Plenty of Commodore 64s survive as keyboards long after their motherboards have given up — a common enough fate that a whole cottage industry exists to give those keyboards a second life. The Keyrah v2 is the best-known solution, and it’s worth understanding why.
What it does
The Keyrah wires directly into the keyboard matrix of a genuine C64 or early Amiga keyboard and presents it to a host computer as a standard USB HID keyboard and joystick interface. No soldering to the keyboard itself is required — it’s designed to be a clean, reversible interface.
Living with it
Typing on an original C64 keyboard through the Keyrah is a genuinely pleasant surprise — the key travel and feel hold up far better than the machine’s low-end reputation suggests. Joystick port emulation for USB gamepads is a thoughtful extra, letting the whole rig double as a period-correct-looking retro gaming controller setup.
The verdict
| Score | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| 8/10 | No soldering required Genuinely nice typing experience Joystick port support | Needs a donor keyboard Limited availability Basic documentation |
If you’ve got a keyboard-only C64 gathering dust, this is the single best thing you can do with it.