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newtonapple
185
Sep 19, 2018
I'm on Mac and mdloader doesn't seem to be detecting my keyboard... What's going on? Yes, keyboard is plugged into the computer and is functioning.
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newtonapple
185
Sep 19, 2018
newtonappleAh never mind, I had to push the reset button and use a different keyboard to execute the command so it can find my device. I was confused the first time because the keyboard stopped working when I push the reset button.
LastContinue
164
Sep 19, 2018
newtonappleI wrote these to eliminate the need for a second keyboards
https://lastcontinue.github.io/ctrl-info/#helpful-gists
There's comments in the scrips to make them more helpful.
Edit: Since it seemed you downloaded the loader via Safari, you'll want to replace references to `mdloader_mac` with `mdloader_mac.dms`
(I should make that an option)
Edit2: I made that an option on https://gist.github.com/LastContinue/65dc6e6dcd8181dc6c82ed351b7525ad . You can now run it as `./ldr.sh -s <name_of>.bin` and it should look for `mdloader_mac.dms` 👍
I'll fix the other script at lunch.
Edit 3: Realized I had more time than I thought this morning. Updated both scripts to accept a `-s` or `--safari` option.
Bryan_Why
3
Sep 20, 2018
newtonapplehow did you change the keyboard to a Mac layout?
LastContinue
164
Sep 20, 2018
Bryan_WhyYou have options! 1) Just set up a mac keyboard layout via the gui configuator (middle easy) 2) run `./ctrl-bld-ldr.sh -s mac` or `./ctrl-bld-ldr.sh mac` assuming you have your qmk building env setup, and you downloaded the scripts I posted earlier (easiest assuming you have QMK building. The layout is "okay") 3) Make your own layout based on the actual mac keyboard (with cmd and alt next to each other on both sides, the way it's suppose to be) : https://github.com/LastContinue/qmk_firmware/blob/master/keyboards/massdrop/ctrl/keymaps/lastcontinue/keymap.c#L29-L36
(bonus you can see I made `print` and `insert` screenshot buttons. Otherwise they aren't used on a Mac. Oh also I use capslock as ctrl, but that's easy enough to swap)
Bryan_Why
3
Sep 20, 2018
LastContinueI tried using the configurator by Massdrop, however there didn't seem to be an option for command or the top function keys as on a traditional Mac keyboard. And how would I go about the qmk building env setup, I tried downloading the mdloader but I can't seem to get it to run.
newtonapple
185
Sep 20, 2018
Bryan_WhyAs most of what I needed was already in the configurator, I just used the configurator to generate the layout that I wanted. As for flashing the keyboard, u just need to compile the firmware and flash it using the CUSTOM CONFIGURATION instruction. The only thing that tripped me up was that I needed to push the reset button in order to flash it. But once you push the reset button the keyboard is no longer functional until you reflash it. So, you either have to use another keyboard to type in the device key, or use the new script that @LastContinue provided.
I wish I could share the my configurator layout with others... But, here are some screenshots of my layout. I basically have 3 extra layers. The 2nd layer (1) brings the entire number row into the home row when I push the function key. The 3rd (2) layer is for Vim motion as I'm primarily a programmer (I access this layer by hitting the caps lock key). I also changed Caps Lock to Esc in the main layer (0). The 4th (3) layer is just for controlling the LEDs. I hope this helps.
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newtonapple
185
Sep 20, 2018
Bryan_WhyThe "cmd" key is the "left GUI" or "right GUI".
Bryan_Why
3
Sep 20, 2018
newtonappleThank you for the help @newtonapple @LastContinue
LastContinue
164
Sep 20, 2018
Bryan_Why>however there didn't seem to be an option for command or the top function keys as on a traditional Mac keyboard.
