Programming a Tipro board on-the-fly like a Cherry G80-2100

[CeeSA]

Unfortunately this does not work (for this).

[kbdfr]

Then try entering this in "text mode input" (selected under "Scanline" in the key specific menu):
- for ' enter /34 34\
- for ` enter /35 35\
- for " I don't know atm (as it is a shifted character)

[CeeSA]

does not work too.

I have a workaround, that is not working in anny application.
Programming a 'space' after the 'quote' generates "direct" the 'quote'.

But as I said, this is a workaround that is not usefull for all my needs.
Any idea's left?

[kbdfr]

Sorry, no other idea atm.

[t!ng]

Is there a way to program media keys?

[kbdfr]

I must say I don't know, because I never even tried - my computer is a work tool

I always implied multimedia functions were driven by Windows-wide combos,
but a quick Google search seems to infirm that assumption,
looks like each multimedia program has its own settings.
So probably you would have to program keys depending on the specific software,
using the 4 levels for 4 different software programs.

[t!ng]

I found a solution for me. But I have to use autohotkey in addition to it.

[mecano]

that was exactly my point too: using xmodmap or xbindkeys on Linux is much more easy for me than going out and buying an obsolete 32bit box and installing windows XP on it... and yes, that takes away some of the charm of this board, bit it would make it much more usable for me.

And by the way, I found the following lines in a .pdf from Tipro as part of their description of 'ChangeMe':

: Batch download
(downloading programming
file to the keyboard without
use of ChangeMe). Available
also for Linux and MacOS.

I downloaded 'changeme' from their site, hoping to find this linux utility, but found none. Now that would be great !
If indeed there would be a Linux utility to upload configurations to the board, writing some kind of open source configuration utility would be a fun project and not too difficult ? And it would help out the mac users too...

Does this ring any bells ?

ciao,

J.

The command line utility is called "libero", no luck locating it though, I asked Tipro through their slovenian site, I must send back OS, controller version, model version and device serial, will keep you tune if anything comes out from it.

[mecano]

There is no need for a factory reset.

When you open the software, it identifies the physical layout of your keyboard (i.e. which keyboard model, which extensions if any). It does not read the programmed configuration of your keyboard, but shows the factory settings (i.e. the original Tipro configuration) instead. If you then load this into your keyboard, it will overwrite your programmed configuration.

The actual configuration is stored in a non-volatile memory in the keyboard itself. Your keyboard can have only one configuration at a time, but in the software you can save as many configurations as you like and choose to load any of them (including the factory settings) into the keyboard (Tipro calls that "update").

Programming a Tipro keyboard does not change anything to your OS. You open the software, program a configuration and load it into your keyboard. That's it. Once programmed, the keyboard will work with any operating system.

If in case of a competent device all 4 layers can be populated with unique scan code that would be great so I can drop Soarer's converter and set up a qmk serial>usb keymap. Then all programming will happen on qmk, will be much more convenient for me in case the command line utility does not work with my some kind of old controller firmware.

[kbdfr]

If in case of a competent device all 4 layers can be populated with unique scan code that would be great so I can drop Soarer's converter and set up a qmk serial>usb keymap. Then all programming will happen on qmk, will be much more convenient for me in case the command line utility does not work with my some kind of old controller firmware.

Don’t know what you mean by a "competent device",
but you can program all 4 layers with whatever you like, that’s what they are for after all

To me the rest of your post is like ancient Greek written in Japanese signs, though.

Basically, when you type with it, a Tipro keyboard is a standard keyboard. The computer does not know that a particular programmed content is not actually entered by the user, but retrieved by the keyboard itself.
Only when programming (or, more exactly, when uploading a programmed configuration to the keyboard) the requirements are very strict: 32 bit OS for PS/2 or 64 bit OS for USB, a native plug and absolutely no adapter and/or converter between the keyboard and the computer.

Good idea communicating with Tipro, by the way.
They have always been very responsive to any questions I had - nice people there.

[mecano]

By "competent" I mean a device allowing 4 layers, the Tipro I got can but I was not sure about other models.
I use Soarer's firmware on a 32U4 when using the Tipro on a mac as it has no serial input.
I have not dived enough in qmk serial to usb code but I suspect as it is using scan codes 2 as input than for having 4x128 working keys with it you will need 4x128 unique scan codes which looks like not possible if you read the scan code 2 tables. I guess next step should be to issue custom codes and have qmk handle those.

[kbdfr]

4 layers are Tipro standard.

[kbdfr]

Edited the OP to add a special hint about programming delays.

[Floating.Point]

UPDATE: this is no longer something I need. Thanks to Miurium I was able to find enough unique standard keys and didn't need to use "custom codes" after all.

Hey Tipro people

I hope you don't mind me bringing this thread back to life. I've got a Tipro TM-KMX-128A and I am having a difficult time understanding how to program custom codes. My goal is to implement as many unique individual keys as possible onto the board.

For a clear demonstration of my issue, I will use an example which has already been demonstrated to work earlier in the thread. Following that guidance, this is what I am doing (also see attached screenshot):

Changed interface to "custom codes"
Entered $1F,$F0,$1F into Layer1
Updated keyboard.

But now pressing that key returns no keystroke, where F13 would be expected.

I can confirm setting other non-custom keys works fine. I feel like I must just be missing something here and would love a bit of advice if anyone has a spare moment to get me on the right track?

