Haptic Touch Typing Trainer Using Vibrating Keys

Description

Haptic Touch Typing Trainer is a custom touch typing training device designed for beginners who struggle to memorize keyboard positions without looking at their hands. Unlike traditional typing tutors that rely heavily on visual information, this project uses vibration feedback to guide the user’s fingers to the correct keys. Each key can vibrate individually, allowing users to learn key locations through touch and muscle memory rather than eyesight. The goal is to help beginners practice touch typing while keeping their eyes away from the keyboard. The reason I first wanted to share this project was that I could not find a typing practice device with a similar idea. (Now I know there are some boards with similar ideas.) Many typing beginners constantly look down at the keyboard. Traditional typing software usually displays visual hints on a screen, but this still encourages dependence on sight. I wanted to explore a different approach.

Details

This project is for beginners who are learning circuits and programming. I’d be happy if you could kindly support it.

After completing this project, I discovered a similar concept posted on Hackaday 12 years ago. I'm humbled to have independently arrived at the same idea, and I hope my beginner's attempt contributes something new.

This is a keyboard I made while learning programming and circuits by myself. I am still a beginner, but I tried my best to build it.

This is a practice keyboard layout with 30 keys, arranged in 10 columns and 3 rows. It includes a reset switch. It's compatible with Cherry MX switches. I've confirmed it works with the Arduino nano every, although it's not perfect. I haven't tested it with newer Arduino models. The circuit board was designed using KiCad 9.0. The board size is about 261.1mm × 81.5mm, and it's powered by USB through the Arduino nano every.

I changed the code to use three kinds of buzzer sounds to tell the user which row of keys to press. If the key is on the top row, the buzzer beeps three times. If the key is on the bottom row, it beeps one time. If the key is on the middle row, it beeps two times. For keys that do not have a vibration motor, the device changes the length of the vibration to show the position.

The firmware and source code are available on GitHub.

Project Logs

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Designed and assembled my first custom PCB
cuprice • 07/12/2026 at 01:57 • 0 comments

December 17 in 2023
Next step: soldering key switches onto a perfboard.
cuprice • 07/03/2026 at 14:12 • 0 comments

June 18 in 2023
New Version
cuprice • 06/24/2026 at 12:18 • 0 comments

Building a new version with more SMD components — so far so good!
Key Press, LED Flash
cuprice • 06/21/2026 at 11:37 • 0 comments

January 7 in 2023
I connected a key switch to the breadboard and wired it up with an LED. When I pressed the switch, the LED lit up! It's a small step,
My first typing trainer - built on a breadboard!
cuprice • 06/13/2026 at 09:52 • 0 comments

It's messy, but it works! November 2 in 2022
First Blink, First Joy
cuprice • 06/07/2026 at 10:03 • 0 comments

I started learning Arduino in November 2022. I bought a book to help me get started, and my first project was simply making an LED light up. At that point, I had no knowledge of electronic circuits at all. Still, I tried to keep my hands moving by copying what I saw. When the LED finally lit up, I felt both surprised and genuinely happy.
Why I decided to make this
cuprice • 05/24/2026 at 11:52 • 0 comments

I want to live in a world where more people feel comfortable using computers — where everyday conversation is full of tech talk, and no one feels left behind.
One of the first walls people hit when learning computers is typing itself. If you can't type, everything else becomes harder. I didn't want that frustration to stop anyone from going further.
That's why I built this haptic typing trainer. It's a small device, but the idea behind it is simple: remove one barrier, and more people can move forward.