Adafruit
Adafruit NeoKey BFF for Mechanical Key Add-On for QT Py and Xiao
The Adafruit NeoKey BFF adds a single mechanical key switch with RGB backlighting to any QT Py or Xiao board. Designed to solder or plug onto the back of you...
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The Adafruit NeoKey BFF adds a single mechanical key switch with RGB backlighting to any QT Py or Xiao board. Designed to solder or plug onto the back of your QT Py, it features a Kailh hot-swap socket for tool-free MX-compatible switch changes and a reverse-mount NeoPixel that shines up through the keycap.
The key switch connects to pin A3 and the NeoPixel to pin A2 by default, with on-board jumpers for reconfiguration. Perfect for building a single-key macro pad, mute button, or notification trigger in the smallest possible form factor.
Key Features
- Kailh Hot-Swap Socket – Plug in any MX-compatible mechanical switch without soldering
- Reverse-Mount NeoPixel – RGB LED shines up through the switch for customisable backlighting
- QT Py / Xiao Compatible – Solders directly to the back or use headers for a removable connection
- Configurable Pins – Default A3 (key) and A2 (NeoPixel); on-board jumpers for remapping
- Compact Design – Stacks directly behind your QT Py for a minimal footprint
Ideal For
- Single-key macro pads and shortcut buttons
- Mute/unmute toggles for video calls
- Notification indicators with RGB feedback
- Custom USB HID input devices
Package Contents
- 1× Adafruit NeoKey BFF PCB (assembled)
- 1× Break-off header strip
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- Headers
- Rows of connector contacts on a fixed pitch (commonly 2.54 mm) used to link a board to a breadboard, jumper wires, or another board. They come as male pin headers and female socket headers; when a module ships with pre-soldered headers it can be used straight away, whereas bare pads require soldering the pins yourself.
- HID
- Human Interface Device is a USB device class used for keyboards, mice, gamepads and similar controls. If a board supports HID over USB, it can act like an input device to a computer without needing a custom driver.
- Hot-swap
- Hot-swap (or hot-swapping) means connecting, disconnecting or replacing a component such as a power source, battery, drive or module while the rest of the system keeps running. It matters where equipment must stay operational without being powered down, and for power supplies it often needs extra circuitry to manage the inrush current or voltage dips that a swap can cause.
- LED
- A light-emitting diode (LED) is a small electronic component that emits light when current flows through it in the correct direction. Because it only conducts one way, its polarity matters, and a through-hole LED must be soldered the correct way around to light up.
- NeoPixel
- A type of addressable LED system where colour data is sent along a single digital data line from one LED or controller to the next. Compatibility matters because the timing and signal format must match for the lights or driver board to respond correctly.
- PCB
- A printed circuit board (PCB) is a board, usually rigid, with etched copper tracks that connect electronic components together without loose wiring. Components are mounted on the board and signals route between them through the copper layout.
- RGB
- Short for red, green and blue, the three primary colours of light that are mixed in varying amounts to make a wide range of colours. In electronics RGB can refer to an LED or pixel that blends these three colours, or to a colour signal or interface that carries separate red, green and blue channels.
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