A Wedge Keyboard and More Open Hardware to Explore

November 3, 2026

A 48-key keyboard, a lighting controller for behavioral research, and a handheld card game make an eclectic set of schematics to open. This selection brings together three new or updated hardware projects with editable KiCad files.

There is plenty here for makers who enjoy following a circuit through to its board layout. Just keep each project’s status in view: available source files can still contain unfinished work, missing dependencies, or details that need checking before fabrication.

Seven Swords Wedge Keyboard

Seven Swords Wedge KB-P1 keyboard PCB, shown in the project’s original top-side render. This is an unbuilt, untested design. © 2026 Seven Swords Productions, CERN-OHL-P-2.0 (NOTICE).

The Seven Swords Wedge Keyboard rev P1 is an RP2040-based, 48-key ortholinear keyboard. Its first commit dates to November 3, and the available files include a KiCad 9 schematic and two-layer PCB.

For keyboard makers, the appeal is being able to inspect the design rather than working only from a finished board. The project’s notes also show why the mechanical details deserve attention alongside the circuit: the J2 SWD header must be left unpopulated to avoid interference with the enclosure.

This revision has not been fabricated or tested, according to its author. USB identifiers remain unassigned, and the repository’s design-check reports still contain warnings. Those are useful things to investigate before putting together a parts order.

The hardware is licensed under CERN-OHL-P-2.0.

Open the design: Revision P1 engineering files.

Open-BEATBox lighting controller

The Open-BEATBox ceiling-lighting PCB in the project’s original 3D render. The module drives white, red and infrared LEDs for experimental lighting. Image: Open-BEATBox Hardware contributors; repository licence CERN-OHL-S-2.0.

Open-BEATBox’s lighting board is designed to control white, red, and infrared illumination for a behavioral research apparatus. It offers a different kind of project to study if your interests run toward lighting electronics or custom laboratory equipment.

The November 3 engineering update filled in component values and footprints and corrected an LED-driver resistor. The available design uses KiCad 10, with five schematic sheets and a four-layer PCB.

One detail to watch when opening the project is its 3D model references. Some point to paths on the author’s own computer, so a complete set of 3D dependencies has not been confirmed. That matters if you want to inspect the board mechanically as well as electrically. The files were reviewed statically for the roundup; physical operation was not independently verified.

The hardware is licensed under CERN-OHL-S-2.0.

Open the design: Lighting controller engineering files.

Solitaire handheld

Solitaire’s KiCad schematic, exported from the project’s design files. The MSP430FR2355, memory-LCD interface, sixteen buttons and power circuit are shown; PCB layout remains in progress. Design © jjd408 2026, CERN-OHL-S-2.0. Rendered November 5, 2026 using KiCad 9.0.2 and Poppler; engineering source unchanged.

Solitaire is an MSP430-based handheld card-game project, first made public on November 3. Its KiCad 9 sources include both a schematic and an editable PCB draft.

The PCB is at a very early stage: it contains no routed tracks or vias. There is still board-design work ahead before this revision can be treated as a manufacturing candidate.

For anyone interested in dedicated handheld games, that makes the schematic the sensible place to start. You can explore the circuit and compare it with the developing board, while keeping the absence of routing in mind. A downloadable PCB file alone is not a reason to send this one to fabrication.

The hardware is licensed under CERN-OHL-S-2.0.

Open the design: Solitaire engineering files.

Pick a circuit to explore

These projects offer three very different starting points for a KiCad session. Choose the one closest to your interests, read its notes, and follow the design through the source files. Pay particular attention to the difference between a published schematic, a routed board, and hardware that has been built and tested.

Links are pinned to the revisions covered in the November 3, 2026 roundup, whose cutoff was 18:05 America/Los_Angeles. The engineering-directory links allow individual file downloads; no complete release package is implied. Source files were read statically for that roundup. No project code, independent ERC/DRC, or hardware tests were run.

source https://blog.tindie.com/2026/11/a-wedge-keyboard-and-more-open-hardware-to-explore/