Oh great call out. Lemme hack around and see what I can some up with (even if you've already figured it out, a screenshot will help somebody else I'm sure)
Bryan_Why
3
Sep 20, 2018
LastContinueI actually have another problem now. I'm not sure what im doing wrong but for the mdloader I have it downloaded from safari but can't open it. in the instructions it said: 1) Download mdloader_mac and applet-flash-samd51j18a.bin and put them in the same folder. If downloading with Safari, mdloader_mac with have a .dms extension appended to it. This is fine. 2)chmod u+x mdloader_mac to make it executable. (chmod u+x mdloader_mac.dms if downloaded from Safari).
what does the second step mean?
LastContinue
164
Sep 20, 2018
LastContinue@Bryan_Why Alright, based on the keyboard here https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MQ052LL/A/magic-keyboard-with-numeric-keypad-us-english-silver?fnode=56, I came up with
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This is the base layer. The only thing kinda tricky is the `Mod(1)` but I included how I did that. Now, you'll notice that Mod(1) (which acts like our FN key) isn't in the same spot as in the picture, but I think this will be more useful (and gotta have that eject key 😉) This is the function (FN) layer
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F14 and F15 on a "regular" keyboard adjust brightness, so those are free. F3 to show desktop/windows is just "ctrl + up_arrow" so I did that. Showing Launchpad is a bit more difficult. There's no shortcut for it, so I put it as F16. This will allow you to go into the MacOS control panel and set it as a shortcut on a unique key
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The rest are self explanatory, but "oops" I left the default "mute" . Just replace that with "trns" Hope this helps! You can do this! 😤
Bryan_Why
3
Sep 20, 2018
LastContinuethanks for the layout but I can't seem to save the configuration because I can't open the mdloader. Any clue how what im doing wrong?
LastContinue
164
Sep 20, 2018
Bryan_WhyYou're going to need to use the terminal for this. So let's walk through this step by step! Quotes "" or backticks `` in my instructions are just to note "do this", don't actually type the quotes or backticks 😉
1) Press cmd + space and type in "terminal". Hit enter and it will bring up a terminal! 2) Lets make a new directory so we can kick up some dust without disturbing other things. type "mkdir CTRL" and hit enter 3) Lets go into that dirctory! type "cd CTRL" and hit enter. 4) Always be paranoid about your dir! Type "pwd" to see where you're at. It should say `users/something/something/CTRL` 5) Now we need to get the files you downloaded earlier into this directory (because I can't remember what utilities are included on a default Mac 😅). In the terminal type "open . " (there's a space between the period/fullstop) 6) That will open up a Finder window and you can drag N drop! 7) Now you're in the right DIR and you have the right files. Type "ls" ("lima sierra", not "india sierra") and you should see everything you need. The loader and the bin file. 8) Now you'll type in chmod u+x mdloader_mac.dms 9) Reopen a finder window and lets drag in a downloaded .bin file from Massdrop (any will do, even the default) 10) Because it's my instructions, we'll feed my ego and download my script 😉 Download https://gist.github.com/LastContinue/65dc6e6dcd8181dc6c82ed351b7525ad/archive/1ae0c6fdcbb862aedb1e2cf0378835775046dc3e.zip and keep opening folders until you only see `ctrl-ldr.sh` and now drag that file into your CTRL folder 11) Get a toothpick ready. You're going to need to be able to hit the button on the bottom of the keyboard. Do a few dry runs so you can get the feel of it. You can just unplug and plug the keyboard back into power it back up (you could use a pin, or even a mechanical pencil, but just be really careful with metal. Toothpick is safe) 12) Now, lets run "./ctrl-ldr.sh -s <name of the massdrop file>bin" Protip: you can start typing "massdrop" and then hit "tab". That will autocomplete the rest of the name of the file (or rename it to something shorter using finder 😉) 13) The script will tell you to hit the button. HIT THE BUTTON! 14) Wait. Your keyboard will turn off, and then turn back on 15) Enjoy! You did it! 😎 16*** If you encounter any issues, just unplug the keyboard and plug it back in. It's pretty resilient it seems.
