Glove 80 - Per-Key Coloring | Next.js Blog Example with Markdown

February 26, 2025

Introduction

Glove 80 is a mechanical keyboard featuring per-key RGB lighting. With the new Firmware community.pr36.per-key-rgb+20250106120812, you can now set individual key colors. This guide will walk you though the process.

Warning

When upgrading from a previous firmware version, performing a factory reset is recommended. This will erase the non volatile configuration, including BLE profiles, RGB underflow preferences and other settings.

The Glove 80 Layout Editor

The Glove 80 Layout Editor is a web-based tool that allows you to customize the layout of your keyboard. You can access it at https://my.glove80.com/#/edit. An account is required, but registration is free and you can build your firmware directly on the website.

Once you are logged in you can create a new layout or modify an existing one.

Setting the colors

To configure per-key RGB lighting, add the following code under Custom Device Tree:

// ==== PER-KEY-RGB <section begins> ====
#include <dt-bindings/zmk/rgb_colors.h>
/ {
    underglow-layer {
        compatible  = "zmk,underglow-layer";
        mylayer {
            bindings = <
                &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___                                                                  &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___
                &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___                                                  &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___
                &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___                                                  &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___
                &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___                                                  &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___
                &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___  &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___
                &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___         &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___  &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___         &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___ &ug ___
                >;
            layer-id = <LAYER_Name>;
        };
 
        // Add more RGB layers here
    };
};
// ==== PER-KEY-RGB <section ends> =====

Modify layer-id = <LAYER_Name>; and mylayer { ... } to the desired layer name. The value of the layer-id parameter must match the associated keymap layer identifier. The automatically generated #define name can be used for this. The name of the RGB layer mylayer does not have any constraints other than it must be unique. It is recommended though to use the same name as the associated keymap layer. To set key colors, replace ___ with a color. Colors are defined in rgb_colors.h and can be found here. You can also use hex values like 0xFF0000 for red.

Example

Here you can find an example layout.

Flashing the Firmware

Once you are satisfied with your layout you can flash it to your keyboard. Important: You cannot revert to an old firmware after flashing.

Ensure the firmware version in the Glove 80 Layout Editor's Settings tab is community.pr36.per-key-rgb+20250106120812.
Make sure EXPERIMENTAL_RGB_LAYER is enabled in the Advanced Configuration tab.
Click Build and download the .uf2 file.
Enter bootloader mode
The keyboard will appear as a USB drive. Copy the .uf2 file onto it and wait for the reboot.