qmk/docs/features/rgblight.md

RGB Lighting

QMK has the ability to control RGB LEDs attached to your keyboard. This is commonly called underglow, due to the LEDs often being mounted on the bottom of the keyboard, producing a nice diffused effect when combined with a translucent case.

Some keyboards come with RGB LEDs preinstalled. Others must have them installed after the fact. See the Hardware Modification section for information on adding RGB lighting to your keyboard.

Currently QMK supports the following addressable LEDs:

• WS2811, WS2812, WS2812B, WS2812C, etc.
• SK6812, SK6812MINI, SK6805
• APA102

These LEDs are called "addressable" because instead of using a wire per color, each LED contains a small microchip that understands a special protocol sent over a single wire. The chip passes on the remaining data to the next LED, allowing them to be chained together. In this way, you can easily control the color of the individual LEDs.

Usage

On keyboards with onboard RGB LEDs, it is usually enabled by default. If it is not working for you, check that your rules.mk includes the following:

RGBLIGHT_ENABLE = yes

::: tip There are additional configuration options for ARM controllers that offer increased performance over the default WS2812 bitbang driver. Please see WS2812 Driver for more information. :::

For APA102 LEDs, add the following to your rules.mk:

RGBLIGHT_ENABLE = yes
RGBLIGHT_DRIVER = apa102

At minimum you must define the data pin your LED strip is connected to, and the number of LEDs in the strip, in your config.h. For APA102 LEDs, you must also define the clock pin. If your keyboard has onboard RGB LEDs, and you are simply creating a keymap, you usually won't need to modify these.

Define	Description
WS2812_DI_PIN	The pin connected to the data pin of the LEDs (WS2812)
APA102_DI_PIN	The pin connected to the data pin of the LEDs (APA102)
APA102_CI_PIN	The pin connected to the clock pin of the LEDs (APA102)
RGBLIGHT_LED_COUNT	The number of LEDs connected
RGBLED_SPLIT	(Optional) For split keyboards, the number of LEDs connected on each half

Then you should be able to use the keycodes below to change the RGB lighting to your liking.

Color Selection

QMK uses Hue, Saturation, and Value to select colors rather than RGB. The color wheel below demonstrates how this works.

Changing the Hue cycles around the circle.
Changing the Saturation moves between the inner and outer sections of the wheel, affecting the intensity of the color.
Changing the Value sets the overall brightness.

Keycodes

::: warning These keycodes also simultaneously control RGB Matrix, if enabled. This behaviour is in the process of being deprecated, so during this time it is recommended to additionally include the dedicated RGB Matrix keycodes to your keymap, and add #define RGB_MATRIX_DISABLE_SHARED_KEYCODES to config.h. :::

Key	Aliases	Description
QK_UNDERGLOW_TOGGLE	UG_TOGG	Toggle RGB lighting on or off
QK_UNDERGLOW_MODE_NEXT	UG_NEXT	Cycle through modes, reverse direction when Shift is held
QK_UNDERGLOW_MODE_PREVIOUS	UG_PREV	Cycle through modes in reverse, forward direction when Shift is held
QK_UNDERGLOW_HUE_UP	UG_HUEU	Increase hue, decrease hue when Shift is held
QK_UNDERGLOW_HUE_DOWN	UG_HUED	Decrease hue, increase hue when Shift is held
QK_UNDERGLOW_SATURATION_UP	UG_SATU	Increase saturation, decrease saturation when Shift is held
QK_UNDERGLOW_SATURATION_DOWN	UG_SATD	Decrease saturation, increase saturation when Shift is held
QK_UNDERGLOW_VALUE_UP	UG_VALU	Increase value (brightness), decrease value when Shift is held
QK_UNDERGLOW_VALUE_DOWN	UG_VALD	Decrease value (brightness), increase value when Shift is held
QK_UNDERGLOW_SPEED_UP	UG_SPDU	Increase effect speed (brightness), decrease speed when Shift is held
QK_UNDERGLOW_SPEED_DOWN	UG_SPDD	Decrease effect speed (brightness), increase speed when Shift is held
RGB_MODE_PLAIN	RGB_M_P	Static (no animation) mode (deprecated)
RGB_MODE_BREATHE	RGB_M_B	Breathing animation mode (deprecated)
RGB_MODE_RAINBOW	RGB_M_R	Rainbow animation mode (deprecated)
RGB_MODE_SWIRL	RGB_M_SW	Swirl animation mode (deprecated)
RGB_MODE_SNAKE	RGB_M_SN	Snake animation mode (deprecated)
RGB_MODE_KNIGHT	RGB_M_K	"Knight Rider" animation mode (deprecated)
RGB_MODE_XMAS	RGB_M_X	Christmas animation mode (deprecated)
RGB_MODE_GRADIENT	RGB_M_G	Static gradient animation mode (deprecated)
RGB_MODE_RGBTEST	RGB_M_T	Red, Green, Blue test animation mode (deprecated)
RGB_MODE_TWINKLE	RGB_M_TW	Twinkle animation mode (deprecated)

