Multibow

GitHub: github.com/thediveo/multibow

Multibow turns a Pimoroni Keybow into a macro keyboard with multiple layouts, switchable at any time. (Keybow is a solderless DIY 4x3 mechanical USB keyboard, powered by a Raspberry Pi. And yes, these days even keyboards run Linux...)

Layouts

Debug Go in VisualStudio Code

Debug Go programs and packages in VisualStudio Code with its Go extension.

┌╌╌╌╌┐  ┌╌╌╌╌┐  ┌╌╌╌╌┐  ┌╌╌╌╌┐
┊ 11 ┊  ┊  8 ┊  ┊  5 ┊  ┊  2 ┊
└╌╌╌╌┘  └╌╌╌╌┘  └╌╌╌╌┘  └╌╌╌╌┘

╔════╗  ╔════╗  ┌╌╌╌╌┐  ╔════╗
║ 10 ║  ║  7 ║  ┊  4 ┊  ║  1 ║
╚════╝  ╚════╝  └╌╌╌╌┘  ╚════╝
⏹STOP   ↺RELOAD         TSTPKG
╔════╗  ╔════╗  ╔════╗  ╔════╗
║  9 ║  ║  6 ║  ║  3 ║  ║  0 ║
╚════╝  ╚════╝  ╚════╝  ╚════╝
  ▮▶    ⭢STEP   ⮧INTO   ⮥OUT

• TSTPKG activates the command "go: test package".

Kdenlive Video Editor

coming soon...

SHIFT

A SHIFT key, with Keybow LED brightness and keyboard layout cycle control.

NOTE: press and hold SHIFT, then use →LAYOUT and 🔆BRIGHT. The SHIFT key is always active, regardless of keyboard layout. The other keys in this layout only become active while holding SHIFT.

╔════╗  ╔╌╌╌╌╗  ╔╌╌╌╌╗  ┌╌╌╌╌┐
║ 11 ║  ┊  8 ┊  ┊  5 ┊  ┊  2 ┊
╚════╝  ╚╌╌╌╌╝  ╚╌╌╌╌╝  └╌╌╌╌┘
SHIFT   →LAYOUT  🔆BRIGHT
┌╌╌╌╌┐  ┌╌╌╌╌┐  ┌╌╌╌╌┐  ┌╌╌╌╌┐
┊ 10 ┊  ┊  7 ┊  ┊  4 ┊  ┊  1 ┊
└╌╌╌╌┘  └╌╌╌╌┘  └╌╌╌╌┘  └╌╌╌╌┘

┌╌╌╌╌┐  ┌╌╌╌╌┐  ┌╌╌╌╌┐  ┌╌╌╌╌┐
┊  9 ┊  ┊  6 ┊  ┊  3 ┊  ┊  0 ┊
└╌╌╌╌┘  └╌╌╌╌┘  └╌╌╌╌┘  └╌╌╌╌┘

Empty

Just as its name says: an empty keyboard layout -- useful if you want to have also "no" layout active when working with multiple keyboard layouts.

┌╌╌╌╌┐  ┌╌╌╌╌┐  ┌╌╌╌╌┐  ┌╌╌╌╌┐
┊ 11 ┊  ┊  8 ┊  ┊  7 ┊  ┊  6 ┊
└╌╌╌╌┘  └╌╌╌╌┘  └╌╌╌╌┘  └╌╌╌╌┘
┌╌╌╌╌┐  ┌╌╌╌╌┐  ┌╌╌╌╌┐  ┌╌╌╌╌┐
┊ 10 ┊  ┊  7 ┊  ┊  4 ┊  ┊  1 ┊
└╌╌╌╌┘  └╌╌╌╌┘  └╌╌╌╌┘  └╌╌╌╌┘
┌╌╌╌╌┐  ┌╌╌╌╌┐  ┌╌╌╌╌┐  ┌╌╌╌╌┐
┊  9 ┊  ┊  6 ┊  ┊  3 ┊  ┊  0 ┊
└╌╌╌╌┘  └╌╌╌╌┘  └╌╌╌╌┘  └╌╌╌╌┘

Licenses

Multibow is (c) 2019 Harald Albrecht and is licensed under the MIT license, see the LICENSE file.

The file keybow.lua included from pimoroni/keybow-firmware for testing purposes is licensed under the MIT license, as declared by Pimoroni's keybow-firmware GitHub repository.

Installation

1. Download the Pibow firmware and copy all files inside its sdcard/ subdirectory onto an empty, FAT32 formatted microSD card. Copy only the files inside sdcard/, but do not place them into a sdcard directory on your microSD card.

2. Download all files from the sdcard/ subdirectory of this repository and then copy them onto the microSD card. This will overwrite but one file key.lua, all other files are new.

Multiple Keyboard Layouts

To enable one or more multibow keyboard layouts, edit sdcard/keys.lua accordingly to require them. The default configuration is as follows:

require "layouts/shift" -- for cycling between layouts.
require "layouts/vsc-golang" -- debugging Go programs in VisualStudio Code.
require "layouts/empty" -- empty, do-nothing layout.

Developing

For some basic testing, run lua test.lua from the base directory of this repository. It pulls in keybow, then mocks some functionality of it, and finally starts sdcard/keys.lua as usual.

This helps in detecting syntax and logic erros early, avoiding the rinse-and-repeat cycle with copying to microSD card, starting the Keybow hardware, and then wondering what went wrong, without any real clue.