This article introduces an event held in Japan. This is basically a translation of the following post, originally written in Japanese, into English.

https://sago35.hatenablog.com/entry/2024/10/29/095629

What is the TinyGo Keeb Tour 2024?

The TinyGo Keeb Tour 2024 is a hands-on workshop event combining TinyGo and DIY keyboards. Participants spend the morning soldering, followed by a software hands-on session in the afternoon. Don’t worry if you’re new to soldering—tools are provided, and staff are on hand to help.

It's exciting to see a keyboard you've built yourself working on a computer! The project for the event is the zero-kb02 macro pad (12 keys + joystick + rotary encoder + display). Besides functioning as a keyboard or macro pad, it can also serve as a development board for TinyGo with additional ports for various uses. With one of these, you can enjoy a variety of projects.

Follow event information on Connpass:

https://tinygo-keeb.connpass.com/

Workshop materials and build guides are available here:

https://github.com/sago35/tinygo_keeb_workshop_2024

For support and communication before, during, and after the event, join us on Discord:

https://discord.gg/GKFsRXNRsX

The Beginning

On June 13, 2024, this tour started with a small team: micchie, ysaito, taknb2nch, and sago35. Many more staff members joined in as the project grew—thanks to everyone for their hard work!

The first kickoff meeting was scheduled for July 1, 2024. Before that date, we focused on designing and ordering the PCBs, with the current version finalized by June 16. The PCB design includes a matrix layout, and we ensured a display was included to make it fully enjoyable with TinyGo.

Traveling Across Regions

The 2024 tour covered four regions:

August 4, 2024 - Kobe with KOBE.go

Our first event! After deciding on the Kanto event on August 26, we organized a trial run in Kobe without soldering. We gathered at a hack bar, enjoyed drinks, and dived into the hands-on workshop, establishing a good flow for future sessions.

August 26, 2024 - Kanto with Women Who Go Tokyo

This event included soldering. We found a suitable venue and borrowed equipment like soldering irons from HAKKO and nanbuwks. Despite being new to teaching soldering, we managed successfully.

There was also a session covering the basics of DIY keyboards.

While working through the hands-on activities, participants were free to create whatever they wanted, resulting in some interesting projects.

By the second stop on the tour, we had an official T-shirt. The design features a very long gopher holding an ISO Enter key and a soldering iron—such a cool design!

October 12, 2024 - Sendai with Sendai.go

With knowledge accumulated from the first two events, the Sendai session went smoothly. The tour merchandise was expanded to include a tour towel—quite impressive!

The soldering process went well, with significant improvements in the steps and documentation based on KPT feedback from previous events. Although there were a few minor issues, things progressed smoothly.

We also enjoyed a traditional Imoni-kai (potato stew party)—it was delicious!

In Sendai, participants created a variety of interesting projects, as expected.

The addition of the tour towel made for some fantastic photos.

October 26, 2024 - Fukuoka with Kizuku.go

The final event of 2024. Documentation was further refined, reducing potential trouble spots.

Participants mainly followed the build guide on their smartphones or other small devices while working.

Even if there were any mistakes, the staff was ready to rework them, so participants could feel at ease!

We also showcased a new MIDI functionality demo specifically for the Fukuoka event. Afterward, we ended up having a spontaneous MIDI session, practically forgetting about the keyboard hands-on workshop!

To wrap up, we took a final group photo to commemorate the tour.

What is the zero-kb02 Hardware Used in the Tour?

The zero-kb02 is a 12-key macro pad specifically designed for the TinyGo Keeb Tour 2024. It includes a rotary encoder and joystick, making it enjoyable for everyday use as a DIY keyboard or macro pad. It also features a screen, allowing it to function as a development board for TinyGo.

As a demo, we’re developing a 2D game engine called Koebiten.

For more details on zero-kb02, including the actual PCB data, check here. Since it's open-source, you’re free to order it yourself or 3D print a case.

The Nature of a Tour

Since this is a multi-event tour with the same theme, we’ve been able to gradually improve various aspects over time. For example, we’ve added notes to highlight common soldering mistakes and clarified the front and back sides of the PCB to prevent confusion. We also addressed questions like “How can I display Japanese fonts on the screen?” by adding relevant instructions to the workshop materials.

Contributions

The event has inspired contributions to both the TinyGo core and the hands-on workshop materials, which is fantastic.

• TinyGo Core
  • https://github.com/tinygo-org/tinygo/issues/4519
• Hands-On Materials
  • https://github.com/sago35/tinygo_keeb_workshop_2024/pulls?q=is%3Apr+is%3Aclosed

Upcoming Plans

Planning an Online Event for Year-End

We’d like to hold an online event by the end of the year for people who already own a zero-kb02 or those interested in TinyGo embedded development. Stay tuned!

Interested in Hosting an Event in Your Area?

We’re looking for locations to host events in 2025 and beyond. If you’re interested, please reach out to the staff (micchie, ysaito, sago35, etc.). If there’s a local Go community, we’d love to collaborate with them as well.

Currently, the approach is to let local organizers handle venue selection. Events without soldering are possible (like the initial event in Kobe), but soldering is preferred if possible.

The TinyGo Keeb Tour Continues in 2025

The first event of 2025 is scheduled for January 13 in Takamatsu, Kagawa. We’re also considering additional locations as shown below.

TinyGo Conf!

We’re also planning a TinyGo event called TinyGo Conf in Japan.

In Closing

Thank you to all participants, the staff, and especially micchie, ysaito, and taknb2nch for starting this tour. We look forward to TinyGo Keeb Tour 2025!

Links

• TinyGo Keeb Tour on Connpass (ha
• Workshop Guide on GitHub
• TinyGo
• Create Your Own Keyboard with sago35/tinygo-keyboard