What is SpaceFN and why you should give it a try
The SpaceFN concept - setting up your space key as a layer switch when held - is probably one of the most useful tweaks in the keyboard hobby. Let me explain how it works. My SpaceFN article on kbd.news made some rounds recently - quite surprisingly given the age of this concept. This piece you're reading is a condensed version of the full post. If you're left with unanswered questions, you'll most likely find the info you're looking for in the original write-up. On my imaginary top list of the most useful keyboard features, tweaks and hacks, SpaceFN would deserve a podium finish for sure. But what makes it so special? In short: SpaceFN is easy to implement, easy to learn, costs nothing, can be used with any keyboard, and can improve your productivity instantly. I will list its benefits below, but can state right at this point that the SpaceFN concept, setting up your space key as a layer switch when held, is clearly one of the most useful tweaks in the keyboard hobby....
Apr 30, 2024
Just dropped another pre-release version of the client side configurator: https://github.com/kiibohd/configurator/releases
This new one adds flashing support (if you have dfu-util installed and available on your path it will automagically use it, otherwise just download and point it to it the first time and you're good to go)! (also added a single-color canned animation)
There'll be one maybe two more pre-releases before the 5th. Going to add more animation controls and address some UX issues. In the next week you'll also see documentation and videos for using it!
I've been trying to get it working on Arch linux for 1-2 hours now. I downloaded the tar.gz. Everything works fine (as root. root needed for keyboard access). HOWEVER, one big problem i'm having is that it seems like it forces me to "Download Firmware" in order to have a working configuration directory (a directory to point to for the kiibohd.dfu.bin file to flash)?
So basically the main problem I'm seeing is that if I make configuration changes (ex. change color scheme or animation )....if I click "view layout JSON" button, I can see the "RAW layout JSON" output WITH the changes i made using the tool, HOWEVER my changes dont seem to get flashed?? And I cannot find the bin file they're in! If I flash any of the kiibohd.dfu.bin files I have, it just loads the default firmware.
So, i see other people using this tool and so i'm confused?? Are there instructions somewhere I'm not seeing at? Am I doing something wrong or missing a step somewhere?
I hope this makes sense and is enough explanation! Basically no matter what I do in the tool (and I've tried just about everyhting I can think of), I see no way of actually flashing the RAW JSON changes I've made onto the keybaord. It doesn't appear to actually be producing/making/creating/changing any bin file using the changes I make in the tool?
Thanks@!!! Other than that and some squeaky keys, I'm liking the keyboard! Cant wait to be able to get the programming down on it!!
I'll be working on getting actual pacmac and rpm packages built in CI (HaaTa and I both run Arch) as well so hopefully that will be easier in the future as well.
Yeah, unfortunately thats what i've been doing, but the changes I make in the client tool that are shown in the Raw JSON aren't being flashed to the keyboard. It seems like the changes I'm making aren't being utilized with the .bin file. I've spent several hours on it, and tried just about everything I can think of and nothing is working as far as flashing of the actual changes I'm making in the client tool.