This guide will walk you through on installing QMK on a Keychron K6 RGB keyboard. Even though repos exist for other models and the white backlit version, this guide will only cover the K6 RGB model with a SN32F24x MCU.
You can follow these steps for other supported RGB boards, the difference in the steps for the other models lie in the location of the boot pins and the folders associated with the corresponding models. Some models, such as K4, will have their boot pins right under the spacebar and will require only the removal of the keycap rather than a full disassembly. White backlit K6 has a different MCU and isn't covered by this guide yet.
There is a small chance that you may brick your keyboard in the flashing process, continue at your own risk. Use an appropriate cable, make sure you won’t lose power during flashing and follow the steps carefully.
This guide doesn’t cover bluetooth connectivity, following this guide will disable your keyboards bluetooth mode.
If you're here for VIA, check your MCU first and then follow step 8.
2. Setting Up the Environment - QMK MSYS
3. Setting Up the Environment - WSL
9. Disabling Sleep Breathing Effect
11. Reverting to the Original Firmware
You’ll probably need an electronics screwdriver kit at this step. Disconnect your keyboard and keep it in “Cable” mode.
Refer to the official instructions for disassembly.
Note: You don’t need to remove all the keycaps, removing ESC, 1, 7, 8, Backspace, Light Key, CTRL, WIN , Space, Down Arrow, Right arrow keys will be enough to access the screws.
You can turn the keyboard over a soft surface to let the pcb drop or hold it with your hand as it detaches from the case.
The MCU is the chip with the red spot, read the serial numbers and google it to check it’s model, these steps are valid only if you have a SN32F24x MCU.
In our case, the serial number is HFD2201KBA.
If you have trouble finding the model of your MCU, you could skip to step 4 and follow until step 6.2 to see the model in Sonix Flasher.
2.1. Download the latest release (QMK_MSYS.exe) from this repo.
You can hit the windows key and type “QMK MSYS” to find the program
git clone https://github.com/SonixQMK/qmk_firmware.git
cd qmk_firmware
make git-submodule
util/qmk_install.sh
Note: You might need to run this twice if the QMK MSYS terminal is closed in the process.
Depending on your keyboard layout:
make keychron/k6/rgb:ansi
or
make keychron/k6/rgb:iso
Note: ❗ If this fails with a segmentation fault, delete all folders in the keyboards folder except the keychron folder.
%USERPROFILE%\qmk_firmware
Depending on your layout, copy “keychron_k6_rgb_ansi.bin” or “keychron_k6_rgb_iso.bin” file to a convenient place such as your desktop.
Note: If you experience random disconnections after using the WSL method, please try the QMK Msys method.
Hit the windows key and type "Microsoft Store", the app will show up.
You can hit the windows key and type Ubuntu to find the app.
You will be prompted to input a username and password when you run Ubuntu, input a username of your choice and a password when prompted. Don’t worry when the password you input doesn’t show on the line, just enter the password and hit enter.
Run the following command:
sudo apt update
Input your password when prompted.
sudo apt install make
git clone https://github.com/SonixQMK/qmk_firmware.git
cd qmk_firmware
make git-submodule
util/qmk_install.sh
cd ~
curl -o ./update-gcc10-ubuntu.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/radunanescu/ubuntu_gcc_armtoolchain10/main/update-gcc10-ubuntu.sh
sudo chmod +x update-gcc10-ubuntu.sh
sudo ./update-gcc10-ubuntu.sh
3.14.2. (Alternative) Copy the following lines, step by step and then right click on Ubuntu terminal.