::: tip These keycodes cannot be used with functions like tap_code16() as they are not USB HID keycodes. If you wish to replicate similar behaviour in custom code within your firmware (e.g. inside encoder_update_user() or process_record_user()), the equivalent RGB functions should be used instead. :::

Configuration

Your RGB lighting can be configured by placing these #defines in your config.h:

Define	Default	Description
RGBLIGHT_HUE_STEP	8	The number of steps to cycle through the hue by
RGBLIGHT_SAT_STEP	17	The number of steps to increment the saturation by
RGBLIGHT_VAL_STEP	17	The number of steps to increment the brightness by
RGBLIGHT_LIMIT_VAL	255	The maximum brightness level
RGBLIGHT_SLEEP	Not defined	If defined, the RGB lighting will be switched off when the host goes to sleep
RGBLIGHT_SPLIT	Not defined	If defined, synchronization functionality for split keyboards is added
RGBLIGHT_DEFAULT_MODE	RGBLIGHT_MODE_STATIC_LIGHT	The default mode to use upon clearing the EEPROM
RGBLIGHT_DEFAULT_HUE	0 (red)	The default hue to use upon clearing the EEPROM
RGBLIGHT_DEFAULT_SAT	UINT8_MAX (255)	The default saturation to use upon clearing the EEPROM
RGBLIGHT_DEFAULT_VAL	RGBLIGHT_LIMIT_VAL	The default value (brightness) to use upon clearing the EEPROM
RGBLIGHT_DEFAULT_SPD	0	The default speed to use upon clearing the EEPROM
RGBLIGHT_DEFAULT_ON	true	Enable RGB lighting upon clearing the EEPROM

Effects and Animations

Not only can this lighting be whatever color you want, if RGBLIGHT_EFFECT_xxxx is defined, you also have a number of animation modes at your disposal:

Mode number symbol	Additional number	Description
RGBLIGHT_MODE_STATIC_LIGHT	None	Solid color (this mode is always enabled)
RGBLIGHT_MODE_BREATHING	0,1,2,3	Solid color breathing
RGBLIGHT_MODE_RAINBOW_MOOD	0,1,2	Cycling rainbow
RGBLIGHT_MODE_RAINBOW_SWIRL	0,1,2,3,4,5	Swirling rainbow
RGBLIGHT_MODE_SNAKE	0,1,2,3,4,5	Snake
RGBLIGHT_MODE_KNIGHT	0,1,2	Knight
RGBLIGHT_MODE_CHRISTMAS	None	Christmas
RGBLIGHT_MODE_STATIC_GRADIENT	0,1,..,9	Static gradient
RGBLIGHT_MODE_RGB_TEST	None	RGB Test
RGBLIGHT_MODE_ALTERNATING	None	Alternating
RGBLIGHT_MODE_TWINKLE	0,1,2,3,4,5	Twinkle

Check out this video for a demonstration.

Note: For versions older than 0.6.117, The mode numbers were written directly. In quantum/rgblight/rgblight.h there is a contrast table between the old mode number and the current symbol.

Effect and Animation Toggles

Use these defines to add or remove animations from the firmware. When you are running low on flash space, it can be helpful to disable animations you are not using.

