Bluetooth device running on an ESP32.
We can imagine that with some use it will be possible to memorize ASCII very quickly as a binary, in fact we readers will not be surprised to find that they already have that skill. But somehow we can’t imagine that it would be a particularly fast text input device. Take a look for yourself, it’s in the video below the break.