Not All Linears Are The Same!
Figure 1: Not even all of these (mostly) KTT-made linears are the same! After all of my years of collecting, reviewing, and obsessing over switches, I can say with certainty that linear switches are the most misunderstood of all of the switch types. No, I’m not talking about mechanically either, as all of the claims of them “just going straight up and down” are somewhat kind of true. (Not too much though, don’t get that excited.) The part that is often misunderstood, though, is usually in what is being implied when people say that these switches just go straight up and down – “All linears might as well be the same.” If the title of this article didn’t make that obvious enough to you, I find that sort of idea to be completely and utterly wrong. The people who make these implications wouldn’t say that a Cherry MX Black is the same as a Novelkeys Cream switch? They also certainly wouldn’t ever claim that every Gateron-made linear is the same as every fancy TTC one out there...
May 29, 2024
THE BASICS
Default Hot Keys - All Drop V2 keyboards, SENSE75, and CSTM80 Hold FN + listed keys to activate LED Keys
Fn + W: LED Brightness Increase Fn + S: LED Brightness Decrease Fn + E: LED Animation Speed Increase Fn + D: LED Animation Speed Decrease Fn + R: LED Hue Increase Fn + F: LED Hue Decrease Fn + T: LED Saturation Increase Fn + G: LED Saturation Decrease Fn + Q: LED Toggle (All, Keys, Edge, Off) Fn + A: LED Next Pattern Fn + Z: LED Mono Color Mode Fn + X: LED Breathing Effect Fn + C: LED Rainbow Mode Fn + V: LED Rainbow Pinwheel Mode Keyboard Option Keys
Fn + N: Toggle keyboard 6KRO/NKRO (Default state 6KRO) Fn + LCtrl + O: Windows / Mac OS Swap (System / Alt location change) Fn + LCtrl + |\: LCtrl / Capslock Swap Fn + LCtrl + Backspace: Reset Keyboard Default Hot Keys - All Drop V1 Keyboards Hold FN + listed keys to activate LED Keys
Fn + A: LED Pattern - Select previous Fn + D: LED Pattern - Select next Fn + Q: LED Pattern - Decrease scrolling speed (for animating patterns) Fn + E: LED Pattern - Increase scrolling speed (for animating patterns) Fn + Caps Lock: LED Pattern - Change scrolling direction (left to right, right to left, bottom to top, top to bottom, radial center to edge, radial edge to center) Fn + W: LED - Increase brightness Fn + S: LED - Decrease brightness Fn + Tab: LED - Toggle breathing effect Fn + X: LED - Toggle all LEDs off/on Fn + Z: LED - Toggle mode (keys + edge, keys only, edge only, all off) Fn + R: LED - Increase brightness of edge LEDs only (up to brightness of keys LEDs) Fn + F: LED - Decrease brightness of edge LEDs only Fn + V: LED - Toggle every other edge LED off Media Keys
Fn + Page Up: Volume Up Fn + Page Down: Volume Down Fn + Print: Mute Fn + Insert: Play/Pause Fn + Home: Stop Fn + Delete: Previous Fn + End: Next Keyboard Option Keys
Fn + N: Toggle keyboard 6KRO/NKRO (Default state 6KRO) Flashing
Fn + B (hold for three seconds then release): Put keyboard into firmware flashing mode (also referred to as “resetting the keyboard”)
CONFIGURING YOUR KEYBOARD 1. Download the Drop Keyboard Configurator application.
- If you use Windows, download here.
- If you use a Mac, download here.
2. Launch the Drop Keyboard Configurator application. After the application launches, make sure your keyboard is identified and then click Configure Keyboard. If you are using a CTRL V2, ALT V2, or SHIFT V2 keyboard, your keyboard will be recognized right out of the box. If you are using a SENSE75, CTRL V1, ALT V1, or SHIFT V1, first go to the "FLASHING YOUR KEYBOARD" section below."- By default the keyboard will be set to Advanced mode with no safeguards. Remember with layers to always create ways to return to your home layer
- Momentary mode is also available for those looking for some customization with guardrails.
- Remember Boot Magic is always available to wipe your EEPROM and reset the keyboard back to factory settings.
- You can access Boot Magic by holding down the ESC key while your keyboard is disconnected.
- While holding down the ESC key, plug in your keyboard.
Once connected you can let go of the ESC key and the keyboard should be reset.FLASHING YOUR KEYBOARD 1. Launch the Drop Keyboard Configurator application. After the application launches, click “Flash Firmware”.
For CTRL V1, ALT V1, SHIFT V1 users that would like to continue using the older web-based configurator, see instructions here.