Define	Default	Description
RGBLIGHT_ANIMATIONS	Not defined	Enable all additional animation modes. (deprecated)
RGBLIGHT_EFFECT_ALTERNATING	Not defined	Enable alternating animation mode.
RGBLIGHT_EFFECT_BREATHING	Not defined	Enable breathing animation mode.
RGBLIGHT_EFFECT_CHRISTMAS	Not defined	Enable christmas animation mode.
RGBLIGHT_EFFECT_KNIGHT	Not defined	Enable knight animation mode.
RGBLIGHT_EFFECT_RAINBOW_MOOD	Not defined	Enable rainbow mood animation mode.
RGBLIGHT_EFFECT_RAINBOW_SWIRL	Not defined	Enable rainbow swirl animation mode.
RGBLIGHT_EFFECT_RGB_TEST	Not defined	Enable RGB test animation mode.
RGBLIGHT_EFFECT_SNAKE	Not defined	Enable snake animation mode.
RGBLIGHT_EFFECT_STATIC_GRADIENT	Not defined	Enable static gradient mode.
RGBLIGHT_EFFECT_TWINKLE	Not defined	Enable twinkle animation mode.

::: warning RGBLIGHT_ANIMATIONS is being deprecated and animation modes should be explicitly defined. :::

Effect and Animation Settings

The following options are used to tweak the various animations:

Define	Default	Description
RGBLIGHT_EFFECT_BREATHE_CENTER	Not defined	If defined, used to calculate the curve for the breathing animation. Valid values are 1.0 to 2.7
RGBLIGHT_EFFECT_BREATHE_MAX	255	The maximum brightness for the breathing mode. Valid values are 1 to 255
RGBLIGHT_EFFECT_CHRISTMAS_INTERVAL	40	How long (in milliseconds) to wait between animation steps for the "Christmas" animation
RGBLIGHT_EFFECT_CHRISTMAS_STEP	2	The number of LEDs to group the red/green colors by for the "Christmas" animation
RGBLIGHT_EFFECT_KNIGHT_LED_NUM	RGBLIGHT_LED_COUNT	The number of LEDs to have the "Knight" animation travel
RGBLIGHT_EFFECT_KNIGHT_LENGTH	3	The number of LEDs to light up for the "Knight" animation
RGBLIGHT_EFFECT_KNIGHT_OFFSET	0	The number of LEDs to start the "Knight" animation from the start of the strip by
RGBLIGHT_RAINBOW_SWIRL_RANGE	255	Range adjustment for the rainbow swirl effect to get different swirls
RGBLIGHT_EFFECT_SNAKE_LENGTH	4	The number of LEDs to light up for the "Snake" animation
RGBLIGHT_EFFECT_TWINKLE_LIFE	200	Adjusts how quickly each LED brightens and dims when twinkling (in animation steps)
RGBLIGHT_EFFECT_TWINKLE_PROBABILITY	1/127	Adjusts how likely each LED is to twinkle (on each animation step)

Example Usage to Reduce Memory Footprint

1. Use #undef to selectively disable animations. The following would disable two animations and save about 4KiB:

 #undef RGBLIGHT_LED_COUNT
+#undef RGBLIGHT_EFFECT_STATIC_GRADIENT
+#undef RGBLIGHT_EFFECT_RAINBOW_SWIRL
 #define RGBLIGHT_LED_COUNT 12
 #define RGBLIGHT_HUE_STEP 8
 #define RGBLIGHT_SAT_STEP 8

Animation Speed

You can also modify the speeds that the different modes animate at:

Here is a quick demo on Youtube (with NPKC KC60) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKrpPAHlisY).

// How long (in milliseconds) to wait between animation steps for each of the "Solid color breathing" animations
const uint8_t RGBLED_BREATHING_INTERVALS[] PROGMEM = {30, 20, 10, 5};

// How long (in milliseconds) to wait between animation steps for each of the "Cycling rainbow" animations
const uint8_t RGBLED_RAINBOW_MOOD_INTERVALS[] PROGMEM = {120, 60, 30};

// How long (in milliseconds) to wait between animation steps for each of the "Swirling rainbow" animations
const uint8_t RGBLED_RAINBOW_SWIRL_INTERVALS[] PROGMEM = {100, 50, 20};

// How long (in milliseconds) to wait between animation steps for each of the "Snake" animations
const uint8_t RGBLED_SNAKE_INTERVALS[] PROGMEM = {100, 50, 20};

// How long (in milliseconds) to wait between animation steps for each of the "Knight" animations
const uint8_t RGBLED_KNIGHT_INTERVALS[] PROGMEM = {127, 63, 31};

// How long (in milliseconds) to wait between animation steps for each of the "Twinkle" animations
const uint8_t RGBLED_TWINKLE_INTERVALS[] PROGMEM = {50, 25, 10};

// These control which hues are selected for each of the "Static gradient" modes
const uint8_t RGBLED_GRADIENT_RANGES[] PROGMEM = {255, 170, 127, 85, 64};

Lighting Layers

::: tip Note: Lighting Layers is an RGB Light feature, it will not work for RGB Matrix. See RGB Matrix Indicators for details on how to do so. :::

By including #define RGBLIGHT_LAYERS in your config.h file you can enable lighting layers. These make it easy to use your underglow LEDs as status indicators to show which keyboard layer is currently active, or the state of caps lock, all without disrupting any animations. Here's a video showing an example of what you can do.