(I hope this wasn't patronizing, I don't know how much you do or don't know about using a Mac with cli tools)
newtonapple
185
Sep 20, 2018
Bryan_WhyIf you downloaded the mdloader from safari, it'll be named mdloader_mac.dms instead of mdloader_mac because Safari will tact on the .dms file suffix. mdloader_mac or md mdloader_mac.dms are basically the same thing the .dms is just a file extension. You can basically ignore the applet-flash-samd51j18a.bin if you are going to flash your own firmware. You can get your own firmware by using the Massdrop configurator tool: https://www.massdrop.com/mechanical-keyboards/configurator/. Create your layout, save it, then click the Compile & Download button. It'll download a ".bin" file. And this is the file you'll need to flash your keyboard with (it should look something like: massdrop_ctrl_config_In_70.bin). Here are the steps you'll need to flash your keyboard using this .bin firmware file: 1) open the Terminal app 2) type this into the terminal: cd ~/Download (cd is change directory in command line ~ is your home directory, Download is your Download directory.) 3) type this into the terminal: chmod u+x mdloader_mac or chmod u+x mdloader_mac.dms (if you downloaded the mdloader from Safari, this step ensure that your mdloader is an executable and you execute it from the terminal command line. 4) have another keyboard plugged into the the computer 5) use a toothpick to poke the hole at the bottom of the CTRL keyboard. this will reset your CRTL keyboard & it will temporary disable it. 6) type ./mdloader_mac.dms --list in the terminal from your other keyboard (not CTRL). take note of the "port name". It should look something like this: /dev/cu.usbmodem234411. 7) type ./mdloader_mac --port PORT_NAME --download YOUR_OWN_FIRMWARE.bin --restart into the terminal. the full command would look some thing like this ./mdloader_mac --port /dev/cu.usbmodem234411 --download massdrop_ctrl_config_In_70.bin --restart After these steps, you should see your CTRL keyboard reboot w/ the LEDs turned on. Hope this helps. Good luck.
(Edited)
LastContinue
164
Sep 20, 2018
Bryan_WhyI just made a quick video on how to do this. I had a brainfart about 40 seconds in, but you'll get the idea (I'm assuming you have all of the files you need already downloaded and at the ready)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1w8D0mgdEVsbKASjt3dH93dQrH2O8E3DW/view?usp=sharing
Bryan_Why
3
Sep 20, 2018
LastContinueWOW thank you very much for the descriptive instructions. Figured it out. finally running.
LastContinue
164
Sep 20, 2018
Bryan_Why🙌
Glad I could help.
You helped me think about this from another direction and I'm not sure if you saw, but I made an app to help automate the setup for this (for Mac Users)
https://github.com/LastContinue/ctrl-info/releases/tag/0.1 (Just download the Zipfile, and keep opening until you get to the App. Probably best you have it on the Desktop, because that's where it'll try to save your files into)
I'd appreciate any feedback on it!
8bit
Jan 31, 2019
LastContinueI just wanted to thank you for all of your work and it was definitely NOT patronizing. Appreciate the help! You're the best.
8bit
Jan 31, 2019
newtonappleOne thing that you might want to notice is that you changed the `./mdloader_mac` in step 6 to `.mdloader_linux` in step 7... and that might confuse some folks who may feel like they have to download both the mac and linux mdloader... but, all good! thanks for your step-by-step here!
newtonapple
185
Jan 31, 2019
8bitI believe massdrop updated their mdloader now so you don't have to use a 2nd keyboard. It'll wait for you to hit the reset button and load the firmware automatically now. You can follow the updated instructions here: https://github.com/Massdrop/mdloader.