cd ~
sudo apt install gcc-10 g++-10
sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/gcc gcc /usr/bin/gcc-10 100 --slave /usr/bin/g++ g++ /usr/bin/g++-10 --slave /usr/bin/gcov gcov /usr/bin/gcov-10
sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/gcc gcc /usr/bin/gcc-9 90 --slave /usr/bin/g++ g++ /usr/bin/g++-9 --slave /usr/bin/gcov gcov /usr/bin/gcov-9
sudo apt remove gcc-arm-none-eabi
wget https://developer.arm.com/-/media/Files/downloads/gnu-rm/10-2020q4/gcc-arm-none-eabi-10-2020-q4-major-x86_64-linux.tar.bz2
sudo tar xjf ./gcc-arm-none-eabi-10-2020-q4-major-x86_64-linux.tar.bz2 -C /usr/share/
sudo ln -sf /usr/share/gcc-arm-none-eabi-10-2020-q4-major/bin/arm-none-eabi-gcc /usr/bin/arm-none-eabi-gcc
sudo ln -sf /usr/share/gcc-arm-none-eabi-10-2020-q4-major/bin/arm-none-eabi-g++ /usr/bin/arm-none-eabi-g++
sudo ln -sf /usr/share/gcc-arm-none-eabi-10-2020-q4-major/bin/arm-none-eabi-gdb /usr/bin/arm-none-eabi-gdb
sudo ln -sf /usr/share/gcc-arm-none-eabi-10-2020-q4-major/bin/arm-none-eabi-size /usr/bin/arm-none-eabi-size
Change directory to qmk_firmware:
cd ~/qmk_firmware
Depending on your keyboard layout:
make keychron/k6/rgb:ansi
or
make keychron/k6/rgb:iso
\\wsl$\Ubuntu-20.04\home\<username>\qmk_firmware
The username field should be the ubuntu username you defined.
Depending on your layout, copy "keychron_k6_rgb_ansi.bin" or "keychron_k6_rgb_iso.bin" file to a convenient place such as your desktop.
See Step 1 for instructions.
Pull the connector gently to remove the cables attaching the battery to the board.
Using a conductor, such as a control pen or a tweezer, touch the two pins in the image below. While shorting the pins, plug in the keyboard.
Reminder: If you're proceeding with something else than a K6, such as a K4, then the boot pins might be right under the spacebar keycap. Don't go poking these pins, ask the discord channel if you're unsure.
6.2. If you have shorted the pins correctly, you will see your device in (bootloader) mode in the program.
6.4. This is the point of no return, click “Flash QMK…” and choose the .bin file you created. It will flash as soon as you choose the file.
QMK MSYS:
%USERPROFILE%\qmk_firmware\keyboards\keychron\k6\keymaps
WSL:
\\wsl$\Ubuntu-20.04\home\<username>\qmk_firmware\keyboards\keychron\k6\keymaps
7.3. Refer to this guide for instructions on how to edit the files inside here.
To use VIA on your keyboard, you can skip all the steps related to building your own firmware and flash a pre-compiled VIA-compatible firmware.
8.1. Download the pre-compiled firmware archive from the most recent run from here
8.1. Find and extract the appropriate firmware for your keyboard from the archive (e.g. "keychron_k6_rgb_via_ansi.bin")
8.2. Get the appropriate json from the keymaps directory
For disabling the breathing effect on system sleep, which may become persistent after wake, navigate to:
%USERPROFILE%\qmk_firmware\keyboards\keychron\k6\rgb
and edit the "rules.mk" file to have the following line:
SLEEP_LED_ENABLE = no
keyboards/keychron/k6/keymaps/ansi/config.h
#define FORCE_NKRO
11.1. Download the appropriate firmware from this link
OpenRGB branch is currently outdated. Keeping the steps here in case someone really wants to use it.
In Ubuntu, run the following commands in qmk_firmware directory:
git checkout -b sn32_openrgb
git pull origin sn32_openrgb
Download the latest stable version from the website. Unzip the archive.
"QMKOpenRGBDevices": {
"devices": [
{
"name": "SonixQMK 0C45:5004",
"usb_pid": "5004",
"usb_vid": "0C45"
},
{
"name": "SonixQMK 0C45:5104",
"usb_pid": "5104",
"usb_vid": "0C45"
},
{
"name": "SonixQMK 05AC:024F",
"usb_pid": "024F",
"usb_vid": "05AC"
}
]
},
In order to have OpenRGB run on startup with a selected profile, follow these instructions on the Official OpenRGB Wiki.