Defining Lighting Layers

By default, 8 layers are possible. This can be expanded to as many as 32 by overriding the definition of RGBLIGHT_MAX_LAYERS in config.h (e.g. #define RGBLIGHT_MAX_LAYERS 32). Please note, if you use a split keyboard, you will need to flash both sides of the split after changing this. Also, increasing the maximum will increase the firmware size, and will slow sync on split keyboards.

To define a layer, we modify keymap.c to list the LED ranges and the colors we want to overlay on them using an array of rgblight_segment_t using the RGBLIGHT_LAYER_SEGMENTS macro. We can define multiple layers and enable/disable them independently:

// Light LEDs 6 to 9 and 12 to 15 red when caps lock is active. Hard to ignore!
const rgblight_segment_t PROGMEM my_capslock_layer[] = RGBLIGHT_LAYER_SEGMENTS(
    {6, 4, HSV_RED},       // Light 4 LEDs, starting with LED 6
    {12, 4, HSV_RED}       // Light 4 LEDs, starting with LED 12
);
// Light LEDs 9 & 10 in cyan when keyboard layer 1 is active
const rgblight_segment_t PROGMEM my_layer1_layer[] = RGBLIGHT_LAYER_SEGMENTS(
    {9, 2, HSV_CYAN}
);
// Light LEDs 11 & 12 in purple when keyboard layer 2 is active
const rgblight_segment_t PROGMEM my_layer2_layer[] = RGBLIGHT_LAYER_SEGMENTS(
    {11, 2, HSV_PURPLE}
);
// Light LEDs 13 & 14 in green when keyboard layer 3 is active
const rgblight_segment_t PROGMEM my_layer3_layer[] = RGBLIGHT_LAYER_SEGMENTS(
    {13, 2, HSV_GREEN}
);
// etc..

We combine these layers into an array using the RGBLIGHT_LAYERS_LIST macro, and assign it to the rgblight_layers variable during keyboard setup. Note that you can only define up to 8 lighting layers. Any extra layers will be ignored. Since the different lighting layers overlap, the order matters in the array, with later layers taking precedence:

// Now define the array of layers. Later layers take precedence
const rgblight_segment_t* const PROGMEM my_rgb_layers[] = RGBLIGHT_LAYERS_LIST(
    my_capslock_layer,
    my_layer1_layer,    // Overrides caps lock layer
    my_layer2_layer,    // Overrides other layers
    my_layer3_layer     // Overrides other layers
);

void keyboard_post_init_user(void) {
    // Enable the LED layers
    rgblight_layers = my_rgb_layers;
}

Note: For split keyboards with two controllers, both sides need to be flashed when updating the contents of rgblight_layers.

Enabling and disabling lighting layers

Everything above just configured the definition of each lighting layer. We can now enable and disable the lighting layers whenever the state of the keyboard changes:

bool led_update_user(led_t led_state) {
    rgblight_set_layer_state(0, led_state.caps_lock);
    return true;
}

layer_state_t default_layer_state_set_user(layer_state_t state) {
    rgblight_set_layer_state(1, layer_state_cmp(state, _DVORAK));
    return state;
}

layer_state_t layer_state_set_user(layer_state_t state) {
    rgblight_set_layer_state(2, layer_state_cmp(state, _FN));
    rgblight_set_layer_state(3, layer_state_cmp(state, _ADJUST));
    return state;
}