BlkPingu
64
Mar 17, 2019
LastContinueCan you give us a link with these 4 files? It seems to be missing here. This is a very lengthy thread with a lot of "okay lets do this differently then a minute before". Can you condense this in a blob post with links to the files and maybe a simple step by step for the command line? Also, if I want to reset the CTRL (maybe to sell it) how to go about it and reverse the process.
(Edited)
LastContinue
164
Mar 17, 2019
BlkPinguThis is a pretty old post, so not surprising that things are missing, as I've moved stuff around quite a bit in order to be better organized. You can find recent versions of everything here, including the original video https://github.com/LastContinue/ctrl-info
https://github.com/LastContinue/ctrl-info/releases (getting one of drag-and-drop loaders from here will be the easiest way to flash. There should be instructions on that page) https://github.com/LastContinue/ctrl-info/wiki If you want to reset this back to default you can just download a base map from https://www.massdrop.com/mechanical-keyboards/configurator/preset/ctrl--default without any other configuration and that'll give you more or less a stock map.
ozz52
0
May 31, 2019
LastContinueHey man, do you mind helping me configure my CTRL Keyboard? So far ive tried everything you have shared, but for some reason i keep getting errors. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
LastContinue
164
May 31, 2019
ozz52Sure, do you have an email address I can use to contact you? (this board isn't very conducive for in-depth conversation)
NYC-Tyro
7
Mar 8, 2020
LastContinue@LastContinue Hope you can help me with my Alt and a Mac I cannot find your github routine(?) anyway, I got to here and could not continue. thanks for helping
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LastContinue
164
Mar 11, 2020
NYC-TyroSorry for the late-ish reply. I don't keep on top of these threads as closely as I used to, and most of my solutions are probably pretty old at this point (still work on my boards though!) I think you need to run mdloader_mac like ./mdloader_mac With the "./" in front of it (don't want to patronize, but it could help others: This is how you often run 'nix programs) If you want "what I wrote" you can find it here... "Just the scripts" ("blr-ldr.sh" is for if you want to build your own version of QMK, "ldr.sh" is if you want to use files from massdrop) https://github.com/LastContinue/ctrl-info/blob/master/scripts/bash/ If you open the files in a text editor (which I encourage so you can "see whats going on" ) , you can see that the usage is like https://github.com/LastContinue/ctrl-info/blob/master/scripts/bash/ldr.sh#L1-L6 (I realize now there's a bunch of typos in there 😂 This is why code reviews are important ) If you want drag and drop stuff https://github.com/LastContinue/ctrl-info/releases/tag/v0.3.1 Probably typos there too 😉 All of these will download all of the files you need and set the permissions. No need to mess around with hunting and gathering, (unless you want to know "how this works")
NYC-Tyro
7
Mar 11, 2020
LastContinueHi, thanks for reply. I did finally managed to get everything running but the switches to certain key positions did not take in effect. I made all changes on level 0 using the Drop keyboard configurator online: https://drop.com/mechanical-keyboards/configurator After pressing the reset button with a toothpick and the routines finished, the original factory settings remained in place. I resorted to using Karabiner, but Karabiner is not able to swap the Alt keyboard "Fn" key with the right Alt key. What is wrong with my keyboard?
LastContinue
164
Mar 11, 2020
NYC-TyroCould you take a screenshot of the confiscator so I could get a better idea of what you're trying to do? (and you said you're only using lvl 0? If you're using multiple layers, could you also take screenshots of those?) Karabiner - Karabiner used to be pretty good for key-remapping but one of the versions of MacOS pretty much killed its more useful features. Look into Hammerspoon if you want a Karabiner "replacement". It's more of a general purpose scripting engine.... thing (it's hard to describe), but it can do some key-remapping (would still try to get things working with flashing this keyboard first)
NYC-Tyro
7
Mar 14, 2020
LastContinueHi, thanks so much for helping. This is what I did: From this:
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To this:
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All changes were on level 0 as shown. They were swapping the bottom left Alt with Left GUI keys Swapping the bottom Right Alt with MO(1) "Fn" key Replacing Right Alt with Right Control I compiled & downloaded. Put bin file into a directory with 2 other files needed to change the ALT firmware executed the command using Mac Terminal i used a toothpick to depress the reset button and after routines were done. the changes did not take hold. Got the original settings. (i am at chiumeister@gmail is needed) Thanks!!!
