KiiBOOM Cybrix29 Review: A Gamer’s Ultimate Keypad

Disclaimer

KiiBOOM sent me the Cybrix29 Gaming Keypad to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. Make sure you also check out Elyxirine Pastel Y2K Keycap Set and the Jade75 mechanical keyboard. I will also be using my Amazon Affiliate link where possible. It really helps me out if you click it before you buy anything.

Save big during KiiBOOM‘s special sale from now until November 12!

Table of Contents

What’s in the box?

https://youtube.com/shorts/PNDXRgG4Nhs

• KiiBOOM Cybrix29
• Key/Switch Puller
• USB-C to USB-A Cable
• User Manual

Features

The Cybrix29 is a 29 key wired gaming keypad that is ready to take on any task. Whether you are looking for tool to upgrade you workflow or just want something pretty to set on your table, the Cybrix29 is a fantastic solution.

Aesthetic

The Cybrix29 has a clean modern design, built to the high quality KiiBOOM standards has set for the industry. The low profile aluminum body not only looks good, but will keep your desk a bit more clutter free. They Cybrix29 is available in three colors: pink, silver and black. I chose to review it in pink, but it was a very tough choice to make.

The three dials give the keypad both its utility and modern flare. The RGB lighting effects helps illuminate your setup. The Cybrix29 features three separate RGB systems that can be easily customized through onboard commands. Each of the 29 keys, the light bar on top, and the acrylic base have separate customizable RGB profiles. Users can change the brightness, lighting effects, speed of the effects, and the color of each profile. As an added bonus, the keycaps and switches are easily swappable for maximum customization.

Comfort

The Cybrix29 promises a comfortable typing experience. The cherry profile keycaps give it its ergonomics, while the duskrise magnetic switches give it that satisfying soft feel. Whether it be a long gaming session or a bit of editing, your hands can rest easy with this powerful keypad.

Performance

The Cybrix29 is KiiBOOM’s ultimate solution for form factor utility. Each of the 29 keys is fully customizable. Each key and dial can be easily remapped or reprogrammed to take on any task. Users can also adjust the sensitivity and actuation of each switch for a more personalized experience. The Cybrix29’s advanced functions like the Snap Key (SOCD) and Dynamic Keystroke (DKS) support give its users a competitive advantage, so long as the game allows it. Don’t get banned.

Most importantly, the keypad’s wired connection give it the high speed, low latency connection needed for competitive gaming. With a very respectable 8KHz polling rate and no battery to slow its users down, the Cybrix29 is ready to master any game or assignment that gets in its way.

Sound Test

https://youtube.com/shorts/sWmg3PwDh6M

Review

If you are looking to upgrade your game, or a tool to help your productivity, the Cybrix29 is the perfect tool for you.

Looks

KiiBOOM is a master of creating aesthetically high-quality keyboards, and the Cybrix29 is no exception. The keypad is very well made with a light weight design that makes it perfect for travel. The colors are all bright and the lettering is clear. The quality of the keycaps gives me confidence that it won’t fade in the near future. The RGB makes the keyboard fun. The colors are vibrant, and the customization options give the keypad its versatility. There is a Cybrix29 configuration for every setup.

My only complaint is that it is a wired connection. I don’t like having too much wire clutter, but it is the price to pay for a high speed low-latency connection. However, it is a price I am willing to pay because this keypad is a beast of a machine.

Performance

If you are looking for a tool to give you a competitive edge or just want a more comfortable gaming experience, the Cybrix29 is a fantastic upgrade. The wire connection gives the keypad its negligible latency. You might need to do a bit of remapping, but the keypad has most of the keys you need for the games you play. I end up remapping a lot of what I play, so it wasn’t a huge deal.

The Cybrix29 features a fantastic out of the box experience, but being able to remap and reprogram the keys is nice to have and easy to do. The adjustable actuation and sensitivity as well as the advanced features (Snap Key (SOCD) and Dynamic Keystroke (DKS) support) make it a very powerful gaming tool. I didn’t feel the need to make any adjustments, but they are available for those who need it. Just make sure the game allows it first.

Although I don’t have a real way to test it, the Cybrix29 has the potential to be a powerful macro pad. The three dials are very handy for editing, and being able to remap everything certainly has its value. If you are looking for a powerful daily driver that looks good and is low profile, check out the Cybrix29.

Comfort

The most important feature of any keyboard is its comfort, and the Cybrix29 is comfortable. The keycaps feel great, and the switches have enough resistance to not only be satisfying, but they don’t create any fatigue. I was able to game for long hours without any hand pain. The sound is loud enough to be satisfying without being overbearing. My wife appreciates that it doesn’t fill the house with the thacking I love so much.

