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Keychron announces first open-source firmware for gaming mice

digitalfoundry.net

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Re: Keychron announces first open-source firmware for gaming mice

#91

Post by Barbing »

martinjc wrote: post #64
Barbing wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On macOS: I use my Keychron C3 in Windows mode because the macOS mode ain't right with the bottom left corner keys. Maybe placement of Control/Option/Command aren't similar enough to the MacBook Pro keyboard for me. Been meaning to figure this out and fix it... swapping physical keycaps or remapping in software or replacing the keyboard...

Waiting for it to die and will not buy another of theirs. Piece of shit.

Aw I like mine! Besides those few keys of layout.

Hope your next buy's perfect.

Re: Keychron announces first open-source firmware for gaming mice

#92

Post by wlesieutre »

martinjc wrote: post #48
benoau wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you sure you don't have a tiny switch on the side? The manual indicates it should have one - https://www.keychron.com/pages/k4-user-manual

I do, but when on the windows mode the keys mentioned are in the wrong positions. -- Edit and if i switch to the macOS mode. The right alt-gr key is not mapped correctly.

If you're not aware, you can remap modifier keys in System Settings on macOS. It doesn't have individual settings for left/right versions of a modifier key, so keep it in whichever mode has the modifiers on left/right paired with each other correctly, and then swap their functions to the right ones.

https://i.imgur.com/FXkmZRV.png

Settings are per keyboard so fixing your external keyboard won't mix up any other keyboards you use (particularly for laptops).

Re: Keychron announces first open-source firmware for gaming mice

#94

Post by jffry »

danudey wrote: post #85
jchw wrote: post #8

A bit ago I accidentally bought a Keychron keyboard that didn't have QMK support, but then found that someone had ported it anyway, and I was able to flash it and fix some problems I had (the main one being that it seems like the default firmware only scans a single row of keys while asleep, possibly to save energy, but I want any keypress to wake the computer.) Maybe it's not perfect, but the community around open s…

My only complaint is that the backlight behavior has like a dozen different settings, none of which are "off". There's "on", "flicker", "blink when you hit the key", "ripple out when you hit the key", "move in waves regardless of input", etc., but there's no "don't be light" option.

Fn+Tab is the backlight toggle on my V5 Max (and it's specifically called out in the user manual https://www.keychron.com/pages/keychron-v5-max-user-manual)

Re: Keychron announces first open-source firmware for gaming mice

#95

Post by asabla »

benoau wrote: post #29
martinjc wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bought a K4 Nordic version, only to learn none of their software supports it. So i can't reconfigure the firmware. The keyboard has swapped Super/Alt (Windows/Alt) on the windows layout which is so annoying. I hate spending money on hardware so i'm living with it, but i curse the engineer that burned the prom every day.

That sucks, the main reason I like KeyChron is the little switch on the side of mine that toggles between Mac and Windows! I wouldn't buy another keyboard without this feature TBH.

I had a similar issue with mine. But was able to reset it with Fn + z + j for a couple of seconds.

Re: Keychron announces first open-source firmware for gaming mice

#96

Post by jeddy3 »

deepthaw wrote: post #90

It took me three hours to figure out how to blacklist my Keychron keyboard from showing up as a joystick - and screwing up several games that thought they were receiving constant joystick input - in Linux, so I'm not sure how keen I am on using their stuff in the future. Is that a common issue in Linux?

I can at least say that it's not endemic.

I have two different Keychron keyboards, used in different Linux distros. I have never experienced, and wouldn't even had imagined, such a scenario.

Re: Keychron announces first open-source firmware for gaming mice

#97

Post by big_toast »

100percentjake wrote: post #20
jerlam wrote: post #16

This would be more exciting if Keychron had mice of more interesting / experimental form factors and functionality. Just like their keyboards, their mice are mostly differentiated by obscure technical features (polling rates!). I'm a bit worried that a decent, modern replacement for the extremely obsolete multi-button mouse I have now (Logitech G602) will never be available.

I miss my G602 so much. Replaced it with a G604 and then replaced that one with another G604 and then a third G604 before realizing that Logi's build quality has seemingly dived off a cliff for the premium they charge for their product and swapped to the 50% as expensive Keychron mice and keyboards and have been satisfactorily living with the decrease in available buttons (though quite an adjustment was needed). Onse…

I made the G602 to G604 to ?? transition. I ended up on the Razer Naga v2 Hyperspeed because I couldn't give up the dual mode scrolling. It functions very well but I'm waiting for it to break and find it discontinued like all the rest.

I got it a few years ago now so I'm not sure what mice I considered. But I'm always curious to hear if people have found better mmo mice. The 12 buttons + 2 index buttons, the high dpi, the 2.4ghz, the two scroll modes. I really enjoy it.

Re: Keychron announces first open-source firmware for gaming mice

#98

Post by HDBaseT »

fn-mote wrote: post #35

Announces != releases. They claim 2027 Q1 will be the release date. Links below purporting to be “the repository” lead to a repo with no source code. Sorry, I’m cynical. An announcement 6-9 months ahead of release? Why? Right now it’s vaporware.

Don't they already have open source firmware, at least for their keyboards. I have a K4 HE and this is on their Github [1].

[1] - https://github.com/Keychron/qmk_firmware/tree/hall_effect_pl...

They publish the .stp, .dxf, .dwg, .pdf files for a lot of their products already too.

I would be fairly optimistic that they will hold their promise.

Re: Keychron announces first open-source firmware for gaming mice

#99

Post by drnick1 »

OsrsNeedsf2P wrote: post #57

I really wanted to like Keychron, but after spending 200$ on one of their high end keyboards, certain keys weren't detecting presses less than a month later. I couldn't end up fixing it so I tossed it out. Felt like a waste

I like building my own keyboards. I get to choose the keycaps, switches, PCB, foams, cases. If some component fails or does not feel right, and can replace it. Building won't be cheaper, but there is an enormous quality gap between mass produced stuff and custom keyboards. My switches (Gateron) cost more than than a mid-range keyboard. If you don't want to go full DIY but want custom quality, check out Mode Designs for example.

Re: Keychron announces first open-source firmware for gaming mice

#100

Post by deepthaw »

jeddy3 wrote: post #96
deepthaw wrote: post #90

It took me three hours to figure out how to blacklist my Keychron keyboard from showing up as a joystick - and screwing up several games that thought they were receiving constant joystick input - in Linux, so I'm not sure how keen I am on using their stuff in the future. Is that a common issue in Linux?

I can at least say that it's not endemic. I have two different Keychron keyboards, used in different Linux distros. I have never experienced, and wouldn't even had imagined, such a scenario.

Probably depends on the specific device and specific game. I ended up using some info from here.

https://github.com/denilsonsa/udev-joystick-blacklist

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