Lighting layer blink

By including #define RGBLIGHT_LAYER_BLINK in your config.h file you can turn a lighting layer on for a specified duration. Once the specified number of milliseconds has elapsed the layer will be turned off. This is useful, e.g., if you want to acknowledge some action (e.g. toggling some setting):

const rgblight_segment_t PROGMEM _yes_layer[] = RGBLIGHT_LAYER_SEGMENTS( {9, 6, HSV_GREEN} );
const rgblight_segment_t PROGMEM _no_layer[] = RGBLIGHT_LAYER_SEGMENTS( {9, 6, HSV_RED} );

const rgblight_segment_t* const PROGMEM _rgb_layers[] =
    RGBLIGHT_LAYERS_LIST( _yes_layer, _no_layer );

void keyboard_post_init_user(void) {
    rgblight_layers = _rgb_layers;
}

// Note we user post_process_record_user because we want the state
// after the flag has been flipped...
void post_process_record_user(uint16_t keycode, keyrecord_t *record) {
    switch (keycode) {
        case QK_DEBUG_TOGGLE:
            rgblight_blink_layer(debug_enable ? 0 : 1, 500);
            break;

        case NK_TOGG:
        case NK_ON:
        case NK_OFF:
            rgblight_blink_layer(keymap_config.nkro ? 0 : 1, 500);
            break;
    }
}

You can also use rgblight_blink_layer_repeat to specify the amount of times the layer is supposed to blink. Using the layers from above,

void post_process_record_user(uint16_t keycode, keyrecord_t *record) {
    switch (keycode) {
        case QK_DEBUG_TOGGLE:
            rgblight_blink_layer_repeat(debug_enable ? 0 : 1, 200, 3);
            break;
    }
}

would turn the layer 0 (or 1) on and off again three times when DB_TOGG is pressed.

Blinking accumulates layers so if multiple layers are set blinking at the same time they will all blink for the duration and repeat times of the last layer to be blinked. To stop these other layers from blinking use rgblight_unblink_layer or rgblight_unblink_all_but_layer:

rgblight_blink_layer(1, 500);
rgblight_unblink_all_but_layer(1);

rgblight_unblink_layer(3);
rgblight_blink_layer(2, 500);

::: warning Lighting layers on split keyboards will require layer state synced to the slave half (e.g. #define SPLIT_LAYER_STATE_ENABLE). See data sync options for more details. :::

Overriding RGB Lighting on/off status

Normally lighting layers are not shown when RGB Lighting is disabled (e.g. with UG_TOGG keycode). If you would like lighting layers to work even when the RGB Lighting is otherwise off, add #define RGBLIGHT_LAYERS_OVERRIDE_RGB_OFF to your config.h.

Retain brightness

Usually lighting layers apply their configured brightness once activated. If you would like lighting layers to retain the currently used brightness (as returned by rgblight_get_val()), add #define RGBLIGHT_LAYERS_RETAIN_VAL to your config.h.

Functions

If you need to change your RGB lighting in code, for example in a macro to change the color whenever you switch layers, QMK provides a set of functions to assist you. See rgblight.h for the full list, but the most commonly used functions include:

Low level Functions

Function	Description
rgblight_set()	Flush out led buffers to LEDs
rgblight_set_clipping_range(pos, num)	Set clipping Range. see Clipping Range

Effects and Animations Functions

effect range setting

Function	Description
rgblight_set_effect_range(pos, num)	Set Effects Range

direct operation

Function	Description
rgblight_setrgb_at(r, g, b, index)	Set a single LED to the given RGB value, where r/g/b are between 0 and 255 and index is between 0 and RGBLIGHT_LED_COUNT (not written to EEPROM)
rgblight_sethsv_at(h, s, v, index)	Set a single LED to the given HSV value, where h/s/v are between 0 and 255, and index is between 0 and RGBLIGHT_LED_COUNT (not written to EEPROM)
rgblight_setrgb_range(r, g, b, start, end)	Set a continuous range of LEDs to the given RGB value, where r/g/b are between 0 and 255 and start(included) and stop(excluded) are between 0 and RGBLIGHT_LED_COUNT (not written to EEPROM)
rgblight_sethsv_range(h, s, v, start, end)	Set a continuous range of LEDs to the given HSV value, where h/s/v are between 0 and 255, and start(included) and stop(excluded) are between 0 and RGBLIGHT_LED_COUNT (not written to EEPROM)
rgblight_setrgb(r, g, b)	Set effect range LEDs to the given RGB value where r/g/b are between 0 and 255 (not written to EEPROM)
rgblight_setrgb_master(r, g, b)	Set the LEDs on the master side to the given RGB value, where r/g/b are between 0 and 255 (not written to EEPROM)
rgblight_setrgb_slave(r, g, b)	Set the LEDs on the slave side to the given RGB value, where r/g/b are between 0 and 255 (not written to EEPROM)
rgblight_sethsv_master(h, s, v)	Set the LEDs on the master side to the given HSV value, where h/s/v are between 0 and 255 (not written to EEPROM)
rgblight_sethsv_slave(h, s, v)	Set the LEDs on the slave side to the given HSV value, where h/s/v are between 0 and 255 (not written to EEPROM)