Conclusion

I love the Cybrix29 and it will be my daily driver for my main games. I have it configured just right for Guild Wars 2, and with the new expansion out, I am going to be spending a lot of time in Tyria. A keypad this size is a great option for those who need a macropad to play with, or for those who don’t want to buy a full sized keyboard. The size makes it a functional gaming peripheral, and its design makes it easy to store. It is also a very good for travel, if you don’t want to carry a full sized keyboard. With a bit of tinkering, the Cybrix29 can handle any game and task, making it the perfect tool for those who need it.

You can pick up the Cybrix29 on the official KiiBOOM store. They are currently having a huge sale until November 12, so now is the perfect time to pick up this or any of the other fine KiiBOOM products. You can also pick it up on Amazon through my affiliate link, but it is cheaper on KiiBOOM during the sale.

#2025 #blog #blogging #cybri29 #cybrix29 #entertainment #gaming #gamingBlog #internet #keypad #kiiboom #media #review #Reviews #tech #technology #watch

If you're looking for a compact tool to upgrade your gaming setup, check out the KiiBOOM Cybrix29

#kiiboom #keypad #keyboard #gaming #tech #technology #blog #review

https://churapereviews.com/2025/11/05/kiiboom-cybrix29-review-a-gamers-ultimate-keypad/

The Epomaker EK21 is the a very good budget Keypad ready to take on any task

#epomaker #keypad #keyboard #tech #technology #review #blog

https://churapereviews.com/2025/08/09/enhance-your-workflow-with-the-epomaker-ek21-keypad/

Enhance Your Workflow with the Epomaker EK21 Keypad

Disclaimer

Epomaker sent me the EK21 keypad to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. Make sure you also check out my reviews for the Click Lite Gaming Mouse and Alice Tide Keyboard. I’ll be using my Amazon Affiliate link where possible. It really helps me out if you use it.

What’s in the box?

https://youtube.com/shorts/ZgBE2a-_9yk

• EK21 Keypad
• Key/Switch Puller
• USB-C to USB-A Braided Cable
• 2.4Ghz Wireless Dongle
• User Manual

Features

The Epomaker EK21 is ready to take on any workflow. It only comes in black, but its stylish modern design helps it fit most desk aesthetics. It features 20 hot swapable keys illuminated with beautiful south-facing rgb effects. All 20 keys and the nob can be easily reprogrammed through VIA for some added versatility. The gasket design and shape of the key caps give users a comfortable typing experience, while also letting off a satisfying tack that doesn’t get too loud. The EK21’s lite weight, respectable 1000mAh battery, and wireless capability make it the ideal travel accessory. If you’re looking for 20 more keys to enhance your productivity, check out the EK21 keypad.

Review

The EK21 does look a little cheap, but the keypad is well machined. The numbers are clearly printed, the color scheme is nice, and the knob has a nice tactile feel. I do appreciate the keypad’s light-weight because I did end up having to travel a lot with it. Most importantly, the keypad is very comfortable. It not only made my data entry and number crunching easier than using the number row, it helped some of the strain from my hand. I did a bit of reprogramming on VIA. I don’t need to do it for my workflow, but it is a nice feature to have and I like how easy it was to set up.

As far as function goes, the Keypad functioned as intended. It was very responsive out of the box with out any glitching, and I haven’t had to charge the battery since I opened it. I always keep the RGB on and the RGB profiles are very subtle and fun. You can turn it off for additional battery life.

Ultimately, if you need a keypad for your workflow, this is a great budget option that feels good, looks great, and gets the job done. At only $40, the EK21 is a powerhouse of utility in the perfect sized package.

You can pick up the the EK21 Numbpad on the official Epomaker store, or on Amazon through my affiliate link.

#2025 #blog #blogger #blogging #ek21 #entertainment #epomaker #internet #keypad #media #numbpad #review #Reviews #tech #techReview #watch #wordpress #writing

If you are in the market for a cool looking keypad, check out the KiiBOOM Phantom 21!

#kiiboom #mechanicalkeyboard #keyboard #keypad #tech #technology #review #blog

https://churapereviews.com/2025/07/30/phantom-21-keypad-review-stylish-and-functional/

Phantom 21 Keypad Review: Stylish and Functional

Disclaimer

KiiBoom sent me the Phantom 21 Mechanical Keypad to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will not let it sway my opinions. This will be my hones review. Make sure you also check out my reviews for the Phantom 81 V3 and the Loop 65. I will also be using my Amazon Affiliate link where possible. Using it really helps me out. Make sure you also check out my new sponsor, NordVPN to earn an Amazon Gift card.

