Mechanical Keyboards

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QMK/VIA noob questions (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 year ago by osbo9991@lemmy.world to c/mechanicalkeyboards@lemmy.ml

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I typically don't like using closed source software when I can avoid it. To my knowledge, QMK is open source, but VIA is not (as convenient as it is to use). It also requires your browser to use the WebHID API, which is problematic computer-security wise IMO.

Because of this, I was considering trying an open source version of VIA called vial. Does anyone have any experience with using it? How does it compare to VIA?

I think I could also try using QMK configurator to remap my keyboard/create new firmware, and to use QMK Toolbox to flash the firmware onto the keyboard. However, I was reading this keychron blog post: https://www.keychron.com/blogs/archived/how-to-factory-reset-or-flash-your-qmk-via-enabled-keychron-v6-keyboard. It says that "If everything works fine with your keyboard. Please don’t flash the firmware. There is a chance it can damage your keyboard". I am aware that if I unplugged during a firmware update it could brick it, but otherwise it would work out fine, right? Would the reset button underneath the spacebar save me in that situation? It is hard to tell whether this is just keychron trying to go the safest route to avoid tech support calls or if this is actually a valid recommendation.

Overall, what software should I use to remap keys and program macros on my keychron v6 (encoder version)?

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[–] ben@feddit.dk 4 points 1 year ago

I've been very happy with Vial. I haven't used VIA so i cant give any comparisons between them. As for the firmware, i do think they just want to prevent unnecessary support tickets from users flashing the wrong firmware (different model or downloaded from a sketchy site). I would not hesitate to flash it with vial since you are compiling the formware yourself. If something goes wrong you can always return to your old firmware with the reset button and QMK toolbox.

[–] kukkurovaca@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It says that “If everything works fine with your keyboard. Please don’t flash the firmware. There is a chance it can damage your keyboard”. I am aware that if I unplugged during a firmware update it could brick it, but otherwise it would work out fine, right? Would the reset button underneath the spacebar save me in that situation? It is hard to tell whether this is just keychron trying to go the safest route to avoid tech support calls or if this is actually a valid recommendation.

I've seen some stories of folks having issues with flashing cheap keyboards due to driver funkiness or other reasons. It would be weird to see a *good *keyboard PCB designer telling you not to flash firmware, though, because that's a very normal thing for enthusiasts to do and the designer should be testing the board and its firmware to make sure it works.

In terms of Vial vs. Via, Vial is much more full-featured, and arguably a little less newb-friendly just because it has a lot more stuff you can mess with. Many boards have Vial support to begin with, but some don't. I think it's relatively easy to add Vial support to a board that has Via support, but I've never done this because I'm usually building QMK from the command line.

[–] osbo9991@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I might just use QMK then because QMK support is already built into my keyboard by default (along with via, but I don't want to use it). Plus, I will be able to take advantage of every option that QMK based firmware has to offer in the future.

However, I will probably stick to their GUI based tools like QMK toolbox and the QMK configurator for now. Something strange I noticed in the GUI for QMK toolbox was the MCU selection. It has a dropdown that says MCU (AVR only), and the listed ones are only Atmel MCUs. Do I just ignore this menu if I have a STM32L432 MCU in my keyboard? Keychron's guide doesn't mention this dropdown at all.

[–] CanofBeanz@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

I use VIA on my board, you dont need to use the web flasher you can use the desktop app to configure VIA or even configure VIA with VIAL. I DIdnt really try to make my own VIAL firmware just because it seemed a bit out of my wheelhouse. The safety of flashing should be safe, but it would depend on the MCU that keychron uses

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