this post was submitted on 31 Dec 2023
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Oh, I do hate touchscreen keyboards. They do suck. But I don't think a foldable phone would help there, I wish they'd bring back sliders or make a clamshell like the tablet keyboard covers, but make it possible to hold the phone by the keyboard.
I've seen a number of pictures of dual-screen clamshell type phones where the second screen is used as the keyboard, and I would assume a foldable could be used the same way? That's what got me thinking of checking into the models of phones available now with dual screens that might fit the bill.
I have a Sony Xperia compact (4.6" screen) that I designed and 3D-printed a custom case for which includes a slide out tray to hold a keyboard. I designed a keyboard circuit board with the assumption of connecting it directly to the USB port, but can't seem to find a suitable way to break out the existing USB-C port to provide a second very simple USB connection (without compromising the USB-C functionality of the primary port) that I could connect the keyboard to. My alternate plan is to upgrade from an Arduino chip to an ESP32 Pico D4 chip which could provide a bluetooth connection to the phone. I'm currently trying to wrap up some custom circuit boards for some computer control on a model train layout, but maybe I'll get back to this project once that one is finished.
Hmmm, nice, but I have no 3D printer or ability to custom program a keyboard chip.
Yeah this definitely isn't a project for everyone. At the moment I'm not even quite sure how I would print the keys nicely although I do have some ideas. Maybe some day I'll get back to it and make it work.