What’s in the Box?

https://youtube.com/shorts/571k0X0cRBI

• Phantom 21 Keypad
• 1.5m USB-C to USB-A Braided Cable
• Key/Switch Puller Tool

Features

The Phantom 21 is KiiBoom’s stylish solution for the ultimate keypad experience. This modern keypad comes in four colors: clear, pink, blue, and purple.

Thew clear body and fun colors are a guaranteed upgrade to any aesthetic. They keypads come with 21 keys with hot swappable switches all illuminated by the its vibrant customizable RBG color effects. But the Phantom 21 is more than just a pretty keypad. The control nob can be customized for volume, zoom, scrolling, and other essential functions. The keys are also easily customizable with KiiBOOM’s proprietary software to handle any workflow. Users can easily remap keys or load it up with macros to maximize efficiency.

Sound Test

https://youtube.com/shorts/hcWf4bWpsik

Review

I do like having a keypad for my workflow because I do a lot of data entry. I was very excited because the Phantom line is my favorite Keyboom product, and the Phantom 21 did not disappoint.

Out of the box, users will be impressed by the unique clear bodied design. I got the clear color, but the colors are fun, vibrant, and look good on the table. The manufacturing is clean and the keypad is very high quality. The keypad’s unique style definitely makes a statement in the best possible way.

After using the keypad, users will appreciate the comfort the keypad offers. The typing angle is ideal for most hand types, and the spacing allows for a comfortable hand position. I have a really bad repetitive stress injury, but using this keypad never triggered it. The clear glass-like caps give have a very satisfying smooth feel to them, and the clacking of the switches make it a wonderful typing experience. At least when it came to data entry and number crunching.

As far as performance goes, I noticed no ghosting or latency, and I still haven’t had to charge the keypad after using it for a 2 weeks. I keep on all the RGB effects. For those that need some added functionality, customizing, remapping, and adding macros to the Phantom 21 is very easy. This keypad can handle large workloads if you need it to.

If you are in the market for a unique looking keypad/macropad loaded with functionality, the Phantom 21 is a fantastic option. This pretty keypad is the perfect size for travel, very sturdy, and its flexibility make it perfect for any workflow.

You can pick up the Phantom 21 directly from the KiiBOOM site, or through Amazon through my Affiliate link.

#blog #blogger #blogging #entertainment #gaming #internet #keyBoard #keypad #kiiboom #mechanicalKeyboard #review #Reviews #tech #techReview #technology #watch #wordpress #writing

Arduino Atari MIDI Keypad

This uses my Atari 2600 Controller Shield PCB and a pair of Atari 2600 keypad controllers to see if they can be used as some kind of MIDI controller.

https://makertube.net/w/7VoDLuAWbiHuMr21XszyD4

Warning! I strongly recommend using old or second hand equipment for your experiments.  I am not responsible for any damage to expensive instruments!

These are the key Arduino tutorials for the main concepts used in this project:

• Atari 2600 Controller Shield PCB Design
• Arduino MIDI Library

If you are new to Arduino, see the Getting Started pages.

Parts list

• Arduino Uno
• Atari 2600 Controller Shield PCB
• 2x Atari 2600 Keypad, Video Touchpad or other keypad like controllers
• Arduino MIDI interface, (Ready-Made MIDI Modules, DIY MIDI Interfaces, etc)

The Circuit

Once again I’m using my Arduino MIDI Proto Shield which makes connecting everything up pretty straight forward.

Note: I started off with the V0.3 version of the PCB (as shown below) but then swapped to the capacitor-less V0.2 version of the PCB.

Reading the Atari Keypads

As already shown in my Atari 2600 Controller Shield PCB Build Guide I can use the Arduino Keypad library to read the Keypads directly.

The simplest way to do this is to set them up as per the Keypad library tutorial example as a 4xROW, 3xCOL matrix, mapping them onto the Arduino pins as follows:

And, as shown before, this works pretty well. And the keypad handling can be generalised to support multiple key presses too.

But there is a problem. If the two buttons on the same ROW from the two COLUMNS that include a hardware pull-up resistor in the Keypad are pressed, then the keypresses aren’t registered.

Other combinations of buttons are fine, but not that one.

To understand what is going on, we need to look at how the Keypad library works and then go back to the original Atari keypad circuit diagram.

The keypad library works as follows:

Looking at the original Atari circuit, we can see some of the potential problem.