LastContinue
164
Mar 14, 2020
NYC-TyroThis all looks and sounds correct to me 🤔 I will send you an email before the end of the weekend.
Aterix
5
Sep 16, 2020
newtonappleI get an error on step 7 using Massdrop Loader 1.04: Opening port 'PORT_NAME'... Failed! (No such file or directory)
Error: Could not open port! (Correct port?) Any ideas for how to overcome this?
nerdbankerman
0
Nov 16, 2020
LastContinueThank you for this super helpful breakdown—but I'm running into a problem on step 7, after typing "ls" and hitting enter I get "Permission denied," am I doing something wrong?
LastContinue
164
Nov 16, 2020
nerdbankermanI'd love to help, but this is a pretty old post and it seems that the issues talked about here have shifted around a bit (also I look at this stuff so rarely anymore, I often forget more than I remember) What exactly are you trying to do?
  • Are you trying to compile a map from QMK and load it?
  • Are you trying just load a map from the GUI configurator?
  • Something else entirely?
What type of OS are you currently using? Most of my knowledge on this is related to MacOS/Linux, however, I can borrow a Windows machine from a buddy if needed (just be understanding that in 2020 "things take time") What CTRL keyboard are you trying to program? (at some point they did a board revision so this might be helpful). If it's an ALT I can probably help, but SHIFT seem to be different enough I might not be able to help. Let me know the answers to these questions (Or maybe you already figured it out?) and we can go from there 😀
nerdbankerman
0
Nov 16, 2020
LastContinueThanks for the response! I'm a total beginner and have never really messed around in the terminal before so please forgive my total lack of knowledge, BUT here is my situation if you're able to help: I'm trying to load a map from the GUI configurator (specifically, I wan to swap the "command" and "alt" keys). I'm running OS 10.15.7 on a 2017 MacBook Pro 13-inch. I've compiled the configurator, and have all three files in a folder on my desktop, and I followed your very helpful guide above, but step 7 is not working (typing "ls" and hitting enter gives me, "permission denied").
(Edited)
LastContinue
164
Nov 16, 2020
nerdbankermanAlright, so you're just trying to put in config from the GUI, not actually compiling a new map from source code 👍 In 2020, I'd suggest using https://qmk.fm/toolbox/ For a long time that tool didn't support these boards, but "now it does" so I'd just use that to put configs onto your board. It has _everything_ you need to get started. I forgot how a couple of the dropdowns work, but see if you can download that and get it working while I pull it up and try to remember how it works 😅
(Edited)
nerdbankerman
0
Nov 16, 2020
LastContinueThanks! This is really helpful, I'll take a look.
LastContinue
164
Nov 16, 2020
nerdbankermanAlright, I tinkered around with it. The trickiest part is resetting the keyboard. If you've never flashed the board before, you'll probably need to flip it upside down and hit the reset button (a wooden toothpick is my choice, "ya gotta do what you gotta do"). After you've flashed it, you can use "fn + b" to put it into bootmode (it can be a bit tricky: You push down for a few seconds, THEN when you release it'll go into boot mode). I made a crappy graphic. I kinda like the idea so I might make a better one and stick it in my information repo.
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e: The "Auto-Flash" function is really handy after you've gotten it so you can use "fn+b" to enter bootloader mode, but the first time you do it, "it makes more sense" to not use that. Also I should have stated that "hit flash" means "click on the 'flash' button using a mouse or pointing device".