Example:

rgblight_sethsv_at(HSV_WHITE, 0); // led 0
rgblight_sethsv_at(HSV_RED,   1); // led 1
rgblight_sethsv_at(HSV_GREEN, 2); // led 2
// The above functions automatically calls rgblight_set(), so there is no need to call it explicitly.
// Note that it is inefficient to call repeatedly.

effect mode change

Function	Description
rgblight_mode(x)	Set the mode, if RGB animations are enabled
rgblight_mode_noeeprom(x)	Set the mode, if RGB animations are enabled (not written to EEPROM)
rgblight_step()	Change the mode to the next RGB animation in the list of enabled RGB animations
rgblight_step_noeeprom()	Change the mode to the next RGB animation in the list of enabled RGB animations (not written to EEPROM)
rgblight_step_reverse()	Change the mode to the previous RGB animation in the list of enabled RGB animations
rgblight_step_reverse_noeeprom()	Change the mode to the previous RGB animation in the list of enabled RGB animations (not written to EEPROM)
rgblight_reload_from_eeprom()	Reload the effect configuration (enabled, mode and color) from EEPROM

effects mode disable/enable

Function	Description
rgblight_toggle()	Toggle effect range LEDs between on and off
rgblight_toggle_noeeprom()	Toggle effect range LEDs between on and off (not written to EEPROM)
rgblight_enable()	Turn effect range LEDs on, based on their previous state
rgblight_enable_noeeprom()	Turn effect range LEDs on, based on their previous state (not written to EEPROM)
rgblight_disable()	Turn effect range LEDs off
rgblight_disable_noeeprom()	Turn effect range LEDs off (not written to EEPROM)

hue, sat, val change

Function	Description
rgblight_increase_hue()	Increase the hue for effect range LEDs. This wraps around at maximum hue
rgblight_increase_hue_noeeprom()	Increase the hue for effect range LEDs. This wraps around at maximum hue (not written to EEPROM)
rgblight_decrease_hue()	Decrease the hue for effect range LEDs. This wraps around at minimum hue
rgblight_decrease_hue_noeeprom()	Decrease the hue for effect range LEDs. This wraps around at minimum hue (not written to EEPROM)
rgblight_increase_sat()	Increase the saturation for effect range LEDs. This stops at maximum saturation
rgblight_increase_sat_noeeprom()	Increase the saturation for effect range LEDs. This stops at maximum saturation (not written to EEPROM)
rgblight_decrease_sat()	Decrease the saturation for effect range LEDs. This stops at minimum saturation
rgblight_decrease_sat_noeeprom()	Decrease the saturation for effect range LEDs. This stops at minimum saturation (not written to EEPROM)
rgblight_increase_val()	Increase the value for effect range LEDs. This stops at maximum value
rgblight_increase_val_noeeprom()	Increase the value for effect range LEDs. This stops at maximum value (not written to EEPROM)
rgblight_decrease_val()	Decrease the value for effect range LEDs. This stops at minimum value
rgblight_decrease_val_noeeprom()	Decrease the value for effect range LEDs. This stops at minimum value (not written to EEPROM)
rgblight_sethsv(h, s, v)	Set effect range LEDs to the given HSV value where h/s/v are between 0 and 255
rgblight_sethsv_noeeprom(h, s, v)	Set effect range LEDs to the given HSV value where h/s/v are between 0 and 255 (not written to EEPROM)

Speed functions

Function	Description
rgblight_increase_speed()	Increases the animation speed
rgblight_increase_speed_noeeprom()	Increases the animation speed (not written to EEPROM)
rgblight_decrease_speed()	Decreases the animation speed
rgblight_decrease_speed_noeeprom()	Decreases the animation speed (not written to EEPROM)
rgblight_set_speed()	Sets the speed. Value is between 0 and 255
rgblight_set_speed_noeeprom()	Sets the speed. Value is between 0 and 255 (not written to EEPROM)

layer functions

Function	Description
rgblight_get_layer_state(i)	Returns true if lighting layer i is enabled
rgblight_set_layer_state(i, is_on)	Enable or disable lighting layer i based on value of bool is_on

query

Function	Description
rgblight_is_enabled()	Gets current on/off status
rgblight_get_mode()	Gets current mode
rgblight_get_hue()	Gets current hue
rgblight_get_sat()	Gets current sat
rgblight_get_val()	Gets current val
rgblight_get_speed()	Gets current speed

Colors

These are shorthands to popular colors. The RGB ones can be passed to the setrgb functions, while the HSV ones to the sethsv functions.