The way the Keypad is wired, for two of the columns, the highlighted paths are connected via a 4K7 pull-up resistor to 5V. When each COL is scanned, the pin (5), (9) or (6) will be driven LOW in turn and pins (4), (3), (2), (1) are scanned as INPUTs (PULLED HIGH) to see if any of them are low indicating that a key has been pressed.

However, when both buttons are pressed and the pin (5) goes low, there are now two 4K7 pull-ups in parallel connected to 5V, one of which is connected via the second key being pressed. That makes a combined equivalent pull-up of around 2K4 which is a pretty strong pull-up. Strong enough to stop the INPUT pins (i.e. (4), etc) from reading LOW which means when scanned the keypresses won’t be detected.

We can see this on a scope trace.

The left is the signal from the column without the pullup resistor. The right shows the trace for a key on the column with a 4K7 pull-up. Although not as clear, it still seems to just be enough still to register as a key press though. I can get away with this for a single keypress.

But things are a little different when two keys are pressed.

Here the left shows the signals when a key from the non-pull up column and a key from one of the pull-up columns is pressed. Again we can see both are just enough to register as keypresses.

The right however is the signal when both keys are from the pull-up columns. Now, with the much stronger (2K4) pull-up the signal is not enough to register as a keypress for either column.

So if those pull-ups are causing problems when the COLs are used as OUTPUTs for detecting LOW signals, would they work better as INPUTs if I swap the ROWS and COLS around?

After all, that is almost certainly why the pull-ups are there in the first place, as the “COLs” are the inputs and “ROWS” the outputs. As this is contrary to how the Keypad library works, I’ll have to swap them over as followS:

That can be done by redefining the Keypad matrix as follows:

It turns out that this is even worse. Now, none of the keys on “ROWS” (which were previously the columns) with a hardware pull-up work at all. I’m not entirely clear of the reason, but I guess it is something to do with there being an internal Arduino PULLUP configured (which I seem to recall the ATmega328 datasheet states is between 20 and 50 M) and the external 4K7 pull-up. This will result in a pull-up resistance pretty close to the 4K7 value which is obviously 3 to 4 orders of magnitude lower than usually expected for INPUT_PULLUP.

Taking a scope trace of this situation, gives the following:

The left is a pretty noisy signal associated with the non-pullup “ROW” but we can still see a clear key press happening as the signal is pulled LOW. The right trace shows a pull-up “ROW” and we can see that the pull-up just won’t allow the signal to drop anywhere near registering as a LOW when a key is pressed.

I have to be honest – I’m not entirely clear why this is different to the previous scenario. They both, to my mind, appear to be setting the 4K7 pull-up to the internal Arduino pull-up.

So now I’m mulling over the possibility that this is an interaction between those added capacitors for the paddle controllers and the scanning pulse period of the Keypad handling. Maybe the capacitor discharge is preventing a clear LOW reading?

That is a little odd of course, as the original Atari circuit does indeed have to cope with the RC circuit on pins (5) and (9). It may be that the pulse of the scanning on the Arduino is just too fast, but to slow everything down I’d need to rewrite the Keypad library (or at least the matrix scanning part).

But I have a way to test this theory, as my original Atari 2600 Controller Shield PCB Design didn’t include them at all.

So yes, if I use the REVERSE method of scanning on the PCB without the capacitors I get good clean signals for all keypresses! The following trace shows several keys being pressed at once and although there is still a little variation, it is a much clearer signal in all combinations I’ve tried.

There is still the possibility of ghosting when pressing lots of keys, but in my experiments so far, given the quirkiness of the controllers in the first place, I’ve not found that a particular problem.

The Code

So the final code has essentially the following structure:

I’ve set the Keys to map to the pattern: C, E, F, G, A, Bb and repeated this over four octaves, with the lowest octave on the bottom row of keys.

I’ve left the option for either the “forward” or “reverse” mapping of the ROWS/COLS. The “forward” works best with the capacitor shield but has the issue of some two-key combinations not working. The “reverse” works best with the non-capacitor shield.

Find it on GitHub here.

Closing Thoughts

Once again, what I thought would be a relatively straight forward project actually turned out to be a lot more involved than I imagined.

I’m now breaking away slightly from how the original Atari would have scanned these Keypads. If I get the chance, I might try to see what the scanning traces look like for an original console.

But I’m quite pleased with the final result. Those keypads are not the easiest things to use – the buttons are quite hard to press. I do have one Video Touchpad which also works, so it would be interesting to try to get hold of a second one and use those.

But having the two keypads linked together by their casing gives a nice “hold in two hands” kind of playable feel, as shown in the video. Holding them in my hands and playing with my thumbs isn’t actually too bad!

Kevin

#arduinoUno #atari2600 #keypad #midi