(Edited)
miracleneko
0
Oct 15, 2021
LastContinueLastContinue, know that you're sincerely appreciated. The help you've provided in this thread is UNBELIEVABLE, to say the least. With that said, I have yet another question for you/the community. ;) I followed your instructions --> https://drop.com/talk/9382/talk/2204856?utm_source=linkshare&referer=86YF9L However, I'm confused on how to use the MO(1) key to change the LEDs. I can change the LEDs on that layer (1), but my base layer remains unchanged. This means that I can make things pretty on layer 1, but not on what I'm on 99% of the time. Any thoughts? Thanks!
LastContinue
164
Oct 22, 2021
miraclenekoSorry for the delay in getting to this. I wasn't exactly sure what you were asking at first, and then I couldn't remember exactly how I was doing color swaps for my own config. As I hope I've expressed in my doc repo for this stuff, https://github.com/LastContinue/ctrl-info I haven't really messed with these boards in quite some time* so anything I didn't write down I've probably forgotten. Also, a while back* QMK completely redid how backlighting works on these boards. I haven't tried to mess with these boards since that QMK overhaul. So excuses and long history aside, how exactly are you trying to mess with the backlighting? Are you trying to use Drop's GUI config, or are you trying to do it via QMK? Also "base layer remains unchanged" You mean when you power on the board right? (Is that what you're trying to change? 😅) (*Well over a year now)
miracleneko
0
Nov 4, 2021
LastContinue@LastContinue I'm so very sorry for the late response. For whatever reason I thought I would have received a notification if I got a response. In fact, I probably did, but I somehow missed it in my inbox. Sorry about that! Up until now I've used Drop's GUI config to prepare the file for flashing the board. However, I can move to QMK Toolbox, if that's recommended. Whichever is used, I would really like to be able to change the LEDs quickly using the modifier key. Currently the modifier key changes the selected layer. There are two layers setup, which reflect your suggestions in this previous post: https://drop.com/talk/9382/talk/2204856?utm_source=linkshare&referer=86YF9L However, I can't seem to figure out how once I've made changes to the LEDs via the modifier key in layer 1, then applying those LED settings to layer 0. Does that make sense? Thank you for taking the time to help! It's sincerely appreciated.
LastContinue
164
Nov 4, 2021
miraclenekoQMK Toolbox is just for flashing a config. You still need to get the config somehow. "However, I can't seem to figure out how once I've made changes to the LEDs via the modifier key in layer 1, then applying those LED settings to layer 0. Does that make sense?" Sorry I'm still not understanding 😅 Are you able to change layer 0's pattern after the keyboard is plugged in (by using commands you keyed to work on layer 1), but every time you restart your machine or unplug it the keyboard and then plug it back in, it goes back to the default color scheme? 🤔
miracleneko
0
Nov 4, 2021
LastContinueThanks for the quick response, @LastContinue. Sorry for the confusion! Essentially, I'm able to edit the LEDs when I press the modifier key, but the edits won't remain when I release the key. Here's a quick recording I took of me pressing the key, changing settings, then releasing the key. https://cln.sh/1Txhu5
LastContinue
164
Nov 4, 2021
miraclenekoThat video helped a lot. I think I see what's going on here now... Because layer0 is set to a map, that's going to override any of the "patterns" that come with the board (which are being used on layer1) https://github.com/LastContinue/ctrl-info/wiki/FAQ-Lights#lights (sorry for all of the broken links, but the "Are LED Patterns and Maps the same thing?" question is relevant here) I don't think you're going to be able to do what you want to do from the 'Drop GUI configurator because of how it separates patterns from manually setting colors (and then the lack of ability to cycle through what comes on the board vs what you tried to make yourself) It is possible to do what you want if you manually set your config via QMK source or maybe even try some of the QMK gui's that are floating around the web. Some of them claim to support 'Drop boards now (although you might have some gremlins about it remembering the settings between turning the keyboard off and on again) I wish I had a more satisfying answer, but I think you're probably going to need to dive into some code at some point in time.
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