ClusterM's STM32 HAL rewrite of the keyboard firmware
A clean rewrite of the stock keyboard firmware on STM32 HAL: ten switchable layers, a better trackball curve with inertia, Fn lock and auto-dimming backlight.
What it takes
- Firmware flash
Difficulty 2 of 3 — moderate.
Details
Alexey Cluster (ClusterM) rebuilt the official firmware on pure STM32 HAL rather than the Arduino/STM32duino framework, so it compiles on the uConsole itself with gcc-arm-none-eabi and flashes with dfu-util (make first_flash, then make flash). Configuration lives in layers.h and config.h: up to ten profiles switched with Left Ctrl + Right Ctrl + number, shipping with QWERTY, a game layer with numpad emulation and a virtual gamepad layer.
The trackball gets a configurable linear or exponential acceleration curve and an optional 'glider' coast, Fn + trackball scrolls horizontally, Fn + Esc toggles Fn lock for the F-keys, and the backlight dims after inactivity and wakes on ball movement. Left Ctrl + Right Ctrl + click is the software reset; the DFU switch on the module is the fallback.
Links
Open at GitHubRelated mods
Open-source QMK port of the keyboard firmware: Select + ball scrolls, Fn + G game mode, precision mode, tap-hold keys and a web tester, flashed over USB.
ClockworkPi's flash tool updates the keyboard's STM32 over the internal USB with dfu-util, no disassembly; the UART route and the S1 pads recover a bricked one.
A modified build of ClockworkPi's own Arduino firmware: QMK-like trackball smoothing and Select + ball scrolling without QMK's USB power quirks.
SuperMarioSF's xinput middle-button emulation turned the ball into a scroll wheel; ClockworkPi then built Fn + ball scrolling into the stock firmware.
Swap the stock ball for a white BlackBerry ball, the ball from a Pimoroni breakout or a fresh EVQWJN007 module — the usual first fix for a jumpy trackball.
beams' guide revives dead trackballs by roughing the ball on 120-grit paper or fitting a 5.5 mm glass ball, with a printed shim to stop the module rattling.