Pictured: current TKL below, split ergomech above
Background
So I recently got my first ergomech keyboard: a used BastardKB TBKMini, 3x6+3 layout.
It came with the default keymap.
I have been crafting my own initial keymap, using some vim-based heuristics and Callum style one-shot mods.
Followed BastardKB’s instructions and got my keymap to compile.
Then onto flashing. This is where the problem is.
The problem: flashing the board
Instructions: https://docs.bastardkb.com/fw/flashing.html
I managed to put the device into bootloader mode with both layer keys and the top-left key. Verified that it is in bootloader mode by checking that typing has no effect. Also lsusb shows “Atmega32u4 bootloader” instead of “BastardKB TBKMini keyboard”.
But I don’t get a disk device.
Things I tried
udev
I tried adding the udev rules that QMK docs recommend: https://docs.qmk.fm/faq_build#can-t-program-on-linux
But it still won’t work.
OS
I even tried another pc with other OSes: same behavior on
- Fedora
- CachyOS
- and even Windows 10
Help me please! 😥
Any ideas on what is going wrong here or what I could try to work around this? I really want to start using my split ergomech with a proper keymap.
Looking forward to reading your suggestions tomorrow morning (in about 9 hours for me, I’m in Europe). I wanted to post this now because I hope the Americans will be able to help me.
EDIT: Thanks, with your help and the help of some kind volunteers on the bastardkb discord I figured out that I have the old v1 elitec version and I managed to flash it with an old version of the bastardkb firmware. I got the layers working, as well as the combo, but callum’s oneshot modifiers aren’t working yet: https://github.com/fhoekstra/bastardkb-qmk/tree/main/keyboards/bastardkb/tbkmini/keymaps/fhoekstra
EDIT2: I finally listened and just followed the upstream QMK instructions, and it all just works, with Callum-style modifiers, combos, and a custom caps word:
So, based on the parts list on Github, I believe these actually have Elite-C controllers, which, as you’ve already noticed have an ATmega32 on them instead of the Raspberry Pi Pico. While the Pico will act like a disk when flashing, the ATmega will have to be flashed with the QMK CLI, or the QMK Toolbox on Windows.
Thanks, I tried flashing it anyways but it seems something in this bastardkb fork / userspace setup I followed is still defaulting to rp2040 it seems. When I flash it says:
Flashing for bootloader: rp2040 Waiting for drive to deploy...Which never happens of course. I am now asking on the bastardkb Discord since this seems to be something bastardkb specific
Looks like your keyboard actually has lots of revisions with different controllers.
Thankfully, this page on the QMK repository lists all of them and the different commands for compiliing: https://github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware/tree/master/keyboards/bastardkb/tbkmini
You’ll have to figure out if you have the v1 or v2 of the Elite-C revisions and use that.
Thanks, with the help of some kind volunteers on the bastardkb discord I figured out that I have the old v1 elitec version and I managed to flash it with an old version of the bastardkb firmware.
I should probably have used upstream QMK. Might try that next.
I got the layers working, as well as the combo, but callum’s oneshot modifiers aren’t working yet. Although the bastardkb version of QMK seems lower quality than upstream, it is highly likely that I messed up my own code there.
https://github.com/fhoekstra/bastardkb-qmk/tree/main/keyboards/bastardkb/tbkmini/keymaps/fhoekstra