Thanks, Nathan

[kbdfr]

Hey Tipro people

I hope you don't mind me bringing this thread back to life.[…]

Of course not, it's not even been 5 years
But I think 7bit's solution for F13 never worked, and I have neither a keyboard with a F13 key to check the code it sends nor an application to check whether it works.

I'll have a look a the issue later today, but I hope there are other users more proficient than me who can help you in the meantime.

[kbdfr]

I got curious and here’s what I found:

Press the key you want to program as F13
Right-click in the scanline field of the layer you want to program as F13
Select "Special content"
Select "F13"
Confirm with "OK"

And then upload to your keyboard, test whether it works and please tell us.

(By the way, choosing "Help" in the Tipro ChangeMe menu and searching for F13 is how I found that )

[Muirium]

Is this a USB Tipro? (I had hell trying to reprogram a 128 key pre-USB model, many years ago. Also, ChangeMe needed to be run on a 32 bit PC as I vaguely recall. The Tiproman knows a thousand times as much about all this as me…)

[Floating.Point]

Hi kbdfr and Muirium, thanks for helping out

(Just quickly, Muirium – yep I'm using a USB model.)

So using the right click "Special content" is only available when the key's interface is set to the PS/2 and USB mode. I can successfully program F13 using this method, just as I can also successfully assign F14 through F24 (etc) with text mode input (referencing the USB codes on the wiki - here). The thing I cant seem to work out is how to deal with programming custom codes, like I had assumed (possibly incorrectly) user 7-bit seemed to manage successfully. Sadly Tipro's documentation on the topic is rather limited:

Screen Shot 2021-09-24 at 1.09.17 am.png (62.18 KiB) Viewed 7468 times

. What I'm hoping to achieve is being able to utilise the precious few remaining single keys that are compatible with MacOS - such as power, eject, volume etc. I am actually remapping every single key in software and having individual unmodified keys is much more flexible as a base layer.

[Muirium]

Quite right. All you really need on the keyboard end is discrete keys. Everything else can run on the host, where reprogramming it is significantly less… back of house, so to speak.

As you’re on the Mac, highly recommended:

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=25461

Karabiner is immense. Love it. Been getting real hot and nerdy with this one! Finally programmability everywhere.

[Palatino]

I’m looking forward to playing around with Karabiner. (I’m a bit late to the Apple party. It took my work giving me an old iMac to open my eyes to it). But first, I’ve just discovered Automations on the iPhone. Baby steps…

[Floating.Point]

Yep, I'm already using Karabiner with a little bit of Hammerspoon peppered in there. I look forward to reading through your thread on the topic Mu. This Tipro is being used exclusively as a macro pad, in addition to my standard keyboard. Sadly there's not quite enough unique key strokes supported on MacOS for all 128 keys – but hopefully I'll be able to work out programming these trickier ones which will get me most of the way there.

[Muirium]

I’d consider throwing mods into the equation. Ever use Control+F11 etc? Karabiner can intercept them before MacOS even sees them, so you don’t have to worry about obscure existing keyboard shortcuts.

Then what to do with them? Run scripts for just a start! I’ve a fair few on my Mac now. Though I have to chord all the modifiers because I want them on my laptop! Spotlight may be quick, but a direct keyboard shortcut to open each one of your most often edited files is instant to the point of magic.

Karabiner can treat different keyboards differently, too. So you could intercept everything on your macro Tipro and have it trigger stuff, instead of typing at all. While your other boards are unaffected by the spooky Tipro magic.

[Muirium]

Sadly there's not quite enough unique key strokes supported on MacOS for all 128 keys

Aren't there? Karabiner can map from and to quite a few. The pulldown menu's much too long for a screenshot, so here's just a couple of promising bits:

Karabiner keys pulldown menu.jpg (49.1 KiB) Viewed 7362 times

If it's in the USB HID keyboard standard, I bet Karabiner can handle it.

Additionally, Karabiner can also handle most all those fiddly keys that aren't in spec, like the Mac's own Fn key—now available by pressing Insert on my mechs—and the non-standard media keys for controlling keyboard backlight brightness and such. The only one I know Karabiner doesn't support yet—and not for want of trying!—is Apple's own Do Not Disturb key (the crescent moon on the MacBook Air's F6). All the rest are right here:

Screenshot 2021-09-24 at 10.43.14 am.jpg (21.88 KiB) Viewed 7362 times

I work around that missing key by remapping the function to F6, anyway. Because Karabiner also works on my laptop's built in keyboard, everything can be seamless.

[Floating.Point]

Muirium you're my hero! It turns out while I couldn't get the "media controls" or "international keys" to work, the "keys in pc keyboards" all worked fine, along with F20 - F24. So now every key on the board is a unique single key and I am happy about it.

[Muirium]

Result!

Now put those obscure keys to some real purpose. You got full access to shell script with Karabiner, and it can macro, too. It’s all yours to play with now!

Something you’ll find very helpful: keyboard specific rules via device_if. You find those handy values in Karabiner’s event viewer.

[kbdfr]

[…] So now every key on the board is a unique single key and I am happy about it.

That’s how a keyboard is supposed to be after all,
not a chocolate bar-sized device with as few keys as possible but multiple modifiers.

Did I write… chocolate bar?

[vvp]

Of course it should not be like a chocolate bar. I did not see a column staggered chocolate bar yet

[Muirium]

Fullsize is way too many calories!

[kbdfr]

Of course it should not be like a chocolate bar. I did not see a column staggered chocolate bar yet

[Palatino]

Doublechoc key caps and Green & Black switches, I presume?