MIT Student's Modular Keyboard Puts a RISC-V Chip in Every Key

A full-size Keybytes keyboard with roughly 110 keys would cost about $900 assembled, according to pricing by its developer, MIT student Nathan Alspaugh, who publishes under the handle notaroomba. The figure frames the central trade-off of the project: near-total layout freedom in exchange for a steep per-key bill of materials.

The design is simple in concept. A central board, called the Keyword, connects magnetically to modular keys called Keybits. Users attach as many or as few keys as they want, in any arrangement. Alspaugh compared the assembly process to building with Lego bricks on the project's GitHub page, where he published full details under the MIT license.

What is inside each module?

Every Keybit carries its own CH32V003 RISC-V microcontroller. That choice is the technical heart of the project. Because each key processes its own input, the hub does not need to manage a key matrix, and layouts impose no wiring constraints.

Each Keybit also carries pogo pins on all four sides for power and I2C. A Cherry MX switch sits on top, and the project's MIT-licensed files allow builders to substitute their preferred mechanical switches. The magnetic case lets any Keybit attach to any side of the Keyword or to another Keybit.

The Keyword hub uses a stacked pair of PCBs. The top board holds an Arm Cortex-M4 microcontroller, a Bluetooth antenna and flash memory. The lower board provides USB-C, charging circuitry and a buck-boost converter.

How big is it and how far along?

Both the Keyword and the Keybit modules use a 1U footprint of 19.05 x 19.05 mm — the same unit measure that defines standard keyboard key spacing.

The project is young. Alspaugh started Keybytes in March this year, per the project journal. He only recently confirmed basic operation, writing "it finally works!!" over the weekend. The GitHub page currently shows no more than two Keybits attached to a single Keyword, so no large finished layouts exist yet.

The MIT license covers all released assets, files and build details, so anyone can fabricate a keyboard from the repository without licensing restrictions.

What does a usable build cost?

A shortcut-key cluster of a handful of Keybits is a modest project. A practical keyboard is not. A 60-key layout requires fabricating PCBs, buying and soldering components for every module, and 3D printing custom parts for each key.

Alspaugh priced the worst case himself. In the project journal he wrote that he costed a "full sized keyboard (2 keywords and like 110 keybits) and it's around $900 assembled." That sum puts a DIY Keybytes build well above retail mechanical keyboards with conventional fixed layouts.

What is missing?

The Keyword carries a status light. The Keybits have no lighting at all. The original coverage suggests RGB lighting, a rotary Dialbit, a Fingerprintbit and a matching Touchpadbit as candidates for a future revision, though none of these exists in the current repository.

The open files and the per-key controller architecture leave the door open for community extensions. Whether builders accept the per-key cost will decide if Keybytes stays a hacker curiosity or grows into a broader ecosystem.