RGB	HSV
RGB_AZURE	HSV_AZURE
RGB_BLACK/RGB_OFF	HSV_BLACK/HSV_OFF
RGB_BLUE	HSV_BLUE
RGB_CHARTREUSE	HSV_CHARTREUSE
RGB_CORAL	HSV_CORAL
RGB_CYAN	HSV_CYAN
RGB_GOLD	HSV_GOLD
RGB_GOLDENROD	HSV_GOLDENROD
RGB_GREEN	HSV_GREEN
RGB_MAGENTA	HSV_MAGENTA
RGB_ORANGE	HSV_ORANGE
RGB_PINK	HSV_PINK
RGB_PURPLE	HSV_PURPLE
RGB_RED	HSV_RED
RGB_SPRINGGREEN	HSV_SPRINGGREEN
RGB_TEAL	HSV_TEAL
RGB_TURQUOISE	HSV_TURQUOISE
RGB_WHITE	HSV_WHITE
RGB_YELLOW	HSV_YELLOW

rgblight_setrgb(RGB_ORANGE);
rgblight_sethsv_noeeprom(HSV_GREEN);
rgblight_setrgb_at(RGB_GOLD, 3);
rgblight_sethsv_range(HSV_WHITE, 0, 6);

These are defined in color.h. Feel free to add to this list!

Changing the order of the LEDs

If you want to make the logical order of LEDs different from the electrical connection order, you can do this by defining the RGBLIGHT_LED_MAP macro in your config.h.

Normally, the contents of the LED buffer are output to the LEDs in the same order.

By defining RGBLIGHT_LED_MAP as in the example below, you can specify the LED with addressing in reverse order of the electrical connection order.

// config.h

#define RGBLIGHT_LED_COUNT 4
#define RGBLIGHT_LED_MAP { 3, 2, 1, 0 }

Clipping Range

Using the rgblight_set_clipping_range() function, you can prepare more buffers than the actual number of LEDs, and output some of the buffers to the LEDs. This is useful if you want the split keyboard to treat left and right LEDs as logically contiguous.

You can set the Clipping Range by executing the following code.

// some source
rgblight_set_clipping_range(3, 4);

In addition to setting the Clipping Range, you can use RGBLIGHT_LED_MAP together.

// config.h
#define RGBLIGHT_LED_COUNT 8
#define RGBLIGHT_LED_MAP { 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0 }

// some source
rgblight_set_clipping_range(3, 4);

Hardware Modification

If your keyboard lacks onboard underglow LEDs, you may often be able to solder on an RGB LED strip yourself. You will need to find an unused pin to wire to the data pin of your LED strip. Some keyboards may break out unused pins from the MCU to make soldering easier. The other two pins, VCC and GND, must also be connected to the appropriate power pins.

Velocikey

Velocikey is a feature that lets you control the speed of lighting effects (like the Rainbow Swirl effect) with the speed of your typing. The faster you type, the faster the lights will go!

Usage

For Velocikey to take effect, there are two steps. First, when compiling your keyboard, you'll need to set VELOCIKEY_ENABLE=yes in rules.mk, e.g.:

MOUSEKEY_ENABLE = no
STENO_ENABLE = no
EXTRAKEY_ENABLE = yes
VELOCIKEY_ENABLE = yes

Then, while using your keyboard, you need to also turn it on with the VK_TOGG keycode, which toggles the feature on and off.

The following light effects will all be controlled by Velocikey when it is enabled:

• RGB Breathing
• RGB Rainbow Mood
• RGB Rainbow Swirl
• RGB Snake
• RGB Knight

Support for LED breathing effects is planned but not available yet.

As long as Velocikey is enabled, it will control the speed regardless of any other speed setting that your RGB lights are currently on.

Configuration

Velocikey doesn't currently support any configuration via keyboard settings. If you want to adjust something like the speed increase or decay rate, you would need to edit velocikey.c and adjust the values there to achieve the kinds of speeds that you like.