There are two main ways you could customize the ErgoDox (EZ and Infinity)
If you can find firmware someone else has made that does what you want, that
is the easiest way to customize your ErgoDox. It requires no programming
experience or the setup of a build environment.
## The Easy Way: Use an existing firmware file and just flash it (ErgoDox EZ only)
Quickstart:
1. Download and install the [Teensy Loader](https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/loader.html). Some Linux distributions already provide a binary (may be called `teensy-loader-cli`), so you may prefer to use this.
2. Find a firmware file you like. There are [dozens of community-contributed keymaps](http://qmk.fm/keyboards/ergodox/) you can browse and download. You can also use the [Massdrop configurator](https://keyboard-configurator.massdrop.com/ext/ergodox) to create a firmware Hex file you like.
3. Download the firmware file
4. Connect the keyboard, press its Reset button (gently insert a paperclip into the hole in the top-right corner) and flash it using the Teensy loader you installed on step 1 and the firmware you downloaded.
- Find and download an existing firmware
[from Other Firmware Options](#other-firmware-options)
## More technical: compile an existing keymap, or create your own totally custom firmware by editing the source files.
- Then flash the firmware to your [ErgoDox Ez](#ergodox-ez)
or [ErgoDox Infinity](#ergodox-infinity)
This requires a little bit of familiarity with coding.
If you are just compiling an existing keymap and don't want to create your own, you can skip step 4, 5 and 8.
# Customizing Keymaps
1. Go to https://github.com/jackhumbert/qmk_firmware and read the readme at the base of this repository, top to bottom. Then come back here :)
2. Clone the repository (download it)
3. Set up a build environment as per the readme.
4. Copy `keyboards/ergodox/keymaps/default/keymap.c` into `keymaps/your_name/keymap.c` (for example, `keymaps/german/keymap.c`)
5. Edit this file, changing keycodes to your liking (see "Finding the keycodes you need" below). Try to edit the comments as well, so the "text graphics" represent your layout correctly. See below for more tips on sharing your work.
6. Compile your firmware by running `make keymap_name`. For example, `make german`. This will result in a hex file, which will be called `ergodox_ez_keymap_name.hex`, e.g. `ergodox_ez_german.hex`. For **Infinity ErgoDox** you need to add `infinity` to the make command like this `make infinity-german`.
7. **ErgoDox EZ** - Flash this hex file using the [Teensy loader](https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/loader.html) as described in step 4 in the "Easy Way" above. If you prefer you can automatically flash the hex file after successful build by running `make keymap_name-teensy`.
There are many existing keymaps in the "keymaps" directory. If you just want
to use one of them, you don't need to modify keymaps and can just build and
flash the firmware as described below. These directories each have a
"readme.md" file which describe them.
**Infinity ErgoDox** - Flash the firmware by running `make infinity-keymap_name-dfu-util`
8. Submit your work as a pull request to this repository, so others can also use it. :) See below on specifics.
If none of the existing keymaps suit you, you can create your own custom
keymap. This will require some experience with coding. Follow these steps
to customize a keymap:
Good luck! :)
- Read the [qmk firmware README](https://github.com/jackhumbert/qmk_firmware) from top to bottom. Then come back here. :)
## Contributing your keymap
- Clone the qmk_firmware repository
- Set up your build environment (see below).
- Make a new directory under "keymaps" to hold your customizations.
- Copy an existing keymap that is close to what you want, such as
"keymaps/default/keymap.c".
- Use an editor to modify the new "keymap.c". See "Finding the keycodes you
need" below). Try to edit the comments as well, so the "text graphics"
represent your layout correctly.
- Compile your new firmware (see below)
- Flash your firmware (see below)
- Test the changes.
- Submit your keymap as a pull request to the qmk_firmware repository so
others can use it. You will want to add a "readme.md" that describes the
keymap.
# Build Dependencies
Before you can build, you will need the build dependencies. There is a script
to try to do this for Linux:
- Run the `util/install_dependencies.sh` script as root.
For the Infinity, you need the chibios submodules to be checked out or you
will receive errors about the build process being unable to find the chibios
files. Check them out with:
- Go to the top level repo directory and run: `git submodule update --init --recursive`
# Flashing Firmware
## ErgoDox Ez
The Ez uses the [Teensy Loader](https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/loader.html).
Linux users need to modify udev rules as described on the Teensy Linux page.
Some distributions provide a binary, maybe called `teensy-loader-cli`).
To flash the firmware:
- Build the firmware with `make keymapname`, for example `make default`
- This will result in a hex file called `ergodox_ez_keymapname.hex`, e.g.
`ergodox_ez_default.hex`
- Start the teensy loader.
- Load the .hex file into it.
