Quick & Dirty DIY UHK60 Bluetooth (Plug & Go)

Hello I hope this finds you well. Recently I “converted” my UHK60 to function via Bluetooth+Battery. In my case, I wanted to do this without any deeply-involved methods. This means parts that can be ordered via Amazon Prime, no major alterations to the keyboard itself, and preferably plug & go. I was able to get it working. I did so via a USB → Bluetooth transmitter, a tiny form factory battery, and an extra usb-c cable (plus some thin Velcro tape).

This “conversion” works essentially out of box, plug and play. Simply wire up, mount if preferred, and connect. Thus far I have tested on my W11 office desktop, my personal Linux desktop, and even my Quest 3. All devices pair no issue, with full function including module/cluster elements.

Photos & Links:
Base Keyboard - UHK60 + Trackball Module
Keyboard Bluetooth Transmitter
Keyboard Battery 2500mAh


Process:

  1. Attach transmitter to the back of the keyboard. Closer to the tilt feet the less intrusive. I believe using the riser/hollowed palm rests would result in the best final product.
  2. Attach the battery to the back of the keyboard ensuring placement does not block ports like charging and/or tilt.
  3. Wire battery to transmitter using built-in usb-c. Also wire keyboard to transmitter.
  4. You should see the transmitter turn on. Depending on which transmitter you get the led indicator might be different.
  5. Pair to device.

Battery Life:
Roughly ~
Backlight On → 8-12 hours.
Backlight Off → 20-26 hours.
(I am guessing this somewhat weaker performance is due to the lack of a power optimizer. You could bump battery size but you risk form factor. With the riser you could easily fit a larger battery)

3 Likes

Nice!
How smooth is the mouse movement; any choppiness at all?

The mouse seems to function quite smooth. I was honestly shocked at how well the little transmitter seems to be passing the data. I can’t speak on if this thing will last long term however. I am on day 3 testing.

1 Like

Nice, thanks for the post!

Or… one could get the SterlingKey, which combines battery and bluetooth host. According to their compatibility page, it’s been tested to work with a UHK60v2.

Also this BT-600 Bluetooth Adapter for Keyboard & Mouse seems to be quite useful for a DIY project. It is quite small & offers some extra functionality (command mode, layers, macros, timers,key mapping), but needs an additional power source (battery).

1 Like

Thanks for sharing that info!

I did see the BT-600, but I am a bit lazy and adhd so I wanted something right off amazon next day. I did not see that SterlingKey. Very cool, I will definitely be grabbing one of those for fun.

I wonder does the sterlingKey work with the models?