About

PicoKeebs is a small independent workshop based in Sète, France, crafting custom mechanical keyboards and DIY electronics built to last. Every board, every kit, and every line of firmware is designed with the belief that the objects we use every day should feel exceptional and should never become obsolete.

Founded in 2024 by Antonin Chabaud-Pech, then a computer science student and classically trained accordionist, the shop began as a way to share a passion for building keyboards from scratch. What started as a small online store selling DIY kits, solder-it-yourself PCBs, switches, and components has grown into something larger: a space where craftsmanship, music, and open-source software meet.

We design products for the long run. Every keyboard and controller we ship runs on open-source firmware, with public schematics and PCB layouts. When we release a new hardware revision, we keep it backward-compatible with existing firmware and accessories whenever technically possible. The goal is simple: an older unit should never feel left behind.

Repairability is not an afterthought — it is part of the design. Our boards use hot-swappable sockets, standard components, and straightforward assembly. No glued shells, no proprietary connectors, no black boxes. If something breaks, you can fix it yourself with basic tools and a soldering iron.

Along the way, a side project took on a life of its own. The PicoDeon — a compact MIDI controller inspired by the left-hand buttons of a chromatic accordion, built around the Raspberry Pi Pico with hot-swappable mechanical switches — became the shop’s signature instrument. Firmware updates are delivered over USB, and older PicoDeon revisions run the same codebase as the latest models.

But PicoKeebs is not only the PicoDeon. New keyboard projects are in development, the DIY kit catalog will return, and each future product will share the same DNA: durable, repairable, open, and backward-compatible.