- Press the Reset button by inserting a paperclip gently into the reset hole
in the top right corder.
- Click the button in the Teensy app to download the firmware.
## ErgoDox Infinity
The Infinity is two completely independent keyboards, and needs to be flashed
for the left and right halves seperately. To flash them:
- Build the firmware with `make infinity-keymapname`
- Plug in the left hand keyboard only.
- Press the program button (back of keyboard, above thumb pad).
- Install the firmware with `sudo make infinity-keymapname-dfu-util`
- Build left hand firmware with `make infinity-keymapname MASTER=right`
- Plug in the right hand keyboard only.
- Press the program button (back of keyboard, above thumb pad).
- Install the firmware with `sudo make infinity-keymapname-dfu-util MASTER=right`
More information on the Infinity firmware is available in the [TMK/chibios for
Input Club Infinity Ergodox](https://github.com/fredizzimo/infinity_ergodox/blob/master/README.md)
### Infinity Master/Two Halves
The Infinity is two completely independent keyboards, that can connect together.
You have a few options in how you flash the firmware:
- Flash the left half, rebuild the firmware with "MASTER=right" and then flash
the right half. This allows you to plug in either half directly to the
computer and is what the above instructions do.
- Flash the left half, then flash the same firmware on the right. This only
works when the left half is plugged directly to the computer and the keymap
is mirrored. It saves the small extra step of rebuilding with
"MASTER=right".
- The same as the previous one but with "MASTER=right" when you build the
firmware, then flash the same firmware to both halves. You just have to
directly connect the right half to the computer.
- For minor changes such as changing only the keymap without having updated
any part of the firmware code itself, you can program only the MASTER half.
It is safest to program both halves though.
# Contributing your keymap
The QMK firmware is open-source, so it would be wonderful to have your contribution! Within a very short time after launching we already amassed dozens of user-contributed keymaps, with all sorts of creative improvements and tweaks. This is very valuable for people who aren't comfortable coding, but do want to customize their ErgoDox. To make it easy for these people to use your layout, I recommend submitting your PR in the following format.
@ -36,11 +140,26 @@ The QMK firmware is open-source, so it would be wonderful to have your contribut
3. `readme.md` - a readme file, which GitHub would display by default when people go to your directory. Explain what's different about your keymap, what you tweaked or how it works. No specific format to follow, just communicate what you did. :)
4. Any graphics you wish to add. This is absolutely not a must. If you feel like it, you can use [Keyboard Layout Editor](http://keyboard-layout-editor.com) to make something and grab a screenshot, but it's really not a must. If you do have graphics, your readme can just embed the graphic as a link, just like I did with the default layout.
## Finding the keycodes you need
# Finding the keycodes you need
Let's say you want a certain key in your layout to send a colon; to figure out what keycode to use to make it do that, you're going to need `quantum/keymap_common.h`.
That file contains a big list of all of the special, fancy keys (like, being able to send % on its own and whatnot).
If you want to send a plain vanilla key, you can look up its code under `doc/keycode.txt`. That's where all the boring keys hang out.
# Other Firmware Options
There are external tools for customizing the layout, but those do not use
the featurs of this qmk firmware. These sites include:
- [Massdrop configurator](https://keyboard-configurator.massdrop.com/ext/ergodox) for Ez
- [Input Club configurator](https://input.club/configurator-ergodox) for Infinity, provides left and right files
You can also find an existing firmware that you like, for example from:
- [Dozens of community-contributed keymaps](http://qmk.fm/keyboards/ergodox/)
This qmk firmware also provides the ability to customize keymaps, but requires
a toolchain to build the firmware. See below for instructions on building
1. Install the Windows 10 subsystem for Linux, following [these instructions](http://www.howtogeek.com/249966/how-to-install-and-use-the-linux-bash-shell-on-windows-10/).
2. If you have previously cloned the repository using the normal Git bash, you will need to clean up the line endings. If you have cloned it after 20th of August 2016, you are likely fine. To clean up the line endings do the following
1. Make sure that you have no changes you haven't committed by running `git status`, if you do commit them first
2. From within the Git bash run ´git rm --cached -r .`
2. From within the Git bash run `git rm --cached -r .`
3. Followed by `git reset --hard`
3. Start the "Bash On Ubuntu On Windows" from the start menu
4. With the bash open, navigate to your git checkout. The harddisk can be accessed from `/mnt` for example `/mnt/c` for the `c:\` drive.
4. With the bash open, navigate to your Git checkout. The harddisk can be accessed from `/mnt` for example `/mnt/c` for the `c:\` drive.
5. Run `sudo util/install_dependencies.sh`.
6. After a while the installation will finish, and you are good to go
Fred Sundvik
8 years ago